Internal Newsletter
In the Loop Issue No.
08 June 2014
The JSE welcomes The City of Joburg INSIDE
Opening of memorial Acre
Service Excellence
EMS Courses
New Appoinment
Contents
Contents
2 – In the Loop
3
Welcome
4
Memorial pays homage to the youth of June 1976
5
13
City officials scoop top awards in environmental excellence
Record budget for City at work
14
City learners take control of their environment
6
Westbury to get a makeover
15
Youth score big in the City’s EPWP intervention
7
Msimang, the no-nonsense crime-buster
16
City develops the youth for the workplace
8
Student Council prepares youth to be future leaders
17
MMC Lemao leads winter safety drive to save lives
10
Service excellence - the new site of struggle for Joburg youth
18
City’s MEs doing it for the youth
11
Youths channel energies to fight poverty
19
Youth Month at Joburg City Theatres
12
EMS fulfils youth’s quest to save lives
22
Ballet takes Joburg by storm
Welcome June is Youth Month, a time to recall and celebrate the heroic exploits of the Soweto youth of 1976, but also a time to reflect on the state of our youth today.
Youth are people in the prime of their lives, with lots of energy for society to tap into. In this edition, you’ll see the resilience and resourcefulness of young people as they study, produce food, look after the environment and even save lives to stake a claim for themselves in the future of the City. But young people are also active producers and consumers of the arts. We thus profile the new generation as they turn ballet into a popular art form with assistance from the Johannesburg Ballet.
Perhaps the biggest problem facing young people of today is unemployment. This edition of In The Loop, reports on the various interventions the City has come up with to give young people a meaningful start in life and hope for the future. Coming out just after MMC for Finance in the City, Councillor Geoffrey Makhubo delivered a record budget for the 2014/15 financial year, it demonstrates how the City deploys its resources to forge a brighter future for its young. We report on the way this budget stimulates the economy of the City by providing improved infrastructure to make Joburg more liveable, resilient and prosperous.
But the youth of today still have many obstacles to overcome and the City seeks to create an enabling environment for youth across the spectrum to thrive. A case in point is that of Bernadette Rigney, a young person who has had to overcome her own disability to take up the struggles of the disabled. As the Transformation Officer of the City,
Nabintu Petsana
Group Head of Group Communications and Tourism
Rigney is behind the drive to create a welcoming environment for people living with disabilities. We also look at how youngsters contribute to the governance of the City through their participation in the Youth council. With school holidays on the horizon, we also look at what the City’s theatres have lined up for youngsters. This edition of In the Loop leaves the reader confident that the future of our City is in good hands.
Acknowledgements
Cover Credit
Chief Editor:
The JSE welcomes the City of Joburg
Nabintu Petsana - bintup@joburg.org.za
Editor:
Thomas Thale - thomasth@joburg.org.za
Executive Mayor, Mpho Parks Tau
Contributor:
Luyanda Lunika - luyandal@joburg.org.za
Photography:
Enoch Lehung - enochl@joburg.org.za
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In the Loop – 3
Memorial pays homage to the youth of June 1976
The City of Johannesburg marked June 16 by unveiling a new memorial acre and a Garden of Hope dedicated to the class of 1976. The June 16 Memorial Acre is a building that houses images, artefacts and a June 16 Interpretation Centre. It tells the story of 16 June 1976, when students from across Soweto faced off against security forces whilst protesting against apartheid education. The memorial includes a double-storey building in the shape of an AK-47 assault rifle, a symbol of the struggle against apartheid, and a statue of Tsietsi Mashinini, one of the student leaders of the march. Premier David Makhura and Acting Mayor, MMC Mally Mokoena cut the ribbon before the premier gave MMC Mokoena the keys and title deeds, symbolizing the handover of the memorial acre to the City. MMC Mokoena expressed hope that the interpretation centre would “lead to a new interpretation of our past in order to inspire students, poets, artists and photographers, to infuse life in our history, and educate future generations about the richness of our heritage”. She added that developing the June 16 precinct is part of City efforts to change the spatial patterns of 4 – In the Loop
the past. “What we are witnessing today is part of our broader strategic drive to transform spatial patterns in Johannesburg through our Corridors of Freedom and investment in infrastructure, so as to eradicate the legacy of a city divided on the basis of race and privilege and create a more cohesive society.” Premier Makhura planted a Tree of Youth at the site earmarked for the Garden of Hope. He announced that 23 trees representing students who were gunned down on 16 June 1976 would be planted at the Garden of Hope. Thousands of participants had earlier joined in the march from Morris Isaacson High School to Phefeni Junior High School. Premier Makhura and MMC Mokoena then presided over the wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the 38th anniversary of 16 June 1976, which turned the course of South African history and shaped its future. Wi-Fi facilities were unveiled at Phefeni Secondary School. Premier Makhura urged the youth of Soweto to make use of the Centre to showcase their talent. “The Institute will become a Centre for memory and a resource for young people to contribute to community development through various youth developmental programmes that will be run from the institute.”
Record budget for City at work Finance MMC Councillor Geoffrey Makhubo says the massive budget will speed up fundamental transformation of the City The budget comes on the back of the City’s healthy financial performance following years characterised by challenges such as low cash balances, high volumes of customer queries and qualified audits.
