Formation of Region E’s FBO gets off the ground

13 March 2016

 

Ameeting aimed at setting in motion the formation of a faith-based organisation (FBO) in the City of Johannesburg’s Region E culminated in an agreement to establish a seven-member working committee to drive the process forward.

 

The meeting, held in Alexandra on Friday March 11, was attended by several representatives of various religious faiths in the region, which includes areas such as Marlboro, Sandton, Sandown, Wendywood, Fourways and Orange Grove.

Speaking on behalf of Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health and Social Development Councillor Nonceba Molwele – who could not make it because of other pressing matters – Regional Director Liziwe Ntshinga-Makoro said the City recognised the importance of working with FBOs to address social problems facing communities.

“Because they interact with residents on a daily basis, FBOs are better placed to help the City and government to implement programmes to improve the lives of our people,” Ntshinga-Makoro said.

She said the initiative was envisaged last year by Gauteng MEC for Social Development Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, who encouraged all municipalities in the province to establish such organisations to help address social ills besetting communities.

“The City of Joburg subsequently set up an FBO structure at city level. We’re now rolling this out at regional level to implement the vision envisaged by the MEC,” she added.

Although some of the participants welcomed the idea, they said they believed it had not been properly canvassed among FBOs in the region. The Rev Marcus Letsoalo pointed out that not all FBOs in Alexandra, for instance, were aware of the City’s initiative.

“We need to convene a workshop at which all FBOs from our region will be present so the City can explain the aim behind the initiative,” he said.

He added that community and political organisations in the region had no working relationship with FBOs.

“The only time we [as FBOs] interact with them is when they come to us to request to use our churches for their meetings. We need to have a formal working relationship with them to benefit our communities,” he said.

Participants in the meeting decided to consult other FBOs not present to draw them into the process. It was at this point that seven participants in the meeting volunteered to serve on the working committee, a move endorsed by the meeting.

Similar processes have already taken place regions G and D.