February 7, 2003
By Lucille Davie
IT'S clear from the numerous smiles in the staff newsletter that things are going well in Region 4.
The newsletter - on glossy A3 paper and called Lentswe (Sotho for "the voice") 4 U - is itself a statement of enthusiasm, energy and dedication to the residents of Region 4. And, in the words of the regional director of the region, the cheerful but very focused Lawrence Boya, this is a "region of innovation".
That innovation starts with changing attitudes, both of his staff and of the residents of Region 4, an area of some 198 000 people that stretches from Randpark Ridge in the north, Riverlea in the south, Forest Town in the east, to Florida in the west. It's an area of extremes: from severe poverty to affluence, sprinkled with splashes of water, the zoo, the botanic gardens and big, green spaces.
Boya, a shortish, slim man with a smile always ready to erupt, stresses that he wants to change the adversarial relationship that existed previously between the City and residents in some suburbs in his region. "We want to try and open up channels of communication, and build confidence within those communities. We want people to know that we are there to serve all communities within the region, and provide service fairly and equitably."
And to give punch to these words, his officials went to several badly neglected areas, like Westbury, Newclare and Riverlea - traditionally dominated by gang violence, drug dealing, women abuse, poverty and unemployment - and started talking to residents. They discovered that Dina Flats, a block of council flats in Westbury, was occupied by illegal tenants - those who hadn't gone through the proper legal processes to get the flats.
These residents had been sent eviction notices before the Region structure had been set up 18 months ago. The notices, Boya felt, had just made the situation worse.
"We wanted to understand the nature of the problems in the area," he says. So he sent out his officials to do a survey, to get to the bottom of the non-payment of rent, one of the more serious problems. The survey revealed that the tenants were being billed, but that the bills were going to the wrong people - those who were supposed to be in the flats but weren't. And so, the tenants in the flats were not paying as the bills were not addressed to them.
The tenants have not been evicted but they are now paying their rents, in fact, payment levels have moved from virtually zero to around 60%. It's this kind of "return to normality" that Boya and his team were striving for, and have achieved.
And, says, Boya, he knows he has made a breakthrough because the residents come to his offices to see him. "They took the initiative, it's an important breakthrough."
Boya says that Dina Flats are now unrecognisable. His team has fixed faulty plumbing, put down paving, painted the building (with the help of residents), and made it into a safe, clean and secure living environment.
"This has spurred on other initiatives, we have had a flood of invitations to come and help in other areas," beams Boya.
Further evidence of the breakthrough is the response to the year-old People's Centre in Auckland Park - it receives up to 80 calls a day, and up to 15 people each day are taking the trouble to get there with their problems.
Boya says these actions indicate changed perceptions. "We can say now with certainty that attitudes have changed."
The same caring, proactive approach is being applied in the informal settlements in Claremont, Riverlea and Coronationville. In particular, women have been helped to generate income and improve their lives. A basket making initiative has begun, and the women are producing beautiful, colourful baskets. One woman has even bought a house with the proceeds of her efforts.
The inside story
Boya has realised that changing attitudes in the community start from the inside. He has introduced several initiatives to improve the skills of his staff.
Logo for Wow Fish project
The "Wow Fish" programme is a motivational project that starts with the philosophy of "service with a smile is not difficult to accomplish!" Boya's thinking on this is simple: "Choose your attitude, leave your problems at the door, greet and smile".
And to reinforce this, he has instituted a buddy system. Each month everyone draws a name out of a hat, and that person becomes your buddy - you spend time with them, get to know them and spoil them with little gifts.
Boya was given a cute framed picture of himself, and a small, blow-up plastic fish, which he has proudly positioned on his desk.
The staff development goes further. Employees attend English and numeracy courses, computer literacy courses, Aids training, and a Project Management Course at the nearby Rand Afrikaans University.
Twenty people have been on the Project Management Course. "We now have a core of people who know how to initiate and run projects," he says, beaming.
He holds quarterly discussions with his staff, where he meets people one on one, to promote "Batho Pele" (Sotho for "people first"), and gets feedback from each person.
Taking the message to the community
Last year Region 4 organised three road shows, all very successful. Officials spent a week at Cresta Shopping Centre, fielding questions from residents, checking their accounts on computers, and telling them of the services available to them. They went home with pens, calendars and fridge magnets and a sense of having been listened to. It was a stunning success.
Another initiative, the "Let's Fix It" programme, involves the small things: replacing light bulbs in clinics, recreation centres, and libraries with energy-saving bulbs, when they need replacing, and making Region 4 facilities more user-friendly and in particular, disabled-friendly. Ramps have been installed at Coronationville and Linden Swimming Pools.
A "Trees for Life" initiative started last year, and doesn't just involve planting trees but is a general improvement of quality of life approach - eradicate illegal dumping, crime, sexual abuse, and confront Aids. Another project came out of the Trees for Life initiative - the Sophiatown Heart and Soul Project.
Staff of Region 4 with mayor Amos Masondo at the Sophiatown Comes Alive Project event
This project strives to regenerate the old spirit of the once vibrant, cosmopolitan suburb of Sophiatown, whose residents were forcefully removed to Soweto in 1955, after which their homes were flattened and rebuilt to become Triomf (Afrikaans for 'triumph").
The idea is to collect memories from former Sophiatown residents, and hold "historical and cultural celebrations aimed at the young people" to broaden their horizons and serve as a tribute to the displaced people of Sophiatown. These memories will be housed in a museum, one of the long-term plans for the suburb.
Boya says he's had approaches from other regions which are "fascinated with what we are doing".
There's a distinct impression that the smiling officials in Region 4 are not dull, regimented, bored-with-their-jobs civil servants, but rather people who love their jobs, and know how to truly serve the people of Johannesburg - with a smile and real service. Hooray!
