Mandates and what it means for us?

Each person within the border of a city or town has a mandate.

Each organisation and institution has a mandate.

The mandate gives you the authority to act in a certain way.

The government’s mandate is to govern. To define the law and upheld it, to protect our borders, to represent the people accurately in other countries with qualified delegates, and to prosper the nation. They also give us the Bill of Rights that governs our every move, the way we live and how we act.

SARS’s mandate is to gather the taxes and distribute it accurately to the proper authorities so that our roads, dams, rivers, and hospitals, for example, can be in perfect conditions.

The municipality’s mandate is to serve the community. Within the many branches of this institution, it is narrowed down to departments: water, electricity, parks, roads, road safety, buildings and upholding the by-laws which make every city unique.

Religious institutions are the moral compass of the people. For instance, the church’s mandate is to spread the gospel, care for the poor, take care of the elderly, look after the widow, and orphaned child.

The police’s mandate is to protect each citizen against crime.

The hospital’s mandate is to take care of the sick. Their Socrates oath is very clear in its expectation of them.

The business owner’s mandate is to bring capital into the town, deliver a service and take care of his employees.

The school’s mandate is to educate the child and prepare him for a career.

The college’s mandate is to educate and shape the student for his chosen profession.

The parent’s mandate is to teach children the way they must live so that they can prosper. They lay the foundation whereupon all other institutions build. If the foundation has cracks, the walls will be skew.

Art, culture, and sport’s mandate is to replenish, to build, to motivate and keep the spirits high. They speak to the people in different forms and beautify our land.

Charities mandates plays a vital part within the structure. They are the extended arms of each of the above branches. Support groups, soup kitchens, vegetable gardens... the list goes on. They all play a vital role on the ground level. And must be taken seriously by all other people.

These mandates should work together to form a unity within the community.

When we look at them separately, we understand their vision and mission and keep them accountable to it.

However, to be more effective, the mandates must join hands with one mission; to change the community culture and maintain a healthy environment. Now, more than ever, it is necessary to do so.

South Africa faces hardships within its borders. every town and city shows neglect while people burn and ran amok without any accountability or responsibility. Everything crumbles around us. The government cannot do it alone. The different political parties cannot do it alone no matter how great their slogans are, or the grant promises they make. Nor can all the organisations or institutions. It must be a collective undertaking.

No man is an island and the words of JF Kennedy are still true: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Instead of working against each other, we should find a middle ground. A place where we can take hands and work together as a collective. Not for our own benefit but for the benefit of the community. The stronger the community, the stronger are our cities. 

 

Meet the owner of B & O Coffee Affair.

Meet Mandy de Beer, the owner of B & O Coffee Affair, a cozy spot for friends and family in Hendrik Potgieter street. Surrounded by professional offices, this cafe offers a variety of delicious dishes and drinks, prepared by the talented chef Diana Clack. Mandy and Diana work together to ensure a high-quality service and a friendly atmosphere.

Mandy has a background in education, having worked as a primary assistant teacher at Laerskool Môrewag, where she cared for the Grade R - RRR students. She says it was a rewarding time in her life, as she loves children and teaching. She is also a mother of one daughter and a former stay-at-home parent. 

Her plan is to help the less fortunate with a soup kitchen and catering for various events.

Mandy says that running a cafe is not without challenges, especially with expensive electricity and loadshedding. She says that power outages are frequent, which affects her business and customers. She hopes the situation will improve soon, as she is passionate about her cafe and wants to keep serving her loyal clientele.

She is looking forward to the new year and trust that 2024 will be a better year for every person. The fact that the buildings are upgraded is a step in the right direction. 

With her positive attitude and vibrant personality, her success is ensured. 

61 Hendrik Potgieter str., Dalview, South Africa

Contact Mandy for all reservations 082 440 9746

BATHO PELE PRINCIPLES

Have you ever stand in one of those long cues at a municipal building, waiting for service and read the informational banners? Most of the times, it is only available in one of the other 11 languages, but once I learned about them; I have become attentive. Reading and studying about culture and culture changes, I saw it first on the Ekurhuleni website and was flabbergasted. When you weigh the entire Ekurhuleni against the Batho Pele Principles, you realize the shortfalls immediately. The eight points are very interesting. Let’s have a closer look.

The eight Batho Pele principles are:

Consultation: Citizens should be consulted about their needs and preferences. Service standards: Citizens should know what level and quality of service they can expect.

