HEIDELBERG – The Gauteng Department of Social Development decided to honor the late Busi Modisakeng by renaming a youth centre to her name.
This was revealed by the department through a statement issued recently.
According to the department, Emmasdal Child and Youth Care Centre in Ratanda, Heidelberg, will soon be renamed to the later mayor of Sedibeng District Municipality.
Modisakeng was a South African Anti-Apartheid Activist, born on 30 October 1966 and she was the first female Executive Mayor in the Lesedi Municipality and the youngest mayor in Gauteng.
She served in various political positions before she became Executive Mayor.
In the early eighties, the family of Modisakeng moved to Ratanda township where she pursued her studies at Ratanda Secondary School.
According to the Sedibeng Stakeholder Relations Regional Representative, Thabo Maila, Modisakeng’s name had a meaning to the Ratanda community since she was a leader.
Maila said the proper channels to rename the center were followed in accordance with the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) Act, 1998.
“As part of the process, we consulted with the deceased’s family and mobilized meetings with the community leaders where the attendance register was signed by everyone present. Posters were also disseminated in various platforms to inform the community about the renaming of the CYCC,” he said.
“The team made sure that we consolidate all the information, and we presented the file to Stakeholder Relations Chief Director Bongane Ngomane to be completed and signed and other stakeholders in the community were also involved. Then the completed application was submitted to Geographical Name Change Committee (GGNC) with all the relevant documents,” added Maila.
Sanky Modisakeng, the husband to the late, said the passing of his wife has left a huge gap in the community since she was a caring mother of the nation.
“She used to spend most of her time serving the community and she would even take food from home and share with the community,” he said.
