By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Joburg mayor Dada Morero, together with MMC for Group Corporate and Shared Services Sithembiso Zungu, assessed progress in the inner city as part of his High-Impact Delivery Blitz earlier on Tuesday morning.
The initiative aims to rejuvenate the CBD, improve basic services, and restore critical infrastructure across communities.
Morero visited De Villiers and Noord Streets to evaluate ongoing cleaning operations and efforts to reclaim public spaces.
He expressed satisfaction with the city’s progress, noting that by-law enforcement has reached its highest levels.
“We will now be looking at the designs that Joburg Water is finalising so we can replace and renew the infrastructure in those three streets. That will be followed by beautification,” said Morero.
He added that new paving would be installed as part of reclaiming the area for residents and businesses.
The mayor’s operation focuses on Wards 80, 92, 110, and 111 under the theme “Re-imagining Joburg through the Eyes of the Residents.”
It seeks to address urgent service delivery and compliance issues affecting communities such as Ivory Park, Ebony Park, Kaalfontein, Rabie Ridge, and Commercia.
“There are still a lot of issues we must deal with on compliance,” Morero said.
“Some traders are not adhering to basic health regulations, so we’ll be bringing in our health inspectors again.”
Zungu noted that the city has been intensifying its inner-city programme over the past twelve days to ensure sustained compliance and visible progress.
“We are going to be here beyond G20, and I can promise you that,” Zungu said.
“We’re happy with how the inner city looks today. We’ve been here since morning, and we’ll continue until late.”
The blitz involves multiple City departments and entities, including Pikitup, Joburg Water, City Power, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Environmental Health, Development Planning, and Social Development.
Morero also took time to acknowledge and commend the Pikitup cleaning teams.
“Their challenges are significant, and cleaning up the inner city requires collective effort,” he said.
“Citizens, taxi associations, and business owners must all play their part in maintaining Johannesburg’s cleanliness.”
Following the CBD inspection, Morero visited other city programmes aligned with his commitment to rebuilding Johannesburg’s former beauty.
These included partnerships with PRASA to develop student accommodation in Braamfontein and inspections of Region A water reservoirs.
He also visited a city-built sports field to review its budget constraints and identify solutions for project completion.
Morero highlighted an innovative community programme aimed at empowering older residents by teaching them how to swim — challenging the long-held stereotype that “black people can’t swim.”
“We are teaching them to swim and giving them the right skills,” he said.
The Mayor concluded by reaffirming the City’s renewed sense of purpose:
“We can demonstrate that since passing our budget in May, the City has been deploying resources throughout Johannesburg to make it a great city once more.”
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