Tshwane UPDATE | Page 1 |

On 30 May 2012, the Executive Mayor, Cllr Kgo-sientso Ramokgopa, presented his 2012/13

budget that is intended to ensure continuous service delivery and the extension of essential services to all areas of the Municipality. Residents of Tshwane are expected to benefit like never before from the budget.

With the implementation of the macro structure that was previously approved by the Council and for the first time in the history of the City of Tshwane, regions will play an active part in capital projects because the operational budget has been regionalised to ensure that service delivery is brought closer to respective communities.

With the configuration of the City’s financial system during the adjustments budget, more functions of the operational budget will be devolved to the regions. The core department will be responsible for the for-mulation of policies and the implementation of capital programmes on behalf of the regions, representing a significant shift in the delivery of services.

The Executive Mayor also announced an increase in tariff rates for property (12%), electricity (12%), sani-tation (12%), water (10%) and waste removal (25%) with effect from 1 July 2012.

During his budget speech, Cllr Ramokgopa also told a special Council meeting that the City of Tshwane anticipates total revenue over the medium term to be R74,2 billion, constituted by R22,3 billion for 2012/13, R24,5 billion for 2013/14 and R27,4 bil-lion for 2014/15. Total revenue increased by 15,5% against the 2011/12 adjustments budget and by

17,0% against the 2011/12 approved budget.

The expenditure budget for the medium term totals to R67,1 billion, constituted by R20,6 billion for 2012/13, R22,3 billion for 2013/14 and R24,2 billion for 2014/15. Total operating expenditure has increased by 14,7% against the 2011/12 adjustments budget and by 15,8% against the 2011/12 approved budget.

Cllr Ramokgopa said that the City’s Infrastructure De-partment has been allocated R10 billion – the largest portion of the Municipality’s expenditure budget – be-cause “it is at the coalface of service delivery”.

“They are the ones responsible for ensuring that street lights get fixed, roads are tarred, potholes repaired and that there is proper service delivery to communi-ties,” Cllr Ramokgopa said.

He added that one of the key budget principles was to increase the percentage share of the maintenance budget.

“This is done to keep the integrity of our assets, espe-cially in the more affluent areas.

“This saves us from expensive future replacement costs and improves public confidence in the (politi-cal) leadership of the Municipality. It is important that we incentivise these affluent communities to continue paying for their services; after all, they make the dis-proportionate contribution to our fiscus,” he said.

Ramokgopa said that R2,2 billion had been allocated to the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system for three years, while the fleet for Tshwane Bus Services would

IGNITING EXCELLENCE JUNE 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Service delivery tops Tshwane budget

Phalane Motale

City condemns vandalism of street signs

3

Clean-up project creates jobs, re-stores dignity

7

Students explore city in Tshwamazing Race

Four teams of tertiary students went head-to-head in the first Tshwamazing Freedom Race.

12

City launches the new Tshwane Sport Council 4

| Page 2 | Tshwane UPDATE

REGION 1• Electrification of Winterveld (Wards 9, 12 and 24) – R40 million

• Upgrading of Soshanguve Giant Stadium – R318 million

• Ga-Rankuwa storm water drainage system (Wards 30, 31 and 32) – R90 million

• Eradication of flooding backlogs in Soshan- guve South and Akasia – R56 million

• Upgrading of Mabopane roads (Wards 19, 20, 21 and 22) – R55 million

• Eradication of flooding backlogs in Mabo- pane – R20 million

• Construction of roads (Wards 19, 20, 21, 22,

30, 31, and 32) – R179 million

• Development of the Klip-Kruisfontein

Cemetery (Ward 90) – R2,9 million

REGION 2• Further development of a new cemetery in the area – R29,4 million

• Replacement, upgrade and construction of water treatment works – R1,18 billion

• Construction of a new clinic in Doornpoort – R16 million

• Development of Hammanskraal Multipurpose Sport Centre – R20 million

REGION 3• Construction of a new clinic in Gazankulu

– R13,5 million

• Extension of Danville Clinic – R15 million

• Redevelopment of hostels in Saulsville (Phases 3b and 4a) – R55,4 million

• Construction of Lotus Gardens Multipurpose Sports Facility – R10 million

• Upgrading of Maunde Street – R50 million

REGION 4• Extension of Olievenhoutbosch Clinic – R15 million

• Extension of Olievenhoutbosch Multipurpose Sport Centre – R15 million

• Road improvements – R6,5 million

• Upgrading of sewer systems – R24,6 million

• Upgrading of the Laudium secondary network – R4,5 million

• Construction of cycle and pedestrian paths – R8 million

REGION 5• Upgrading of the fire house in Rayton – R3,5 million

• Sustainable agricultural villages – R15 million

• Water supply in the agricultural holdings – R10 million

• Construction of the first library park in the city – R20 million

• Replacement of worn out network pipes – R140 million

REGION 6• Kleinsondert Sustainable Agricultural Village – R15 million

• The redevelopment of hostels in Mamelodi – R65 million

• Replacement and upgrade of bulk pipeline infrastructure – R163 million

• Moreletaspruit outfall sewer – R82,5 million

• Construction of Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square – R36 million

• Mahube Valley storm water drainage – R9 million

• Flooding backlogs in Mamelodi, Eersterust and Eastern areas – R34 million

REGION 7• Placement of swivel bins – R4 million

• Construction of Ekangala Community Library – R10 million

• Upgrading of roads from gravel to tar in Zithobeni and Ekangala – R50 million

• Upgrading of fire house in Ekangala – R10 million

• Upgrading and extension of Zithobeni Clinic – R15,5 million

• Extension of Rethabiseng Clinic – R13,5 million

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

REGIONAL CAPITAL PROJECTS:

be replenished with 120 buses over the mid-term. Funding had been approved as part of the turnaround strategy.

“The acquisition of new buses will inevitably double the revenue per kilometre and reduce the fuel bill, and with the introduction of the automated fare col-lection system, we will also be able to account for all our buses and have accurate figures on kilometres travelled,” Ramokgopa added.

In the 2012/13 financial year, the Agriculture and Environmental Management Department will get about R1,5 billion: R214 million will go to City Plan-ning, R1,1 billion to Community Safety, R839 million to Corporate and Shared Services, R160 million to Economic Development, R402 million to Emergency Services and R1,4 billion to Financial Services.

General and assessment rates will get R732,9 million, R310,9 million will go to Health and Social Develop-ment, R410,9 million to Housing and Sustainable Hu-man Settlement Development, R506,4 million to the Offices of the Executive Mayor, Chief Whip, Speaker and City Manager, R8,9 billion to Public Works and Infrastructure Development, R1,2 billion to Transport and Roads and R240,7 million to Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture.

