Author: Dumani Moyo

Motorists are upset about the endless road corrosion and lack of work progress on their main road, South Africa Drive.

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South Africa Drive became corroded during the sewage crisis early this year. After Johannesburg Water finished fixing the sewer line, Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) filled the potholes and appeared to have resurfaced the road. Construction work appeared to be completed in March, but the road is deteriorating once again.

Motorists and residents say they feel hopeless despite JRA’s efforts. “I think they did not do it properly,” said Calvin Masango. “In March I thought the road would be sorted for good. But it seems we are now back to the crisis. This is surely disturbing because we are getting back to the bumper to bumper traffic situation.”

   “I am now starting to avoid the road because I always arrive late home whenever I use it,” said one motorist. “I think the problem is that the local authorities are not updating us about the issue. We do not like it when we always get back to bad situations. We want to see progress in our community. The previous situation saw several cars bumping against each other and it is also going to happen if nothing is done.”

Local authorities say the project is still moving forward. JRA is expected to get back to re-constructing the road as soon as it gets dry.

“Last time, we reported that there was a project to upgrade the sewer line,” said Ward Councilor Mapula Mosito. “That upgrade is still on going from corner Central African Republic Avenue and South Africa Drive to the conservation area, up to Malibongwe Drive. However, current situation is that we are still having constant blockages in other areas which are not part of the sewer upgrade, especially in corner Central African Republic and Sierra Leone. Unfortunately, the water keeps on running to the main road to cause the erosion.”

People should stop throwing foreign objects into the sewer system, she said.

“We will also engage schools to educate children about the sewer system,” she added. “We are also appealing to our community members to stop illegal sewer line connections.  People who want to extend their houses should get a plan, which must be approved by the council.”

 Fire destroyed 21 shacks in Zandspruit on 30 July, leaving dozens of families without roots over their heads. They are appealing for donations from the corporate community.

The fire was allegedly sparked by a gas stove. No one got injured in the incident. However, residents lost property worth thousands of Rands.

“I lost everything which was inside my shack,” said Wandisile Mthethwa. “I do not know where to start. We do not have food, money and place to sleep. We are appealing to anyone who is willing to donate to us and other victims.”

Mthethwa’s family had just moved in to the Zandspruit community. “We only have a month living in Zandspruit,” she said. “We came to stay here in the shacks because we could not afford rent in other places. Unfortunately we now have to start from the scratch again. We do not know what to do, but we hope to get some donations soon.”

Ward 114 councilor, Victor Mafinya attributed the disaster to the lack of educational programs from the City regarding fire safety. He made a strong appeal for fire safety programs.

“We need more help in our community,” Mafinya said. “Disaster Management has helped with mattresses and groceries for the victims. We are thankful for their support.”

 Shackfire  dents will continue happening in our community as long as the area is undeveloped, Mafinya said.

“It is also not easy for the fire fighters to get into Zandspruit due to its improper infrastructure,” he added. “We are also worried about the services provided by the EMS Department. Of course they did arrive to the scene, but they did not have enough water to extinguish the fire. They had to go back to refill the tank while the fire was still on.”

We need assistance from the corporate community as we are currently using money from our pockets to try rebuilding the shacks, he said.

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“A healthy body is a healthy mind, and this is necessary to the police,” said Honeydew Police spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan during mass aerobics held at Multipurpose Centre on 30 July.

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Honeydew South African Police Services (SAPS) hosted SAPS members from different areas in Gauteng Province to participate in the aerobics. Maintaining fitness among the police was the main agenda of the event, Captain Muthan said.

“It is very important for the police to be always fit,” Muthan added, “because it gives them the ability to chase after criminals. We brought some specialized instructors to lead our aerobics event. Therefore, we will be able to bring peace and security within the communities we operate in.”

The Captain added that SAPS’ mass aerobics are set to be happening on a monthly basis  the country to promote police health and fitness.

“We would like to see more members involved in physical fitness,” said Chris Molapo the Honeydew SAPS fitness coordinator. The challenge of stopping criminals requires police officers to be physically fit, he added.

“We were tasked by Gauteng Province to work on fitness exercises within,” he said. “We have members from as far as Carletonville and Pretoria joining us on this program. We are trying to encourage all the members to take health and fitness seriously. They should take care of their bodies by eating healthy food and doing regular exercises.”

Molapo said that the programme rotates SAPS members to make sure that police services are not interrupted.

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“Of course we want every police member to participate,” he said, “but they cannot all participate at the same time. We understand that while doing this programme, service delivery should be always rendered.”

Molapo thanked all the members who participated in the aerobics. “We want to express our gratitude to our top management for allowing SAPS members to come together and do fitness exercises,” he said. “We also want to thank the Ward Councilor Mapula Mosito for allowing us to use the Community hall.”

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Stylishness and excitement took center stage at Johannesburg City Hall on 3 August during the Ms Tertiary SA beauty pageant.

Ms Tertiary SA is a beauty pageant that is open to South African female students between the ages of 18 and 35 who attend any legally registered public or private university or college nationwide, whether they are single, previously  or currently married, and with or without children.

The event attracted scores of tertiary students and their parents from Gauteng Province and beyond. Incredible performances by artistes such as Gigi Lamayne gave the event an electrifying atmosphere, keeping the audience captivated and celebrating.

It got down to the wire as the judges arrowed their selection from 12 contestants to five finalists. In the end, Desiree Dlakude from the University of Pretoria  was crowned Queen , Khanyisa Twentiewy of University of Western Cape was crowned First Princess, and Kabelo Maupa of University of Witwatersrand became Second Princess.

“With this pageant, we aim to bridge the financial struggles of students in tertiary institutions said Ms Tertiary CEO Lungako Magida.

At Ms Tertiary, she said their intention is to gradually decrease the rising number of financially excluded students by disbursing scholarships to the pageant winners,  creating income opportunities to an array of students.

It is all about youth empowerment, she said. “I cannot wait to work with my new queens and stakeholders addressing mental health issues amongst students. We will also be coordinating workshops on monetizing the digital space.”

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