Inner City Gazette

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4995 5 - 12 July 2012 TEL : 011 023-7588 / 011 402 - 1977

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EMAIL : info@inner-city-gazette.co.za WEBSITE : www.inner-city-gazette.co.za

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JOSHCO SHOWCASES

INNER-CITY BUILDINGS

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STORIES FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT PAGE 7

YOUR DREAM CANNOT DIE

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NGOs evicted Members of NGOs guard their furniture soon after being evicted from the Bram Fischer Towers building in the Joburg CBD

PIC : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

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INNER-CITY GAZETTE

NEWS

5 - 12 JULY 2012

Madiba week in

Joubert Park Staff Reporter news@inner-city-gazette.co.za

Eviction scene...some members of the NGOs that were evicted guard their belongings outside the building.

PIC : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

Dozens of NGOs evicted ‘The municipality took us from being home-based organisations and provided offices for us as support for the work done by NGOs, but now we don’t understand why they have pulled out’ Persistance Nkomo persie.nkomo@inner-city-gazette.co.za

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hirty-two NGOs have been evicted from the Bram Fischer Towers office block at the corner of Albert and Joubert streets in the Joburg CBD. City of Joburg spokesperson Nkosinathi Nkabinde says the eviction on Wednesday followed the expiry of the city’s lease agreement with the building’s owners, Inspret Properties in September last year.

“The lease was not renewed after expiry, and the NGOs did not vacate the building, but went to court to legitimise their illegal occupancy.

The court however ordered them to vacate the building by 30 June, which they did not do, leading to them being evicted from the building,” he says.

Nkabinde says through their illegal occupancy of the building, the City has been exposed to over R800 000 unplanned expenditure and this

will be drawn from social service obligations.

Congress of South African NGOs (COSANGO) spokesperson Dududu Magano says the city has not been fair to them.

“The city put us into the building and we were promised an alternative place, but the city has not been communicating with us throughout the whole process. The city took us from being homebased organisations and provided offices for us as their support for the work done by NGOs, but now we don’t understand why they have pulled out,” he says.

Among those NGOs that were evicted were the Alexandra Orphanage Child Care Centre, Africa Migrants Solidarity, Children’s Plight, Community Aids Response Care and Chris-

tians for Peace in Africa.

Meanwhile 21 traders were evicted from the Delvers Square building at corner Delvers and Kerk streets,where some businesses were allegedly refusing to pay rent.

Joburg central Sheriff Lutendo Mukwevho says the shop owners have been trading for about six months without paying rent.

One of the business people who

provided his name as Abby said they would not pay rent because the owner of the building did not want to meet their needs.

The owner of the building told the occupants to vacate the building for it had to be renovated, but they refused, leading to him to get an eviction order.“Though some of them tried to resist, the eviction was successful,” says Mukwevho.

The Joubert Park Youth Outreach Project NGO will facilitate Nelson Mandela Week from 16 to 21 July, and applies to the whole of Region F. The programme for the week includes an exhibition, a lecture, aclean up of a taxi rank, a Big Walk (signifying the Long Walk) from Joubert Park to Constitution Hill and a day of fun for smaller kids.

The main aim of Nelson Mandela Week is to promote healthy lifestyles to all generations and to create a community of grooming NGOs and Community Projects within the city to work together during the week.

The campaign is run by the CWP (Community Work Programme) in Region F under Khethiwe Foundation (Local Implementing Agency), Joubert Park Outreach Project and Stakeholders Management. The campaign will be coordinated by the Youth Task Team of the CWP. The main objectives of the week include: • Preserving the legacy and the history of South Africa and of Tata Madiba • Promoting a healthy lifestyle • Serving as a research tool to investigate the community needs • Providing exposure to all upcoming and young NGOs and all community projects existing within the region • Opening a marketing platform for all the community benefiting projects • Helping the less fortune to find hope and love from others For more info contact Malibongwe on 073 133 5937 or malibongwe@khethiwefoundation.com

The suspects lie handcuffed in the street.

Car theft suspects nabbed Crime Reporter crime@gazettelive.co.za Hillbrow police have arrested three suspects on allegations of attempted robbery, police spokesperson Cst Nkosinathi Mgimeti says.

He adds that the allegation was that a complainant came out of a

Tools of the trade...included is the ‘master tracker’ device (circled) that is used to detect vehicle tracking systems.

building and found three suspects inside his Toyota Quantum minibus. “When he asked them what they were doing they asked him what he was going to do about it. The complainant got scared and returned to the building. The suspects then drove off in a black BMW325i,” Cst Mgimeti says.

Police were alerted about the incident and they chased suspects, and managed to arrest them.

Cst Mgimeti added that the suspects were found in possession of car-breaking equipment, which included a ‘master tracker’ device, that is used to detect whether a vehicle has a tracking system or not.

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INNER-CITY GAZETTE

NEWS

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Zuma addresses cohesion summit ‘We have come to discuss what our forebears left to us, a legacy that says this country belongs to all who live in it, black or white’ Akhona Zibonti akhona@inner-city-gazette.co.za This week the two day National Social Cohesion Summit was held in Kliptown, Soweto.

In his opening speech President Jacob Zuma said: “We have come to discuss how to bring to life, what our forebears left to us, a legacy that says this country belongs to all who live in it, black or white.

“Our socio-economic transformation programme is a primary tool of national reconciliation, nation building and social cohesion.

Therefore the continuous programmes of democratic transformation as well as the expansion of basic services and improving the performance of the economy to create jobs, are designed to

create a united, cohesive society, where all have access to a better life.”

