With the operating hours of the Helderkruin Biokinetics Centre recently changing, residents have been left without their morning or afternoon work outs, and many are furious.
The hours were changed without any prior notice to the neighbourhood or local councillors, resulting in a petition being registered with the Office of the Speaker for the Section 79 committee’s consideration. One concerned resident, Nigel Hulse, took to contacting the councillors for ward 83 and 85, Suzanne Clarke and Carl Mann, complaining, “on the first of [February] without consultation with the users of the facility the hours were shortened”.
Hulse started a petition and had it delivered to the regional deputy director of Environmental Health, Tebogo Motsepe, at his office at the Civic Centre. According to Hulse’s statement, Motsepe contacted him saying nothing could be done as they are “governed by legislation”.
“He mentioned overtime pay as being a consideration in their decision to close the centre earlier,” Hulse wrote.
Apparently, the hours were initially shortened by one hour and later three and a half hours were shed. It went from 6am to 6pm on weekdays, to 6am to 5pm and later 7.30am to 4.30pm, rendering the centre useless to those who visit it before or after their work day, Hulse complained.
He further complained management fails to realise the centre — colloquially referred to as the ‘gym’ — is used by the neighbourhood at large and not just pensioners.
The gym falling in Mann’s ward, he stepped in and helped Hulse and other concerned residents to get their petition lodged with the Office of the Speaker so it could receive a petition number. Mann said he had not been consulted in the changes either, saying procedures were not followed. Some residents moved on to creating a committee that will in future meet and attempt to get the Department of Health to reverse their decision. Mann was invited to attend.
Mann reported he was contacted by Motsepe in the mean time, who apologised to him for not notifying the community. He allegedly said he was not aware of the procedures to follow with this sort of decision.
The Record had requested comment from both the MMC for Community Development, Chris Vondo, and the MMC for Health and Social Development, Nonceba Molwele as well as the City of Johannesburg’s Group Communications department. All three declined to comment by omission, not doing as much as acknowledging receipt of these requests.
In the mean time, the Record is awaiting feedback from Region C’s environmental health manager, Rika van Heerden, and regional manager, Tebogo Motsepe on the matter.
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