August 18, 2005
By Ndaba Dlamini
WORKERS scurry around, some push wheelbarrows and some hammer away. A massive steel structure, the skeleton of the Harvestime Youth Centre in Montclare, rears tall above, the midday sun on the new roof reflects on a huge white tent a few paces from the construction site.
The brainchild of Pastor Dulton Adams, visionary and strategist of Harvestime Ministries, he says the centre will cater for young people living in Montclare, Newclare, Westbury, Newlands and Bosmont. All are impoverished suburbs in the west of the city.
Construction is well on schedule and is expected to be complete by the end of September.
Adams has big plans. Located next to the Region 4 Recreation Centre, he says the centre will comprise an indoor sports academy, where sports like soccer, basketball, volleyball, boxing, ballet and ballroom dancing will be practised.
An Internet café and a coffee bar will complete the picture.
"The first phase of this project, which we call "For ourselves by ourselves", involved setting up the tent and fixing the floor. This cost about R350 000," Adams says.
By the time the youth centre is complete, its costs will add up to R2,9-million.
Sermons
Harvestime sermons are held in the tent. Sets from a play performed at the weekend are still on the stage and plans of the youth centre, the skills centre and The Dome are displayed on a board at the entrance.
The floor is covered with pieces of carpet to minimise dust.
On the east side of the tent, a job creation and skills development centre will go up immediately after the youth centre is completed. It is expected to cost R2,5-million.
However, the project's real gem is a multi-purpose, 6 000-seater dome to be built at a cost of R5,5-million, says Adams.
"The Dome will be built next to the youth centre where the tent now stands. This is where the auditorium for the church is going to be located. We plan to rent out The Dome to different organisations when they want to hold conferences. It will be a revenue source for the church."
Harvestime will look for funding help to build the skills centre and The Dome, probably from the government, he explains. The three facilities will be linked to the Region 4 Recreation Centre.
To accommodate people who are expected to flock to conferences, Adams says he will have to buy some of the houses in the neighbourhood.
Job creation
Harvestime employs about 32 people, all them full time "until completion of the project".
Peter Pico, 30, is one of the construction site workers. He says Adams has taught him a lot since he started work in November last year.
"I was unemployed and almost destitute when Adams picked me up by the robots in Montclare looking for work. I have since risen from general hand to foreman."
Besides doing general construction work, Pico is now able to read building plans, thanks to training from Harvestime.
He is now an ardent church-goer and he hopes to remain employed by Harvestime after the project is completed, as caretaker. "Harvestime turned my life around," Pico says with a smile.
David Nkuna is from Giyani and, like Pico, was lucky to get employed at Harvestime. He also was picked up by the robots in Montclare by Adams, where he was looking for work.
"I stay in Pimville where I rent a room. Some of the workers are from Kliptown, some are from around the neighbourhood from places like Newclare, Westbury and Bosmont. We come from all over Johannesburg."
A melting pot
The project will benefit the community, which has been deprived of facilities for a long time, Adams says. It is a society that has witnessed gang violence, high unemployment, teenage pregnancy and extreme drug and alcohol abuse.
The demographic profile of the surrounding suburbs of Newclare, Westbury, Newlands and Bosmont is diverse, with coloureds, whites, Indians and blacks, "all coming together and forming a melting pot. Everything is now a mix - that is the character of the community now," says Enver Buys, Harvestime's communications director.
In another suburb in its diocese, Claremont, residents experience "extreme poverty and deprivation", he adds.
"The residents of Claremont, a stronghold of the National Party in the 1960s to the 1980s, are extremely poor. Current research has revealed that [their] poverty ... is possibly one of the deepest in the country. Some children even go to bed without food and we have cases where children in a family sleep four or five in single bed."
Then there is Kathrada Park, an informal settlement of about 2 000 people which has suffered about three fires over the past two years.
Buys says the settlement, though it is receiving attention from the government in terms of housing, has a large number of unemployed people. Most of the children attend a Harvestime nursery school in Newclare.
One of Johannesburg's most notorious suburbs, Westbury, is well-known for gang violence. It was especially bad during the 1960s. However, Westbury has experienced a "massive change" in recent years, Buys says.
"There are no more gang marches due to intervention from churches, non-governmental organisations and local businessmen. Gang violence is no longer a major factor but new evils have emerged - drug dealing, teenage pregnancy and unemployment are a problem among the youth."
Opening
Friday, 30 September - when the youth centre is scheduled to open - is going to be a big day for this community. "There is going to be a sports tournament on Friday in the new centre and the finals will be held the following day. The tournament is open to all schools in the area," Adams explains.
The grand opening will culminate in a massive church service on Sunday, which may be attended by Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa, he adds.
An awards ceremony to honour people who have contributed to making the area habitable is also in the pipeline as part of the opening ceremony.
Buys says the church will honour people like Don Mattera and Sandile Memela for their contributions to the arts. "We also plan to sell bricks at R50 each to raise more funds for the project."
Adams hopes the facilities will help contribute to the upliftment of communities in the region.
"I became tired of preaching to the homeless, the hungry, drug abusers and alcoholics. That is why I took this holistic approach in serving the community. I have given all these people an alternative."
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