Gauteng govt bands with partners to clean up Joburg and tackle crime

JOHANNESBURG - In efforts to tackle crime and grime in Johannesburg's inner city, a clean-up and safety drive focused on the Ellis Park precinct in the CBD.

The Gauteng provincial government, in partnership with the City of Joburg metro and civil movement Jozi My Jozi, launched the programme in August last year.

On Friday, various organisations, including Pikitup, Jozi-My-Jozi, the Environmental Department and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), banded together to clean up the busy streets of Saratoga Ave and Joe Slovo Drive.

The Ellis Park precinct, a site of immense historical significance for South Africa, is the latest focal point of the Gauteng provincial government's "CBD Friday" revitalisation program.

The initiative saw a collaborative team of government officials, private sector partners, and civil society volunteers descend on the area on Friday to address urban decay and improve the quality of life for residents and businesses.

The activation, which follows several successful clean-up and renewal projects across Johannesburg since its launch in August last year, is spearheaded by a partnership between the Gauteng provincial government, the City of Joburg's metro municipality, civil movement Jozi My Jozi, and the Church of Scientology.

The Ellis Park precinct, known globally as the home of the 1995 Rugby World Cup final and a beacon of national unity, has faced challenges with grime and crime in recent years.

Jozi-My-Jozi's Wayne Dawson said, "This is one of the most exciting precincts. I love this space because it's a marriage between the best that the city can offer from a sporting facility point of view, and then Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville, as previously regarded as the "no-go zones". We want to unblock that stigma."

Teams of volunteers and city workers systematically cleaned streets and public spaces, addressing illegal dumping sites and general litter.