Mayor vows to beef up security in Vilakazi Street  

06 February 2017

 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba on Friday February 3 announced that the City would in the new financial year employ an extra 1 500 Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers to boost safety and security in Johannesburg.

 

Speaking at the memorial service for Khwesi Hudson, the 60-year-old general manager of world-acclaimed Sakhumzi Restaurant who was shot dead by robbers on Sunday January 29, Mayor Mashaba also said the City would as a matter of urgency install surveillance cameras and street lights in Orlando West’s Vilakazi Street.

The street, probably the only one in the world that boasts the homes of two Nobel Peace Prize laureates – former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu – is one of South Africa’s major tourist attractions.

It is also home to a number of eateries, including Sakhumzi Restaurant, owned by businessman Sakhumzi Maqubela.

Hudson, a Ghanaian-born former school teacher, was fatally shot by unknown gunmen who were trying to force their way into the restaurant in the early hours of Sunday January 29.

Mayor Mashaba told the memorial service that his administration was committed to the upliftment of businesses in Soweto, including those along Vilakazi Street. He said businesses along Vilakazi Street were important to the economy of not only Orlando West and Soweto but also of Johannesburg and Gauteng as a whole.

“More than 700 people are employed by the restaurants in this street alone. Businesses in this street are feeding and clothing families and educating our children. Many people have had their dignity restored by finding employment here,” Mayor Mashaba said.

“This street is very important for our country. As a City, we take pride in the street. Maqubela and other business owners in this street should be our pride.“The street is known all over the world ... It’s the only one in Soweto where the dollar is exchanged,” Mayor Mashaba added.

He said he had held meetings with Maqubela and other businesspeople in Vilakazi Street before and after the tragedy.

“I’ve committed my administration to help create an enabling environment for business owners in Vilakazi Street and Soweto,” he said.