DOCUMENTS

Joburg is a well run city - Park Tau

Mayor says city had a net surplus of R3.4bn at end of June 2013, capital investment rising significantly (April 14)

2014 State of the City Address by the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg CLR Mpho Parks Tau

14 Apr 2014

Madam Speaker,

This is Johannesburg.

Johannesburg is a City at Work:

Joburg, South Africa's most dynamic City.

We are a city at work to remake itself and shape its future, as a ‘sustainable, liveable and resilient city' - a city that ‘cares' for its people and their future. 

Today for the first time ever we are delivering the State of the City Address here in Soweto with its rich historical significance as the epicentre of the struggle for freedom over many decades. The transformation of Soweto in recent years is symbolic of what we have achieved.

Through our Growth and Development Strategy Jo'burg 2040, we, together with our residents and stakeholders, shaped a vision and plan for our future - ‘to our hearts' desire'. As we present this State of the City Address we will also report back on progress in the implementation of this strategy.

Through the Corridors of Freedom, we have initiated bold steps towards a comprehensive transformation of our spatial destiny, and a break from our Apartheid past of spatial, social and racial segregation; a past premised on prejudice and division.

As the City of Johannesburg, we are cognizant of our unique position as the economic capital of South Africa and the heartland of trade and economic activity in Africa.

  • This is a City which is home to the headquarters of most local and multinational companies in banking, finance and industry because of our world-class economic and social infrastructure. It is the home of Africa's most advanced financial sector and of the Johannesburg Securities and Bond Exchange, the largest stock exchange on the continent;
  • This is a Caring City that looks after its people through its housing initiatives; its successful healthcare programmes; its human and social development interventions; its expanded social package for indigent communities and the vulnerable; its urban agriculture programmes to ensure food security and a society where no one should go to bed hungry;
  • This is a City at work to reverse a legacy of social engineering based on exclusion and apartheid; to create a spatially integrated city and undo the process of urban sprawl, through the provision of high-density housing along well-planned transport corridors.
  • This is a City at work to create a safe environment through pro-active initiatives to address crime, grime and lawlessness.
  • This is a City which has led the country in the issuance of municipal bonds and is using the funds generated to improve the quality of infrastructure and service delivery to our residents. A City which is now pioneering municipal "green bonds" in South Africa to help us respond comprehensively to climate change and the sustainable management of our resources.
  • This is a City - vibrant and cosmopolitan, -- Jozi - a beacon of diversity where communities can celebrate their cultural identities; a city of "intermingling and improvisation," as Wits University's Prof Achille Mbembe, once described it.
  • This is a City which is rolling out innovative solutions in the fields of alternative energy, public transport and high-speed broadband; a City in which the Rea Vaya transport system is carrying a growing number of passengers every month and integrates with other transport modes; 
  • This is Johannesburg! The global city, which recently hosted its peers at the Metropolis Mayors' and the C40 Cities for Climate Change Summits and soon to host the prestigious Africities conference - the continent's premier gathering of local authorities in Africa. 

In the words of our beloved Father of the Nation and Freeman of Johannesburg, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, this is the City of "...vibrancy and activity. The centre of our country's prosperity, providing that opportunity to create a better life for all."

Madam Speaker Clr Constance Bapela
MECs and Members of the Provincial Legislature
Executive Mayors
Chief Whip of Council: Clr Prema Naidoo
Members of the Mayoral Committee
Chair of Chairs
All Chairpersons of Council Committees
Fellow Councillors
ANC Regional Secretary, Mr Dada Morero
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Leaders of all Political Parties
Acting City Manager: Mr Gerald Dumas
Managers and Officials of Council

Let me also acknowledge in the audience today, my Mother and my sister Tilly
Allow me to express a word of appreciation to the pillar of strengths in my life; my wife; Pilisiwe
My Comrades, friends, colleagues
Distinguished guests
Business leaders
Civil Society Organisations
The media
Citizens
Ladies and gentlemen

Allow me to first give condolences to City Manager, Mr Trevor Fowler, on behalf of Council, for the passing on of his mother, who was laid to rest last weekend.

