Inner City Gazette

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Est 2009 Issue 24 - 2015

18 - 25 June 2015

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Inner-city Roadmap launched ‘The inner-city is also an intersection of both challenges and opportunities’ Staff Reporter news@inner-city-gazette.co.za

T

he City of Joburg has launched the Inner-city Roadmap. During the launch on Wednesday at Turbine Hall in Newtown Mayor Parks Tau said the area remains the intersection of many roads.

“Most of the roads that matter in Joburg still lead to and through here.

For public transport users in particular, this is the place where most paths through the city meet,” he said.

Mayor Tau added that it is also the intersection between the relative prosperity of the northern suburbs and the ambitions of the rising south. “The inner-city is the inter-

section of many different kinds of marketplaces, from the colourful and highly profitable bustle of the street markets to the new ventures that are defining new ways of living, working and relaxing in Braamfontein and Maboneng.”

He added that a resolution has been reached with all parties on how to manage street-trading in the inner city. “As you move through the inner-city, as you listen to the hundreds, maybe thousands of different accents, you can hear how Joburg echoes the great cities of the world.

It is the intersection of those who stream into the city from all across our republic and our borders. The inner-city is an emblem of how Joburg

Joburg Mayor Parks Tau addresses the audience during the roadmap launch.

must always be; a world class African city, open to the world.”

Mayor Tau added that the inner-city is also a geographical intersection of the ‘corridors of freedom’. “As we reconfigure the apartheid city and change how space in Joburg works; as we bring opportunities closer to people, and people closer to opportunities, we do so with the inner- city as the axis on which our efforts turn.

All three corridors of freedom, Empire Perth, Louis Botha and Turffontein, converge here. The Rea Vaya system, along which spatial transformation is being realised, uses the inner-city as its central node. The inner-city is also an intersection of challenges and opportunities.”

He added that along the learning curve of implementing the innercity charter, and negotiating the inner-city roadmap, the process has changed this place for the better. “In some cases, such as the Park Station precinct and Hillbrow Tower precinct, we are leading the change through public investment. In other cases, most notably Braamfontein and Maboneng, we have given private developers the latitude to conduct radical makeovers of historically depressed areas. The result is that every international guidebook now directs visitors to these areas, deeming them among the most interesting on the continent.”

He added that while pockets of chal-

Pic: Enoch Lehung

lenges remain, inner-city problems reflected in the charter, and flagged in the roadmap, are also under better control. “Our CCTV network has provided a major boost to policing the complicated space around Noord and Von Wielligh streets. The new Integrated Intelligent operations centre will combine data to better confront the criminals who could hold back inner-city’s development.”

Mayor Tau also called upon innercity youths who are interested in employment, education and training to take advantage of Vulindlele’eJozi, the joint initiative with the Harambee Youth Employment accelerator.

Those interested can enrol via mobi site www.vulindlelejozi.mobi.

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Inner-city Gazette

18 - 25 June 2015

Mayor remembers June 16 heroes Johannesburg - At dawn on Tuesday June 16, Joburg Mayor Parks Tau kicked-off the 39th commemoration of the 1976 Student Uprising with laying a wreath at the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Orlando West.

Accompanied by the Gauteng Premier David Makhura, Mayor Tau led the City’s Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony.

It was to be followed by activities to mark the historic day when scores of schoolchildren were brutally killed by the apartheid police during a march against having Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools for black people. This grievance was part of a wider rejection of the inferior Bantu Education, and of apartheid as a whole.

During the Wreath Laying Ceremony Mayor Tau described June 16 as a watershed event that changed the history and direction of South Africa in the fight against apartheid injustice.

“The courage of the young lions of 1976 was not wasted. We have not as a City, a province, and the country’s

Joburg Mayor Parks Tau lays a wreath at the Hector Pietersen Memorial.

government forgotten the selfless and noble bravery of our young heroes such as Hector Pieterson and Hastings Ndlovu.

