The City of Johannesburg speaker, Nobuhle Mthembu, led the first Community-Based Planning (CBP) meeting with the residents of wards 44 and 49 in Braamfischer this past weekend.
The session, held at the Bramfischer Multi-Purpose Community Centre, saw the residents come out in numbers to engage with their elected leaders.
Aimed at promoting public participation and getting the residents involved in service delivery discussions, city officials and councillors also attended the meeting.
ALSO READ: City Power unveiles upgraded Eldos substation
CBPs also aim to give residents feedback about what was tabled in the previous Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meetings and prepare for upcoming ones. They are focused and specific to wards to help amplify the service delivery people want and prioritise.
Road upgrades, healthcare facilities and a police station were some issues residents raised as priorities.
Over the years, the Braamfischer area and population have grown, necessitating accelerated service delivery to meet the demand.
Residents feel it is time they get their own facilities, like a police station, instead of depending on Dobsonville, which already caters to a big area.
Opening the meeting, Mthembu emphasised the importance of such sessions and encouraged the residents to robustly engage with the legislature and hold it to account.
ALSO READ: Joburg plans to upgrade housing across parts of the city
“CBPs are very important. It’s an opportunity for the legislature to come to the people and give feedback regarding input collected over the previous months,” said the speaker.
“When we attend such sessions and take those inputs, we must ensure they are included when we return to the community for IDP.”
Mthembu highlighted that CBPs are also an opportunity for councillors, city officials and the legislature to come back to the people and speak to them about service delivery issues.
It is also crucial for the legislature to have tangible things to present to residents during these sessions so that they don’t turn into talk shops.
ALSO READ: Joburg City Library remains closed four years later
The CBP sessions will run until next month, covering all 135 wards in the city. The office of the speaker drives this programme to encourage public participation and community engagement.
“From the office of the speaker, we must ensure that public participation happens and that our councillors call public meetings so we can bridge that gap between the executive, legislature and communities,” concluded Mthembu, stressing that this must be an ongoing thing.
