A FURTHER deadline has been given for this year’s Halala Joburg Awards, which will close at midnight on Tuesday, 3 May.
The awards, now in its fourth year, recognise and honour people, projects and places that go all-out to improve quality of life in the inner city as well as ensuring that Joburg continues to “beat a steady rhythm of growth and development”, said the chief executive of the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), Thanduxolo Mendrew.
“There are a large number of improvements around the city and incredible investments and people do not often know about these, therefore these awards are a great platform to highlight these,” said Mendrew.
This year’s award ceremony is scheduled to follow a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation by each of the shortlisted nominees in the seven categories on 22 June.
“The JDA has awarded individuals, projects and programmes in order to encourage extraordinary effort, recognise exceptional action that breaks new ground in urban regeneration, and advance sustainable economic growth, community well-being and the quality of life of Joburg residents.”
Key to the awards is to recognise individuals and projects that inject momentum into the City’s regeneration efforts.
Nominations, which opened on 15 March, are still open to all individuals and projects, including companies (from micro to multinational), consortiums, public-private partnerships, joint ventures and individual representatives, among others.
“The JDA cannot rejuvenate all areas of decay, hence the need to identify and recognise those private sector and civil society stakeholders who, through their investments and efforts, are contributing to regeneration in the inner city through the Halala Joburg Awards,” said Mendrew.
“The foundation laid by the City has led to numerous private sector initiatives to invest in the development of properties within the inner city. It is these initiatives that we aim to recognise and celebrate with the Halala Joburg Awards.”
Nomination process
All nominations submitted must meet specific criteria set out by the JDA has set out. These awards are limited to projects that are within the inner city (Region F) and must have made a substantial difference to the City’s regeneration efforts.
Nominating oneself can be done by completing the Trigger Nomination Form. The trigger forms must be completed by the nominator and will require his or her contact details. If the details are incorrect, the form will not go through into the application process.
If the trigger form is successful, an application form will be sent to the nominee, followed by an email or SMS once the application is received. Shortlisted nominees will be expected to give a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation at the Halala Joburg Showcase Seminar in June.
The awards comprise seven categories: Living Joburg, Working and Buying Joburg, Relaxing and Playing Joburg, Sustainable Joburg, Caring Joburg, Believing in Joburg – the Stan Nkosi Achievement Award, and the Colosseum Award for conservation.
At the official opening of the nominations on 15 March in Newtown, Mendrew said: “The JDA has been building a better inner city for a decade. This year [the] Halala Joburg Awards celebrate our achievement in making a better inner city.”
The JDA was established in 2001 as an agency of the City with a mandate to stimulate and support area-based economic development initiatives throughout the Joburg.