Greymont Residents Forum needs your support
Founder of the forum explains in the reasons why this forum was started and the ways in which it has helped the community.
Greymont Residents Forum founder Clive Malherbe said the organisation was established in 2012 as the result of a hijacked building that had the community at its wit’s end.
After engaging with the community and learning there were more problems residents faced, he knew the only way to start to fix the problems was through a community meeting, which 80 people attended, and the forum was formed.
As Malherbe put it, 10 years ago the suburb was a nightmare. Residents faced issues that included a lack of service delivery and crime syndicates operating from the park. To help attend to the problems, he met with depot managers of utilities such as City Parks and Zoo, Joburg Water and City Power and has since formed good relationships with each of them. “I have over the years garnered a relationship with City Parks and have had their cooperation with clean-up campaigns as well.”
In the past three years, however, he said it had been a struggle as he believed these municipal utilities have had their budgets cut and therefore their services too.
But according to Malherbe, the forum has forged on and had streetlights installed and employed handyman Mike Chipelesa to do basic maintenance in the suburb.
“Mike will go through the suburb twice a month, cutting all [grass on the] pavements as well as in green areas and the park. We want Greymont to look maintained and neat all the time,” said Malherbe.
The forum also makes sure street names are painted on pavements, and playground equipment and signage are installed in the park.
“The suburb is now one that is well maintained and one where problems have been sorted out.” Ironically, the lack of issues is a problem for the forum. “When there are no specific issues or problems people tend to withdraw their support. Not because they do not like what we are doing or have done but because they do not see a need for it any longer.
“A lot of the new residents have moved in since 2012 and think automatically the suburb is being looked after. They have no idea that it’s Mike who gets all the work done.”
Malherbe concluded the forum needed a drastic increase in donations otherwise this year would be a struggle.
All residents are invited to the Greymont Residents Forum on March 22 at 18:00 to be hosted at the NG Kerk.
Details: Clive Malherbe, 083 969 7747.
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