Municipal courts are back in Jozi

Nie Cele

In a drive to maintain law and order in the city, Municipal Courts will be part of our lives, so says JoburgMayor,HermanMashaba.

The executive mayor, made this announcement during his state of the city address at the newly built council chambers in Braamfontein.

As usual in his uncompromising mood, the mayor said his administration has taken this decision in an effort to achieve the rule of law in city.

“ We have taken a decision to bring back dedicated municipal courts, through a funding arrangement with the Department of Justice. This will serve to ensure that by-law infringers are dealt with speedily, so that consequences are assured for anyone who breaches our by-laws.”

He also stressed that these developments were in line with his party’s   Ten Point planand, strongly argued that his administration is beginning to make real and lasting progress in the City of Johannesburg.

Under what he termed ‘FUTURE STRATEGY 15’, he said in order to meet their challenges, his executive is carving out a new strategy for the City of Johannesburg.

“This strategy aims to prioritise our residents’ most pressing needs. It is a plan that no longer places the poor on the fringes of our society but one that places them at the heart of our agenda. It is a plan that gives the city’s forgotten people a voice that resonates throughout the whole of this government,” Mashaba said.

He also highlighted that  much of this will be fully expressed in the City’s upcoming 2017/18 budget that will be announced later this month.