Inner City Gazette

Special from 22 - 29 March 2012

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STORIES FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT

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GOD KNOWS ALL MENPAGE 13

Eviction drama

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22 - 29 March 2012

A scuffle breaks out between members of the Red Ants and residents of the Banks Mansions buiding in Bertrams. PIC : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

2 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 22 - 29 MARCH 2012 NEWS

Tel : 011 024 - 8513 [email protected]

Residents wait for the Red Ants as they regroup for a second encounter. The Ants flee as the tenants pelt them with bricks and other missiles. PICS : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

Residents in fierce battle with the Red Ants as they resist eviction

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Chaos erupted this week as resi-dents of the Banks Mansions

building in Bertrams resisted evic-tion and drove the Red Ants off. In one of the few instances the Red Ants have been defeated they fled as a mob chased them with a barrage of bricks and bottles. A spokesperson for the building’s residents, Gladys Nhlapo said they were to be evicted after they alleg-edly ignored notices issued over a

month ago to vacate the property they ‘illegally occupied’. “Residents protested that they did not receive notification and ques-tioned the authenticity of the court order. They never told us about the eviction, even this eviction order is not accurate, they suppose to come with the police,” said Nhlapho. Documents from the South Gau-teng High Court indicate that the building’s owner Gert Du Plessis was granted an order on 17 January this year. The court order, which also appears in the court roll of the

said date, ordered the occupants to vacate the building on 28 Febru-ary. In the event of the occupants failing to vacate the building, the court order reads; ‘the appointed agent is authorised to evict them on 7 March’. Du Plessis’ lawyer, Cornelius Mostert said they followed all the legal procedures. “The occupants of the building were notified in ad-vance about the eviction. We did not invite the SAPS because it is a civil case, but we will now have to pursue the services of the police.”

The property was pre-viously registered in the name of Patrick Van Rensburg referred to as a seller in court docu-ments. On 27 Septem-ber 2007, Du Plessis

bought the property for R200 000. After he made the payment the property was registered in his name by 20 May 2011. “It is a concern that our client bought the property but he has not benefited from it. Instead one guy is enriching himself at the expense of poor people,” added Mostert. Subsequent to the registration of the transfer of the building Du Ples-sis says he visited the building and informed the occupants of his right as an owner. “The occupants have not made any rental, water, electric-ity and rates and taxes payments. In terms of the condition of the sale I am liable for all the costs, taxes and other charges levied on the proper-ties by the city.” The registrar of deeds also con-firms that Du Plessis as the rightful

owner of the contested property. “These people have refused to leave my building for five years. I bought this building to be ready for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. This was a second eviction order, the first one we made an error with the address,” he adds. Du Plessis says he even offered to give tenants R10 000 each to leave the building. “They still refused. I don’t know what to do next, may be someone can help me.” Shereza Sibanda, of Inner City Resource Centre, who represented the tenants, admitted that the build-ing has been run by hijackers. “To resolve this matter the tenants must stop paying rent to individuals.” Ward 64 Councilor Phineas Madi-sha said: “The city cannot be seen to be protecting building hijackers.”

Eviction drama

22 - 29 MARCH 2012 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 3 NEWS

Rooftop garden initiative

A JDA staff member works in the garden with JHC CEO Elize Stroebel and Food Gardens Foundation director Hilda Pheto. PIC : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

‘This will increase the level of household food security and alleviate effects of disease’


The Johannesburg Housing Company (JHC) and its subsid-

iary wing Makhulong A Matala, in partnership with Johannesburg De-velopment Agency (JDA) launched the rooftop food garden at Douglas Village in Troyeville this week. The garden, which will be used by the building’s tenants, uses recycled tyres, planters with a worm garden to ensure steady supply of fertiliser and compost. JHC CEO Elize Stroebel said the garden will promote healthy eating, alleviate malnutrition and overcome hunger. “It will increase the level of household food security and allevi-ate effects of disease in our build-

ings. The tenants will also have a chance to earn extra income if they choose to sell any surplus vegeta-bles to their friends or neighbours,” she added. The food garden programme has been introduced to Brickfields in Newtown and Hlanganani in Cosmo City, said Stroebel. “At each build-ing, all tenants have been invited to participate in the programme. A group of 11 tenants from Douglas have already shown their commit-ment in setting up their garden and planting their first seedlings.” The tenants have also received training from Food Gardens Foun-dation to have skills required to tend the plants, harvest them, replenish the soil with organic compost and plant new seeds for the next harvest,

remarked Stroebel. “We will also be opening the next rooftop food garden at Tower Hill in Hillbrow. Over time we will extend this to all buildings where food gardens can be accommodated.” Lindi Malinga, general manager of Makhulong added that helping communities grow food is the best way to assist with problems associ-ated with poverty. “We believe that nutrition is a key to good health, and that good health for all can only be achieved by improving the environ-ment in which people live.” Sharon Lewis, planning and strat-egy executive manager at JDA, said this garden must be an example to other communities in the city. “We look forward to see more food gardens spring up around the city.

Growing vegetables is hard work and I hope you will remain commit-ted and manage this garden well.” The agency launched its first rooftop food garden programme last year in AFHCO’s African Diamond building in Goud Street. Hilda Pheto, director of the Food Gardens Foundation added that the garden will help tenants to escape from the grip of poverty. “This will also ensure that people do not rely on government to feed them,” she said. Organisations and persons interest-ed in starting rooftop gardens and need training and mentorship can contact the Food Gardens Founda-tion on 011 342 4440. Its offices are at Walter Sisulu Square of Dedica-tion in Kliptown, Soweto.

