Crime-prevention strategies beefed up

over the past five years the Gauteng economy has grown by 20% while unemployment has decreased by 25,7%, Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa said recently. Areas where notable success has been achieved include growing the economy, developing skills, growing small and micro enterprises, creating income-generating opportunities, and providing basic services. He emphasised that by remaining focused on strategic priorities, the provincial government would achieve its promise of a better life for all. Gauteng Community Safety MEC, Firoz Cachalia, recently announced that an additional 1 453 detectives would be deployed in Gauteng by March 31, 2009 to improve the ability of the police to successfully investigate and support the prosecution of criminals in the province. Other crime prevention measures to be launched over the course of this financial year include the Gauteng Aggravated Robbery Strategy. Employing the expertise of crime prevention agencies as well as the National Prosecuting Authority, it aims to provide guidance to various components of SAPS to assist in achieving more arrests and prosecutions over the next 12 months. "Although total levels of crime are decreasing, according to the 2007 National Victimisation Survey conducted by the Institute for Security Studies, aggravated robberies are primarily responsible for the high levels of public anxiety about crime in the Gauteng,” said Cachalia. More expensive power – but no load shedding While not necessarily true for the whole of Gauteng, City Power announced at the end of July that Johannesburg would no longer experience load shedding. City Councillor for Infrastructure and Services, Rosslynn Greef, said that the city had enough mitigating projects to ensure that it would not be "load-shedded by Eskom". City Mayor, Amos Masondo, did however announce an average 20.6% adjustment to electricity tariffs from August 1 with commercial and industrial customers paying an extra 43.6%. "This increase is a direct result of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa's (Nersa’s) decision to allow Eskom to levy an additional increase of 13.3% on its customers, on the already approved 14.2% increase," he said. 2010 – construction ahead of schedule Gauteng is ahead of schedule with the construction of all host stadia for the 2010 World Cup. T he province, which hosts Soccer City, Loftus Versfeld and Ellis Park Stadia, will play the most crucial role in next year’s Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup. GPG’s Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC, Barbara Creecy, says: “The provincial government will ensure that we honour the commitments we have made to satisfy all Fifa’s requirements and meet the high expectations of people throughout the continent and the world.” She also notes that the substantial improvements in sporting infrastructure, transport systems, telecommunications and public facilities will benefit the people of Gauteng long after the world cup is over. Creative industries kick-start business opportunities “In this period of economic slowdown we have identified the creative industries as a quick win. It is a growing sector that doesn’t need too much infrastructure development as it is primarily based on human skills input,” says Barba Gaoganediwe, the Gauteng Economic Development Agency’s (Geda’s) senior manager strategic communications. The Fashion District in Johannesburg’s CBD is virtually complete with regular lunchtime fashion shows planned to start soon. It is being formally linked by Geda with international fashion districts to ensure a mutual transfer of skills and knowledge. The Gauteng Craft and Design Centre (CDC) will be based at the Sandton Art Gallery which, Creecy notes, is “ideally positioned in the heart of the province's major retail area and provides access to markets so desperately needed by regional craft producers.”