The Region A Business Forum, the Ivory Park Taxi Association and other stakeholders held a meeting on 13 February at the Protea Hotel, Midrand with the owners of Busy Corner Mall to get a response on the memorandum served to them by the community of Ebony Park during a recent march.
As reported in the Midrand Reporter in ‘Empower Locals’ [Week ending 7 February], community members marched to the mall to voice grievances they have had since the construction of the mall.
The demands of the memorandum included that the mall owners reveal themselves to the community, disputes regarding the name change of the mall, unfairly dismissed construction subcontractors who had not been paid, the mall owners’ contribution to corporate social investment and permanent employment of local community members.
Co-owner of the mall Andries Tlouamma said that they would continue to see how to meet the demands of the memorandum. “With the help from the hired property management company, we will go back to state to my partners the seriousness of the issues raised, but we must prepare them. We will call our urgent meeting and see how we can delve into these issues.”
However, attendees were not pleased with the mall’s response and the fact that not all of the mall’s decision-makers were present. It was decided that the meeting would be postponed by seven days to give the owners time to properly discuss the demands of the memorandum and ensure that all the relevant stakeholders are present.
ALSO READ: Midrand property owners raise concerns at rates policy review meeting
Chairperson for the Region A Business Forum, Terrance Dlezi said the purpose of the meeting was for the mall owners to give concrete feedback but it seemed as if they were utilising delay tactics. “We are very worried in a sense that you find that businesses that come to the township seem to undermine the community members and stakeholders by not taking them seriously – their investment is based on the same market, which is the community, the same community they do not want to respect, the same community that will normally end up being the end-user of their products.
“We are less interested in being end-users, our interest is rather how this development will play a huge role in the lives of the community members, the kids at schools as some of them come from less fortunate backgrounds. They should assist in supplying school shoes, uniforms as part of corporate social investment.
“At the next meeting, we are expecting them to come on board, facilitate the results and respond to this meeting’s demands.”
Details: Gauteng Region A Business Forum 011 706 6707.
