Jozi@Work goes to Noordgesig
13 October 2016
The City of Johannesburg has called on co-operatives and small businesses in Noordgesig in Region D to work with it in the delivery of municipal services and the creation of job opportunities through the Jozi@Work programme.
“This is an opportunity for you to uplift your businesses. Jozi@Work creates better livelihoods as the programme offers job opportunities to those who are needy,” said ward Councillor Brenda Dammie.
“Please take this opportunity to help your fellow residents to be empowered. Jozi@Work is for every one of you,” Cllr Dammie said at the Noordgesig Community Centre this week.
During the meeting, local residents were urged to register their co-operatives and small businesses with the programme so they could be in a position to access business and job opportunities emanating from the City and its department and entities.
The City initiated Jozi@Work in 2014 to fight poverty, unemployment and inequality by giving residents the opportunity to provide municipal services such as street sweeping and cleaning, garbage collection and removal, gardening, landscaping, grass cutting, repairs and maintenance, to mention a few.
In the 2015-2016 financial year, more than R3-billion was set aside for this purpose. About 4 000 co-operatives and small township businesses have already been registered on the Jozi@Work books.
On Wednesday, Gugu Khonjelwayo, Branch Supervisor at the Jozi SME Hub in Soweto, explained how the hub, a City creation, assisted entrepreneurs in getting their businesses off the ground.
“We assist our clients by conducting one-on-one consultations and help them to tackle business challenges they might encounter along the way. We facilitate workshops to help them become fully efficient in running their own enterprises and ensure that their businesses are sustainable.
“We have partnered with various stakeholders to assist our clients with all aspects of their enterprises. We help them with guidelines to develop business plans, proposals and profiles of their businesses,” she said.
Michelle Playandi and her partner, Anthea Symons, want to work with the City through Dynamique Women Trading and Projects, their newly registered co-operative. The pair aims to empower community members by creating an information centre where people can have access to vital information on issues such as social grants, IDs and business plans.
“In this community, a lot people are facing challenges caused by unemployment. With Dynamique Women, we don’t only want them to work but we also want them to establish their own co-operatives and expand job prospects to others,” said Playandi.
For community members to get involved in Jozi@Work, they must have a registered co-operative or company and be part of a regional forum where they live. For more information, residents are urged to visit Region D offices at Jabulani Civic Centre, Koma Road, Jabulani or phone 011 986-0000.