Residents take charge of ward development

Residents of Region F in wards 58, 59, 60, 61 and 123 recently converged at the Brixton Multipurpose Centre for a community-based planning workshop.

The workshop helps the municipality to understand community issues and service delivery backlogs.

This year, the City of Joburg is using a combined approach for effective participation by applying the Asset-Based Community-Driven Development (ABCD) methodology, and various planning tools.

The ABCD recognises that communities have their own assets, aspirations and capabilities. The community can look at what is good in their ward, use asset mapping, mobilise and put assets to work to build their community.

The city started using the ABCD approach in 2019, but that was halt- ed by Covid-19. It then undertook online participation. When Covid-19 regulations were relaxed in February 2022, the city had hybrid meetings.

This month, the ABCD approach has been restarted with face to face sessions.

The proceedings started with a plenary session chaired by Councillor Alex Christians, the chairperson of the Housing Sub-Mayoral Committee in the City of Joburg. Following the session wards were separated into commissions to deliberate on issues in their communities. Each ward session was chaired by a facilitator from the city’s Community Participation Unit assisted by Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM) and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).

Kureish Isaacs, deputy director for Public Participation in the City of

Joburg, who was one of the facilitators, said: “These sessions allow the residents to identity priority projects using approaches such as identifying opportunities, strengths and other methods. The city has planned 39 sessions over eight Saturdays in October and November 2022. Communities are able to manage their own development and will do so when given the opportunity.”

A resident in Crosby’s Ward 58, Zahida Osman said she hopes the three Capex priorities will be looked at by the city and action taken.

Another resident said the session was more targeted, and the groups were able to drill down into what is needed to start fixing the ward. He said previously they had an infinite list of requests, which the city could not address. Now they have three projects affecting the ward, which they can motivate for the city to pay attention to.

Residents presented ideas on what they can do with minimal assistance from the city. These include food gardens and block watchers to secure city infrastructure.

Concerns were raised regarding city buildings which have become slums in Mayfair, parks that need to be upgraded and secured, while some city buildings have become white elephants and old age homes need maintenance.

Each ward identified three priority capex projects; quick turnaround projects communities can do with minimal assistance from the city and private sector or business; and community-driven project programmes communities and wards can do for themselves.

The three priority projects will be submitted for inclusion in the 2023/24 financial year.