City showcases opportunities, services – all under one roof
07 March 2016
Residents of the City of Johannesburg’s Region F – which includes the inner city – were brought up to speed with job and empowerment opportunities, health programmes and services available in the region when it staged an open day on Friday March 4.
Dozens of residents from areas such as Turffontein, La Rochelle, Robertsham, Southdale and Kenilworth flocked to Rotunda Park in Turffontein, where they had the opportunity to interact with officials from the City and its departments and entities, including the Johannesburg Roads Agency, City Power, Department of Health and Social Development, the Department of Environmental Health, Johannesburg City Parks & Zoo, Johannesburg Market, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department and Emergency Management Services.
The departments and entities showcased the services they provided. Shaun O’Shea, Region F’s Assistant Director of Citizen Relationship and Urban Management, said the open day had created an ideal platform for residents to interact with the various departments and municipal-owned entities about service-related issues and opportunities.
“We regularly host open days, which have been found to create valuable information-sharing opportunities,” said O’Shea. “Enhancing public knowledge and understanding of the various City bylaws were also addressed. We also interacted with informal food traders and taxi operators about bylaws specifically pertaining to them.”
Billing and service-related issues were some of the most asked about topics during the open day. Information regarding opportunities created by programmes such as Vulindlel’ eJozi, Digital Ambassadors and Jozi@Work was also shared.
“I came here today with a friend and was unsure what we were going to find but am pleasantly surprised and excited about opportunities lying ahead,” said a 19-year-old West Turffontein resident identified only as Duane. “I’m interested in the Vulindlel’ eJozi and Digital Ambassadors programmes. I want to use these opportunities as a platform to get experience to start my own small business."
The City’s healthcare workers were on hand to provide information on a range of health matters, including the importance of knowing one’s HIV status, nutrition, child development, immunisation, addiction intervention and recovery assistance.
Residents were also able to be tested for diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and cancer. The Hill resident Beatrice Gouws said she found the open day to be highly informative. “I had an issue with my property rates. I’d for a long time been trying to get the issue resolved. I thought that by coming here I'd have it sorted out once and for all. I was right. The problem was resolved and the issue thoroughly explained to me. Friendly and quick service makes me a happy customer,” said Gouws.