The Johannesburg multi-party government is aiming to mitigate problems and issues in the city such as unemployment, economic challenges, water and electricity issues, and to provide economic and social opportunities and service delivery for citizens, through its ‘The Golden Start’ programme of action, which flows from seven mayoral priorities.

This was revealed by executive mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse during her State of the City Address on April 21.

She outlined these priorities as a city that gets the basics right; a safe city; a caring city; a business-friendly city; an inclusive city; a well-run city; and a smart city.

“The election of the executive mayor to the role of Africa vice-chairperson for C40 Cities introduced the green strand that runs through all seven mayoral priorities, driving climate change mitigation and a just and equitable transition to the City of Johannesburg,” Phalatse noted.

A CITY THAT GETS THE BASICS RIGHT

Waste collector Pikitup’s strategy will be to work with local communities through cooperatives to deliver waste management services, Phalatse said.

Moreover, she said that, in the next financial year, the entity would also mechanise its fleet for better efficiency. This would require the procurement of new compactors, street sweepers and other specialised vehicles.

To stabilise electricity supply in the city, the Sustainable Energy Strategy was approved in January.

To support this work, the multi-party government will be hosting an Energy Indaba in May, which will see it introduce a new energy mix; partner with independent power producers and small-scale energy generators; reduce its reliance on State-owned power entity Eskom; and end rolling blackouts.

In the interim, City Power has extended its power purchase agreement with the Kelvin power station by 24 months, which Phalatse said would maintain security and reliability of supply to customers currently supplied by the power station.

The city also plans to invest R2.8-billion within the next three financial years to improve the city’s water services infrastructure.

Joburg Water’s Marginalised Areas Programme is aimed at ensuring informal settlements' basic water and basic sewer needs are also catered for.

Region-based service delivery blitzes were initiated under Phase 1 of A Re Sebetseng, launched in February, a programme which brings together multiple departments and entities to focus on pothole repairs, reinstatements, resurfacing of roads, traffic signal infrastructure maintenance, cleaning of stormwater infrastructure and kerb inlets, repair of guardrails and road markings.

“Through the city’s partnership with Dial Direct and Discovery Insure, 7 524 potholes were filled in just seven weeks during these blitzes, making our roads safer and preventing costly vehicle repairs.

“Certainly, we have made progress in sorting out the city’s pothole problem, but we equally have more road to cover, and we will,” Phalatse said.

A SAFE CITY

Under the leadership of MMC David Tembe, there were 1 800 Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officers deployed into the inner-city with the aim of restoring law and order and stimulating safe economic activity, Phalatse indicated.

Phalatse added that the deployment of JMPD pointsmen had eased traffic congestion, especially during peak hours.

Also, the JMPD is strengthening working relations with other law enforcement agencies through various joint operations.

To contribute towards the city’s revenue collection drive, the JMPD has reinstated Smart Roadblocks, collecting over R14-million in nine weeks, informed Phalatse.

A CARING CITY

Through the Health and Social Development portfolio, Phalatse said, two new clinics were opened for public use in Bophelong near Soweto, and Florida in Roodepoort.

The construction of the Naledi Clinic is also under way, and in the next three years, ten new clinics would be built in different parts of the city in response to current and projected needs, she added.

Phalatse said the portfolio would continue to fight substance abuse through the inpatient and outpatient treatment centres across the regions.

It will also further the development of the new Bertrams Multipurpose Centre near the Ellis Park Precinct in Region F, which will house a community hall, senior citizens support, a women’s empowerment centre, child aftercare, youth and skills development, a basketball court and office space for regional social development services.

Phalatse said the department was reviewing the city’s migration policy, which would serve as a guide on how to best deal with all forms of migration, legal and illegal, interprovincial and international.

The city’s policies on homelessness, child services, food resilience and older persons were currently also under review and would soon be released for public participation, she added.

In the interim, the migration of retirement villages from housing to social development as approved by council will be fast-tracked, Phalatse noted.

She said that, in the new financial year, social development would constitute a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual advisory committee to drive the interests of this group.

Phalatse said indigent residents could continue to access free basic services from the Expanded Social Package; while the debt rehabilitation programme had been reinstated to facilitate debt write-offs for the missing middle class, pensioners and the indigent.

A BUSINESS-FRIENDLY CITY

Phalatse said the Department of Economic Development had put the draft Informal Trade Policy through the relevant structures and updated it with comments from public participation.

