City urges residents to report needed local services

message-based option (USSD) for non-smartphone users.

The green category’s winner, Paseka Litabe’s Autumn Green, has created a system that connects power grids with appliances and machines in the household, industrial and commercial sector. This system communicates with the national grid to perform load management, and should the grid be under pressure, switches off nonessential appliances until the grid is stable.

In the township economy category, Phindi Hani’s Inqaba Yesizwe Phytopharmaceuticals took top prize with nano silver antiviral colloidal silver that is effective against a variety of infections, including pneumonia, herpes, shingles and warts.

Innovation Hub CEO Pieter Holl said the judges’ decision was not easy. “We congratulate this year’s winners for this achievement. They have set a very high bar for business innovation, and we believe their businesses will be game-changers,” Holl said.

Nkosana Lekotjolo

The City of Joburg has asked residents to guide regarding projects they want in their communities.

Speaker of Council Vasco da Gama says communities know best what infrastructure and services are needed in their areas.

“We ask residents to give inputs into the projects they want within their wards, be it shortage of a clinic, roads, sports facility or swimming pool for that matter. They should narrow their needs down to at least three per ward,” Da Gama says.

He adds that the City has over the years experienced rapid population growth, which has seen an increase of wards to about 135.

“The City will then compile lists of projects from the wards throughout the City and decide on priority projects that can be implemented,” he says.

He says after Community-Based Planning (CBP) consultative meetings conclude, the City will begin Integrated Development Plan (IDP) sessions with communities, which will provide a platform for Mayor Mpho Phalatse and Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs) to update residents about the proposed projects.

Da Gama assures residents that the City’s Section 79 Committees will keep an eye on projects that are being implemented.

“The committees get quarterly reports where the projects are reported and they monitor them,” he adds.