People living and working in the inner city have been urged to attend the first of five planned open days today, where they will be able to speak directly to City officials.

The meeting will take place at the Yeoville Recreation Hall, in Rocky Street

REGION F residents will be able to air their concerns and needs to officials and representatives from municipal-owned entities at various open days planned for the next few months.

In an effort to encourage greater engagement between officials and the public, Region F's administration has committed itself to providing open communication channels that will be available to residents on a regular basis. The first open day will take place on Wednesday, 27 February at the Yeoville Recreation Centre.

"The purpose of the event is to market the services of the City, provide public education and tackle complaints from the City's customers in a meaningful and caring manner," Region F management confirmed.

Over and above service delivery issues, a health corner will be set up that will be manned by Region F's health department. They will offer advice on child nutrition, immunisation and the importance of knowing one's HIV/Aids status. It will also be possible for residents to have free blood pressure and sugar level checks.

Representatives from municipal-owned entities, or MOEs, will be present to attend to specific complaints regarding service delivery. MOEs include Joburg Water, City Power, Pikitup and City Parks.

The stakeholder management and liaison manager for Region F, Shaun O'Shea, said the by-law education sessions scheduled for the early evening would be beneficial for informal and formal traders and taxi operators as by-laws pertaining to them would be discussed.

The first open day and information session takes place today, 27 February, at the Yeoville Recreation Centre. There is a general session on service delivery issues and health from 9am to 1pm, and a by-law education session targeting taxi drivers, traders and others from 6pm to 9 pm.

Other open days are on 26 March, 29 April, 28 May and 25 June. The sessions will take place on a rotational basis, and venues for the other four events will be confirmed later.

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