• EnvironmentalManagement

(replacement of bins) – R85 million

• Acquisitionofland–R302million

• Transportationinitiatives – R2,2 billion

• Upgradingofstadiums – R339 million

• Firefighting,EmergencyServices andMetroPoliceServicevehicles –R100million

• Upgradingofhostels –R130million

• Electricityforall(backlogeradica- tion) – R178 million

• Newbulkinfrastructure – R616 million

• Publiclighting–R71million

• Automatedmeterreading –R300million

• Newwastewatertreatmentworks – R1,1 billion

• Upgradingandrenewalofsewers – R82 million

• Bulksupplyandbacklogeradica- tion of water – R487 million

• ConstructionofCullinanLibrary Park–R20million

• CenturionLake–R10million

• Sustainableagriculturalvillages –R30million

Tshwane UPDATE | Page 3 |

These are the new street names that represent all racial groups, gender and political spectrums, in-

cluding Afrikaner religious leaders and academics that played an important role in the country’s liberation struggle.

According to the Executive Mayor, Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, the street name changes were neces-sary to ensure racial harmony and cohesion in the city.

Street name changesPretorius - Will not change

Schoeman - Francis Baard

Van der Walt - Lilian Ngoyi

Andries - Thabo Sehume

DF Malan - Es’kia Mphahlele

Prinsloo - Sisulu

General Louis Botha - January Masilela

Skinner - Nana Sita

Church - From Nelson Mandela to the east becomes Stanza Bopape

- From Nelson Mandeto Church Square becomes Helen Joseph

- From Church Square to R511 becomes Dr WF Nkomo

- From R511 to the west becomes Elias Motsoaledi

Leah Mangope - Peter Magano

Lucas Mangope - Molefe Makinta

Jacob Mare - Jeff Masemola

Walker Charles - Justice Mohammed

Queen Wilhelmina Ave - Florence Ribeiro

Mears/Beatrix/ Voortrekker - Steve Biko

Hendrik Verwoerd - Johan Heyns

Hans Strijdom - Solomon Mahlangu

Mitchell - Charlotte Maxeke

Esselen - Robert Sobukwe

Vermeulen - Madiba

Schubart - Sophie De Bruyn

Potgieter - Kgosi Mampuru

Paul Kruger - Will not change

Proes - Johannes Ramokhoase

Michael Brink - Nico Smith

Duncan - Jan Shoba

Zambezi - Sefako Makgatho

City honours all in streets renaming Phalane Motale

The vandalism and damage of new street signs will not be tolerated by

the City of Tshwane. Criminal charges will be pressed against those respon-sible.

The City of Tshwane has no qualms about resident’s voicing their unhappi-ness about the new street names, as long as they do so within the confines of the Constitution.

The City is extremely disturbed by the recent mindless and intolerant hooli-gans who vandalised the new name board at the corner of Justice Mo-hamed (formerly Charles Street) and Walter Lanham Streets in Brooklyn. Charles Street has been renamed Justice Mohamed Street after the first chief justice, Ismail Mohamed, who was appointed in post-apartheid South

Africa.

Since March, Tshwane has been in the process of changing the names of 25 major streets in and around the city centre.

The vandalism of Justice Mohamed Street has had a negative impact on the community of Tshwane in that it encroached on their right to a safe and orderly environment.

While the City of Tshwane respects the rights of individuals’ freedom of ex-pression, it cannot allow its residents to become victims of vandalism.

The City will consult with law enforce-ment agencies to study any CCTV footage of the vandalism and identify the culprits. Such vandals will be pros-ecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

City condemns vandalism of street signs

ClarifyingtheCityManager’sremunerationpackage

Phalane Motale

There is a difference between a pro-vision that is made in a budget and

the actual allocation.

In the case of the City Manager, the City of Tshwane made a budget provision of up to 20,5%.

The City Manager’s budgeted remu-neration for the 2011/12 financial year is R3 050 000, consisting of an annual salary of R2 700 000 and benefits of R350 000.

The budgeted remuneration for 2012/13 reflects an increase of 6,5% (expected salary increase, depending on the outcome of salary nego-tiations). This translates to a remuneration package of R3 250 000 (including R700 000 benefits). The benefits include a car allowance, perfor-mance bonus and several fund contri-butions.

By comparing the salary component of the City Manager’s budgeted remuner-ation of R2 700 000 (excluding the bene-fits) for 2011/12 with his total remunera-

tion of R3 250 000 (including benefits) for 2012/13, the media worked it out as an increase of 20%.

The correct comparison is as follows: fu l l package of R3 250 000

compared to R3 050 000 per year repre-sents an increase

of 6,5%.

The City of Tshwane wants to clear up any misunderstandings about the salary increase of its Municipal Manager, Mr Jason Ngobeni.

Picture: SBUSISIWE MAGWAZA - THE NEW AGE

| Page 4 | Tshwane UPDATE

The MMC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Cllr Faith Kga-

ditse, launched the Tshwane Sport Council on 10 June 2012, at the Es’kia

Mphahlele library hall.

On 8 October 2011, Cllr Kgaditse es-tablished the Tshwane Interim Sport

Council (TISC) through a special gen-eral meeting involving the Metswed-ing Sport Council, the Gauteng North Sport Council and the Tshwane Sport Councils. At this meeting, it was agreed that the three existing regional sport councils will be amalgamated and geo-graphically aligned in accordance with the new municipal boundaries.

The Tshwane Interim Sport Council (TISC) was responsible for unifying sport in the city through several tasks. These included drafting a new consti-tution in line with the Gauteng Sport Council and launching the sub-re-gional structures of the Sport Council. The draft constitution was adopted on 11 February 2012. By the end of March 2012, the local sport councils were suc-cessfully launched in all seven regions, facilitated by members of the Gauteng Sport Council.

Seven prioritised sporting codes are being developed in the city, namely soccer, netball, athletics, cricket, box-

ing, swimming and tennis. As part of deepening community participation and democratic practice, it is the vision of Cllr Kgaditse “that the city should realise mass grassroots participation in matters of sport, more importantly, through sport mass participation the city will contribute immensely to en-couraging healthy lifestyles and culti-vating a winning competitive nation”.

The City of Tshwane is committed to governing and developing non-racial, non-sexist and transparent sport struc-tures. Delegates from the sub-regional sport councils and regional sport feder-ations attended the launch of the Tsh-wane Sport Council. The revival and transformation of sport councils is a national policy directive and an impera-tive that contributes to social cohesion.

The new Tshwane Sport Council will represent the city on the Gauteng Sport Council.

City launches the new Tshwane Sport Council The MMC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Cllr Faith Kgaditse, launched the Tshwane Sport Council on 10 June 2012, at the Es’kia Mphahlele library hall.

Emmanuel Tshehla

The City Hall was packed to capac-ity with learners and teachers of 52

schools across Tshwane for the mayor-al social responsibility event that took place on 13 June. Flanked by Mayoral Committee members, Executive May-or, Councillor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, got down to dance and song as he was ushered in to address the learners.

Ramokgopa engaged the learners in Sepedi and encouraged them not to al-low poverty to get in the way of their dreams. He urged them to defeat it by listening to their parents and teachers, and doing their school work. He added that the only things that poverty should instil in an individual are a strong char-acter, confidence and perseverance. “You must be inspired by poverty and invest in your education so that in turn you help those in need and bring this country to prosperity,” he said. He con-cluded by assuring the learners that the City of Tshwane would help them realise their dreams.