Madam Speaker,

On this day, exactly 20 years ago, Nelson Mandela representing the ANC and then President FW de Klerk held an historic televised debate at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre -- on the eve of the country's first democratic elections.

This was a period of euphoria and excitement for the majority of South Africans. It was also a time when conservative elements were stocking up emergency supplies after the collapse of their armed resistance and bombing campaigns at the end of the homeland systems. Other political groupings were still dithering whether they should participate in the country's historic first democratic elections. It was at this venue now named after him, where Nelson Mandela clearly assumed the mantle of a leader that can unite a nation, divided by racism and factionalism over many decades.

In her just published book: Broadcasting the end of Apartheid," University of Cape Town academic, Dr Martha Evans, recalls how Tata Madiba, took Mr De Klerk's hand close to the end of the debate and said: "Let us go forward together. Let us work together to end division and suspicion."

Let us also remember that in this same period, the negotiations about a future democratic local government system took place at the Johannesburg Metro Centre. 

In a chapter, titled "Reflections on the Design of a post-apartheid system of local government", researchers Mirjam van Donk and Edgar Pieterse, conclude that the Central Witwatersrand Metropolitan Chamber should be seen "...as a laboratory for ideas on a new, non-racial system of urban local government" which was eventually introduced across the country.

Madam Speaker,

The democratic breakthrough of 1994 liberated all South Africans, regardless of the colour of their skin, their social status or their political affiliation. It brought freedom and dignity to the majority of South Africans who aspired for nothing less than full citizenship. It also liberated white South Africans from authoritarianism, international isolation and association with a pariah state. In less than a month's time the people of Johannesburg, together with the rest of South Africa, will go to the polls - for the 5th time -- to elect a government which will represent their interests at the national and provincial spheres of government.

We are building democracy in the spirit of the Freedom Charter, adopted at Kliptown in 1955 which states that: We, the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know: that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people;

Madam Speaker, we are meeting in Council as South Africa celebrates 20 Years of Democracy and Freedom. In two weeks' time, on the 27th of April, we will commemorate the historic moment which set us on course to create a united, non-racial, non-sexist democracy and a prosperous society.

Indeed, as the President of the Republic, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma so correctly said in his State of the Nation Address: "As a country we have scored many successes. South Africa is a much better place to live in now than it was before 1994. We continue to face challenges. But life will also continue to change for the better."

Within the City of Johannesburg we have ample reasons to celebrate our own achievements over the past 20 Years and especially since the start of the current term of office in 2011.

We have reached a crucial stage in our development. We have done the planning. We have drafted the strategies. We have put the structures in place. We are now implementing. 

This is Johannesburg -- a City at Work.

Madam Speaker,

The City is financially in the best shape yet with a net surplus of R3.4 billion at the end June 2013. We continued the upward trend of increasing, the City's total assets to R60.1 billion up from R56.37 billion in 2011/12. We concluded the year with a progressive increase in cash and cash equivalents of R5.4 billion.

Our capital investment in the City continues to rise significantly. At the beginning of our term we started with a capital budget of R3.9 billion. Currently it stands at R7.6 billion and is projected to grow to R10.9 billion in the next financial year. 

We have successfully redeemed R1.9 billion since the inauguration of the municipal bond market which the city pioneered - including R900 million in the past 12 months. 

Earlier this year, we released an unqualified report from the Auditor General. This was the strongest indication yet, that our governance is in good shape and that this is indeed a well-run city which adheres to the highest standards of corporate governance and financial controls.

Both Fitch and Moody ratings agencies retained their positive investment rating of Johannesburg during the past year. Moody's noted the following: "Although Joburg's liquidity remains tight... the city's cash reserves adequately cover short-term obligations, thus supporting the high short-term rating assigned."

It further states that the rating reflected "recent improvements in the City's liquidity profile and cash position."

Ladies and gentlemen, these things I report: the matter of clean audits, good financial systems and prudence are not merely to please the Auditor-General or other accountants. These achievements, first and foremost, enable our mandate to deliver quality services to residents and citizens.

