Aids Day vigil to be held in Ekhaya Park

By Ndaba Mlotshwa

A CANDLELIT vigil will mark World Aids Day in the Inner-city.

Inner-city Residents are invited to gather in Ekhaya Park, in Hillbrow (Claim Street), at 6:30pm on Tuesday, December 1, to mark the international day of HIV and Aids awareness.

Pamphlets and Condoms will be distributed at the Event.

Friends of the Inner-city Forum Chairperson Moses Ka Moyo said: "The vigil is a chance to reflect on those we have lost and to celebrate the lives of those who are living with HIV and Aids."

Moyo Further urged that the community turn out for the Vigil in numbers to help remember, mourn, and celebrate the lives of those the world has lost to AIDS.

It is against this background that in the Morning of the 1st Of December, Friends of the Inner-city Forum will be joining hands with the South African AIDS Council (SANAC) and government at the Pretoria show grounds to mark the World AIDS Day under the theme “I AM RESPONSIBLE, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE, SOUTH AFRICA IS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY”.

Friends of the Inner-city Forum calls on all Inner-city Residents to join hands in the continuing fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS.Our Country has an estimated 5.7 million people infected with HIV-more than any other country in the World.Nearly 1000 south africans die every day of AIDS related diseases.


Members of the media are hereby invited to attend and report.

Issued by Friends of the Inner-city Forum
For more information please contact:
Moses Ka Moyo – Chairperson
+27 76 681 0577

16 Days Campaign Stakeholders Summit

Friends of the Inner-City forum is currently taking part in the 16 Days Campaign Stakeholders Summit, the Summit seeks to:

 Officially mark the Start of the 2009 16 Days campaign period.
 Review the Impact of the 16 days campaign since its inception in the country.
 Deliberate and agree on a co-ordination and implementation mechanism for programmes under the 365 Days of Action Initiative.
 Discuss progress and challenges to the implementation of the 365 Days National Action Plan.
 Advocate for active participation by all stakeholders.
 Strengthen partnerships for an effective national effort.
 Advocate for a sustainable 365 Days media Strategy.

The government is largely represented by ministers, deputy ministers, director Generals and various officials from different departments.

There is also a huge Contigent of Civil society Organisations

Friends of the Inner-city Forum will officially launche its campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence under the theme – “No to Women and children Evictions” on the 26th of November 2009.

For more info:

Contact Jack Wa Lesudi
on +27 72 283 0979

Case against Building Hijackers almost lost

By

Moses Ka Moyo

I could not believe it and felt pain when a letter supposedly written by a ward Councillor, was a couple of weeks submitted and read in a Magistrates court bail hearing for building hijackers as evidence that tenants had a “right” to collect money through a club account in a Sectional title Building. Amidst tonnes of evidence gathered by the men is Blue (SAPS) in this case the councillor sought through her letter to rubbish it (evidence) and blame the owners who had been chased off their properties by gun totting hijackers (according to the councillor when I called her to verify the tale in court –she insisted that owners cannot leave their properties and go and stay somewhere) what if Madame councillor they are intimidated and pushed out? As a representative of every resident in your ward-did you call them and find out why they left the building? What about property rights? Do/should they not exist in your ward?

Madame Councillor this letter would have been appropriate given to residents in your ward who have not had electricity and water for more than eight years, it could make a difference if presented to City Power or Jhb Water or you don’t think so? Why is sympathy always given to those with money or those who control it? And the poor are left to suffer – Inner-city needs revolutionary councillors who will see the side of bread that is buttered and ignore it and demand that the other side be buttered as well for the benefit of every resident in their wards. But hang on resident shanaaz once told me a story where the same councillor brought in a managing agent based in Rosettenville (legal threats are mounting day-by day –will not mention names) to manage the building .it could be that the arrested are proxies, as the Judge said it will be interesting to know on whose behalf the three collected money for.
The pain that I felt when a ward councillor letter almost rescued the building hijackers, is the pain that one will feel when he finds a green mamba on his lawn and strikes it several times on its body, and then a Councillor comes and applies betadine on it and carefully and clinically bandages it, resuscitating it from the intensive care unit and releases it back to your garden!



Mama Gladys summed it up well when she said we would rather lose councillors than the war against Building hijackers - you choose.

