Bridging gaps — revitalisation of Joburg’s inner city requires tackling the tough stuff

The Queen Elizabeth Bridge in downtown Jozi is finally getting the right royal treatment. Led by Jozi My Jozi, an inner-city revitalisation project, its partners and the City of Joburg, the surrounding area and nearby park are being cleaned, painted, beautified and made safer.

It’s tough stuff, though, and there are serious socioeconomic issues to resolve. The bridge leads from Smit Street in Braamfontein to the busy Newtown taxi rank, splitting into Simmonds Street and Pixley ka Isaka Seme Street as it heads into a bustling part of the city where the roads are congested and the pavements throng with commuters, pedestrians, hawkers and hustlers.

It crosses several railway lines and passes 66 Harrison Street on the left, as well as the Johannesburg International Transport Interchange, a long-distance and cross-border transport and shopping hub soon to be launched. Before the split, Carr Street peels off to the right to the first block of the taxi rank, which has only two skips for rubbish and no public toilets. Adjacent is a small park that is frequented by homeless people and drug users.

Tackling the tough stuff is a public-private partnership and a massive team effort. In this case, Jozi My Jozi has partnered with the City of Joburg, Gauteng province, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), FNB, business owners, private security, community organisations and homeless projects to find and implement sustainable solutions.

“We’ve started pressure washing, scrubbing and cleaning the walls,” says Renard de Souza from Landarch, the landscape architects who are tackling the clean-up and repairs of the bridge and park. “We’ve also safely removed medical and hazardous human waste to ensure public safety.”

The JRA is repainting the road markings and there is visible security and new lights. New murals and artworks will soon be done.

Repairs are also under way at the Queen Elizabeth Bridge Park, next to the taxi rank. Corobrik donated 5,300 bricks to repair the pavements and walls, and the Landarch team is busy at work. “We’ve installed new flowerbeds and green spaces, removed some trees and pruned others, and done some hardscaping, including pressure-washing the paving and walls and repairing them,” says De Souza. “Compared to a month ago, the park is already quite different. It’s cleaner, there is new lighting, which was donated by Ledvance, and better security.”

Socioeconomic challenges

There are still homeless people in the park, though, and drug addicts who hang out near the rubbish skips. Jozi My Jozi has partnered with MES, a project for the homeless, to tackle these social problems.

“Cleaning the park was a difficult project at first,” says Landarch CEO Greg Straw. “Initially, there was hostility and resistance from the taxi owners and drivers and people living in the park. Our staff were threatened; we had to increase private security. But then, as we worked, a shift took place, and people started to see the benefit of what we are trying to do.”

One of these people is Percy Mnguni, a local resident who has become a self-appointed ambassador of the park and has been working alongside the Landarch team. He has personally guarded the piles of bricks and ensures the park is weeded. He also discourages the homeless from sleeping here.

Mnguni came here three years ago in search of his mother, with whom he has lost contact, and ended up sleeping rough in the park for a month or two before he found a room across the road, although it has no water or electricity. He is determined to maintain the upkeep of the park, he says.

At the edge of the park is an 11m-tall metal statue called the Fire Walker – a woman with a brazier on her head, which she will set up on the street somewhere to roast mielies, sheep heads and chicken. Women like her are known locally as fire walkers. The statue was made in 2010 by William Kentridge and Gerhard Max and will be redone by the MojaNation creative agency, which recently completed murals and artworks on the neighbouring Nelson Mandela Bridge.

Adopt and help

Fixing up the bridge is part of Jozi My Jozi’s flagship Gateways project, which will revitalise the major entry points or gateways into the city. Businesses have been invited to “adopt a gateway”. So far, 11 have been identified – the Nelson Mandela Bridge, Queen Elizabeth Bridge, Mooi Street, Selby Road, Eloff Street, the Smit Street and Carr Street off-ramps, Charlton Terrace, Joe Slovo Drive, the intersection of Jan Smuts Avenue and Empire Road, and the Pat Mbatha highway leading to Soweto. Four have yet to be adopted.

“By focusing on the gateways, Jozi My Jozi addresses immediate concerns such as safety and infrastructure deterioration while contributing to a long-term vision of a more connected, welcoming and vibrant Johannesburg,” said Innocent Mabusela, head of stakeholder relations and communication at Jozi My Jozi.

“Through our adoption model and community engagement, these gateway projects aim to deliver long-term, meaningful improvements for both residents and visitors alike.”

Jozi My Jozi was officially launched on 18 July 2023, on Mandela Day, and appropriately, the first gateway restoration project was the iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge. After years of neglect, Jozi My Jozi’s renovation of the bridge included extensive repairs, and today it is a pleasure to cross. DM

Bridget Hilton Barber is a freelance writer who writes for Jozi My Jozi.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.