Our duty as council is to deploy these resources to achieve our developmental obligations. We spare no effort in transforming our City from Rabie Ridge to Roodepoort, from Westbury to North Riding, Sandton to Soweto, Orange Farm to Orange Grove and from Diepkloof to Diepsloot.

We are proud of what we have done and continue to do to bring a better life for all. Today as we gather here, Soweto is a better place.

The City's investment in strategic infrastructure such as roads, the rehabilitation of public spaces, such as the Orlando West Park, Bara transport interchange, Rea Vaya BRT and Orlando Stadium have changed the face of Soweto.

Public sector-led investments have proven to be catalysts for private sector investments such as Maponya Mall, Orlando eKhaya and the Jabulani and Bolani Developments. 

Retail space in Soweto has grown almost fourfold from less than 60 000 square meters to more than 220 000 over the past 20 years. Soweto's residential property market is now booming with the highest average prices in the affordable housing market segment country-wide.

Indeed, Sowetans attest that Jozi is a City at work.

Madam Speaker,

The City is committed to enhance participatory democracy, through our community-based planning processes.

A pilot programme for community-based planning was established at Region E and a number of projects are already in progress including five food gardens in Alexandra, the refurbishment of the Helen Joseph Hostel and the building of a rubble transfer station in Linbro Park. This pilot programme has been extended to the other six regions.

I am pleased to say that we have, over the past two years, made steady progress in all aspects of our interaction with our residents and clients. Each year we strengthen our Integrated Development Planning processes with high levels of community participation. We continue to have robust oversight committees such as the Municipal Public Accounts where you councillors hold the Executive to account.

We are improving on our mechanisms of redress including the Petition's Committee and a Corruption Hotline.

As the City of Johannesburg we have passed a by-law to create an office of an independent Ombudsman to ensure that complaints reported by residents are followed through and, where necessary, take internal disciplinary steps against officials who fail to deliver quality service.

The main objective with the establishment of an Ombudsman's office is to strengthen good governance through increased accessibility, transparency and accountability to customers. We do this in the spirit of former President Nelson Mandela's remarks at the African Regional Workshop of the International Ombudsman Institution, where he said:

"People must be encouraged to speak out against maladministration with the surety that their complaints will be taken seriously and in confidence."

Applications for the appointment of the City's first Ombudsman will close at the end of this month and we are confident that we will be able to fill this important position shortly thereafter.

This is a City at work for democracy, transparency and accountability.

Madam Speaker,

We know that Johannesburg has been rated by The Economist Intelligence Unit as the most competitive African city - where competitiveness is defined by ability to attract capital, businesses, talent and visitors. We want to take this forward and ensure that in the future we play a significant role in the global economy as well as consciously influencing the patterns of production, distribution, and consumption.

In taking forward our economic development agenda, we have identified a 15 point programme to improve the overall competitiveness of the City, undertake specific projects to boost and diversify Joburg's economic activities and strengthen inclusiveness especially of young black people.

I want to highlight a few of our proposed interventions: 

  • We will accelerate our local manufacturing initiatives to create economic opportunities and more jobs in the green economy building on what we have already achieved in the manufacturing of solar water geysers, Rea Vaya bus bodies and other components.
  • We are doing business with more than 600 small and medium-sized enterprises through City procurement processes. This promotes the creation of local clusters of competitive suppliers and new enterprises.
  • To boost the Corridors of Freedom, we are adopting a sector strategy and investment portfolio approach to spatial plans, zoning and release of parcels of land so that part of the R23-billion of land owned by the City is used to catalyse economic development.
  • The City's economy continues to attract local and international investors creating much-needed jobs.

Fellow residents, these are real investments, there are real enterprises, these are real jobs!

We will continue to support the development of skills, knowledge and innovation, in partnership with our local tertiary education institutions and technology centres to develop a new cadre of entrepreneurs. 

In the past economic activity and planning were primarily focused on the mining and resources sectors as well as financial services. Although these sectors will remain important in the years to come we will give particular attention to those economic activities and sectors that will position Joburg as a global City of the Future, a city at work that will create innovative small businesses and sustainable jobs as well as deracialise our economy.

