'We are delighted', says finance portfolio head Parks Tau of the City's long-term national credit rating

Joburg looks set to receive another unqualified audit report from the auditor-general, Terence Nombembe, for the 2008/09 financial year.

"The feedback I got from the auditor-general indicates that Johannesburg will receive an unqualified report again. It looks promising," said Parks Tau, mayoral committee member for finance, in late November.

In addition, Fitch Ratings confirmed in September that the City has once again achieved a long-term national credit rating of AA-(zaf) for 2009.

Soccer City gears up for 2010

Johannesburg has shown steady improvement in its Fitch credit rating over the past six years - its long-term national credit rating was A-(zaf) in 2003.

Confed Cup and 2010 preparation
The City played a significant role in the successful FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009™ in June this year - holding the opening ceremony and match as well as the final. Eight nations participated. South Africa went through to the semi-finals, but was knocked out of the tournament by Spain. Brazil took the trophy.

Matshidiso Mfikoe, the former portfolio head for health opens the Protea Glen clinic

The City has swung big time into preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. For a start, Soccer City in Nasrec is now complete, with a roof wetting celebrated on 21 October this year. Soccer City project manager, Mike Moody, said nine million bricks, 10 000 tons of reinforced steel, 13 000 tons of structural steel and 90 000 cubic metres of concrete had been used in the building of the stadium. It took 9 980 000 man-hours to complete.

Ellis Park Stadium was ready for action in February.

Sibongile Mazibuko, the executive director in the City of Johannesburg's 2010 unit, said at the time: "The stadium itself is now complete and the sub-contractors will be handing over at the end of the month. The pitch and seating have also been completed ... We are excited that this phase is coming to an end and we are happy with the work that has been done."

Action on court at the Soweto Open

Additional seating and a new roof were installed. In addition, new change rooms, VIP, media and medical facilities and a new entrance façade to the north stand have been built. A new, five-level car park has also been completed and will accommodate 1 200 cars. The revamped Ellis Park Stadium seats 62 000 football fans, increasing its capacity by almost nine percent from the previous 57 000.

Rea Vaya

Rea Vaya, the City's first bus rapid transit (BRT) system, officially started on Sunday, 30 August at the West Gate Station in the inner city. Executive Mayor Amos Masondo said at the opening: "It is no exaggeration that today is a historic day."

It took over three years of hard work and even harder negotiations with taxi operators to get to the point at which Joburg was today, confirmed the member of the mayoral committee for transport, Rehana Moosajee.

The Orange Farm walkway

"Three years ago, if you wanted to see a BRT system you had to fly halfway across the world," Moosajee said, referring to the visits the City and the taxi industry paid to South America to get a feel for the system in operation.

Some 40 buses travel along 25km of bus lanes, from Regina Mundi Church in Soweto, to Ellis Park Stadium in the CBD.

Building bridges

In November the mayor and a delegation took a trip to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Shanghai City in the People’s Republic of China, Mumbai in India and St Petersburg in Russia.

Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed with host cities to promote trade and investment and co-operation on issues of mutual concern. The underlying factor in all these efforts was to improve service delivery.

Five members of the mayoral committee, the Chief Whip of Council, and nine City officials, including support staff, as well as four members of the Johannesburg business community, joined the delegation during parts of the visit.

These visits were also intended to enable City officials to share best practice, experiences and expertise. The object of the trip was to promote the City to the business communities and other stakeholders; to identify opportunities for co-operation; to share information, identify best practice with the view of adapting it to our own Johannesburg-specific reality and,lastly, to sign agreements and strengthen city-to-city partnerships.

“The City delegation was selected and constituted in such a way that it would broadly reflect areas of economic development, urban management, environment, housing and community development,” said Nthatisi Modingoane, the deputy director of communications in the City.

Health

The City opened a new clinic in Soweto – the Protea Glen Clinic. The clinic offers a range of services, including ante-natal, adult curative and chronic care; mother and child health care, including immunisation, growth monitoring, and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV; sexually transmitted infection care; reproductive health; tuberculosis; HIV and Aids counselling and testing; and cancer screening.

The City expanded its antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme to its Malvern Clinic, with the establishment of an ARV treatment centre inside the facility. The clinic serves the people of George Goch, City Deep, Cleveland and Denver, assisting them to get free ARV treatment.

The City has four ARV treatment sites, five referral sites and three workplace voluntary counselling and testing sites. "We need to understand that we are fighting a war that is ‘bigger than us', which is HIV/Aids," said the mayoral committee for health, Bengeza Mthombenihe, in June.

There are 83 primary health care facilities dotted around Joburg.

