The Gauteng provincial government has vowed to revitalise central business districts, which are mostly unhygienic and unsafe and have become the hub of abandoned buildings and illegal activities.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi was speaking at the two-day Local Government Turnaround Summit. The event was held in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg on Thursday. Lesufi emphasised the importance of government taking active steps towards finding a way to fix poorly run municipalities.
He said the Johannesburg central business district has become a priority area for the provincial government.
Picking up Johannesburg
“This will be the summit that calls for us to do things differently. But for us to pull resources together to benefit everyone.
“We are raising our hand as the provincial government and we are picking up Johannesburg.
“And we have already mobilised law enforcement agencies… We are saying we are going to liberate Johannesburg CBD, zone by zone, starting with the CBD. And we are going to have law enforcement 24/7. No one [will] be pick-pocketing or removing the hair of our beautiful women,” according the Lesufi
The idea to deploy law enforcement around the clock was part of Lesufi’s State of the Province Address. He said “Crime Prevention Wardens should be deployed on a 24/7 shift basis in different wards and crime hotspots under the supervision of SAPS, Gauteng Traffic and Metro Police Departments”.
Lesufi’s comments are prompted by the poor state of municipalities across the country. A total of 41 municipalities have been placed under administration, while 66 are deemed to be completely dysfunctional. This is according to Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance, Dickson Masemola.
The premier emphasised that the summit must not just be a talk shop. This is why Gauteng will set up a monitoring and evaluation committee.
Coalition governments
Meanwhile, Masemola highlights how political instability is contributing towards municipalities’ woes. The national government is looking towards introducing legislation to regulate coalition governments.
The Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Bill, 2024 was gazetted earlier this year. It provides a legislative framework to guide the formation and the management of coalition governments.
The bill also provides systems to minimise the challenges of coalitions within the local government sphere.
“I am calling on my colleagues, councillors, officials in the administration. [For them] to basically heighten the levels of political and administrative consciousness. To the extent they must know that their primary objective is to serve people,” he reiterated.
The majority of metropolitan municipalities in the country are run through power sharing agreements. With political infighting and the competition to hold high office taking precedence over the needs of communities.
