Johannesburg’s Robots might not always work but its people do. And that’s where the real magic lies.
Johannesburg, South Africa (08 May 2025) – There’s a corner in Johannesburg where something magical is happening. And by magical, we mean semi-functional traffic lights and a whole community of people who’ve decided that if the robots aren’t going to work properly, well, we will.
The intersection of Main and Witkoppen in Fourways, an infamous headache for Joburg drivers, is finally up and running after what feels like years of blinking confusion, chaos and human traffic controllers giving JMPD officers a run for their money. While it’s not perfectly fixed, it’s working… kinda. And that’s enough to make us smile because this is South Africa, and we know how to make the most out of a “sort of” situation.
For years, Joburg residents have driven through parts of the city that look a little post-apocalyptic. Broken robots, potholes deep enough to have their own water tables, streetlights that haven’t worked since the World Cup and grass so long it deserves a SANParks sign.
But recently, something has started shifting… and it’s thanks to the people.
Community-led movements like “Tidy Towns” along our coastline and the “Better” suburbs in urban spaces have picked up the slack and started restoring pride in our neighbourhoods. Painting, fixing, planting and uplifting. These everyday heroes are helping turn our cities around, one verge at a time.
Traffic lights, however, remain off-limits for community intervention. They’re the domain of the city. Specifically, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and many residents have felt stuck, watching robot after robot fail, week after week. But that’s changing too.
At one of Joburg’s busiest intersections, something miraculous happened. The robots came back online. Sort of.
“They fixed the robot at Main and Witkoppen!” Wendy wrote in to tell us, clearly still in disbelief.
“It’s working beautifully… except the green turning arrows. But the orange ones work. Do we care? Nope.”
Because here’s the thing, South Africans are nothing if not adaptable.
“Everyone – and I mean everyone – waits patiently for the red, pretends they see the green arrow, and off we go. Even the num nut that hasn’t had their caffeine responds promptly at the first hoot. We all continue happily on our way.”
It’s funny, it’s ridiculous, it’s uniquely us. When things don’t work perfectly, we make a plan. We hoot politely, inch forward cautiously and move through life with a mix of humour, resilience and a communal understanding that we’re all just doing our best.
Wendy adds, “Maybe we can get JRA to come and put a globe or two in the green arrow box?” And to be honest, that sounds like a reasonable request.
This may not be headline news for the rest of the world, but for Joburgers, it’s a small (yet meaningful) win. It shows that fixing our cities is possible. That things are starting to change. That even when systems fail, our spirit doesn’t.
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