City Power is working to restore the inner city’s “glow” through a campaign that includes fixing streetlights, removing illegal connections, and repairing stolen or damaged infrastructure. This is part of broader city-wide initiatives led by the Executive Mayor, which also involve cleaning up, addressing illegal activities, and revitalizing neglected buildings. The goal is to create a more prosperous, safer, and better-managed inner city, though residents report that some challenges, like power outages and overcrowding, persist.
City Power’s role and actions
- Infrastructure repair: City Power teams are actively fixing streetlights, repairing damaged and stolen cables, and addressing faulty traffic lights.
- Illegal connections: They are removing illegal electricity connections, which drain the grid and pose a safety risk.
- Substation protection: Efforts are being made to protect substations from theft and damage.
- Proactive maintenance: City Power conducts meter audits and works to resolve unplanned outages.
Broader city-wide initiatives
- Clean-up blitz: A large-scale clean-up operation is underway, focusing on cleaning streets, clearing debris, and addressing overgrown vegetation.
- Law and order: The city is targeting illegal activities, hijacked properties, and by-law infringements, with a focus on reclaiming critical nodes like De Villiers Street.
- Building revitalization: A strategy is in place to regenerate the inner city through the conversion of under-utilised state-owned properties for social housing and economic revival.
- Public-private partnerships: The city is collaborating with various stakeholders, including private sector companies, to achieve its goals.
Public awareness and calls to action
- Report issues: Residents are urged to report damaged lighting and illegal connections to help City Power with its restoration efforts.
- Collaborate: The success of these initiatives depends on collaboration among all city stakeholders.
- Stay informed: The #TheJoburgWeAllWant campaign aims to inform and engage the public as the city works towards its revitalization.
Challenges and ongoing issues
- Persistent problems: Despite visible improvements, challenges such as persistent power outages and overcrowding remain.
- Scale of the problem: The scale of urban decay and neglect has been significant, and the revitalization process is ongoing.
