November 12, 2007
By Emily Visser
IF Mlamleli Belot has his way, the face of Region G will be changed forever. "My plan for the next five years is to turn Region G around."
The director has been with the region for only a couple of months, but he has great plans to tackle its high levels of unemployment and poverty through economic development interventions. He is also of the opinion that the region's potential has been largely unexplored.
For many Joburg residents it is an out-of-the-way area, best ignored and little known. It is tucked away in the furthest corner of southern Johannesburg and is best known for its informal settlements, of which Orange Farm is the largest in the country, and the formal settlements of Lenasia and Eldorado Park, historically the city's Indian and coloured townships.
The region is home to almost a million people, according to a recent study; Orange Farm alone has 672 000 residents. Over the last five years its demographic make-up has also changed drastically. Today the area is a mix of racial groups, with the majority of its population falling in the 20- to 40-year-old age group, many living in utter squalor - a bigger challenge still is the high unemployment rate.
"We are working very hard to stimulate economic development in the area," Belot explains, saying a critical aspect of urban management is to attract development. To this end, he will be looking more closely at initiating city improvement districts.
Full of opportunities
Developers see lots of opportunities for the area, he says. The Lakeside Shopping Mall is one such development, opening in early 2008; in 2006 the Trade Route Mall was opened in Lenasia.
Other big projects include the R8-million Poortjie multipurpose community centre, funded by the Gauteng department of sports and recreation, and the R4-million Ithemba Home Village, which cares for Aids patients and orphans and is funded by the Department of Public Works.
"We realise that it [development] is done in partnership."
Belot spent the last five years with neighbouring municipality Mogale City, on the West Rand. Holding a masters degree in urban and regional planning from the University of the Free State, he says his background in planning and experience in the field allows him to transcend the boundaries of many disciplines, an ability which comes in handy in his job. "As planner, one is multidisciplinary."
A key challenge is to provide social infrastructure services and formal housing to the majority of residents living in informal structures. He believes that housing projects similar to Brickfields in Newtown have a place in Orange Farm.
The importance of offering housing interventions that are integrated with other social services - transport, sanitation and water, electricity, clinics, schools and others - cannot be stressed enough, he says. "Housing must enhance people's lives, not hinder [them]."
Over the next year, there will be three specific focus areas in Region G, as identified by its Regional Urban Management Plan (RUMP). The first, Stretford Station in Orange Farm, will be upgraded and transformed into a "transportation and economic hub". This will be going out to tender soon.
Secondly, a business plan for Poortjie is being finalised, with a transport and agro-economic hub. Cash crop farming, consisting of vegetables and fruit, is being examined as it is relatively easy to fund and generates income reasonably quickly.
"The idea is to move away from subsistence farming to commercial farming," Belot explains.
Eldorado Park is the third focus area for this financial year. No longer predominantly a coloured area, there has been an influx of other racial groups, leading to a number of social challenges and massive housing backlogs.
But Belot is quick to point out that these three areas will not be developed to the detriment of other areas in the region.
First-hand knowledge
Too often the region is painted with the same brush as other, more affluent regions, Belot says. Assumptions are made without proper consideration for the specific circumstances residents face, especially those in informal settlements.
To explain, he refers to people in Joburg's northern suburbs who have the ability and tools to object to and participate in the development of their areas in a meaningful way. Because of a lack of infrastructure, education and knowledge, the residents of Orange Farm and such places cannot interact in the same meaningful way.
For this reason, Belot makes a conscious effort to engage with communities on their levels. "I always make a separation between physical and non-physical interventions."
He sets aside time each month to visit one of the communities in the region. Leaving his suit behind in favour of a pair of casual chinos, he sets off in his four-by-four to a specific area to pay a surprise visit.
The director believes strongly in these unplanned visits as it allows for spontaneous, real engagements. It is during these trips that he gets first-hand knowledge of what is needed in the area, grievances and complaints are aired and solutions explored, together with the ward councillor and the community.
He does not want to fall into the trap of deciding for communities, Belot insists, saying that the community's input is sacrosanct. "Don't get carried away, thinking for communities, planning for communities."
Protests
For him, the nature of the work requires that the regional director knows his community first hand. And he has already experienced four community protest marches since he started in the job. At the heart of the unrest is poor service delivery and housing.
Through engaging with the community, it was found that many had genuine grievances; but many had also been deprived of information. Once people had been given more information, they had started to support the projects, Belot says.
"We [regional management] have realised that people are reasonable," he adds.
In terms of physical intervention, he wants to ensure that the current infrastructure does not deteriorate, and so believes in a two-pronged approach of developing new infrastructure while maintaining existing infrastructure.
Belot also expects a lot of investment to come into the area as a result of the 2010 World Cup. The region will have two fan parks, one at Greater Orange Farm and the other at Kliptown. Kliprivier is also a key legacy project of 2010.
Describing himself as an open-minded, lateral thinker, Belot says people should be led rather than managed, to realise their potential. "I don't manage. I believe in leadership, in mentoring, encouraging and developing a sense of ownership among people, making them realise that they have a contribution to make."
His philosophy of free thinking also means he has a variety of past-times. Reading is a passion but he is also an avid theatre goer and sportsman. His vision is to see this region turned around.
He sees region G becoming a vibrant mini-city, self-sufficient with a proliferation of social housing connected to commercial and social amenities. And it will be a place attractive to investors. "I can make a change in people's lives," he believes.
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