Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

By Moses Ka Moyo

The Friends of the Inner-City Forum wishes all Inner-city Residents and Property owners a joyful, peaceful and productive festive season. We hope that all residents will enjoy a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

All Inner-city Residents are called upon to stop the abuse of alcohol, drugs and substances. Those who have sex should do so with protection and those who drive cars should not drive under the influence of alcohol. Speed kills and all should drive awake.

Residents who are going away on holiday are urged to pay their rentals and levies before they embark on their destinations, this will help all of us to continue in year 2010 creating harmonious relations with landlords and in serious pursuit of a “better inner-city”

Those not going away on holiday must remain vigilant and jealously guard their community from vandals that will seek to wreck our community in the name of new-year’s eve,

Friends of the inner-city forum remains committed to building a "better inner-city"

Happy Holidays

For more info on our Festive Activities Contact the Forum Secretary on :
mr jack lesudi - 072 283 0979 or Inner-city Hotline - 074 315 3594
Inn

MESSAGE OF THE FRIENDS OF THE INNER-CITY FORUM AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE OF COMRADE ELSIE NKOSI

By Moses Ka Moyo

Nkosi family and relatives,
The Leadership of ANC,
The Leadership of our congress movement, and
All other protocols are being observed.
Lastly everyone present today.

It is hard to find words to express how devastated we are at the tragic loss of our dear Comrade Elsie. All of us in the Friends of the Inner-city Forum have lost not only a EXCO Member and a great Community’ leader, but also a beloved personal friend.

Today is the time to mourn and remember. But Elsie would have been the first to insist that we must not allow our grief to divert us from our historic mission to struggle for a better inner City-where residents are safe and treated with respect.
Since that fateful day when I was called about your untimely departure I have hardly spent a day without thinking about our telephone discussions. I will always remember the introductions to these conservations - "Where is the Residents' Chairperson, why have you not called me?"

Cde Elsie we will miss you protecting me and Jack every moment. We will miss you telling your friends about how great the Friends of the Inner-city Forum is, to everyone who cared to listen. We will miss the religious examples you always gave in our EXCO meetings. We will miss your being Elsie Nkosi .




To Basswood Residents, ANC Cadres and Inner City Residents, There are many ways in which we can and will commemorate the life of Elsie Nkosi, but as always the best memorial to a fallen comrade is to pick up her spear, and continue the work to which she dedicated her life.

Cde James Friends of the Inner-city Forum wishes you strength during this difficult time.

We thank the Nkosi Family, Cde James, Ward 63 ANC branch and its visionary leadership in allowing us to do a joint memorial service for our Beloved Cadre.
Cde Elsie We will not allow you to die, for your ideals live on.
Robala ka khotso comrade Elsie, Hamba Kahle, comrade Elsie

Amandla ngawethu

Aids Day vigil to be held in Ekhaya Park

By Ndaba Mlotshwa

A CANDLELIT vigil will mark World Aids Day in the Inner-city.

Inner-city Residents are invited to gather in Ekhaya Park, in Hillbrow (Claim Street), at 6:30pm on Tuesday, December 1, to mark the international day of HIV and Aids awareness.

Pamphlets and Condoms will be distributed at the Event.

Friends of the Inner-city Forum Chairperson Moses Ka Moyo said: "The vigil is a chance to reflect on those we have lost and to celebrate the lives of those who are living with HIV and Aids."

Moyo Further urged that the community turn out for the Vigil in numbers to help remember, mourn, and celebrate the lives of those the world has lost to AIDS.

It is against this background that in the Morning of the 1st Of December, Friends of the Inner-city Forum will be joining hands with the South African AIDS Council (SANAC) and government at the Pretoria show grounds to mark the World AIDS Day under the theme “I AM RESPONSIBLE, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE, SOUTH AFRICA IS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY”.

Friends of the Inner-city Forum calls on all Inner-city Residents to join hands in the continuing fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS.Our Country has an estimated 5.7 million people infected with HIV-more than any other country in the World.Nearly 1000 south africans die every day of AIDS related diseases.


Members of the media are hereby invited to attend and report.

Issued by Friends of the Inner-city Forum
For more information please contact:
Moses Ka Moyo – Chairperson
+27 76 681 0577

16 Days Campaign Stakeholders Summit

Friends of the Inner-City forum is currently taking part in the 16 Days Campaign Stakeholders Summit, the Summit seeks to:

 Officially mark the Start of the 2009 16 Days campaign period.
 Review the Impact of the 16 days campaign since its inception in the country.
 Deliberate and agree on a co-ordination and implementation mechanism for programmes under the 365 Days of Action Initiative.
 Discuss progress and challenges to the implementation of the 365 Days National Action Plan.
 Advocate for active participation by all stakeholders.
 Strengthen partnerships for an effective national effort.
 Advocate for a sustainable 365 Days media Strategy.

The government is largely represented by ministers, deputy ministers, director Generals and various officials from different departments.

There is also a huge Contigent of Civil society Organisations

Friends of the Inner-city Forum will officially launche its campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence under the theme – “No to Women and children Evictions” on the 26th of November 2009.

For more info:

Contact Jack Wa Lesudi
on +27 72 283 0979

Case against Building Hijackers almost lost

By

Moses Ka Moyo

I could not believe it and felt pain when a letter supposedly written by a ward Councillor, was a couple of weeks submitted and read in a Magistrates court bail hearing for building hijackers as evidence that tenants had a “right” to collect money through a club account in a Sectional title Building. Amidst tonnes of evidence gathered by the men is Blue (SAPS) in this case the councillor sought through her letter to rubbish it (evidence) and blame the owners who had been chased off their properties by gun totting hijackers (according to the councillor when I called her to verify the tale in court –she insisted that owners cannot leave their properties and go and stay somewhere) what if Madame councillor they are intimidated and pushed out? As a representative of every resident in your ward-did you call them and find out why they left the building? What about property rights? Do/should they not exist in your ward?

Madame Councillor this letter would have been appropriate given to residents in your ward who have not had electricity and water for more than eight years, it could make a difference if presented to City Power or Jhb Water or you don’t think so? Why is sympathy always given to those with money or those who control it? And the poor are left to suffer – Inner-city needs revolutionary councillors who will see the side of bread that is buttered and ignore it and demand that the other side be buttered as well for the benefit of every resident in their wards. But hang on resident shanaaz once told me a story where the same councillor brought in a managing agent based in Rosettenville (legal threats are mounting day-by day –will not mention names) to manage the building .it could be that the arrested are proxies, as the Judge said it will be interesting to know on whose behalf the three collected money for.
The pain that I felt when a ward councillor letter almost rescued the building hijackers, is the pain that one will feel when he finds a green mamba on his lawn and strikes it several times on its body, and then a Councillor comes and applies betadine on it and carefully and clinically bandages it, resuscitating it from the intensive care unit and releases it back to your garden!



Mama Gladys summed it up well when she said we would rather lose councillors than the war against Building hijackers - you choose.

Am Out ,on record anyone that colludes with Building hijackers must equally be charged as an accessory to this heinous crime-period.