“We have kept their gallant deeds in our hearts and minds. In the spirit of true patriotism, we have gathered here at the Hector Pieterson Museum, a special place which symbolises the 1976

Student Uprising, to commemorate the lives and the deeds of that great generation,” he said.

The Soweto museum is close to the areas where Hastings Ndlovu and Hector Pieterson, who were among the youngest school children gunned down by the apartheid police during the march, were killed.

Mayor Tau said: “The location of the

Pic: Enoch Lehung

museum emphasises government’s commitment to ensuring that the history and legacy of the 1976 youth is properly preserved and upheld.”

The ceremony comes after Mayor Tau officially launched the Vulindlel’ eJozi programme in partnership with Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator on 1 June to mark the beginning of this year’s Youth Month.

Part of the audience during the youth summit at the Metro Centre in Braamfontein.

Youths attend waste summit

Staff Reporter news@inner-city-gazette.co.za

D

uring the Zero Waste Youth Summit at the Metro Centre in Braamfontein on Friday United Nations’ Youth Ambassador Elle Bella urged the youth to be aware of the growing threat to the environment.

Speaking as part of Youth Month celebrations, UN Youth Ambassador Elle Bella told the city’s youth to promote of a zero waste culture in communities. “Now is your opportunity as young people to stand up and fight for what is right,” Bella said.

The youth summit, organised by Pikitup and the City’s Youth Directorate, came on the back of a successful Environmental Awareness Week, which reached its climax on Saturday last week when Joburg Mayor Parks Tau led a cleanup campaign in Ivory Park.

Pikitup Managing Director Amanda Nair called on the young people to move out of an environment that almost lets them give away their right to a better future. She told them not to abdicate their own responsibilities by waiting for other people to come up with a solution to their problems.

“The recipe to success in life is hard work, which always yields guaranteed results. The only thing standing between you and a positive future is yourself,” she said.

Nair urged the youth to come up with innovative waste management concepts and partner with Pikitup to make the city clean. She said Johannesburg produced 1.7 million tons of waste a year and was rapidly running out of landfill space as a consequence. “The most important thing to understand is that when we as an entity embark on such green-friendly initiatives, we cannot do it alone.”

18 - 25 June 2015

Inner-city Gazette

Kena Hamami, Mboniseni Nengudza and Siboniso Zuma call on men to talk more and stop violence.

Residents launch ‘wall of diversity’ Own Correspondent

R

esidents of Bertrams and Troyeville in Joburg, led

by Sonke Gender Justice, have launched their Wall of Diversity along Albertina Sisulu Road next to Appolonia Street.

The project is in response to recent xenophobic attacks that occurred in parts of the country earlier this year, including some Joburg areas.

The wall is part of the Johannesburg Central College.

Joyce Dlamini of Sonke Gender Justice said during one of the workshops held in the area, community members were asked to raise their concerns and write messages they wish to share with the community.

“We were expecting them to talk about gender-based violence and

related topics, but they chose xenophobia. They put it in a collage; an artist was called to interpret the messages. Everything communicated on this wall comes from community members,” she said.

Some messages on the wall include asking men to stop the violence, while other messages called for an end to the attacks. Dlamini said one of the hopes about the wall is that residents will speak about xenophobia.

“These areas were among the worst hit during the attacks. Having the community talking about it will make them realise that we are one. We hope these messages will help us bridge the gap between South Africans and non-South Africans, and build a viable economy for the continent,” she said.

Mmabatho Setati of the Johannesburg Central Collage in Troyeville said interaction and integration has to start from an early age, and that issues raised by this project will address the morality in the community. “Our society has lost moral fibre. The messages on the wall are from the community and we as a college are directly affected. We are a multicultural and multinational institution. When you attack foreigners, you speak of attacking registered students.

That is why we say no to xenophobia,” said Setati.

She added that the project’s effects will be spread to the wider community. “As the students, activities and the community members continue with the dialogues, the wall’s impact will be seen.”

