Zuma tells municipalities to ‘radically transform’ residential areas
President Jacob Zuma has urged local municipalities to begin radically transforming residential areas in an effort to integrate places of work and human settlements.
Speaking at the opening of the Presidential Local Government Summit held at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand on Thursday 6 April, Zuma said that there should no longer be confusion or “vagueness” surrounding the concept of radical transformation as his and the ANC’s stance on the matter was clear.
“A municipality’s objective must also be to turn the tide against the current spatial patterns of apartheid in the next five to fifteen years, though better and coordinated land use management, ensuring that a new built environment and inclusive spatial landscape emerges across the country,” said Zuma.
“They must include effective public transport infrastructure development, as well as new integrated and sustainable human settlements and post-apartheid cities that are more connected, liveable, smart and green.”
Zuma noted that municipalities were currently based on old, apartheid spatial planning and that changes would have to me made in the next five to fifteen years, “ensuring that a new built environment and inclusive spatial landscape emerges across the country”.
“Township entrepreneurs must be used to produce food such as bread for school nutrition and hospitals, clothes for school and police uniforms, and furniture for government offices,” said Zuma.
“If we do this, we would bring millions of township residents into the mainstream of the economy, hence the need to revamp economic infrastructure and improve these areas.”
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