NB: Moses Ka Moyo is the Chairperson of the Friends of the Inner-city Forum (Writes in his personal capacity, Views expressed are not necessarily of the Friends of the Inner-city Forum).

can be contacted on +27 76 681 0577 bayethe@gmail.com or moses@inner-city-forum.org

Inner-City Gazette Launch Postponed

The launch of the Inner-city Gazette a free Community Newspaper by the Friends of the Inner-city Forum has been postponed till further notice. The Launch date was November 19 2009, has been moved at the request of a major sponsor and advertiser, the postponement will allow the paper to re-align its marketing strategy with that of the sponsor. The free paper will be published in Tabloid format and will have a circulation of 40,000 fortnightly. It will definitely hit the streets before the end of Year 2009.

The Inner-city Gazette editorial team would like to apologise to all our advertisers, for the inconvenience caused by the postponement of the Launch Edition.

For advertising queries Contact: ads@inner-city-gazette.co.za
For news, Stories and Photos contact: News@ inner-city-gazette.co.za

Issued By:
Inner-City Gazette
+27 74 315 3594 (Inner-city Gazette Hotline For comments)

Hands mural brightens school

WHAT was once a dreary, grey wall at Bertrams Junior School in Greater Ellis Park is now a vibrant, attractive mosaic mural, made of ordinary colourful marble tiles.


The mural, which depicts hands, was made by staff at the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and finished by the 150 pupils at the school, under the supervision of the Spaza Gallery.

Measuring 9m2 in size, the mural was inspired by the Mandela Day initiative, driven by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the 46664 Campaign and held on 18 July, Mandela's birthday. The school shares a birthday with the great statesman, Nelson Mandela.

Mandela Day was held to forever celebrate the sacrifices he made for peace and reconciliation in South Africa. It involved taking 67 minutes in the day to do something for the good of humanity and the planet, in recognition of the 67 years Mandela devoted to liberating South Africa.

The individual vivid artworks were joined together to form a panel, which was fixed on the school's wall.

The mosaic mural is one of many public artworks in the area developed by the JDA. It joins, among others, the cows in Transport Square and another mosaic, depicting a scene from the Battle of Ellis Park, sparked by the 1922 Miners' Strike. It is on the wall of the last house on Bertrams Road.

Perfect gift
Speaking at the unveiling of the mural on 3 November, the school's principal, Khanyi Twala, thanked the sponsors for the art. "The mosaic wall is a perfect and thoughtful gift," she said. "I hope the magic hands will inspire us and the next generation to come."

It was an essential vision that would bring change to the lives of many pupils.

Lael Bethlehem, the chief executive of the JDA, pledged to support the school in many ways. "It is very important for us as the JDA to invest in the community that resides in the area through facilities and skills development.

"We are equally honoured that our professional teams chose to partner with us in this respect," Bethlehem said.

The agency has worked on a number of recent developments in Greater Ellis Park towards the goal of establishing a sustainable, world-class sports precinct that will be a destination of choice for sport and recreation.

While working in the area, it committed its 2008/9 corporate social investment budget to Bertrams Junior School and Troyeville Primary School. It has contributed towards the schools through cash donations, professional fees, labour and materials.

Park
Ros Greeff, the member of the mayoral committee for development planning and urban management, gave the keynote address at the unveiling. She encouraged the learners to make use of Bertram's Park, a few blocks from the school.

"I hope this provides many outings for the pupils at the schools through the years."

The playground at the Bertrams school is not big enough, and many of the learners are unable to run freely at playtime.

Using the opportunity that the day presented, the Mandela Foundation and the Atterbury Property Developers' Foundation also donated books to the school's library.

Londeka Tshwala, a Grade 4 learner who participated in the project, described the mosaic as a wonderful piece of art. "It was an exciting project because we were shown how to make the hands using mosaics. If it was not for Spaza Gallery there would have been nothing on the wall."

Kanita Ebrahim, another learner, said she was delighted to have participated in the project. "I love the artwork; it is beautiful," she said.

Origins
Bertrams Junior School opened on 18 July 1918 and the first learners filled its classrooms a few days later. Initially a Jewish day school, in the 1960s it became a Portuguese school when Portuguese-speaking immigrants from the colonies of Mozambique and Angola, as well as people from Madeira and Portugal, settled in the neighbourhood.

Although Bertrams became a so-called grey area in the 1980s, with the suburb made up of both black and white residents, black children were not allowed to attend the school, which was reserved for white children. This was all changed in 1994, with the first democratic elections.

Today Bertrams Junior School has more than 200 learners, most of them coming from impoverished families living in Bertrams and the neighbouring suburb of Judith's Paarl.

Spaza Gallery is a non-profit organisation that provides a showcase for artists of all types from all over South Africa. Situated in the nearby suburb of Troyeville, it is a community gallery that runs mosaic workshops, has Sunday lunches, music sessions and shows.

Troyville School
After the unveiling of the mosaic at the Bertram’s school, the JDA team moved on to the Troyeville Primary School where a donation of books was made.

The JDA committed it’s 2008/9 Corporate Social Investment budget to the two schools.

Over the past year the JDA has assisted Troyeville Primary School, which was in desperate need of renovation and repairs.

Some R265 000 was spent on its refurbishment, including maintenance and repairs in the staff room, passage area, kitchen, reception, store room, as well as painting.

A number of JDA partners took part in assisting the school, with the Atterbury Property Developers’ Foundation donating R100 000 towards the project.

Article :by Rudo Mungoshi
Source:http://www.jda.co.za/2009/04nov_betramschool.stm

Fighting for the right to hang laundry in the sun

Have you ever?! There’s a ‘revolution’ brewing in America, and it’s all about winning the right just to hang up your washing to dry outside. Read more...



Carin Froehlich pegs her laundry to three clotheslines strung between trees outside her 18th-century farmhouse, knowing that her actions annoy local officials who have asked her to stop.


Froehlich is among the growing number of people across America fighting for the right to dry their laundry outside against a rising tide of housing associations who oppose the practice despite its energy-saving green appeal.
Although there are no formal laws in this southeast Pennsylvania town against drying laundry outside, a town official called Froehlich to ask her to stop drying clothes in the sun. And she received two anonymous notes from neighbours saying they did not want to see her underwear flapping about.
“They said it made the place look like trailer trash,” she said, in her yard across the street from a row of neat, suburban houses. “They said they didn’t want to look at my ’unmentionables.’”
Froehlich says she hangs her underwear inside.

The effervescent 54-year-old is one of a growing number of Americans demanding the right to dry laundry on clotheslines despite local rules and a culture that frowns on it.
Their interests are represented by Project Laundry List, a group that argues people can save money and reduce carbon emissions by not using their electric or gas dryers, according to the group’s executive director, Alexander Lee.
Widespread adoption of clotheslines could significantly reduce US energy consumption, argued Lee, who said dryer use accounts for about 6% of US residential electricity use.
Florida, Utah, Maine, Vermont, Colorado, and Hawaii have passed laws restricting the rights of local authorities to stop residents using clotheslines.
Another five states are considering similar measures, said Lee, 35, a former lawyer who quit to run the non-profit group.