In what has emerged as a powerful testimony to the City of Johannesburg’s determination to confront social deficits in their various forms, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance Councillor Geoffrey Makhubo has unveiled a record R47,1 billion budget for the 2014-2015 financial year. The unprecedented budget represents a R7 billion increase compared with the one the MMC delivered in the previous financial year. Of the R47,1 billion budgeted for the new financial year, more than R36,7 billion will be spent on operational needs and requirements, while the balance – R10,4 billion – will be channelled to the City’s massive capital projects, including the rollout of the Corridors of Freedom spatial development initiative. All in all, the City’s capital budget over the next three years will total R32 billion. Councillor Makhubo said through the budget, the City was determined not only to continue making a contribution to the development of Johannesburg but also to “spearhead, champion and coordinate such development”. “This budget will fund the implementation of our basic programmes and the new ideas for which Johannesburg is renowned. It will also speed up the fundamental transformation of this City and making every citizen proud of living, working and playing here,” he said.
However, after the implementation of its Financial Development Plan, the City has: • Built up substantial cash reserves. In the current financial year, the City has, despite a monthly expenditure of R2,2 billion, maintained an average monthly cash balance of more than R5 billion; • Successfully redeemed R1,9 billion of its municipal bonds since entering the municipal bond market about 10 years ago; • Scaled up its capital investment from R4,5 billion in 2012-2013 to R10,4 billion in the 2014-2015 financial year; and • Received an unqualified audit, a strongest indication yet that the City’s finances are in a healthy state. The MMC said the City was on track with its programme to invest R100 billion in infrastructure over a 10-year period. This, Councillor Makhubo said, would be key to the City’s ability to change the urban environment for the better. City Power received the lion’s when it was allocated an operating budget of R13.2 billion and a further R7,3 billion capital budget to be spread over the next three financial years. The money is to be spent on, among other things, refurbishment of ageing infrastructure, investment in new bulk infrastructure, investing in a comprehensive system to deal with cable theft and vandalism, and replacement of obsolete meters. The Johannesburg Water has been allocated an operational budget of R6,4 billion for the 2014-2015 financial year and a further R4 billion capital budget for the next three years. This will enable the municipal-owned entity to respond to critical issues around urban water management and provision of water services. Waste management company Pikitup’s operational budget for 2014-2015 stands at R1,8 billion, while its three-year capital budget allocation is at R470 million. In the Loop – 5
Westbury to get a makeover Westbury, a sprawling and dusty township in the west of Johannesburg, is soon to be transformed into a top-class neighbourhood and an integrated community in which residents will have access to a wide range of social amenities in line with the Corridors of Freedom spatial development initiative. In his 2014-2015 budget speech, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance Councillor Geoffrey Makhubo outlined a number of projects that would be undertaken to turn Westbury into an important “corridor of freedom”. More than R10,4 billion has been set aside this year for a number of capital projects aimed at, among other things, re-stitching the City to create a different future for residents, linking people to jobs and jobs to people along transport corridors. With the Noordgesig-Parktown Rea Vaya rapid bus transit system route already running through the suburb,
Westbury will soon see the construction of cycle lanes and walkways along Kretchmar, Dowling and Steytler streets to create safe and interconnected movement and links with surrounding areas. Over and above that, the City will create a pedestrian crossing at Westbury Station for schoolchildren. The pedestrian crossing will, however, also create a vital link between Westbury and adjoining areas with job opportunities. On the sporting side, the City will upgrade the Union Stadium Precinct, including the stadium itself, multipurpose buildings, a park and various sports facilities. Three other parks are to be upgraded or redeveloped to create safe community spaces. The Westbury Clinic will be upgraded into a state-of-the-art facility offering comprehensive primary healthcare services. Also earmarked for a facelift is the Westbury Library.
Municipal-owned entity/Department
Operational budget 2014-2015
Three-year capital budget
Johannesburg and Social Housing Company (JOSHCO)
R135 million
R2 billion
Community Development
R927.1 million
R307 million
Health
R674.7 million
R127 million
Social Development
R129.1 million
R47 million
Public Safety
R2.6 billion
R453 million
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo
R732 million
R356 million
Joburg City Theatres
R117 million
R20 million
Economic Development
R109.6 million
R71 million
Transportation
R1.2 billion
R3.2 billion
Development Planning
R275 million
R1.5 billion
Joburg Market
R304 million
R835 million
Johannesburg Property Company (JPC)
R425 million
R507 million
Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA)
R79 million
R612 million
Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA)
R814 million
R5.6 billion
Metrobus
R513 million
R506 million
OTHER BUDGET ALLOCATIONS
6 – In the Loop
New appointment
Msimang, the no-nonsense crime-buster Hlula Msimang, the newly appointed Public Safety Head of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), wants to see Johannesburg being counted among the safest cities in the world. Msimang, who joined JMPD in March this year, has extensive experience in the public safety, security and intelligence arenas. A former commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the then banned African National Congress, Msimang spent five years as head of Ekurhuleni Metro Police and another four as chief of the Tshwane Metro Police – valuable experience that stands him in good stead as he starts to chart his new journey in the City of Johannesburg. Msimang says JMPD is a “solid institution” that has the potential to significantly reduce crime and enforce bylaws effectively using resources currently at its disposal. He says although the unit has done well in traffic policing, there is now a critical need to improve the calibre of its officers, both in capacity and conduct, and to enhance existing systems. “We have been effective at traffic policing,” says Msimang. “JMPD is a solid institution that can do more and get better results. We can reduce crime and road fatalities significantly.” The JMPD’s plan, Msimang says, is to reduce crime in Johannesburg by 30% in five years. “We must deal with the perception of the city as one of the crime capitals of the world. We must deal with issues of lawlessness across the board,” he says.