• Floor space: 7 million m²• Office space: 3-million m² (the equivalent of 57% of available space in Durban, Cape Town & Pretoria combined)• Home to large number of corporate head offices• Daily commuters: 800 000• Taxis: 39.6%• Bus: 24.1%• Private car: 27.1%• Rail: 9.2%• Weekday population: 1 million• Working people: 200 000• Tourist shoppers: 300 000 - 400 000 pa.• Number of dwelling units: more than 40 000• Value of investment: ± R30- billion in 2.5 km² radius of core area (built investment replacement cost)• Housing capital investment: ± R1.2 billionSource : jda.org.za

INNER CITY FACTS AND FIGURES

City artscape...the JDA cows

Distribution – 40 000 copies free door to door delivery weekly to all households and businesses in the Joburg inner-city. Inner-City Gazette welcomes editorial contributions from readers. They may raise new issues or respond to articles published in the paper. Contributions may be sent to the editor’s address below.Published by Inner-City Gazette149 Pritchard Street, Johannesburg 2000

Tel : 011 023 - 7588 011 024 - 8210 011 402 - 1977 Fax : 086 609 8601Email : [email protected] Website : www.inner-city-gazette.co.za Printed by Paarlcoldset(Pty)Ltd

4 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 22 - 29 MARCH 2012 LEADER / LETTERS

Inner-City Gazette subscribes to the South African Press Code that prescribes news that is truthful, accurate, fair and balanced. If we do not live up to the code please contact the press ombudsman on 011 484-3612 or 011 484 - 3618 or [email protected] .

COMMENTMany analysts have suggested that prostitution, or sex work to be politi-cally correct, on its own may not con-stitute a direct threat to the security of society. They however concede that it sometimes gets entangled with social ills and serious crimes that include drug and human trafficking, robbery and murder, and also the spread of in-fections like STDs and HIV/Aids. Some people have projected sex work as a result of unemployment and pov-erty, but others argue that it may not result from that since it is the oldest profession in the world. If this is in-deed so, then it has to be regarded just like any other profession; and no pro-fession may be said to have resulted from a single set of circumstances. Besides, in that profession unemploy-ment and retrenchment do not exist. Considering that prostitution has been there since the early ages, no amount of laws and enforcers can stop it. Such a scenario deems it necessary for the sex workers to seek to be legalized, so that they go about their work freely. If the clandestine nature of their profes-sion is removed they would as well join workers unions to protect their rights and advance their aspirations. A few years ago a group of women in Hillbrow announced the formation of their South African Sex Workers Un-ion (SASWU), which they said would lobby for legislation that would en-trench their rights. Through legislation they could also strive to restore their dignity, for instance by having deroga-tory references like magosha banned. That would also allow the state to regulate their operations, which would reduce their chances of spreading STIs and HIV/Aids. That would also allow them to contribute directly to the coun-try’s economy by paying taxes.

All rights and reproduction of articles, images and other items published in this publication are reserved in terms of Section 12(7) of the Copyright Act 96 (1978) and its amendments thereof.

FNB hits R10b mark in affordable housing

If you have news stories or tips please contact Sizwe on 073 490 1905.

Time for women to rise

Women march in the recent women’s demonstration against women abuse in Joburg. PIC : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

Moses [email protected]

FNB recently announced that it has reached its R10 billion target in the affordable housing mar-ket (houses aimed at qualifying customers with gross monthly income of up to R18k) - provid-ing homes to more than 90,000 families, just five months after hitting the R9 billion mark. Marius Marais, CEO of FNB Housing Finance, (pictured) says the scale of the bank’s loan book, and its growth, are “evi-dence that there is demand for affordable housing and that FNB has made a significant contribu-tion in the provision of afford-able housing for first-time home-owners, who form the backbone of the future housing market.”“We have been robust in the de-velopment of our solutions that enable our customers to own their first home. For example, we have retained our policy of

100% loans to all qualifying cus-tomers. We have also combined access to housing finance with consumer education for our first-time home-owners where more than 29,000 of our bond holders have undergone or undertaken this educational/informative pro-gramme on how to manage their bonds and maintain their invest-ments,” Marais says.

FNB is one of the leading fin-anciers in the affordable hous-ing market space in South Africa with over 22% of new business market share.As a leader in innovation, FNB has also been working with various partners to pio-neer quality alternative build-ing technologies which can bring down prices, increase the speed of delivery and in-crease energy efficiencies. “Last year we rolled out our modular building concept in partnership with Sasol and Tower Technologies,” said Marais. “This enables us to

build houses from mining and manufacturing by-products ma-terial in less than 3 weeks. We also finalised and released our energy efficiency pilot study re-sults jointly piloted with GIZ & Carbon Programmes (Pty) Ltd to assess the social, environmental and financial benefits of imple-menting energy and thermal effi-

ciency technologies in the main-stream market.” “The potential for growth in the affordable housing market is by far not only limited by the ability of financial institutions to meet the housing finance and stock needs of the market. We see the availability of land; improved overall customer affordabil-ity including subsidy schemes; more developers willing to take up the challenge in the targeted market space; alternative build-ing technologies; and infrastruc-tural services costs usually asso-ciated with local municipalities and efficiency as crucial to this growth.” “Our hard earned learning throughout the years in lending in the affordable housing space has not only ensured that we continue to grow our affordable housing book, but has also meant that we are geared towards play-ing a leading role in this sector and going forward.”

