This morning Monday 18 July, Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg Councillor Mpho Phalatse and members of her executive team including Speaker of Council, Councillor Vasco Da Gama, local councillors and city employees led by the Regional Director for Region G, Mr Mickey Padiachee joined residents of Lenasia, south of Johannesburg to honour Mandela Day.
Under the theme “Do what you can with what you have, where you are” the City’s leadership spent much more than 67 minutes of their time interacting with residents as they lent a hand to clean, plant a food garden, attend to service delivery failures and conduct road safety checks.
Mayor Phalatse said, “Our call to action is focusing on getting the basics right through A Re Sebetseng service delivery activities, promoting community backyard gardens, supporting fruit and indigenous tree planting, and creating awareness of the intersections between food security and climate change”.
“It is sad though that today has been preceded by senseless killings in Thembelihle which is just a few kilometres from here. Our thoughts are with the affected families and I urge people to be extra vigilant when out in their neighbourhoods and plead with law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to book”, added Mayor Phalatse.
Activities began with a walkabout at Rose Park to inspect refurbished outdoor playground equipment for children with disabilities. Various city departments and entities exhibited at a Farmers Market. Other activities were aerobics to promote healthy lifestyles as well as outreach and education programmes including health care screening and flu vaccinations.
Community members were keen to speak to the mayor and her executive and take selfies, which obliged much to everyone’s delight. The focus then changed and Mr Padiachee led everyone to Nirvana Haven home for the aged where an excited crowd of elderly people were given fruit and vegetable parcels. They were also encouraged to participate in healthcare screening and watched as the executive and officials planted a fruit tree and vegetable garden including visiting some elderly in their homes. Road markings and the pedestrian crossing outside the home were also repainted.
“Closer interaction and involvement of communities in the affairs of Council is becoming more and more important and necessary for you to have a say in the development of your areas as well as support for councilllors”, Speaker Da Gama told a group of chattering elderly whilst listening to their complaints and proposals for improvements.
Later the executive and officials moved to the bustle of the Lenasia Central Business District to inspect the new taxi rank and related developments. True to her word of creating cleaner and safer spaces and appropriately dressed to do so the mayor led her team on a clean-up of the surrounds. A roadblock was also set up on the K53 and N12 by the MMC for Public Safety, Councillor David Tembe.
Informal traders were relieved to know that they were not being harassed but rather spoken to about illegal trading and given education pamphlets. Together with an NGO, about 200 homeless people who live in the vicinity of the taxi rank were fed.
There was also a concerted effort to close open manholes, repair street lighting and fill potholes. At about 2pm a visibly tired but happy contingent of politicians and officials bid farewell to Lenasia and made their way to other parts of the Region.
Region G forms the most southern part of the City of Joburg and is composed of 16 wards: Drieziek, Eldorado Park, Ennerdale, Finetown, Kanana Park, Lakeside, Lawley, Lenasia, Nancefield, Orange Farm, Stretford Extensions, Vlakfontein, and Zakariyya Park.
Regional Director Mickey Padiachee says, “The Region’s northern side consists mainly of residential development intermixed with pockets of undeveloped land. To the east, it consists of vast tracts of farmland with islands of residential developments stretching to Eikenhof. The south-eastern part is more densely populated, it also consists of mostly extensive portions of farmland. The south-western and west side is a vast undeveloped and almost exclusively agricultural expanse stretching up to the isolated settlement of Poortjie. The north-western side is mainly residential with a small industrial component – Klipriviersoog”.
Ends
Written by Virgil James (082 467 9415)
Issued by the City of Johannesburg
For all media queries, please send an email to mediqueries@joburg.org.za
18/07/2022
