Johannesburg - Government says it is forging ahead with its plans to expand the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to link areas such as Alexandra and Ivory Park with Sandton and Rosebank.
The BRT system in Johannesburg, known as Rea Vaya, is scheduled to be rolled out in these areas in 2016, Johannesburg Executive Mayor Parks Tau announced on Wednesday.
He was addressing the community of Ivory Park -- which is nestled between Tembisa and Rabie Ridge, and the affluent Midrand -- as part of government's Imbizo Focus Week. He was accompanied by Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile.
Tau said the BRT system will be a key catalyst of transit-oriented development and developing 'corridors of freedom' in Johannesburg.
Through these 'corridors of freedom', Tau said government was trying to reverse apartheid spatial planning, unemployment and poverty, as it will create easy and affordable access to work opportunities for previously neglected communities.
"The city has developed concrete plans to make this possible," said Tau.
Next month, the city will engage taxi operators in the area to map a way forward on the roll out of the BRT.
The residents used the meeting to raise some of the challenges they face, which include housing, roads, unemployment, sanitation, running water and electricity.
Local youth took the opportunity to plead for recreational facilities and youth empowerment centres.
The densely populated community is characterised by corrugated iron shacks, juxtaposed with RDP structures and other houses. A diverse group of people, comprising locals of assorted descent and foreign nationals, call the place home. Most are unemployed and are street vendors, who peddle everything from fresh produce to furniture.
However, the area also boasts infrastructure such as two libraries, two community halls, a police station, several clinics, decent housing and a shopping complex.
Mashatile reassured the community that government would further engage with them and bring services closer to them.
Part of the plan, he said, was building a new library to accommodate the influx of people in the area. The library will be financed from the R1.5 billion fund set aside for the expansion of access to libraries and information services, especially in townships and rural areas.
Most were satisfied with the level of service delivery in the area. – SAnews.gov.za
