Re-imagine Randburg: A Community Initiative
Jo
Randburg, Gauteng
Originally published:
Date (FixLocal)
24 February
Quick wins to demonstrate success; building momentum to sustain community interest; and finding the right partners to collaborate with have been the foundations for a new project aimed to restore Randburg as an economic and business hub. Re-imagine Randburg launched in February 2025, the project hopes to get business and local residents to take an active part in basic maintenance and upkeep of their suburb and to believe that by stepping up, Randburg can recover some of its former glory.
What was the problem?
The suburb of Randburg has not been immune to the slide to crime and grime that has plagued much of Johannesburg. In the past 20-odd years it’s experienced businesses flight, leaving the once thriving central business district struggling and falling into decay.
Residents have also seen the upkeep and maintenance of their suburb grind to non-existent. Their usual complaints include crime and lawlessness and the poor state of the roads, with broken traffic lights, potholes, unpainted road marking and signage. Construction or repair work when it is done is shabby.
The local public swimming pool, the surrounding park and the recreation centre were also closed for over four years and had not been maintained for years. It added to a sense of hopelessness about a suburb falling through the cracks.
How did they solve it?
Local ward councillor Lucinda Harman teamed up with businessman, former JSE CEO and Randburg local, Roy Andersen, to launch a project called Re-imagine Randburg.
They had visited Springs in December 2024 to see how the community there had started an “adopt your street” initiative, getting businesses to sign up to maintain the pavements, traffic islands and streets around their businesses.
Speaking to FixLocal, Harman says, she identified “quick wins” to spark interest and show the community what could be achieved. For her it was to get the local swimming pool cleaned and re-opened. She created a first-ever partnership agreement between the Joburg City Council, other authorities and the local residents associations to jointly manage the facility. The pool is scheduled to reopen in Spring 2025.
On the back of this “quick win” Harman worked on a longer-term plan asking businesses and residents to pledge to the upkeep of the area outside their businesses or their streets.
Learning from the Springs community, they have tried to use the power of social media to highlight the good that has been done by individuals and businesses.
They’ve held several pre-launch and launch events so that businesses stay informed, but importantly, are also reminded of what Randburg used to represent as a business hub and its potential to be restored.
Businesses and residents have taken up the challenge repairing potholes, removing rubble and clearing vegetation in their public spaces. These successes are shared on Facebook and Harman says it’s given people reason to see that a communitywide change can happen when everyone starts to do their bit.
Acknowledgements
Author: FixLocal Reporter
Original content/ article:
FixLocal content
Not just window dressing: Residents roll up their sleeves in Re-imagine Randburg initiative - https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/not-just-window-dressing-residents-roll-up-their-sleeves-in-re-imagine-randburg-initiative-20250224
Photograph: Supplied/ Lucinda Harman
For more information/ further contact details: reimaginerandburg@gmail.com Facebook Page: Reimagine Randburg
Get your community involved
Is there a community-driven group or caring business in your area? A dedicated group of committed people can effectively solve local problems.
Think about starting or joining community groups like a street WhatsApp group, residents' association, or community policing forum (CPF) to get help and to stay informed and involved in local issues.
Know your rights – how local government works
It’s important to understand how your local government works so that you can work with them to support what they are doing while your community continues to keep them accountable and deliver services on time. Remember you have a constitutional right to many of the services provided by local government, as well as to accountability and transparency, wherever you live and regardless of how much you earn. It is also where money collected from taxes and rates goes.
Johannesburg
Warning: text comes here
