The City of Joburg is experiencing a massive revival.
The municipality has injected a record amount of money into infrastructure development, stimulated more SMME development and created more jobs for the youth.
The city has also become friendlier to business resulting in more investments and increased economic growth.
In his State of the City Address (SOCA) delivered at the Council Chamber on Wednesday 30 April, Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba painted a picture of Joburg as a vibrant City offering more value for business and residents than ever before. The buoyant speech was peppered with facts and figures demonstrating the progress Joburg has made since 2016.
What gives Joburg bragging rights?
What has enabled the Joburg of 2019 to stand out are the following interventions, according to Mayor Mashaba:
• Redirecting over R400 million in non-essential, government expenditure and programs towards improving essential service delivery to communities.
• Increasing capex budget allocations on housing, transport, electricity, water and roads from 58% in 2015/16 to 71% in 2019/20 budget.
• increased the budget for electrifying informal settlements from a feeble R260 million over three years, to a budget now proposing R750 million over the next three years
• Creating 110 000 net new jobs, thus reducing unemployment by 1.1%
• Increasing economic growth rate from 1.4% in the 2017/18 financial year to 1.7%
• Increasing facilitated investment from R4.5 billion in 2016/7 to R12 billion at the end of February 2019
• Attracting R20 billion in property investment for the inner city
• Supporting 23 277 SMMEs since 2016
• The progress made by the City was endorsed by the World Bank, which improved Joburg’s performance in the score measuring the ease of doing business
Towards a rosy future
Mayor Mashaba said his administration will be doing even more to grow Joburg and fulfil the needs of residents. To attract more investment, the City will set up an Investment Facilitation Unit to “receive investment and development proposals in Johannesburg and ensure the fast-tracking of applications”.
Joburg will also establish a new Investment Incentives Package.
The Development of Planning Department will also launch a new online application process to make development applications even easier before the end of 2019. This will make it easier for developers to take up opportunities in the City, including refurbishing some 500 properties in the inner city.
The mayor expressed confidence that the new Inclusionary Housing policy, which incentivizes developers to dedicate 30% of new residential developments to affordable housing, will go a long way in addressing the City’s housing backlog of some 300 000 units.
In this financial year, added Mayor Mashaba, City Power will have concluded the refurbishment of the Roosevelt, Sebenza, Wilropark, Nancefield, Heriotdale, Mondeor, Mulbarton, Pennyville and the Waterval substations. The completion of work on the Eldorado Park and Hopefield substations will add more power to the City’s grid by the beginning of the 2019/20 financial year.
With more investment earmarked for capital expenditure, residents of Joburg have a brighter future to look forward to.