Access: All citizens should have equal access to the services they are entitled to. Courtesy: Citizens should be treated with courtesy and respect. Information: Citizens should be given full and accurate information about the services they receive. Openness and transparency: Citizens should know how the public service is run, how much it costs, and who is in charge. Redress: Citizens should be offered an apology, an explanation, and a remedy when the service standards are not met. Value for money: Public services should be provided efficiently and effectively to give citizens the best value for their money.

The Sesotho word means people first. This means that the Batho Pele principles are about helping to improve delivery to the people. Its approach is aimed at getting public servants to stay committed to their work and to find means to enhance this service delivery. Public servants must find different ways to offer services in a better way as opposed to coming up with excuses as to why the government cannot. Managers in the public space, therefore, have an important role to play when it comes to the creation of an enabling environment for staff members to work effectively in their interactions with customers. This requires the managers to focus on motivating staff, and ensuring they have the necessary tools to work. They can do this by providing continuous support especially during times of stress and pressure. The Batho Pele is summarized in a slogan that goes, “We belong, we care, we serve.”

We belong: This implies that we are part of the Public Service and should thus work hand in hand regarding colleagues.

We care: It is a directive that shows that we should care for the public that we serve, that is the customers. 

We serve: It is up to the public servants to deliver exceptional service to all citizens.

So, if the above statements are true, why don’t we see the evidence of it in our parks, streets, governmental buildings and day-to-day living conditions? And why does the municipality not live up to these principles? Who keeps them accountable?

Citizens should know how the public service is run, how much it costs, and who is in charge.

Why must we then drive through Plastic City? Driving down Prince George avenue alone, my heart drop. Not to mention Voortrekker road. Athlone, the main road between Brakpan and Boksburg, are in a better shape and busier than ever. But why are so much time and money invested only in the one main road but not in Prince George Avenue connecting us to Benoni? 

These are the questions I aim to get answers to and get to know the people who is accountable for delivering a public service to the Ekurhuleni community.

Issue 3: Brakpan's Voice: where community matters.

 

Third issue by Lynelle Clark

A nature conservator: Hendry Kortje

She sat with her back turned to me against the Yellowwood tree at the back of my yard. A pathetic figure. Her back is arched to warn me off, and though she hears my footsteps, she makes no attempt to flee. She tries to turn her head as I get closer, but I can see that even this ordinary action must be painful. Sadness washes over me and the burning sensation behind my eyes warns me not to blink at that specific moment.

She’s still young, but something must have happened that plunged her into this pitiable position. Laboriously, she stood up and a deep rumble of extreme pain escaped her mouth as she slowly and stately tried to get away from me. 

“Hie’ sit ‘n bobbejaan innie agtejaart. Sy lyk siekerig.” My brother said over the cell phone just a few minutes ago. Whereupon I hurried home. This female is the third baboon I must witness helplessly in just one month! Half an hour after I have observed this female baboon, the vet arrived to dart her. The first thing I wanted to know was if the potion he put in the dart would not kill my newest lady friend, on which he confirmed it will only put her to sleep so he can examine her. One shot to the shoulder and she landed face first in the dirt. I was quicker than the vet and the first thing I did was looking for a pulse. Five minutes later, my son hugged me where I was sitting next to my deceased girlfriend, my female baboon. While I was stroking the palm of her still warm hand, my teardrops were making sad patterns in the dust. Welcome to the everyday existence of Hendry Dawid Kortjè. I live on the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve with my wife, 2 children and my brother and work on the Reserve as a conservationist. My speciality is the eradication of all invasive alien trees, plants, and animals and of course I have to touch on all the other reserve activities as well. 

Not only do I live on a piece of land that is a heaven for hikers but also to free ranging animals. Mammals on the reserve include cape leopards, honey badgers, baboons, klipspringers and grysbokkies, mongoose and rooikatte (caracals) and smaller animals like mice, shrews and rats. Most of these are shy animals or nocturnal and are seldom seen. Large raptors can be seen against the skyline again after the devastating fires in 2021 when the reserve burnt down. Black eagles, the occasional fish eagle and spotted owl occur, while sugarbirds and sunbirds are more abundant. On warm days rock lizards can be seen basking in the sun. Berg adder, puff adder, boomslang and Cape Cobras are fairly common on the reserve. Luckily, I am trained as a snake catcher and snake handler which gave me a good understanding of the nature of these grillerige goggas. Our daily visitors will be the baboons. Although they are a different species as those stoutgatte in Cape Town we try to live in harmony with them. We know to keep a distance during mating season, and we know to stay away from them when they fight for leadership. 

