August 13, 2004
By Philippa Garson
OTHER cities around the country - and indeed the world - are showing great interest in Joburg's urban regeneration task force, a unique initiative which co-ordinates the efforts of the many agencies, departments and NGOs trying to turn the city around.
Yakoob Makda, director of Region 8 (comprising most of the inner city) and head of the urban regeneration task force says his office is fielding queries from far and wide on a daily basis. Makda, who often works 16 hours a day, gets by on the adrenaline rush of confronting the challenges of regeneration.
An experienced politician with a long history in local government, Makda took up his post three years ago. "We soon realised there were lots of people, organisations and council departments doing good work. But much of this was being done on an ad hoc basis. Efforts were piecemeal and scattered. There was just no co-ordination at all. I saw the huge potential of co-ordinating all these efforts into a multi-disciplinary task force."
After examining case studies from all over the world and mindful of the unique experience of South African cities - built to uphold apartheid and battered by dramatic demographic changes since democracy - Makda's team isolated four major aspects in fixing up the inner city: law enforcement, building control, environmental clean-up and infrastructure development. Four units set up to deal with these issues now meet every month and submit detailed progress reports. "We now have an extensive database of the work being done," says Makda.
By utilising the legal framework at the city's disposal and co-ordinating the efforts of the South African Police Service, South African National Defence Force and the Department of Home Affairs, the task force is gradually cleaning up the city, block by block. With the team's multi-disciplinary approach, the myriad of issues confronting them - crime, grime, illegal immigrants, illegal occupation of buildings, environmental, fire and health hazards, lack of services, urban decay - are being dealt with all at once.
Already underway for 18 months, the process is beginning to bear fruit. In the past year, the city collected R230-million in outstanding revenue, and the number of court orders - around matters such as illegal occupations, evictions and arrears - has escalated from one or two a year to 75 in the past nine months.
Because the task force meets regularly and issues are communicated to relevant players, many matters are now resolved before they get to court, says Makda. Any buildings expropriated by the council are placed immediately on the Johannesburg Property Company's Better Buildings Programme and then handed over to suitable developers, usually for low-income residential purposes.
Makda says the signs of inner city rejuvenation are there: money is changing hands wherever you look. Whereas inner-city banks were empty, they now field long queues. Supermarkets are springing up, people are moving into penthouse apartments, medical doctors and lawyers are opening offices and factories are either starting up or re-opening.
"We're not expecting all those who left the city to come back - that would be impossible," says Makda. "However, we're creating opportunities for emerging businesses. For anyone wanting to start a new business, it's all here - transport, telecommunications, administrative centres, everything … We just need to co-ordinate it, clean it up and allow people to feel safer."
The urban regeneration task force has spearheaded several 'lock-downs' - joint operations involving the security forces, Department of Home Affairs, Pikitup and other agencies. Several blocks are cordoned off and areas are combed for criminals and illegal residents. Environmental and health hazards are identified and clean-up operations then take place, usually involving the removal of several tons of rubbish. "After an operation like this, crime statistics drop dramatically," says Makda.
Although the challenges facing urban regeneration are huge, Makda says the people in his team are "very positive and dedicated". He adds: "The financial and human resources I have at my disposal shows that the city has confidence in my plan."
Permission to use web site material
Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as:
- Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website
(www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency
(www.joburg.org.za)";
- If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original
article on this website;
- The name of the article's author is acknowledged;
-
The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill
in this brief online form).
Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 |
