October 3, 2003
By Bongani Majola
ON a day-long Mayoral Roadshow of the inner city, Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, members of the Mayoral Committee and the top management of the City of Johannesburg, got to intimately know the inner city as they interacted with stakeholders, sampled new and continuing development projects and met members of the public meeting at a highly charged public meeting in Hillbrow on Thursday night.
The day started at 8:30am, when the entourage left the Metropolitan council offices. The first stop was at the Fashion District in the radius of Nugget, Kerk, Delwers and Pritchard Streets. Loosely styled after New York's garment district, the area houses top local designers and embraces everything from everyday small-scale manufacturing for cut-make-and-trim to street culture trends.
Then it was off to the historical Drill Hall. Gutted by fire in April last year, plans were unveiled to Masondo for the building to be restored and upgraded for use as military barracks and as a public open space. The Drill Hall was built in 1904 and used by the military until 1992. Because of its size, it was also used as a courtroom for the 1956 treason trial of 156 activists including Nelson Mandela, who were charged with conspiracy to overthrow the apartheid government.
In Joubert Park, Mayor Masondo planted a Podocarpus henkelii (Henkel's yellowwood), a close relative of South Africa's national tree Podocarpus Iatifolius at the GreenHouse People's Environmental Centre. Yielding a fine timber with a range of uses such as furniture, window frames, floors and doors, the yellowwood is frost-resistant and important for Gauteng and the Highveld, said GreenHouse Project acting director Dorah Lebelo.
"We are honoured that the Mayor chose the GreenHouse Project as part of his Roadshow," said Lebelo, "we also value the support we have enjoyed from the City of Johannesburg as a project partner. We also place on record that the City contributed the site for the Centre through a no rent agreement of use signed in 1999". After Masondo pledged his ongoing support for the GHP, he was shown an arts centre, a crèche and a clinic, all situated at Joubert Park, the best known and oldest park in Johannesburg. It was laid out in 1887.
After a sumptuous lunch at the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the posse of councillors, journalists, police officers, emergency service personnel, business representatives and senior officials of the City were shown the recently completed Faraday Market and Taxi Rank. "It is set to become a hub for traders, taxis, healers, patients and commuters," said tour guide Martin New, who is also leader of the Task Team of the Inner City Regeneration Programme.
In tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's seminal contribution to the struggle for human rights in South Africa, India and the world over, Masondo unveiled a 2.5m high bronze statue of the Satyagara passive resistance advocate by sculptor Tinka Christopher. Depicting a young activist lawyer in his early thirties, the statue stands tall in Gandhi Square, the city's busiest and central bus terminal. Leaving behind a well-attended ceremony, Masondo was next hosted by the Johannesburg Housing Company, who unveiled a multi-cultural, mixed income residential development houses in Brickfields.
Located on vacant land at the foot of the Nelson Mandela Bridge, the project comprises an estimated 650 homes of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms and is a key component of the Newtown Urban Design Framework.
Before all roads led to the public meeting at the Hillbrow Recreation Hall, the entourage had time to revel at the relaxing ambience of the Moyo Restaurant at the Market Theatre in Newtown. It was a necessary retreat, as the mayor would later encounter a tiny group of protesters outside the Hillbrow hall. As Masondo greeted the public meeting, he was met by howls of abuse from elements of the group who had come into the hall, chanting anti-privatisation slogans.
Promptly, Mayor Masondo called for the howlers to be escorted out of the hall. Amidst some drama and confusion, the group eventually found their way outside where they formed a small circle and continued to sing.
"The purpose of these meetings", Masondo told the well-behaved remaining members of the public, "is to provide platform for citizens of the inner city to express their concerns, input, questions and perceptions regarding the City of Johannesburg. It is also an opportunity to make available the mid-term report to the public".
After Masondo outlined the progress on the 6 key strategies of good governance, economic development and job creation, regeneration of the inner city, public safety, service delivery excellence and HIV/Aids, he then opened the floor to the public.
Characterised by order and respect, questions posed ranged from issues and concerns about taxi drivers, slum landlords, illegal shebeen operators, drug dealers as well as water and electricity meters.
The city's overall response was summed up by Parks Tau, member of the Mayoral Committee responsible for finance as he said : "Ten years into democracy, we need to take responsibility for our lives. Those who can afford services must pay but for those who cannot, the local government is willing to help. Indeed, the city provides certain amounts of free electricity and water to the poorest of the poor," said Tau.
"Let's adopt this government as ours and instil a culture of assisting each other, of working together so that we isolate those whose interest is only crime and disruption of services," said Tau.
Sizakele Nkosi, councillor responsible for safety and security, announced that Hillbrow would receive CCTV surveillance cameras in the next financial. She appealed to the community to report crime and gave out the JMPD hotline number 375 5911 or 375 5918.
Councillor Thomas Phakathi, who is responsible for public administration, responded to concerns about lack of adequate space for informal traders. "We will extend hours of trading in the markets, while we are still looking for other spaces to build more markets," he said.
In closing, Mayor Masondo told the meeting that the city was investigating the feasibility of engaging unemployed graduates as part of its proposed learnerships. "We are exploring the possibility of learnerships where chosen students will familiarise themselves with council work while they are looking for jobs".
"We cannot guarantee employment, but help we guarantee," the mayor said as he wound down the day's proceedings.
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