We are of the view that women’s rights are human

rights. The ANC Women’s League believes the accomplishments of women should be celebrated, we have come a long way in attaining equal rights to men. On Human Rights Day this week we celebrated the progressive laws we enjoy, as well as our progres-sive constitution which allows us to celebrate our unity in diversity as a nation, no matter one’s race, religion, sex or creed. It was not an easy struggle to at-tain these rights and it should nev-er be forgotten what many went through as a nation to get to where we are today. We have surely made remarkable progress in the strug-gle for human rights. However while these human rights are enshrined in the consti-

tution many women face daily dis-crimination and persecution, this, despite our progressive laws and constitution. We must remember that the fight for true gender equal-ity can only be realised when we have a society that does not carry around a patriarchal mindset, where people on the street, includ-ing women themselves often see women as inferior to men. It is this patriarchal mindset that still holds so many back and keeps many women oppressed in their own free country. As the Women’s League we have come up with a gender policy discussion docu-ment that seeks to try to find ways to change this mindset through a long term change in the way the role of women is portrayed across a broad spectrum of categories. We need to start seeing real change

and put women on an equal foot-ing to men in every aspect of so-ciety from home, to the economy. Women have previously suffered under triple oppression, but now is the time for them to rise together and demand the equal rights en-shrined in our constitution. The right to human dignity is pro-tected by our constitution and one that in our country, coming from a past where human dignity was not afforded to all, we find extremely important. But we have to ask our-selves where is the human dignity in being sexually assaulted because you are wearing a mini skirt at a taxi rank? Where is the human dig-nity in being beaten up for wearing pants in T-section, Umlazi? Where is the human dignity in being bru-tally raped by your estranged hus-band and his cronies? Where is the

human dignity in being beaten up by your husband on a daily basis? Where is the human dignity in not being afforded the rights you are entitled to by law, because you are a woman? These are but a few of the incidents where women have not enjoyed the right to freedom and human dignity. While this week we celebrate the leaps and bounds made in the progression of human rights in our country, also celebrating the fact that we have one of the most pro-gressive constitutions in the world, we must also take a look at the so-ciety around us. We must not forget that as a na-tion we still have a long way to go before we truly all enjoy equal hu-man rights.Troy MartensANCYL

‘Where is the human dignity in not being afforded the rights you are entitled to, because you are a woman?’


FOCUS ON AFRICA

Row over former dictatorDakar - The government has denied that it is dodging its legal obligation by failing to extradite Chad’s for-mer president Hissene Habre or put him on trial. The foreign ministry’s legal and consular affairs director, Cheikh Titiane Thiam told an International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing that Senegal is not look-ing for a way out of its legal commitments. “We have never contested our duty to act on our international obligations to prosecute or to extradite. We have car-ried out reforms to improve human rights and are looking for ways to put Habre on trial,” he added. Habre was offered a safe haven in Senegal after he was overthrown in 1990, and stands accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture. A 1992 truth commission report in Chad said he presided over up to 40 000 political and ethnic killings. Belgium took the case to the ICJ in 2009 in a bid to force Senegal either to bring Habre, dubbed Africa’s Pinochet, to trial or to extradite him. Senegal has blocked three extradition requests for Habre since 2005 and another request is pending.

Troops attack ‘rebels’Asmara - Ethiopia has admitted that its troops have made more attacks on suspected rebel bases in Eritrea. A government official said the attacks, a day after Eritrea called for UN action over a similar incur-sion earlier in the week, took place in Badme in the north of the Red Sea state. The attacks are the first Ethiopia has admitted since the end of a 1998-2000 war between the two countries that killed 70 000 people and left a border dispute unresolved. Ethiopia said it raided three military bases that were being used to train Ethiopian rebels, which it blames for killing five foreign tourists and kidnap-ping two others in its Afar region in January. The Eritrean government of Isaias Afewerki said the attacks were with the help of the US and meant to divert attention from a decade-old border dis-pute between the two countries. “The objective is to divert attention from the re-gime’s flagrant violation of international law and illegal occupation of Eritrean territories,” a state-ment from Eritrea’s foreign ministry said.

Juba - Civil society organisations have rejected the government’s position that it has no obligation to arrest Sudanese president Omar el Bashir, when he attends an upcoming summit in the country. The meeting between Bashir and South Sudan’s Salva Kiir is intended for progress in talks on un-resolved issues since the secession of South Su-dan last year. The civil society groups argue that South Sudan can arrest Bashir under Article 86 of the Rome Statute because the UN Security Coun-cil referred the case to the International Criminal Court. Bashir is accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Dar-fur. South Sudan became the UN’s 193rd state in July last year, so it has the right to arrest Bashir, the activists say. This follows a pronouncement in which South Sudan’s chief negotiator, Pagan Amum said his country has no obligation to arrest Bashir if he comes to Juba, because they are not International Criminal Court (ICC) members.