In planning for the future we have defined specific sectors where we want to further develop our economy. The future focus will be in the fields of finance, technology, resource beneficiation such as in the platinum group metals as well as within the green and blue economies. 

We will shortly announce an economic advisory panel to assist us in identifying the specific opportunities within these sectors which can generate growth, job creation, skills development and entrepreneurial activity in the years to come.

This team will include prominent domestic and international experts from business, government, academia and development agencies.

We are a City at Work building the economy of the future.

Madam Speaker, last year we announced the introduction of a Developmental Service Delivery Model as a new approach to addressing poverty, inequality and unemployment and empower citizens. This approach - now called Jozi@ Work -- focuses on building human capabilities to meet the City's needs and build local economies. 

This model is about involving citizens to provide maintenance, community and social services in partnership with the City. Through the provision of these services, new and existing entrepreneurs will be empowered and jobs will be created.

Among the projects that are in place are fifty SMMEs who are responsible for the replacement of water pipes in Alexandra. In Soweto small businesses work together with main contractors on leak repair and retrofitting programmes. They benefit through mentorship and training initiatives which will eventually lead to registration with the Construction Industry Development Board.

On our road building, upgrading and maintenance programmes including the Rea Vaya BRT, we use labour intensive technologies, ensuring that we maximize the use of local labour and contractors as well as enhance skills development, do mentoring and incubate emerging contractors. For the coming financial year, we will target 10 percent of City contracting services spending to be utilised in this developmental way. By the close of term we are planning to escalate this to 30 % of all spending.

We are City at work to fight unemployment, inequality and poverty.

Madam Speaker, this year will see the completion of the roll out of our broadband network. 

Wi-Fi has gone live from today, right here, as we speak, in the Orlando Communal Hall and at the following nine Rea Vaya stations: Orlando Stadium and Police Station, Soccer City, Noordgesig, Joburg Theatre, Park Station, Art Gallery, Carlton Centre and Fashion Square. 

We intend to roll-out 1 000 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the City before the end of the Mayoral term.

The broadband network will significantly increase access through our libraries to the internet including open online courses. 35 libraries will be connected by June and all 85 libraries will have free internet access by the end of 2014.

We will train at least 1 000 students a year in the City's ICT operations who will then work within communities to introduce the latest technology and ensure that the benefits of our broadband network are experienced by residents.

We are presently working on a partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand in respect of the Tshimologong Precincts in Braamfontein, focusing on IT innovation and SMME incubation. Together with our partners we will soon launch our own Jo'burg "Hackathon"

This is Jo'burg, the Smart City at work.

Madam Speaker,

We have made significant gains in health care provision to the almost 3.8 million people who walk into our 80 fixed satellite and mobile clinics every year. The transmission rate of HIV from mother to child has decreased from 3.2 percent in 2010 to only 1.5 percent in February 2014. More than 96.1 % of children under the age of one now benefit from our immunisation coverage - which is substantially above the national target of 90%.

Last month we opened new, state-of-the-art clinics at Slovoville and Freedom Park which brings essential healthcare services closer to residents who previously had to travel as far as Coronationville and Leratong.

We are working together with the SADC Private Sector Constituency on Health led by Dr Brian Brink to launch interventions to partner on a number of projects.

These are: 

  • a pilot health information system drawing from the best practices in the private sector. This will enable patients visiting our facilities to have a single, complete health history which can be accessed by health practitioners in both the public and private sector;
  • an exciting new initiative aimed at the youth to encourage them to maintain their HIV negative status;
  • a healthy living lifestyle campaign including a strong focus on the work place;

By the end of September we will launch a nutrition pledge which can be signed by restaurants and other food companies committing themselves to the programme.

Working together with the private sector including private practitioners volunteering of their own time, we are targeting identified communities to confront issues such as reproductive health, cervical cancer and non-communicable diseases, through screening and referral. We want to express our appreciation towards Dr Mathlogonolo Malebane and his colleagues for their leadership in this regard.

