Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality is excited to finally acquire a comprehensive plan for the much anticipated Aerotropolis project announced two years ago.

The Aerotropolis project is one of the important projects the city is spearheading, amongst others it has unveiled as part of its five-year plan to bring about better lives for its residents. 

Under new mayor Mzwandile Masina, a formerly Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, municipal MMC for Infrastructure Robert Mashego says there have been many useful discussions about the Aerotropolis and the receipt of the plans now mean kick-starting development will begin in earnest.

“We have been presented with a proper plan. We have committed through the mayor to appoint a steering committee of MMCs and officials who will report to the mayor monthly about the developments. The mayor instructed us to have a workable plan which will help track the developments of certain areas of the project,” says Mashego.

The planned Aerotropolis is a business hub focused on the development of industries that have customers around OR Tambo International Airport, or which have customers one flight away from Gauteng’s main international airport. 

Mashego, however, outlines that the Aerotropolis project is not necessarily an Ekurhuleni project alone as the entire province as well as the country as a whole have an interest in it, adding that an intergovernmental steering committee would be formed to deal with the relevant aspects of the project.

The feasibility study for Gauteng’s Aerotropolis project has been completed, according to Aerotropolis project manager Jack van der Merwe.

The municipality’s broader development plan, which focuses on developing roads, rail, network infrastructure as well as the stormwater drainage system, has been adopted by the city.

We have an integrated way of wanting to develop infrastructure,” says Mashego, explaining that while rail is not part of the municipality’s responsibility, there are sidings in Germiston and surrounding areas of Ekurhuleni that are managed by the city “even though they are built by Transnet”. 

Private Sector Partners
The private sector remains a big player in the plans, he reveals. “There is no way that in our department we can use internal people alone. We have to get in private people. Our responsibility is to create a conducive environment so that turnaround time is achievable”.

The municipality currently works on a tender system with a tender turnaround time of 60 days which encompasses adverts, shortlisting of suitable candidates and awarding of the projects.

Transport
To develop roads in the city R659-million has been budgeted in the current financial year.  

Meanwhile, in an effort to improve public transport for communities of Ekurhuleni plans are under way to implement the bus rapid transit (BRT) system, construction of which had been expected to start in Tembisa early this year.

Mashego explains that the process was hindered by pricing issues. “When we came in, we found out that there was a pricing problem. People priced the BRT ramp road as if they were pricing normal tar roads. The thickness of soil levels for roads that deal with heavy traffic differs from normal roads. Funds dried up before we could finalise the issue,” he outlines, saying that

Masina has committed more funds for the BRT system.

The plan is to link the Tembisa BRT system to Nigel through Gibela road to Sparton, Boksburg, Springs, Daveyton and back to Tembisa in phases.

Mashego highlighted that the BRT system would allow commuters to use fewer modes of transport to reach their destinations instead of running from one mode of transport to another, saving time, money and energy.

PRASA’s Gibela locomotive manufacturing plant, in Nigel, involves the city, Mashego tells Engineering News, in that it is playing a role in the selection of who will be employed as well as the awarding of tenders.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that the people of Ekurhuleni benefit in everything that is happening in Ekurhuleni, “he added.

Health
Masina recently said that “the health of the people came first” and this would be ensured by providing township communities with access to basic health care services on a 24-hour basis.

The city recently opened new 24-hour clinics to accommodate approximately 300 000 additional Ekurhuleni residents in the Khumalo, Tsietsi and Dukathole areas.

Furthermore, Mashego says some residents in Ekurhuleni have demanded that the city urgently address the issue of opening 24-hour clinics in their communities, with many clinics in township areas only operating between 8:00 and 16:30.

“Currently we have 18 24-hour clinics. We have committed to providing 37 of them by the end of our term.”
Amongst the challenges Mashego describes the city as struggling with is acquiring experienced nurses as many are leaving the country for better pay. Human resources capital is also an issue as well as challenges regarding labour relations owing to the need to hire people to work the night shift.

“These are challenges we are ready to confront. The reality is that we are mandated by our people to create 24-hour services and we are going to do that.”