Hlula Msimang
Public Safety Head of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD)
One way of achieving this, Msimang points out, will be through the refocusing of the department’s resources and operations. “At roadblocks we should search vehicles. We should have dogs sniffing for drugs and firearms. We should check car registrations and fingerprints to pick up wanted criminals,” says Msimang. He describes the move to merge the Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) with JMPD as a “good thing” as it will ensure synergies. A restructuring process to amalgamate the two units is presently under way and Msimang has moved to assure employees that “no one will lose their jobs” as a result. He says the EMS will be adequately equipped to respond to disasters in the quickest possible times. The unit’s early warning capacity will also be significantly improved. Resources are key to achieve these objectives. Msimang says to this end, the City will acquire additional ambulances, some from the Gauteng Provincial Government and some from within. Relations with stakeholders, including local communities and the private sector, are of vital importance if EMS is to succeed in its work. “The relations must be dynamic... We also need to ensure that we engage with communities, including those who live on disaster flood lines, who we must prepare for impending disasters,” he says. In the Loop – 7
Student Council prepares youth to be future leaders The City of Johannesburg’s junior council has become a solid and firm platform to groom the city’s and South Africa’s future leaders. The junior council, which consists of 100 energetic learners from 60 high schools around Johannesburg, is a critical marketplace of the youth’s ideas, a platform where issues affecting young people are debated and thrashed out. The 100 junior councillors have a tough mission of being the voice for the City’s youths, raising burning issues and finding sustainable solutions. This gives them practical local government experience. They learn everything there is to know about this sphere of government – from how political decisions are made to how these are carried out by everyone involved. Azaraa Moyideen, a 16-year-old learner at Sir John Adamson High School in the south of Johannesburg, says being part of the junior council has taught her many things in life. She was elected to the junior council in recognition of her leadership qualities as the captain of a hockey team in her school and because of her excellent academic achievements. “It is sad and tragic that, as the youth of South Africa will be celebrating Youth Month, parents in Nigeria are praying for the safe return of the more than 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram to settle political scores. It shows how women and children are not free in Africa.”
8 – In the Loop
Moyideen says members of the junior council have been tasked to create awareness in their schools around the “Bring Back our Girls” campaign to show support and say no to all forms of terrorism. Branden Molotsi, Moyideen’s fellow learner at Sir John Adamson High School, says he is delighted to be a member of the junior council. The 16-year-old Molotsi says the experience has been “fruitful” for him as he now knows how the council and local government work. “I have met so many intelligent young people from different schools and different backgrounds. We have learned a lot from each other and the engagements we have had,” says Molotsi. “We’re very lucky as the youth of today because we have the same opportunities as everyone else and are given platforms to air our views. We should embrace the opportunity and make use of it. The junior council prepares us to be the future leaders of this city,” said Molotsi He says June 16 is a significant day as it celebrates the role the youth played in South Africa’s hard-fought democracy. It symbolises the power of the youth and what they can do. “As we celebrate this day, we should ask ourselves this question: Is this what the youth of 1976 fought for? Would they be proud to see young people abusing drugs and alcohol?” he asked.
Branden Molotsi and Azaraa Moyideen Sir John Adamson High School
In the Loop – 9
Service excellence - the new site of struggle for Joburg youth youth struggle – changing perceptions about people with disabilities and working to ensure that they enjoy the same rights as their able-bodied counterparts in line with the country’s constitution. A person living with a disability herself, Rigney has, as the City’s Transformation Officer for Disability Awareness, been involved in many activities, projects and programmes aimed at bringing about positive change to the lives of those living with disabilities. She works hard to ensure that the City complies with legislative and social requirements, including the creation of reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities.
Bernadette Rigney had not been born yet when Soweto youths rose up in collective anger on 16 June 1976 in protest against inferior education in and the dehumanising apartheid system in general. Everyone now knows how that fateful, chilly wintry day 38 years ago hastened the pace of the struggle for the freedom that all South Africans are enjoying today. Now – 20 years into democracy and 38 years after the Class of 1976 made their voices heard in such an emphatic fashion – Joburg youths are, like many of their counterparts in the rest of the country, involved in new types of struggles to make the now-liberated South Africa an even better country to live in. For 34-year-old Rigney in particular, the challenge is to help turn Johannesburg into an efficiently and effectively run City. And she is not alone. “Many of Johannesburg’s youth today have a vision and a fresh perspective of how a world-class city should look. With the necessary guidance and mentoring, we can assist the City by utilising our energies in a positive and constructive way. This will ensure an efficient and well-run City,” she says. Rigney is also catapulting change and transformation in another important terrain of the present-day 10 – In the Loop
“For instance, if a visually impaired person is appointed, the City needs to provide him or her with a braille machine to read documents. The City also needs to provide fully accessible buildings, lifts and ramps. Only then can we recruit new people with disabilities. In the meantime, it is my responsibility to ensure that the current staff is accommodated. I also assist employees with disabilities to pursue their career paths,” she says. Rigney is pleased with the progress the City has made to accommodate people with disabilities so far. “As an employee with a disability, I am in a unique position to bring to the attention of decision-makers the challenges and issues faced by people with disabilities. Working here has not only opened up opportunities for me but for other disabled people as well,” says Rigney, who has limited arm and leg movement as a result of a condition called Arthrogryposis. One of the successes she has achieved in changing perceptions in the eight years that she has been with the City was the training she spearheaded to enable Rea Vaya bus drivers to assist passengers with disabilities. “This training was so successful that even Gautrain committed,” she says. “I absolutely enjoy my life. My philosophy is to take every challenge and turn it into an adventure.” Rigney, who joined the City in 2006, is single. She enjoys taking part in awareness programmes and loves shopping and “everything glamorous”.
