Village News by Philippi Village

Produced by: Philippi Village 1 Cwangco Crescent, Philippi, Cape Town Contact Us: 082 619 8937 or email: communications@philipphivillage.co.za

23 eyoMsintsi / September 2021

FREE Paper

Philippi Village’s very first community newsletter: In your hands you are holding the very first edition of Philippi Village’s community newspaper, called Village News. It will be published every month and will inform you on our activities, wider Philippi community matters and City of Cape Town updates.

Feel free to also send us your stories. Siyathemba ukuba nakulonwabela eli phepha lethu lokuqala.

We at Philippi Village would like to thank our neighbours, community of Philippi at large, isixeko saseKapa, our partners, stakeholders, tenants and those that interact with us for the support. We are, because of you!

Pop-Up Vaccine bus to visit Philippi Village

Only 10% of Philippi residents have been vaccinated.

The City of Cape Town visits Philippi Village Check out our interview with Alderman Rhoda Bazier on Page 5

Iqela leBridges for Music lityelela iPhilippi Village. Funda ngolu tyelelo lwabo nezinto abazenzileyo ngaphakathi Check out full story on Page 6

Today, Thursday 23 September 2021, Philippi Village will host the Department of Health’s Mobile Clinic (Bus) from 10h00 (10am) to 15h00 (3pm) in the afternoon.

Those not registered for the vaccine will be able to register at this bus and then get vaccinated.

Drawing by LALELA kids. Full story on page 5.

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Inside the Village

What is Philippi Village?

Philippi Village is an old cement factory that has been converted into a business and community hub located in one of Cape Town’s most neglected township, Philippi.

We are a space that houses local township businesses, nurtures entrepreneurs, skills development centres and supports job creation.

We are also a space for fun, sports, arts, education and recreation activities for local residents On our ground floor we have: A Coffee Shop space, meeting area and the City of Cape Town’s main Crossroads Library.

At the very front of our yard you will further find a Container Walk with 110 shipping containers that have been repurposed into offices; that serve as workspaces and storage.

We also have workspace offices that can be taken up by 70+ businesses for rental. These spaces are ideal for offices, workshops, and conferences.

Then there is our Film Space. Box office hits have been filmed here at Philippi Village.

Think Maze Runner and Resident Evil. Talk to us about our various filming site packages.

We further have a conference room that can take up to 120 people, boardrooms (8-16 people each) and a beautiful Amphitheatre for live music, performances and a variety of events. To book your next event check out Page 6.

We are quite easy to locate, our address is: 1 Cwangco Crescent, corner of Govan Mbeki and New Eisleben Roads, Philippi, Cape Town. On the right is a map of our property. We have many exciting developements in the pipeline. You might be aware of the 5-a-side soccer field, you might also know that we have a vegetable garden, we have a creche on site and we also play host to a variety of businesses on site.

Artist impression of the future of Philippi Village

Ayanda trends for saving the day We have to recognize that we are who we are because of our people. Our team continues to demonstrate their passion and commitment to making PV a place of excellence.

We would like to use this weeks’ bulletin to highlight the contribution of one of our team members, Ayanda Nowatsha (31), who serves in our maintenance team. He has been with us since 2015 as a general assistant. Last week Container 81, which houses ANOVA, had a leakage running down from its ceiling board.

He identified the problem, drew up a list of required material to repair the leak.

Instead of PV calling in an external contractor Ayanda was able to repair the leak himself. We salute you for taking the initiative mfowethu!

ADVERTISE IN THIS NEWSPAPER Call or WhatsApp: 082 619 8937 and place your advert!

Meet Bulelwa Shokoa Pictured above is Bulelwa Shokoa, a mother of four and grandmother of six beautiful children.

Bulelwa joined a sewing course that was run at Philippi Village last month. The sewing course was a partnership between Cape Town Fashion Council (CTFC), Philippi Village and Thandeka Vocational Education Trust (TVET SA).

The purpose was to offer training for current and aspiring garment-making business owners.

Bulelwa was recognized as one of the top learners by the facilitator in this sewing course.

Throughout the programme she was there supporting and assisting other learners with some elements as she had basic knowledge of sewing with a machine.