There was a lot of jubilation when the uniforms were distributed to the learn-ers. To save time and for the sake of order, the uniforms were given out at

different points per region.

Uniforms were purchased from Mary’s Fashion, the approved uniform supplier of the Gauteng Department of Education for most of the pub-lic schools in Tshwane. The Mayoral Donations Fund was used to pay the R1 million for the uniforms. The sup-plier was also going to donate R20 000 vouchers to the Executive Mayor’s school of choice.

The distribution of the school uniforms is part of the mayoral social respon-sibility initiative and the broader Indi-gent Policy of the City of Tshwane. It answers to the strategic objective of enhancing economic growth and de-velopment and job creation, especially in the indigent community of Tshwane.

In December 2007 the City of Tshwane started to register indigent households. To date, 51 285 indigent households have been registered and 17 100 new ones have been verified.

The Indigent Programme offers finan-cial relief by scrapping the arrears of identified poor families who are unable to pay for municipal services. It also of-

fers poor families continued access to free basic services, which include 12 kilolitres of water and 100 kW/h of elec-tricity. Apart from this relief, the City of Tshwane believes that these families must also be assisted to acquire skills so as to exit the Indigent Programme ultimately. To this effect, Tshwane has

initiated essential skills development initiatives in communities in partner-ship with key role players such as the SETAs, and in line with the sector skills plans.

City of Tshwane – igniting excellence through our young people.

MayoralsocialresponsibilitypledgeinitiativeLebogang Matji

Euphoria was the order of the day for Tshwane’s 1 004 indigent learners who were treated to good food, motivational talk and generous school hampers.

Tshwane UPDATE | Page 5 |

During the early hours of this dark and cold winter morning, firefighter

Dipitsi Mogashwa and reservist Tshifiwa Nemataheni received a distress call al-leging that a newborn baby was crying inside a pit toilet in the informal settle-ment.

The rescuers arrived on the scene, peered down the pit toilet, and saw the newborn lying naked on its back on top of the human waste, desperately crying for help.

Mogashwa and Nemataheni controlled their emotions while onlookers, who failed to hold back tears, called on them to work faster. Meticulously, the two rescuers dismantled the toilet while the concrete plaster around the pit threat-

ened to fall onto the newborn, who was by then shivering with cold.

The baby was about two metres down the pit and the hole was too small for any of the rescuers to reach it. Nema-taheni continued to dig under the care-ful supervision of Mogashwa while de-bris fell into the pit, threatening the life of the infant.

Mogashwa finally stretched himself into the stinking pit, and managed to grab the infant by its leg and pull it to safety.

The baby was immediately handed over to ambulance personnel who were already on the scene. They cleaned, treated and wrapped it before

rushing off to the local hospital where doctors declared the infant healthy.

The police were called to the scene and are investigating the incident.

Hundreds of Olievenhoutbosch resi-dents, young and old, braved the

cold weather to witness an open piece of land at the main entrance to the area being transformed into an eco park.

On 18 May 2012, the Executive May-or, Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, the Speaker of Council and Chief Whip of Council, members of the Mayoral Com-mittee, the City Manager, Jason Ngobe-ni, councillors, senior officials and vari-ous community leaders and residents rolled up their sleeves to prepare the soil, plant lawns and trees, install park benches and play equipment while sing-ing Shosholoza.

Hours later, after some toil and sweat, modern concrete decorations, neat pavements, green lawns and shady trees adorned the entrance on the out-skirts of the huge southern residential area, giving it the air of a peaceful en-vironment.

The City of Tshwane has set aside more than R150 million which will be used to roll out eco parks throughout the city.

Ramokgopa said the aim of the pro-gramme was to ensure that there was sufficient park infrastructure in all com-munities in the city.

“With this initiative, we aim to uplift our

communities through creating jobs for them as well as making sure that our people live in clean, healthy and safe environments with integrated social ser-vices,” the mayor said.

The Olievenhoutbosch Park is sur-rounded by a wetland system. Its regu-lar maintenance will be conducted in a sustainable manner by community members who will be employed through the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP).

Post-development aftercare will include the maintenance of the site as part of the normal operations of the Parks and

Horticulture Services Section.

That, the mayor said, would ensure that the area was free from pollution and safe from a community health point of view.

He further explained that the develop-ment of parks through the 24-hour proj-ect was meant to allow the maximum involvement of all relevant stakeholders and community members while gener-ating publicity and interest related to the two-parks-per-ward programme.

“The two-parks-per-ward programme will contribute to the increased rate of landscape beautification initiatives in the city and also address park develop-ment backlogs.

“The proposed development and trans-formation of the open space network in the area and its managing as an eco park provides certain environmental and social spinoffs, such as reducing illegal dumping of waste into the stream and thereby improving human health condi-tions in the area,” Ramokgopa said.

He also revealed that plans were al-ready in place for the greening of all public open spaces in the city by devel-oping them into parks for communities to enjoy.

“The City aims to roll out 210 parks, all in all starting with 105 during this finan-cial year,” the mayor added.

Newborn rescued from pit toiletStaff Reporter

Cityrollsout24-hourecoparkandtwo-parks-per-ward projectStaff Reporter

Two City of Tshwane firemen were hailed as heroes after they rescued a newborn baby from a dark two-metres-deep pit toilet filled with human waste in Jeffsville near Atteridgeville on Monday, 2 June 2012.

| Page 6 | Tshwane UPDATE

Warningoverwinterfirerisks

Temošomabapiledikotsitšagohlolwakemollomarega

Movingawayfromtribalpigeonholes

Staff Reporter

Mmegi wa Bašomedi, phetolelo ka Mirriam Monisi

Landela Nyangintsimbi.

The City of Tshwane’s Emergency Services Department is warning residents of the higher risk of fires during winter.

Kgoro ya Ditirelo tša Tšhoganyetšo ya Mmasepala wa Toropokgolo ya Tshwane e lemoša badudi ka ga dikotsi tše šoro tša mollo tšeo di hlolegago marega.

Every year, from June to the end of August, more house fires

are reported than during any other period in the year.

Besides veld fires, winter is also a high danger period because of electricity shortages, drier and more static air, the overloading of power sockets and home fires.

As the months get colder, residents bring out their heaters, light indoor

fires and generally use the stove more often to heat or cook food. Often, appliances such as heaters that have not been used for several months become electrically unsafe and can cause a fire when switched on for the first time.

An appeal is made to the public, es-pecially those who live in thatched-roof houses or have thatched lapas close to open fields, to clean up the

areas around their properties.

Children must also be taught that fire is dangerous and not something to play with.

Veld fires spread rapidly, especially in the current dry conditions. There-fore all fires have to be reported to the Emergency Services at 10177 as soon as they are noticed. Delays may lead to serious damage and even loss of life.

