Cleaning the inner city to attract investors

27 September 2016

 

The City of Johannesburg’s efforts to rid the inner city of urban decay, crime and grime have been put in motion through the re-launch of Operation Buyis’ iJozi, an initiative aimed at ensuring that both residents and businesspeople adhere to City by-laws.

 

The operation, which starts today (Tuesday September 27) and will run for 100 days, involves entities such as the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), Joburg Water,Pikitup and Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).

Targeted areas will include the Joubert Park and St Mary precincts.

Operation Buyis’ iJozi (Operation Bring Pride Back Johannesburg), is part of the City’s strategy to create conditions for investors to return to the inner city, which has been plagued by a high rate of crime and unsightly rubbish. It also forms part of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba’s 10-point plan to transform the city and achieve 5% economic growth to boost employment opportunities.

On Monday, JMPD, Joburg Water, Pikitup and JRA officials and employees went from street to street to inform businesspeople and residents about the operation.

Operations leader Christina Cass said this was a continuation of the operation that started a while ago.

“Through this operation we want to keep our city clean. We want to have an interface with residents, not only for a day but on a continuous basis,” Cass said.

JMPD Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said the City was serious about keeping the inner city safe for residents, workers, pedestrians and businesspeople. “We all have a responsibility to play in keeping the inner city clean,” added Minnaar.

He said hundreds of City’s employees would get involved in the operation to ensure that it yielded positive results and had maximum influence.

“We want to create a City where people can do business. Residents have complained about the high rate of crime and we want to deal with the criminal element and ensure that residents feel safe,” said Minnaar.

Waste management entity Pikitup has made changes to its operations and extended its shifts to ensure there are enough teams to keep the inner city litter-free.