News

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Inner-city Gazette

18 - 25 June 2015

Joburg’s Development Planning MMC Roslynn Greef

R18 million project to develop Turffontein Turffontein - The development of the Turffontein Corridor took another step forward when the City of Joburg announced the construction of a multimillion rand Linear Park that will help to change the shape and character of the area, according to a City report.

Turffontein is one of the oldest suburbs of Johannesburg that had been in steady decline over the years.

The R17.8-million Linear Park is a 1.2 kilometre stretch of development on the suburb’s De Villiers Street that links up with the Rotunda Precinct, part of the R200 million three-year extreme makeover of the area.

Development Planning MMC Roslyn Greeff said the first phase of the development of the Linear Park had already started and was expected to be completed by November this year.

“Two lanes will be built on either side of De Villiers Street, leading into the Rotunda Precinct, which is already being refurbished,” she said.

She explained that the redevelopment of Turffontein is part of the City’s transport-orientated initiatives aimed at transcending apartheid-era town planning. It brings schools, services, work opportunities and other benefits closer to the people, especially those living on the edges of the city.

“The redevelopment is in line with City of Johannesburg’s Growth and Development Strategy 2040 (GDS 2040), whose vision includes well-planned transport infrastructure and mixed-use housing developments. Parks and green spaces are an integral part of these developments,” MMC Greef added.

The Turffontein Corridor will serve the suburbs of Turffontein, Kenilworth and Rosettenville. Plans have been approved for the development of a R2 billion mixed-use housing project in the adjacent South Hills area, which is within walking distance from the Johannesburg city centre.

About 600 housing units are expected to be developed in the area over the next few years.

A City of Joburg Specialist Strategic Planner, Thabang Sithole said the redevelopment of the area would attract investors, including housing developers. “We want the private sector to come on board and develop affordable houses. We want them to build upwards, to construct buildings that will accommodate more people. We want to see more people move into this area,” Sithole said.

He added that community members were excited about the new developments, which were likely to help create jobs.

Turffontein is one of the three Corridors of Freedom currently being developed by the City of Johannesburg. The others are Louis Botha in Region E and Perth-Empire in Region B.

18 - 25 June 2015

Inner-city Gazette

Focus

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on

Africa

Envoy refutes abuse allegations

A truck carries migrants across the desert on their way to the Mediterranean sea.

Pic: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters

Migrants die in the Sahara Desert

Niamey, Niger - The bodies of 18 West African migrants hoping to reach Europe have been found in the Sahara desert near Arlit, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.

The discovery offers a rare glimpse of what migration experts say is a hidden tragedy in the Sahara.

Many thousands are attempting to cross the vast and inhospitable terrain to reach the Libyan coast, where

they hope to begin another hazardous trip by boat to Europe. IOM head Giuseppe Loprete said: “The IOM has said increasing numbers of west Africans have taken the trip this year, although the most common nationalities are still Syrians and Eritreans.

The 17 men and one woman found dead were from at least eight African countries, which included Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Guinea. AP

Contact Lorraine Makgale on:

Asmara, Eritrea – The government has denied that it subjects citizens to indefinite national service or kills people trying to flee the country, two of the most serious allegations among the findings of a year-long UN investigation.

The 484-page UN Commission of Inquiry report published last week said the government may have committed crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual slavery and enforced labour.

The Eritrean Foreign Ministry has dismissed the UN findings, but did not address specific allegations. Eritrea’s UN Ambassador Girma Asmerom rejected

the idea that people in the national military and civil service could become virtual slaves.

Witnesses reported people being executed for trying to avoid being drafted into service as recently as 2013, the UN said.

“There is no indefinite national service. There is deployment, because of indefinite occupation of Eritrean territory by Ethiopia,” Asmerom said.

A war with Ethiopia from 1998 to 2000 killed over 70 000, analysts say.

Eritrea wants Ethiopia to pull troops out from disputed territory before normalising ties, citing a decision by a boundary commission at The Hague

Ambassador Girma Asmerom which awarded the village of Badme to Eritrea in 2002. Ethiopia says the row over border demarcation can only be solved through negotiation.

