Early signs indicate that the newly implemented plan to tackle key service delivery challenges in the Johannesburg inner city is showing some levels of success.
The City’s Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM) Department in Region F has begun implementing an Area-Based Management Plan (ABMP) to tackle many of the key service delivery challenges facing businesses, residents and other stakeholders in the area.
The plan deals with critical challenges such as illegal dumping, illegal occupation of properties, building hijackings and traffic congestion, as well as other issues related to the management of the urban environment, by-law enforcement and public safety and security.
It also provides a platform for all City agencies involved in urban management, law enforcement and crime prevention to work together in a focused, co-ordinated and sustainable way. It further seeks to formalise the relationship among City agencies by identifying common objectives and priorities.
“The City understands that a plan that takes on too many priorities and is too complicated will be unsuccessful,” says Regional Director Irene Mafune.
One area where the ABMP has achieved positive results is the St Mary’s Cathedral Precinct in Wanderers Street in the CBD. The precinct was prioritised in the Buyis’ iJozi campaign, which ran from September 2016 to January 2017, and involved entities such as the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), Joburg Water, Pikitup and the Johannesburg Roads Agency.
Operation Buyis’ iJozi (Operation Bring Pride Back Johannesburg) is part of the City’s strategy to create conditions for investors to return to the inner city, which has been plagued by a high rate of crime and unsightly rubbish.
Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba says it is critical that investors return to the inner city if the 5% economic growth target espoused in the City’s 10-point plan is to be achieved.
Buyis’ iJozi aims to keep the city clean and safe for residents, workers, pedestrians and businesspeople. Hundreds of City employees get involved in the operation to ensure it yields positive results and maximum influence.
During the focus on this area, CRUM received 83 complaints relating to City entities such as City Power, Johannesburg Water and the Johannesburg Roads Agency. About 95% of logged complaints, ranging from crime to illegal dumping, were successfully resolved. JMPD dealt with the criminal element and ensured residents felt safe by increasing the visibility of officers and enforcing by-laws.
Waste management entity Pikitup made changes to its operations and extended its shifts to ensure there were enough teams to keep the inner city litter-free at all times and manage the skip bins in Wanderers and De Villiers streets.
“We are working very hard to ensure that the inner city becomes a place that people can be proud to live and do business in,” says Mafune.
She says there is a lot of potential in the inner city and to come and invest in the City. “We are committed to ensuring that we are responsive to the needs of the community.”
