In Cape Town, South Africa, participants in a discussion at the annual The Gathering event discussed how civic initiatives are responding to deteriorating municipal services, public spaces and urban infrastructure. Representatives of organizations from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town spoke about restoring lighting, campaigns supporting public institutions and plans to take part in local elections, Daily Maverick reports.
Bridge lighting and a library
Jozi My Jozi CEO Bea Swanepoel said practical change requires a “coalition of the willing” — cooperation among residents, businesses, partners and authorities. One of the organization’s first projects was restoring lighting on Johannesburg’s Nelson Mandela Bridge, which, she said, had been unsafe for students.
Together with Ledvance and corporate donors, including Absa and the Maharishi Invincibility Institute, the initiative upgraded the bridge’s lighting by installing an autonomous solar-powered LED system. Swanepoel said the bridge became a visible landmark during power outages, when large parts of the city were left without light. She also noted more active participation by students and universities in civic projects.
Joburg Crisis Alliance coordinator Yunus Chamda stressed that civic activity can be a means of exerting pressure on city authorities. The alliance joined a campaign to restore the Johannesburg Library’s operations: residents were urged to donate books to the closed library, placing petitions inside them. According to Chamda, the action drew attention to the problem and helped secure the library’s reopening.
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Participation in local politics
Asad Gaffar, head of the eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement, said the movement is preparing to run in upcoming local elections and hopes to win about 10 seats on the council. He said civic initiatives are forced to perform tasks that, in his view, should be provided by the authorities, and criticized rising municipal service tariffs.
Gaffar also said that, in his view, the municipality is misusing its budget and called for efforts to counter corruption. He added that even one seat on the council would give the movement an opportunity to begin influencing decisions.
Tim Harris, co-founder and executive chair of Mission for Inner City Cape Town and a former Democratic Alliance member of parliament, said that after the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 400 businesses closed or left central Cape Town. The organization attracted sponsors to create a public-private fund that would help implement Cape Town residents’ vision for the area.
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