‘RIGHT TO HANG’
His principal opponents are the housing associations such as condominiums and townhouse communities that are home to an estimated 60 million Americans, or about 20% of the population. About half of those organizations have ‘no hanging’ rules, Lee said, and enforce them with fines.
Carl Weiner, a lawyer for about 50 homeowners associations in suburban Philadelphia, said the no-hanging rules are usually included by the communities’ developers along with regulations such as a ban on sheds or commercial vehicles.
The no-hanging rules are an aesthetic issue, Weiner said.
“The consensus in most communities is that people don’t want to see everybody else’s laundry.”
He said opposition to clotheslines may ease as more people understand it can save energy and reduce greenhouse gases.
“There is more awareness of impact on the environment,” he said. “I would not be surprised to see people questioning these restrictions.”
For Froehlich, the “right to hang” is the embodiment of the American tradition of freedom.
“If my husband has a right to have guns in the house, I have a right to hang laundry,” said Froehlich, who is writing a book on the subject.
Besides, it saves money. Line-drying laundry for a family of five saves $83 a month in electric bills, she said.
Kevin Firth, who owns a two-bedroom condominium in a Dublin, Pennsylvania housing association, said he was fined $100 by the association for putting up a clothesline in a common area.
“It made me angry and upset,” said Firth, a 27-year-old carpenter.
“I like having the laundry drying in the sun. It’s something I have always done since I was a little kid.”

Reuters
Source:http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1089365

Building Hijacking – A Residents Perspective Part 1

Building Hijacking – A Residents Perspective Part 1
By
Moses Ka Moyo

In the past couple of months and weeks ,in the Inner-city we have woken up to fancy and encouraging newspaper headlines, most recently was “Joburg declares war on the building hijackers” , but there has been little or no attempts by those in authority, civic society or in the media to explain in layman terms what Building Hijacking entails, there is so much confusion around this term “building Hijacking” In May 2005 the Former president of the republic Thabo Mbeki entered the fray with stern words for the Hijackers “Some of these criminals are even brazen in their criminal activities to the extent that they even resort to murder so as to hijack buildings in order to extort money from our people .”We are nearing the end of 2009 and the Hijackers are still continuing to make more money and making many in the inner-city homeless and destitute .Recently the Gauteng MEC for community safety Mr. Khabisi Mosonkuthu, was clear that the time for government to act was now and they could not continue leaving the responsibility to the City of Johannesburg only, they will pounce and fall upon the Hijackers like a ton of bricks .This Statement has induced new levels of hope and residents are confident that for a change the provincial Government is serious in dealing with this act of crime and not look aside and wish this scourge will die own its own .

It is my aim in this article to paint a picture, which will in future help both the concerned and affected to understand the scourge of Building Hijacking in the inner-city and what modus operands is use and the impact and extent it has had in the decay of the Inner-city .Many imagine building hijackers moving into a building carrying all sorts of heavy weaponry and etc, it has not only improved, it has become sophisticated and advanced.

Who is a Building Hijacker?
This really depends on which side of the fence you are sitting, a Hijacker is an individual, individuals or a company that will collect money from residents in a building or house and not pay for council services, maintain the building, honour payments for service providers (simplified). Many have said the motive is to make more money on the part of the Hijackers, but alas I beg to differ, there is more than meets the eye – it’s an organised network with a very strong potential of making the country ungovernable. Below is one the most commonly used forms of Building Hijacking in the Inner-city. They come in different forms, shapes and size; I intend to unpack more as we continue with this series of Building Hijacking – a Residents Perspective.


Building Managers to Administrators
This form of Hijacking is prevalent in sectional title schemes , where trustees on behalf of the body corporate appoint a managing agent to run the building on their behalf ,before the trustees realize the building owe the City and service providers a lot of money ,when they communicate with the agent they are told he is addressing the issues and will revert back to them ,the council and service providers will continue sending statements and letter of demands , at some point services like water or electric are cut off ,leaving the Managing agent cornered and the residents waterless or in the dark ,in most cases residents will club money together and negotiate with the Service provider directly (City Power or Joburg Water) services will be restored and the wait for the managing agent to come and address them will just have begun ,when they eventually get hold of the managing agent ,he would have been to the High court and been appointed as Administrator of the building ,in most court documents they will cite lack of payment from the residents as cause for the admin order application. Once the administration order has been granted by the High court ,this is the advanced stage of the hijacking of the building as the order grants him all powers of the Body Corporate ,in short he becomes something higher than God in the Building everyone is at his/her mercy.



Levies are increased, special levies introduced, when residents mobilize themselves ,they are interdicted and any gathering in the building without the Administrator is A Treasonous OFFENCE –punishable by an eviction order application to the High court, a Security Company is then appointed that will bully residents to submission. The administrator will then introduces a mysterious investor who will then buy everyone off the scheme (one by one through a court procedure ) by the time the mysterious investor has bought 50% of the units in the scheme it starts dawning on the entire scheme that something is not right, the Hijacking of the building is complete, when they approach lawyers (by the way very few of them understand the act ) they are advised its going to be costly to contest ,and owners are then forced to sign lease agreements on properties they had bought many are women who bought into these schemes through the government subsidy. If they do Contest in many instances they lose in court, not because they do not have a strong legal compelling argument, but because the lawyers hand gets “greased” from both sides and he will throw the case or not pitch up in court altogether . In many instances the Court appointed administrators are so brazen in their efforts to own the building that they even buy the units in their own names showing clearly that they do not intend to use the admin order to revive the Body Corporate as spelt out in the act .In reality they run down the Scheme (building), appoint themselves as administrators and then buy the building for themselves at little or no costs to themselves, in a real world there should be a conflict of interest check ,but our courts do not care and keep on renewing their administartion orders,recently i dealt with a building on nugget street that has been under administration for nine years and nothing has changed save for the administrators portfolio that has risen to 28 units in a 36 unit scheme.

In the next edition of Building Hijacking – a Resident Perspective, I will unpack another blatant form of Building hijacking that is commonly and regularly used to disempowering many of their flats in the Inner-city of Johannesburg.

“A better inner-city is possible “


NB: Moses Ka Moyo is the Chairperson of the Friends of the Inner-city Forum (Writes in his personal capacity, Views expressed are not necessarily of the Friends of the Inner-city Forum).
And maybe contacted on +27 76 681 0577 bayethe@gmail.com or moses@inner-city-forum.org

Building hope in the inner city

Building hope in the inner city
By Bongani Nkosi

LIVING in Hillbrow and other inner city areas does not have to be a raw deal, a strong belief that inspires Friends of the Inner City Forum.



Friends of the Inner City was established in 2006 with an aim of protecting the rights of owners of sectional title properties. The forum has evolved into an award-winning civil organisation, with the Halala Joburg Award for Caring Joburg under its belt. The awards are organised by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA).

"Sectional title property forms the core of what the forum does," explains the chairperson, Moses ka Moyo.

It believes that sectional title owners should play a meaningful role in the revival of the "city of gold", and it encourages the owners to recognise their responsibilities towards the wellbeing of Joburg.

"We want to encourage people to participate in the City's vision," Moyo explains. "We want them to play a role in providing a clean and safe inner city."

Sectional title properties in the inner city are generally flats owned by the occupants, most of whom have lived in Johannesburg for many years. They bought their flats mostly in the 1990s, when the original owners were moving out to the suburbs.

Friends of the Inner City "encourages them to pay for council services", Moyo points out. It organises meetings with owners, tenants, managing agents and various stakeholders to discuss, among other issues, levy documents and payment of general services. "We try to put everything in layman's terms ... we want them to understand what the City intends to do."

Sectional title buildings are prone to "building hijackings", which usually involves managing agents using shoddy tactics to divert money meant to be paying council services. Moyo is at pains to explain that residents do pay for their services, but part of the problem is that they are not able to pay directly to the City.



Management
While the managing agents are appointed by building trustees, at most properties the rightful owners are unknown. "The biggest problem is that everyone is in dispute of these buildings. We don't know who owns them."