To restore ethnic pride and ensure social cohesion Zuma said the government has developed the use of official languages, which are in Section 6 of the Constitution. That provides that national and provincial governments may use any official language for purposes of conducting government business in courts, public notices, and official documents and in legislation.

The President added “this Summit must be yet another platform for us South Africans to dialogue among ourselves, reach out to one another and move a step further, in building a truly united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa”.

Building owner Ali (right)

Part of the eviction scene PIC : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

CBD eviction saga Court allows evicted residents back into building after claim that eviction order was fake Persistance Nkomo persie.nkomo@inner-city-gazette.co.za

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his week about 20 residents of Jean Well Court at corner Nugget and President streets were evicted for illegally occupying the building.

However, about 24 hours later the residents were allowed back into the building after they lodged a complaint with the court that the eviction order had been fake.

Johannesburg Sheriff of the Court Lutendo Mukwevho had earlier said the Jean Well Court building was illegally occupied by sex work-

ers who had claimed to own it.

The new owner of the property, who only provided his name as Ali, said he bought the building some time last year, but the occupants would not allow him access into the property.

“They have been living in the building for over a year without paying rent or any tariffs. When I bought the building I tried to talk with them but they could not let me in. They demanded that I pay them to be allowed inside,” he said.

Ali said he wants to renovate the building to accommodate shops on the ground floor, and flats on the top

floors, and renovations will start before the end of the month.

Soon after the residents were back in the building Ali said the residents called an attorney and claimed that they were unfairly evicted, and that the court order was fake. The court then allowed them to re-occupy the place.

“We did everything the legal way and a court order was granted for the eviction. The building itself is not liveable and the judge has to see it before people are allowed to stay in it,” added Ali. Up to the time of going to print a decision had not been taken yet.

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INNER-CITY GAZETTE

LEADER

5 - 12 JULY 2012

Water leakages go unattended Some provinces are dry and they have water shortages yet some let water spill out of their system and not take action. Some buildings collapsed and water has been leaking ever since and no one cares about it.

In no time there will be water shortages as well in Joburg just because someone is not doing their work. When you walk in Abel Street in Hillbrow, there is a pipe which has been leaking for more than three months, and nothing has been done to stop the leakage.

This is not the only leaking pipe but there are lots of them around the inner-city.

Nomalanga Dlamini Yeoville

COMMENT Many people hardly realised the negative side of the cellphone, till after a few years after its introduction by the turn of the century, at least in the sub-Saharan African region.

That was when people realised that the the gadget would lead to people getting killed in cellphone thefts and robberies.

Up to this moment hundreds of people have died and more languish in incarceration because of the cellphone. Some of the worst criminals like cash-in -transit heist men also use it for communication, which contributed to the introduction of the RICA laws.

Another of the gadget’s worst ills is that it has become an accessory in causing traffic accidents. It is quite dangerous to hold the phone over the ear while driving, it is even worse to type text messages while the other hand holds the steering wheel, and the eyes focused onto the cellphone screen.

The recent ruling by the Cape Town municipality that drivers who get caught using the cellphone while driving will have the thing confiscated is a welcome development.

Using a cellphone while driving has not been outlawed; as long as drivers use the hands-free kit. To some people the word ‘hands-free kit’ makes the thing sound rather ‘too expensive’. But this is just a piece of light cable with headphones and a socket to be attached to the cellphone, which costs about R20 in the Joburg CBD. It costs about the same amount from vendors at the street intersections, which would also help empower the struggling entrepreneurs, above all reducing traffic accidents in the city.

If the Joburg municipality adopts that ruling, few people would have enough reason to oppose it, and some would probably suggest that the hands-free kit be made mandatory upon buying a cellphone, even to those who do not have a driver’s licence or motor vehicle.

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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 Gazette 149 Pritchard Street, Johannesburg 2000 Tel : 011 023 - 7588 011 024 - 8210 011 402 - 1977 Fax : 086 609 8601 Email : info@inner-city-gazette.co.za Website : www.inner-city-gazette.co.za Printed by Paarlcoldset(Pty)Ltd

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.

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 ombudsman@presscouncil.org.za .

Unravelling of the Polokwane brigade It is difficult to believe that the people at Gallagher Estate last week were the same lot who united to topple Thabo Mbeki five years ago. They now have different agendas and loyalties and are heading for a showdown in Mangaung, Ranjeni Munusamy writes.

President Jacob Zuma’s closing address to the 52nd ANC conference at Polokwane in 2007 is perhaps one of his most memorable speeches. He was gracious towards Thabo Mbeki, the man he beat in a brutal battle for the ANC presidency, and displayed the character of a statesman willing to rise from the battlefield and take leadership.

“The conference is now behind us and we will continue to work together to unite and build a stronger ANC. There is likely to be anxiety regarding the existence of two presidents, one of state and the other of the party. There is no reason for uncertainty or fear in any quarter. Comrade Mbeki and I, both as members of the ANC first and foremost, will develop smooth working relations between government and the ruling party, assisted by the leadership collective,” Zuma said.

Okay, so that didn’t go so well because, as nine months later, Mbeki was frog-marched out of the Union Buildings. But still, Zuma at the time appeared to genuinely want to heal the rifts and restore the dignity and integrity of the organisation.

“All South Africans, and many others throughout Africa and the world, were keenly interested both in the quality of our deliberations and in the decisions we have taken. This interest is a welcome indicator of the high esteem in which South Africans and our millions of friends across the globe hold the African National Congress.

We wish to confirm, as we rise from national conference, that the ANC will continue acting in a manner that earns it the respect and trust of our people.”

