Region C gets on board the IDP bus
21-04-2015
Frank and open discussion, lively debate, mutual respect and a sense of community.
These are some of the key points that Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau says are critical to ensuring the success of the City of Johannesburg’s “final push” towards consolidating the gains it made since the 2011 local government elections as it presses on to finalise the contents of the 2015-2016 Budget and the Integrated Development Plan (IDP).
Speaking at an IDP meeting at the Roodepoort Town Hall on Monday night, Councillor Willie van der Schyff, the City’s Chairman of the Portfolio Committee for Economic Development, said fortunately Region C already possessed all these qualities.
He added that residents could count on the City taking any concerns they might have to heart as the council mulled over how best to serve their interests.
The meeting was one of a series of community-based engagement sessions currently being held across the city ahead of Saturday’s strategic IDP Stakeholder Summit.
The IDP is a multi-year strategic plan that contains the City’s strategies and implementation plans required to achieve its vision.
Other key aspects of the IDP for the period 2011-2016 include the commitment to good governance; responsiveness; efficient and progressive service delivery; facilitation of continued economic growth; improving social, health and safety conditions; promoting self-sustainability and growing capacity for human and social development; “adapting and shaping the urban environment” by promoting equality; and driving access to economic opportunities.
“What I really like about these meetings is that we, for instance, had a problem with taxis speeding and playing loud music as they drove past Roodepoort High School,” Councillor Van der Schyff said.
“After this was brought to light by the community and through the intervention of Member of the Mayoral Committee for Transport [Councillor Christine Walters], I am happy to report that the local taxi association and the school board had their first-ever meeting two weeks ago to resolve this issue, which just goes to show you what great things can happen here in Region C if people just talk to one another.”
Some of the concerns raised by residents and local councillors include the need for Region C to speed up economic and infrastructure development; ensure steady electricity supply; build more taxi ranks; deal with criminality, including the sale of drugs and illegal mining; and police corruption.
Councillor Van der Schyff assured residents that these concerns would be addressed, adding that illegal dumping remained a top priority as it was costing the City millions of rands in lost revenue.
He assured residents that the City remained on track as evidenced by the way it met its previous commitments. These included engaging residents to refine the Growth and Development Strategy 2040 in 2011, the implementation of the strategy in 2012, infrastructure investment and the birth of the Corridors of Freedom in 2013-2014 and building of the Jozi@Work concept in 2014-2015.