Before she came to Philippi Village to join the sewing course she worked as a domestic worker for more than thirty years.

She retired in 2020 during the Hard Lockdown. To her this programme has helped improve her sewing skills and she enjoyed every minute of it. What she wants to embark on in the near future is opening her own sewing business and also teach others the skills she has learnt in class.

Bulie is also quite a health-conscious person; she eats clean and keeps fit. During her time at PV you would often see her in her gym clothes and running or exercising at the Amphitheatre while her classmates would watch her. Her motto that she lives by is “in life do not give up!” The changes she wants to see at Philippi Village are: Bring more programmes and courses like the sewing program that will benefit those who are unemployed and have no skills to have the same opportunity that she received at PV.

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Iindaba

Local photographer thrives at PV

Thozamile Silwane (34) was born and raised in Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape. In 2004 his family relocated to Cape Town. Today he lives koo-20 ePhilippi.

We sat down with this young talent, sakhe sancokola ngamaphupha wakhe kwakunye nomsebenzi wakhe.

“I am photographer, specialising kweli cala le videography. I specialise in shooting people’s events, especially weddings. I also do short films for people,” says Thozamile.

One of his main challenges has been a lack of access to social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Data has proven to be quite an expensive barrier. So if you want to see his work you must come to him at the Container Walk in Philippi Village. Look for Container 84 or where it says “Changemakers”. It was whilst he was entering high school that his uncle bought him a camera. At the age of 14 he had his camera and was charging people around R5 per photo in the location.

He attended quite a number of film workshops around Cape Town: “At these various workshops I learnt a lot about the types of equipment a filmaker will need and how to apply for funding!” Ngokwesikolo uThozamile uye wayokufunda kwisikolo esaziwa njengeCrawfords eMowbray eKapa. He says being able to work from Philippi Village has made his work “more professional” because here he has access to new clients as well as resources. “When you run a business like mine from home you then have to welcome clients into your home and that is not nice. So being able to work from Philippi Village has made life easier for me; clients do not get to see my lounge and home space. We deal with business only,” says Thozamile who says Philippi Village provided him with a first-time opportunity to ever work in an office space. He has become much more serious about his work and will soon be uploading some of his photos and videos onto social media platforms.

At Philippi Village Thozamile works very closely with our community engagement leaders, Ntsikelelo Qhinga and Colin Barends. His company’s name is called “Capewood Film Productions” and you can contact him on 064 615 5739 should you require photography and videography services.

‘Womandla!’ Phambili ngempilo yamanina

On the 21st of August 2021, Philippi Village hosted a Women’s Wellness Day event.

This event was in collaboration with Cape Mental Health, Marie Stopes and Philippi Fitness Club. On the day we had a presentation by Cape Mental Health about mental health and wellness; breaking the barrier of stigma.

Marie Stopes talked about sexual reproductive health and choices. Philippi Fitness Club hosted an aerobics session. All those who attended received a goodie bag which consisted of a sanitary pack, chocolate, sanitizer and a lanyard. Thank you, to all those who came and engaged on the topics and activities.

Women’s month ends: Igama labafazi malibongwe

Inyanga yamanina, okanye iWomen’s Month ngesiNgesi, yalo nyaka iye yakhatshwa ngamabali abuhlungu okungcungcuthekiswa kwamanina kuMzantsi Afrika jikelele. Lo nto khange isinqande nathi ekubhiyozeleni olu suku.

Nathi ePhilippi Village sisebenzela ukuba amanina akwazi nawo ukuzibona engabalingani namadoda.

Akho calucalulo. Amanina likamva!

Kule mifanekiso sifake the ladies that show up everyday and keep Philippi Village neat and clean. Siyabulela kwaye izingqi zenu siyaziva. Enkosi!

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Events @ PV

Meet our Community Engagement Leaders

NTSIKELELO QHINGA

COLIN BARENDS

At Philippi Village we are commited to ensuring that we always engage the community that surrounds us. Colin Barends and I (Ntsiki) are in the Container Walk - Container 84 - at Philippi Village and we lead the community engagement programme. Each week we ensure that we meet community leaders to discuss and iron out any matters arising.

You will know us by now. Each week, we make sure that we chat to community leaders to keep abreast of all developments and needs.