Expanded social package

The City set aside R600-million for its newly launched expanded social package (ESP) - Siyasizana – which is designed to provide social service subsidies to Joburg residents earning less than R3 366 a month. Siyasizana replaces the City's old indigent subsidy programme. The major difference with the new system is that people no longer need to be property account holders to apply for assistance.

At the June announcement Executive Mayor Amos Masondo said it would help to mitigate poverty. Siyasizana gives Joburg citizens subsidies for electricity, water, rates, sanitation and refuse removal.

Events

The City hosted the Soweto Open in April, with international tennis players like Spain's Fernando Vicente and Luxembourg's second-seeded Gilles Muller at the newly refurbished Arthur Ashe Tennis Complex in Central Western Jabavu. The tournament offers a total prize purse of $100 000 (about R750 000).

The City played host to the fourth triennial World Summit on Arts and Culture (WSoAC) in September, with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogue and social cohesion between multicultural communities. Themed "Meeting of cultures: creating meaning through the arts", issues like cultural diversity, art as an instrument for public good, and arts and culture in post-apartheid South Africa were discussed. Delegates from over 50 countries attended the summit.

Joburg held its first Shopping Festival in the month of September. Discounts of up to 50 percent on food and clothing were on offer to local and international shoppers. Arts and culture, cuisine, fashion, jewellery and other local and international commodities were highlighted during the month.

Shopping centres involved in the festival included the China Mall, Maponya Mall, Jabulani Mall, Oriental Plaza, The Zone @Rosebank, Village Walk in Sandton, Trade Route Mall, The Boulders Shopping Centre, Walter Sisulu Square, Montecasino, Brightwater Commons, Fourways Mall, Westgate Shopping Centre, Northgate Shopping Centre and Southgate Mall.

Discounted and competitive rates on flights were offered by South African Airways, Mango Airways, Air Zimbabwe, Air Malawi, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Arik Airlines and RwandAir. Shoppers were also able to stay at Indaba Hotel, Protea Hotel, Citi Lodge, Don Suites, InterContinental and Southern Sun hotels at discounted rates.

The City once again hosted a successful Arts Alive in September. Some of the city’s great divas performed for Joburgers: Sibongile Khumalo, Gloria Bosman and Abigail Kubheka. The city rocked to music, dance, poetry, theatre, comedy, film and festivals.

Opportunities and services

To help entrepreneurs improve their business skills the City held Business Opportunity Day, organised by the City's small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) unit and Absa Bank in October at the Jabulani municipal offices.

The Johannesburg Development Agency created a walkway in Orange Farm, in the far southern reaches of the city’s boundaries. The walkway enables easy access for residents to social amenities, including economic and transport nodes.

Previously the old, rock-strewn and narrow footpath used by people daily to get from one side of the suburb to the other, the 6m wide pathway has brought a touch of culture to the hilltop, with artefacts that depict Orange Farm's rich history and heritage, lighting, balusters created by mountain rocks and resting points. The path is complete with mosaic murals of children's hands and a paved area that leads from a local school to a playground at the edge of the ridge, which has swings and play equipment.

In July this year the Digital Doorway project, was launched at the Orange Farm Community Centre, to promote computer and information literacy in communities which lack access to computers. Digital Doorway’s content includes educational games and programmes, 10 000 books uploaded on to computer, a snapshot of Wikipedia, health-related material, curriculum-based educational videos, interactive science simulations and a host of other applications.

The mayor opened Alexandra’s first library, the River Park Library, in October this year.

"This library is part of our vision to make life in the city better and to make the City's regeneration strategy a reality," the mayor said at the opening.

Pikitup initiated Separation at Source this year, a project to get Joburg residents separating their recyclable waste at home. It was rolled out in the northwestern suburbs and informal settlements serviced by the Waterval Depot.

Inner City Forums

This year the City established Inner City Forums, talk shops designed to improve efficiency in the delivery of essential services. The forums are not restricted to inner city dwellers - they are open to everyone who visits the inner city.

"We wanted to set up something that will enable the man on the street - and not necessarily somebody who lives in the area but also people who work in the inner city and people who travel through the inner city - an outlet to communicate with all the relevant role players," explained Shaun O'Shea, the manager for stakeholder management and liaison in Region F.

Miss World

Johannesburg hosted 112 world beauties in the Miss World contest, which took place on 12 December. They arrived in Joburg in mid-November, and had a hectic schedule – visiting the Hector Pieterson Museum, the Mandela House, the famous Vilakazi Street, and planted trees in the Orlando West Park in Soweto.

They also visited Soccer City in Nasrec, and the Joburg Zoo in Parkview, for the Miss World's Children Party. They had a Miss World Fashion Show final at Turbine Hall in Newtown.

The winner was Miss Gibraltar, Kaiane Aldorino. Her first princess was Miss Mexico, Perla Beltran Acosta; Miss South Africa, Tatum Keshwar, was named the second princess.