Plans outlined for infrastructure development in Primrose

The government recently clarified its plans to drive the economy by investing in developing and maintaining infrastructure.

In the recent State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa stressed that meaningful partnerships between the government, business, labour, civil society and other social partners are essential to drive growth and development.

A concern he highlighted was the deteriorating infrastructure in many municipalities.

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The Germiston City News spoke to Johan van Wyk of the award-winning Ackermans Pharmacy, which he owns, who gave an overview of the Primrose Business Forum’s objectives.

He emphasised the forum’s and businesses’ mission to improve the community.

The forum is involved in various initiatives, including providing several products, constructing a 24-hour community health centre, overseeing a community street-cleaning project and funding and supporting four soup kitchens weekly.

The pharmacy embodies the concept of a “community pharmacy”.

The pharmacy was founded by Louis Ackerman in 1948.

“Why he chose Primrose is unknown to us. Our biggest challenge is the lack of municipal services and infrastructure maintenance in Primrose,” said Van Wyk.

“Serious criminals are deterred from accessing our beautiful town thanks to the assistance of many private security firms working with the local CPF.

“Various faith-based organisations and churches have united in prayer for our community. As a result of our collective efforts, our town has seen significant improvements in combating crime,” Van Wyk said.

He said he and one of his employees, Steward Shapiro, started the business forum.

“Together, the business forum has doubled the available workforce to clean our streets, maintain our parks and carry out minor road and infrastructure repairs,” he said.

“We believe in not building a business alone. Joining hands with the Primrose Business Forum has the benefit of being part of a network of like-minded business owners who have the community’s welfare at heart,” said Van Wyk.

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He was open about the forum’s goals, including keeping the business district and surrounding areas clean to attract investment, removing debris seven days a week, and maintaining community parks and pavements through gardening and grass-cutting.

“Basic infrastructure maintenance and repairs, such as pothole repairs, stormwater drain cleaning, stormwater cover repairs, road painting, and even lamppost painting form part of our objectives,” Van Wyk added.

“Our greatest ambition is to integrate facial recognition cameras inside businesses with our existing license plate recognition (LPR) camera network. We currently have two LPR and two facial recognition cameras in the region, which have proven highly effective in identifying suspects, vehicles and potential criminals.

“These systems, operated in collaboration with private security firms, will give our town a significant advantage in preventing serious crimes before they happen.

“The clean-ups ensure business spaces are well-maintained and inviting to customers while attracting new clientele.

“We want trustworthy businesses to remain in our community. It is crucial that every business, regardless of size, benefits from shared security solutions, including the LPR camera systems,” said Van Wyk.

Security

Van Wyk emphasised that security is the foundation of a thriving business environment. He said the biggest challenges facing businesses in the community are the lack of security, the absence of municipal services like street cleaning and rubble removal, and inadequate municipal infrastructure maintenance.

“We work closely with our local ward councillors, but they are often overwhelmed, and the council lacks budgets and support, leaving us helpless.

To overcome these obstacles, the forum uses WhatsApp platforms for daily communication to address issues as they arise.

“Additionally, our marketing team works tirelessly to advocate for increased business funding to expand our workforce and community footprint.

“When businesses thrive, we will have sufficient funding for community development projects. The ultimate goal is to attract and sustain large businesses in our area.”

Clean-up programme

“People approach me almost daily to express gratitude for the cleaning efforts led by Ackermans Pharmacy and Better Primrose. Many have told me that seeing these teams in action has lifted their spirits.

“Our primary long-term vision is to sustain reputable businesses in the area.

“People in the community have realised that joining us gives them a sense of purpose. Suddenly, we are more aware of our neighbours and community events, shifting our focus beyond ourselves.

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“The daily challenge of cleaning waste and removing rubbish bags left on the streets by tenants and business owners who do not use municipal wheelie bins remains an ongoing issue.”

Van Wyk noted that Better Bedfordview has provided valuable lessons on managing and promoting their forum.

“We hope to learn more about the business forum’s contribution to infrastructure development and its impact on the local business environment.

The only infrastructure development we currently see is private investment. One of the most urgent infrastructural needs in the area is the tarring of main roads and pavements, which would significantly benefit local businesses.

“We invite various stakeholders to our monthly meetings to address these needs. On the ground, many municipal employees are eager and willing to assist, but severe budget constraints and a lack of equipment maintenance hamper their efforts.

“A key role of the business forum in promoting infrastructure development is identifying significant challenges and reporting them to local authorities,” said Van Wyk.