Mealtimes for the children of Ponelopele Drop-in Centre will no longer be open air dining as the centre has finally secured land to build a state-of-the-art home for them.
The good news was shared with Alex News by the chairperson of the centre’s board of directors Patrick Baloyi, who described himself as being ‘on cloud nine with excitement for a dream come true’.
“I am extremely excited with this development and the fact that the children will soon have a place they can call home. Gone are the days of mealtimes on the street or in an open air dining environment,” Baloyi said.
Baloyi said the centre secured space at 5861 Laduma Street in Ext 7 of Tsutsumani Village. The board had been working closely with Ward 105 councillor Tefo Raphadu for several months in a bid to secure the vacant space.
“Ponelopele is greatly indebted to councillor Raphadu for putting the future of the children of Extension 7 and 8 first by ensuring the centre secures the space to build a state-of-the-art centre for our children. Words fail me but all I can say is to promise him that we will never let him down with the project to build the new home.”
The only hurdle to jump for Ponelopele was the removal of an illegal tenant that had allegedly taken over the vacant stand and turned it into a hardware shop.
Baloyi said a 30-day notice to vacate the stand had since been issued by Raphadu who was accompanied by members of the Metro police.
