City of Johannesburg
City of Johannesburg
08/18/2023 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/18/2023 01:00
Irene Mafune striving for a better inner city
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Irene Mafune, the Regional Director for Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM) in Region F, is a multi-talented with unmatched tenacity. She leads Region F which includes the inner city and the south of Johannesburg. Region F. Almost one million people move through the inner city every day, including many seeking economic opportunities from all over South Africa and other parts of the world. Her responsibilities include providing regional service delivery governance, urban management and delivering services by ensuring the City is responsive to the needs of the community.
Her journey in the City of Joburg is intriguing. She is trained archaeologist, however, her determination to contribute meaningfully to a broader scope led her to a different field.
"As a young professional, career growth can lead you into different places, when I joined the City in the Community Development department, I realised I'm in the wrong department and there is a much bigger role for me to play in the city hence, I moved to Urban Management," says Mafune.
"When I joined Urban Management, I began to have a full understanding of the city's responsibility of service delivery in a broader perspective and to change the urban landscape of the city."
She believes the benefits of having women in leadership are that they are focused, can multitask and are good at balancing issues by running multiple streams at the same time. "Women are nurturing; motherly instinct goes with us everywhere. Women are visionaries, they tend to drive processes."
Mafune is concerned with some of the barriers women leaders face in organisations, adding that they are always boxed in and deemed too emotional. "Across the globe women have ascended to high positions and are excelling. The barrier is that people always think men are born leaders."
Small steps have been taken to employ and promote women to higher positions like those of deputy directors and operational managers in Region F.
Every August, during women's month, Mafune arranges women-only activities within the region and encourages women to take up spaces, elevate themselves and upgrade their skills.
She applauds the City for putting in place policies that talk to employment equity but feels there is still a high level of male leaders in the city.
While delivering services, Irene admits that it is quite difficult to balance her life and career.
"This situation goes with the level I'm in and the area of operations (inner city) which is under the microscope of everyone. This is not your typical 8 to 5 job, you are always on call as there are multiple stakeholders, investors, traders, taxi operators, small business and residents requiring intervention on various issues. It becomes very difficult to have cut-off time however I try to put everything aside and spend time with family," she says.
She advises women not to look at any societal construct that puts women in a position where they feel these boots are too big to fill.
"If you are qualified and can make constructive inputs and contribute in the growth and redevelopment of the city, then you need to go for it. It also takes a lot of personal evaluation and assessment and look at the skill gaps and whether you have the capacity to deliver. Socialise with people, go to meetings and workshops, read and watch how other cities are operating."
Mafune is currently pursuing her PhD with a focus on establishing what contributes to urban decay and how the Inner City can be turned into a clean, safe, livable, and attractive urban environment for future generations. She also believes authorities can make the inner-city work if they have a clear vision of what to achieve.
"We need all the stakeholders participate to grow the city to ensure that it remains the economic hub of the country.
"I'm concerned with my personal professional integrity above everything. The expectations that our communities have, I feel that as public servants, we have a massive obligation to ensure those expectations are met. If we are seen to be failing or not effective in delivering our mandate, that's worrying," she says.
Written by Dudu Lushaba
18/08/2023
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