Big changes planned for Joburg in 2022 – including greater security and improved infrastructure

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Johannesburg mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse has promised a ‘golden start’ to her tenure in 2022, including improved service delivery and infrastructure upgrades.

In a media briefing on Wednesday (12 January), Phalatse said that basic service delivery will be top of the list for the new administration and that her first priority is to ensure that the city delivers the basics to residents, namely electricity, water, and roads free of potholes.

Safety and security is also a priority, said Phalatse, with a number of initiatives in the pipeline, in conjunction with the South African Police Service, community policing, and private security firms, to make the city a safer place.

Phalatse said that the new government will also work towards making the city more business-friendly, which will feed into initiatives to further accelerate the city’s smart city status.

Before the end of June, residents will get a city administration that properly responds to residents, the executive mayor said. “We pledge improved communications and public relations.”

Some of the key initiatives announced for the city include:

  • Inner-city redevelopment: The inner-city rejuvenation programme will be resuscitated, with the heritage precinct named after the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
  • Traffic lights: The maintenance of traffic lights is expected to become more effective and efficient as the city adopts cost-effective UPS recabling.
  • Public transport: Buses will become more reliable through the bus refurbishment programme which will increase the economic life of the fleet.
  • Roads: Mechanisation in street sweeping will be intensified and there will be the re-introduction of community-assisted cleanups.
  • Cable theft: The city will introduce a new programme to reduce cable thefts which will significantly reduce the number of power outages.
  • Police officers: The city plans to deploy an additional 500 JMPD personnel to its business nodes, with the ultimate goal of an officer being visible every five minutes.
  • Online portal: The city will be launching an online portal where businesses can register themselves, lodge ideas and track opportunities. The portal will also residents to form partnerships to solve specific issues in their neighbourhoods.

Read: State collapse and other risks threatening South Africa over the next two years: WEF



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