Youths channel energies to fight poverty After qualifying as an auxiliary nurse, Tumi Matla (27) abandoned the health profession to follow her passion of gardening and food production. Region C has also helped community members set up over 1 000 food gardens which benefitted over 4000 people. A further 1 100 families received vegetable packs from the Food Bank operated by the City in the region since November last year. For its part, Region D has initiated and supported 158 gardens with 753 beneficiaries and trained 60 community members to farm. In Region A, 42 youths are participating in cooperatives and communal gardens after attending in-house training. Ten of the youths have gone on to set up two cooperatives.
Matla is one of 12 members of the Rietfontein Youth Cooperative, a youth organisation on the outskirts of Orange Farm, in the south of Johannesburg. The 17-member group is based in Poortjie, southwest of Orange Farm. In the whole of Region G, a lot of progress has been made setting up food gardens which are central to the City’s Food Resilience Programme, one of the 10 key priorities of the Growth and Development Strategy. Seeds were handed out to 767 homesteads, 168 homestead gardens started and 344 homesteads visited since last year. The City assists 87 cooperatives in the region, mostly run by the youth. They are among an increasing number of youths in Johannesburg who have responded positively to the call by the Executive Mayor, Councillor Mpho Parks Tau, to establish food gardens as part of a City-wide initiative to alleviate hunger and poverty, and promote food security. The long term vision is to have a city where no one goes hungry. It will be realised by among others: • Improving CoJ’s capacity to offer nutritious feeding programmes; • Forstering partnerships with stakeholders; • Improving the knowledgebase of emerging and aspiring farmers; and • Developing marketing channels for emerging farmers. Under the programme, the City supplies seeds, helps with equipment for soil preparation and offers training in food production. With the unemployment rate among the youth unacceptably high, young people are turning to gardening and food production not only to keep themselves occupied, but also as a way of earning an income.
In addition, more than 200 youths are to undergo extensive training in agricultural management and garden maintenance at the various agri resource centres in the City’s seven regions. The resource centres: • Operate as advice centres for emerging farmers; • Provide implements and tools to emerging farmers on a loan basis; • Provide production inputs such as fertiliser, seed, compost and chemicals; • Assist farming projects or emerging farmers to register as cooperatives and access relevant funding mechanisms; • Provide information on how to start farming; • Provide relevant training; and • Support emerging farmers right across the entire value chain. “I have realised how important and essential food production is in general. But beyond that, I enjoy what I’m doing,” says Matla. According to Johannes Seloane, one of the trainers, the training module covers understanding different kinds of soil texture, seeds and seeding, seasonal rotation of vegetables to avoid soil exhaustion or to maintain the richness of the soil. Conway Moss, of Creative Business Solutions, says having your own backyard garden will not only go a long way to building healthy families and communities, but will also reduce the risk of contradicting diseases such as kwashiorkor and malnutrition. It could also benefit people living with HIV and Aids. A study by the Independent Development Trust conducted in 2012 found that about 42% of the poor people in Johannesburg do not have a meal at regular intervals.