Most recently, a community meeting took place with the Siyangena community where we addressed programmes that we will be running in the near future as Philippi Village for our immediate communities.

The programmes are as follows: Young Moms, Rehab, Elderly, Youth and Kids programme.

Do your next event at Philippi Village

Weddings, Conferences, Workshops, Meetings, Live performances, markets, you name it, we can host it...

NOXOLO MTETO

Molweni! I am Noxolo Mteto the Events Manager at Philippi Village. I joined Philippi Village in 2016. Having previously worked in retail; I enrolled at CPUT in 2012 where I did my diploma and BTech in Office Management which I completed in 2015.

In 2016 I came to a workshop for entrepreneurs at Philippi Village. That was my first time here. I spent about a week at the Village and two months later I was called for an interview.

I have loved working here ever since.

You might have attended an event or two here at Philippi Village and wondered “how can I also do my event at that beautiful space?”

Whether it is a conference, wedding, film shoot, outdoor market, educational training, and workshops. We also have a five-aside pitch which can be booked for tournaments as well as a skate park. The beautiful social zone can host outdoor events with marquees and has a serving area as well as ablution facilities.

Not forgetting the amphitheatre for music festivals and markets.

We have break-away rooms for smaller groups. All our venues have projectors, screens, flipcharts and fair-usage WIFI which is included in the venue hire fee.

By request we are able to provide catering which includes breakfast to

lunch and afternoon snacks. One of the greatest things here is being able to work alongside production companies and I have seen some celebrities on site.

Glamour magazine, Adidas, TFG, Maze Runner, Resident Evil are but a few big names I can drop that have been here.

One of my best qualities is that I see things through. So rest assured your event will go smoothly. Whenever there is a shoot on site I always dress up, just in case they need an extra. But, I have had no luck to date. I am kidding!

To make a booking for your event call me on 021 200 8193 or email: events@philippivillage.co.za and let’s talk. Our packages are tailered in a way that will suit your budget.

Our meeting rooms start from as little as R95 per hour!

Our conference room can seat up to 120 people

You can also book our outdoor ampitheatre for your next outdoor event

Advertise your business in Village News.

Call or WhatsApp 082 619 8937 or email communications@philippivillage.co.za

B

5 “Nothing about us, without us. You don’t just come into Philippi!”

- Alderman Rhoda Bazier

“There is nothing around local government that the community of Philippi does not know,” says Alderman Rhoda-Ann Bazier, who is the Subcouncil 13 Chairperson.

Xa sithetha ngoSubcouncil 13 sithetha ngoWard 34 (Browns Farm), Ward 35 (Crossroads), Ward 36 (Philippi), Ward 80 (Philippi) noWard 88

(Kosovo and Samora Machel).

In Philippi there are no sportsgrounds, except the synthetic field which is always hired out. Subcouncil 13 recently got R5-Million from the mayor’s office, this will be used towards upgrading the ponds around Philippi into sportsgrounds.

Upon receiving the funds the community leaders, including Bazier, held public participation programmes where they asked the community what do they want to see in the community.

Right now kubekelwe bucala imali yokwenza uphandosifundo lokujonga ukuba ingenzeka na le nto okanye ingayintoni imingeni.

Alderman Bazier, who has a passion to serve people and is a fierce verteran community activist understands Philippi challenges well. From housing, electricity, unemployment and infrastructure (bad roads, ponds, and no actual land to build on).

“What happens is that the infrastructure that was put in the Nyanga-Philippi areas all those years ago is still the same.

It has been extended but the infrastructure is still the same.

The volume of sewerage cannot be controlled. If you drive up

to the R300 from Philippi you will see water. There is always sewerage going into the ponds and it overflows and goes into people’s houses when it rains hard,” says a concerned Bazier.

Right now they are trying to channel their budget towards fixing these problems. Each ward has been allocated R1million each and community members are encouraged to forward their suggestions to their ward councillor or the Fezeka Municipality office in Gugulethu.

Alderman Bazier is further excited about the recently released Mayoral Urban Regeneration Programme (MURP) which is “R5-Million funding that we have received so that we can upgrade our parks. We also plan to do legacy parks, smart parks with WIFI and everything,” says Bazier.

