Speaker takes kids to Peter Pan - 29 November 2007
Peter Pan flies over the audience; kids - and their parents - sit on the edges of their seats, laughing, singing and enjoying every moment of the performance. This is the mood at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre in Braamfontein during Peter Pan - The Pantomime, where fairies, magic and pirates live.

And, among the audience at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at the Civic Theatre Complex on Thursday, 29 November, were 50 learners from the New Nation School in Mayfair, which caters for children from shelters around Johannesburg. The City's Speaker, Nkele Ntingane, hosted the children as part of Joburg 's 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. Her office paid for their tickets and transport.

joined the group.

According to Ntingane, children who used to roam the streets found it hard to go to places where they could see opportunities and have hope, which is why the City took the initiative. The intention behind the outing was to show them love and make them feel that they were part of the community.

"We want to make them feel that they are still children and we love them."

The initiative was in line with the City's strategy to create a "child-friendly city", she said. In its efforts, Johannesburg had put in place a Human Development Strategy to look at issues like rehabilitative programmes for the youth. It had also established places where abused women and children could get help.

Ntingane appealed to people to stop abusing women and children, saying that they should put themselves in the shoes of those they were abusing. "Put yourself in the shoes of those people you abuse. Please change - and change for the better. There is always hope for us to live in a peaceful society."

Inspirational Women at Work - 27 September 2007
As part of the first 1001 WOMEN FOR THE 1001 WOMEN PROJECT, the Junior Mayor and Junior Speaker were invited by The Speaker of Council to be her mentees. The seminar was held in the old worlde, distinguished environment of the Westcliffe Hotel in Parkview, on Thursday 27 September, to remind one of a more relaxed era of days gone by.

The objectives of the programme are to "empower and inform them, make a positive difference, inspire and motivate and to celebrate achievement", in other words enabling women to build strategic relationships and stronger communities.

The mentoring programme was inspired by Graca Machel when she said "…I want to challenge you to mentor other women – to make sure that you personally transmit the wealth of knowledge and experience and the struggle which you have won, to other women – and at the end of your career you can say 'I fought, I got there, maybe alone, but I leave my career and I leave behind another 2, 5, 10 other women who can carry on'".

The Junior Mayor and Speaker were the youngest of the women there, still being in school. However, they proved that they were imminently suitable for the positions that they occupy because they held their own at every turn. The other mentors and mentees were awestruck at their level of confidence and wisdom. As young women of the new millennia, they embody the hopes of future women in terms of gender equality and strength. They are a symbol of what it is to be a modern woman, who understands the role that she has to play in developing a great city and even greater country.

The young women stood out with their vibrancy and insight into what is required of a South African woman. They instinctively seemed to understand the challenges that they face and absorbed everything with an enthusiasm and eagerness that was enviable. The mentees, who are also Councillors in the City of Joburg, could not believe that these two young ladies are only still teenagers. They left a lasting impression and gave hope to all present of a brighter future filled with powerful women who would be exemplary role models and who will make an impact and carve a new destiny for all women not only nationally, but also globally.

The launch of the new Student Council - 20 June 2007
The new Johannesburg Student Council got off to a glittering start at its launch, held at the Apartheid Museum on Wednesday 20 June 2007.

As the student councillors started arriving, as early as 8am, the excitement was palpable. There was an air of expectancy since the students would also be electing their Junior Mayor, Speaker and portfolio committee chairpersons.

The students were treated to a light breakfast, then taken on a tour of the Apartheid Museum. After the tour the students made their way to the auditorium where they were addressed by Speaker of Council, Nkele Ntingane and Executive Mayor Amos Masondo.

Both emphasised the importance of the voice of the youth. As future leaders, the students were encouraged to identify and trumpet issues affecting the youth. A stirring poem presented by Zandile Hadebe, a student from Orange Farm, exhorted the students to do just that.

This was followed by two songs by the students, conducted by veteran teacher Kevin Vergie. The harmonious performance belied the fact that the group had only one training session. As with all the tasks entrusted to them, the student councilors once again excelled. Vergie deserves a special note of thanks for his efforts, and he has now been adopted as the official choirmaster for the Student Council.

At the end of the ceremonies it was down to serious business, with the students being whisked away to the polling station. Under the watchful eye of IEC officials, they were given their first taste of democracy and allowed to vote for their executive. All IEC processes and procedures were followed and each student received eight ballots for eight positions.

At the same time, seven students - along with the City's Executive Mayor and Speaker - conducted a lively press interview, with the students eagerly engaging with the members of the press. The students were relaxed and confident in their interactions. After the voting and interviews it was time for lunch while the IEC counted the ballots and prepared the results.

Orientation day for the student councillors - 17 March 2007
The new Johannesburg Student Council had its official orientation day on Saturday, 17 March 2007, at the Metro Centre in Braamfontein.

The Speaker of Council Nkele Ntingane welcomed the learners and urged them to make the most of the opportunity presented to them.

About 90 enthusiastic Grade 11 learners packed the auditorium. These learners were carefully selected from 140 secondary schools across Joburg - an inclusive group reflecting the demographics of the city.

Learners from as far as Orange Farm, Soweto, Klipspruit, Eldoradopark, the inner city, Westbury, Bosmont, Linden, Houghton, Midrand, and Diepsloot attended.

Aligned with the City's strategy on youth development, the project aims to introduce the city's young residents to what it is to be a citizen, educating participants on local government issues and giving young citizens a voice in the decisions that affect them. It also creates a platform for debate.

The project also aims is pass on skills to students in various fields: public speaking, leadership, how to debate, how to conduct meetings, protocol, human rights and responsibilities. The learners first assignment was to study the Code of Conduct for Councillors so they could develop their own code of conduct to be adopted at the first council sitting in August.

<< Back to Student Council home page