#Flashback: What happened in Joburg this week?

This week, the City of Johannesburg awarded Winnie Madikizela-Mandela the Freedom of the City posthumously and mandatory recycling is not going as well as planned. 

Madikizela-Mandela was honoured on 25 September. This is the highest honour the City’s council can bestow upon a person or organisation and comes with a framed certificate and gold coin. The South African icon’s family received the Freedom of the City on behalf of her. Her two daughters, Zenani Mandela-Dlamini and Zindzi Mandela received and signed the certificates. Check out the video here.

The City of Johannesburg’s GFIS (Group Forensic and Investigation Service) recently arrested 14 suspects for operating a bogus recruitment agency. Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba said unsuspecting jobseekers sent their CVs to the company and they were instructed to pay a R650 fee to secure placement as firefighters for the City’s Emergency Management Services. Investigations are ongoing and more suspects are expected to be arrested.

Finally, Joburg’s mandatory recycling is not doing as well as planned. MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Nico de Jager said he has seen a number of filled clear bags placed next to Pikitup bins every week, even though the preliminary figures do not look as good as expected. Preliminary figures show 70 tonnes of waste diverted in the first month in Midrand. With 48 000 households targeted, this is less than 50 per cent of the 200-tonne target.

Share your thoughts on these stories by emailing journalist Chantelle Fourie on chantellef@caxton.co.za