City of Joburg is committed to developing the inner-city
JOHANNESBURG – The City of Joburg says that about 3000 people migrate to Johannesburg monthly. This causes the housing backlog that is currently experienced by the city as a result of the influx of people into the city.
The City of Joburg said it had identified 500 hijacked buildings in the inner-city.
They are planning to track down the owners through the courts but should they fail to find them, the City of Joburg would expropriate the buildings for redevelopment into residential and commercial housing opportunities.
Currently, the City said there were about 10 properties in the inner-city whose owners could not be found. The City intends to take over these properties and redevelop them for commercial/mixed housing development.
Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba was at the Pam Golding Joburg North branch to give a presentation on investment opportunities in the inner-city.
“Two private developers have committed about R200 million to develop properties to yield about 384 units mixed housing opportunities in the inner-city,” said Mashaba.
“By the end of this month, we will be awarding developer/s to develop about 84 properties. In the next 12 months, Joburg will be a construction site as we re-build Joburg.”
The City of Joburg is encouraging private sector investment in the inner-city. “We are excited by the quality of companies who are bidding to redevelop the inner-city’s ‘bad’ buildings, open sites/spaces into low-cost housing, commercial and residential spaces.”
The City of Joburg has a pilot project where the City is training young people to become plumbers, tilers, etc as part of the #BuildingNewJozi operation.
Meanwhile, the City of Joburg had recruited about 1 500 Metro police officers to restore law and order in Joburg and the municipal courts would prosecute all those breaking the by-laws.
“Soon we will have municipal courts fully operational in efforts to restore law and order in the inner-city. No infringement will be too little,” said Mashaba.
We have put on tender 150 buildings and different sites for redevelopment into commercial and residential low costing housing opportunities in the inner City and surrounding sites #BuildingNewJozi ^TK pic.twitter.com/dYtjtSPck9
— City of Joburg (@CityofJoburgZA) April 3, 2019
City is working with the private sector to ensure the vision of a regenerated City. The buildings awarded in January will be ready in twelve months from award. There will be 384 units available @CityofJoburgZA
— Joburg Property Company SOC Ltd (JPC) (@jhbproperty) April 3, 2019
We have offered about 150 buildings in the Inner City to private sector. We are turning Inner City into a construction site #BuildingNewJozi
— City of Joburg (@CityofJoburgZA) April 3, 2019
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