Crucially, the speech was honest in admitting what had happened in Polokwane.

“One of the abiding strengths of the ANC has always been to be truthful to the people and never to hide our shortcomings or the extent of the challenges we face… We do acknowledge that there were moments when some of us seemed to veer away from the dignified conduct that has always been the hallmark of the ANC. However, as we conclude the business of conference

we are inspired that we have emerged with welcome consensus on our strategic outlook and the detailed policies that will guide our movement for the next five years and beyond,” Zuma said then.

When he rose to deliver the closing address at last week’s ANC policy conference in Midrand, he was flanked by the same national executive committee that stood behind him on the stage in Polokwane. The delegates were largely the same group of people who elected him in 2007. Yet it was a different Zuma who delivered the speech and a different ANC that listened to it.

The 2012 Jacob Zuma is one who is floundering to keep a grip on his presidency and to keep his organisation on course behind him. It is a Zuma who champions a theoretical concept of a “second transition” and gets told by his party that that’s not what they want. It is a president who battles to articulate where the party is heading and what it needs to do to address the deepening social and economic crisis in the country.

Every time he spoke during the conference, Zuma was like a doctor diagnosing a dreadful illness requiring immediate hospitalisation - but wouldn’t say what treatment or surgery was needed.

More importantly, this is a Zuma who last Friday could stand in front of 3,000 people who, minutes earlier witnessed vicious exchanges and scuffles, and say: “Comrades have displayed exceptional conduct and have restored the integrity of the organisation”. He did this for the benefit of the media, which had been deliberately kept away from the hall to hide the fracas, and South Africans watching the live television broadcast.

To make matters worse, Zuma

started giggling as he read “Disagreements took place in a comradely manner, and with a view to enhancing the policy proposals”, showing that even he didn’t believe what he was saying.

The delegates were largely the people who united to oust Mbeki in 2007 and elected a new leadership core they believed would set the ANC on the right path. Five years later, these delegates are manoeuvring against each other with provinces, leagues and the alliance partners split over support for different leaders.

Among the reported scuffles were between delegates from North West province. Delegates from Eastern Cape also disagreed during the plenary over policy positions, which should have been discussed and decided beforehand. There are now two clearly disparate camps in the province, which the leadership is unable to reconcile.

Limpopo, which was almost totally behind Zuma in 2007, is now almost totally against him. KwaZulu-Natal, which took a lead among provinces at Polokwane, is now jeered for “tribal tendencies” and for bringing delegates to the conference who were unable to engage constructively in policy debates and whose role was limited to singing songs in praise of Zuma. North West delegates out of the blue started singing songs backing deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe as the next ANC president.

Cosatu is no longer the united force it was behind Zuma in 2007. Their leaders also squabbled in the plenary, which stunned even their own delegation. The SACP has largely lost the voice of authority it had in 2007, and is now seen as cheerleader of the Zuma presidency. The ANC Youth League has been emasculated since its leaders were expelled and is pursu-

ing its losing battle to restore their membership.

The former kingmakers at Polokwane are battling to get their voices heard.

Behind all this strife in the ANC and its alliance is a general sense of mistrust of people’s bona fides and agendas.

The ANC was an organisation which survived decades of struggle in exile and in the underground because of the trust between comrades, even when they could not see or speak to each other for years on end.

But now an air of suspicion, paranoia and distrust prevails, which results in ANC members running whispering campaigns against each other.

For example, delegates disenchanted with Zuma claim that ANC NEC member Tony Yengeni was backing the president on the issue of the now defeated “second transition” because he is seeking a presidential pardon from him. Whether this is true or not, Yengeni was one of the authors of the document and it would have been truly bizarre if he had disowned it midstream during the conference.

Despite efforts to paper over the cracks to give an impression that the ANC is a single, united force, and to blame the media for manufacturing false conflicts in the organisation, the problem clearly lies in the quality of the leadership and the motives of the ANC’s members.

The body language even among the top six leaders shows that these are people who are now uneasy working with each other. They are a far cry from the unit that stood triumphantly on the stage at Polokwane with their fists in the air, ready to lead the ANC in a new direction.

In that closing speech at Polokwane, Zuma said the following: “A lesson we have learnt from this conference is that, if the leadership fails to resolve issues, or to grasp the feelings of membership on issues that concern the movement and instead appears to perpetuate the problems, the membership takes over and asserts its authority in ways that we may not be comfortable with.”

The people who gathered at Gallagher Estate last week would do well to read that speech before they learn that lesson again - the hard way.

Source : Daily Maverick

If you have news stories or tips please contact Akhona on 073 688 8496 or E-mail akhona@inner-city-gazette.co.za

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INNER-CITY GAZETTE

NEWS

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Human trafficking seminar ‘Some people get deceived that they will earn a better living in other countries, only to find that they are to be used as sex slaves or drug traffickers’ Persistance Nkomo persie.nkomo@inner-city-gazette.co.za

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he Metropolitan Evangelical Services (MES) in conjunction with the Department of Social Development conducted a human trafficking awareness campaign in Hillbrow recently.

Cosby Noko, a social worker in the department explained that the Human trafficking programme was initiated by the United Nations towards the World Cup soccer tournament due to statistics of human trafficking in Germany during the previous event.

Noko said some people get deceived that they will earn a better living in other countries, only to find that they are to be used as sex slaves or drug traffickers.

“The arrest of a South African woman in Thailand who was forced to transport drugs shows that these culprits do not use a total stranger to

deceive people, but they use close people,” he said.