The forum recently saved residents of Worcester Court on Smit Street from eviction. The Johannesburg High Court ruled against a private company that the approximately 400 residents "do not need to be evicted".

"The residents [of Worcester Court] will now be able to pay for services directly to the City of Johannesburg," Moyo says. "About 400 people would have been left homeless."

Campaigns
Friends of the Inner City, which has about 3 000 volunteers, is steeped in community work. The organisation conducts sectional title training to help owners establish body corporates to take control of their buildings.

It's also a leading voice in clean-up campaigns in the inner city. One of its assumed ongoing cleaning projects is Lorna Court on the corner of Twist and Wolmarans streets. The building, facing a state-of-the-art Rea Vaya bus terminal, burnt down in May 2006.

An incident in which one person burned to death and a baby dramatically fell into the hands of passer-by Michael Ndlovu, it left scores of people homeless.

Moyo says the forum is working with flat owners to revive Lorna Court. The roof is the biggest component that needs repair, he states. "We've started to clean it up, with residents that used to stay there ... Once we do the roofing we'll be able to move forward."

The forum is also registering a co-operative that will involve inner city "residents who have not benefited from government housing subsidies". The co-op already has 357 Region F residents who would be beneficiaries, and it is looking for a vacant building to buy.

"Whichever building we get, we will be able to create jobs."

A newspaper, to be called the Inner City Gazette, is also in the pipeline. A free community newspaper, it will focus on telling the stories of people living in Region F.

Plans to launch a radio station, to be named Inner City FM, are also advancing. "The station would give people a platform to speak," Moyo explains. "Most of the problems are created by lack of information, and the station would bridge that gap."

Already a full agenda, its work does not end there. Friends of the Inner City is also working to set up a foundation to get more inner city youth enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand.

The JDA recognised the forum with the award as it "facilitates community co-operation, bringing communities together and making the inner city a better place to live through gradual build up and restoration of trust, creating mutually sustainable relationships between agents, tenants and building owners".

Inner-City Imbokodo

Friends of the Inner-city Forum would like to Recognise and Salute the CEO of the Johannesburg Development Agency Lael Bethlehem during this years womens month .

For us in the Inner-City Lael represents the Generation of the 1956 Marchers ,she continues to march,touch and change lives of many women in our community ,Through Lael Bethlehem The phrase 'Strike a woman, strike a rock' has come to represent women's courage and strength.

Who Is Lael Bethlehem ?
Lael Bethlehem is the chief executive of the Johannesburg Development Agency. She has worked for the City since 2002, when she was appointed the head of economic development.

Before her move to the City, Bethlehem was a chief director of forestry in the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry for four years. She moved to the ministry after working as a researcher in the labour movement at the National Economic Labour and Development Institute (Naledi).
Here, Bethlehem helped the Plantation and Allied Workers’ Union to develop its forestry policy and undertook research in the areas of trade and industry.

She is currently a member of the International Institute for Environment and Development and the Trade and Industry Policy Secretariat.

Bethlehem completed a masters degree in arts at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1994.

The Business Women's Association of South Africa (BWA) nominated Bethlehem as a Finalist in the corporate category for Business Woman of the Year (2009).


Lael Bethlehem is a Inner-City Imbokodo ,"Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo uzokufa!" (when you strike the women, you strike a rock, you will be crushed)

Rea Vaya -City Of Johannesburg

Wednesday, 12 August 2009

Statement by the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Clr Amos Masondo, at the media briefing launch of Phase 1A of the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and the announcement of the Public Transport Summit, Metropolitan Centre, Mayoral Palour, Braamfontein – Johannesburg

Speaker of Council: Clr Nkele Ntingane
Chief Whip of Council: Clr Nonceba Molwele
MMC for Transportation: Rehana Moosajee
Members of the Mayoral Committee
Fellow Councillors
City Manager: Mr Mavela Dlamini
Managers and Officials of Council
The Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

Today, it is a mere three hundred and two (302) days before the first ball is kicked at the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament.

We are all aware of the fact that Johannesburg is an important stakeholder in the four-week soccer spectacular. From the opening ceremony to mark the beginning of Africa's first World Cup to the blowing of the final whistle at Soccer City the names South Africa, Africa, Gauteng and Johannesburg will be repeated and heard across the globe.

One of the challenges that arise in relation to the World Cup is transport. The City of Johannesburg is required to and has a responsibility to ensure a safe, secure and affordable public transport system for residents and visitors to all the match venues. We will use the pressure that comes with the 2010 World Cup to build a world class transport system for all.

We need a public transport system that is fast, efficient, secure, affordable and environmentally-friendly. We need a world-class public transport system for a world-class African City! The BRT Rea Vaya, is part of this overall effort.

The 30th of August 2009 will indeed be a major milestone for the City of Johannesburg. This is the day that Phase 1A of Rea Vaya – the first BRT system in South Africa – will officially start operating.

Rea Vaya, one of the City of Johannesburg's 2010 legacy projects, truly represents a new chapter in the history of public transport.

The journey that led us to this day has been one of tireless commitment and determination by the City, our partners and the citizens and residents of Johannesburg.

In saying this, I wish to express our sincere gratitude and pay tribute to the following people:

President Jacob Zuma, who played a pivotal role in ensuring the initiation of a more inclusive process.

All the citizens who participated in the public consultation processes.

The affected communities along the Phase 1A route who became involved and attended meetings.

The taxi industry representatives who have travelled with us on the Rea Vaya journey. Those who travelled with us to Bogota, Perreira and other places to study successful BRT systems. All the committed partners including Putco and Metrobus.

Both the national and provincial governments, who have supported and provided us with the necessary resources.

The Johannesburg Development Agency, for the speedy delivery of innovative and world-class infrastructure.

The more than 3000 men and women, (construction workers) who worked tirelessly to complete the infrastructure.

The Johannesburg Roads Agency who assisted with electronic signs and traffic signals.

The City's Transportation Department and BRT project team, including Bob Stanway our retired BRT project manager, for their foresight, management and planning.

The MMC for Transport, Rehana Moosajee, and her colleagues in the BRT Mayoral Sub-Committee and the Section 79 for their supervision.

I can confidently say that, we are now ready to go, Rea Vaya! This coming weekend, two significant events will take place to kick off this new phase.

The first is the Public Transport Summit that will take place on Saturday, 15th of August 2009, at the Nasrec Expo Centre. The aim of the Summit is to share information, consider issues, discuss and deepen our understanding on Rea Vaya. We are expecting approximately 1 000 community leaders who will come with various experiences and insights to enrich the Summit.

The second big event is our Fun Day and official bus unveiling, which will take place on the 16th of August 2009. Communities along the route are invited to join us at Thokoza Park to find out more about Rea Vaya, to experience one of the brand-new Rea Vaya buses and simply to enjoy a day of great entertainment with some of the county's top musicians.

Furthermore, in preparation for the opening of Rea Vaya we are starting to close the dedicated lanes. Only the BRT buses will be allowed to use these lanes. We appeal to the public to co-operate with us in this regard. Let's get used to the reduction in road space and start using public transport! JMPD will be out in full force to enforce this new system.

I am happy to announce that on the 30th of August 2009, we will be celebrating the first day of BRT operation. The residents and citizens of Johannesburg are invited to share this historic moment by taking a ride on Rea Vaya free of charge!

When Rea Vaya starts operating it will be with a starter service that will gradually be built up to a full Phase 1A service over the next six months.