Housing and Electricity
During his local government election campaign Masina promised that the residents of Ekurhuleni would benefit from the provision of 59 000 serviced stands and 100 000 houses in the form of  Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) units as part of dealing with the backlog.

Mashego tells Engineering News that they have already identified land through the interdepartmental committee he is leading which will help solve the housing backlog.

Serviced stands will be provided for those earning between R3 500 and R4 000 a month and those who do not qualify to get bonds from the bank, while those earning R3 500 or less as well as the indigent will be registered on the RDP housing list.

“I have been mandated by the mayor to find the land of the city, check who occupies it and if they have the right to do so, and resuscitate that land to be occupied by the residents. Already Tsakane extension, Clayville extension five and seventeen have been identified,” says Mashego.

The Ekurhuleni mayoral committee recently visited Winnie Mandela informal settlement to check on progress in meeting Masina’s commitment to provide electricity and water to all informal settlements.

Mashego confirms that in extension two and three electricity has been properly installed.

He says the City of Ekurhuleni has committed to all informal settlements being catered for in the end.

Meanwhile, the mayor recently promised to address the issue of unstable electricity supply in the area of Germiston, by assigning a budget of R150-million.

Crime
The municipality also recently promised to crack the whip on criminals and drug peddlers in hot spots like the Kempton Park, Germiston and Boksburg CBDs. Kempton Park residents have been warned that they will be inconvenienced by the planned raids.

“Kempton Park is not a South African city, it is an international city because most of the streets are occupied by non South Africans. We are not trying to be xenophobic, the fact is there are areas in the city where South Africans are not allowed to trade. There are places where drugs are bought over the counter. Human trafficking in Kempton Park is high.

“We will visit residents searching who occupies the place and we ask them to produce their South African ID books. Unfortunately, we would arrest and deport people. If you stay in the area because of your work we don’t have a problem,” Mashego says.

He warns that though the Alberton area is still intact, Springs and Germiston are deteriorating.

“Germiston is our metro’s capital, unfortunately we have got no option but to be hard. We want to ask our citizens to bear with us. We want to clean the city. This is our city, we want a precinct, a precinct that represents the city of Ekurhuleni. We cannot do it unless we are hard on the people resident here,” Mashego states.

Ekurhuleni boasts the popular Germiston Lake that he says is one of the best lakes in the city even though the municipality has not leveraged it after it was renovated.

Mashego further adds that the Benoni and Marais Park lakes were not properly managed. “Our problem is to manage them and to sustain them.”

The municipality is already receiving applications from people who wish to rent space or build stalls for business purposes at Germiston Lake, as was the case in the past.

The city has also bought a machine from Germany to clean the lakes to ensure they are kept clean.

“We have committed ourselves; it is my responsibility as MMC as well as head of Infrastructure cluster to make sure that the lakes are kept intact,” he noted.

Economic Upliftment
Township economies, as is the case in the rest of the province, are being developed to provide support to black-owned small enterprises, Mashego enthuses, saying his department is tasked to clear informal structures that are an obstruction to pedestrians and traffic.

The city has provided the stalls for the streets vendors to make sure that they do not occupy pavements. While many are not cooperative by-laws have to be enforced in making sure the City of Ekurhuleni is clean and hygiene standards are upheld.

To enhance service delivery Mashego says the call centre has been staffed and a toll free number (EMM37087) to report things like potholes, streetlights and flooding streets has been set up.

The city has committed to a 24-hour turnaround time in such services unless a significant amount of work is required, however, it will inspect within 24 hours.

He says complaints that it is taking long for calls to be answered are being addressed.

Masina, “a young and energetic mayor who has his own views and vision”, plan to do things in a manner that is “youngish”, that is, in a manner that is “innovative”, Mashego quips.

“The mayor is very arrogant in what he wants to achieve. People should allow us that space to work with that arrogance. We believe that that will help us to deliver more. In the process we are going to inconvenience people, we are going to make people feel uncomfortable. Let them bear with us. The final results will make them happy,” he concluded.