Latest news with #Pikitup
The Citizen
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
One million kilograms of trash cleared from Johannesburg CBD in under four months
Johannesburg's municipal entities have been on service delivery drives throughout the CBD in recent months. The Johannesburg municipality has made a significant dent in the mounds of trash lining the inner city's streets. Weekly service delivery drives were launched in early 2024 by Mayor Dada Morero, and this weekend marked some significant milestones. However, those living in the CBD say the drives have made little difference to life in the increasingly dilapidated concrete maze. 'Reimagining' Johannesburg The inner-city clean-up project operates under the banner, 'Reimagining Joburg through the eyes of residents' by focusing on vandalism, hijacked buildings and by-law infringements. As well as mass clean-up operations, multi-departmental teams attend to streetlights, stormwater drains and potholes, while trying to encourage residents to contribute to a clean environment. Trash and litter covering Johannesburg's pavements has been a notable eyesore, but the city boasts that a remarkable amount of rubbish — one million kilograms — has left the CBD since the start of the year. 'Pikitup removed 1 000 tonnes of waste in hotspots like [Marshalltown] while conducting street sweeping and emptying skip bins,' the city stated. The figure is a fraction of the waste the municipality generates, with city officials confirming on Tuesday that the greater Johannesburg region generates roughly 1.6 billion kilograms of waste annually. Additionally, Johannesburg Roads Agency cleared over 150 stormwater drains and repaired over 100 potholes, and City Power repaired over 500 streetlights and disconnected over 200 illegal connections in roughly four months. City Parks cleared overgrown vegetation, Johannesburg Water addressed leaks and bursts, while social development profiled and relocated displaced people to city shelters. Shop owners partially to blame Resident and ActionSA PR councillor in the CBD, Zark Lebatlang said he was happy attention was being paid to the CBD, but was not convinced it would revive its fortunes. 'It looks good on the pictures, but in terms of a sustainable programme to deal with the issue of cleaning up the CBD, there is no clear impact,' Lebatlang told The Citizen. The councillor explained that spaza shops and informal traders were among the chief polluters of the city, saying the shops were not regulated, and that owners disregarded by-laws. He said spaza shops needed to be stopped from dumping their rubbish in alleys and on corners, and championed Hernan Mashaba's discarded A Re Sebetseng programme. 'But you don't do it on a temporary basis, you need to be aggressive, and I think empowering residents on taking ownership of cleaning their areas is the first thing you need to do,' said Lebatlang. '[With shop owners], you fine them, you close down their shops, you ensure they are following environmental regulations and not contributing to the litter in the CBD,' he suggested. 'Scratch the surface' In the last four months, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department has held 36 joint law enforcement operations, during which 331 properties have been inspected. The properties included licensed premises, mini supermarkets, corner shops, vehicle repair shops, and several high-rise buildings that had been converted into shopping centres. At these premises, 517 infringements were found, leading to the closure of non-compliant buildings and the seizure of illegal goods. 'Many buildings were found operating without approved plans or with illegal utility connections,' stated the municipality this weekend. Crime is a constant concern for Lebatlang and all Johannesburg residents, and he suggested a rethinking of crime-fighting strategies was necessary if the city was to thrive. 'The city needs an overhaul in terms of interventions from law enforcement, the security pillar and when it comes to service delivery,' he said. 'If you are not going to do all of that, you're still just going to scratch the surface,' he concluded. NOW READ: 'Joburg is in free fall' — Next month could be make or break for Mayor Dada Morero
The Citizen
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
State of the City: Johannesburg mayor pledges better services, power for informal areas
State of the City: Johannesburg mayor pledges better services, power for informal areas Johannesburg Mayor Sello Dada Morero has pledged to improve basic services, formalise informal settlements, and boost infrastructure in his 2025 State of the City Address (SOCA). Must read: Is the City of Gold losing its shine and which entity is its weakest link? Speaking at the City Council in Braamfontein on Wednesday, Morero outlined a multi-pronged plan to tackle issues such as electricity access, waste management, potholes, and water security, aimed at uplifting communities and driving sustainable development across the city. On Wednesday (May 7) at the City Council in Braamfontein, he promised residents that he would gradually take the city to greater heights. Read more: City Power's turnaround time to fix streetlights explained Morero will work with various entities, including Joburg Water (JW), City Power, Pikitup and Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA). He said electricifying and formalising informal settlements across the city is one of the priorities. 'The electrification of informal settlements remains a top priority, with a R296 million allocation focused on connecting to the grid areas such as Diepsloot, Orange Farm, Ivory Park, and Kya Sands. This initiative will provide safe and legal electricity access to thousands of households, integrating them into the urban energy system and laying the groundwork for service upgrades and formalisation,' said Morero. He said this initiative will be led by the City Power. Morero added that this programme also supports the City's energy transition, through complementary investments in substation upgrades and energy efficiency retrofits. Following a scourge of illegal dumping and littering, he said they will upgrade and rehabilitate landfill sites, install recovery facilities and biogas plants and procure a new collection fleet for Pikitup. Read more: Pikitup frantically erect temporary depot to appease workers to return to work He said City will join forces with township traders to buy in bulk in a bid to boost profits and create jobs. He declared war on potholes, illegal connections, dumping, land invasions and undocumented immigrants. 'Building resilience and reliability in water security through JW, which commands the largest average capital allocation. This programme is delivering a series of large-scale interventions aimed at securing Johannesburg's water future. Implementing JRA Multi-Year Infrastructure Programme. JRA is tasked with preserving and upgrading the backbone of the City's mobility network,' added Morero. Read more: Halfway House Development Forum plans to meet with heads of JW, JRA, JMPD, and City Power to improve suburb He said this includes tarring of gravel roads in township areas and the rehabilitation of stormwater infrastructure. Morero concluded that these interventions will reduce flooding, enhance connectivity, and ensure that residents in underserved areas are better integrated into the City's transport grid. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! Have a story idea? We'd love to hear from you – join our WhatsApp group and share your thoughts! At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
23-04-2025
- The Citizen
Pikitup worker fatally shot outside Soweto depot
Tragedy struck at the Avalon Pikitup Depot in Klipspruit West, Soweto, yesterday when a male employee was fatally shot outside the facility. Pikitup spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi confirmed to the Lenasia Rising Sun that the victim was a Pikitup employee and said police are handling the matter. It was later revealed that the victim was from the Thembelihle Informal Settlement and was known for his community involvement as a member of the ANC Youth League. News of his untimely death has deeply saddened both the waste management company and the Thembelihle community. In response to the tragedy, there were reports of unrest among waste management employees, with some allegedly refusing to carry out their duties for the day. This development has caused concern among residents about potential disruptions to the waste collection schedule for the week. When questioned about the potential impact on the schedule, Mkhwanazi cautiously stated: 'It would be speculative to provide a definitive answer to that question. However, I can confirm that workers did report for duty today.' As the community mourns the loss and grapples with the aftermath of the incident, the Lenasia Rising Sun remains committed to monitoring the situation and will provide updates as new information emerges. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