We continue to encourage other professionals to volunteer their skills towards similar efforts to build a Johannesburg comprised of better communities. Together we are building better communities!

The City is working in partnerships with civil society to develop programmes for young people in respect of sport, music, arts and other cultural activities. Memorandums of Understanding will amongst others be signed with the Ahmed Kathrada, the Abubaker Asvat Foundation and the Each-one-Teach-one foundation focusing on youth development programmes.

We are also partnering with the arts community to stage community productions where stories of all citizens of Joburg can be shared.

We are a City at Work building better communities together with our partners.

Madam Speaker,

When we launched the Corridors of Freedom last year, we emphasised that our intention is to address what the National Development Plan refers to as "the challenge of apartheid geography."

Our primary tool in our spatial transformation is the spending of capital funds on public transport, infrastructure, public environment upgrading and social housing. This infrastructure investment is shifting perceptions about an area, create an identity and then lead to increased private sector interest as well as private- public sector partnerships.

For example in the Empire -Perth corridor we are working actively with communities and partners on this corridor, such as the University of Johannesburg and Wits to improve the safety and attractiveness along the streets, create a safe student and retail precinct at Campus Square, improve the urban environment at Auckland Park and improve the public environment at Westbury.

Along the Louis Botha Corridor we are working on similar partnerships in Wynberg, Marlboro and Orange Grove/Norwood. In addition we are introducing exciting Rea Vaya infrastructure to be followed by investment in schools, clinics and a range of housing options.

In February we started to put in place the infrastructure for the third phase of Rea Vaya.

This will not only be 16 kilometres of new BRT trunk infrastructure along Louis Botha and Katherine Streets and 10 new stations but will also include:

  • a state of the art and underground public transport interchange at the site of the Wynberg Bridge;
  • 31km of public environment upgrade in Alexandra as part of our Complete Streets initiative; 
  • to accommodate the more than 10 000 people walking between Alexandra and the Sandton CBD every day and improve access we are building 5.2 km of walking and cycling lanes including a bridge over the M1; 
  • a second bridge for dedicated Rea Vaya bus lanes in Marlboro;
  • a new transport system in the Sandton CBD so that there can be seamless integration between the Gautrain station, walking, cycling, Rea Vaya, mini bus taxis and other bus services; and
  • a new bus depot in the inner city, and Alexandra.

This exciting Rea Vaya infrastructure provides the foundation to enable spatial transformation along the Louis Botha corridor and will be followed by investment in schools, clinics and social housing on the same corridor.

Rea Vaya continues to be the catalyst for public transport transformation. We are in the process of restructuring Metrobus on new routes and with a new business model, similar to Rea Vaya, to grow passenger numbers and improve service reliability. Metrobus is seen as the key mode of transport, together with walking, for the Turffontein corridor.

In addition, as we finalise our negotiations with affected public transport operator involved in the second phase of Rea Vaya, we are also looking at a value chain for the remaining public transport operators that can include them providing feeder services with mini bus taxis and being involved in the management of our public transport facilities. 

Madam Speaker, our approach towards road infrastructure is that it must be transformed from mere "roads" to "road-spaces" that serve the needs of everybody regardless of the mode of transport. As we repair and upgrade our road network system we are introducing measures to improve the user experience on our roads through modernising and deploying technology to keep traffic signals operational.

We are improving the riding quality of the roads in the City thus increasing mobility and reducing accident risk. We are also protecting our roads from overloading and vandalism by focusing on freight logistics and infrastructure protection; increase traffic mobility at our intersections through intelligent transport systems, reliable renewable energy sources and increased safety and security.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

We are progressively turning Johannesburg into a cycle-friendly city.

To celebrate the life of our great hero, Tata Nelson Mandela and in partnership with cycling organisations we organised a Freedom Ride on the 9th of February. This ride attracted 5 000 cyclists from all walks of life riding from the Nelson Mandela Bridge in the inner city to Mandela's House in Soweto and back.

To make sure that cycling is accessible to all we handed out 350 bikes in Tshepisong last year, 50 to Orlando school children during the Freedom Ride and are working with partner organisations to set up a Bike Empowerment Centre in Soweto before the end of this year.

