Today, Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Safety Cllr David Tembe and Economic Development Cllr Nkululeko Mbundu led the official signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the City of Johannesburg and the Kew Action Group (KAG), a forum of the industrial business community of Kew. 
 
The KAG has donated two patrol vehicles to the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) to assist with law enforcement efforts in the Kew industrial area and greater Region E community. 

This follows heightened crime in the area, affecting the bottom-line of businesses and the safety of the community at large.  

The Memorandum of Understanding will help bolster crime prevention in the Kew industrial area, manage traffic control and enable the enforcement of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality’s Bylaws. It is effective for five years.  

Cllr Mbundu said: “Our primary role was to facilitate the MOU between the City and the Kew Action Group, demonstrating our commitment to creating an enabling and conducive and business-friendly city where businesses can thrive. 

 “Kew is one of our key nodes assisting with creating employment in Region E. We found it imperative to facilitate this public-private partnership as a token of our commitment to the business community.”  

The KAG is a forum of business owners, property owners and stakeholders operating in the Kew area. 

 “We are thankful to the City of Johannesburg, especially the JMPD and the Department of Economic Development, which were instrumental in putting this partnership together. 

We look forward to seeing a decline in crime in this area, and a growing, business-friendly community,” said Ruggero Grech-Cumbo, the CEO of KAG.  

Cllr Tembe said: “This indeed a momentous occasion. The process was initiated in 2017, and we subsequently faced several administrative and political challenges, which delayed this partnership. 

Signing on the dotted line today was indeed a breakthrough for the city and the community of KEW. The community can expect to see an accelerated decrease in crime in the area over the coming months.”  

The City of Johannesburg has noted the need for public-private partnerships for several years. Today’s partnership should be replicated across all the City’s regions.  

MMC Mbundu said the Multi-Party Government is committed to assisting in eradicating challenges faced by the business community. He added that it will ultimately benefit the City of Joburg and help it carry out its mandate of expanding the local economy, supporting SMMEs, attracting and retaining business across our regions.