IFP SLAMS ANC'S JOHANNESBURG CBD PLANS

IFP INFORMATION CENTRE : December 22, 1998 

The IFP is alarmed by the notion of Premier Mathole Motshekga and his Local Government MEC Sicelo Shiceka banning new office development in areas outside of the CBD in an attempt to redress the crisis facing Johannesburg.

"This ANC proposal shows precisely why the megacity is so dangerous and why the IFP has opposed the soon-to-be mandatory imposition of megacities on all the country’s metropolitan areas," said IFP Local Government spokesperson, Peter Smith.

"It is the ANC’s inability to govern Johannesburg properly that has contributed towards the collapse of the CBD and it is this centrist mentality of telling business where it may and may not locate itself which will exacerbate the problem."

"The IFP is not opposed to zoning and the planning of future development, but is opposed to a political mentality serving to subvert the market while refusing to take the necessary steps to address the very reasons business was deserting the CBD in the first place," said Smith.

In the opinion of the IFP, once Johannesburg is forced to become a megacity, there is an even stronger probability that dangerous politically driven "solutions" will be imposed on the city to the longer-term detriment of the city and its people.

For further information or clarification, please contact Peter Smith on (083) 3036009.