There is never a dull day in the City of Johannesburg and in case you missed all the excitement, we’ve provided an overview of the week’s happenings.
Water restrictions should be taken into consideration, especially ahead of the summer months. Joburg Water said the current water restrictions in place allow residents to only water their gardens during night time hours.
From 1 September to 31 March, between 6am and 6pm, residents are not permitted to water their garden. Residents are also prohibited to use a hosepipe to clean paved areas and driveways.
To find out more read: Water restrictions gardeners must know about
The time has come for residents to let their voices be heard before the new land use scheme is approved by the council. The City of Johannesburg wants to do away with the 13 prevailing historic town planning schemes which were developed during the apartheid era.
On 29 June, the council approved the draft land use scheme, a tool which regulates the zoning of each property in the city. To find out more about the scheme and how you can give your comment.
READ: Have your say in the draft Joburg Land Use Scheme
The Johannesburg Business Forum will now try to change its focus to help narrow the inequality gap and to accelerate economic growth in the city, according to Leah Knott, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development.
She spoke at a meeting on 25 August and drafted a framework for the relaunch of the forum, which was established to link the City and organised business associations.
Read more here: JBF relaunched, refocused on economic growth
After two consecutive quarters of decline, the South African economy spluttered back to life in the second quarter, lifting the country out of a technical recession. This was announced by statistician general, Pali Lehohla on 5 September in Pretoria.
It was also revealed that South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate was 2.5 per cent in the second quarter.
Find out more here: Economy grows by 2.5 per cent, stops technical recession
After a public outcry about the termination of services after alleged non-payment, the City is set to introduce new measures before residents’ municipal services are disconnected.
Dr Rabelani Dagada, MMC of Finance, said even one wrongful termination is one too many and he is doing all he can to reverse the City’s long-standing billing crisis.
To read more about the new process, visit: City introduces new pre-disconnection process
The South African Paediatric Association said it was concerned about the overwhelmingly negative response to the administration of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccinations to Grade 4 and 5 girls across Gauteng schools.
The association said it indeed endorses the use of the HPV vaccine, including its routine provision, to nine- and 10-year-old schoolgirls in South Africa.
For more information, read: Is the HPV vaccine safe?
The recent Constitutional Court ruling that municipalities can no longer hold new homeowners liable for previous owners’ unpaid rates and taxes, does not affect the City. The City said it already has effective credit control systems in place to protect the rights of new property buyers.
The City’s Group Finance spokesperson, Kgamanyane Maphologela said the current model already allows the City to collect outstanding shortfall amounts from the seller without impacting the rights of the new property owner.
Read here: ConCPurt ruling on homeowner debt does not affect City
Ahead of the general valuation that will be implemented on 1 July next year, the City said rateable properties stood at a record 872 900 properties in July, showing a healthy growth rate of about 60 204 properties over the last five years.
This means about 12 000 new properties were registered each year.
Read the full story here: Over 60 000 new properties in Joburg in the last 5 years
