Ntirhisano brings hope to Orange Farm

13 May 2016

 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau told hundreds of residents of Orange Farm in Region G on Thursday May 12 that the City was committed to ridding the area of poverty.

 

The Mayor made the commitment during a Ntirhisano Community Outreach Campaign, a province-wide initiative that brings the Gauteng Provincial Government, municipalities and communities together to unlock service delivery issues.

Mayor Tau was accompanied on the campaign by Gauteng Premier David Makhura and MEC for Roads and Transport Ismail Vadi.

Speaking at a packed Orange Farm Multipurpose Hall, Cllr Tau said City initiatives such as the R3-billion Jozi@Work empowerment and job creation programme and the R150-million Vulindlel’ eJozi youth empowerment vehicle had already started making a difference, particularly among the youth.

“We’re working with various co-operatives to sustain employment in our communities to ensure that everyone gets an opportunity to live a better life. We’re also committed to helping give the residents of Johannesburg better service delivery,” said Mayor Tau.

He said Ntirhisano was an important programme and called on residents to be patient as the City rolled out developmental initiatives to change their lives for the better. Premier Makhura condemned the use of violence as a form of protest and said community members should use the Ntirhisano platform to make their voices heard.

Resident Olga Lutu, who has not had a job since she passed matric in 2005, appealed for help in finding her one.

“There’s really no point in giving people houses when they’re unemployed. The government should create employment prospects instead,” said Lutu.

Thabiso Mokubung of Extension 4 complained about the bad roads infrastructure and the impact of public transport on the locals.

“As the community, we have tried to speak to our local office to resolve this issue. However, we’ve been disappointed by our councillor as he never comes to our aid,” said Mokubung.

Boniswa Godongwane of Extension 5 said she was grateful for the City’s commitment to making a difference in her area by employing the youth but added that more still needed to be done.

“There’s a park that hasn’t been completed in Extension 5. What’s puzzling is that the company handling the project has begun new work in another extension. We don’t understand what’s going on,” she said.

Mayor Tau reassured residents that Ntirhisano would continue to fulfil its commitments to improving service delivery and work with residents to resolve bottlenecks.

“We’ll come back to this area to ensure our promises are being fulfilled,” he said.