City at your service at the Rand Show

23-03-2015
 

“We have to be where the people are to ensure that when they raise their concerns, we are there to address them,” Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau said when he announced that the City would have a stall at this year’s Rand Show.
 

The show – at the Johannesburg Exhibition Centre, formerly known as Nasrec – will be staged from April 3 to April 12.

Started as an agricultural event in 1895, the Rand Show has evolved into a major Easter holiday attraction, drawing tens of thousands of fun-seekers from all corners of the country.
 

The City’s stall will be manned by officials from all municipal-owned entities between 9am and 7pm on a daily basis with a view to addressing municipal-related concerns raised by residents.

“Many of our residents hardly ever get time off work to visit our offices to have matters related to rates, municipal accounts and other issues addressed,” Mayor Tau said.
 

The Rand Show has grown into a major consumer exhibition and economic hub, with more than 900 exhibitors signing up each year. 

More than 250 000 people are expected to attend this year’s show, the biggest of its kind in Africa and the second-largest in the world outside the US.
 

The Rand Show’s first home was in Milpark, where the University of the Witwatersrand’s West Campus stands today.

Chris Smith, otherwise known as The Naked Scientist, will be one of this year’s major attractions.
 

Featured on Redi Tlhabi’s show on Radio 702 on Fridays, The Naked Scientist will be on hand to entertain, answer difficult science questions and explain complex concepts to both learners and students.

There will also be the customary rides and multiple food stalls to cater for most tastes.

Ticket prices range from R20 for children to R120 for adults.