The three spheres of government have committed to a short-term action plan that addresses the immediate basic service delivery issues of Alexandra township within the next six months.
The commitment was made at an Inter-Ministerial Task Team on Service Delivery (IMTT) meeting on Wednesday. The three spheres of government encompass the national, provincial and local tiers.
Within this period, the relevant sphere of government, especially the municipality, will work with the communities of Alexandra to embark on an intensive clean-up campaign, including poorly kept cemeteries and overgrown vegetation on the side of the roads.
During this period, sewage spillage, the proliferation of illegal shacks and other structures that contravene municipal by-laws will be tackled.
In the six months, government was also aiming to address the high crime rate and proliferation of large illegal weapons used in robbery and murder in the township.
The IMTT, a ministerial team set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa to address issues raised by the community of Alexandra in a memorandum handed to him two weeks ago, on Wednesday met with the leadership of the Gauteng Provincial Government and that of the City of Johannesburg.
“The IMTT was pleased with reports that some of this work is already being done, for example, by the city and the SAPS and urged that it should be intensified,” the IMTT said in a statement issued by the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Ministry.
Parallel to this process, a medium-term plan is proposed to be developed in partnership with communities, the private sector, research institutions and government with a view to use Alexandra and its surrounding areas as a model to develop a post-apartheid city.
Existing frameworks such as the Integrated Urban Development Framework, the National Development Plan, the Gauteng Spatial Development Framework and the Municipal Spatial Development Framework will be used to achieve this goal.
Home Affairs Minister Siyabonga Cwele chaired the meeting and was accompanied by the Ministers of Small Business Development Lindiwe Zulu; Human Settlements NomaIndia Mfeketho, and Rural Development and Land Reform Maite Nkoana-Mashabane. Cogta Deputy Minister Andries Nel and Public Service and Administration Deputy Minister Chana Pilane-Majake were also at the meeting.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura attended the meeting with Human Settlements, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Dikgang Uhuru Moiloa.
Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba was accompanied by the city’s Members of the Mayoral Council.
“We are encouraged with the spirit of cooperation from the three spheres of government displayed in this very first meeting. We believe that the intergovernmental approach is the sustainable solution to the problems facing Alex. We have assigned the technical team of senior officials from the three spheres to undertake further work so that we can soon have an implementable plan to discuss with stakeholders in Alex. The work done thus far is encouraging and provides a good basis for us to move forward,” said Cwele.
The meeting was preceded by a meeting of the IMTT with the Alexandra Property Owners Association, the Alexandra Land Task Team, the Alexandra Land and Property Owners Association and the South African National Civics Organisation (SANCO), to hear their concerns and issues. Last week, the IMTT had met with the Alexandra Shutdown Committee