Save the date: Big clean-up organised to launch CBD Improvement initiative
Business people and property owners in the Boksburg CBD are urged to join in and take action to rescue the CBD.
The Boksburg CBD’s City Improvement Project (CIP) will be officially launched during a big clean-up campaign in the CBD on October 29.
The CIP committee invites all residents, businesses, churches, schools, and other organisations to join the clean-up, organised to officially introduce the initiative to the larger community and also serve as a demonstration that residents are ready to claim back their neighbourhood.
As part of the programme, residents and groups can also identify and adopt their own spots where they would like to carry out regular clean-ups, and note any support they need.
For more information on the clean-up or the CPI, contact Derek Fox on 082 886 0651 or Leroy Slava on 082 492 8166.
Action Groups
This initiative was announced during a meeting held at the Boksburg Civic Centre on October 11, where the CPI committee members, who are mostly local business people, met to set up subcommittees, which will be spearheading the CIP’s various organised activities to restore the business precinct.
During the meeting, members of the subcommittees, dubbed ‘Action Groups’, indicated that they were ready to hit the ground running when the project is launched later this month.
The groups consist of different portfolios: Safety and Security to deal with issues such as break-ins, robberies, theft and vandalism; Environmental Affairs which will deal with issues including illegal dumping, pollution and illegal land use; and Economic Development that will focus on all economic issues.
The groups will meet regularly to brainstorm ideas and come up with at least three initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges in their respective portfolios.
Government support
Speaking during the latest meeting, one of the committee members, Ward 32 Clr Marius de Vos, said he is glad that great minds have come together to assist government in keeping the city clean and safe to do business and ultimately grow the city’s economy.
“It is the municipality’s responsibility to deliver these services, which residents are paying for. However, I’m glad that you have decided to assist where there are shortcomings. Going forward it will be my responsibility to get the buy-in from our local government to work with the CIP,” said de Vos.
During the meeting, committee member Derek Fox pointed out that there is another initiative, the Neighbourhood Initiative Project, looking for members that will be focussing on reclaiming neighbourhoods in the different local suburbs. A request was also during the meeting made to include the Boksburg North business precinct in the CIP project.
More support
The event was also attended by members of Ekurhuleni Thatha-Zonke Anti-crime Unit who expressed interest in assisting the Boksburg CBD community to claim back their streets from criminals.
One of the members, Themba Meso, told the committee that they decided to become part of the community initiative after they read about the project in the Boksburg Advertiser’s recent issue.
“We have managed to bring crime under control voluntarily working in partnership with other law enforcement agencies in different crime hotspots across Ekurhuleni, and we are available to bring in our expertise in this area known for being a crime hotspot,” said Meso.
The main objective of the initiative is to encourage all relevant stakeholders to take responsibility and unite behind a common mission to improve the aesthetics of the city’s economic environment.
Business people and property owners in the Boksburg CBD are urged to join in and take action to rescue the CBD.
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