In a bold new move, the Ekurhuleni Business Initiative (EBI) is embarking on a drive to get property owners in the derelict East Rand central business districts to repaint their rundown buildings in an effort to uplift the declining city centres.

Donations for paint have already started filtering in.
The owner of the Constantia Theatre in Benoni is the first to put the idea into practice by revamping the theatre in Cranbourne Avenue to the tune of R2,3-million.

Next on the programme is a facelift for the building housing the Benoni Publicity Association.

Chris van Biljon, the chief executive officer of the EBI, said it had been decided that drastic measures had to be taken to upgrade the dull and declining CBDs in time for the 2010 World Cup.

"We simply cannot sit back and have our CBDs slip into slums."

"The EBI and business, with the blessing of the Ekurhuleni metropolitan council, must take the initiative and do something to brighten up our region.

"We are situated right next to Johannesburg International Airport and we want to attract visitors and business."

The clean-up campaign will kick off in earnest in March with the painting of buildings in the Benoni, Boksburg and Kempton Park CBDs, followed by the other Ekurhuleni CBDs.

On Friday, Van Biljon received a R1 000 donation from Pieter Teitge, the owner of Ranch Auctioneers, who issued a challenge to other local businessesto contribute to the "drive to paint our CBDs".

Teitge said he was also prepared to hold a promotional auction of all redundant goods from the metro and local businesses, and would give a significant percentage to the EBI’s upliftment programme.

Van Biljon added: "We want all our CBDs, in the cities and in the townships, to represent a freshly painted rainbow."

The aim of another exciting project, which is expected to get off the ground soon, is to improve the image of Ekurhuleni’s taxi drivers by providing them with bright and colourful uniforms, and by giving them road-safety and customer-care training.

Van Biljon and members of the local taxi council will launch a special initiative late next month: travelling by taxi and assessing the way taxi drivers treat their passengers. "Ekurhuleni’s taxis will be a step ahead of the rest by the time we have to accommodate visitors for the 2010 World Cup, but our initial focus is our own people. They deserve to feel safe as passengers and to be treated as good customers," said Van Biljon.

He has also invited business people from Ekurhuleni to attend the EBI’s meeting at Caesars tonight at 6.30pm, where Tunisian ambassador Ali Goutali is guest speaker.

He will talk about the development of trade links, starting with Ekurhuleni – where Tunisia is also establishing an office – and then moving further afield to South Africa’s other major centres.

Johan Coetzee of Safta, an international division of Pathfinder Management Inc USA, one of the largest sourcing agencies in the world, will also be giving a presentation tonight to inform local business people about business opportunities that exist for them in the US.