Brendon Burmester has resigned as chairperson of Kensington Residents and Ratepayers Association (KRRA) after serving less than a year of his term due to new ventures in his life.
The KRRA committee has welcomed his resignation and wishes him farewell.
Kgomotso Modise, who was the co-ordinator for membership and events, will be stepping in as chair until the election of the new committee in 2019.
Also read: New look for KRRA
The change is supported by the association’s constitution which allows for a vacancy to be filled via majority vote by the committee until the next annual general meeting.
Brendon said he is pleased by what the association has achieved in his short term of serving.
“I’m proud of what we have achieved as a committee during this short space of time. We aimed to ‘get the KRRA house in order’ for a more sustainable committee and organisation that would weather changes going into the future, and we have done that,” said Brendon.
Kgomotso is not new to the community.
She moved to Kensington in 2014 and said she fell in love with its old soul charm.
Also read: KRRA looks back at 2017’s achievements
“Kensington is a beautiful suburb with lots of character and heritage, and this needs to be preserved at all cost. I’m humbled by this opportunity to serve this diverse community,” said Kgomotso.
She was born in Joburg and matriculated from St Andrew’s Girls School.
She has extensive experience in the manufacturing and construction industry and is a businesswoman.
“One of the traits of being a good leader is to know how to communicate with people and always be honest and willing to listen to others, but to also be willing to take on challenges and lead to solutions,” said Kgomotso.
She said Brendon was a good leader for the association and he had put in place visions and missions that she plans to continue with and asks for the support of the community in ensuring that the association remains true.
“I would like to see Kensington being restored to a family-friendly suburb, with clean pavements, efficient service delivery and an environment that makes parents feel safe to allow children to play on the streets outside their homes,” said Kgomotso.
Also read: KRRA encourages more support from residents in 2018
She said Kensington is dear to her and she is willing to fight for it.
“I would like to see our picturesque Rhodes Park being restored to its former glory when it was the favourite spot for weddings and photo shoots.
“I would like to achieve all this by fostering a more inclusive and accountable relationship with our councillors, where we serve the mandate of Kensingtonians together.
“We hope to see more community members not only taking an interest in what we do but also raising their hands and sharing ideas with us to make this objective a reality,” said Kgomotso.