Call for Bashir’s arrest

Islamists deny terror link

Omar al-Bashir

Abdullah al-Senussi

Ibadan - During a recent Islamic conference on Boko Haram, the Jama’atu Ta’awunil Muslimeen or-ganisation denied working with Boko Haram. The group’s leader in Osogbo, Malam Daud Im-ran said Boko Haram has derailed from true Jihad. “Killing of innocent peo-ple and bombing religious places is not Jihad. Islam encourages us to search

for knowledge, so how can anyone say education is bad? That is not part of the teachings of Islam. A ma-jority of us here are gradu-ates. I can also assure that there is no Boko Haram in the Southwest,” he said. Imran urged security agencies to do their best to tackle the security situa-tion. He called for religious harmony, warning religious leaders against inciting

Isaias Afewerki

Nouakchott - Following the arrest of ex-Libyan spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi last week Interpol has issued a Red Notice alert that he is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Libya requested the international alert, a step toward the extradition of one of the Gadhafi regime’s most wanted men, according to Interpol. “Libyan authori-ties are making intensive contact with their Maurita-nian counterparts regarding the handover of al-Senussi based on an arrest warrant issued by the Libyan pros-ecutor general,” a Libyan government statement said. Al-Senussi was already the subject of a Red Notice issued last September by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Mauritanian security arrested al-Senussi, brother-in-law of the late Gaddafi, at Nouakchott airport, alleg-edly travelling on a fake passport from Mali. France also requests al-Senussi’s extradition, follow-ing his sentencing in absentia to life imprisonment for the 1989 attack on UTA flight 772 which killed 170 people, including 54 French nationals, when the French airliner exploded as it flew over Niger.

Red alert for ex-spy chief

Hissene Habre

statements. He also denied reports that his members were armed. “We condemn the proliferation of fire-arms, and call on security agencies to ar-rest whoever has illegal guns,” he said.

6 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 22 - 29 MARCH 2012 COMMERCIAL


‘It is not about opening up old wounds, but we must reflect and remember our history so that we can move on’

On Wednesday hundreds of peo-ple gathered to mark Human

Rights Day in Kliptown, Soweto, and reflect on the progress that has been made in ensuring basic human rights for all South Africans, as en-shrined in the Constitution. The day also marked 52 years since the Sharpeville massacre. On 21 March 1960, police opened fire on a crowd of people peacefully dem-onstrating against the pass laws. A total of 69 people were killed. “Had it not been for those protest-ers, we would not be here today as a free country. I would not be studying at the tertiary institution of my choice and my parents would not live wherever they wanted to. Today we have endless opportuni-ties because of them. This is reason enough for me to honour those fall-en heroes and heroines,” said Khosi

Sibisi, a 25-year-old from Soweto. Victor Zwane, 22, from Pimville said it was important for the youth to learn about historical events that shaped the country we enjoy now. “I feel like as the youth we some-times forget the significance of such days. It’s not about opening up old wounds, but we must reflect and remember our history so that we can move on as a country,” said Zwane. Human Rights Day was celebrated at the Walter Sisulu Square of Ded-ication under the theme: “Working together to promote unity in diver-sity and human dignity for all.” The theme calls on all South Af-ricans, in the spirit experienced during the drafting of the Freedom Charter, to rally and realise goals envisaged in the Constitution. Kliptown was a hive of activity

from early in the morning, ahead of the arrival of President Jacob Zuma, with crowds gathering to catch a glimpse of him. The President kicked off events by taking a walk through the 10 pillars at the Monument of the Freedom Charter. He then lit the Freedom Charter Torch in recognition of the fact that the Freedom Charter was signed at Kliptown. He was accompanied by his Depu-ty, KgalemaMotlanthe; Justice and Constitutional Development Minis-ter Jeff Radebe; Deputy Basic Edu-cation Minister Enver Surty; Gau-teng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane and representatives of various political parties. In her address Premier Mokonya-ne paid homage to the “sung and unsung” heroines and heroes of South African history. BuaNews

Rights day event

Joburg CBD building collapses

Above : Members of the public sing during the event.Below : Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and Minister of Arts and Culture Paul Mashatile observe the monument during the commemoration. PICS : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

A crowd gathers to watch the building as it crumbles . Emergency services personnel approach the scene soon after the structure crumbled. PICS : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

Dintle Motlala and Sizwe [email protected]

One person was injured this week when the Caledonian

Hall building in The Joburg CBD collapsed, according to an Emer-gency Services spokesperson. The 107 year-old building at the corner of Jeppe and End streets was gutted by a fire last month which claimed one life. Since the fire inci-dent, the building has become unsta-

ble as metal scavengers removed the steel beams supporting the pillars, according to a street vendor. A resident, Mzwakhe Mhlophe said he was inside when the walls started cracking and shaking. “I alerted the others and we ran outside, and a few minutes after that the building col-lapsed. I have been staying here for a long time, and this means the end of my stay here,” he added. The three-storey building, built in the Scottish style in 1905, was the former headquarters of the Johan-

nesburg Caledonian Society. All the building materials are said to have been brought from Scotland, accord-ing to Naomi and Reuben Musiker in A Concise Historical Diction-ary of Greater Johannesburg. EMS spokesperson Niel Rooi con-firmed that the removal of pillar support beams from the building re-sulted in the collapse. “One person was sent to Hillbrow Hospital with minor injuries, but that person had not been inside the building at the time,” he said

He added that the building had been identified as a high risk build-ing because of overcrowding prior to the fire. “At this stage no person has been found trapped in the build-ing, as the dog unit continued with the search till the morning.” Ward 60 Councillor Nokuthula Xaba said she visited the occupants before, and alerted them about the danger of staying in the building. “When inspectors arrived at the building they fled, but they moved back in when they left,” she added.

