The Parktown Boys High School Grade 11 pupil is the third mayor to come out of his school.
“I feel every day that it is my duty to make change, this is the kind of thing you learn over time,” he said. On 16 June, the 17 year old and his council marched from the Newtown Park to the Constitutional Court. This was in celebration of Youth Day and for equality and implementation of minimum norms and standards.
“My journey has been awesome, I’m learning every day and I can’t imagine how much more I’ll be learning for the remainder of my term,” he added. Ditchfield’s vision for the council this year is to mobilise the youth through involvement and tangible change. He wants the youth to have a platform that will enable them to make change and spark the same for those around them.
“This is done by being an acting example, expressing problems of the youth and aiming at ways of solving them,” he explained. He wants to make the youth a more pivotal group in society which aims at the betterment of Johannesburg in its entirety. “My journey has been life changing and has taught me one thing, when you think you’re doing good for those around you, you’ll be surprised how much more you can do,” he added.
Handling external relationships with the council and representing it in the best way possible. Providing direction for the council and ensuring that the council is succeeding in their activities are some of Ditchfield’s responsibilities as the Mayor. “The councillors themselves have been my greatest moments of the journey. Every day they are teaching me what it means to be inspired and motivated into changing this country,” he said.
The CEO of the Johannesburg Junior Council, Avril Rebeck, said that the Junior Mayor is always out-going, and junior councillors look up to him and he guides them when they have problems. “Thomas has done a very good job as the mayor, so far I cannot complain.”