In the Loop – 11
EMS fulfils youth’s quest to save lives The Johannesburg Emergency Management Services Medical (EMS) Training Academy in Florida, Roodepoort, is abuzz with activity as more and more City employees and residents – most of them young people – throng the venue to undergo various emergency services management courses. This is in line with the City’s aim to save lives and put youth in gainful employment. The academy offers five courses at present and is working towards offering the formal Higher Certificate in Emergency Medical Assistance and a National Diploma in Emergency Care. The courses on offer at present are: • Basic Ambulance Assistant Course; • Basic Ambulance Assistant Refresher Course; • Ambulance Emergency Assistant Course; • Ambulance Emergency Assistant Refresher Course; and • Advanced Life Support Paramedic Refresher Course. Wynand van der Net, head of the Johannesburg Emergency Medical Services Medical Training Academy, says the greatest motivation for people to want to acquire skills in emergency medical services is their passion and desire to save lives. Van der Net says though many who attend short courses might have been persuaded to do so by unemployment, the bulk of those who enrol for the intermediary and advance courses are driven by a genuine desire to help save lives. He says the academy only provides training in emergency medical services. The other aspects of emergency services – such as rescue operations, firefighting and commercial courses – are offered at the Rietfontein and Brixton campuses. The courses offered at the Florida campus are divided into short, intermediary and advance training. Short courses are offered over four months or a shorter duration, while the others can last up to a year to two. According to van der Net, the academy is refocusing its attention on intermediate life support and advanced courses “because these provide a wider and deeper understanding of what is required”. One of the trainees, Lydia Nameng, 33, started working for the City in 2004 as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician. Nameng, who has also under-
12 – In the Loop
gone training in firefighting, says her primary motivation to enter emergency services was the “love and concern” for people’s lives. “The training we receive here is very helpful. We get to learn about the different diseases that commonly affect people and how to treat them. For me and most of my colleagues, it is about saving lives,” she says. Van der Nest says the courses are open to all City employees and Johannesburg residents. “Anyone with a matric certificate is eligible to apply and stands a chance to enrol and become an EMS student,” he says. However, prospective students need to write and pass an entrance exam and undergo physical tests first before they can be enrolled. Course Coordinator Clifford Mokgatlha abandoned his engineering studies to pursue a career in Emergency Medical Services. Mokgatlha also teaches the Intermediate Life Support Course. Mokgatlha is a graduate of the University of Johannesburg, where he is about to complete his honours degree in Emergency Medical Care. “I find this fulfilling knowing that I can save somebody’s life,” he says. At the moment, there are 12 City employees undergoing training in Ambulance Emergency Assistance, a four-month course.
City officials scoop top awards in environmental excellence waste collectors in waste minimisation and minimisation of waste through the establishment of organic food gardens.
Three City of Johannesburg environmental health practitioners were recognised for their excellence in the environmental field when they were presented with the Alfred Nzo Achievement Awards during an environmental health conference at the Metro Centre recently. The awards are in honour of African National Congress struggle veteran Alfred Nzo, one of the African trailblazers in the environmental health space. Nzo, who qualified as an Environmental Health Inspector in 1951, was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs after the 1994 democratic elections. He died in 2000. This year’s Alfred Nzo Achievement Awards recipients were: • Roxanne Devraj, of Region E, who received her award for her presentation: “Recycling of Cooking Oil”; • Andre Lourens, of Region A, who was recognised for his offering: “Minimisation of Waste Through the Establishment of an Organic Food Garden in Ivory Park; and • Bernedette Gentz, of Region B, who was presented with the award for her presentation: “Developing Training Material for Informal Food Traders”. The trio were presented with the awards as an acknowledgement of the significant contribution they made to the City and their involvement in transforming environmental health. Some of the topics covered during the Alfred Nzo Research Conference and Awards included the development of training material for informal food traders and the role of informal
The awards ceremony and conference, held under the theme: “Environmental Health Celebrating 20 Years of Democracy”, were attended by, among other high-profile personalities, Clr Nonceba Molwele, the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health and Social Development; and Clr Gabriel Matlou, the Chairperson of Health and Social Development Committee. In her address, Clr Molwele said the environment and issues related to it were central to “the national agenda of our country”. “The City of Johannesburg is committed to a clean and healthy environment.” She singled out rodent infestation as one of the environmental health threats plaguing the city. “Rodent infestation is more prevalent in poor communities, besieging hospitals, schools and businesses. “Fortunately, the Rat Cage Programme, which has also won an Alfred Nzo Award, has worked extremely well in eliminating rats in some of these areas,” Molwele said. The Alfred Nzo Achievements Award was introduced in 2002 by the National Environmental Health Directorate. The awards are given to individuals who contribute to the transformation of environmental health and create innovative ideas in the advancement of environment health services. Devraj, the 26-year-old environmental health practitioner for Region E, said winning the award was really special for her. “I feel both honoured and privileged to have been given the opportunity to represent my region and present my research at the event. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my team, which I am grateful for. “It is a great feeling knowing that the work we as Environmental Health Practitioners conduct is recognized and appreciated. As a young lady, it gives me a sense of hope that anything is possible in a changing South Africa, where young women can excel in a job that was previously male-dominated,” she said. In the Loop – 13
City learners take control of their environment Seven Johannesburg primary schools shared more than R61 000 in prize money in the inaugural Eco-Rangers Competition, an annual platform to raise awareness and educate young children about environmental issues facing South Africans today. The competition, the brainchild of City of Johannesburg waste management company Pikitup, was launched by the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment and Infrastructural Services, Councillor Matshidiso Mfikoe, during the Joburg Waste Management Summit in May last year. The competition, which is also called “Pitch In and Pikitup”, is also aimed at raising awareness among primary school learners about the impact of negative environmental issues and how these could be managed going forward. The objective of the programme is to entrench understanding among young children that work needs to start now to secure future environmental sustainability. The winning schools were: • Hlakaniphani Primary in Dlamini, Soweto; • Parkside Primary, Lenasia South; • Laerskool Heldekruin, Roodepoort; • Carter Primary, Alexandra; 14 – In the Loop
• • •
Mvelendzandivho Primary in Tshiawelo, Soweto; Panorama Primary, Weltevreden Park, Roodepoort; and Mikateko Primary, in Ivory Park, Midrand.