We have included more information on the starter service in the media packs.

We are introducing this starter service while we are finalising negotiations with the taxi industry to establish a Bus Operating Company that will ultimately own and manage Rea Vaya. An interim company Special Purpose of Vehicle (SPV) has been established to act on behalf of the affected taxi operators and to manage Rea Vaya until negotiations are finalised.

At the same time I am pleased to announce that the first negotiation session of Phase 1A taxi operators started on the 5th August 2009. Operators from nine out of the ten affected associations were present at the negotiations meeting. The door remains open for all those who wish to become part of this important process. In addition, I would like to take this opportunity to wish the negotiations well.

On the negotiations, it is also important to say the following: That in the City we have always known the fact that although a lot of work has been done, that the negotiations will in many ways signal a critical moment in the process. This is why we have spent significant amount of energy and time identifying a relevant mechanism and personnel to help manage this process. These negotiations are being chaired and facilitated by a very experienced team including Charles Nupen, Tefo Raditipole and Pete Harris. Our view is that the necessary preparations have been done and the negotiations have the best chance of succeeding.

I would also like to indicate that we are making good progress in recruiting new staff for the BRT business unit. By the 01st of September 2009, we will have in place a new BRT Project Manager as well as other senior staff members.

In conclusion, this project is very complex and holds a great promise to transform the transport industry. What we need more than ever before is a partnership that is committed to improve the quality of life of all our people.

Thank you

Residents welcome statement by MEC for community safety - Khabisi Mosunkutu

Residents welcome statement by MEC for community safety - Khabisi Mosunkutu

Residents in the Inner-city of Johannesburg are encouraged, Excited and welcome the Tough Talk and promise to act harshly towards building Hijackers in the Inner-city by the MEC for community safety Khabisi Mosunkutu and the provincial police commissioner Perumal Naidoo.

We welcome this announcement as it comes at the beginning of women’s month ,most people that feel the Wrath of the Building Hijackers in the inner-city are women , and we are convinced that this initiative led by the provincial government and the police will go a long way in making the inner-city a better place for our women and community at large. We also want to commend the Men in blue(SAPS ) for a commendable work done in doing the investigations .

We urge the MEC want to caution the Courts from continuing to grant Building Hijackers and Conspirators bail when they continue to leave a trail of homeless families . We further call on the Minister of Justice to take action against those senior officials and magistrate who continue to give bail to Building Hijackers. This country belongs to all of us, not only to those who have money.

Our Wish as a community is that the raids are moved forward and carried out immediately as not to give the Hijackers time to cook up documents or get a chance to run .

Issued by Friends of the Inner-city Forum
Contact:
Moses Ka Moyo
Chairperson – 076 681 0577

Inner-City Hotline

Inner-city Hotline Launched

Friends of the inner-city Forum today Launched a Hotline number which will be manned 24hrs a day and 7days a week. By calling the dedicated hotline number, 074-315-3594.Residents in the Inner-city will be able to get support ,response and advice on any issue that they may face, this is in line with our Vision for "a better Inner-City".

All emergency calls will be directed to the Relevant agencies (EMS,SAPS ).

This dream was made a reality by a resident(Who requested to remain Anonymous) donated the starter pack (sim card )and the Chairperson of the Forum ,Moses Ka Moyo also donated a Nokia Handset that will be used with the line .

All calls made to the number will be treated with strict Confidence .

The hotline will come into effect today at 18:00hrs (04 August 2009)

For more info Call:

Moses Ka Moyo on 076 681 0577

Hotline :074 315 3594
moses@inner-city-forum.org

Mayor Amos Masondo Speaks

Statement by the executive mayor of Johannesburg, Clr Amos Masondo, at the media briefing on the formalisation and regularisation of informal settlements, Metropolitan Centre, mayoral parlour, Braamfontein.

Speaker of Council: Clr Nkele Ntingane
Chief Whip of Council: Nonceba Molwele
MMC for Development Planning and Urban Management: Clr Ros Greeff
MMC for Housing: Clr Ruby Mathang
Members of the Mayoral Committee
Fellow Councillors
City Manager: Mr Mavela Dlamini
The Media

The City of Johannesburg has prioritised a programme to formalise all informal settlements in Johannesburg by 2014. We are also seeking to make significant progress in the upgrading of services and infrastructure. The objective of the programme is to attend to all informal settlements within the City boundaries and to improve the living conditions of residents, including their health and safety.

On the 25th of April 2008, Council adopted a new approach to “Informal Settlements – Formalisation and Upgrade”.

There are currently 180 informal settlements within the municipal boundaries of the City of Johannesburg comprising approximately 200 000 households. The actual numbers of these settlements are subject to change(in cases where settlements are being formalised or where new settlements have been formed).

The objective of this programme is to ensure that:

All settlements in the City of Johannesburg are legally recognised and that where settlements are hazardously or poorly located, alternative provision is made; All residents in the City of Johannesburg are protected in terms of health and safety regulations; Residents have adequate incentive and security of tenure to invest in improving their dwellings;

All matters relating to the ownership of land on which informal settlements are situated are resolved; Settlements are structured in a way that will allow for the provision of bulk infrastructure, including water, electricity and roads; Municipal services, including refuse removal, mobile clinics,libraries and ambulances, are provided; and Future settlement growth is properly structured and the development of further non-authorised settlement is contained.

The City has undertaken feasibility studies on approximately 70% of informal settlements and these are currently the subject of a formalisation and upgrading process.

The remaining 30% will be subject to detailed feasibility studies in the new financial year (2009/2010) to establish the risk of remaining in the current location and also to establish the potential for in situ upgrading. If the location is dangerous and the potential does not exist to upgrade in the current location, the City will need to identify a new area to relocate the residents to.

The progress made thus far on all 180 informal settlements is reflected in the following five (5) categories:

1. The first category consisting of 73 settlements reflects projects where the legal processes (township establishment) are far advanced and services are being constructed in situ. The legal processes in relation to this category should be completed by 2011 and the provision of services and infrastructure should be well advanced by this time.

2. The second category, involving 17 cases, is about settlements that are hazardously or poorly located where residents will be relocated to projects that are also far advanced in terms of legal processes and services construction. The legal work in relation to this category will also be completed by 2011 and significant progress will be made in terms of relocations.

Some of these settlements are Mshenguville, which has been cleared. This land will be turned into a park in consultation with the communities. The three Dlamini (1,2, and) camps are also relocated to Lehae. All that remains is to remove those who do not qualify for various reasons to a demarcated area so that the entire place can be handed over to City Parks.

3. The third category of about 20 settlements relates to settlements that can remain in their current location but where formal projects and township establishment processes have not been initiated. The legalisation of these settlements are being addressed through fast-track interim measures that draw on experiences from other countries including Brazil (this includes addressing matters relating to land tenure, land ownership and town planning).

4. The fourth category of 23 settlements is tied to a programme for future formalisation, but is not yet any specific project. An example of this, are the settlements within Greater Alexandra that are being addressed through the Alexandra Renewal Programme.

5. The fifth category of 47 settlements is where feasibility studies have yet to be concluded and where decisions regarding future development have not been made. These settlements may be relocated, or formalised through township establishment processes, or regularised using fast-track mechanisms. It is anticipated that feasibility studies will be completed during the current financial year (2009/2010).

