Locals and the chairman of the Oriental Plaza in Fordsburg say ongoing degradation including potholed roads, dumped rubbish and crime is driving customers away from the historic marketplace.
Plaza chairman Dhiren Parbhoo warned that the complex risks becoming “a dinosaur” due to problems in the surrounding area. He pointed to burst rubbish bags, mouldy strawberries left on Dolly Rathebe Street and an unfilled trench where vagrants had made fires.
Parbhoo said people were smoking drugs nearby and that holes had been found for storing stolen cables. He noted that Fordsburg Square, once lively on Friday nights, is now dead by 7pm.
The plaza, founded in the 1970s after Indian traders were moved from Pageview, is owned by its shopkeepers. Parbhoo is calling for a Fordsburg Improvement District Forum to work with city agencies on enforcement and repairs.
The Joburg Roads Agency said extensive stormwater maintenance is scheduled to start in July 2026. The Johannesburg Metro Police Department stated that patrols are being carried out in the area.