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Pretoria Central APRILPRIL 16, 2021 • 012-842-0300012-842-0300 Irene Village Mall Carnival is fun for the whole family The Irene Village Mall Carnival Roadshow attracts hundreds of people wanting to break away for a bit of fun. The gaming show started on 19 March and is scheduled to end on 30 May. “This is a show for the entire family,” Irene Village mall marketing manager, Lollie van Niekerk, told Rekord. “It is suitable for children, teenagers and adults.” Van Niekerk said children may enjoy, among other things, various rides and especially the merry-go-round. The event also has rides for adults, young and old. Bongani Masombuka and his son Indalo (5) were there. Photo: Ron Sibiya ‘Deal with homeless plight’ An expert says the Tshwane metro must budget properly to deal with the dire problem of homelessness in the CBD. Reitumetse Mahope Plans to redevelop the Kruger Park building in the Pretoria CBD, which has The Tshwane metro will have to create an stood vacant for more than a decade, after a adequate 2021/2022 budget to deal with fi re claimed the lives of residents, were still homeless issues. in the works. This was according to Professor Stephen Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela de Beer from the University of Pretoria. Mashigo said the building was awaiting De Beer shared sentiments over the approval by council for the property to be Tshwane metro redeveloping two buildings released to the market on an open tender. for student accommodation while it still Mashigo said the metro had not abandon faces challenges in regards to homeless plans to fi x student accommodation shelters. problems in the city. This comes at the back of the Kruger “The tender will hopefully be open by no Park and Melgisedek buildings having been later than 30 July.” earmarked for student accommodation. Mashigo said the building, which had De Beer said his concern was that the fallen prey to criminals who stripped it Tshwane council had asked for proposals of steel doors, window frames, bathroom for Melgisedek and Kruger Park for accessories and cables, was now earmarked redevelopment already in the tenure of for a mixed-use residential development. ousted mayor Stevens Mokgalapa. “This follows a detailed and robust “As far as I know the city didn’t award assessment of the highest and best use of the any proposal to be implemented.” property. He said Kruger Park alone could He said having concluded the public accommodate more than 1 000 people, while consultation period, the metro was now Melgisedek was a combination of vulnerable The dilapidated Kruger Park building stands vacant after facing fi res more that a decade ago. following internal approvals in keeping families, elderly people, vulnerable with the municipal asset transfer regulations substance users and a crime element making in 2021/2022 to address homelessness. Community and social development to ensure the release of the property to the money off the poor. At the time of going to print, Tshwane MMC Thabisile Vilakazi said the issues at market through an open competitive bidding “The city, with NGOs and universities, mayor Randall Williams was yet to the shelter could not be solved by the metro tender. should transform this place through announce his budget. alone. This comes as, in 2019, the Tshwane combination of redeveloping Melgisedek Currently the Kruger Park building and Vilakazi said Struben Shelter had been metro was conducting a city-wide property and Kruger Park for student and low-cost Melgisedek “informally” house homeless declared uninhabitable by the Tshwane fi re clean-up which would see student housing. members of Pretoria as the metro only have department and Social Development and accommodation woes in the Pretoria CBD “In 2020, the metro committed itself one operational shelter in Tshwane. Municipal Health. coming to an end. to 1 200 new bed spaces for housing the This comes as the metro recently revealed However, “there are still people living At the time, Tshwane mayor Stevens homeless through a 10-point plan. That that the R5-million earmarked for upgrades there”. Mokgalapa told Rekord that the metro was should be rolled out.” at Struben shelter – the only metro-run She said the metro was hard at work with off -loading properties to generate income De Beer said the metro had to come up shelter in Tshwane – had been unallocated homeless stakeholders to fi nd time and for the metro and to alleviate the student with an adequate budget for implementation and reprioritised to fi ght against Covid-19. suitable accommodation for the homeless. accommodation backlog. 