6. In the past the formalisation process of was lengthy and costly. The City of Johannesburg is pioneering a new approach which enables us to deliver services much faster. The City of Johannesburg intends to give people living in informal settlements the right to occupy and use the land subject to certain conditions, which are spelt out in amendments to the town planning schemes.

These relates to aspects such as building materials, spacing between shacks, density of dwellings, and use of dwellings for non-residential purposes. The intention is also to provide a “recognised address” to the households, this we hope that will enable the residents, amongst others, to open bank accounts, enter into contracts with Telkom.

In addition, let me emphasise that for us in the City of Johannesburg, this programme –the Formalisation of Informal Settlements, is part of the bigger programme of restoring the dignity of our people. While informal settlements a reality in many urban landscape, they are also often degraded environments where the health and safety of residents is compromised.

This programme is intended to encourage people to invest in their own resources in building houses, unlock resources located within the state and leverage private sector resources.

Thank you

Officials check on charter progress

Written by Ndaba Dlamini
Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Visiting its "work stations" is necessary for the City to see what changes are happening on the ground - and what still needs to be done.

Tour
For a video of the tour, click here.

THE inner city is surely reclaiming its position as the social and economic hub of Johannesburg, with various development projects already completed and others on the go.

On Friday, 17 July, the City manager, Mavela Dlamini, got first-hand experience of what has been happening in the area since the Inner City Regeneration Charter, which guides development and all projects undertaken in the area, was launched by Executive Mayor Amos Masondo in 2007.

Together with several City officials, Dlamini was taken through Hillbrow, Doornfontein, the Joburg CBD and Newtown on a marathon tour by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), the body responsible for revamping the region.

Before setting off, Phillip Harrison, the executive director of development planning and urban management, took the officials through the programme of the day, saying the tour was meant to "check the inner city's performance in terms of the charter".

Good and bad

It was very difficult to assess what had been undertaken in the inner city without a first-hand view of what was happening on the ground. "The inner city is a huge and complex place and it's really impossible to look at everything. So what we trying to do is give you a taste of the good and bad."


Linear markets for informal traders Several projects were being undertaken in Hillbrow, including building linear markets and sanitary lanes. "Quartz Street linear markets in Hillbrow are nearing completion ... The tour of the linear markets will make people understand what they are all about."

The deadline for the Quartz Street markets was the end of July.

Sanitary lanes, said Harrison, were "notorious places" in the inner city. They were developed during the bucket system and today were used as dumping grounds by flat dwellers. "They were supposed to be sanitary lanes but they are insanitary lanes. The JDA was tasked to initiate a programme to try to upgrade [them]."

He gave a brief description of a transitional housing project at the MBV building on Claim and Hancock streets. It consisted of two phases and would yield more than 600 rooms.

"Transitional housing is one of the most critical interventions in the inner city because we cannot regenerate the inner city unless we have such facilities. The project will be completed in October 2009."

Hillbrow
And then it was off to Quartz Street, where Dlamini chatted to some of the market vendors. Xolani Nxumalo, the deputy director of informal trading in the economic development department, said the linear market project looked at ease of management.

"The design of the linear markets also made sure they did not block entrances to businesses in the area. When complete, [they] will accommodate 240 traders."

However, Dlamini noted that they did not have ablution or storage facilities; Nxumalo responded that these would be built at a later stage. "Currently, traders store privately in buildings around the area."

A lot had happened since 2007; streets had been paved, trees planted and new street lights put up, said Lael Bethlehem, the chief executive of the JDA. On Claim Street, a once derelict piece of land had been turned into a beautiful park and recreation area.

"This was once a horrible piece of land but it has been converted into a place were children can play," she said.

The park includes a five-a-side soccer field with artificial grass and a children's play area. It would be jointly managed by City Parks and the city improvement district in the area, Bethlehem added.

Sanitary lanes

A few blocks away from this beautiful haven, the City has also turned smelly and dirty lanes into clean lanes by paving and putting up street lights.

Lael said there were 77 lanes in the inner city that had been earmarked for upgrading. So far, the JDA had revamped 12 of them. To give the officials a sense of what had been accomplished, Bethlehem took the officials a few metres away to a lane a block away from the newly upgraded BG Alexander building.

It was dirty, with huge rats feasting on garbage dumped by residents of a nearby flat. A steady stream of murky water ran through it. "This is what most of the lanes we have upgraded looked like. This is problem that is rife in Hillbrow and Berea."

Workers were seen busily revamping the MBV building. When complete, it will accommodate about 1 600 people.


A revamped Doornfontein Transport Square A stone's throw from Ellis Park Stadium in Doornfontein, is Doornfontein Transport Square. Once an informal butchery, it has been turned into a clean taxi facility with six taxi washing bays. The most attractive features are spectacular artworks of cows, which symbolise its history.

End Street Park
Yet another attractive development is the End Street Park, which consists of two five-a-side football fields, a skate board area and a children's play area. The park, manned by two permanent guards, also has 16 CCTV cameras.

Soon to be opened to the public, it will mainly serve residents of 120 End Street, a tall building in downtown Johannesburg. It is also being upgraded and will yield 5 000 flats.

Across town, in the west is Newtown, Turbine Hall has been turned into a classy office block occupied by mining company AngloGold Ashanti, among others. Once derelict and home to hundreds of squatters, Turbine Hall is now prime office space and has become an important link between the CBD and Newtown.

Taking the officials on a walkabout down Bree Street, the Region F director, Nathi Mthethwa, pointed to an attractive building at the corner of Bree and Harrison streets, saying this was once a slum.

By-law enforcement

"The building has been turned into a shopping mall and all the trader stalls that once littered the street have been removed to create more space for pedestrians. The only challenge ... now is that if we ... have by-law enforcement on a daily basis we won't have a problem."

In terms of bad buildings, Mthethwa said there were only a few buildings left in the block that needed to be tackled. "We are now working with City Parks to put in plants, but our main worry is that this needs to be sustained."

Wrapping up the tour, Dlamini said it was important for the City to grow a culture of visiting its "work stations" such as the inner city.

"It is important to reflect on how we can build a better Johannesburg in the current economic environment. There are lots of challenges but we will change the city one step at a time."

The tour had been an eye opener and there were plenty of things to reflect on; however, he said more participation and interest from business owners in the area were required.

"This is our collective city," he said.

The ninth Discovery 702 Walk the Talk is on Sunday,

The ninth Discovery 702 Walk the Talk is on Sunday,

GET those walking shoes on and the dogs and family ready for a saunter amid the verdant ambience of Joburg's northern suburbs; the ninth annual Discovery 702 Walk the Talk is scheduled for Sunday, 26 July.

Vanessa Papas, the public relations co-ordinator at Primedia Broadcasting, confirms that it's all systems go for Sunday, and walkers should collect their registration numbers and race packs at the Marks Park Sports Club between 22 and 25 July, from 9am until 5pm.

The amble will start and finish near the club on Judith Road, in Emmarentia.
And as a safety precaution, the City has granted permission for stringent road closures on the day because the safety of walkers, pedestrians and motorists is paramount. Closed roads on the day will be monitored by Johannesburg metro police and officials from the Johannesburg Roads Agency to ensure the compliance and co-operation of motorists.

Pedestrian safety comes first "To ensure the safety of all walkers and motorists a number of roads along the route will be closed to traffic on the day of the walk. To see if your area is going to be affected or whether your routes will have to change please log on to the 702 website and have a look at the road closures map."