So far 14 CCTV cameras have been installed around Philippi.

One of her gripes is that the Philippi Satellite Police Station has closed down.

On Philippi Village, Alderman Bazier shared how she got to know about Philippi Village: “We got to know about Philippi Village via the Philippi Economic Development Initiative (PEDI). At the time the community was busy complaining about PEDI coming into their community, without consulting them. We then met with PEDI here and then they introduced us to Philippi Village.”

“So we wanted to know what Philippi Village is about.

When you come here, you cannot just come without talking to the community. Nothing about us, without us. We met Bushra Razack when she became the new CEO of Philippi Village in 2018 and we had a walkabout. We saw local economic development taking place here! Even our library for Ward 36 is here. There is a lot of opportunities here!

Philippi Village is a Philippi Good Story!” says Alderman Bazier as we end the interview.

Siyabulela ngexesha lakho mam’ uRhoda kwaye sinethemba lokuba iminqweno yabahlali uyakukwazi ukuyifezekisa!

Tips and contacts for Philippi residents:

Housing / Iingxaki zemizi: If you are not on the housing list, please go register yourself. Talk to your councillor or visit the Fezeka office at the corner of NY1 and Landsdowne Road in Gugulethu.

Unemployment / intswelangqesho: If you are unemployed, the subcouncil has a database and EPWP forms. Go register

yourself or talk to your ward councillor to get you the form.

Complaints / Izikhalazo: All complaints go to your ward councillor, failing which you can approach the Fezeka office (corner of NY1 and Landsdowne Road in Gugulethu). Now with Covid-19 Lockdowns they only open

three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

The Fezeka Municipality Office is also available to deal with electricity and roads related queries.

If you cannot personally go to the Fezeka Municipality Office in Gugulethu then you can call: 021 444 5371

Iindaba

15 Facts about Rhoda 1. Born at the Hottentots Holland Hospital in Somerset West on 21 July 1964.

2. She went to a Methodist school as a child.

3. Her father was a ‘messelan’ and her mother was a char.

4. Mother’s family came from Lourensford Estate and Father’s family from Grabouw.

5. She attended the Girl Guides programme whilst young.

6. At 18-years she had to go work at OK Bazaars. She then got married to her late husband, who passed on in 1990 in a car accident.

7. At OK she became the Shop Steward; joining SACAWU - a union affiliated to Cosatu.

8. She became very active in MACDRA (Maccassar Civic Association), where she fought for community matters.

8. Officially joined the ANC in 1990 straight after the organisation was unbanned.

9. In 1994 she was elected to serve as a councilor, serving under the Helderberg Municipal Council.

10. In 2006 she went to work for Thubelitsha Homes and later the Housing Development Agency (HDA).

11. Was CPF chairperson for Maccassar then area board chairperson.

12. Became national secretary of the National Police Force.

13. Becomes a PEC member of the ANC. 14. Goes to Philippji in 2011.

15. In 2011 she became chairperson of Subcouncil 13.

2020: The City of Cape Town honours Bazier with “Alderman” title.

Baxakekile abantwana beLALELA ePhilippi Village The images you saw at the bottom of our front page, page 6 and 7 were drawn by children from LALELA. LALELA is an organisation that provides educational arts for at-risk youth to spark creative thinking and awaken the entrepreneurial spirit in them.

At Philippi Village LALELA has close to 60 students who visit their after-school programme.

This programme is open to all children in the community of Philippi and surrounding areas.

In July LALELA’s children engaged with the project of painting the chicken coop at Philippi Village.

They created the design and added beautiful bright colours to it. Creating a beautiful and colorful environment for our chicken farm. See picture on right.

Chuma, from LALELA, led the project.

There were 12 learners that participated in the painting of the chicken coop. Chuma touched base on the challenges and successes he had and said:“We were supposed to have done this project in the early weeks of July but COVID 19, Level 3, hit us hard! The weather also had different plans and this made us wonder whether we will ever get started with the project.

“We however pulled through and completed the project in record time, considering the requirements of ‘limited numbers’ during lockdown.”

The school roster, rotates around one day of attendance and the next day of not attending.nFor more info about LALELA visit: www.lalela.org SiyiPhilippi Village sithi enkosi!