Am Out ,on record anyone that colludes with Building hijackers must equally be charged as an accessory to this heinous crime-period.

NB: Moses Ka Moyo is the Chairperson of the Friends of the Inner-city Forum (Writes in his personal capacity, Views expressed are not necessarily of the Friends of the Inner-city Forum).

can be contacted on +27 76 681 0577 bayethe@gmail.com or moses@inner-city-forum.org

Inner-City Gazette Launch Postponed

The launch of the Inner-city Gazette a free Community Newspaper by the Friends of the Inner-city Forum has been postponed till further notice. The Launch date was November 19 2009, has been moved at the request of a major sponsor and advertiser, the postponement will allow the paper to re-align its marketing strategy with that of the sponsor. The free paper will be published in Tabloid format and will have a circulation of 40,000 fortnightly. It will definitely hit the streets before the end of Year 2009.

The Inner-city Gazette editorial team would like to apologise to all our advertisers, for the inconvenience caused by the postponement of the Launch Edition.

For advertising queries Contact: ads@inner-city-gazette.co.za
For news, Stories and Photos contact: News@ inner-city-gazette.co.za

Issued By:
Inner-City Gazette
+27 74 315 3594 (Inner-city Gazette Hotline For comments)

Hands mural brightens school

WHAT was once a dreary, grey wall at Bertrams Junior School in Greater Ellis Park is now a vibrant, attractive mosaic mural, made of ordinary colourful marble tiles.


The mural, which depicts hands, was made by staff at the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and finished by the 150 pupils at the school, under the supervision of the Spaza Gallery.

Measuring 9m2 in size, the mural was inspired by the Mandela Day initiative, driven by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the 46664 Campaign and held on 18 July, Mandela's birthday. The school shares a birthday with the great statesman, Nelson Mandela.

Mandela Day was held to forever celebrate the sacrifices he made for peace and reconciliation in South Africa. It involved taking 67 minutes in the day to do something for the good of humanity and the planet, in recognition of the 67 years Mandela devoted to liberating South Africa.

The individual vivid artworks were joined together to form a panel, which was fixed on the school's wall.

The mosaic mural is one of many public artworks in the area developed by the JDA. It joins, among others, the cows in Transport Square and another mosaic, depicting a scene from the Battle of Ellis Park, sparked by the 1922 Miners' Strike. It is on the wall of the last house on Bertrams Road.

Perfect gift
Speaking at the unveiling of the mural on 3 November, the school's principal, Khanyi Twala, thanked the sponsors for the art. "The mosaic wall is a perfect and thoughtful gift," she said. "I hope the magic hands will inspire us and the next generation to come."

It was an essential vision that would bring change to the lives of many pupils.

Lael Bethlehem, the chief executive of the JDA, pledged to support the school in many ways. "It is very important for us as the JDA to invest in the community that resides in the area through facilities and skills development.

"We are equally honoured that our professional teams chose to partner with us in this respect," Bethlehem said.

The agency has worked on a number of recent developments in Greater Ellis Park towards the goal of establishing a sustainable, world-class sports precinct that will be a destination of choice for sport and recreation.

While working in the area, it committed its 2008/9 corporate social investment budget to Bertrams Junior School and Troyeville Primary School. It has contributed towards the schools through cash donations, professional fees, labour and materials.

Park
Ros Greeff, the member of the mayoral committee for development planning and urban management, gave the keynote address at the unveiling. She encouraged the learners to make use of Bertram's Park, a few blocks from the school.

"I hope this provides many outings for the pupils at the schools through the years."

The playground at the Bertrams school is not big enough, and many of the learners are unable to run freely at playtime.

Using the opportunity that the day presented, the Mandela Foundation and the Atterbury Property Developers' Foundation also donated books to the school's library.

Londeka Tshwala, a Grade 4 learner who participated in the project, described the mosaic as a wonderful piece of art. "It was an exciting project because we were shown how to make the hands using mosaics. If it was not for Spaza Gallery there would have been nothing on the wall."

Kanita Ebrahim, another learner, said she was delighted to have participated in the project. "I love the artwork; it is beautiful," she said.