Soon the dedicated cycle path outside this venue - which starts in Noordgesig and ends at Madlala Street in Orlando West -- will be completed. And over the next two to three years the City will be implementing dedicated cycling infrastructure from Melville to Doornfontein, from Alex to the Sandton CBD, from Diepkloof to Fourways and from Rosebank to Sandton.

To complement this dedicated cycling network we are working with the Johannesburg Urban Cyclist Association (JUCA) to identify and sign over 100 kilometres of safe cycling routes across Joburg.

We are a City at Work transforming our movement and spatial patterns.

Madam Speaker,

Towards the end of last year, the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations released a seminal report, in which it identifies the challenges facing humanity today. Among the many top global thinkers who served on the Commission are: Dr Pascal Lamy, the former director general of the World Trade Organisation; African governance expert, Dr Mo Ibrahim, Michelle Bachelet, the recently re-elected president of Chile; Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen and our own Dr Ian Goldin, a former CEO of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and Minister, Trevor Manuel.

In its chapter on Resource Sustainability, the Report notes:

"Sustainability is inherently about the long term. It requires the reconciliation of environmental, social and economic demands, necessary for the sustained survival of humankind and other organisms on our planet. Above all, living sustainably means grappling with the ‘perfect storm' associated with the inseparability of water food, energy and climate."

It then goes on to paint a 2030 global scenario in which:

  • Demand for energy will increase by 50%
  • Demand for water will increase by 30%; and
  • Demand for food will increase by 50%; 

These, coupled with climate change constitute what is now, commonly referred to as the "Perfect Storm." These global challenges manifest in different ways at the local level.

The C40 Mayors Summit, held in February, for the first time on African soil, in Johannesburg, was an opportune time for us to reflect on our journey to address climate change. In the run up to the summit we developed a city-wide greenhouse gas inventory. This inventory offers the City of Joburg an internationally accepted management tool to make informed decisions about climate change. 

Year on year, we have to continue to increase our efforts to combat climate change, conserve our finite resources whilst we guarantee security of supply of water and energy for our residents.

Recent experiences of load shedding coupled with the escalation on the prices of electricity are a stark reminder of the pressures we face as a city and country, in the electricity industry.

The 43 000 solar water heaters installed by City Power collectively generates the equivalent of 22.5 Gigawatt hours of electricity per year - enough to run a small town or part of a suburban area.

The installation of 42 000 smart meters, geyser control systems and energy efficiency programmes, all of which are ongoing, will continue to enhance our energy efficiency.

The City has mandated the Environment, Infrastructure and Services Department, and the Board and Management of City Power to present to the Council proposals for a future energy mix. This should include the increased utilisation of gas, the uptake of roof top photovoltaic systems and other alternative, greener energy sources. 

The city will make final decisions on these matters once the department and the company have fulfilled the mandate. We believe that if the City considers these proposals to be viable we will instruct the department to implement them without delay. As a city we are of the view that the proposals will have the capacity to create new exciting opportunities in the area of energy supply.

We are also developing Biogas-to-Energy (BTE) plants at our wastewater treatment plants to mitigate climate Change and reduce energy costs. In November 2013 we commissioned the first plant at our Northern Works wastewater site and the second one at the Driefontein Works will be operational by May 2014. 

As a City we are concerned about the growth in water demand brought on by continuing rapid urbanisation. I want to make an urgent call on our citizens today to use water sparingly and help us reduce our per capita consumption of water.

We intend to introduce water saving devices in the City's own housing developments and encourage private developers to introduce conservation measures such as rainwater harvesting, the use of groundwater through borehole drilling and utilizing treated effluent for irrigation purposes.

We have started with the process to replace 143 km of water pipes and implement pressure management as part of a three year 900km refurbishment of water pipes. This will reduce technical water losses from leaks and pipe bursts.

The City is currently also reviewing its bylaws and tariff policies to incentivize and promote water conservation and demand management initiatives by its citizens.