When smoke engulfs any roadway or freeway, motorists should reduce speed and switch on their hazard lights to warn oncoming traffic. When driving through smoke, close the car windows and air inlets to prevent smoke inhalation.

No person is allowed to set fire to grass. Arson is a criminal offence.

Ngwaga le ngwaga, go thoma ka kgwedi ya Phuphu go

fihla mafelelong a Phato, go be-gwa dikotsi tše ntšhi tša mollo ka magaeng go feta mo dikgweding tše dingwe tša ngwaga.

Ntle le mello ya tlhaga, marega ke nako ye kotsi kudu ka ge go eba le ditlhaelelo tša mohlagase, moya wa go oma wa stetiki (static), go imelwa ga disokhete tša mohlagase le go runya ga mello ka magaeng.

Ge dikgwedi di thoma di tonya, badudi ba ntšha dihitara tša bona,

ba gotša mello ka ntlong gomme ka kakaretšo ba šomiša ditofo kgafetšakgafetša go ruthufatša goba go apeya dijo. Gantšhi, didirišwa tše bjalo ka dihitara tšeo di feditšego dikgwedinyana di sa šomišwe di ba kotsi go ka di šomiša ka mohlagase ebile di ka hlola mollo ge di thumašwa lekga la mathomo.

Go dirwa boipiletšo go setšhaba, kudukudu bao ba dulago ka dint-long tša go rulelwa ka bjang goba bao ba nago le mathudi a bjang ao a lego kgauswi le melala, gore ba

hlwekiše ditikologo tšeo di dikologi-lego dithoto tša bona.

Bana le bona ba swanetše go rutwa gore mollo o kotsi ebile ga se selo sa go raloka.

Mello ya tlhaga e phatlalala ka leb-elo, kuduru mo nakong ya gabjale ka ge naga e omile. Ka gorialo mello ka moka ye e runyago e swanetše go begwa go ba Ditirelo tša Tšhoganyetšo mo go 10177 ka bjako ge e se no lemogwa. Go dika-dika go ka hlola tshenyego ye šoro goba go lobja ga maphelo.

Ge muši o dikaneditše tsela goba tsela ya lephefo, boradifatanaga ba swanetše go fokotša lebelo gomme ba thumaše mabone a bona a tšhoganyetšo (hazard lights) go sebotša dinamelwa tše di tlago. Ge o putla mo go nago le muši, tswale-la mafasetere le mašobana a moya gore o se heme muši.

Ga go motho yo a dumeletšwego go tšhuma bjang. Go tšhuma ke molato wa bosenyi.

On commemorating 16 June, the day when the young lions of this country stood up for their language rights, the gratitude one felt was im-measurable. The thought that young lives were lost for our generation and future generations is most humbling and can never be taken for granted. It is thanks to them that we now have pivotal sections in the Consti-tution acknowledging and calling for respect and protection of linguistic diversity in our country.

Our democratic government has taken further steps by ensuring that language legislation is formulated in the form of policies (National Lan-guage Policy Framework, Language in Education, Higher Education Lan-guage Policy). Provincial and local government followed suit. I am par-ticularly proud that the municipality of our capital city has a language policy that progressively promotes linguistic diversity.

Casting back my mind to these

things, I was tempted to ponder to what extent we have moved from the apartheid mentality that put us in little pigeonholes because of the languages that we spoke. For in-stance, one of the questions I often get asked when I am heard speaking isiXhosa in a public place is “Oh, are you from the Eastern Cape?” Before I can even answer, the next comment is “And you speak pure isiXhosa” in a tone that suggests that I have been caught doing something wrong.

I am often left wondering whether such statements are made to remind me that I do not belong in my capital city. As regards my pure isiXhosa, is it something I should be ashamed of? Should I by virtue of being in Tshwane lose the purity of my lan-guage so that I can blend in? The irony is that my Xhosa people would not necessarily agree – my sis-ter and I used to be the joke of the school we attended in Umtata as we were branded “abesuthu” because we came from a place called Sterk-

spruit where we lived side by side with Sesotho-speaking people.

While my answer varies from time to time, most of the time I answer, “No, I am a South African, and by the way I like your Sepedi or Setswana.”

It always amazes me how many of us still cannot see beyond our trib-al identities. As a Manager in the Language Services Unit of the City of Tshwane (where my language is not an official language) and having worked at National Language Servic-es (where there are language prac-titioners in all eleven languages), I can say that I have been fortunate to get to know people who are speak-ers of different languages. Through these encounters, I have learnt that our language does not define the essence of who we are as people. Languages are merely mediums of communication.

Recently we made the City of Tshwane’s language policy available for public comment. Some communi-

ty members were unhappy that their children were not taught their mother tongues because they happened to live in an area where most of the people spoke another language. Some also regretted the dominance of English over “our languages”.

This scenario applies to all of us who have come to Gauteng for work op-portunities. We are branded as out-siders because our home languages are not the predominant ones.

As language planners and policy for-mulators, we need to move beyond entertaining stereotypical notions and putting people in boxes. For in-stance, Gauteng is the microcosm of South Africa. Why can’t our chil-dren have the choice to learn any of the nine African official languages at school? Secondly, why should Af-rican languages be taught as third languages in the former Model C schools and not as second languag-es? I pose these questions as a chal-lenge to the education authorities.

Editorial

Tshwane UPDATE | Page 7 |

Clean-up project creates jobs, restores dignity

Projekeyobasisayitumbuluxamintirho,yivuyiselandzhuti

Staff reporter

Vuhundzuluxi hi Tinyiko Manyange

The expanded City of Tshwane will never be the same again after Executive Mayor Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa launched a R60 million cleaning project.

Ndlandlamuko wa Dorobankulu ra Tshwane a wu nge pfuki wu fanile nakambe endzhaku ka loko Meyarankulu Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa a simekile projeke yo basisa ya R60 miliyoni.

Addressing a large gathering of beneficiaries and community

members during the launch of Op-eration Vat Alles at Temba Stadium near Hammanskraal recently, Cllr Ramokgopa urged Tshwane resi-dents to take responsibility for keep-ing the whole municipal area clean by picking up every piece of paper.

He explained that the aim of Opera-tion Vat Alles which had created 3 000 jobs by engaging residents in cleaning prioritised wards in Ham-manskraal, Mabopane, Centurion, Mamelodi and the inner city, would expand with the support of the dif-ferent communities.

Ramokgopa added that plans to

obtain an additional R60 million to extend the contracts over 12 months are in place.

“We can’t hire them (the benefi-ciaries) for only three months. We need a longer period to fight pov-erty,” he said.

The project intends to use benefi-ciaries from the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and will focus on the cleaning of cemeteries, shopping centres, open spaces, taxi ranks, sports fields, rivers and other public areas.

The 3 000 beneficiaries were cho-sen from the poorest of the poor in the communities and they would work as contractors for the next six

months.

Most of the benefi-ciaries at the launch expressed their excite-ment about the new employment opportu-nity.