Motorists and pedestrians travelling to, from and around the city on the day are urged to take note of the road closures and use alternative routes.

Judith Road will be cordoned off to traffic from about 4am until 2pm from the intersection of Beyers Naude Drive to Barry Hertzog Avenue, and from Victory Road on the corner of Barry Hertzog Avenue until the Empire Road intersection.

Niger Road will be closed from the intersection of Judith Road to Sabie Road from 6.30am until 1pm. Sabie Road will be closed from the intersection of Hill Road to the corner of Barry Hertzog Avenue from 7am until 1pm.

Rustenburg Road will be closed from the corner of Sabie Road to Carlow Road until the intersection of Rustenburg Road on the corner of Mayo Road from 7am until 1pm. Emmarentia Avenue will be closed from 8am until 1pm on the corner of Carlow Road to the intersection of Wicklow Road.

No vehicles will be allowed through any of the closed roads. Other affected routes include Gleneagles Road from the intersection of Emmarentia Avenue to Sunningdale Road from 8am until 1pm; Sunningdale Road from Gleneagles Road to Cruden Bay Road from 8am until 1pm; and Chirnside Road from Greenfields Road to the corner of Barry Hertzog Avenue from 8am until 1pm.

Barry Hertzog Avenue will be closed from Chirnside Road to Muirfield Road from 8am until 1.30pm; and Muirfield Road will be closed from the intersection of Barry Hertzog Avenue to the corner of Louw Geldenhuys Drive from 8am until 1.30pm.

From 4am until 1.30pm, Louw Geldenhuys Drive from the intersection of Olifants Road to Orange Road; The Braids Road from Louw Geldenhuys Drive to Orange Road; and Orange Road from the intersection of The Braids Road to Gambia Road will be closed.

Niger Road will be closed from the corner of Judith Road to the intersection of Sabie Road from 7am until 1pm. Other roads earmarked for closure from 7am until 1pm include Sabie Road from Hill Road to Barry Hertzog Avenue, and Rustenburg Road from Sabie Road to Carlow Road.

Please be patient
These roads will be closed for different periods of time to accommodate motorists and pedestrians, while some will be closed for the duration of the walk, says Papas, adding that although the closures may cause some traffic and inconvenience, motorists should be compliant and patient.

She adds that residents of Emmarentia and other affected suburbs can collect their official resident passes at the Parkview Police Station or call 011 486 5000; "proof of residence will be required to collect the passes". Without a resident pass, they will not be allowed to drive around their suburbs until after the race.

For a comprehensive list of all road closures, parking availability and a detailed route map with an interactive route finder that automatically maps the route you need to take to evade the closed roads and reach your destination, log on to the the Walk the Talk website .

Alternatively, telephone the Walk the Talk office on 011 463 2743 or call the radio station's call centre on 011 270 2702.

In addition to the walk, Papas says there will be plenty of free live entertainment on the day, including performances by Garth Taylor, Bongani Nxumalo and the South African Police Service Band.

Participants are advised to bring their own food and beverages. "People are encouraged to bring along picnic baskets and blankets and join the fun-filled entertainment. However, no alcohol will be allowed into the venue," Papas confirms.

Source:http://www.joburg.org.za/content/view/4112/266/

First BRT buses a month away

By Lucile Davids

By the end of August Joburgers will be able to catch a Rea Vaya bus, when the first phase of the public transport system gets on the road.
THE first passengers will step aboard the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses and ride the busy streets of Joburg by the end of August.

Originally scheduled to hit the roads for the Confederations Cup in mid-June, but delayed by negotiations with taxi organisations, the City is now ready to meet its new deadline.

"A lack of public transport holds you hostage," said the mayoral committee member for transport, Rehana Moosajee, at a media briefing on Tuesday, 21 July.

Some two-thirds of Joburgers don't have access to cars, but soon they will have access to a world-class means of public transport.

"Think rail, do bus," added Moosajee, referring to the efficiency and speed of rail transport combined with the easy access, affordability and frequency of catching a bus at the bus stop down the street.

BRT systems are also being constructed elsewhere in the country - Cape Town, Tshwane and the Nelson Mandela Metro.

Three phases

Once complete, the BRT buses will travel some 330 kilometres across the city and suburbs. The first phase, Phase 1A, from Regina Mundi Church in Thokoza Park in Soweto to Ellis Park in the inner city, will begin on 30 August. The route will pass stations at Orlando Stadium, Westgate, Chancellor House, Beyers Naude Square, Carlton Centre, Fashion Square, Johannesburg Art Gallery, and the Doornfontein campus, dropping passengers at the Ellis Park North and Ellis Park East stations.

Phase 1B will run from Soweto past the universities of Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand, through to Sandton. Phase 1C will run in an east-west direction, from Alexandra to Cresta.

Some 143 buses will be rolled out in Phase 1A, travelling 25,5 kilometres and stopping at 27 stations. It is expected that 69 300 passengers will travel daily on the buses, generating R158-million in revenue annually.

The City is constructing the infrastructure, and once operational, it will also maintain that infrastructure.

There will be two kinds of buses: trunk buses, with a capacity of 112 passengers, will run in the designated lanes, with doors on the right-hand side. Complementary buses will have doors on both sides, and will travel on the BRT dedicated routes and on normal routes. They will have a capacity to carry 75 passengers.

A high-tech control room will monitor security, traffic lights and road conditions 18 hours a day. Should a breakdown occur, technicians will be dispatched immediately to move the bus from the lane, to allow for constant flow of buses. The control room will also feed information to the passengers. A voice-over system will cater for those who cannot read and the visually impaired.

Little spent on public transport

The deputy minister of transport, Jeremy Cronin, said at the briefing that over the previous 20 years very little had been spent on public transport. "Public transport is hard to sustain, with its peak flows in the mornings and evenings."

But whereas more people owned cars, the congestion problems on freeways made private transport almost an equally time-consuming exercise. He indicated that there had been a 7 percent increase per year in car users.

"The [Joburg] BRT project is important because it is a flagship project. Transport is a key catalyser for transforming society," he explained.
"Buses begin to democratise space - the rich and the poor use them," he added. "The BRT has flexibility and speed, and the stations are more pedestrian friendly." This is compared to the "sterile space" of the freeways.

"I salute what Rehana Moosajee, Lisa Seftel [the new executive director for transport], and Mayor Masondo have done in the city. I am very proud, very supportive."

A different service

The BRT would be different in a number of ways, said Moosajee. Besides operating in dedicated lanes, making it faster and more efficient, the City and not the driver would collect the fares and pay the bus operating company.

The company would be penalised if it did not follow the bus schedules precisely, if any damage was caused to the buses, and if the buses were not spotlessly clean.

A smart card will be in place by 2010, linking smoothly with other systems like the Gautrain and Metro Rail. The buses will be accessible to people with disabilities. Security will be a priority - stations and buses will have CCTV cameras installed, and there will be a visible presence of station ambassadors.

New standards in public transport will be set by the City, matching the high standards set by the Gautrain. This means that instead of chasing passengers and speeding, to reach daily targets, the BRT drivers will have no incentive to speed but will work on a strict timetable. Each bus will contain a GPS system, so it will be easy to monitor whether a driver is going either too fast or too slow.

Talks with taxi industry

Meanwhile, negotiations with the taxi industry continue. Taxi drivers will be incorporated into the BRT, being re-trained to drive the buses. Other jobs for ex-taxi drivers will be created - at the stations themselves, on maintenance and upkeep of the buses, and in monitoring operations.

