City dishes out millions in Jozi@Work packages

22 June 2016

 

Several co-operatives and small businesses in the City of Johannesburg’s Region B stand to benefit after two municipal-owned entities – the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and Johannesburg Water (JW) – announced a total of five work packages running into more than R2-million.

 

The packages were presented at two Jozi@Work briefing sessions held at the Danie van Zyl Recreation Centre in Newlands and Windsor East Recreation Centre in Windsor on Tuesday June 21. Jozi@Work is a R3-billion empowerment and job-creation programme championed by Executive Mayor Cllr Parks Tau to help deal with unemployment, poverty and inequality in the city.

One of the initiative’s objectives is to turn job-seekers in the city into job-creators.

On Tuesday JRA offered co-operatives and small businesses in the region three work packages worth a combined total of more than R1.8-million for vegetation control, chemical spraying, skoffeling, street sweeping and kerb inlet control in Windsor, Blairgowrie and Ferndale.

JRA’s Regional Manager, Andrew Bodibe, said the three packages would not only create employment opportunities for residents but would also boost small business development in the region, which includes areas such as Riverlea, Bosmont, Coronationville, Emmarenta, Mayfair, Northcliff, Maraisburg, Langlaagte and Greenside.

“Preference will be given to co-operatives or SMMEs in our region. The City will only outsource to business entities in other regions should it not find a co-operative or an SMME with the necessary skills in Region B,” said Bodibe.

He said all three packages were for three months each.

Joburg Water's Mark Kruger said the municipal-owned entity was seeking to contract two suitable co-operatives or SMMEs to fix broken water pipes, repair community taps and plug water leaks in various informal settlements in the region for a period of three months. He did not quantify the value of the work packages but it is believed to run into tens of thousands of rands.

“We encourage you to take the opportunities that the City has made available,” said Kruger.

Thandi Zondo, 49, of New Canada, near Soweto, said she was looking forward to submitting her bid forms and hoped she would be one of those who would be called to be part of the Jozi@Work projects.

“We are very thankful that our Mayor is telling us about job opportunities in the city. If it was not for this Jozi@Work session, I wouldn’t have known about these five packages on offer,” said Zondo.