The programme, which forms part of the CAPS curriculum, reached more than 150 000 learners and 7 000 educators in 200 schools in the jurisdiction of the City of Johannesburg. It features four characters– Recyclo, Litter-X, Lynx and Sky – which embody and epitomise the objectives of the programme. The learners were given the freedom to choose a project that addressed the four learning parameters – recycling, not littering, conservation and reducing carbon footprint. Entrants had to state the programme, research it, select a solution, put it into practice, evaluate its effectiveness and present the results. In the new financial year, Pikitup will conduct an Eco Rangers roadshow and embark on several initiatives to link the 200 participating primary schools and a further 200 with cooperatives for the collection of recyclable materials. The aim is to eventually have all primary schools in the City running the Eco Rangers programme.
Youth score big in the City’s EPWP intervention All the beneficiaries received training in a wide range of skills, including horticulture, HIV and Aids awareness, home-based care, plumbing, carpentry, traffic control, bricklaying, brush cutting, environmental awareness and cable trenching. The City’s assistance to the youth is particularly visible in the streets, where, as JMPD Ambassadors, they can be seen directing traffic.
According to EPWP Director Patson Khosa, over and above the opportunity to earn a living, the beneficiaries receive assistance in acquiring learner’s and driver’s licences. Bokaba Maluleke, Head of the City’s Department of Economic Development, says the primary objective of the programme is to provide the beneficiaries with skills to enable them to find permanent employment in organisations that require such expertise and knowledge.
The youth have emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of the City of Johannesburg’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The programme, whose primary objective is to create short-term work opportunities for the army of unemployed people in the City, covers a wide variety of fields from which to tap in. In the 2013-2014 financial year alone, a total of 35 967 job opportunities were given young people in various EPWP projects throughout the City. This made the youth group the largest beneficiary in the City’s important employment and skills development intervention.
The City aims to ensure that at least 55% of those taken on board are youth. “EPWP is not intended to provide jobs. Its primary objective is to create and provide opportunities to individuals who may then use the experience to find permanent employment for themselves,” says Maluleke. On completion of the programme, the beneficiaries are presented with certificates showing the expertise they have acquired. Maluleke says EPWP funding is a top-up to budgets allocated to the various departments of the City. The programme receives requests for funding from the various departments. “On receiving these requests, we assess and evaluate their viability and also ensure that such requests conform or are in line with our principle to create employment opportunities. We insist on labour intensive projects,” says Maluleke.
In the Loop – 15
City develops the youth for the workplace Recognising that its future lies in the hands of the youth, the City of Johannesburg is offering deserving learners and tertiary education students opportunities to pursue their career aspirations through bursaries, learnerships and internships. In the past five years alone, the City has granted more than 500 bursaries, 831 internships and 180 learnerships to open up career opportunities for the youth and to enable them to play a meaningful role in the country’s economy. According to Enoch Mafuyeka, Deputy Director of Employment Relations and Development, the City wants to expand its programme by offering young internships to graduates. “We want to accommodate as many people as possible. The reason that young graduates are not employed is because they are said to lack experience. We want to bridge that gap,” Mafuyeka. At present, the City is exploring the possibility of establishing relations with local businesses to create a platform where all stakeholders could assist young graduates. “Those that we take under our wing and assist must convince us that they are serious about life, that they are worthy of our financial support,” says Mafuyeka. The City has a number of training programmes to meet socio-economic requirements in Johannesburg communities. 16 – In the Loop
Bursaries are given to learners who want to study at tertiary institutions, internships are for those requiring work experience and learnerships are aimed at benefiting those pursuing careers within the ambit of the City, including financial and accounting management, human resource development, and emergency social services. Mafuyeka explains that bursaries are given to Johannesburg learners who not only meet the set criteria but also show potential in fields that are beneficial to the City. “These training initiatives are offered strictly to youth or learners whose permanent residence is with the Greater Johannesburg area. Learnerships are also given to Joburg residents. But the purpose of the programme is to give the individual a recognised qualification,” says Mafuyeka. In the case of learnerships and internships, students receive a stipend. According to Mafuyeka, the City recruits interns on an ongoing basis and interested candidates can drop their CVs at any time of the year for interested departments to consider them. On learnerships, the City works with the Local Government SETA to advertise vacancies in local newspapers with requirements, closing dates and careers offered. Applications for City bursaries, including requirements and the closing dates, are advertised in September.
MMC Lemao leads winter safety drive to save lives City of Joburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Public Safety, Councillor Sello Lemao, rolled up his sleeves and got his hands dirty during a campaign to ensure that residents keep safe this winter. The objective of the awareness campaign – conducted in Sitjwetla, an informal settlement near Alexandra – was to sensitise residents, especially those living in informal settlements, on the dangers inherent in winter months that would usually see people making fires in an attempt to keep warm. Councillor Lemao and his team conducted demonstrations on how to avert or avoid fire-related hazards. The team consisted of Johannesburg Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel, firefighters and members of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD). The exercise formed part of the City’s Proactive Community Resilience programmes, which seeks to empower residents with disaster management skills to deal with fires, floods and any other disasters. EMS is at present driving a safety campaign aimed at mainly vulnerable areas, including informal settlements. The programme involves the establishment of Champions or Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) in areas known to be prone to disasters. So far, more than 800 residents have undergone the training. It is envisaged that by the end of the financial year, at least 1 600 champions will have gone through the programme. Clr Lemao is known to favour the expansion of the programme to include students. There are efforts under way to have the programme included as part of the school curriculum. The City’s Public Safety Department is engaging the Department of Basic Education to formalise the inclusion. The purpose of the training, according to Councillor Lemao, is to enable communities to take proactive action when faced with disasters so damage and fatalities are contained.