‘I was inside when the walls started cracking and shaking, I alerted the others and we ran outside, and a few minutes after that the building collapsed’

8 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 22 - 29 MARCH 2012 NEWS / FEATURES

City and churches in by-law summit Staff Reporternews @inner-city-gazette.co.za

Region F in partnership with the South African Council

of Churches (SACC) invites all Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) worshipping or conducting any business within the area of Johan-nesburg inner- city and south to a by-law information sharing ses-sion this month. The event will be held at the Queen Modjadji Room, Eureka House, 80 Marlborough Road (cnr Rosettenville Road, opposite Santarama), Springfield on 28 March 2012. Region F director Nathi Mtheth-wa (pictured) says the region in-teracts with its communities with the intention of informing them about the by-laws of the City. “We regard each citizen as a part-

ner and keeping them informed and getting feedback is of tremendous importance in taking the Region forward. The Johannesburg 2040 Growth and Development Strat-egy is pro-citizen involvement and participation in determining their sustained being in Johannesburg.” The City’s legal and compliance manager Louis Geldenhuys says this is also about ensuring that all

activities people and groups en-gage in are compliant at least with the by-laws of the City. The City’s acting manager: stake-holder management and liaison, Pieter van Vuuren says when they notice gaps in terms of human activities and behavior that are in contravention with the by-laws; they intervene by bringing their attention of the irregularity in their conduct. The general secretary of the South African Council of Church-es (SACC) Reverend Sonti says: “We are committed to ensuring compliance by our members to the governmental structures.” Members of the Faith Based Or-ganisations who wish to attend this session may contact Zaabe-Magwaza on tel (011) 376-8697, fax (011) 376-8588 or e-mail: [email protected]

Venue : Queen Modjadji Room, Eureka House, 80 Marlborough Road (Cnr Rosettenville Road, Opposite Santarama), SpringfieldDate : Wednesday, 28 March 2012Time : 9:30 to 13:00The Information Sharing Session will be based on the following presentations:1. Public Open Spaces : Legal and Compliance2. Advertising by-laws : Development Planning and Urban Management3. Noise pollution : Environmental Health4. City of Johannesburg by-laws : JMPD5. Concluding remarks : South African Council of Churches Representative of the FBOs

‘This is also about ensuring that all activities people and groups engage in are compliant with the city’s by-laws Moses Moyo

[email protected]

The Joint Operational and Intel-ligence Structure (JOINTS),

comprising of the SAPS, SANDF and various government depart-ments, has embarked on a nation-wide operation called Operation Paseka to ensure that all people in South Africa feel safe during the coming Easter holidays. JOINTS chairperson Lt-Gen Elias Mawela says all provincial structures of have been directed to heighten security in preparation for either the influx or exodus of people from their respective provinces. “The planned operations are in-tended to primarily prevent all crimes, particularly serious crimes such as aggravated robberies, crimes against women and children, the proliferation of firearms, ille-gal liquor outlets, counterfeit and second-hand goods, etc. Both our national and provincial roads will also be closely monitored to detect speedsters and other contraventions with a view to drastically reduce the carnage on our roads around this holiday period,” he adds. The operation has been divided and is being executed in three phas-es, the pre- Easter holiday phase,

the Easter holiday phase and post Easter holiday. “The operational focus areas will include stop and search operations, roadblocks and vehicle checkpoints, special operations around possible business, house and cash-in-transit robberies as well as the hijacking of vehicles, illegal and abuse of liquor will be conducted. All operations in the country will be closely moni-tored by the National Joint Opera-tional Centre set up in Gauteng.” Joint security force personnel will maintain a high visibility of polic-ing by being strategically deployed in uniform patrolling on foot, in ve-hicles and being provided with air support. There are four public holidays within the period of the operation, including Human Rights Day; Good Friday, Freedom Day and Worker’s Day and security for events taking place on these public holidays have been taken into consideration. “We will be out in full force and will not tolerate any criminality, however petty one may consider it to be. Abuse of alcohol has the po-tential to lead to even more crimes being committed either by or against the indulging person. Therefore, we will not take this lightly at all,” Lt Gen Mawela warned.

Police in holiday safety operationsStructures to heighten security in preparation for the influx or exodus from provinces

‘We interact with communities with the intention of informing them about the city’s by-laws’


Hundreds of people attended the family fun day at the End Street

mall and the nearby park on Human Rights Day this week. The event, organised by property company AF-HCO was attended by many children who played on jumping castles and painted their faces. Parents came from all over Joburg CBD with their children while others came to unwind in the park. Nom-

pumelelo Mhlanga sat in the park as she watched the children play. “This is the kind of entertainment our chil-dren want. This park has been their second home, after school they all come here to play.” Fisani Moyo, expressed excitement in seeing her daughter playing with other kids. “It’s good for her as she spends most of her time at school. I had fun too watching the band per-forming.” Soweto Marimba Band entertained the guests with their music and

dance performance. Lucky win-ners received T-shirts and shopping vouchers amounting to R 1000. Jabulile Msimango won a R 1000 shopping voucher and was excited. “I will buy groceries for my daugh-ter and the rest goes to my mother,” she said. AFHCO’s urban development man-ager Lebo Mashego said this changed the outlook of End Street. “It was excitement that no one can fake. There were no incidents and we hope to have this event every year.”

