Company motivates residents’ participation in development
ALEXANDRA - A local company will host an exhibition in October to entice Alex residents involvement in their area's development.
A local company will host an exhibition in October to entice Alex residents’ involvement in their area’s development.
Thabo Mopasi of Ditswapotleng Business Enterprises said the exhibition, to be held over several days at a venue still to be announced, will be an information platform for residents on all developments underway and completed by the City. “It will make them understand the magnitude of the financial investment and will facilitate their active participation and assessment of projects impacting their lives. Currently, citizens are mere onlookers on the good and bad which may be taking place in their neighbourhood only to complain later when the changes are not in their interest.”
Mopasi said this from the background of the City’s recent pronouncement of a R30-million financial projection for infrastructure development in the next three years with R3.4 million this financial year, R8 million next year and R11 million in the third year. He said the budget is for a range of socio-economic developments in Alex to implement council’s corridors of freedom intended to replace the skewed spatial development patterns of the past.
He said they will exhibit pamphlets, posters, pictures and breakdowns of budgets and information of local and external contractors and community engagement processes to enable residents to judge if they are getting value from the money purportedly invested in their interest and for their present and future benefit. “The information will reveal the evolution of the entire development spectrum, threats to residents’ safety and well-being from the investments, the impact of the investment in promoting democracy, the negative or positive effects of local politics in the developments and whether beneficiaries of the contracts will leave a positive or negative legacy in the township.” This he said alluding to the effects of large companies’ corporate social investment and consultants’ contributions in employment creation and the development of local capacity for future programmes and project management and maintenance.
Mopasi also hopes the exhibition will assist in developing confidence and critical thinking in small local businesses and residents in determining their development priorities and inputting into their ward-based integrated development plans. This he said will be in the interest of promoting grassroots participation and interest in implementing and maintaining their development projects and programmes.
Details: Ditswapotleng Business Enterprises 073 903 8335.