Asmerom also denied that people trying to flee the country were shot dead.

He also defended Asmara’s decision not to co-operate with the UN, saying it had found Eritrea guilty before looking at evidence. Reuters

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18 - 25 June 2015

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aizer Chiefs has confirmed Steve Komphela as the new head coach, replacing championship-winning coach Stuart Baxter, who has since joined Turkish outfit Genclerbirligi.

Komphela becomes the first local fulltime coach at Naturena in 21 years, since Trott Moloto in 1994. Komphela will feel at home, having played 34 matches for the Soweto giants in 1993.

The former centre-back also earned 24 national caps in a three-year stint between 1992 and 1995. Since becom-

ing a coach, Komphela has been in charge of Manning rangers, Dynamos, Platinum Stars and Free State Stars, and was also a caretaker and assistant coach of Bafana.

Reports say some Amakhosi players are tipped to follow Baxter when he starts his new job at Turkish club Genclerbirligi. Mandla Masango, who Kaizer Motaung said would leave the club after refusing a new contract, was first to be linked to follow his former coach. Baxter was quoted as saying that Genclerbirligi were ‘aware’ of the situation of Itumeleng Khune, who is

also leaving Chiefs after turning down a new deal.

A KickOff.com source reports that George Lebese is also being linked with a move to Turkey. It is believed that the player is yet to sign the oneyear option that Chiefs have on his contract, which has prompted the interest from Genclerbirligi. “There was contact from Turkey this week, but at this moment there is nothing concrete,” the source says.

Meanwhile Soccer Laduma reports that Kaizer Chiefs are linked with Anthony Laffor of Mamelodi Sundowns again, as speculation about the club’s possible signings is becoming rife by the day. Amakhosi are said to have listed the Sundowns winger as one of their potential transfer target for the 2015/16 season.

Laffor is said to have attracted interest from Chiefs, with the club aiming to up its attacking options for next season.

The Liberian made 10 league starts for Sundowns last season.

Kaizer Chiefs have not given up hope of signing striker Bongani “ Drogba” Ndulula, whose contract with AmaZulu comes to an end this month. Amakhosi were supposed to have signed the former Orlando Pirates striker in January but since AmaZulu were still concerned with relegation battle they had to wait.

A Soccer Laduma source close to both parties disclosed that talks are at an advanced stage on trying to bring the Bafana Bafana striker to Naturena.

“Drogba moving to Chiefs is still on the cards. They still want the kind of striker like him. They feel that since Kingston Nkhatha left they haven’t had a striker who can do the similar job. He is a free agent which means what they are negotiating are personal terms with the player,” the source said.

SA hurdler Wenda Nel

SA runner completes ‘hat-trick’ Athletics Correspondent

S

outh African runner Wenda Nel completed her ‘hat-trick’ of international victories on Sunday when she won the 400m hurdles in 55.36s at the International Mohammed VI Meeting in Rabat, Morocco.

Recently she was also victorious in Beijing (54.37s) and in Prague (55.20s).

With the international athletics season well on its way, Nel is still one of the six fastest female 400-hurdlers in the world, according to the IAAF rankings. The only slight ‘blemish’, if finishing third can be seen as a blemish, on her international campaign of the season so far occurred in Ostrava.

Anna Titimets (Ukraine) was second in 55.86s and Hayat Lambarki (Morocco) third in 55.94s.

“I can take something positive from each of my races but, more importantly, I am enjoying doing what I do.

The past four weeks have really been ‘wow’ and I am truly grateful that I have received a talent to run. It makes me excited to think about everything, no matter how small, I can still do to enable me to run faster times. Leading up to the World Championships my main challenge will be to make sure that I remain focused and never forget what I am working towards,” she said.

When it comes to women’s sport, the general perception is that the athletes usually do not get along very well and that they begrudge the other athletes their success. However, Nel says this is not always true.

Nel’s next race will be the Diamond League Meeting in Paris on 4 July.