The Oxford Dictionary defines the term “bonded” as “joined securely to another thing, especially by an adhesive, a heat process, or pressure” or “emotionally or psychologically linked”. While the first definition is not one that can be applied to people, one Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality official describes the city’s spatial development projects as one that would emotionally or psychologically link together people of different social backgrounds.
Mr Takalani Mmbara, the city’s Specialist in Performance Monitoring and Reporting, excitingly provided a tour of the city’s developments which seek not only to make the city more accessible, but to create a safer, cleaner and more vibrant city which caters for the needs of its entire people. The Kazerne Intermodal Facility which is currently under construction, aims to create a bus and taxi rank where not only locals would be able to enjoy the benefits of accessible transport, but this facility also seeks to provide transport from this area to neighbouring African countries.
The dedicated BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) lanes which are also currently under construction, linking this area to the M1 bridge, seek to provide efficient and cost-effective transportation to the people of the city. This means that people from Soweto would, upon completion, be able to enjoy the comforts of the city’s buses in the dedicated BRT lanes straight to Sandton. This is one of the city’s most affluent areas.
More excitingly perhaps, is the city’s community housing developments, the Riverside View Mega Housing Project, an integrated housing development located between Steyn City and Diepsloot which is situated about 15 minutes out of the city centre. This development aims to bring together those who are able to pay their own bonds, those who seek to rent and those who qualify for Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing. This mixture of buildings in Riverside also makes provision for both public and private schooling facilities, as well as dedicated sporting facilities to be enjoyed by the entire community. Private developments of offices and shopping facilities such as Makro in the nearby area would also provide job opportunities for those seeking employment.
These are the developments that city officials believe would not only be able to give people easy and affordable access to the city centre where they would be able to search for employment opportunities without transportation struggles, but be able to “bond” people of different social backgrounds through shared community spaces. While these developments are still in early stages, city officials are excited about the prospects and future of these projects.
These observations form part of Parliament’s Select Committees on Finance and Appropriations’ week-long oversight visit in the Gauteng province. The oversight visit forms part of the Committees’ constitutional mandate of oversight over the executive in ensuring quality provision of effective services to the people.
By Felicia Lombard
22 September 2017
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