Part of the audience that attended the event. Pic : phoenixphotography.co.za

End Street mall fun

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During this week’s ‘state of the city’ address Joburg

Mayor Clr Parks Tau announced that 10 JMPD officers will be de-ployed in every ward throughout the city. He was speaking at the coun-cil chambers in Braamfontein. “They will work with the CPF, street patrollers, neighbourhood watches and all security sector people based at ward level, in-cluding security companies con-tracted to households. This is to ensure that crime prevention is achieved,” added Tau. The mayor remarked that the inner city character has changed from being exclusive and con-servative to an inclusive, vibrant, multi-cultural African city. “The significance of the inner city to the economy and position

of Johannesburg is demonstrated by that the real estate investors have been showing a healthy ap-petite for buildings in central Jo-hannesburg,” he added. The billing and customer serv-ices will continue to be a top priority through the announced revenue roadmap programme, he said. “It is not acceptable for peo-ple to wait long periods to have calls answered.” New technology will be intro-duced to households as well as time management across the city in the medium term, announced Tau. “We will also implement electricity demand side manage-ment measures and smart meter-ing across the city.” Over the next 10 years the city will invest R100 billion in eco-nomic and social infrastructure, he said. “We will do all these in collaboration with the private sector and other stakeholders.”

Mayor’s move in crime prevention‘New technology will be introduced to households as well as time management across the city’

22 - 29 MARCH 2012 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 9 THE ARTS

Youth choir explodes with amazing energy

Some of the members of the Mzansi Youth Choir.

Arts summit registration

Jennifer de Klerk

Last Saturday the Mzansi Youth Choir exploded onto the stage

at the UJ Arts Centre in their bright multi-coloured costumes. Aged between 14 and 24, the 45 choristers are recruited from Sowe-to and surrounding townships. The choir is coming up on its 10th an-niversary and has some impressive credentials on its CV, including per-forming Waka Waka with Shakira during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, singing with Andrea Bocelli and a tour to Canada last year. Their programme is proudly South

African for the most part, energetic and skilfully choreographed, they are exuberant and their spirit is catching. This was their gala concert to in-troduce their repertoire for the new year, plus a few old favourites, such as Waka Waka, Sanibonani, Cel-ebration and others. Vicky Sampson’s Afrikan Dream is a highlight and Coldplay’s Viva la Vida and Leonard Cohen’s Halle-lujah sent shivers down my spine. The Canadians requested the choir do Justin Bieber’s Baby, which was somewhat of a challenge for mu-sical director and conductor Ralf

Schmidt. The result is a hysterical African/Bieber medley/mix that was distinctly spoofy and had the audience in stitches. Most numbers are unaccompanied, but drums and a full-on band take up the beat where needed. A year ago the Mzansi Children’s Choir was launched and a hugely enthusiastic group of kids did more than justice to Freshlyground’s Doo be doo and Ipi Ntombi. There are definitely some talented choristers coming up the ranks. By the end of the show the audi-ence was cheering, clapping and singing along. Artslink.co.za

The group is coming up on its 10th anniversary with some impressive credentials

Arts Correspondent

The inaugural Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) and University of

Johannesburg (UJ) Arts and Culture Conference will be held on UJ’s Kingsway campus on 24 and 25 May this year. Under the theme ‘The Art of the Creative Economy’, ACT, in partnership with the UJ Arts & Culture Cen-tre, will present a conference that sets the stage for representatives from national entities, major funding agen-cies and corpo-rate sponsors of the arts, arts activists and lumi-naries, to knowledge and insights. This is with the view to empower the sector towards its increased economic participation, recognition and support. In addition to looking at the ‘state of the nation’ and the ‘state of the sectors’, discussion themes will include the world as a creative economy, art as the new frontier of leadership, art for art or art for au-diences and art and performance in the digital age. The conference leaders will be focused on delivering constructive outcomes from these presentations and conversations. Plans will be created for practitioners and admin-istrators to remain abreast of de-velopments and industry thought- leadership within the sector. Conference content team member

Trish Downing says this is a most exciting time for the arts and cul-ture sector. “Never before has the potential of the creative sector in stimulating economies received such strategic attention, locally and international-ly, as evidenced in South Africa by

the increase in state funding made avail-able to this sector. We are being taken seriously and we need to understand what this means for us and how to capitalise on this shift. We hope to address the divide that exists between policymakers and practitioners by creating a space in which these impor-

tant conversations can happen.” The line-up of speakers and pan-elists includes Dr Wally Serote (pictured), Avril Joffe, Andries Oliphant, Ismail Mahomed, Andre le Roux, Deon Opperman, Mfundi Vundla, Monica Newton, Mpho Molepo, Michelle Constant, Janet Watts, Mandie van der Spuy, Ger-maine Gamiet and Erika Elk. The conference programme is put together by Trish Downing, Brenda Devar and Mpho Molepo, who have a wealth of experience in in the in-dustry, with guidance from Avril Joffe and Andreì le Roux. Sponsored registrations will be made available to arts, culture and heritage practitioners, and ap-plications close on 2 April. The conference registrations close on 11 May, and more information is available at www.act.org.za.

