Infrastructure development is one of the most capital-intensive areas of municipal spending. It acts as a catalyst for private investment and economic growth.
It was with this in mind when the Development Planning Department undertook an oversight tour of infrastructure projects currently undertaken by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) this week.
The JDA is the infrastructure development arm of the City of Johannesburg and manages capital expenditure projects as the lead implementing agency. It is accountable to the Department of Development Planning.
The overall objectives of the oversight tour were to inspect the construction progress of the various developments and to monitor the development schedules. The oversight tour focused on the following JDA developments in the inner-city and Soweto:
Jabulani SAFA Safehub: The first stop of the oversight tour was the Jabulani Node, one of the signature projects for using transit-oriented development (TOD) as a catalyst to accelerate socio-economic development.
The JDA is implementing the Jabulani community swimming pool and will form part Jabulani SAFA-Safe Hub. It is hoped the pool will produce future Olympic stars.
Turffontein Clinic: The officials stopped in Rosettenville, where the JDA is implementing the construction of Turffontein Clinic situated in Region F.
The clinic is on a 2960m² ERF area, located on the corner of De Villiers and Van Hulsteyn streets, not far from Main Street, the main commercial street of Rosettenville.
Once completed, the clinic will have a 120-seat waiting area, 18 consulting rooms, an emergency and stabilisation unit, a mother and child section, counselling rooms, a group room for ARV Treatment and TB therapy, a testing facility and antenatal care.
Brixton Social Cluster Library: The third stop was in Brixton, one of the oldest suburbs of Johannesburg. The JDA has been implementing the construction of the second phase of the Brixton Social Cluster.
The second phase of the Brixton Social Cluster development includes the creation of a public square, a new library, a new coffee shop, an upgraded green open space and play area, and an upgraded swimming pool facility.
Our City, Our Block – Hillbrow: The final stop was in Hillbrow, where the JDA is implementing projects as part of the “Our City Our Block” initiative. The Our City, Our Block project is born from the need to collaborate with active stakeholders in the Inner City.
The Our City, Our Block projects aim to enhance public environments by upgrading sidewalks and introducing street art, urban furniture and fixtures addressing specific and contextual social issues to showcase the area’s potential. The scope of works entails the construction of public environment upgrade interventions in parts of Hillbrow.
Issued by the City of Johannesburg