“Some of us have been unemployed for years and will for the first time in more than ten years be able to contribute towards the support of the family,” said a 43-year-old Temba resident, who asked not to be named.

“I will now be able to pay school fees for my children,” said Queen

Mudzanani, 28, from Soshanguve.

It was also revealed at the launch that the City planned to award bursaries to young beneficiaries of the Vat Alles operation who are in possession of a matric qualification.

Loko a vulavula na ntshungu wa vavuyeriwa na swirho swa vaaki

hi nkarhi wo simeka Operation Vat Alles eRivaleni ra mintlangu ra Temba ekusuhi na le Hammansk-raal sweswinyana, Cllr Ramokgopa u khutazile vaaki ku va na vutihl-amuleri byo endla leswaku ndhawu hinkwayo ya masipala yi tshama yi basile hi ku rholela phepha rin’wana na rin’wana.

U hlamuserile leswaku xikongom-elonkulu xa Operation Vat Alles lexi tumbuluxeke mintirho ya 3 000 hi ku nghenisa vaaki eku basiseni ka tiwadi leti rhangisiweke emahlweni

eHammanskraal, eMabopane, eCenturion, eMamelodi na le ndzeni ka doroba, xi ta ndlandlamuka hikokwalaho ka nseketelo wa mi-ganga yo hambanahambana.

Ramokgopa u yile emahlweni a vula leswaku makungu yo kuma enge-telo wa R60 miliyoni ku yisa emahl-weni tikontiraka ku ya eka tin’hweti ta 12 ya tshamisekile.

“Hi nga ka hi nga va tholi (va-vuyeriwa) ntsena tin’hweti tinharhu. Hi lava nkarhi wo leha ku lwa na vusweti,” u vurile.

Projeke yi lava ku tirhisa va-

vuyeriwa ku suka eka Nongonoko lowu Engeteleriweke wa Mintirho naswona yi ta pakanisa eku ba-siseni ka le swilahlweni, tindhawu ta mavhengele, tindhawu leti pfuleke, tirheke ta mathekisi, timbala ta mintlangu, milambu na tindhawu tin’wana ta mani na mani.

Vavuyeriwa lava va 3 000 va langhi-wile ku suka eka vasweli va vasweli emigangeni. Vo tala va vona va kombisile ku nyanyuka ka vona hi mayelana na nkateko wa vona wa ntirho wuntshwa.

“Van’wana va hina a nga ri eku

tirheni malembe yo tala naswona hi ta kota ku pfuneta eku hlayiseni mindyangu ya hina ro sungula eka malembe yo tlula khume,” ku vula muaki wa malembe ya 43 wa le Themba, loyi a kombeleke ku ka a nga boxiwi.

“Sweswi ndzi ta kota ku hakela mali ya xikolo ya vana va mina,” ku vula Queen Mudzanani, 28, wa le Soshanguve.

Ku tlhele ku vuriwa eku simekiweni leswaku Dorobankulu ri kunguhata ku nyika tibasari eka vavuyeriwa lavantsongo lava nga na matiriki.

Member of the Mayoral Com-mittee (MMC) responsible

for Transport at the City of Johan-nesburg, Cllr Rihanna Moosajee, Member of the Executive Com-mittee (MEC) for Local Govern-ment and Housing in Gauteng, Mr Humphrey Mmemezi, City of Tshwane Executive Mayor, Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa and MMC for Housing in Ekurhuleni, Cllr Queen Duba at a media brief-ing after the signing of a memo-randum of agreement on munici-

pal housing accreditation that took place in Midrand on 13 June 2012.

The three metropolitan munici-palities are now authorised to fully administer their housing programmes in line with the Na-tional Housing Programme, after receiving Level 1 and 2 certifi-cates, which allow them to build houses and manage housing. subsidies and beneficiaries.

New beginnings . . .

| Page 8 | Tshwane UPDATE

The City of Tshwane’s ambulance service is un-der siege by pranksters. The service gets hoax calls regularly – all made by children.

These false call-outs have serious implications for people who urgently need medical attention.

The City of Tshwane urges parents to please educate their children and tell them about the serious consequences a practical joke such as making a false call to the ambulance service can have on the lives of people.

The number to call in an emergency is 10177.

Local government’s core legislative mandate is to provide basic services to residents. Carrying out

this mandate rests on an equitable share in funds made available by the national fiscus to municipali-ties across the country.

This allocation is not enough given the ever-in-creasing costs of infrastructure development, re-fuse removal, the provision of water, electricity and sanitation, better roads and health. Municipalities therefore rely on additional revenue from residents.

The acceleration of service delivery and the pro-vision of quality services to better the lives of our residents require the creation of a sound, viable and sustainable financial base, which is only pos-sible if residents pay for municipal services, and do so regularly. However, residents are also given a say in service delivery, as they are invited to public

participation sessions during the finalisation of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and the budget.

Failure to pay for services rendered to residents de-rails the aspirations of the people as contained in the IDP and the overall strategic objectives and the mandate of local government. And members of all sections of the Tshwane community, poor and rich, fail to pay their dues.

In order for the City of Tshwane to render appropri-ate and sufficient services, residents are urged to pay their current accounts. Those who genuinely cannot afford to pay are encouraged to register as indigent households with the Health and Social De-velopment Department so that they can be helped.

In the same spirit residents are urged to use water and electricity wisely. Water continues to be wasted

through leaks and by households, carwashes and businesses. Water wastage and loss account for a massive increase in the cost of acquiring water from Rand Water and in the bill for residents and busi-nesses.

Residents are urged to switch lights off during the day. Also switch off nonessential appliances and re-port any illegal connections and reconnections of electricity and water metres. Those who are illegally connected steal services at the expense of paying residents. They also limit the ability of the City of Tshwane to continue to render services to the entire community.

Accept your responsibility for your municipal debt. Pay your current account today!

Source: www.info.gov.za

Tirokgolo ya pusoselegae ke go tlamela baagi ka ditirelo tsa motheo. Go diragatsa tiro eno go

ikaegilwe mo matlotlong a a tswang kwa letloleng la bosetšhaba a a lebisetswe kwa bomasepala go ralala le naga go a abelana ka go lekana.

Matlole a letlole leno a tlhaela ka ntlha ya dituelo tse di nnang di tlhatlogat sa tlhabololo ya mafaratl-hatlha, go rwala ga matlakala, thebolelo ya metsi, motlakase le mesele ya kgeleloleswe ditsela tse di botoka leboitekanelo. Ka jalo masepala o ikaegile ka madi a tlaleletso a a tswang kwa baaging.

Potlakiso ya thebolelo ya ditirelo le tlamela ya ditire-lo tsa boleng tsa go tokafatsa matshelo a baagi e tlhoka motheo wa nnete wa leruri wa matlotlo, o o ka kgonagalang fela fa baagi baka duela ditirelo tsa masepala, mme ba dira jalo nako le nako. Le fa go le jalo baagi ba na le serala sa go tlhagisa maikutlo a bona ka go lalediwa mo ditheetsong tsa phatlhalatsa fa go wediwa Leanotlhabololo le la

Tshwaraganelo le tekanyetsokabo.