The diversion of waste away from landfills remains a key priority for the City of Johannesburg. Some of the waste streams identified include the diversion of green waste, builders' rubble, food waste and residual waste. 

Separation at Source is currently being rolled out in Waterval, Zondi, Diepsloot, Orange Farm, Central Camp, Marlboro and Southdale. A total of 470 000 households are targeted for participation in the programme. The City's garden sites are being upgraded to accept recyclables. In the final stages of the programme, a total of 950 000 households will be included in the programme.

As builders' rubble is also a huge contributor to illegal dumping, we are making available mobile crush plants and static crushing plants at various landfill sites to address this challenge as well.

The City also recognizes the role of the various stakeholders in reducing waste to landfills. We will partner with the private sector to accelerate the implementation of waste to energy projects that will move the City towards the attainment of a 70% reduction by 2030.

During the C40 Conference this year, we launched our first two Metrobuses which are powered by dual fuel - Compressed Natural Gas and diesel. In the next financial year Metrobus will be converting 30 more buses as well as purchasing 150 new buses which will be using dual fuel. The adjudication of these buses is being finalised as we speak and local manufacture will be maximised.

There are significant advantages to the City of using dual fuel buses. Not only are they cleaner - our first two buses are emitting 90% less carbon emissions than a diesel bus - but the fuel source, biogas, can be sourced from waste including grass from City Parks, biowaste from the Fresh Produce Market and bio crops especially grown for this purpose.

We are thus working on a biogas value chain which can see significant jobs and entrepreneurial activity being created in the agricultural and waste sectors. Further jobs can be created and innovation can be spurred in the local manufacture of biodigesters which produce biogas. 

These efforts will also extend to other public and private transport. This will enable all Joburg residents to use these locally produced energy sources to power their vehicles enabling them to pay less for fuel or public transport. Our collective efforts will contribute both to job creation and a reduction in carbon emissions

We are a City at work conducting a Green Revolution.

Madam Speaker, fellow residents, seventy years back, exactly in this month of April, a conclave of some young South Africans met at the Bantu Men's Social Centre, to form a youth league that was to change the shape, of South African politics. Then, twenty years later, in 1964, and fifty years ago, some of these patriots, who were not young anymore, were sentenced to life imprisonment because they dared to demand the freedoms which we may take for granted today.

I mention these two historical events because we cannot afford to forget that our freedom was not free. But I am also mentioning these two events, because they were not only associated with the city of Johannesburg. Rather, most of the actors in these unforgettable scenes of the South African story were the residents of this city. They came from Alexandra, Soweto, Rivonia, Fordsburg, Sophiatown and other surrounding suburbs. Indeed, some were lodgers in the backyards of these suburbs.

Most of these giants, on whose shoulders we stand, and at times proudly exalt, are no more with us. Yet, as we celebrate twenty years of freedom, we dare not forget the fifty years anniversary of the sentencing of the Rivonia trialists. We cannot afford to erase in our memories the visionaries that formed a youth movement which propelled forward faster the struggle for freedom.

Because of them, and because of the many inspiring events all over the country today we have a sprint in our steps. Let us make a vow to them, to ourselves, and to the generations to come, that we will work harder to defeat poverty, to banish hunger, ignorance, illiteracy and underdevelopment and truly improve the lives of our people.

Let us use this opportunity to reflect on the progress we -- as a country and a city -- have made over the past two decades.

With less than a month before the general election let us guard against campaigning in a manner that polarises society. I call on all political parties to continue to heed the call by Madiba - ‘Let us work together to end division and suspicion.'

Madam Speaker,

 This is Johannesburg - a City at work;
 This is a City at work for democracy, transparency and accountability.
 Indeed, Sowetans attest that Jozi is a City at work.
 We are a City at Work building the economy of the future.
 This is Jo'burg, the Smart City at work.
 We are a City at Work building better communities together with our partners.
 We are a City at Work transforming our movement and spatial patterns.
 And we are a City at work conducting a Green Revolution.

This is Jozi - a City at work!

Thank you.

Issued by the City of Johannesburg, April 15 2014

 

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