The City of Johannesburg is thrilled to host the Absa Run Your City Joburg 10K race, taking place on Heritage Day, Tuesday, 24 September 2024. In the lead-up to the event, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development, Councillor Kabelo Gwamanda, spearheaded a clean-up initiative in Region F, Inner City, on Friday, 20 September 2024.
Councillor Gwamanda was joined by senior officials from the Sports & Recreation Department, along with the Regional Director of Citizen Relationship & Urban Management (CRUM) Region F, Irene Mafune.
Johannesburg is ready to roll out the red carpet for all participants, enhancing its cleaning efforts to ensure a warm welcome for the runners and walkers. Teams from various city entities and departments worked through chilly conditions to clean the streets.
The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) was on hand to attend to reinstatements on Pritchard and End Streets. Earlier in the week, JRA teams replaced damaged guardrails on the M2 from Heidelberg Road, cleared kerb inlets along End, Marshall, and Anderson Streets, and repainted faded road markings along Quinn, Lilian Ngoyi, and Henry Nxumalo Streets in Newtown.
Pikitup and the Augmented Field Services Unit were also on the ground, sweeping, removing litter, emptying street bins, collecting waste, and clearing illegal dumping sites. Johannesburg Water focused on replacing stolen valves, repairing leaks, and fixing burst water pipes.
Welcoming the teams, Councillor Gwamanda expressed his gratitude: “I extend my thanks to all the teams who braved the cold this morning for your efforts throughout the week and those you will continue in the coming days.
“This initiative is not just about the upcoming event; it’s a step towards reclaiming our city. This is not a box-ticking exercise or a publicity stunt. We appreciate all the volunteers who joined us today. Cleaning the city requires collaboration from all stakeholders and spheres of government,” said Councillor Gwamanda.
Mafune added: “City service delivery teams have been on the ground since last week, ensuring that service delivery challenges along the race route are addressed, and the streets are clean and safe for our runners. We appreciate the efforts of our stakeholders and partners and are eager to showcase the pride of the inner city.”
The clean-up teams were also joined by volunteers from the University of Johannesburg and other regional stakeholders.
