The impact of collaboration cannot be understated

When looking beyond Johannesburg Water and City Power, there are several city entities where the community is actively engaged in assisting to plug gaps in service delivery.

These public/private partnerships, whether formal or not, benefit the areas they work in, often in more ways than originally conceived.

Green belts and public parks which are not cared for frequently enough by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) often have caregivers who clean, maintain, and generally look after them.

The entity acknowledges the significant number of residents who continue to maintain the verges alongside their properties. City Parks also acknowledges residents who have adopted parks and are contributing, by also maintaining parks in between city schedules. Spokesperson Jenny Moodly says, “These efforts by neighbour-proud residents are greatly valued and will go a long way in assisting the city in redirecting resources to deal with more pressing needs in our city.”

The Friends of Alberts Farm and their counterparts at the Melville Koppies ensure the spaces are maintained and safe for the public to enjoy. The Community Cleaners and Let’s Work, care for public parks in the greater Northcliff area maintain verges and collect litter among other tasks which are vital to the area’s mostly smooth visage.

The Community Cleaners were formed in October 2021 and consist of residents who volunteer from the area. “The parks and greenbelt areas need constant and regular maintenance. If left unchecked even for a couple of weeks, the sites very quickly become dumping grounds for recyclers and drifters, as witnessed over the festive season when the group took a small break,” says André Swanepoel.

Another benefit many have is the ability to pay for private security companies to not only respond to them timely when a crime is being committed but also invest heavily in the greater community. This is born out of dwindling faith that the police can keep residents safe.

These private security companies work closely to support all crime-fighting and preventing communities, bodies and organisations, including the police service, metro police and the various CPF groups to improve crime-busting activities in its footprint.

They and the police have formed a formidable force in the fight against crime. It is also important to add that despite different security companies having their own policies and strategies, on the ground when working, the guards, reaction officers and seniors all work together for the greater good.

These companies offer, among other things, 24-hour security patrols that can quickly respond to emergencies and work with law enforcement to police their precincts. They, as a byproduct of patrolling the areas they service, provide some blanket protection even to those who are not clients by virtue of their living in areas which are under constant surveillance. Their vehicles, manned by highly trained personnel respond to requests for assistance by the community – something that is done pro bono as an add-on benefit of their being in the area.

Some have gone a step further by trying to assist the city when there is a fire by collaborating with private firefighting companies or even buying their own fire search and rescue engines.

When it comes to the quality of roads in the city, some civic groups like the Northcliff Rotary have taken the filling of dangerous potholes upon themselves in situations where no response from the Johannesburg Roads Agency has come.

The agency said previously that pothole repairs are a short-term fix to ensure the safety of all road users, while resurfacing and, or reconstruction of roads, remains the long-term solution to improving the condition of the road network. The entity cautions well-meaning residents to apply for a wayleave to fix a pothole to avoid a potential clash with authorities. Anyone can work on the road as long as they apply for a specific wayleave, a document granting permission, and it follows the required specifications.