A new municipal court is expected to crack down on urinating pedestrians, illegal squatting and littering in Johannesburg's inner city. And cautiously optimistic property owners hope it will bring an end to ineffectual bylaw enforcement, one of the biggest obstacles to inner-city rejuvenation. 

Sitting for the first time this week, the court will try to clean up the inner city.

A pilot project at this stage, it is driven by a multidisciplinary team of city departments.  "We have to bring discipline back to residents," says project manager Dallas Delport, the city's deputy director of court liaison.  A permanent prosecutor has been appointed to the court, which is part of the magistrate's court system. 

Delport highlights a multitude of infractions that will be pursued, including illegal building occupation, illegal businesses and unauthorised street trading. Bylaws around culture and recreation, emergency services, public open spaces and loitering will also be enforced.  "We will issue direct summons for, say, illegally hanging washing on apartment balconies," says Delport. "If we start small, we believe we can clean up the inner city." 

There's a lot riding on the success of the court. Delport says municipalities such as Ekurhuleni are waiting to see whether the initiative works. If it does, Johannesburg will expand the court's activities beyond the inner city.  Brian Miller, chairman of the inner city-based Property Owners' & Managers' Association (Poma), says that if the inner city can be made clean, safe and well-serviced, property values could jump by as much as 30%-40% within 12 months. Poma is on the rampage against poor bylaw enforcement and delivery levels in the inner city. 

It's a point that authorities concede. Johannesburg metro police spokesman Wayne Minnaar, for one. "It's a question of manpower," he says. "Within the next two years, we will have a full complement of 2 000 officers on the streets, which will make a big difference." 

The metro police already conduct weekly raids in the inner city. " We generally confiscate goods from around 600 illegal traders each week," says Minnaar. Fines for putting up unauthorised posters in the inner city alone amount to about R50 000 a week. Littering gets a R100 spot fine.  But property owners aren't convinced. They complain about blatant disregard for bylaws and the inadequate service levels that compound the problem. 

"For example, refuse removal is simply not up to scratch," says Miller.  Pikitup spokesman Jeremy Deysel responds that the inner city is cleaned according to a strict schedule, six days a week. "High-density areas such as Hillbrow and Joubert Park are cleaned using a gang sweeping method, which ensures better supervision and control." 

Ownership of green spaces is another gripe of property managers, who say that dark, crime-ridden parks are a further obstacle to urban regeneration.  City Parks spokesman Jenny Moodley says that to support visible policing in the 16 inner-city parks, the department has employed 24 park wardens to patrol the parks and deter criminals.

The Project Eden initiative, she adds, has sparked the upgrade or redevelopment of 15 of these parks.  "This has resulted in a decrease in vandalism, littering and illegal dumping," says Moodley. 

Property managers admit it's hard for the utilities to catch every bylaw infringement; to notice every overflowing trash can and each leaky pipe.  "That's why we all need to work together and to be the eyes and ears for the various service agencies," says Miller. "But they also need to respond to our requests."