September 9, 2004
By Ndaba Dlamini
MEMBERS of the National Council of Provinces and the Gauteng legislative portfolio committee on local government got a good glimpse of developments in Johannesburg during a tour of Braamfontein and Soweto.
Members of the Johannesburg mayoral committee and the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) management conducted the tour and provided a running commentary on complete and pending projects around the city as the bus wound its way through dense morning traffic on Tuesday, 7 September.
"This, Braamfontein, is the pride of the City's Urban Renewal Project. Braamfontein is home to the University of the Witwatersrand and a host of private educational institutions. It's the city's centre of excellence in education and learning," pointed out Tshepo Nkosi, JDA executive director of marketing and communications.
The young trees sprouting new spring leaves and the tidy pavements along De Korte Street was enough proof for Nkosi to say the regenerated Braamfontein has provided a permanent home to major multi-national companies, who, despite some companies taking flight from the inner city, have remained to witness the developments.
Turning into Bertha Street, the celebrated Mandela Bridge appeared, a City project that has become an international tourist attraction. "The bridge has improved access from the north of the city into Newtown and the city centre. This is the biggest cable-stayed bridge in southern Africa and we are proud to say everything that Joburg does is bigger and better," joked Nkosi.
View of Mary Fitzgerald Square from the M1 highway
The City has invested over R150-million into developing Newtown, Joburg's cultural precinct, said Nkosi, as the bus glided over Mandela Bridge into Newtown. "The constructions that you see are the Brickfields housing developments that will cater for people in the middle- to lower-income band."
Once on the M1 South motorway, much to the ire of other motorists, the bus stopped to give its passengers a breathtaking view of Mary Fitzgerald Square, the Market Theatre, MuseuMAfrica and the rest of the cultural precinct.
After an enthusiastic five-minute talk on the SciBono project run by the Gauteng Department of Education, the Turbine Hall, which has been successfully tendered to a private investor, and the renowned SAB World of Beer, the bus moved on along the M1 South to Nasrec, south of the city of Johannesburg.
"The present developments at Nasrec in the form of the Expo Centre, Soccer City and the housing developments all link the economies of Soweto and Joburg," explained JDA development manager, Robert Bathke.
"Nasrec is part of the City's Urban Development Framework to link and merge the City of Johannesburg and Soweto physically. As an investment area, Nasrec is strategically positioned and is best linked by road and rail," he added.
"When you talk about Nasrec, talk about 2010. This is the place where the 2010 Soccer World cup is going to be staged. Hopefully the opening and closing ceremony of the World Cup will happen here and there are plans in the pipeline to upgrade the Nasrec precinct into a world-class district for the event," said Bathke, as the bus meandered its way around massive mine dumps into Old Potchefstroom Road on its way to Baragwanath, Soweto.
The sprawling township appeared immediately after the bus went over the N1 bypass flyover.
The tour bus going over the Nelson Mandela bridge
"Note the clean environment around Soweto. At the moment the City is running a campaign called Bontle ke Botho to clean and green Soweto's environment. Joburg is probably the cleanest city in South Africa," said Pascal Moloi, the City manager.
In conjunction with Pikitup, Johannesburg's waste management company, the City is tackling illegal dumping in Soweto through Project 100 Spots. "Pikitup used to collect less waste through formal waste collection than through illegal dumping," said Similo Dingaan from Pikitup.
"Pikitup conducted research and managed to identify illegal dumping spots around Soweto. Through door-to-door campaigns to educate Sowetans on the ills of illegal dumping, we have managed to contain the behaviour."
He added that Pikitup had also introduced four vehicles that travel through Soweto's 'hot spots' - problem areas prone to illegal dumping. "As a result, we have drastically reduced the more than 4 000 illegal dumping spots we initially identified."
The hustle and bustle of the Baragwanath taxi rank with its multitude of informal traders and a horde of taxis spilling over onto the dusty sidewalks of Diepkloof streets is giving way to a new project being undertaken by the City.
The project, which began in 2003, plans to turn the Baragwanath precinct into a major commercial hub, complete with shopping malls and mixed-income residential areas.
A new taxi rank is nearing completion which, according to Alfred Sam, the project manager, will ease congestion on the current rank and provide informal traders around Baragwanath with a "respectable place" to operate from.
The landmark brightly painted twin cooling towers of Orlando Power Station appeared as Baragwanath faded away.
"Plans are under way to transform Orlando Power Station into a museum celebrating the social and political history of the township in the near future. Orlando Dam has been popular of late with entertainment events being staged," said Sam, referring to the dam at the foot of the towers once used by the power station.
After the power station, the bus turned into the K53, a road flanked by the informal settlements of Kliptown.
Here Aubrey Manganye, JDA project development manager, took the delegates through the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication, where massive construction of retail and restaurant facilities is under way.
Already the initial phase of the project has been completed and a taxi rank is operational. "The square will comprise 180 medium-scale business enterprises and we hope to open the square in June 2005," said Manganye.
"After the developments, Kliptown will still retain its historical significance as some physical structures will not be pulled down. The old farm house in the vicinity, for example, will be upgraded as a heritage site," said Manganye.
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