Women and stakeholders in the City of Johannesburg raised their concerns at the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) at Danie van Zyl Recreational Centre in Newlands on Tuesday, 05 May.
Safety, police visibility in Westbury, dark areas caused by faulty streetlights, housing, development opportunities in Ennerdale, infrastructure, and skills development were among the issues raised.
Cllr Margaret Arnolds, Speaker of Council in the City of Johannesburg, welcomed all attendees and highlighted the importance of participating in IDP sessions.
Cllr Eunice Mgcina, Member of Mayoral Committee for Development Planning, presented the draft 2026/2027 IDP and budget to residents and stakeholders. She said: “This is a plan with the people, for the people to build a Johannesburg that works for everyone.”
The draft IDP raised several high-level issues affecting women, which include lack of budget for women’s economic empowerment, inadequate participation in skills development, gender-based violence and femicide, lack of access to land and housing, insufficient support for elderly women, insufficient access to primary health care and inadequate reliable public transport.
The draft IDP is structured around four key pillars, financial sustainability and economic growth (pillar 1), infrastructure recovery (pillar 2), safety and law enforcement (pillar 3) and the final pillar is digital governance (pillar 4).
Under Pillar 3, which focuses on safety, the draft proposes curbing crime by taking action against hijacked buildings and illegal structures and enforcing zoning and by-laws. To increase police visibility, it proposes deploying more Johannesburg Metro Police Department officers, expanding CCTV and smart surveillance, and increasing high-visibility patrols in crime hotspots.
Additional measures include using data and technology to improve response times through an intelligent operations centre for real-time monitoring and evidence-led policing.
The draft IDP also proposes fixing faulty streetlights more quickly and installing additional lighting to improve safety in communities at night.
Residents and stakeholders are encouraged to submit their inputs on the Draft IDP by clicking here by 18 May 2026.
SUPPLIED.