The Department of Social Development has done awareness programmes in various places to enlighten South Africans about human trafficking. Noko said they have peer education groups which go around educating people on the issue.

“Social Development is doing it can to enlighten people, and we have made less progress in arrests of the culprits mostly because the programme is still new and lacks funds. The campaign is to emancipate the minds of youths. It is not only the uneducated who are trafficked, intellectuals are also tricked into believing there is light on the other side of the borders, only to find themselves caught in drugs and prostitution,” he adds.

Babalwa Makawula of New Life Centre said they work together with the Department of Social Develop-

ment towards reconciling and reuniting victims with their families.

She added that it is sad to note that some people are brought from countries like Mozambique and they cannot communicate with them because of language barriers.

“We do some day and night outreach programmes in buildings where sex workers are found, and we have realised that most of them are on drugs,” she said.

She explained that they work with many shelters around Gauteng, and the girls they rescue in Joburg are taken to a shelter in another city to save them from the pimps.

“However we have realised that pimps in Gauteng work together, and we have faced a problem in that the girls we rescue are caught and returned to the streets. We need to stand up together as a community to fight human trafficking,” she says.

For more info on New Life Centre visit www.newlifecentre.org.za.

Social Development social worker Cosby Noko

The former Van Niekerk operating theatre at the old Hillbrow Hospital has been transformed into a state-of-the-art facility for maternal and child health care.

Colosseum award for Hillbrow Shandukani Moses Moyo moses@inner-city-gazette.co.za

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handukani a flagship public/ private partnership between the Wits Reproductive Health & HIV Institute (WRHI) and Vodacom, Altron and Altech that paves the way for future innovation in community regeneration. The preservation of one of the city’s important architectural assets combined with the recycling of function and form to create a contemporary clinic has won Shandukani this year’s JDA Halala Colosseum

Award for Conserving Joburg.

Shandukani is a Venda word meaning ‘change’, Shandukani Maternal and Child Health Centre is changing the way we think about conservation and urban development. The former Van Niekerk operating theatre built in 1927 on the grounds of the old Hillbrow Hospital has been transformed into a state-of-the-art facility for maternal and child health care.

The award is given for exemplary work in conservation of heritage buildings in the inner city.

The project must fulfil renovation

criteria as set out in national and provincial heritage policies. The Colosseum Award came about in 1982 during the struggle to save the Colosseum building from demolition. It has become a key feature of the Halala Joburg Awards, which encourage efforts to build sustainable and inclusive renewal projects that recognise roles and relationships between the private and public sectors.

With significant heritage value and historical importance, it was imperative that the building’s architectural integrity be preserved

whilst incorporating modern clinical functionality. A professional team, led by specialist conservation architects, Henry Paine and Partners and represented by Kylie Richards made this a reality. Henry Paine described the work as one of his “favourite projects ever”.

“It offers everything,” he said, “… social benefits to the community, history and heritage, and interesting construction.”

The Provincial Heritage Resources Authority Gauteng (PHRAG) made sure all alterations were done sensitively and in harmony

If you have news stories or tips please contact Persie on 074 064 0210 or persie.nkomo@inner-city-gazette.co.za

with the surroundings.

The WRHI, whose work encompasses research, training and health systems strengthening in the field of reproductive health, HIV and related diseases, was the developer for this visionary collaboration, for the ultimate benefit of the Gauteng Department of Health and the inhabitants of the inner city.

The floating trophy, designed by Cecil Skotnes, will reside at the WRHI for one year.

The Institute will also receive a permanent award and a signed Cecil Skotnes print.

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COMMERCIAL

INNER-CITY GAZETTE

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INNER-CITY GAZETTE

Jail becomes expo gallery

NEWS

FOCUS ON AFRICA

Tripoli - For the first time Libyans publicly mark the anniversary of a prison massacre in which 1 300 prisoners were shot dead at the Abu Salim jail 16 years ago.

The inmates were killed after a protest for better conditions and fairer trials. Since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi, the jail has become an exhibition gallery. Gaddafi’s brother-in-law Abdullah al-Senussi, who headed Abdullah Al-Senussi Military Intelligence, is accused of giving the order to shoot. He was arrested in Mauritania last November.

Libyans have been streaming in to see items exhibited in the prison’s inner courtyards, including prison slippers, pictures of those killed, and secret notes written by inmates.

Human Rights Watch says Libyans can finally hope for justice, and that suspected perpetrators of the killings should be treated humanely and get fair trials.

Nicknamed ‘the butcher’, Senussi was one of the most feared figures in Gaddafi’s Libya and is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged atrocities committed against anti-Gaddafi protesters last year.

Mauritania has charged him with entering the country illegally, while Libya is demanding his extradition.

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Hundreds of rioters held

Omar al Bashir

Khartoum - About 1 000 people have been detained and hundreds injured in anti-government protests, the Organisation for Defence of Rights and Freedom says.

Information Minister Ghazi Al-Sadiq said the protesters threaten the country’s stability. One of those detained is journalist Talal Saad, who brought photos of the protests to the AFP bureau in Khartoum.

Armed national security agents raided the bureau, ordered AFP to delete the photos, and took Saad away. Witnesses said demonstrators carried Sudanese flags and banners reading ‘The people want the regime to fall’, a slogan used by protesters during the Arab Spring uprisings last year.

Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged the government to avoid ‘heavy-handed suppression’ of protests.

Omar al Bashir seized power in June 1989 from elected PM Sadiq al-Mahdi. Bashir was declared winner of a 2010 election, but EU observers said the vote was not up to international standards.

