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The concerns of residents in Region E were
raised at various community meetings during a mayoral road show.
REBECCA Raphasha, a new resident of
Alexandra Extension 9, could not stop singing the praises of Executive Mayor Amos
Masondo and his team for giving her a "great upstairs house".
Joburg's executive mayor Amos Masondo hands over new houses in Alexandra Extension 9 (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
"Oh, Mr Masondo and your team, may the good
Lord give you many more days to live. Thank you very much. I promise to take
care of this house."
Many of the people allocated the new houses
in the suburb were moved from the township's Setjwetla informal settlement. Built
on the banks of the Jukskei
River, the squatter camp
suffered during the rainy season.
The official handing over of keys to
Raphasha and many others was part of Masondo's mayoral road show of Region E
that started in the early hours of Thursday, 22 October.
Close to the ground
The mayor said the purpose of the road show was for government officials and
political heads to be sensitised to people's problems. "Nothing can substitute
direct contact with communities. The closer you are to the ground, the better
your chances of understanding the needs of communities."
To see first-hand the dire housing needs of
people in Alexandra, the road show crew went to Helen Joseph, the women's
hostel. Here they were welcomed by ululating and singing residents, who showed
the City officials the unpleasant living conditions at the hostel.
Drains were blocked; the buildings were
dilapidated; and the hostel was overcrowded. The distressed mayor acknowledged
that people could not continue living in such conditions.
"We know that your problems are real; they
are not imagined. We are here to make a commitment that we will do something
about the situation," he said to a crowd of women who had gathered around to
listen. "We think that the women of Helen Joseph deserve better."
From one hostel to another, and the visitors
drove passed Madala, the male hostel in Alexandra. Because of the rain, however,
they could not go inside.
Executive Mayor Amos Masondo formally opens the River Park Library (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
A convoy led by wailing sirens stopped at
the Eighth Avenue Multi-Purpose Community Centre, which was taken over by the
Johannesburg Property Company less than three months ago. At the time, it was
not properly maintained, but now proper leases are being drawn up by the
company so that tenants can start paying rent.
The centre consists of among other things,
a library, a satellite Home Affairs Department and a City Power desk.
River Park Library
Still on the way through Alex, the convoy stopped briefly at the River Park
Library for its official opening. Masondo unveiled a plaque and took the
opportunity to encourage both young and old to read.
"Books are important, whether it is a Koran
or a Bible or something else, but books are important because they give us a
different view of the world."
The library was built four years ago; it has
four staff members and 18 959 books, which include children's fiction, high
school and primary school study materials, history, science and health books.
From the library, the road show route went
passed the 520 Rented Room Project in Far East Bank. Completed in July 2008, the
housing development consists of 520 rooms for rent.
The rooms have solar geysers, communal
bathrooms, washing up areas, vegetable gardens and security. Renting a room
costs only R350 a month, and there is a crèche and playground in the complex.
Forging links with Joburg's Chinese community (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
The daylong mayoral road show programme
included three community meetings, the first of which was held at China City
at 32 Derrick Avenue
in Cyrildene. Here Masondo and the consul-general of China
in Johannesburg,
Fung Li - in the presence of community members - discussed a way forward regarding
illegal structures not built according to town planning.
Chinese community
They also explored ways to forge links with Joburg's Chinese community for
effective management of the area.
"We do not come to a Chinese community as
people who know it all; far from it, we are coming to engage and hear your
needs," Masondo said. "The second reason we are here is so that the people in
this community have a sense of government."
He also reminded community members,
however, that when in Joburg, they must abide by the City's by-laws.
The mayor's words were echoed by the consul-general,
who said: "Joburg is a big residential area for Chinese people. I can say that
90 percent of the Chinese people who come to Africa
reside in Joburg, but I just want to remind you that we must abide by the South
African law."
Paterson Park Recreation Centre in Norwood was the venue of
the second community meeting. Here the mayor engaged with the community policing
forum, the South African Police Service and the Johannesburg
metro police department about the safety concerns of residents in the suburbs
of Norwood and
Orange Grove.
They complained about 13 illegal liquor shops
on Louis Botha Avenue,
as well as clean up operations that only took place on a half-yearly basis, and
the lack of manhole covers.
Noting needs
Responding to their concerns, the mayor assured community members that their
pleas had not fallen on deaf ears. He told them that the mayoral committee
members of the various departments on the road show had noted their needs and would
make sure that they were met.
Listening to residents of Joburg (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
He also had strong words for those who stole
manhole covers. "Poor people do not have any rights to destroy municipal
infrastructure; nobody does," he said.
The last community meeting was at the
Marlboro Community Hall with residents of Marlboro and Alex raising concerns
about housing shortage, community development and not receiving first priority.
The member of the mayoral committee for
housing, Ruby Mathang, responded that the City was working very hard to change
the face of Alexandra in terms of housing.
His colleague, Parks Tau, the committee
member for finance, said no township was better than another in the City's view.
Budgets were allocated according to the nature of needs in the various
communities and townships.
In answering the question about community
development, the member of the mayoral committee in that sector, Bafana Sithole,
said his door was always open to those who had ideas that might improve arts
and culture activities in Alexandra.
Region E is home to Sandton, an upmarket
suburb, and Alexandra, an old township with a significant place in South Africa's
history. Its long-standing poverty was worsened by the violence of the
political struggle that led to a democratic South Africa, and by a continuing
influx of informal settlers.
Also part of the region is Marlboro, Linbro Park,
Modderfontein, Rounders Hill, Orange Grove and Norwood. Its residents are a mix of highly paid professionals, middle-income
workers and lower paid labourers. There is also a high level of unemployment,
especially in Alexandra.
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