Since there is always something happening within the City of Johannesburg municipality, there may be one or two happenings that you missed. Let’s take a look.
Beginning with the billing crisis, it was revealed that incorrect billing allegations were what most ratepayers complain to the City’s ombudsman office about.
Vukile Madlala, the office’s executive manager of communications, said from July last year to the end of May this year, the ombudsman has resolved 596 complaints. There were 782 active cases as at the end of May.
Read: Joburg ombud tackles billing issues
Updates on the inner city rejuvenation project reveal that since July, over 260 people have been arrested during raids of hijacked buildings. This is an attempt, Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba said, to take the rule of law back from ‘criminal elements like landlords taking advantage of desperate people and housing them under deplorable conditions’.
Read: Inner city building raids continue, over 260 already arrested
Back in the billing department, Mashaba recently learned that a significant number of property owners who use municipal services are not on the City’s billing service records. The mayor said a survey done by the City’s independent consultants, assisting in the resolution of the infamous billing crisis, found that 1 166 households were not registered on the City’s billing system.
Read: City confronts non-paying residents
And the big day the Metro police have been waiting for, finally arrived. After three months of initial training, 1 500 recruits were welcomed into the ranks of the Metro police, doubling its ground force. Although they will only officially be inducted as officers after 18 months, this allows for intensive training such as defensive driving, self-defence, firearm training and, importantly, police ethics. Thereafter, they will be allocated to different units.
Read: WATCH: City News – City of Joburg inducts 1500 additional JMPD officers
Back to the inner city. Mashaba has said he expects papers to be filed in court against the Department of Home Affairs in the coming week. This after accusing the department of failing to address illegal immigration in the city. “I have instructed the City’s legal team to investigate all legal options available to the City to compel the Department of Home Affairs to address the issue of illegal immigration in the City of Johannesburg.”