The ICC wants Bashir for crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed in Darfur.

UN heritage site ravaged

Govt in huge rail deal

Timbuktu - Hardline religious group Ansar Dine has destroyed 15th century mausoleums of Sufi Muslim saints and have threatened to demolish the remaining 13 UNESCO world heritage sites in the fabled city, witnesses say.

“They have already destroyed the mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud and two others. They said they would destroy all 16,” Yeya Tandina, a local journalist said.

The Islamist Ansar Dine group backs strict Sharia, law, and considers the shrines of the local Sufi version of Islam idolatrous. The group is linked to Boko Haram and Al Qaeda in the Maghreb.

Sanda Ould Boumama, the group’s spokesman said they would destroy every mausoleum in the city.

UNESCO has deplored the destruction and called for it to stop. “This is tragic news for us all,” UNESCO executive committee chair Alissandra Cummins said.

The World Heritage site of Timbuktu, once a cradle of Islamic learning, has 16 cemeteries and mausolea.

Sometimes called the city of 333 saints, Timbuktu is also home to nearly 100 000 ancient manuscripts, some of them dating back to the 12th century.

Addis Ababa – The government of Meles Zenawi has signed deals with Chinese and Turkish companies to construct a $3.2 billion railway network.

According to the Ethiopian Railways Corporation a Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi will build a $1.7 billion section of the project, while China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) will build the remaining portion.

The country plans to construct 5 000 km of railway lines by 2020, and 1 800km of it is expected to be completed by 2015.

The northern railway network will run from Mekele-Woldiya Hara Gebeya-Semera-Dicheto-Elidar, linking northern regions with Port Tadjourah in neighbouring Djibouti allowing an alternative route to the Indian Ocean. It will have an extension from Woldiya-Awash joining the Addis AbabaDjibouti line. Upon completion, Ethiopia hopes to transport potash, metals and other products from northern mines to Djibouti’s Port Tadjourah for international markets. A $300 million loan from India will cover 665km of rail line.

Gen Bosco Ntaganda

Call to stop backing rebels Kinshasa - The US has called on Rwanda to stop propping up armed rebels in DR Congo after a UN investigation implicated senior Kigali officials.

Rwanda has denied the UN report. The groups include M23, led by the mutinous Gen Bosco Ntaganda who has links to Rwanda, sought by DR Congo and the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

US State Department’s Victoria Nuland, Amnesty International and Global Witness have called on the UN and aid donors to Rwanda to take action in the wake of the report.

Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said she regretted publication of the “one-sided” UN report and vowed to disprove the allegations levelled against Rwandan

officials, including defence minister James Kabarebe and several top military figures.

DR Congo President Joseph Kabila blamed the unrest on “dark forces”, but did not mention Rwanda by name.

Meles Zenawi

Joshco showcases inner-city buildings ‘Some of the buildings are located in dirty streets but our projects offer a moderate, safe and affordable place where the poor can live with their families’ Persistance Nkomo

Some members of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute

persie.nkomo@inner-city-gazette.co.za

Institute tests HIV prevention gel

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he Joburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO) recently showcased its buildings in the inner-city.

JOSHCO chairperson Zeona Jacobs said their aim is to provide safe, clean and affordable environment for low income earners who live in the inner-city.

“We manage about 7 500 units spread across 22 projects providing accommodation for around 25 000 people,” she said.

JOSHCO CEO Rory Gallocher (pictured) said they seek to create order and liveability.

“We have refurbished several buildings in the inner-city that had become derelict from neglect. We are not trying to revive the past but to manage the present and invent the future. We are inside a story about the present and we are writing Joburg’s future, and therefore we must know who uses the innercity, how they behave and what they need,” he explained.

Gallocher added that most people who live in the inner-city are low income earners, and that their build-

Akhona Zibonti akhona@inner-city-gazette.co.za

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he Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (WRHI) has developed and is testing a gel that is expected to protect women from getting infected with HIV/Aids and genital herpes.

The institute runs the Follow-on African Consortium for Tenofovir Studies (FACTS) site in Yeoville which conducts research on HIV/Aids and reproductive health.

Is also provides support, training and technical assistance to the Department of Health.

FACTS manager Deborah Baron says

ings are designed for that market.

“Some of the buildings are located in dirty streets but our projects offer a moderate, safe and affordable place where the poor can live with their families,” he said.

Many tenants in the buildings expressed their gratitude on what JOSHCO has done for them. Some of them come from buildings which were hijacked, leading to eviction, but they found a place they can call home from JOSHCO apartments.

the institute has developed and is testing the vaginal gel called Tenofovir.

“The gel protects women from getting infected with HIV and genital herpes (HSV-2) from their sex partners. The gel is also called a microbicide, medication that destroys organisms that cause diseases.”

She adds that they enrol 2 200 sexually active women who are HIV and HSV-2 negative between ages 18 -30 in their nine sites in South Africa, which are Soweto, Rustenburg, Cape Town, Ladysmith, Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria and Tembisa and Yeoville.

“By running this study in Yeoville, we bring important health services to this

community, and it is important to conduct research where the need is greatest.” said Baron.

She explains that the gel may reduce the risk of contracting the HIV virus by 39 percent and genital herpes by 51 percent; and should be applied 12 hours before and 12 hours after sex.

“These results are promising, but more research is still needed to make sure they are accurate,” Brown says.

This research project does not pay people to participate in it, but the South African Medicines Control Council (MCC) has set a policy to compensate participants for their travel and the time they spend at the clinic, says Baron.

