Station commander of the Florida Station, Synock Matobako, with Executive Mayor Amos Masondo

Learning the rules of the road by riding little bicycles

RELATED LINKS: Besafe Centre opens in Jabulani JABULANI Fire Station now has a Besafe Centre, where children are taught safety education, what to do in an emergency and the dangers of fire. More centres will be rolled out across Joburg. Read more Orange Papa Q helps teach kids safety THE City of Johannesburg has enlisted the services of a superhero to teach children to become more aware of potential hazards in their environment. Read more

Touring the centre: EMS director of proactive services, Nongezo Mekgwe; Executive Mayor Amos Masondo; and chief whip, Bafana Sithole

A replica of a shack will be used to teach the children about the dangers of fire

Child Safety Centre opens JOBURG'S fourth Child Safety Centre has opened, this time in Dube, Soweto. September 16, 2005 By Lucky Sindane LITTLE bicycles, trainer wheels tightly attached, line the narrow road. All the required road markings on the newly built track shine a freshly painted, bright white in the sunlight. The track is part of the Child Safety Centre in Dube, Soweto, officially opened by Executive Mayor Councillor Amos Masondo on Friday, 16 September, the fourth in the city. There are already Child Safety Centres in Florida, Jabulani and Alexandra. "We had to come up with something that will keep the children off the streets and make sure that they are safe at all times," said Nongezo Mekgwe, the director of proactive services in the emergency management services unit. At the centre children will be taught safety education, what to do in an emergency, the dangers of fire, the dangers of electricity and road safety rules. At the child protection unit they will be taught about issues such as child abuse. Other facilities include a swimming pool, to be built by Swimming South Africa, which will teach young children how to swim. The focus is not only children, however. Child minders will also be taught about how to take care of the children they look after and what to do in an emergency. "I'm very inspired when I look at this place because this is an example of what can be done elsewhere in the city," Masondo said. "We are going to visit all the abandoned buildings around the city and see what needs to be done to them. They must be renovated and something nice must come out of these buildings." Mekgwe said her unit wanted to ensure children became safety ambassadors. "They should be able to go out there and teach their parents, teachers and friends what we have taught them in the centre. "Other Child Safety Centres will be opened in Berea, Ivory Park and Orange Farm in this financial year," she added. Meanwhile, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department is going to establish a regional office behind the centre, which will be open 24 hours. "We have one office which operates for 24 hours; this will be the second one," said Sipho Dlepu, metro police's director of licensing and prosecutions. "People will be able to pay their traffic fines, register their vehicles and do all the other duties that are done at our office in Loveday Street, in the CBD." Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za