Welcome to a day in the life of Hendry Dawid Kortjè.

A nature conservator. A father, husband and a poet and writer. 

 ©Hendry Kortje 20231101

Young Artist's Drive For Social Change

 By Emmanuel Kaitano

Blog Banner by Lynelle Clark

As a musician, actor and playwright, Tshidiso Edwin Phansi, also known as Dj Moody P, is the definition of a multi-hyphenate. But growing up, his dream was to be a musician. “I just didn’t see how I could use drama to contribute to society,” he says.

It wasn’t until 2011 that he realized he could use his passion for storytelling to push for social change in his community.

“l gathered children from ages ten to fifteen,” he said. “I needed them to tell the stories that they felt needed to be heard.”

As an actor, he’s known for his role in Mzansi Magic drama Abafana Abathathu. And as a playwright, he has centered township children’s stories in his work. Most notably in his popular play, “Oliver”. A social drama of a young boy who tells his peers on how he saw his father left and never came back home. Only to realise that all of them encountered the same predicament.

In most of his plays, Moody P offers his audience a chance to learn about the challenges young children are facing. Also, how they’re expecting change.

“I cannot say I know how to deal with these issues,” he says. “But there are children who wake up every day and face such challenges. Pushing their way through a world that’s pushing against them, and we are becoming their voice to the community through drama.”

Moody P says, lack of funding and opportunity has made it hard for his crew to stage their work in other parts of the region. But by working hand in glove with local companies like Naka Le Phuthang Funeral Insurance, he hopes to close the gap.

“I’m inspired by the children that l have been able to champion,” he says. “Their focus and courage on the stories they’re telling is amazing.

In the next five years, Moody P would like to see Mzansi Arts crew expand beyond the region and taking more children off the streets.

“We have a lot of stories and only us can tell them.” he said.

Gamazine Manufacturing Company Brings Hope To Township Residents Amid Post COVID Unsettled Market

 By Emmanuel Kaitano

In November 2021, Mandla (35) received the sad news that a company he was working for was shutting down because of COVID-19 regulations. Hopelessness overwhelmed him as uncertainty took centre stage.

Having worked for the company for five years, Mandla received a paltry package, which he would rather forget about. The father of three’s troubles mounted as he stared unemployment in the face. In a country where finding a job is like looking for a needle in a haystack, he joined the unemployed. Even his Forklift Operators’ license certificate became a worthless piece of paper. Just like many other certificates or degrees possessed by country folks who are also feeling the full squeeze of the smelting economy.

With his financial situation in shambles, Mandla was left with no option than to move to his Villa Liza township home, in Boksburg.

Luck paid him a visit in 2023, when he was employed and got free training by the Gamazine Excellency factory.

“This factory has changed my life in a big way. I had lost all hope, but now I am happy that I have a job here and l can send my children to school,” said Mandla in an interview.

The factory Director Rudzani Malogwe said,

“As a company, we are happy with this approach, which is certainly bearing fruit. We make sure the community benefit from this initiative.” The director said.

“Economic meltdown is the dominant force behind waves of price hikes that have unsettled consumer markets. Also, the nation is soldiering through one of the toughest phases of a protracted economic crisis, with industries being grounded for hours because of the power crisis.

Magick by Lynette de Coning

With the victory of our Green-and-Gold rugby team still fresh in our minds, we can look at our country and say: Proudly South African. No matter where you live, you stay proud.

Yes, we hear some people complaining again about the holiday not being until December 15th, and about the weather, and load shedding; the complainers will always complain. The fact is that the complainant’s life will never improve.

Every singer and artist who visits our country to entertain us speaks from the same mouth: “South Africans have a ‘magick’. They have something different.’” We live in an incredibly beautiful country. Our people are hospitable and helpful.

Maybe we should focus more on living this ‘something else’, which causes the rest of the world to envy us. Despite the negatives, there are positives. That positive energy of yours will change your life—guaranteed!

Be proud Brakpanner, be proud South African. Stronger together!

I conclude with Dale Carnegie:

“Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”

Lynette de Coning, Owner of a Rental agency in Paarl and author.

A runaway bull on the loose in Brakpan North.

This morning in Brakpan North where I stay there was a runaway bull on the loose.

This young beast had anger issues to be sure! Charging people, charging dogs.