2 NEWS PRETORIA CENTRAL REKORD APRIL 16, 2021 Plight of ‘struggling war veterans’ now in spotlight Reitumetse Mahope level briefi ng on the plight of military veterans where he was briefed on the A group of people who marched to the existing support package off ered to them Union Buildings in November 2020, as well as areas where gaps had been under the banner of “Liberation Struggle identifi ed. War Veterans” could see their demands A presidential task team appointed to fi nally met. look after the aff airs of military veterans The presidency committed to fi nding noted that many of the grievances solutions to issues of the veterans’ social raised would require the participation of relief of distress, educational assistance, diff erent line-function ministries as well the provisioning of decent housing, job as diff erent spheres of government. opportunities and land. “Through engagements, government Deputy president David Mabuza was able to conceptualise and constitute said the role that had been played by seven work streams that were focal to the military veterans remained deeply pursue.” etched in the national memory and consciousness of South Africans. “For it is they (the military veterans) that sacrifi ced everything about themselves to ensure South Africa and all our people are rescued from the relentless jaws of apartheid.” Mabuza said to show their commitment, government had called King KhoiSan is adamant on staying at the Union Buildings to fi ght for their demands until it is for the meeting to seek guidance to fi nd met. sustainable ways for a feasible resolution to the grievances that have been raised in a submitted memorandum. He said in 2020, the presidency Khoisan king wants a became increasingly inundated with a number of complaints from the military veterans community over the failure of the department of military veterans to dispense adequate services to veterans. Deputy president David Mabuza ‘first nation’ admission Mabuza said as part of governments provides an update on progress made on response, the president called for a high- griviences. Photo:GCIS] ‘It also discussed transitional issues during implementation of the traditional and Khoisan leadership act.’ Reitumetse Mahope “This marks the start of a new era for the development of the Khoi and San of South Moves to formally recognise the Khoisan Africa. This is a path that we must walk people as a nation means “nothing”, together,” Ramaphosa said. according to the king of the Khoisan. King Khoisan, however, dismissed the “This means nothing in terms of our talks. protest here as one of our demands is the “The government is reluctant to meet with recognition of the Khoisan as the ‘fi rst the right people concerning the issues of nation of South Africa’,” said King Khoisan. recognition, land, language and restoring of He and a small group of followers have identity. been camping in tents outside the Union “They always failed to listen to our Buildings in Pretoria since end-2017. recommendations on how we want to be In that time, they even planted a small included. The Deputy president commits to fi nd solutions to raised issues by military veterans. vegetable garden to feed themselves. “Ramaphosa went ahead signing the Photo: Twitter His comment came after a March meeting Khoisan traditional leadership bill even between President Cyril Ramaphosa and a though it was rejected by the majority of our delegation of the National Khoi-San Council people,” King KhoiSan said. (NKC), led by its chairperson, Cecil le Fleur. He said that the bill did not give justice to The NKC was established to facilitate community members, “because we are still NOW OPEN discussions on key issues between the termed coloureds on the government Z83 government and Khoisan communities. forms”. It consists of fi ve historical Khoi and KhoiSan and his fellow protesters want San communities as vetted in the offi cial the “coloured” label to be removed from CITY government reports called the Status Quo all offi cial papers and be replaced with DENTIST reports. “Khoisan”. 18834/16-4-21 Each of the fi ve main communities have They also want Kwadi-Khoe to also be their sub-groupings who are also represented listed as an offi cial language in South Africa All Dental Gold on the NKC. and for the Khoisan to be given land and at R350 cash! Ramaphosa said the meeting discussed resources to continue their cultures and Having trouble with U, L & full shape the need for members of the Khoisan traditions. community to be involved in land “This is a smack in our faces,” he said. heavy, swollen legs, aching Gold reform programmes and rural economic “We will not move, the bill changes or burning? 50% discount development. nothing.” for cash patients. “It also discussed transitional issues While the presidency has yet to respond The Vein Clinic Pretoria offers full diagnostic and Free consultations during implementation of the traditional and to recent requests for comment, acting therapeutic services. Minimally invasive outpatient for cash patients Khoisan leadership act.” presidential spokesperson Tyrone Seale treatment for varicose veins and venous ulcers Ramaphosa applauded the council previously said King Khoisan’s group was through endovenous technology.