An Elle model at a birthday video shoot.

Moses [email protected]

ELLE magazine, named Consumer Magazine of the Year at the 2011 Pica Awards, has another milestone to cel-ebrate when it turns 16 in April. The South African edition of the world’s biggest-selling fashion maga-zine was launched in April 1996, the first major international title to capital-ise on South Africa’s readmission to the global market. The launch of ELLE South Africa was ‘a milestone in our fashion his-tory’, writes editor of ELLE Magazine, Jackie Burger in her introduction to the magazine’s special birthday issue, which celebrates local design with a fashion editorial featuring party dresses commissioned from top South African designers. Under Burger’s editorship the magazine has focused on delivering an empower-ing message of ‘style and substance’, appealing to women who are interested in being both well-dressed and well-read. As part of an initiative to grow the magazine’s reputation as a fashion

leader, last year, Burger launched The Female Factor to focus on issues af-fecting South African women. This was part of a broader ongoing strategy to ‘redefine what a fashion magazine is’, Burger explained. As part of the publication’s birthday celebrations, ELLE has produced a ‘happy birthday’ mini-video available on the ELLE website. The all-night shoot took place on the Sea Point prom-enade. The video features couture dresses by local designers, especially made for ELLE’s 16th birthday. High-lights from the birthday issue include a 16-page beauty story introducing the latest hair and make-up looks, an ed-ited round-up of winter’s top 20 fash-ion trends and the launch of the ELLE Beauty Awards. Nurturing new talent remains a priori-ty for Burger and 2012 will see exciting developments in this area. Meanwhile the April issue sees the launch of a short-fiction writing competition – an-other first for the most stylish and spir-ited 16-year-old on local newsstands. To view the ELLE birthday video visit http://www.elle.co.za/fashionably-late.

Elle South Africa turns 16

10 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 22 - 29 MARCH 2012 COMMERCIAL

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22 - 29 MARCH 2012 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 11 THE ARTS

BASA awards entries open

Arts Correspondent

Entries are now open for the 15th Annual Business Day BASA

Awards. The event, supported by Anglo American, celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, having seen a significant growth in arts and culture sponsorship by enlightened companies during the years the awards have been in operation. The award ceremony will be at the end of August. All companies who have supported arts projects financially or in-kind between 1 January and 31 Decem-ber 2011 are eligible to submit en-tries for the BASA Awards. The online entry forms can be ac-cessed through the Business and Arts South Africa website (www.basa.co.za) and guides entrants through various questions regard-ing the nature of the support and partnership between the company and arts project. The entries are ad-

judicated by an independent judg-ing panel, with the nominees being announced at the end of July. The awards feature 15 categories, with 12 of them being open for gen-eral entry. They cover a wide range of creative mediums such as visual arts, dance, theatre, physical perfor-mance, music, fashion, design and architecture. Business Day editor, Peter Bruce says businesses getting involved in the arts is a way for them to put on a human face and have some fun. “That's when companies are usu-ally at their best and most creative. These are unique awards in a unique country and it is fitting that business should find themselves at the centre of them.” Anglo American’s Pranill Ram-chander says the company repre-sents a shared vision to encourage mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships between corporate South Africa and arts and culture.

The judges for the 2012 BASA Awards are CEO of The Loerie Awards Dr Andrew Human (chair-man); media consultant and editor of Destiny Man Kojo Baffoe; Sun-day Independent arts critic Mary Corrigall; independent arts consul-tant Nicky du Plessis; strategist and CEO of Grey Siza Maratlulle; CEO of the Mastrantonio Group Gio-vanni Mariano; co-founder and co-owner of multi-disciplinary design firm INK Lisebo Mokhesi and As-sociate Professor at the University of Cape Town and Artistic Director of Siwela Sonke Jay Pather. The closing date for entries for the BASA Awards is May 18. The on-line nomination system can be ac-cessed on at www.basa.co.za. The awards section features tips, guidelines, rules and regulations and online nomination forms. Infor-mation about previous winners can also be found on this website. For more call 011 447 2295.

Arts Correspondent

Mentalist Michael Abraham-son presents his brand new

show, Powerbrain The Mentalist, Sequel, at the UJ Arts Centre in April. The show will be at the UJ The-atre, Kingsway Campus, Auck-land Park from 17 to 21 April. Fol-lowing the success of his original show at the UJ Theatre in August 2011, memory expert and mental-ist extraordinaire, Abrahamson has developed a sequel to the original: a theatrical experience based on some never-before-seen effects and routines that make use of mathematics, memory skills, body language, psychology, eye movement and many other ideas in an interactive and fun way that will keep audiences spellbound. The show uses audience par-ticipation; nothing is pre-planned with any member of the audi-ence. The show plays out in an impromptu manner with plenty of lightning calculations, amazing memory demonstrations, mind readings and plenty more and builds to a memorable climax. Abrahamson says his fascination with arts started when he assisted a magician at a cousin’s birthday party when he was only six years old. “I then joined a magic school and learned all the secrets and be-gan developing my own shows.” He adds that the move from magic to mentalism came about 10 years ago when by chance he saw a mentalism show

presented by a visiting exponent of the art. “At the time it seemed to me more like intelligent magic, it was exactly my thing, something I was able to tie in to my courses, and develop shows. Mentalism is not magic, and other than being a performing art, has very little in common with your conventional magic show.” The art of mentalism is still very new in South Africa; it uses the five senses to create an illusion of a sixth sense. It is an art form that uses mathematics, memory skills, body language, eye movement, psychological suggestion and other skills in order to influence audience members into specific, non-threatening and non-personal courses of action. This makes for compelling entertainment. Abrahamson reminds that this is unique entertainment that has au-diences enthralled and spellbound throughout. When not performing and pre-senting his show, Abrahamson also runs courses in memory, mind-building, study skills and exam techniques. These courses are offered to school learners, university and college students, teachers, par-ents, corporate clients and anyone else who can benefit from acquir-ing these skills in their day-to-day lives. Many high-profile top corporate companies list among his clients. For more information visit www.powerbrain.co.za or email [email protected]

