Community members get hands dirty to revive town hall

After civil organisations and community members cleaned the pavement and pruned the trees surrounding the Benoni Town Hall on January 20, they left the outside perimeter immaculate.

Clean Projects and the Elevation Hub, with the Benoni Town Hall Revival (BTHR) NPO, led the initiative. Local businesspeople started BTHR to raise funds to reinstate the property to its former glory, and community members came in numbers to save their beloved functions and events venue.

This was the first phase of the community’s drive to revive the facility, which has been unused for over 10 years.

While it is still in good condition structurally, the building needs major cosmetic work to restore it to what it was.

Les Godwin of the BTHR said the town hall is a facility every community member should benefit from, adding that while it is not in good condition, it is repairable.

He added they want a public-private partnership to allow the municipality to lease the facility to the community.

“We are negotiating with the CoE to allow us to fix the building with donations from big business. We will then rent it back from them to run it for some time as a function venue for the community so everyone can benefit,” said Godwin.

After their talks with some municipality members, Godwin is hopeful of a positive outcome.

He said the outpouring of support from community members motivated them, saying, “Let’s forget about the past 10 years or what happened before. Now we have an opportunity to fix Benoni Town Hall so everyone can use it.”

State of facility

While the pavement looks sparkling clean, the inside of the town hall property is in a sorry state.

There is overgrown grass and thick vegetation, while the garden on Woburn Avenue is unkempt. The trees are not trimmed, and the building could do with more than a lick of paint.

There were also bags full of grass and litter, apparently left by municipal workers after cleaning up the facility following the city’s swift reaction to a Benoni City Times story about the state of the property last year.

Brian Stevens, who lives next to the town hall, said the state of the building saddened him.

“I drive past here daily. It’s terrible. I’ve seen people dumping illegally and some doing drugs here. It feels good to see something happening to uplift the town hall. I’m keen to get involved,” he said.

Manny Ferreirinho, who used to run a business next to the town hall, echoed Stevens’ sentiments, saying it breaks his heart to see the building going to rot.

“I used to come to Box and Dine, wrestling, boxing matches, weddings and Songs of Praise events here. The first Songs of Praise, presented by St Dunstan’s College, was held in the town hall.

“It breaks my heart when I see what this place looks like now. But, this clean-up is just the beginning, so thanks to Les.

“With him being positive, let’s see what will happen. We are hoping for the best,” Ferreirinho said.

Former Ward 23 Clr Andre du Plessis said it was encouraging to see the community come together to get the town hall functional again.

“In phase one, we plan to do a lot of work. The aim is to clean the inside gardens and get the town hall functional again.

“The community is doing a great job. I challenge all other landscaping and garden services companies in Benoni to come and spend a morning to help keep our community clean,” he said.

Godwin thanked Clean Projects and the Elevation Hub for leading the project and bringing hope to the community with their work in Benoni.

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