HILLBROW POLICE ARRESTS 26 JUNE - 2 JULY 2012 1. possession of suspected stolen property-06 2. statutory rape 01 3. theft-09 4. shoplifting-07 5. driving motor vehicle without license-04 6. assault GBH-13 7. fraud-05 8. child abuse/ sexual assault-01 9. drunk driving-21 10. pointing of firearm-01 11. possession of drugs-01 12. common robbery-09 13. attempted carjacking-01 14. common assault-10

15. crimen injuria-2 16. rape-01 17. attempted theft of motor vehicle-03 18. intimidation-01 19. possession of counterfeit money-01 20. theft and kidnapping-01 21. contravening protection order-01 22. reckless and negligence-01 23. theft of motor vehicle-01 24. robbery aggravating-03 25. undocumented person (s)-19 Inquiries: Cst Nkosinathi Mgimeti Hillbrow SAPS Cell: 082 414 1650 or 073 521 7448

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COMMUNITY

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Financier attracts

R125 million capitalisation These investments are not only about the financial returns but empowering new businesses to enter into the property market Staff Reporter news@inner-city-gazette.co.za TUHF (Pty) Ltd, a commercial property financier specialising in affordable rental housing in South Africa’s inner cities, announces a substantial capital investment of R125 million, increasing TUHF’s Net Asset Value to the R200 million mark.

The company has attracted equity investments from large and well respected organisations namely, the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC); Futuregrowth Asset Management (Futuregrowth); and the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), as the result of its efforts and success in the affordable rental housing finance niche market.

Combined with their previous equity investments in TUHF, NHFC’s current investment is a debt equity conversion of R75 million converting R40 million for 20% of B shares and R35 million for preference shares in TUHF. NHFC acknowledges this investment as a “catalyst to facilitate investment by other public & private sector investors.

NHFC is proud to be involved with TUHF since inception when NHFC was one of the founding members of the institution and supported it through providing equity and debt funding. This facilitative role has culminated in TUHF’s ability to now raise capital from large investment institutions such as PIC and Futuregrowth inter-alia. We are also satisfied with the TUHF Business model in contributing to the creation of historically disadvantaged entrepreneurs in the inner city Affordable rental market and the critical role they play in fostering the much needed inner city regeneration. We will continue to play an active role in TUHF to ensure that

Deon Janneke (second left) and George Moraitis (third).

CEO of TUHF Paul Jackson its delivery model is replicated in other parts of the country.” Chairman of TUHF, Samson Moraba.

Futuregrowth, a long standing debt investor, has become a shareholder in TUHF along with PIC. Together, they have made an equity investment of R50 million for a 25% share in TUHF. Investments such as these, strengthen TUHF as the leader in inner city commercial property finance.

With R1.4 Billion already invested in the inner city, combined with these equity investments, TUHF is well positioned to leverage substantial debt facilities to finance their targeted growth.

Major equity investments have made it possible for TUHF to effortlessly finance in red lined areas that are in the inner cities and to restore them to the 24/7 places they should be. These investments are not only about the financial returns but empowering new businesses to enter into the property market to create change in the areas and communities where TUHF finances. As winners of the 2011, Southern Africa Trust awards for Investing in the future and drivers of change. “We are a committed and invested stakeholder in the inner city, and we have put our money, and that of our investors, where our mouth is,” CEO of TUHF Paul Jackson says.

PICS : INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

Security group in crime prevention Jacquelin Thenga news@inner-city-gazette.co.za Co-owners of Corporate Asset Management Security Services (CAM) Deon Janneke and George Moraitis work with Hillbrow SAPS Social Crime Prevention Unit because they believe this will help reduce crime in communities.

“People should know that they can always depend on security companies because they protect and

ensure that there is a safer environment for everyone, and that whenever a person finds themselves in a situation like a robbery their security guards can always help them,” said Moraitis.

He also added that people should be aware of the consequences they may face if they get involved in crime, and that crime does not pay.

CAM Security Services were involved in the recent Hillbrow SAPS Social Crime Prevention Unit youth

sports event that was held at Banarto Park high school. CAM sponsored the event with trophies, medals, food and R1 000 cash for the winning teams.

Moraitis said he hopes that such events continue because the youth responds well and is interested in working with the police.

“The youth are the future of this country, and for them to be better people, they should be informed and be responsible citizens.”

City’s growth analysed Own Correspondent Development trends in Joburg were discussed at a presentation of the City’s Growth Management Strategy.

Discussions covered a spectrum of developmental challenges and considered development applications submitted to the City, property and economic indicators and projected capital investment.

The purpose of the GMS is to establish where development is taking place, at what rate and to check if it supports Joburg’s policies. Present at the gathering were academics, town planners, property developers, and officials from the National Treasury and Presidency.

Presenting the GMS, Peter Ahmad, the assistant director in Joburg’s development planning department, said the strategy sought to support the values and

principles entailed in the City’s Growth and Development Strategy, Joburg 2040. These principles included ensuring social inclusivity in market-driven growth areas; aligning development to emerging public transport networks and infrastructure; and stimulating a diversity of development and economic opportunities in marginalised areas, those areas located far from job centres, social services and public transportation links.

Speaking about development applications received between 2007 and 2011, Ahmad indicated that the peak of activity in terms of numbers of applications submitted for town planning and building related permissions was in 2008.

Since then, there had been a steady decline in activity that only stabilised between 2010 and 2011. joburg.org.za

Police and community members march during the event.