Awards cover visual arts, dance, theatre, physical performance, music, fashion, design and architecture

Members of the Goethe Institut SA pose with their medals in last year’s event.

Mentalist show is back at UJAn art form that uses mathematics, memory skills, body language, eye movement, psychological suggestion and other skills to influence audience members into specific courses

Arts Correspondent

Theatre houses across the coun-try have joined a campaign

to encourage the development of young theatre audiences through the ASSITEJ World Theatre Day. The theatre houses that support

the campaign are the Joburg The- atre, Market

T h e a t r e , Peoples T h e -a t r e ,

Sibikwa A r t s C e n t r e , Catalina Thea t r e , H i l t o n C o l l e g e

T h e a t r e , Kalk Bay

T h e a t r e , A r t s c a p e ,

Baxter, National Children’s The-atre as well as the Hillbrow Theatre Project. Supported by the National Lot-tery Distribution Trust Fund, AS-SITEJ South Africa along with ASSITEJ centres the world over celebrated the World Theatre Day for Children and Young People on March 20 as part of the three year campaign aimed at advocating for the value of theatre in the lives of young people. The director of ASSITEJ SA and president of ASSITEJ Internation-al, Yvette Hardie says her organisa-tion brought corporates on board to sponsor children to attend theatre. “We asked companies and receiv-ing houses to open their doors to young people and their families. “The ‘take a child to the theatre’ campaign goes to the heart of working to ensure that all children have access to the arts.”

This has been an opportunity for theatres to encourage the develop-ment of audiences in community halls, schools, professional theatres and site specific venues. “Unless children are given the opportunity to love the theatre experience, we will have no the-atre industry in the future,” Hardie adds. She adds that each year a sig-nificant world leader/artist in the-atre for young people is asked to write the message for the ASSITEJ World Day. This year, it is Suzanne Lebeau, an award-winning French-Canadian playwright. “She visited South Africa to de-liver her message, since ASSITEJ SA has produced her play, The Ogreling, and has commissioned Sindiwe Magona to translate it into isiXhosa called IZim’elincinci, and the local production is the first on the African continent. We also in-

vited our patron Gcina Mhlope (pictured) and other prominent artists, as well as the Ministers of Arts and Culture, Basic Education and Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities to add their voices to the campaign.” This year ASSITEJ will launch its ASSITEJ Youth Ambassador’s pro-gramme, which encourages youth leadership and participation in the activities of the association. The ambassadors range in age from six to 25 and are passionate spokes-people for the value of theatre. “They form juries and award-panels. They may become catalysts for social cohesion and transforma-tion, bridging divides and explor-ing a common love of the theatre.” South Africans may contribute R10 by texting ‘Theatre4Youth’ to 38490 from their cellphones, there-by sponsoring children to visit the theatre and acklowledge the arts.

Drive to promote youth arts

12 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 22 - 29 MARCH 2012COMMERCIAL

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14 INNER-CITY GAZETTE 22 - 29 MARCH 2012

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This week thousands of people took part in the inaugural Nike Run Free,

Run Jozi night race. Desmond Mokgobu led the pack from Nelson Mandela Bridge through to Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown where he ultimately won the race. Rene Kalmer was the fi rst woman to reach the fi nishing line. In the Male Open division, Sibusiso Nzima fi nished second and Lucky Mohale third. Second and third places in the Female Open division were claimed by Maxine Hein-Wacker and Nolene Conrad respectively. The brand director of Nike South Af-rica, Anwar Jappie said the race counter-acted myths about inner city streets being crime and grime ridden. “This experience has allowed runners the opportunity to celebrate their herit-age and freedom, and also take back the streets for one night.” Among the prominent runners who took part in the race included celebrities and public fi gures like Oscar Pistorius, 5fm DJ Poppy Ntshongwana, TV presenter Arnold Geerdts. City of Johannesburg’s community development portfolio head, Clr Chris Vondo said the race created a memorable experience for the community at large. “This event has cemented Johannes-burg’s reputation as a premier sporting destination that’s increasingly becoming part of the global sporting community,” he added. Runners also had different experiences

about the race. Baylor Brown said the race was not easy. “I do not know the in-ner city well but it was fascinating to see it. I had underestimated 10km but after 5km in the road I could feel the pressure. I am looking forward to the following marathon which I hope to at least be in the top 10.” The Joburg race is part of the Nike We Run City 10km World Series tour, which has taken place in cities such as Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Kuala Lumpur and Rio de Janeiro. The overall winner received a R15 000, prize, whereas the second placed runner walked away with R8 500.

Inner-city night race