New service delivery focus for Joburg

By Nkhensani Chauke

An accelerated service delivery programme for Johannesburg has been launched by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero.

The “people-centred” programme kicked off in Soweto on Friday. It will address basic service delivery challenges.

These include cleaning up the streets, fixing streetlights, painting roads and patching up potholes.

Lesufi told reporters in Soweto that the programme would be enforced every Friday in communities in Johannesburg.

He said the programme was designed to adopt a proactive approach to addressing community issues, in contrast to the government’s traditional reactive approach to service delivery.

“I believe this an eye opener programme. It makes us understand [the issues in] each and every community… So, we want to go to each and every area every Friday, so we don’t delay things. The government must avail itself to solve these issues,” the premier said.

Morero said that water challenges would also