Go se duele ga baagi ditrelo tse ba di rebolelwang, go faposa maitlhomo a baagi jaaka go tlhagelela mo go Leanotlhabololo la Tshwaraganelo le mo go maitlhomokakaretso a togamaano le mo tirong e e tshwanetseng go dirwa ke pusoselegae. Dikarolo tsotlhe tsa baagi ba Tshwane, bahumi le bahu-manegi, ga ba duele se ba tshwanetseng go se duelela.

Go re Toropokgolo ya Tshwane e kgone go rebola ditirelo tse di lekaneng, baagi ba kopiwa go duela madi a a tshwanetseng go duelwa a a tlhagelelang mo diakhaontong tsa bona. Ba ba retelelwang ke go duela ka ntlha ya bohumanegi, ba rotloediwa go ik-wadisa kwa dikantorong tsa Lefapha la Boitekanelo le Katlaatlelololago jaaka malapa a a humanegileng go re ba bone thuso.

Baagi ba kopiwa go dirisa metsi le motlakase ka kelotlhoko, metsi a senyega fela ka ntlha ya go dut-

la, ka go dirisiwa mo malapeng, botlhatswetsokoloi le kwa mafelong a dikgwebo.Tshenyo le tatlhegelo ya metsi ke tsona di dirang gore go nne le koket-sego ya dituelo tsa go reka metsi go tswa kwa Rand Water le go tlhola tlhatlogo ya dituelo tsa dibili tsa baagi le tsa dikgwebo.

Baagi ba rotloediwa go tima dipone mo mot-shegareng mmogo le go tima didiriswa tse di seng botlhokwa le go bega dikgokaganyo tse di seng ka fa molaong tsa motlakase le tsa metsi, ba ba go-kaganyang ntle le molao ba utswa ditirelo e bile ba tsietsa baagi ba ba duelang. Ba kgoreletsa bokgoni ba Toropokgolo ya Tshwane ba go rebolela baagi botlhe ditirelo.

Amogela maikarabelo a gago a sekoloto sa mase-pala. Duela gompieno madi a a tshwanetseng go duelwa!

Motswedi wa tshedimosetso: www.info.gov.za

Hoax calls can result in

people dying

Residents ought to pay for municipal services

Baagibatshwanetsegodueladitirelotsamasepala

Special Correspondent

Phetolelo ka Angelina Mashadi Boikhutso

Mokwadi yo o kgethegileng

Tshwane UPDATE | Page 9 |

Our walk-in and call centres are multi-optional access points for

customers to interact with the Munici-pality by sending us a letter, a fax or an email, giving us a call or paying us a visit.

The Customer Relations Management Division strives to set standards and policies for the whole organisation to improve customer centricity.

The Division has a service delivery charter which is displayed at all custom-er care centres, and customers can hold us accountable for the promises made in the charter.

The services we provide

The Customer Relations Management Division handles all enquiries and com-plaints regarding the City of Tshwane by –

• managing the call centres;

• operating regional customer care walk-in centres;

• running the Call Centre Communica-tion and Internal Liaison Operations Subsection;

• implementing Batho Pele (people first) programmes in the City of Tsh-wane; and

• conducting surveys to determine customers’ perceptions and needs.

Our service standards

• The Customer Relations Manage-ment Division is the first point of con-tact for all Tshwane customers.

• Customers are treated with courtesy, respect and dignity.

• 85% of all queries and complaints are resolved on first contact.

• 90% of all complaints are closed within one hour.

• All staff are required to adhere to the Batho Pele principles.

• The Customer Relations Manage-ment Division undertakes to revise

its service standards regularly and to publish performance outcomes in the local media and in brochures at all walk-in centres.

How we deal with your complaints andenquiries

When you visit, write to, fax or email us, we –

• adhere to the Division’s complaints procedure;

• acknowledge a customer’s corre-spondence within seven days of re-ceipt;

• provide customers with reference numbers;

• inform customers when they can ex-pect to receive a full response;

• provide the customer with telephone and email contact details; and

• take control and ownership of the customer’s enquiry or complaint.

When you have a complaint

• Inform us of the problem.

• We will try to put things right immediately.

• If you are dissatisfied with the re- sponse, you can contact any City of Tshwane customer care walk- in centre or the Call Centre on 012 358 9999, or email customercare@tshwane.gov.za.

Have the following information handy when you contact us

• Your ID number

• Your account number

Your rights as a customer

Customers have the right to expect treatment that is in line with the Batho Pele principles, especially the following:

• Accessibility

• Courtesy

• Full information/openness and transparency

• Prompt and efficient service

• Redress and an apology for lapses in service

• Consultation (to be provided with additional services or information)

Your obligations as our customer

• Please respect the dignity of our of-ficials. They are dedicated to provid-ing excellent service.

• Inform us if your personal details change.

• Make arrangements at our centres if you are unable to fulfil your finan-cial obligations towards the City of Tshwane.

• Study your municipal accounts to make sure that all the details are correct.

• Pay for municipal services on time.

• Do not tamper with electricity boxes and water meters.

Customer care centres

For any enquiries, complaints or infor-mation, please contact the Call Centre on 012 358 9999. Alternatively you can send a fax to 012 359 6111 or email us at customercare@tshwane.gov.za, or visit any of the walk-in centres in the seven regions of Tshwane.

Backofficesupport

It is important to note that Customer Relations Management relies on other departments’ back offices to assist with queries. When queries cannot be resolved immediately, Customer Rela-tions Management has to request the relevant departments to address these queries.

Source: www.tshwane.gov.za

We are always at your service The aim of the City of Tshwane’s Customer Relations Management Division is to improve the quality of municipal customer services in Tshwane and to ensure that service delivery adheres to the Batho Pele principles.Phalane Motale

Residents of and visitors to the former Nokeng and Kungwini areas (currently Regions 5 and 7)

are encouraged to make use of the 10177 telephone number to report all fire and rescue emergency inci-dents.

Tshwane Emergency Services announced that all fire and rescue emergency incidents reported in those areas to numbers other than 10177 will be redirected

to the central communication centre which is located at Central Fire Station in Bosman Street.

Emergency Services spokesperson Johan Pieterse said that all calls will receive immediate and profes-sional care and will be redirected to the closest avail-able resources to the incident.

“Residents must not be confused when an automatic

voice answering system announces ‘Welcome to the City of Tshwane’, since the Kungwini and Nokeng areas now form part of the City of Tshwane,” Pieterse said.

Other emergency numbers to contact the fire brigade, as well as to report floods and other emergencies where the fire brigade can assist, are 012 310 6300 and 012 310 6400.

ChangeinemergencynumbersforNokengandKungwiniareas

| Page10 | Tshwane UPDATE

This trade mission resulted from the investment mission to Washington

DC, California and New York, led by the Executive Mayor, Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, that took place from 2 to 12 July 2011 and was in line with the approved Tshwane Strategic Invest-ment Attraction, Facilitation and After-care Plan.

