A new lease of life for court

PARTNERSHIP: JOZI MY JOZI, TWO DEPARTMENTS TO RESUSCITATE PRECINCT

- Yvonne Grimbeek

FILTHY. The area surrounding the High Court In Johannesburg is strewn with garbage.

A remarkable agreement between two national government departments and Jozi My Jozi paves the way for the revitalisation of the High Court in Johannesburg and its precinct in Pritchard Street.

This month, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Mpumi Zikalala and Jozi My Jozi chair Prof Maurice Radebe signed a historic agreement which gives Jozi My Jozi and its partners the go-ahead to fix longstanding maintenance, safety and physical urban environment issues around the court buildings.

Jozi My Jozi has already proven what civil society can do when it puts its mind to it: the complete refurbishment of the Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth Bridges through the cleaning of walkways, removal of graffiti, installation of solar lighting, painting and enhancing security on the bridges.

Since its inception in 2022, Jozi My Jozi has grown into an ecosystem of 146 partners that continues to enable the implementation of projects within the inner city and Soweto, and includes the City of Joburg, Gauteng provincial government and, now, relevant national government departments.

This latest initiative is ambitious in its scope, with everything from lifts to restrooms to cleaning up the surrounding streets forming part of the project.