Address by Jeff Radebe, Minister of Public Enterprises, on Government's Commitment to Urban Renewal at the Signing Ceremony of Transnet's Acquisition of the Carlton Centre
Johannesburg, 23 August 1999
Ceremonial greetings!
A few years ago Mbongeni Ngema emblazoned the Carlton Centre onto the pages of history with his song Stimela Sase Zola. He tells of going through Johannesburg into Commissioner Street past the Carlton Centre. He speaks of the lives of thousands of ordinary workers at the taxi rank who move through the city. This reflects how in the minds of ordinary people, the Carlton Centre has become associated with the urban landscape of Johannesburg.
In addressing government's commitment to urban renewal today, I want to tell a different tale however, a tale of two cities. The Apartheid City and the Renaissance City. One characterised by uneven, skewed development and commercial and industrial regression that typified the dying years of the isolation era; the other, a vision of opportunity for new growth and development as we head into the new millennium.
The history of urban generation, degeneration and regeneration in South Africa is well documented. From as early as 1893 there were attempts at legislating the control of ownership and occupation of property in urban areas. The Native Reserve Locations Act in the Cape of 1902, The Native Locations Act in Natal of 1904, the Orange Free State Municipal Ordinance of 1903 and the Natives (Urban Areas) Act of 1923 all form the ideological underpinnings of the Apartheid City. It is not my intention to delve into this at any length today. Save to say that the collective result of skewed apartheid engineering has compounded the challenge of urban renewal that we face as a newly industrialised country.
The challenge of urban renewal however is not unique to South Africa but is a global city phenomenon that in the words of J.Wilheim (an author on urban renewal) 'is a place and a context in which it is possible to make or remake a living, to grow both economically and socially'. It is in this context that I want to place the tale of an African City-the Renaissance City. Amongst numerous other challenges, our new ANC-led government in 1994 had to contend with the reality of inner city degeneration, rampant crime, the urban sprawl and flight from city centres, decaying municipal services, increasing office vacancy rates and the consequent devastating impact of all of these elements on socio-economic development. In as much as inner city renewal is a global phenomenon, it is also a national phenomenon that characterises the challenge to all major South African Cities. I am pleased however that it is a challenge to which the cities such as Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Johannesburg have commendably risen to.
President Thabo Mbeki when he launched the Mayivuka project to resuscitate Johannesburg's golden heartbeat said that 'the economy, life and culture is impacted upon and in turn impacts upon not only on national life, but also in the life of the entire Southern African region'. The social, economic, and cultural renewal of the city, he said 'will depend on the success of the renewal of our social, economic and cultural relations with the people of the region'. It is therefore important that there is synergy between our local, national and regional programmes.
This ceremony today is an important milestone in the process of Johannesburg's inner city renewal. I want to commend Transnet for this initiative as it strengthens the efforts of revitalising an important institution on this city's landscape. You are also taking a lead in concretely taking forward our national strategies on urban renewal. I believe this is a positive step in taking forward our vision for parastatals to re-engineer their programmes in accordance with government's development priorities and to effectively contribute to the attainment of our socio-economic objectives.
As we come to terms with the challenges of urban renewal, the important role of local authorities is becoming increasingly evident. Their success lies largely in creating favourable conditions that will revive the 'heartbeat of the city'- viable economic opportunities that will attract business investment back to the city centre; security that will create peace of mind for all our people and draw back the tourists that constitute the next wave of economic growth and potential for our local economy; services and amenities that will erase the negative association of inner city slums that have characterised urban decay. The efforts by local government in initiatives such as the Pretoria Inner City Partnership, Cape Town Cares Programme and the Central Johannesburg Partnership, Egoli 2000 vision is indeed commendable.
National government is determined to ensure that the vision for inner city renewal is translated into concrete action. In support of the initiatives undertaken by provincial and local governments, cabinet last year adopted a resolution on the location of national department offices within South African inner cities. We believe that due to the magnitude of development by the state, this can be an important leverage for rejuvenation. In addition, this should also impact positively on social, political and economic integration and the effective utilisation of existing infrastructure to enhance the inner city environment. We hope that this will also set the example for the private sector to follow suit. I have no doubt that without the co-operative partnership between the public and private sector, efforts at urban renewal will be doomed to failure.
Our cities have tremendous potential and Johannesburg in particular has always been known as a truly African City. We would like to see the commitment by both the public and private sector to continue contributing to the realisation of this vision. If it is true that cities take on the character of the political order of the day, then Johannesburg has the potential to be a symbol of the African Renaissance City. A city that holds the hopes, potential and aspiration of all its people. Only this time it won't be the bitter words of tribute of Hugh Masekela paid to Johannesburg when he said:
There is train that comes from Namibia and Malawi
There is train that comes from Zambia and Zimbabwe,
There is a train that comes from Angola and Mozambique,
From Lesotho, from Botswana, from Swaziland,
From all hinterland of Southern and Central Africa…
They always curse, curse the coal train
The coal train that brought them to Johannesburg.
This time it will be the song of praise as institutions such as the Carlton Centre, the new Constitutional Court in Braamfontein and others create a new urban landscape. A landscape that is truly home to the diversity of cultures, languages, economic and social activity that makes us African. This symbolizes the new hope and vision of the African City of gold, Egoli, not because of the diminishing resource of this precious mineral but because of the golden opportunities that still awaits us.