During this visit, the Executive Mayor renewed the Sister City agreement be-tween the two nations’ capital cities. This agreement encourages coopera-tion in the fields of business, culture, education, public health and technol-ogy. The trade mission was hosted by the Office of the Executive Mayor and the Local Economic Development De-partment.

Representatives from six US compa-nies participated in the second leg of the trade mission to South Africa, which started in Johannesburg and will end

in Cape Town on 15 July 2012. The meeting aimed to promote US com-panies who are interested in expand-ing or doing business in South Africa or in Tshwane. Another goal was to identify potential opportunities for US and South African small, medium and micro enterprises to trade in Tshwane and in the US.

The visiting companies are involved in a wide range of business sec-tors. These include the supply of in-novative flooring solutions around the globe (with the capability to de-liver and recycle carpet from any market in the commercial sector), capacity building within the education and human resources sectors, distribu-tion of hybrid green roof systems, and the supply of affordable sustainable housing with structural insulated panels (SIPs).

The latter is created from plywood and

is a substance like Styrofoam that can be locally manufactured from waste material.

Tshwane-based companies specialising in similar business activities were invit-ed to meet their US counterparts. The

event was also attended by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP).

The business tourism industry is becoming an extremely relevant segment within the tourism

sector worldwide, and Tshwane is no exception.

Over the past decade, South Africa has successfully hosted a wide range of international conferences. This has seen a significant increase in the develop-ment and focus being directed to the business tourism market.

Being home to 132 foreign embassies and missions as well as housing all the national government departments, Tshwane is ideally geared to meet the needs of the business community and thus perfectly positioned to do South Africa proud.

The city is strategically located, easily accessible and offers a wide range of conference and conven-

tion facilities, accommodation, transportation and entertainment for any group, small to large.

The launch of the Gautrain has opened up additional possibilities and allows the businessman or woman hassle-free transportation between the OR Tambo International Airport, Pretoria CBD and the interna-tional hospitality environment of Sandton.

The city, as the hub for science and technology, knowledge and industry, receives a high number of national and international delegations, and hosts various conferences and conventions related to these sectors. The various conference facilities of in-ternational standing, such as the CSIR International Convention Centre situated on the CSIR campus and the one-stop sports facility at the High Performance

Centre situated at the University of Pretoria’s sports grounds, facilitate different types of events accord-ing to the nature of the widely different scientific and technological disciplines active in the city.

Tshwane’s prowess in the field of medicine, research, technology, education and training is attributed to the numerous institutions that give it a competitive edge.

Tshwane also has a diverse manufacturing sector and is home to five of the nine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and more than 200 suppliers in the automotive sector operating in South Africa.

Inbound foreign business missions, sport and medical conferences, seminars and workshops as well as government-related strategy meet-ings can take place throughout the year. Tsh-wane’s ideal weather conditions and relaxed cos-mopolitan composition make it the ideal host.

International events, such as Aerospace and the Spring Show (formerly known as the International Pretoria/Tshwane Show) with its world renowned ag-ricultural components, take place annually and attract visitors from around the globe.

The recent incorporation of the Metsweding munici-palities has provided the City of Tshwane with an even larger business tourism scope. These areas include various game lodges and game reserves such as the Jabali Game and Nature Reserve, Lama Lama Game Reserve, Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve, the Cullinan Mining Museum, Sizanani Ndebele Cultural Village and Nan Hua Buddhist Temple (the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern hemisphere and the only one in Africa). Many of these places provide conference and accommodation facilities.

Tshwane and Washington DC strengthens economic tiesStaff Reporter

Tshwane – the ideal destination for business tourismStaff Reporter

The Commercial Service of the United States Embassy in South Africa hosted a trade mission from Washington DC on 12 June 2012 at the Old Council Chambers, Church Square.

Sizanani Ndebele Cultural Village

US trade mission delegates with councillors and officials from the city, SEDA, GEP and Tshwane-based SMMEs posing for a group photo after the meeting.

Tshwane UPDATE | Page 11 |

The brand new public library, which is the first facility with full services in this expansive area,

was officially opened by Cllr Faith Kgaditse, the MMC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture.

The new facility is a far cry from the former one-roomed library at the Morula Sun Complex, which offered very limited services.

With space for some 15 000 books, the new library will be a haven for bookworms and school learners. The library includes computers with free internet access, a children’s section, an activity room and a study area.

Learners, who come to the library to do research on the internet and their homework, will get help from li-brarians, and other community members will be able to search for jobs.

This is the 54th library of Tshwane Library Services and it will cater for all ages via its toddler, junior, teen-age, adult, toy library, reference, lending and study hall sections.

The services offered will include general information, assistance with school projects, study facilities, com-munity information, story hours, holiday programmes, item reservation, inter-library loans and development programmes and events. The library will have a wide variety of books for all ages (including fiction, non-fiction, books for newly literate readers and books in foreign languages), magazines and newspapers.

In order to reach out to the community, the library will embark on different types of reading awareness programmes that will target all categories of people in the community.

MabopanereceivesCity’s 54th library

Staff Reporter

About 150 students from areas north of the city have been enrolled in a construction learnership

programme that will provide basic skills in brick-laying, plumbing and roofing.

The programme which is supported by the National Home Builder Registration Council (NHBRC), the Na-tional Youth Development Agency and the National Development Housing Scheme (NDHS), will enable these young people to build at least 20 RDP houses under the watchful eye of a contractor who is building houses in the area.

City of Tshwane’s Member of the Mayoral Commit-tee (MMC) responsible for Housing and Sustainable Human Settlement Development, Cllr Joshua Ngo-nyama and the Gauteng MEC for Local Government and Housing, Mr Humphrey Mmemezi launched the programme during a Gauteng National Youth Service in Human Settlement event on 25 June in Winterveldt.

MEC Mmemezi, who handed over computers to learn-ers of a nearby school, told the youth that economic freedom was an important goal but demanding it with-out prioritising education and skills would be a serious mistake.

He also urged the students to take the programme very seriously, and make sure that the programme be-comes a resounding success.

He said construction industry goes way beyond build-ing RDP houses. “There are other many opportunities that exist in roads construction, building of bridges, and construction of high rise buildings and so on,” said Mmemezi.

He said there were people who did not have a matric certificate, but could make a meaningful contribution in construction as workers and entrepreneurs.

The City of Tshwane has revealed plans to make Centurion home to Africa’s tallest building.

The 110-storey structure is part of a triple-tower development collectively known as Centurion Symbio-City. Destined for completion in 2018, the project was recently announced by the Executive Mayor, Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa.

The mixed-use facility is to include residential units, office space, retail facilities, and hotel and confer-ence spaces.

Images of the project show a 447 m tower reach-ing skywards, with a vertical column of wind tur-bines embedded in it. The structure is flanked by two smaller towers (of 336 m and 210 m) that mir-ror the central building’s multilayered form. When completed, the main building will be a staggering 224 m taller than Africa’s current tallest building, the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg.