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On the go @ PV

Bridges for Music visits Philippi Village

Bridges for Music is a nonprofit organization that believes in developing young artists in disadvantaged communities.

Raising awareness on local issues through music as music is a universal language that can be used as a tool to breakdown boundaries and barriers.

The organisation’s Langa Academy group came to Philippi Village for a tour of our site.

They know that we are about to set up our very own Philippi Village Studios and wanted to come and see what we do.

The group really loved the amphitheatre area of Philippi Village as it reminds them of the Waterfront and they started talking about events they could host. So watch this space!

Our events manager, Noxolo Mteto, showed them around. Noxolo said: “My highlight was when one of the learners said he was inspired and believed that they do not have to go to the CBD for events and experiences!”

This is what we want to become – a place that we have designed together with our community that brings the magic to Philippi.

Celebrate Heritage at Philippi Village Mamela Nyamza is the Heritage Day headliner and is currently training 12 Philippi youth to coperform with her at PV on Heritage Day!

Philippi Village in association with NYDA and Elvis Amor is hosting its annual Heritage Day Celebration under the theme “Youth and Women Empowerment through Arts and Culture”.

The Celebrations are headlined by a performance curated by internationally recognised, award-winning choreographer and art activist Mamela Nyamza. Cape Town celebrity poet and singer Linomtha will also give us a performance on the day.

During the course of the week leading up to Heritage Day on Friday, 24 September, Mamela will train twelve selected Philippi township youth. All twelve, together with Mamela, will enthral you with an act that will leave an indelible mark on your memory of the day.

The keynote address will come from the National Youth Development Agency’s CEO, Waseem Carrim.

Expect a day filled with networking, live performances, art, African cuisine and dance. We will close the day with an Under-15 Soccer Tournament on our Five-A-Side soccer pitch.

Date: 24 September 2021 Time: 10h00 - 13h00 (main programme) and 14h00 to 15h00 (Soccer Tournament and Music) Venue: Philippi Village, 1 Cwangco Crescent, C/o Govan Mbeki & New Eisleben Roads, Philippi, Cape Town RSVP to: communications@philippivillage.co.za or events@philippivillage.co.za

Tenant Story

Opportunities for women in Technology BRANDON VERGOTINE

We are getting ready for our 2022 Innovation Hub intake process. We have seen some amazing people whose lives have been impacted by our programme. We caught up with Simthembile “Thembi” Fuzile who is part of our 2021 cohort to talk about her iHub experience.

Thembi (Simthembile) had her start in the technology environment through a youth programme she joined in High School.

They provided extra classes on how to use computers; the different components and office applications.

Thembi is a part of the 2021 Innovation Hub Africa Digital Marketing Cohort. The iHub training programme is about learning how to use the many different platforms that enable us to reach people through online’s social media applications like google, facebook, instagram, twitter...

While Thembi was in school, she heard of a few different women that were graphic designers, living in Khayelitsha, advertising their skills on Facebook - “who knew!?” she thought, “Here are local women who lived not far from me that were working in technology and making something of themselves!” It changed how she thought of what she could see for herself.

Not long after that, she had learned of an app that could be used for graphic designs and a friend soon showed her

how to use it and she began to learn how to create images & posters for her local church & other events. For the men & women that she was now doing this graphic design work for, it was new to them to hear about a woman who had these skills. Even for herself she admits this was different but fun, she was a young female graphic designer, well at least it was a start.

Today Thembi is progressing in completing her skills training at the Innovation Hub Africa Digital Marketing Course - it’s been a few months of hard work and interesting learning journeys but she has kept to it.I spoke to her about how she feels today and the opportunities she is looking forward to.

What makes you unique as a young woman in SA? “What makes me unique is my strong desire to want to give back to others in my community. Myself and a good friend have started a small registered NPO called Digital Natives. Our goal

is to help young Grade 12’s who are not computer literate, to be given the opportunity and assistance to be capable of working on computers and different online programs.”

Challenges you faced before joining Innovation Hub? “For me to be able to juggle my current time on the Innovation Hub Africa Program and focus on giving back to my community. But keeping my goals in front of me - that keeps motivating me. I want to be able to change our background to something different, even when it’s hard to multitask many different things.”