EMS spokesman Robert Mulaudzi says the campaign will be conducted at all 178 informal settlements. Among the safety gadgets handed out to residents during the campaign were smoke detectors. Councillor Lemao said places such as crèches and pre-schools will also be supplied with these gadgets. “We hope that eventually all households will be able to acquire these detectors, which will go a long way in saving lives and property,” Councillor Lemao. In the Loop – 17
City’s MEs doing it for the youth With unemployment among the youth rocketing from 32.7% in 2008 to 36.1% this year, according to Statistics SA, the City of Johannesburg and its Municipal Entities (MEs) are pulling out all stops to help arrest the scourge. The MEs – including Johannesburg Water, Metrobus and Johannesburg Market – have developed programmes aimed at assisting the youth to acquire skills that will give them relevant experience and improve their chances of gaining fulltime employment either within the City or elsewhere in the market. Johannesburg Water has at present 14 interns spread across its various departments, including Supply Chain Management, Human Resources, Internal Audit, Communications and Bulk Waste Water and Business Support. This brings to 65 the number of interns who went through the programme since its inception in 2003. “Overall, our internship programme has met its objective, with the majority of our interns finding suitable employment upon completion of the programme,” says Johannesburg Water spokesperson Millicent Kabwe. Over and above this, the ME has awarded bursaries to several deserving learners, especially those from disadvantaged communities, to pursue their studies at various universities and colleges. 18 – In the Loop
Metrobus has a total of 61 young men and women on its apprenticeship and internships programmes for 2012-2017. Of these, 41 are males and 20 females under the age of 35. Those on the apprenticeship programme are trainee motor mechanics, auto electricians, diesel mechanics and body builders. The internship programme caters for bus or coach drivers and transport supervisors. The Johannesburg Market, with funding assistance from the Wholesale & Retail Sector Education and Training Authority, recruits its interns from beneficiaries of the City’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). At present, six interns – three young men and young three women – are receiving training at the market: two in electrical maintenance (12 months), one in marketing (12 months) and three in financial administration (18 months). In an attempt to minimise the effect of unemployment and poverty, Pikitup, the City’s waste management company, employed a total of 850 young people under the City’s EPWP. “Besides going a long way towards encouraging youths to do things for themselves, the campaign seeks to enable a change in attitude and behaviour regarding recycling and dumping,” says Project Manager Johannes Thakali.
Youth Month at Joburg City Theatres Joburg Theatre
Roodepoort Theatre
Joburg Theatre is hosting Youth Unplugged, a monthlong music concert aimed at exposing and unleashing young bands from within Joburg.
Ongoing at Roodepoort Theatre is the My Band Project - a project run by Lunika Productions, in association with the Roodepoort Theatre. This project focuses on the development of young and upcoming bands in the Roodepoort Area and gives them a platform to perform on.
Youth Unplugged is a celebration of young people who have shown tenacity, strength and determination to take advantage of democracy and the opportunities it presents. We are celebrating the youth who have chosen to overcome their own limitations and work for greater heights. Youth Unplugged is a statement, a declaration and a promise to be unchained from life’s bondages that have enslaved the South African youth. This is an opportunity to sing a new song of freedom, a song of being unplugged and unchained from poverty, unemployment, drugs and other ills faced by the youth of this country. This is a message of hope.
Programme: o Week 1 • 13 June at 19:30: Dumza (RnB) • 14 June at 19:30: Morena (Neo Soul) • 15 June at 15:00: Double Bill of Dumza and Morena o Week 2 • 20 June at 19:30: Soul Tribe (live house) • 21 June at 19:30: Ello (neo pop/soul) • 22 June at 15:00: Double-bill: Soul Tribe and Ello o Week 3 • 27 June at 19:30: The Company (Soul) • 28 June at 19:30: Yollandi (Classic/Jazz) • 29 June at 15:00: Double-bill: Yollandi and The Company o Week 4 • 04 July at 19:30: Sim (Pop) • 05 July at 19:30: SOX (Hip-hop) • 06 July at 15:00 Double-bill: SOX and Sim
Along with an actual performance, the bands are work shopped prior to going on stage and are taught the tricks of the trade by the service provider. The My Band Project runs until the end of June. From Friday 27 -29 June Roodepoort Theatre is hosting a production by StageWorx productions that is aimed at the youth. The production is Tick Tock Boom and the cast consists of children that belong to the StageWorx School A group of scientist are asked to invent a time machine. Things seem to be going well until a mis-calculation causes the time machine to malfunction and muddles up all the time eras. This leaves past icons such as Sonny and Cher and Marline Monroe stuck in 2014. Can the scientists take everyone back to where they belong? Come find out in this musical explosion that is suitable for any age and is sure to get you tapping your feet and singing along” Stageworx Performing Arts School is a fully integrated Arts School. Children with and without special needs, from advantaged and disadvantaged areas, are all working together to create theatre. What makes Stageworx School Shows different is that the students help conceptualize the story of the musical, help write the original songs, and help design the costumes. They are part of the whole process, so that they learn all the aspects of musical theatre. For tickets: www.joburgtheatre.com www.roodepoorttheatre.com 0861670670
All shows are at space.com and the ticket is R80.
