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ISSUE 45 – 14 October 2021 Email: olifants@papashamedia.co.za Tel: 010 023 1845 www.theolifants.co.za Find us on
COJ leaves local entrepreneurs in limbo by Dumisani Hlatswayo
I
t was around 2014 when Ivory Park entrepreneurs submitted an application to the City Of Johannesburg to rent a business site. While their application was approved the same year, lease agreements were only issued two years later. In 2016, at least 64 local entrepreneurs received a 30-year lease. With some believing that their dream of growing local businesses would come true. However, seven years later, the site still has no water, electricity, or sanitation. The former mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Parks Tau, officiated the handing over of the lease to local entrepreneurs. During the opening ceremony, Tau entrepreneurs lost hope. Some even died waxed lyrical about “breaking down bar- of anxiety and aging in the process. riers for youth enterprises”. And Richard Hlatshwayo said the site has been Manheart Hlatshwayo was one of the invaded several times by shack dwellers as entrepreneurs who received a lease. But it stood unoccupied for seven years. “We today, Hlatshwayo lives in a ‘promised managed to convince invaders to move land’ with no basic services like water out with the help of the former ward counand electricity. cillor, Petros Zitha,” revealed Hlatshwayo. According to Hlatshwayo, everything “The lease agreement is a 45-page docucame to a halt when the DA administra- ment that looks like a copy and paste work, tion took over. He said: “When the DA and it highlights services that we did not took over, former mayor Mr. Mashaba receive. It has been seven years already, said he was not going to go forward with and nothing is happening. Now we are this lease agreement,” Hlatshwayo told left with 23 years,” he said. The Olifants News. Mr. Hlatshwayo said they want the govThe community tried to set up meetings ernment to recognise them as businesses. with Mashaba, but their efforts were in Over and above that, they want to receive vain. Dreams were shattered, and local basic services. “We want the government
Activism-Land-Senators
to give us water, lights, sanitation, and proper roads,” said Hlatshwayo. Ward councillor Steven Makama confirmed that there was a site in Ivory Park allocated for local businesses. “I am not too sure about the so-called lease agreements because I haven’t seen them. But I remember that there were papers handed out to people on that day,” said Makama.
Mogale Ngwako Ebrahim is a n I ndependent Candidate nominee for Ivory Park Ward 77 officially registered with IEC and is hereby asking for voters support in Local Government Elections 2021 polls. Having managed to resolve Jo’Burg and Ekurhuleni demarcation boundary on 7th February 2019, Human settlement of Reakwana / Siyavana (Riverside Drive crossing Republic Provincial Main Road Ivory Park) was founded with 330+ family’s residential stands. The contestant holds strong achievement record of
lead-collective committee that acquired land for 400+ homes at Lusaka View (Across Kaalfontein Crossing Shopping Centre) after signing Johannesburg High Court Order on 12th February 2019. Main mission for now is to energize households through engaging with private sector development investors in alternative green energy electricity to relieve ongoing continuity struggling national power grid load shedding disruptions. Follow ALS twitter handle _@mogalengako1