Kenny Kunene warned me many moons ago, says Ramaphosa on Joburg CBD

President Cyril Ramaphosa says Johannesburg transport MMC Kenny Kunene warned him about the deterioration of the Joburg CBD “many moons ago”.

Ramaphosa addressed the Joburg city council on Friday to address the challenges in the city ahead of the G20 Summit in November.

He said that at the time, Kunene told him billions would be needed to rejuvenate the city’s infrastructure. Ramaphosa seemingly did not understand what Kunene meant at the time, but now he realises the Patriotic Alliance leader was foretelling what was to come.

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“Many moons ago, Kenny Kunene sought to see me, and he sent a message that the infrastructure of this city is just falling apart, and he immediately said it’s going to require billions and billions. And I started wondering when last Kenny Kunene was able to calculate all those amounts of money,” said Ramaphosa, leaving the officials in laughter.

“But he was foretelling a situation that is really crippling the city.”

Archaic infrastructure

Ramaphosa called on the provincial government to attend to the deteriorating CBD, not only to make it presentable for G20 leaders but also for the residents.

The provincial leadership must deal with the crime and vandalism of infrastructure that have plagued the city.

“In Addis Ababa, I could see people walking around at night because it is a lit-up city. People were walking freely, lovers holding hands — precisely the sight that many of you would like to see of lovers walking in the street, holding hands, loving each other, and loving their city. Johannesburg used to be like that.

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“I remember when I was a young man, walking around Eloff Street, just like that — hand-in-hand with someone. Let’s return Johannesburg to that. This city is crying out for rejuvenation.

“It is not only about waking up to clean the streets where the G20 will be held, but also about cleaning where the people are on a daily basis.”

Ramaphosa introduces presidential working group in Joburg

Ramaphosa proposed the establishment of a “Presidential Johannesburg Working Group“, to help rejuvenate the CBD.

“A year ago, I established the Presidential eThekwini Working Group with the support of local stakeholders, including business, labour and civil society.

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“Working with these stakeholders and the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, led by Mayor Cyril Xaba, we were able to unblock several challenges.”

He said the same collaborative approach would be implemented in Johannesburg as part of the District Development Model.

“This would bring in all levels of government and the expertise of our stakeholders to accelerate service delivery, stabilise the city’s finances and operations, and enable economic growth and job creation,” said Ramaphosa.

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“A special focus of our efforts should be the rejuvenation of the inner city. This historic part of our city has been allowed to deteriorate for much too long.”