young woman breakdancing in Johannesburg street

F.I.R.M. and Jozi My Jozi collaboration yields results

The F.I.R.M. and Jozi My Jozi share a desire to restore Johannesburg to a safe, thriving city all South Africans can be proud of. This shared desire, and the F.I.R.M.s mission – “To be a trusted partner who engages honestly and collaboratively with all stakeholders in order to work towards a safe and secure society” – has led to a partnership in Johannesburg that has yielded incredible results.

“Wits Business School was really the driving force behind establishing Jozi My Jozi,” says Wayne Dawson, Chairman of the F.I.R.M.s Board, “using the F.I.R.M.s strategy as an achievable approach to uniting individuals from all walks of life to make a meaningful difference and help Johannesburg become a safe, thriving city again.”

Important partnerships with major players in the inner city, such as Standard Bank, Anglo America, Absa, FNB, Investec, IQBusiness, Nando’s and others have also been a key component of establishing Jozi My Jozi and leveraging a relationship with the F.I.R.M.

With collaboration as its heartbeat, joining the Jozi My Jozi movement was a natural fit for the F.I.R.M. “Through the Jozi My Jozi movement, we have solidified our relationships with every single department of the City of Johannesburg,” says Wayne. “We have always been the first responders in crisis situations, so the relationships have been growing. Our actions, for example during the 2021 Riots – in which the F.I.R.M. and Standard Bank’s security team were instrumental in sharing and responding to information about what was happening in the city – have helped to cement our relationship with CoJ across the board.”

The F.I.R.M.s first collaboration with Jozi My Jozi was a clean-up campaign in the inner city. “In collaboration with Pikitup, City CRUM, Standard Bank and Jozi My Jozi we hosted four clean-up days in November 2023 and it’s just grown from there.”

Clean-up campaigns for Mandela Day, Jozi my Jozi’s Adopt a Block initiative and the Our Neighbourhood Is Us Project are just a few examples of this ongoing approach to keeping Johannesburg CBD clean.

Immediately after the first clean-up campaign, the Maharishi Institute came on board and wanted to find a way to support the movement. “The security sector has long been disrespected, unrecognised and under supported, especially when it comes to education for people working in the sector. So, the F.I.R.M. proposed the creation of an Academy for Security in collaboration with the Maharishi Institute.”

In collaboration with Jozi My Jozi, the Academy at Maharishi teaches important skills for individuals working in the security services. This includes business continuity, crisis management, risk management, emergency response, investigations, cybercrime, and the day-to-day of emergency management and public order. F.I.R.M. worked with the institute to design the training modules, and conduct inspections and assessments. The collaboration also provides work experience by involving students in the day-to-day security operations in the city and drone operations. To date, 150 students are taking the course, and partners are joining up to offer accommodation for youngsters from extreme poverty to live safely while they complete their studies.

“Many security and police officers are young and lack confidence, which in turn has a negative impact on their effectiveness in their roles,” Wayne explains. “We want to empower young security professionals with the skills and knowledge they need to be confident in their competency – and inspire confidence in the public. In this way we are creating a competent, skilled, passionate talent pool that the SAPS and metro police can recruit from.”

Another successful collaboration has been the Gateways Projects. In which a number of key access points into the Inner City have been earmarked for intervention, some on which have already started such as the Nelson Mandela Bridge upgrade. These entrances and exits into and out of the CBD are often used as escape routes for criminals, and Jozi My Jozi and the F.I.R.M. are collaborating with partners to ensure improved oversight and control of these gateways. The project includes infrastructure repairs – fixing potholes and road marking, replacing and painting crash barriers and so on. It also includes installing CCTV cameras, cleaning, place making and beautification. “Together, we are adding or repairing street furniture, creating murals containing constitution preamble lines, improving lighting in these areas with solar lights, and ensuring these gateways have 24-hour security,” Wayne says. “The gateways are then adopted by F.I.R.M. and Jozi My Jozi members, and adoptees become responsible for maintaining the gateways.”

“Jozi My Jozi asks: What role am I as an individual playing in society,” Wayne says. “It is not just a talk shop; it is action oriented. F.I.R.M. has the same attitude – we are doers.”

The collaboration allows a wide range of stakeholders to engage with the process of renewing Johannesburg, bringing design thinking into redesigning the city. “When we get involved in “fixing” the city, we are looking at it from a greater system and societal point of view. We look at resolving challenges in the CBD, but with the city’s heritage and its future in mind. For example, heritage buildings are incorporated in our planning, aiming to encourage and secure public access, but always with sustainability and the good of society top of mind.”

With collaboration between the F.I.R.M., Jozi My Jozi, and members of both organisations yielding such powerful change together, the question is – what’s next?

Part 2: F.I.R.M., Jozi My Jozi and the 15 Minute City coming soon!

Photo by Keenan Constance: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-breakdancing-on-street-2865891/

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