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The Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Clir Dada Morero, launched a high-impact accelerated service delivery operation in the Inner City on Wednesday, 19 February 2025. This initiative is part of the Inner-City Revitalisation Programme, aimed at addressing various service delivery challenges across Region F, which encompasses all eleven wards. 

A key focus of the operation is fostering collaboration among municipal entities, including City Power, Joburg Water, Pikitup, Johannesburg Roads Agency, Joburg City Parks, and Zoo, among others. Under the theme "Re-imagining Joburg through the eyes of the residents," the operation targets critical service delivery issues exacerbated by challenges such as vandalism, illegal connections to water and electricity infrastructure, illegal advertising, dumping, parking, trading, and other social and economic concerns. 

Key Challenges Identified in the Region Include: 

- High levels of in-migration leading to service pressures 

- Illegal dumping pervasive throughout the region 

- A perception of the inner city as a high-risk area 

- A housing backlog resulting in illegal land use and accommodation 

- An increase in illegal occupation and hijacking of buildings 

- Urban decay affecting various areas 

- Aging infrastructure struggling to meet growing demands 

- Shortages and inadequate maintenance of social amenities, such as clinics and recreational facilities 

- Sprawling informal settlements 

As part of the operation, City Power successfully seized over 250kg of illegally connected ABC cables from six business properties in the inner city, tackling the persistent issue of electricity theft that is estimated to costs the city approximately R30,000 in daily revenue losses.

Illegal connections not only jeopardise the stability of Johannesburg's power grid but also pose serious risks to public safety and disrupt essential service delivery to residents and businesses. City Power has deployed specialised teams to conduct comprehensive meter audits, address traffic lighting faults, and remedy ongoing unplanned power outages in the Inner City. 

Targeted operations were conducted in the Central Business District (CBD) and Jeppestown, uncovering multiple properties illegally connected to the electricity network without formal metering. Pikitup teams will be active throughout various wards, engaging in a range of activities that include street sweeping, mechanical street washing, clearing illegal dumping hotspots, emptying skip bins, and conducting round refuse collection. Various teams deployed by Joburg Water included water and sewer section teams to deal with water and sanitation service delivery challenges. Joburg Water teams addressed about 69 service requests (SR's). 

These included attending to Burst pipes, Underground water leaks, Damaged fire hydrants, Leaking water meters, no water queries, leaking valves, Clearing of sewer blockages and cleanups. Further identified focus areas will be pavement reinstatements, road reinstatements and backfilling. On the first day of the operation, Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) teams concentrated on Ward 129, clearing blocked stormwater inlets to improve drainage, particularly along Lillian Ngoyi Street. At the intersection of Lillian Ngoyi and Nugget Streets, a jetvac was utilised to clean a heavily obstructed stormwater drainage system, which had been compromised by oil and debris suspected to be from illegal motor mechanic activities. JRA teams also successfully opened blocked kerb inlets at End Street and Lillian Ngoyi. 

However, efforts to clear kerb inlets at Nugget and Plain Streets revealed dislodged pipes, requiring more extensive replacement efforts. Attention was also given to traffic signal issues, with ongoing work planned in Ward 59. Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) deployed seven regional teams to undertake extensive clearing, pruning, and removal of overgrown vegetation along main routes, ensuring safer and cleaner public spaces for residents and commuters. 

These dedicated teams are being shadowed by park rangers who have been actively removing abandoned informal structures and clearing heavily littered sleeping areas of displaced persons, further contributing to the overall revitalisation of the inner city. This intensive operation, scheduled to run for six weeks, serves as a proactive measure improve the lived daily experience of Joburg residents. Following the initial phase in the Inner City, the operation is set to extend to other regions across the city.

Issued by the City of Johannesburg