19 June 2006
By Neil Fraser
The Constitution Hill Trust
THE inauguration of the Constitution Hill Trust was held at a fundraising dinner at Constitution Hill on Wednesday night. The Trust has the following objectives:
- "To secure the preservation and development of Constitution Hill as a heritage site symbolising our constitutional democracy;
- To make provision for educational programmes to be conducted at or in respect of Constitution Hill for the purpose of educating South Africans on constitutionalism, human rights and democracy; and thereby to promote respect for constitutionalism, democracy and human rights.
- The raising of funds in and outside of the Republic of South Africa for the Trust and other public benefit organisations as defined in terms of Section 30 of the Income Tax Act.
- The making of grants for a purpose stated in Clause 4.1 and purposes consistent therewith."
The trustees represent a high-powered group with very significant linkages to Constitution Hill, which is of home to our Constitutional Court established to protect our new Constitution.
Cyril Ramaphosa, who will chair the Trust, is the CEO of Shanduka and was one of the main architects of South Africa's new dispensation; Arthur Chaskalson was the first Chief Justice of the resultant democracy; Joyce Seroke, who was actually incarcerated in the Women's Jail (one of the buildings on Constitutional Hill) during the apartheid regime, is now chair of the Commission on Gender Equality. Cheryl Carolus, who was a quite brilliant MC for the evening (I really dislike the more politically correct "programme director") was of course our first 'democratic' ambassador to London before being appointed CE of SA Tourism - she is now executive chair of Peotona Holdings, an investment and empowerment group. Sidney Frankel, who is chair of the Buffelshoek Trust, which supports schools in one of the country's poorest areas, and Michael Katz are leading businessmen in the country.
Chaskalson, whose address should be compulsory listening for all South Africans, spoke on the role that youth had played in the struggle and stressed the importance of focusing on the future while not forgetting the past. He reminded the audience that the perilous and pariah state of the country existed less than 20 years ago, and of the miraculous changes over these past 12 years as well as the central role played by the new Constitution.
The Constitution Hill Trust plans to hold a dinner annually to raise funds connected to different clauses from the Bill of Rights each year. On Wednesday night the focus of the dinner was "the right to education", which resonated with the 30th anniversary of the Soweto youth uprising on 16 June.
Next year's theme will relate to women and women's rights. Funds raised will be divided between Constitution Hill itself and an organisation doing work relevant to the theme of the dinner.
The R5-million raised at last week's dinner will be divided between the three participating Trusts - Constitution Hill, the Adopt-A-School Foundation and the Buffelshoek Trust.
The portion of the funds to be used for Constitution Hill will be spent
on two primary areas:
- The first is to pay towards transport costs for learners studying at schools that cannot afford to send them to Constitution Hill to attend the monthly education programme it offers. Since the opening of Constitution Hill, over 3 000 children have attended these programmes. They are taken through an interactive journey engaging with both the past and present realities of South Africa. Teachers who have accompanied the learners on their visits to the Hill have consistently rated the experience as highly informative, stimulating and memorable. The majority have committed to bringing their classes each year, but many, especially in townships and outlying areas, cannot afford to do so.
- The second is to develop educational material specifically focused on the Constitution, human rights and democracy for learners and organisations.
Constitutional Hill is my favourite place in the inner city - it is so rich in symbolism and meaning, representing as it does, the triumph of good over evil, right over repression. It should be a must-see for all South Africans and foreign visitors who are passionate about human rights.
Wednesday night was clearly the first visit for many of the donor representatives to Constitutional Hill; one hopes that they will be inspired to send their entire corporate staff complements to see this great asset in the inner city.
Joburg! The Passion Behind a City
Another significant first took place in the inner city earlier this week. The book
Joburg! The Passion Behind a City was launched on the 6th floor of Adam Levy's redevelopment of 155 Smit Street in Braamfontein - a building with the most stunning night views of the city.
The book "showcases the many faces of Johannesburg, from Sandton to Soweto, Kliptown to Rosebank. It tells the stories of the regeneration of Ghandi Square and the Drill Hall's rise from the ashes. It takes you on a walk through a lush green park that used to be a dumpsite, but which now caters to 20 000 picnicking Sowetans every weekend. It walks you through a rejuvenated Braamfontein and the soon-to-be-realised dream of Maponya Mall. And through it all, it tells the stories of the people and the organisations that have made it happen." It provides numerous highlights, telling many stories "about the positive changes that are taking place, in a bid to challenge the prevailing views of Joburg and spread a message of hope, optimism and pride about a great city and its future".
The book will be on sale at bookstores but can also be ordered through the publishers, Affinity Publishing, 011 442 2366, affinity@iafrica.com, in association with the City of Johannesburg, or through affinity@iafrica.com
Addis Ababa
I usually receive a number of email comments on various Citichat subjects, but was quite surprised at the volume I received on my personal impressions on
Addis Ababa.
They came almost exclusively from Ethiopians, the majority from people living in Ethiopia but also a smattering from Ethiopians living abroad. Three were highly abusive and racist, others less abusive but claiming that the article was "riddled with mistakes", others offered constructive criticism whilst a number thanked me for "saying it like I saw it"!
The major contentious issue related to my statements regarding "the previous mayor and administration". I received my information from a number of sources that I (as I always do) substantiated with other sources, but it appears that I was incorrectly informed as to exactly which mayor and administration was involved.
The situation - extracted from a helpful letter on the subject - appears to be as follows: "Ethiopia held contentious multiparty elections in May 2005, the results of which are still being disputed by the Opposition and the EU. Further, the Opposition made major gains in the capital and was supposed to take over the administration of the city, but later refused to do so in protest over the elections results. As a result, the Ethiopia government has placed these opposition leaders and many others in prison on charges of treason, and for their refusal to take up their duly won posts in the Addis administration. But it seems you make the claim that that the ones who are currently in jail, were the ones who were in power when you last visited in 2001. This is not the case. The mayor of Addis and his council in 2001 was someone totally different."
My apologies re this aspect to all concerned and my thanks for taking the trouble to inform me of the correct situation and for your other comments and criticisms.
I wish that more Joburgers were as passionately protective of their city as the email writers seem to be about Addis Ababa.
Lofts for Rent
I receive lots of queries from people who want to buy or rent lofts in the inner city. Here's some info for those looking to rent. A couple of years ago I saw the top floor loft in this building and had evening drinks on the roof. It is August House, 76 to 82 End Street, a light-industrial building built in the late 1940s at the edge of the Fashion District.
If you are interested in renting, give Bié Venter (083 728 5606) or Maria Armstrong (011 482 4634) a call or email them on joburglofts@webmail.co.za. Or check out www.joburglofts.wordpress.com
Best regards, Neil
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