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Soweto Theatre BOOK OF REBELLATIONS runs at Soweto Theatre from 18th June 2014 until 29th June 2014 in the Blue Theatre BOOK OF REBELLATIONS, an allegorical fantasy written by Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi and Kgafela Oa Magogodi, opens into the world of Kanana in 2024. Kanana, the land of promised freedoms is under the tight grip of Tlhogo Moimele, the benevolent ruler with an acute version of Acoustic Neuroma. It is directed by Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi, with Musical Direction by Kgafela Oa Magogodi and features the talents of Xolile Gama, Nkoto Malebye, Lebohang Motaung, Omphile Molusi, Phosho Lebese and Bafana Ndlhovu. Kgafela oa Magogodi is currently writing a PhD thesis, provisionally entitled ‘TALKING B(L)ACK: Black Images in the Making of Black Cinema in South Africa’.
DAVID KAU PRESENTS SKHUMBA AND TIPS • June 28 & 29 Comedian David Kau brings Skhumba’s Comedy Extravaganza to Soweto, featuring Skhumba Hlophe from Tembisa, one of South Africa’s funniest comedians. Skhumba has made a mark in the South African comedy industry. Since his 1st time on the Blacks Only Comedy stage, he has headlined the show and continued to give the audience some of his best material.
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN SAVES GIRL’S LIFE What was supposed to have been a routine awareness campaign on the hazards posed by winter fires turned out to be a real-life rescue operation when members of the Johannesburg Emergency Management Services rescued an eight-year-old disabled girl found locked inside her mother’s shack in Alexandra. According to neighbours, the mother of the little girl, who showed extreme signs of dehydration, always locked her inside the shack when she left in the morning.
20 – In the Loop
After the girl was rescued – in an operation led by the Rev Dr Phinda Ngwenya, chaplain of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department [JMPD] – the girl was removed by social workers and taken to a place of safety. The matter was handed over to the South African Police Service, which was expected to carry out investigations and come up with appropriate recommendations.
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Ballet takes Joburg by storm A silent revolution is gently sweeping through the city. Ballet, a dance form that has for a very long time been regarded as elitist or a “larney thing” in South Africa, is taking black areas in Johannesburg by storm thanks to the Joburg Ballet. Bankrolled by the City of Johannesburg last year to the tune of R8 million to popularise ballet, especially among previously disadvantaged areas, the company has, in conjunction with the Department of Education, performed in front of thousands of learners since the beginning of the year. “We had given ourselves a target to perform at 40 schools this year. But we’ve already covered 31 schools, where a total of more than 30 000 kids have seen us,” says Joburg Ballet CEO Dirk Badenhorst. “We perform on the stoeps or on the paving, which are really un-ballet conditions. But we have to perform under such conditions because we have to achieve what we set out to. And that is to take ballet into the minds of as many South Africans as possible and give them as an option to choose.” Badenhorst is pleased with the interest that the ballet company has generated among Johannesburg’s youth. “It’s amazing to see the interest that exists and it’s great that so many Joburg youngsters are demanding: We also want ballet. The interest is huge because people are also realising that ballet forms the foundation for so many other dance forms,” he says. He says established young black ballet dancers such as Keke Chele and Kitty Phetla – themselves products of Joburg Ballet Company who have performed to appreciative audiences all over the world - have become a source of inspiration for aspirant classical ballet dancers here at home. “Ten to 15 years ago, Keke had to struggle to become a ballet dancer. He had to convince his parents and friends to accept him as that. Now his struggle has led him to become a perfect example of success,” says Badenhorst. He says the question most parents ask him is: Is there a future for my child in ballet? “This is what I always 22 – In the Loop
tell them: ‘The best you can give your child is to ensure that they have the opportunity to become the best they can be’,” he says. He always gives the example of Andile Ndlovu, a young Soweto ballet dancer who presently works at the Washington Ballet in the United States and performs all around the world. To cater for the needs of the growing army of aspirant ballet dancers, the Joburg Ballet has established several development schools, in Soweto, Alexandra, Braamfontein and Olifantsfontein where 500 learners are trained every week. The ballet company then selects 70 talented schoolchildren – ranging in age from seven to 12 years old – for advanced ballet training at least three times a week based in the Cuban methodology. “These are the ones that have the feet that can point, legs that can stretch and the right physique to be a ballet dancer,” says Badenhorst. The next phase is the Academy, which caters for 18 to 20 dancers who have been selected through auditions. This is followed by the Graduate programme, in which five or six dancers are trained at a time. Badenhorst says the funding from the City, which is expected to continue for another two years, assists to create sustainability within the company so it can plan better and pay the dancers. “The funding allows us the freedom not to have to worry. In the past, when we did not have the funding, we could only perform at private schools. But if you go private schools, you are widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Now, for every private schools we go to, we see at least 10 schools in areas that can’t afford to pay for our productions.” Badenhorst says the company also receives funding from corporate sponsors, adding that it will now also ask top black economic empowerment companies to come on board. “As I speak to you, there are a couple of such companies that are beginning to show interest,” he concludes.
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