Mapping our world
Life in Zimbabwe's sunshine city
Poor services, corruption and human rights abuses have become the norm in Harare, but residents still believe that the city can regain its former glory. JOHN MASUKU reports from Zimbabwe.
New law for social housing
After years in the making, the Social Housing Bill is now expected to come before Parliament in the third quarter of 2007. The Bill sets up a regulatory framework for the social housing sector, establishes the Social Housing Regulatory Authority and defines roles for all three spheres of government.
Harry Pothole and the three riddles of municipal life
As the world awaits J.K.Rowling’s final Harry Potter tale, let’s imagine that ‘Harry Pothole and the Disappearing Maintenance and Rehabilitation Budget’ provides a surprising twist for the young magician.
10 reasons to invest in parks
With most municipalities struggling to overcome backlogs and make ends meet with limited resources, investing in parks and open spaces is often seen as an unaffordable luxury. Here are 10 reasons why parks and public spaces matter.
Where is our development road map?
South Africa urgently needs a national development plan, argues ASHRAF ADAM, because without one we will continue to respond in adhoc ways to our development challenges.
Power play: Why RED1 was doomed to fail
As the City of Cape Town pulled the plug on the country’s first Regional Electricity Distributor, it’s clear that this pilot project was always a risky venture.
Legislating solar water heaters - can it work?
There are so many benefits to solar water heaters – for consumers and the country as a whole – yet few municipalities are thinking of how they promote the use of these energy saving devices. GAIL JENNINGS reports on plans by the City of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Metro to promote their use.
Five years on...
Launched in 2001 to break the cycle of underdevelopment in cities, the Urban Renewal Programme draws on the joint efforts and resources of the public sector in eight areas that are home to millions of urban poor. Half way through the decadelong programme, there have been successes, but more needs to be done.
Turning a landfill into an asset
The eThekwini Metro’s Marianhill Landfill Site proves that landfills need not smell and look unpleasant. The Impumelelo Award winning landfill is also challenging the idea that waste disposal sites cannot be located in urban environments.
From tenants to homeowners
In the historic BoKaap in Cape Town, there’s an impressive example of how municipal-owned low-cost housing has been transferred to resident ownership.
Coaching for the public sector
Coaching has become a way of nurturing talent and helping individuals reach their true potential. Now the public sector is looking at this methodology to help build capacity for service delivery.