Challenges women face after graduating?

“There are a few main ones that come to mind. I know of young girls who have graduated but have not found work in their field - a friend of mine who studied to become a teacher but had instead opened a small business in sewing and clothing making. Also

even for those running small business don’t always end up being successful.

There is also a lady I know who has a PhD in the chemical field - but even she struggles to advance in her workplace so inequality in the workplace is still a real thing.”

The challenges we face are real, but there are also real solutions. We have to look at examples and signs where change and opportunity is taking place. There are recent international studies that show that women in the technology industry are making up about 25% of its total workforce and the number is similar in South Africa, but what this really means is that there is more room for young women to find an individual and unique path in the digital space (adevait.com state-ofwomen-in-tech).

Advice to other women interested in the tech space?

“Just go for it! Anything that someone wants, you can achieve it - if you truly believe it then you can go for it.”

If you are a woman (or young person) and have an interest in technology and the digital space, have a look at our website and consider whether you may want to apply for the Innovation Hub Africa’s Digital Marketing Program for 2022 - the open door is yours.

Visit www.innovationhub.africa to learn more about our programmes.

*Brandon Vergotine, Innovation Hub Africa: Hub Facility Lead CT.

Drawing by LALELA kids

b .

7

PV Tenants

GET YOURSELF AN OFFICE AT PHILIPPI VILLAGE Hello Villagers, I am Shevon Baartman, your accessible Tenant Manager at Philippi Village. I am that person you go to when you require an office space or would love to rent a particular section either in our container walk or business hub building.

My job also entails updating lease agreements and any issues that are related to your unit.

I work along-side the Maintenance Manager and the Maintenance Team.

Below I have listed our rental options. I am available to talk and tailor something that will meet your needs.

We offer versatile spaces that you can run your business from.

Philippi Village is located behind the Junction Mall and is accessible via New Eisleben Road.

My contact number is: 021 200 8193 and I can also be reached via email on: admin@philippivillage.co.za Lets connect and we look forward to having you as a tenant at Philippi Village!

Incoko noXola

You can rent an office in one of our containers at the Container Walk

2021 / 2022 Prices: Rent a space at Philippi Village Container Walk rentals: Our rentals for the containers range from R1259.71 per month and upwards.

We have different sizes for our containers – depending on your office-space needs, these sizes range from 6m to 12m containers.

The Business Hub rentals: The pricing for an office inside the main Philippi Village building or Business Hub (picture on page 2) varies but it starts from R122 plus VAT per square metre.

There is an additional cost for security and operational costs, which starts from R 8.84 plus VAT We are always open to discuss the various options available to each tenant and we will do our best to tailor the best possible rental space for each business or company that seeks to join us at Philippi Village.

Our Address: Philippi Village, 1 Cwangco Crescent, corner of Govan Mbeki and New Eisleben Roads, Philippi, Cape Town!

Xola Gubevu is an intern at Philippi Village (PV) where she works with our Tenant Champion, Shevon Baartman.

“I enjoy working at PV because I’m working with people. I enjoy working with people because I am a very talkative person; listening to people’s journeys and experiences in the business world is an added advantage,” says Xola who has thus far enjoyed working with tenants and learning a lot more about their businesses.

“I particularly like stories of what motivated entrepreneurs here at PV to start their businesses and how they remain resilient during these difficult Covid-19 times!”

At Philippi Village we run a number of intern programmes; we seek to assist and grow tertiary students to gain experience.

We love how tenants are also able to open their spaces to our amazing interns and help us make Philippi Village a better space for all to enjoy.

Informal Traders and Micro Development Training Programme at PV

The Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA) recently trained 50 retail-based informal traders at Philippi Village. It was a one-day training which ended with each trainee obtaining an “Informal Traders and Micro Development Training Programme (ITAMED) certificate.

Noludwe Kondlo, one of the informal traders had this to say: “Kubonga thina! Our kind of work sometimes makes us feel less than people! Siyabonga nangeeVouchers and also certificates that recognise our work. This training also ensures that our businesses does not look like under-the-bed trading exercises!

“We feel good! Please bring more training programmes accompanied by vouchers! We need the know-how more! SIYABONGA for the effort and spirit of generosity you have shown us!”