November 22, 2004
By Lucky Sindane
IT'S 7am at the Eikenhof Agricultural Project and 30 aspirant farmers - many of them women - from the Thembelihle Farmers Association are already hard at work in their vegetable garden, picking vegetables, preparing beds and removing weeds.
Region 11 officials showing the mayor around
And mayor Amos Masondo, along with his executive committee, is here to see these busy farmers at work.
The mayor's visit was one of several stops on a tour around Region 11 in the southern districts of Johannesburg.
Masondo and his executive committee wanted to see the wonderful things residents are doing to uplift their communities and to reveal the City's development plan for the region.
Region 11 consists of Althea AH, Anchorville, Eldorado Estates, Drieziek, Finetown, Geluksdal, Grasmere, Hiltonia, Lawley, Lenasia, Ennerdale, Orange Farm, Poortjie, Stretford and Zakariyya Park.
The Eikenhof Agricultural Project was initiated by the Department of Social Services in 1996 as a community vegetable garden, but it only took off when the project was given enough space in 2003.
"We would like to thank the Olifantsvlei Primary School for giving us gardening space," said farmer Isaac Dube.
Now the farmers are looking to expand. "We want to sell our veggies to the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market next year. At the moment we only sell to hawkers, who come here to buy," added Dube.
The Thembelihle farmers walk about eight kilometres to the garden. "We really need transport for our workers. Most are women and they don't come every day because they walk a very long distance and it's very hard for them," Dube said.
Transport in not the only problem for these farmers. They've had misfortune recently with the weather, after hailstorms destroyed their vegetables.
"I want cabbages when I come back, no hailstorm stories," the Mayor joked as he gave the farmers overalls.
Masondo also presented soccer balls and boots to the school to show his appreciation for its generosity in providing space to the Thembelihle Farmers Association.
"You have a vision for this project and it's really nice, but we have to make sure that your dream is turned into reality," said Masondo.
The farmers are also trying to encourage a culture of self-sufficiency in the township. "We encourage school children to grow gardens at their homes," said Dube.
The next stop was the Lawley Ext 2 informal settlement, where the mayoral committee member responsible for housing, Strike Ralegoma, announced that a service provision to the area would begin in March 2005.
Hundreds of residents had gathered on the sports field to hear the good news, sitting in the sweltering sun, protected by umbrellas.
"Please make sure that you understand me clearly. We are not going to relocate you, we are going to formalise this informal settlement and we are going to encourage those who have not registered for their subsidies to do so," said Ralegoma.
The mayor was then taken to see a number of recent developments, including the R8-million Poortjie multipurpose community centre, funded by the Gauteng Department of Sports and Recreation, and the R4-million Ithemba Home Village, funded by the Department of Public Works.
The Ithemba Home Village will be a place of care for bedridden and very ill Aids patients and will also help Aids orphans. It comprises medical wards, a high care facility, cooking, laundry, and recreational space, as well as a pension payout point.
The village will be run as a hospice by Youth for Christ, an organisation that has extensive experience in running shelters for street children.
The Poortjie multipurpose community centre and the Ithemba Home Village will be in operation by March 2005.
Masondo took time out to present drumming equipment and sports kit to the Poortjie brass band.
Next stop was the ITC hub in Orange Farm. The hub, developed by the City's Social Services and Economic Development Unit, in partnership with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), aims to develop the use of information technology in the local community.
The hub provides a communication platform with the appropriate software to support local SMMEs and community structures.
Such networking and communication technology are vital links for communities that are geographically distanced from urban areas.
Currently located in the Orange Farm Library, the ICT hub is looking to expand. So far 13 learners have received training in computers.
"This project is an eye opener," said ICT hub project manager, Aubrey Qwati.
"Before I came here I knew nothing about computers and today I can proudly say I'm skilled. What we really need right now is a permanent structure."
Masondo donated R100 000 to the ICT hub, saying: "We are looking at strengthening this partnership."
Then it was on to Orange Farm Ext 1, where the Mayor officiated at a sod turning ceremony for a park that is due to be developed in January 2005.
"Several trees will be planted here," he said. "Parks are very important. Our children should have places to relax or play and this park will provide just that."
An estimated R2.5-million has been set aside to develop the Orange Farm Park and work is expected to begin in January 2005 and will be completed by July 2005.
"We must keep this park clean," Masondo said. "In other parks we have people who call themselves 'Friends of the Park'. They make sure the parks are clean at all times. Parties and jazz festivals will be held in this park and we want to come and enjoy ourselves," he added.
The next stop was in Finetown, for a ceremony to launch the building of a multipurpose centre. Members of the community were shown the plans for the centre, which will be built during 2005, subject to the land being available.
An estimated R3.7-million has been set aside for the project.
The centre will have a theatre, caretaker offices, multipurpose rooms, indoor sports facilities, clinic, community offices, and a swimming pool, squash court and basketball court.
The mayor and his delegation then headed to Vlakfontein Proper to make good on a promise he made on a previous tour of the area. In the interim, 890 stands received sewerage facilities, water and electricity and the Mayor was on hand to officially switch on the electricity.
Masondo also handed over soccer balls to the local football team and promised to improve their soccer field.
The day was wrapped up in Vlakfontein Ext 2 where the mayor visited a brick manufacturing project and a sports field.
The Bana ba Kamoso brick making project - which was launched in July this year - already produces 5 000 bricks a day. It has five machines, turning ash into bricks.
The project has 41 beneficiaries - 39 women and three men. Of these, 12 are youngsters.
"Our problem is space. If we had enough space we would make 50 000 bricks a day because one machine makes 10 000 bricks a day," project co-ordinator, Herbert Kibe, told the mayor.
"We have identified a piece of land and we've drawn up a proposal for it. We are just waiting for an answer from the City. The demand for bricks is very high. We had someone who wanted 13 000 bricks in a day," he added.
At the sports field, the mayor told the waiting crowd about plans in the pipeline to build a sports and community centre.
An estimated R3-million has been set aside by the Department of Public Works for the centre, which will boast two training halls and a community hall and offer computer training and courses in sewing, carpentry, baking and juice making.
Plans for the centre are being finalised and construction is expected to begin in March 2005.
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