FRIDAY, 8.00AM
DEPUTY PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki called on Johannesburg to become a “truly African city” on Thursday when he launched a R2 billionrevitalisation plan called “Masakhane”, aimed at reversing urban decline and the flight of business from the inner city.
Mbeki said the renewal strategy for southern Africa’s largest city should “shift resources from the extraction and processing of primary products to the production of competitive manuractured goods and services.”
Among the announcements made yesterday:
The Gauteng government, which rents R30m per month worth of accomodation in the city centre, plans to spend R500m there over the next three years.
The privately-backed Inner City Development Forum has identified illegal land invasions, crime, litter, homelessness, taxi management as its first priorities.
Major construction projects are under way already or about to be started to create public recreation areas, upgrade Newtown into a cultural centre, and create inner city housing.
The 15 000 pavement hawkers who compete with local shops and undermine investor confidence, will be moved to special “market” areas.
Some R8m will be spent on building shelters to house the city’s increasingly large number of homeless. There are also plans to help them find employment.