Communities support Johannesburg’s urban districts — Daily Maverick
In Johannesburg, South Africa, residents, businesses and civic associations are helping maintain urban infrastructure and public spaces amid the municipality’s financial problems, infrastructure backlogs and disruptions in service delivery. This is stated in a Daily Maverick column.
The author believes that City Improvement Districts (CIDs) help keep neighbourhoods suitable for living, working and recreation. He cites Braamfontein as an example, where street cleaning is organised, leaks and malfunctioning traffic lights are reported, public spaces are improved, and initiatives to revitalise Ameshoff Street are implemented.
Community work in districts
According to the author, the role of organised communities became particularly evident in 2023, when the city experienced an explosion on Lilian Ngoyi Street, a deadly fire in the city-owned Usindiso building, and the closure of the Metro Centre. As described in the column, residents’ associations take care of parks, repair libraries, report infrastructure problems and help people during prolonged water and electricity outages.
In the author’s community, backup water tanks were installed, among other measures. In September, the Lonehill Residents Association signed a memorandum with the city allowing the association to repair potholes on municipal roads within the Lonehill suburb. JoburgCAN, the article states, helps other associations seeking to use a similar approach.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Funding proposal
The author stresses that community activity should not relieve city authorities of their responsibilities. He notes that residents pay local levies, service charges and national taxes, but often also pay for security, healthcare, education, backup power supply and access to water.
JoburgCAN calls on city authorities to finalise the Special Rating Area policy. The proposed mechanism envisages an additional levy through municipal bills within a defined area, with the funds to be directed toward agreed services and improvements in a specific district. In the author’s view, this could provide CIDs with more stable funding and distribute costs among property owners who benefit from such services.
The column also proposes considering formal agreements between the city and capable improvement districts. The author believes that, with oversight and clearly defined responsibilities, such partnerships can help maintain infrastructure, protect public spaces and seek solutions for individual districts.
