November 9, 2007
By Emily Visser
REPRESENTATIVES from a wide range of inner city stakeholders pledged their formal support for the rejuvenation of the city centre by signing the Inner City Regeneration Charter.
The signing formed part of the official launch of the inner city charter partnership forum, to which all stakeholders will belong, on Wednesday, 7 November. It took place at the Lutheran Church and community centre in an inner city hotspot, Hillbrow, more renowned for its high levels of crime and extreme dirt. But the event marked the start of a long relationship in which both the City and other stakeholders are making a tangible promise to create a safe, clean and uncompromised inner city.
Functioning as a platform for community participation in order to further the aims of the charter, the forum "creates conditions for the local community to participate in the City's affairs" as stipulated by the Municipal Systems Act.
The City invited key stakeholders and prepared a draft terms of reference for the launch. Various sectors were represented, among them the South African National Traders Alliance, Madlulamho Housing, the Central Johannesburg Partnership, Kagiso Urban Management, Johannesburg Inner City Business Coalition, Johannesburg Diocese, Yeoville Stakeholders' Forum, the Johannesburg Housing Company, Olitzki Property Holdings, Connaught Property, the Property Owners and Managers Association, Interfaith Community Development Association, Metro Evangelical Services, ward representatives and City officials.
"This list of invited key stakeholders and the draft terms of reference are not final," said Yael Horowitz, the programme manager in charge of the charter, at the launch. Stakeholders have until the end of November to comment on the terms of reference and suggestions in terms of the stakeholder list.
Guardian
The launch also served as the first official meeting of the partnership forum and was opened by Executive Mayor Amos Masondo.
As the champion of the inner city's rebirth, the forum will monitor and evaluate the progress of programmes and action plans as stipulated in the charter. It would commission "a neutral and independent specialist tasked with assembling evidence of the progress achieved", Horowitz said.
It would also give stakeholders an opportunity to raise concerns and propose remedial action and become a platform to identify and build on areas of further common collaboration and action.
"The charter partnership forum is not established as a decision-making structure," Horowitz stressed. Discussions in the forum may result in recommendations, but these would not be binding. "The forum does not detract from the proper role and function of the committees of the council, which provides political oversight over the programmes and performance of the executive mayor."
Inner city regeneration has received much attention over the last year as the City set in motion a number of engagements with inner city stakeholders to rejuvenate the area. The culmination of this was the Inner City Summit held in May, out of which grew the Inner City Regeneration Charter.
Taking on the terrible twins
But the charter is not a document of empty promises. On reading it, residents will grasp the extensive interventions planned by Johannesburg to turn around the inner city. Regeneration programmes will be undertaken over the next five years and 192 charter commitments have been identified.
The charter was approved by the City council in July.
With this many commitments on the agenda, the first deliverables were already undertaken – and met - in July.
And some of the commitments are close to the hearts of inner city inhabitants. Crime and grime are two big ones. Zikhona Gqirana, a nurse, said she could no longer live in Hillbrow as the high crime and "unconditional dirtiness" had become unbearable. She has two teenage boys and moved to Bramley to give them a better future. "Many things need to change here."
Mayor Amos Masondo, Director of the Central Johannesburg Partnership Anne Steffny and City Manager Mavela Dlamini sign the Inner City Regeneration Charter
Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg
The charter has identified specific desired outcomes to deal with crime and grime. For one, the by-law enforcement process is being reviewed and the City is hoping to come up with some creative solutions to punish effectively those who break the laws.
Law enforcement capacity will also be augmented in key departments. By-law education will go hand-in-hand with this, so that "infractions are an exception rather than the rule" in the inner city, the charter declares.
The City has increased spending to deal with grime and has opted for some state-of-the-art technology to help. This includes an additional 2 000 swivel bins, two additional mechanical street sweepers and 20 underground bins.
A street prefect system is also in place. Already 17 street prefects are employed by the City to monitor crime in the inner city. They also report incidents such as power failures, malfunctioning traffic lights, water leaks, overflowing waste bins and illegal dumping.
Joubert Park ward councillor Francinah Mashao said much as the community welcomed the charter, they were still frustrated by private property owners who held them to ransom. "One thing frustrating us is property owners and landlords not forming part, participating in the [charter] process."
Mashao felt that the success of outcomes rested squarely on everyone being on board and participating. Masondo affirmed this sentiment: "The City can only do so much. With the effort of others we can achieve much, much more."
He said that the City would continue to get all stakeholders on board.
Great support
The general sentiment of those present at the launch was one of enthusiasm for the regeneration, and the mayor reminded everyone of the progress that had been made already. "Seven years ago there was no Mary Fitzgerald Square, there was no Nelson Mandela Bridge, there was no Brickfields housing development."
After the presentations delegates were taken on an extensive tour of the eKhaya Neighbourhood City Improvement District in Hillbrow, one of six statutory improvement districts in the inner city.
The Better Buildings Programme projects successfully completed in the eKhaya district clearly illustrated the positive effect regeneration could have on an area. The programme is undertaken by the Johannesburg Property Company and is also a charter commitment.
The City will have a complete data base system in place by June 2008 to detect and track bad buildings and, through better law enforcement procedures, it will get involved with the management and control of such buildings.
Wellington Mkhize, the leasing manager for Olitzki Property Holdings, the company responsible for upgrading Ghandi Square, Fox Street Mall and other commercial buildings in the central business district, was encouraged by what he had seen so far. However, he said that the City "basically needs to do more, especially buildings unaccounted for" and suggested that the council should take ownership of these.
Hans Jooste, from the Central Johannesburg Partnership, an interface between the private sector and the council, said the regeneration was an excellent idea. "This is the first time the private sector sees something happening that's going to deliver, because there is accountability."
Anne Steffny, Director of the Central Johannesburg Partnership, saw the charter as a fantastic effort but that the basics of safety, cleanliness and law enforcement needed to be right. "It is a very brave move from the City to publicly commit to deliverables … It shows that the City is bold and has a vision."
The forum's mandate would be finalised at its next meeting, Masondo said. Through the forum, the spirit of consultation and engagement would be kept alive and the process of regenerating the inner city of Johannesburg would be accelerated.
It will remain in place until the end of Masondo's term of office, in December 2010. He will act as convener and chair of all future forum meetings, which will take place on a quarterly basis. Extraordinary meetings may be convened when needed.
In closing, Masondo said that the challenges of urban renewal should be tackled together. "This charter partnership forum is a critical intervention in this process. Together we will succeed."
The next forum meeting will be held in February 2008.
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