President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday arrived at Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto, to participate in the newly launched CEO-City Clean-Up Programme, a collaborative initiative aimed at tackling urban decay in Johannesburg.
The President went straight into a closed-door engagement with representatives from the private sector, senior government officials and civil-society leaders. The discussion is understood to centre on long-term strategies to restore Johannesburg’s infrastructure, improve service delivery and strengthen partnerships between the state and business.
The clean-up programme was officially launched earlier this week by Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, who said the city could no longer afford short-term fixes and needed “sustainable, multi-sector solutions” to Johannesburg’s declining conditions.
Ramaphosa is scheduled to conduct a walkabout at Walter Sisulu Square, where he is expected to interact with residents, assess the state of the precinct and plant a symbolic tree as part of the city’s beautification efforts.
Following the walkabout, the President will brief the media.
Gauteng Provincial Government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the visit reinforces government’s commitment to active leadership.
“We want to lead from the front in terms of showing our people what to do,” Mhlanga said.
The CEO-City Clean-Up Programme is anticipated to roll out across several regions in the coming months, with a focus on waste management, by-law enforcement, infrastructure repairs and reviving public spaces.