DURING the outreach programme conducted within the Bellavista community last month, residents voiced their desperate need for skills development programmes to create jobs.
Nicky Vakaloudis, CEO of SOJO Business and Tourism, and Nisha Singh, founding director of Glenvista Community Forum, responded by scouting out available buildings that could be used as a skills centre.
They found it difficult to avoid the overgrown grass around some of these buildings. An area block leader said they were told that because the community is poor, they won’t be receiving services from the council. Letters written to City of Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba and the director of Region F, in which the community pleaded for assistance, were dismissed with: “The request is noted. We, however, are not in a position to assist with grass-cutting equipment due to legal and liability issues.”
The Bellavista community is also concerned about the environmental health of areas surrounding the Bellavista Clinic. There is also a need for a pre-school for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
SOJO, in collaboration with local ward Clr Rashida Landis, has been engaging the Bellavista and Chrisville communities for three years. Despite the challenges, there has been a visible shift in that residents now take more pride in their area. They have, for instance, stopped dumping refuse over boundary walls and around skip areas.
Yet there is still a lot more that needs to be done. Unemployment and drug abuse have led to domestic violence and crime.
This area has a significant impact on the environment as well as the social and economic outlook around Klipriver Drive, one of the main arterial links in the greater Joburg South.
The willingness of the community to take ownership of their area needs to be harnessed by the city council in partnership with ward councillors, businesses and organisations to formulate a sustainable plan to uplift the community.
Any religious or community organisation, business or individual wanting to join the skills programme for this community can contact Nisha Singh at nichewellnesssanctuary@gmail.com or Nicky Vakaloudis at nicky@sojo.co.za or 082 481 8746.
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