He came running past my house at a speed. I saw him and gave chase. After a brief standoff, this bull ran into the open veld over the road from my house.

I mobilised my community patrollers, and we managed to keep this angry bovine contained.

A local herdsman came and told me that they had been looking for this bull since Thursday evening.

We kept the bull contained in the veld while the herdsman went and brought the rest of the herd to absorb the bull safely.

The video I took was of the bull realising that his herd had come to fetch him.

I must admit, the herd meeting up with this bull brought a lump to my throat.

Written by Drummond Doig

The Squatter Camp Animated Chronicles

 Written by Emmanuel Kaitona

It’s a windy morning. Taxi hoots illuminate a gloomy squatter camp so early in the day. Loved aunties, a group of volunteers, under the auspices of Martina Stickling, prepare soup in the kitchen of the Hamilton Street community centre, a distance from this informal settlement. An innocent child, 6-year-old Elijah, sits against the shack walls. Litter scattered around him, showing the neglect and pollution of the environment. “Mama is sick and there is no food,” says the boy to his sister, next to him. “Don’t worry,” she said, “it’s Wednesday, we can go to aunty Tina.” Quick scenes from the previous day could be seen all around him. His mother, the mother of four, was a well-known breadwinner in the neighbourhood. Glimpses of the dark figures who orchestrated her booze as a favour to quench her worries had abused her last night. “Why me Lord, why is my life like this?” was her prayer as she nurses her bruises that morning.

She used to work for a big company before the pandemic. During lockdown, things fell apart and turned to the Hamilton Street shelter for a couple of months. But moved to the squatter camp to be closer to her friends. That is how Elijah got familiar with Soul Outreach Community Upliftment soup kitchen’s schedules. The colour returns, the child rises, determination in his eyes as the thought of aunty Tina and a fresh meal crosses his mind. He prepares for the day, following his routine as his mother instructed him. The clock on the table signals the start of the line of hungry kids. An exodus of young sojourners heading for Soul Outreach Community Upliftment in Hamilton Street for a meal. Crossing the streets and dodging oncoming traffic, they got to their destination.

As Martina Stickling opens the gate and calls, “Food is ready. Kids come in first.” In a second, the yard is full of youngsters, the air thick with anticipation. Elijah, amid other children, with empty lunch boxes, plates and spoons in hand, stands in a single file with confident anticipation. They are not just hungry; they represent the outcomes of a community struck by economic meltdown since the days of COVID-19 lockdown. As the feeding begins, loud music plays from a distance. The shadowy figures present a twisted version of events. We see ghostly images of the real perpetrators, the instigators, in the background. Their smirks and whispers tell of their next conspiracy as they share the green and brown bottles. The unemployed, who gave up trying, tackle their days guzzling from dawn to dusk. All they are left to do now is to let life’s frustrations and trauma pass through a haze of booze. With heavy hearts, they sing the well-known song of Micheal Jackson. Lamenting about work, providing for their families, instead of being on the street. “Heal the world, make it a better place, for you and for me and the entire universe.”

Stomach full, Elijah takes to the streets again. Music welcomes him back into the squatter camp. Facts and evidence appear around him as he walks down the dusty streets. An accurate picture of an abused mother and an absent father figure. Highlighting the cruel irony of being neglected by those who should be their stronghold. “We need more donations, not only food but clothes and blankets. Also, a safe home for the abused kids.” This has been Stickling’s anthem for years. Aunty Tina, as she is known by the children in her area, sweats as the gravity of the burden bears down on her. Scenes flash through her mind’s eye. The reality of the injustice, the neglect and abuse and the empty faces of the children whose youth have been stolen. The spoon in her hand feels heavier as each child’s story is unearthed. “The thing is,” she told herself, “l cannot give up on my community. They need me. This is my calling.” Time slows down as she went to the office of the social workers. With a strike that echoes, she demands justice for the child, calling for social workers’ investigation into the perpetrators. 

“Enough is enough. Something needs to be done for this child,” she said to other volunteers at the centre. When the intervention of the authorities finally came, the community erupts in animated cheers as a smiling Elijah, mother and sister, steps out into the sunlight. The horizon promising a new chapter in their lives.

“Thank you, aunty Tina.” Elijah said, as they cross the doorpost at the centre. “As I feed the children, a thousand stories are told,” she repeated with a heavy sigh. “Be part of your community!” Tina says to everyone who cares to listen. The soft sound of rain signifies the cleansing and hope of the day as Elijah and his family unpacked their belongings for this new phase.