PIC: INNER-CITY PRESS AGENCY

March against drug abuse Akhona Zibonti akhona@inner-city-gazette.co.za

T

he Moshate Men Against Men Abuse organisation recently joined the Hillbrow police in a march against substance and men abuse. The march started at the Hillbrow police station and ended at the Pullinger Kop Park in Berea.

Local Ward Councillor Phineas Madisha said the park harbours criminals.

A man who said he has been living in the park for six months, Lucky Ndlovu said he has been addicted to heroin for many years. “If I do not take the drug I suffer spinal pains and cramps, I spend close to R800 a day on this drug.” he added.

The event also touched on abused men, which was to open communication channels between the community and the police, to say it is not taboo to report men abuse.

Moshate Men Against Men Abuse researcher, Mike Mabelane said if the constitution was amended to accommodate men abuse, that would put a smile on his organisation.

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THE ARTS

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Link to San origins A transversal work between art, culture, science and traditional wisdom Arts Correspondent

T

he Market Theatre in association with Théâtre Taliipot presents !AÏA - From Cave to Sky between 10 and 15 July, organised as part of the FranceSouth Africa Seasons 2012 - 13. !Aïa is a transversal work between art, culture, science and traditional wisdom. The production creates a dialogue about our origins, life, the living, the relationship between human beings and nature.

For this project, the company has worked with scientists, artists and traditional healers in unique places including the Cradle of Humankind, in South Africa, and various places where one can still feel and see the tracks of the San people, the most ancient culture in the world, the root of the humankind tree.

Beyond all the persecution and discrimination the San underwent, the fathers and the mothers of all of us, Théâtre Taliipot questions their vision, their experience and their expression of the origins, the link to earth, to nature with which they are in everlasting

empathy. Through the memory of the dancers’ bodies, Théâtre Taliipot searches, beyond ruptures, the link to this origin, this spring.

Still active today in any of us, beyond any denial. In the heart of the city and modernity. !Aïa is a dance, musical and drama show - accessible to everyone. Presented at the 38th National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, this show is co-produced

by Artscape and Nirox Foundation with the support of Région Réunion, Département Réunion, Ville de St-Denis and DAC OI. The musical is choreographed and directed by by Phillipe Pelen Baldini. His drama assistant is Thierry Moucazambo, and the South African assistant is Themba Mbuli.

Scenography is by Phillipe Peleni Baldini; light designer is Nicole Léonforte; props design is by Sacha Ehlers; sound design

by Phil Thurston; and indigenous music composition by Isaak Rakotsoane.

This show is co-produced by Artscape and Nirox Foundation with the support of Région Réunion, Département Réunion,

Ville de St-Denis and DAC OI. The France–South Africa Seasons 2012 and 2013 are organised and implemented by the French Institute with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Commun i c a tion, the Ministry of Nationa l Education, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Economic Recovery, the French Embassy in South Africa and the network of Alliance Française.

On the South African part it is by the Department of Arts and Culture and the National Arts Council (NAC), with the support of the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Sports and Recreation, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Higher Education and Training, the Department of Basic Education, and the EmbasAbove : Themba Mbuli and Issak Rakotsoane feature in a scene. sy of South Africa in France.

Below : Themba Mbuli, Isaak Ralotsoane, Phillipe Baldini and Thierry Moucazambo.

Fragility of goodness Arts Correspondent

F

ollowing its sold-out premiere season at the 2012 Wale festival, The Line production has been invited to perform at the Market Theatre.

The outstanding production will be presented in association with GFL at the Market Theatre’s Barney Simon Theatre between

18 July and 12 August.

The Line is the culmination of multi-award winning actor, director, Gina Shmukler’s Masters Research on trauma and theatremaking.

The play is about the nature of humans and moments in time in South Africa. Having spent several months in the townships The Line is constructed from a

series of interviews with South Africans involved or affected by the xenophobic attacks that took place in May 2008.

The Line explores the fragility of goodness and questions how the attacks were born, who is responsible, what makes good people do bad things and how one crosses the line.

The play is written and directed

by Gina Shmukler (pictured left) with music by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder and production design by Niall Griffin. It stars Khutjo Green and Gabi Harris.

This is an outstanding new production. In a year that has seen South African art hit international headlines, this is a welcome antidote: thoughtful, incisive and beautifully scripted.

A thoughtful, incisive and beautifully scripted production constructed from interviews with South Africans involved or affected by the May 2008 xenophobic violence

Unique opportunity for Joburgers to experience fresh acoustic music in a theatre environment

Top musos in acoustic F display

Arts Correspondent

The music is contemporary and coolly retro that manages to sound fresh at the same time as sounding chillingly, inevitably old

our top South African singer/ songwriters, Chris Letcher, Laurie Levine, Matthew van der Want and Gill Hockman are set to unite on a theatre stage for an acoustic one night show at the Joburg Theatre’s Fringe Theatre on 3 August.

The four songwriters will play new material, as well as some of the songs which have made each of them widely hailed as among the country’s top songwriters and singers.

Chris Letcher, out from London, will perform songs from his two critically

acclaimed albums Frieze and 2011’s Spectroscope, described by Billboard as ‘keenly intelligent, musically dense, utterly memorable’.

Laurie Levine’s album Six Winters (2011), which won the 2012 South African Music Award for the best produced album, is nu-folk which the Mail and Guardian has described as ‘both adult contemporary and coolly retro that manages to sound fresh at the same time as sounding chillingly, inevitably old’.

Matthew van der Want has recently returned with a new album called Outstanding. Van der Want’s music, says

Peter Townshend, writing for Artslink is ‘borne from the power of oscillating emotions and delivered with the simplicity of flat directness. It is music upon which the clarity and unobtrusiveness of the lyrics are carried entwined on the notes and forced upon the listener with often heart-numbing effect’.

