Bold new move to reclaim the heart and soul of the inner city
20-03-2015
The City of Johannesburg has introduced a new strategy to breathe life back into the inner city.
The Inner City Roadmap – spearheaded by Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau –has taken over from where the Inner City Charter, driven by former Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, left off.
“The Inner City Charter was a regenerative strategy focusing on property and environmental upgrades. The Inner City Roadmap, on the other hand, is a transformative, precinct-based approach,” says Region F Citizen Relationship Urban Management (CRUM) Assistant Director Shaun O’Shea.
The battle against crime, grime and urban decay started way back in 2007 after the inner city lost its allure following the flight of investors and capital to upmarket areas such as Rosebank and Sandton. Under the Inner City Roadmap, the fight to restore the inner city to its former glory has now moved up a gear.
The City recently announced its intention to borrow €120 million (about R15 billion) from the French Development Agency to finance expenditure on, among other things, the Inner City Roadmap Programme.
Delivering his State of the Province address a few days earlier, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said the provincial government would over the next five years mobilise R10 billion in public and private investments to regenerate the Johannesburg CBD, “the seat of the provincial government”.
These two bold steps are probably the strongest indications yet of the City and the Gauteng Provincial Government’s determination to deal a decisive blow to the degeneration of the inner city, once the pride of many Johannesburgers.
Krishni Gounden, Region F’s Deputy Director: Area-Based Management, agrees, saying: “We are reclaiming the heart and soul of the inner city.”
The Inner City Roadmap was introduced in 2012 following an extensive review of the progress, successes and shortcomings of the Inner City Charter.
Almost R2-billion had already been spent around the city – greening public spaces, sprucing up derelict buildings, upgrading housing and other infrastructure and making the city more eco-friendly – under the Inner City Charter.
At times the heart of the city seemed like a huge construction site – first with the construction of Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system lanes and stations, and then with the laying out of cycling lanes and the building of new malls.
By the time former mayor Masondo left office, the Inner City Upgrading Fund had spent R560-million on five precincts – from the Hillbrow Tower to the Eastern Gateway.
The Troyeville Hotel had been restored, so had Chancellor House, the building that housed the law firm run by struggle stalwarts Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in the 1950s.
If you add the BRT projects, the City spent R1.8-million on infrastructure development during that period.
Unlike the Inner City Charter, whose lifespan was five years – from 2007 to 2011 – the Inner City Roadmap is a long-term development project that will be implemented over 15 years.
It promises great things for the inner city, says Gounden.
“This is a holistic approach to development. You want to have a productive inner city. This strategy is very comprehensive. It’s not static and all projects are aligned with the City’s vision of being a caring city,” she says.
The strategy was approved by the mayoral committee in September and it has since all been all hands on deck.
“Implementation is under way. We are planning to officially launch the Roadmap before the end of this financial year – around June,” says O’Shea.
As he was speaking, the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) was handing over keys to 168 homeless inner city residents to their new flats at the newly renovated 10-storey Europa House.
Europa House, previously an office block, was one of the rundown properties that Joshco, the City’s social housing company, had bought and refurbished under the Inner City Housing Action Plan after it had been hijacked by slumlords.
The company plans to buy more such buildings and refurbish them as part of its efforts to reclaim the inner city “piece by piece”.
In the past year alone, 1 294 people were arrested in connection with hijacking buildings in the inner city. Of these, 57 were prosecuted and 37 convicted. At least 45 buildings were secured and handed back to their owners.
“Building hijacking has been an ongoing problem. Getting these people to justice is a lengthy process, but we are now on top of it,” says O’Shea.
The City recently passed the problem properties bylaw, which will enable it to deal with slumlords more effectively.
“Crime has also decreased tremendously in the inner city since CCTV cameras were installed. Crime is not as prevalent as it was five years ago. Of course, petty crimes are still prevalent.
“The number of problem properties has also declined. We have very good relations with the South African Police Service, the Hawks, South African Revenue Service, National Prosecuting Authority and other stakeholders,” says O’Shea.
Major companies, led by Absa and others, are returning to the inner city.
“Our vision is a 24-hour city, where people can work, live and play,” says Gounden.
“So much work has been done over the past 10 years to regenerate the inner city. There has been so much development by the City and its private partners, including private property developers, who have poured millions into projects such as Maboneng, Westgate and Newtown precincts. Gandhi Square has been spruced up, too.”
The South Hills mixed housing development, which forms part of the Turffontein Corridor, is expected to get off the ground soon. More than 5 000 mixed-housing units are to be built in the area, which is 6km from the Johannesburg CBD.
O’Shea admits, though, that there are still challenges.
“Taxi and waste management are still big issues but we are working on them,” he says.