March 11, 2005
By Anish Abraham
IT WAS a cold and foggy morning when Executive Mayor Amos Masondo set out on a tour of the inner city to find out first-hand the concerns of the citizens of Johannesburg.
The mayor was accompanied by a host of officials. Boarding the bus with him were City Manager Pascal Moloi; Region 8 Director Yakoob Makda; City Chief Operating Officer Sibongile Mazibuko; and several mayoral committee members: Parks Tau (finance, strategy and economic development); Sizakele Nkosi (public safety); Christine Walters (community development, roads and parks); Thomas Phakati (municipal administration); Brian Hlongwa (municipal services entities); Hilda Mokoena (development planning and environment); Strike Ralegoma (housing); Prema Naidoo (health); Nkele Ntingane (municipal enterprises); and Sol Cowan (inner city). Representatives of the City's utilities and agencies also took part.
The mayor meets local business people
The first stop was the National School of the Arts in Braamfontein, where the mayor and his committee spoke to pupils from that school, Barnato High School and Rand Girl's High. The principal, Leon van Gent, thanked the mayor for his commitment to developing skills among young people.
Masondo spoke about some of the changes that had taken since the advent of democracy in 1994. Strategic objectives had been set to build "a united South Africa, achieving a non-racial society, ensuring gender equality and encouraging growth in the economy".
"Young people are supposed to be occupied with their future. The have to invest in that future and must also take an interest in governance," he added.
Giving the pupils a brief explanation of local government and how the Johannesburg council worked, he called on more young people to consider becoming councillors - or even to strive to be the mayor one day.
"You all must aspire to change the world for the better," he said, adding, "The aim of the council is to improve the lives of the residents of the city."
Educational opportunities
He outlined the challenges facing the City, including poverty, unemployment, crime, service delivery, urbanisation and globalisation, and stressed that the City could not solve all these problems on its own. Partnerships between local government, business and members of civil society were of the utmost importance.
The mayor also warned the assembled pupils about the dangers posed by drugs.
Walters said the council was implementing events such as Arts Alive and the Joburg Carnival to promote arts and artists within the city, urging the schools to register with the department of arts, culture and heritage.
Masondo closed the visit with information about bursaries offered by the City and learnership programmes within the council. About 300 young people were in such programmes.
Next up for the party was a walking tour of the inner city streets, where the mayor was shown the progress on licensing and demarcating hawkers stalls by Sean Dinat, the programme manager at the economic development unit.
Masondo chatted to the traders, asking them mainly whether they had applied for hawker's permits or not, and what were their views were on progress in the inner city.
Speaking to one unlicensed street trader, Masondo urged him to go to the Metro Trading Company to apply for a permit as soon as possible, as it was in the hawker's best interests.
This was followed by a short visit to the Drill Hall. The mayor gave his stamp of approval to the building's refurbishment and discussed uses for the venue. He also gave his full support to Siva Pillay, the managing director of Pikitup, who said something had to be done to engender a sense of pride in the inner city.
Refugees
Windybrow Theatre in Hillbrow was the next stop, for a meeting with organisations that represent refugees and asylum seekers. The purpose was to highlight the fact that Johannesburg was home to a multitude of foreigners and their wants and needs should be taken into consideration when the City made its policies.
Some of the concerns raised included lack of access to social services, health facilities and education; the major stumbling block for refugees and asylum seekers was not having South African ID books. However, this had to be taken up with provincial and national government, the mayor said.
The party was bussed to the CJ Cronje building in the inner city, the headquarters of Region 8, for some refreshments and a short break from the scorching sun. Masondo took the opportunity to speak to staff at the building, impressing on them the importance of their work, as the inner city was one the mayor's six priority areas.
He praised the hard work done by Makda, the director, over the years. "What we need is not just managers and administrators, but leaders."
Decline of inner city
The penultimate stop was the Oriental Plaza, where Masondo met several businesspeople and shop owners, before heading to the Sultan Bahu Centre in Mayfair. Here the delegation had lunch and talked with businesspeople from that community. Masondo reiterated his view that for the City to succeed, it had to enter into partnerships with business and society.
On the decline of the inner city, he said it was not unique to South Africa. "Birmingham and Atlanta faced a similar situation of inner city decline … If they could fix those problems, there is no reason why we cannot do the same."
Masondo talked about the continuing work to regenerate the inner city, Kliptown, and the Randburg and Lenasia central business districts. Talking about the tax-incentives for people who invest in Urban Development Zones, he urged the businesspeople to consider investing within the Johannesburg central business district.
In closing, the mayor announced that the council had taken the decision to change the name of the suburb Triomf to its original, Sophiatown, to rapturous applause. But unlike the circumstances that brought about the first name change, Masondo said, "It will be done in the spirit of reconciliation."
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