Once approved in Council, this policy would afford South African informal traders the opportunity to reclaim their trading spaces. The city is close to finalising the Informal Trade Permit System.

Phalatse said a process has been initiated for Group Forensics and Investigation Services to conduct a property audit of the 29 000 city-owned properties, perform an evaluation of the property values, assess the state of leases and the general repairs and maintenance required to restore the properties, and regularise the leases. Where possible, properties would be released to business for better use, she noted.

To drive investment, the government has re-established strong relations with the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as other business forums, to restore investment confidence, Phalatse said, noting some highlights as the acceleration of special economic zones at City Deep as a logistics and agri-hub.

Government would continue to roll out more opportunity centres to support businesses and entrepreneurs; ensure fair access to Expanded Public Works Programme opportunities through an audited electronic system; and promote business and leisure tourism as job creators through the new Johannesburg Tourism Company, Phalatse said.

In May, the city will host a Business Collaborative Conference, to bolster business and government collaboration.

The city has also started a long-term process of scrutinising policies, by-laws and compliance and investigation procedures, while also modernising service offerings and the city’s application and permitting processes.

It is also working to reduce the backlog of appeals and objections related to the Municipal Planning Tribunal.

The Planning Department is committed to tripling the yearly target for the required demolitions of noncompliant and illegal buildings and structures from 30 to 96, Phalatse highlighted.

AN INCLUSIVE CITY

The Housing Department, through the Upgrading of Informal Settlement Programme, is targeting ten informal settlements in the upcoming financial year, to upgrade these to level three, which entails provision of permanent municipal services.

In the upcoming financial year, there is a target of 2 500 housing units in Regions C, D and F.

There is also a focus on the site and service programme which is aimed at giving people serviced stands where they can build homes for themselves. In February, 701 serviced sites were launched in Zandspruit.

Phalatse informed that the construction of the Fleurhof substation was almost complete, which would supply power to units that are yet to be electrified in Fleurhof and surrounding areas.

Government is also issuing title deeds to provide security of tenure to residents.

Meanwhile, the Hostel Redevelopment project would see the revamp of hostels and upgrading of Community Residential Units. Government is in the process of approving plans for the redevelopment of all the hostels to do away with apartheid spatial planning, said Phalatse.

The Johannesburg Social Housing Company, Joshco, has kickstarted various turnkey projects which will see an envisaged 3 500 housing units at the end of the upcoming three financial years.

The construction of the Riverside Social Housing Development in Region A was recently launched, which would, upon completion, yield 1 108 social and affordable rental units around Diepsloot, Midrand, Fourways and surrounding areas, noted Phalatse.

A WELL-RUN CITY

Government is exploring alternative funding schemes and Finance MMC Julie Suddaby will be embarking on an investor roadshow fund, among other things, on the city’s infrastructure projects.

The city has also enhanced its revenue collection programme through Operation Buya Mthetho, and Phalatse says the response to this has been positive, with an uptick in payments since January, and currently exceeding the target of collecting R4-billion a month.

Delinquent ratepayers who ignore warnings will have their services cut off, Phalatse said, noting that the revenue team conducts up to 1 000 disconnections daily.

Owing to the impact of the pandemic and the economic state, the city has re-instituted the Debt Rehabilitation Programme, which aims to assist defaulting customers to bring their outstanding municipal accounts up to date.

Qualifying customers will receive a 50% debt write-off, with a further write-off on the outstanding debt over a three-year period, if they comply with all the conditions associable with the programme, informed Phalatse.

She said Council would soon be presented with a report recommending considerable changes to the qualifying criteria; and it would also be asked to vote for the inclusion of old age homes, orphanages and body corporate account holders in the criteria.

Phalatse also mentioned that investigations into corruption had been undertaken and completed investigations had been actioned.

Phalatse indicated that during the 2020/21 financial year, none of Joburg’s entities received a clean audit or an unqualified audit opinion; while R3-billion was spent irregularly.

“I know it takes time to clean house, but we must move with haste and precision to get the entities functioning within the ambit of the existing legal framework,” she emphasised.

A SMART CITY

Planning has begun for new information technology systems to manage leave, employee engagement, learning and development, recruitment, performance management, consequence management, productivity, and enable hybrid working arrangements, Phalatse said.

The city has started the process of linking thousands of unlinked closed-circuit television cameras around the city to the Public Safety Integrated Intelligence Operations Centre.

 The city will also be rolling out digital e-health solutions over the coming year with the aim of digitising patient records and integrating them into other systems nationally.