While some 24 620 construction jobs have been created, 4 530 operational jobs will be created, plus 100 BRT agency jobs. Estimates are that 575 taxi drivers will be affected.

"The BRT will be employment neutral," explained Moosajee, meaning that whatever jobs were lost in the taxi industry would be gained in the BRT.

On 11 June the new minister of transport, S'bu Ndebele, met the taxi industry, and City talks with the industry begin again on 31 July.

"Change is never easy," stressed Moosajee. "We want people-centred transport planning. We want to leave a transport legacy from major sporting events."

She pointed out that there were some visionary leaders in the taxi industry who had taken a longer-term view and were looking at the future, in 20 years' time. "At this point the City's doors are closed to no-one."

The Joburg BRT was based on the South American BRT system, but "the final solution is uniquely South African, and a uniquely Joburg solution".

It is hoped that the major benefits flowing from the BRT will be traffic congestion and pollution relief. It is estimated that if only 15 percent of car users switch to the BRT by 2010, 382 940 tons of carbon dioxide will not be emitted into the atmosphere. That figure rises to 1,6 million tons by 2020.

STATEMENT BY MOSES KA MOYO, CHAIRPERSON OF THE FRIENDS OF THE INNER-CITY FORUM – MANDELA DAY ,LORNA COURT

STATEMENT BY MOSES KA MOYO, CHAIRPERSON OF THE FRIENDS OF THE INNER-CITY FORUM – MANDELA DAY ,LORNA COURT

Fellow residents

Ladies and Gentleman’s ,Thank you for responding to the clarion of call of “Mandela Day - Build your neighbourhood campaign “, we are gathered here to celebrate the Legacy and Birthday of Dr Nelson Mandela, a giant that towers and champions the struggle for the poor and the Under-privileged all over the world .

As we clean Lorna Court today let’s remember that we dedicating this 67mins to a humble man that once wrote to a friend from prison that “I have spent all my life dreaming of a golden age in which all problems will be solved and our wildest hopes fulfilled”.

As we stand here, our wildest dreams as a community is to see this building revived and many who used to stay here return to their homes .We request donations of roofing materials and other building materials that will help in the revival of this building. We are convinced as we stand here that this gesture will go a long way in fulfilling the Dreams of a golden age that Madiba has.

Lets join Hands and Build our Neighbourhood, it starts here and it should be spread out through the Inner-city .building need to be revived and people sheltered again.

Happy Birthday Madiba “Ukhule Ungakhokhobi”

Issued By

Friends of the Inner-city Forum

For More info Contact:

Moses Ka Moyo 076 681 05577
Jack Wa Lesudi 072 283 0979

Our Nelson Mandela Day Project

Lorna Court

Below are images of the building that we will be cleaning on July 18 2009 to commemorate Dr Nelson Mandela Birthday.

Dr Nelson Mandela "A prisoner for 27 years, an activist for 67 years, an inspiration for 91 years

Friends of the Inner-city Forum Condemns the Granting of Bail to Mr James O'Shea

Friends of the Inner-city Forum Condemns the Granting of Bail to Mr James O'Shea

Friday , 17 July 2009

Residents in the inner-city are riled and angry at the Decision of Magistrate PR du Plessis to grant Mr. James O'Shea bail of R50.000 on who he said was not a flight risk because he had "substantial assets" in the country. Did the magistrate consider that the substantial assets may be proceeds of crimes committed against poor people?
Hijacking of buildings in the inner-city is a big problem , as residents who have time and again felt the brunt of these hijackers, we are angry that he has been released on bail and is free to interfere with the proceedings . We will not stand idle while Mr. O'Shea and his Ilk reverse the gains made in housing.

We are also preparing our residents to declare war against the Department of Justice, which is continuing to grant Building Hijackers and Conspirators bail when they continue to leave a trail of homeless families . We further call on the Minister of Justice to take action against those senior officials and magistrate who continue to give bail to Building Hijackers. This country belongs to all of us, not only to those who have money.

We also want to commend The police for sterling work in investigating and eventually arresting Mr. O'Shea, The biggest let-down has been the justice system. On August 21,the victims of Mr. O'Shea will be mobilized to be out in full force at the courts to make sure this travesty is Reversed .

Issued by Friends of the Inner-city Forum
Contact:
Moses Ka Moyo
Chairperson – 076 681 0577

HAPPY BIRTH TATA MADIBA

Nelson Mandela Day

Nelson Mandela Day

Residents in the Inner-city (Johannesburg) will on Saturday the 18th of July 2009 join millions around the world in celebrating Dr Nelson Mandela’s Life and achievements for the underprivileged, Residents will spend 67 minutes cleaning a Building on the Corner Streets of the busiest streets in the Inner-city (Twist and Wolmarans) . Residents will also donate Various Building material and Tools to be used in the reviving of this Building , Lorna Court, which burnt down a couple of years back leaving more than 300 residents, who used to reside in this building , homeless and destitute.

The details of the Event are as follows:

DATE : Saturday, 18th June 2009
TIME : 10H00AM -11H07
VENUE : LORNA COURT, CNR WOLMARANS AND TWIST STREETS(Joubert Park)

As Friends of the Inner-city Forum we are inspired by Nelson Mandela words when he says "it is in your Hands to make of our world a better one for all, especially the poor ,vulnerable and marginalised"

The members of the media are hereby requested to attend.

For more information feel free to call Friends of the Inner-city Chairperson , Moses Ka Moyo on 076 681 0577

Public Meetings

Public Meetings





Friends of the Inner-city Forum invites all inner-city residents to public meetings which are held every thursday at 18:30pm .the venue of the meetings is the Ark Royal Body Corporate boardroom ,situated in cnr Banket and Pietersen ,Joubert Park ,In front of the Windybrow Theatre.

Unobhala Wabahlali

The secretary of the Forum is Mr Jack Madumetja Lesudi .He is always available to listen and provide solutions to issues that affect our own people .He always tells me that "good Listerners make good Leaders"

He has been instrumental in initiatives that will change our peoples lives and contribute significantly to a "Better Inner-city "

Our Community will be forever indebted to You Nobhala wabahlali .

He is contactable on jack@inner-city-forum.org or dial him on 072 283 0979

Mandela Day

Friends of the Inner-city Forum ,fully supports the Nelson Mandela day initiative and will be participate with an event of our own which deals with issues in our community.And we will be further calling on the Government to declare this day a Public Holiday .

We are inspired by Nelson Mandela when he says "it is in your Hands to make of our world a better one for all,especially the poor ,vulnerable and marginalised"

For more info about our lined up event contact the forum Secretary on :

+27 283 0979 (Mobile )

2009 Halala Award Winners

Halala awards 2009 Winners

Friends of the inner-city Forum are the 2009 JDA ,Caring award winners

JDA HALALA AWARDS 2009

Friends of the Inner-city Forum have been nominated for the 2009 Caring Joburg Award. As a forum we Believe this is a significant accomplishment and we hope everyone in our community takes a high level of pride in what we have achieved in such short space of time .

As finalist in this Category ,We believe and are inspired that our vision for a Better Inner-city is slowly being Achievable .

The gala dinner for the Awards will be held on the 11th of June 2009 at the RoundHouse Constitutional Hill,Inner-city .

For more Info Contact :
Moses Ka Moyo
+27 76 681 0577