The proposal does not only include the triple-tower cluster, but also looks to invigorate the surrounding area at the Centurion Lake with soft landscaping and a series of arching pedestrian bridges. Locat-ed in and around the lake itself, the development will stretch over 10 hectares of land. A new mono-rail system has also been suggested to link the residents and users of the Centurion Symbio-City development with the Gautrain rapid rail station.

Mayor Ramokgopa commented: “The develop-ment is a reflection of the range of economic op-portunities, cultural experiences, safety and quality that the physical environment of Tshwane offers.

“The availability of a variety of effective and effi-ciently provided public services, as well as afford-able and green commuting options and amenities are all important factors in creating a high-quality living experience.”

He added that the construction of this development will also assist with job creation by generating more than 10 000 jobs during construction and more than 4 000 sustainable jobs after construction.

Africa’s largest city to get

Africa’s tallest tower

Staff Reporter

Knowledge hub - Cllr Faith Kgaditse (far right), MMC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, cuts the ribbon at the official opening of the brand new Mabopane Library recently. With her are (left to right) Cllr Joel Sindane, Cllr Nozipho Tyobeka-Makeke, Cllr Edward Musehane and Ms Kholofelo Phalama from the Gauteng Department of Education.

Youth benefit from government training opportunities Staff Reporter

The Mabopane Block X Library, the first state-of-the-art facility of its kind in the area, officially opened its doors to the local community on 15 June.

| Page 12 | Tshwane UPDATE

Four teams of tertiary students went head-to-head in the first Tshwamaz-

ing Freedom Race. The race took place in April and was aimed at promoting the City of Tshwane’s new Freedom Route, its tourist attractions and new identity.

The race is based on the reality televi-sion show, The Amazing Race. Students from the University of Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology, Vega School of Branding and University of South Af-rica took part in the Tshwamazing Race, which further validated the City’s com-mitment to hosting events with a dif-ference that will help promote the new identity created and support the brand values of leadership, innovation, excel-lence and inspiration.

The race took place over two days and participants used cars and walked. It covered tourist attraction areas such as the Voortrekker Monument, Free-dom Park, the Gallows, Melrose House, Ditsong Museum, National Museum of Cultural History with Maraba Exhibition, Church Square, Lilian Ngoyi Square,

Merriam Temple in Marabastad, Won-derboom Tree and Union Buildings.

The race saw the students solving clues and negotiating their way to the various landmarks across the city. En route, they were expected to tweet about their

experiences.

The aim of the Tshwamazing Race was to –

• encourage participants to embrace diversity and strengthen social cohe-

sion;

• increase cultural awareness and un-derstanding as well as knowledge of local history;

• showcase places of interest in Tshwane;

• deepen democracy and instil nation-al pride; and

• provide participants with a stimulat-ing, exciting and enlightening experi-ence.

The University of Pretoria was even-tually crowned the winner of the 2012 Tshwamazing Freedom Race. The Vega School of Branding came sec-ond, while the Tshwane University of

Technology was third and UNISA fourth.

Sponsors of the race were Tempest, AIDC, Court Classique, Sasol Delight, Nokia, Gautrain, Rietvlei Nature Re-serve and the National Zoological Gar-dens. Prizes were valued at more than R100 000.

Tshwane and its 2,5 million residents welcome the recent promotion of

the University of Pretoria’s soccer team, popularly known as AmaTuks, to the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

AmaTuks clinched the National First Di-vision honours, joining Mamelodi Sun-downs and SuperSport United as the third Tshwane-based side in the PSL and the eighth team from Gauteng.

There was excitement across the city on 13 May when AmaTuks gained their

new status despite losing 3-2 to Mpum-alanga Black Aces.

Two weeks later the excitement was even more overwhelming when the tri-umphant AmaTuks paraded their new-ly-won trophy for the hundreds of jubi-lant fans, shoppers and workers who packed out Hatfield, Arcadia and city centre streets.

Later at Church Square, the Executive Mayor, Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, ex-pressed delight at having AmaTuks ply-

ing their trade in the PSL.

“We are extremely happy. It’s a significant moment to profile Tshwane as a city of champions,” he said.

“The Blue Bulls and the Ti-tans are doing well. Now we have three teams in the PSL.

“The best thing about this soccer is that it will be the whole community of Tsh-wane together behind foot-ball. We are grateful for the team. We hope they remain in the PSL for as long as it takes,” he added.

The Mayor praised Steve Barker for guiding AmaTuks to the elite league after eight years without success.

“It’s a proud moment in my career,” said Barker, who is a former PSL player.

Meanwhile, Gauteng MEC for Sport, Lebogang Maile, also welcomed the promo-tion of AmaTuks and said it was a major boost for soccer development in the province.

“For us in Gauteng, the promotion of the University of Pretoria into the PSL is a major achievement in terms of soccer develop-ment,” said Maile.

“We would like to take this opportunity to welcome AmaTuks into the Premiership and wish them good luck. The team has a solid management, led by Rendani Mulaudzi and Kenneth Neluvhalani. We have no doubt they will do well.”

Maile pointed to the university side’s track record in identifying players who have risen to greater heights, such as Andile Jali, Mthokozisi Yende, Lerato Chabangu and Robyn Johannes.

AmaTuks were also welcomed by PSL CEO, Stanley Matthews, who said: “This is a great feat by the University of Pretoria after what has been an exciting National First Division season.”

“Their spirit of perseverance has been rewarded. A lot is expected from them by the football fraternity. Credit should go to Tuks management for ensuring continuity and of course their coach, Steve Barker, who has been with this side for a while now. I would also like to welcome Tuks supporters.”

Matthews added: “A lot of work lies ahead for them as they prepare for life in the premier division. We as the league will offer them the best possible support to help them adapt better to life in the elite ranks.”

Students explore City in Tshwamazing Race Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter

Promoted AmaTuks makes Tshwane proud

About usEditor: Dikeledi Phiri

Deputy Editor: Phalane Motale

Subeditor: Landela Nyangintsimbi

Language Editors: Martie Lourens, Refilwe Mohasoa, Rika Weiss and Ina Stahmer

Publisher: Theresa Kumalo

Advertising: Elsie Maeko

Tel: 012 358 4820/4713

Fax: 012 358 4896

Email: media@tshwane.gov.za

Graphic Designer: Lindi Folkus

Photographers: Helenus Kruger, Golaamang Segatlhe and Sikhumbuzo Ngobese

Tshwane Update is published by the Communication, Marketing and Events Department.

Email us at the above address. To advertise call Elsie Maeko at the above telephone number.

Amazing spirit - Vega School of Branding students are in a jolly mood after their team came second in the first Tshwamazing Freedom Race which was held in the city.

Champions - AmaTuks coach Steve Barker, Tshwane MMC for Sport Cllr Faith Kgaditse, Executive Mayor Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, City Manager Jason Ngobeni and AmaTuks captain Siya Mngoma proudly display the National First Division trophy. Pic: Golaamang Segatlhe