Gil Hockman is a founding member of seminal indie-rockers the Buckfever Underground and has been performing as a solo artist since the end of 2009. He released his debut album Too Early In The Journey in August 2011 to critical acclaim. Hockman is currently working on a second solo album.

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City regulates grafitti artists ‘We recognise that high-end mural art can be a positive force for artistic expression; it can help enliven the urban environment and contribute to urban regeneration’ Graffiti by Rekzo under the M1 freeway in Newtown.

Arts Correspondent

T

he City of Joburg is calling on its residents to report graffiti at key sites, especially heritage buildings, to have it removed.

Eric Itzkin, the deputy director of immovable heritage in Joburg’s arts, culture and heritage department, says the City is keen to remove “unsightly tagging”, which is a nuisance and is usually done without the permission of the owner of the walls or buildings.

“We make it a condition that street art should only be done with the owner’s permission.”

Joburg has a Public Art Policy that is not against tasteful public art, but it states that major landmarks and declared heritage sites should be kept clear of unwanted graffiti.

“We recognise that mural art can be a positive force for artistic expression.

Lipstick art expo reflects Joburg’s atmosphere

It can help enliven the urban environment and contribute to urban regeneration,” Itzkin says.

He adds that some fine graffiti-style art has been commissioned by the City, for example the fantasy imagery

by Rasty and crew on the north side of Pieter Roos Park.

Rasty is the tag name of one of the city’s well-known graffiti artists. He has an exhibition space called Grayscale Gallery in Braamfontein, and recently organised Joburg’s second street art and graffiti festival, the City of Gold Festival, which ran for a week in the CBD. Curio, his colleague, says the festival was successful, with artists from Spain, Germany and the UK attending. The festival included tours, film screenings, exhibitions, and of course, painting of walls. The visiting artists left their marks in the inner city.

“This is such a big city, the canvas is so vast,” says Curio, adding that he and his colleagues have brightened the walls in run-down areas, in this way helping to uplift them. Permission is always obtained for artwork, he confirms.

While graffiti is as old as humanity itself, contemporary graffiti as art has its origins in the New York subways of the mid-1960s. The original koki pens were soon replaced by cans of spray paint.

It took off in South Africa in Cape Town in the mid-1990s, with the rise in popularity of hip-hop. Joburg is now considered the capital of graffiti art in South Africa.

The columns under the M1 freeway in Newtown contain spectacular graffiti art, all produced with the permission of the City. Troyeville, Bertrams and Yeoville also have graffiti art.

Rasty says the tags are a way of marking territory, but also an artist’s way of practising his tag name.

Hanre Heunis, the managing director of Graffiti Removal Services, says that graffiti in Joburg is mostly confined to the northern and inner city suburbs. It consists mainly of tags, the identification markers of young graffiti artists who are trying out their signatures.

Heunis says that in Durban, private companies are hired to track down these defacers, and several have been jailed. “They damage property, sometimes beyond repair. They have to take responsibility.”

He finds that the best approach is to remove the graffiti immediately, as often the artist is simply trying out a “tester tag” on the wall. If it is not removed, he or she takes it as a sign that the wall is available for more graffiti.

Moses Moyo moses@inner-city-gazette.co.za

from the sale of her city art to Home of Hope, an NGO that helps exploited girls in Hillbrow and surrounding areas.

While others have used lipstick as a medium before, Britten remains unique in using the cosmetic in this way. Some 34 of her intriguing works are being exhibited in the heart of the city that inspired them. “It’s the perfect setting for art inspired by a gritty city that pulsates with energy,” she says.

Works on display include “Johannesburg Storm”, Britten’s’ favourite of the cityscapes and “Red Bull”, which depicts the diverse nature of the city of

gold by combining Johannesburg’s skyline with an Nguni bull. A darker shade of pink, “Red Light District” is another example of Britten’s unusual style, inspired by Zoo City, the novel by Lauren Beukes. There are also two specific Range Rover interpretations, inspired directly by social media content from enthusiasts. All the proceeds from these two works will go directly to Home of Hope.

The exhibition is on from 2 to 28 July at Velo in Braamfontein (85 Juta Street, Braamfontein, corner Melle). For more info visit www.sarahbrittenart.com .

An unusual art exhibition has opened in Joburg with a series of paintings in lipstick, featuring unusual works from Dr Sarah Britten.

Land Rover’s global Pulse of the City campaign was launched in December 2010 and involves four South African “City Shapers” including Britten. A complete change in lifestyle inspired a new vision on life, one that includes supporting exploited girls in Hillbrow.

Britten donates 10% of her earnings

“It becomes a challenge of wills,” he says, referring to the tussle between the artist and the wall owner.

Zoleka Ntabeni, the manager of public culture in the arts, culture and heritage department, says that later this year, the City will clear the walls of Museum Africa in Newtown, a particular eyesore. She indicates that it is considering designating walls in the inner city for graffiti artists.

“We are considering dedicated walls where artists must respect each other’s art and take turns to produce art on these walls.”

Itzkin says: “But if people tell us about tagging which is found to be offensive or troublesome, this will help inform our efforts.”

Suggestions for places needing such attention can be sent to Zoleka Ntabeni at Ntabeni@joburg.org.za or through telephone 011 373 7529.

Imagery on display at the gallery.

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TAYLORS MANSIONS IN CBD CNR PRITCHARD & MOOI STR OPENING SEPTEMBER 2012

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RELIGION

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