Origins
Bertrams Junior School opened on 18 July 1918 and the first learners filled its classrooms a few days later. Initially a Jewish day school, in the 1960s it became a Portuguese school when Portuguese-speaking immigrants from the colonies of Mozambique and Angola, as well as people from Madeira and Portugal, settled in the neighbourhood.

Although Bertrams became a so-called grey area in the 1980s, with the suburb made up of both black and white residents, black children were not allowed to attend the school, which was reserved for white children. This was all changed in 1994, with the first democratic elections.

Today Bertrams Junior School has more than 200 learners, most of them coming from impoverished families living in Bertrams and the neighbouring suburb of Judith's Paarl.

Spaza Gallery is a non-profit organisation that provides a showcase for artists of all types from all over South Africa. Situated in the nearby suburb of Troyeville, it is a community gallery that runs mosaic workshops, has Sunday lunches, music sessions and shows.

Troyville School
After the unveiling of the mosaic at the Bertram’s school, the JDA team moved on to the Troyeville Primary School where a donation of books was made.

The JDA committed it’s 2008/9 Corporate Social Investment budget to the two schools.

Over the past year the JDA has assisted Troyeville Primary School, which was in desperate need of renovation and repairs.

Some R265 000 was spent on its refurbishment, including maintenance and repairs in the staff room, passage area, kitchen, reception, store room, as well as painting.

A number of JDA partners took part in assisting the school, with the Atterbury Property Developers’ Foundation donating R100 000 towards the project.

Article :by Rudo Mungoshi
Source:http://www.jda.co.za/2009/04nov_betramschool.stm

Fighting for the right to hang laundry in the sun

Have you ever?! There’s a ‘revolution’ brewing in America, and it’s all about winning the right just to hang up your washing to dry outside. Read more...



Carin Froehlich pegs her laundry to three clotheslines strung between trees outside her 18th-century farmhouse, knowing that her actions annoy local officials who have asked her to stop.


Froehlich is among the growing number of people across America fighting for the right to dry their laundry outside against a rising tide of housing associations who oppose the practice despite its energy-saving green appeal.
Although there are no formal laws in this southeast Pennsylvania town against drying laundry outside, a town official called Froehlich to ask her to stop drying clothes in the sun. And she received two anonymous notes from neighbours saying they did not want to see her underwear flapping about.
“They said it made the place look like trailer trash,” she said, in her yard across the street from a row of neat, suburban houses. “They said they didn’t want to look at my ’unmentionables.’”
Froehlich says she hangs her underwear inside.

The effervescent 54-year-old is one of a growing number of Americans demanding the right to dry laundry on clotheslines despite local rules and a culture that frowns on it.
Their interests are represented by Project Laundry List, a group that argues people can save money and reduce carbon emissions by not using their electric or gas dryers, according to the group’s executive director, Alexander Lee.
Widespread adoption of clotheslines could significantly reduce US energy consumption, argued Lee, who said dryer use accounts for about 6% of US residential electricity use.
Florida, Utah, Maine, Vermont, Colorado, and Hawaii have passed laws restricting the rights of local authorities to stop residents using clotheslines.
Another five states are considering similar measures, said Lee, 35, a former lawyer who quit to run the non-profit group.

‘RIGHT TO HANG’
His principal opponents are the housing associations such as condominiums and townhouse communities that are home to an estimated 60 million Americans, or about 20% of the population. About half of those organizations have ‘no hanging’ rules, Lee said, and enforce them with fines.
Carl Weiner, a lawyer for about 50 homeowners associations in suburban Philadelphia, said the no-hanging rules are usually included by the communities’ developers along with regulations such as a ban on sheds or commercial vehicles.
The no-hanging rules are an aesthetic issue, Weiner said.
“The consensus in most communities is that people don’t want to see everybody else’s laundry.”
He said opposition to clotheslines may ease as more people understand it can save energy and reduce greenhouse gases.
“There is more awareness of impact on the environment,” he said. “I would not be surprised to see people questioning these restrictions.”
For Froehlich, the “right to hang” is the embodiment of the American tradition of freedom.
“If my husband has a right to have guns in the house, I have a right to hang laundry,” said Froehlich, who is writing a book on the subject.
Besides, it saves money. Line-drying laundry for a family of five saves $83 a month in electric bills, she said.
Kevin Firth, who owns a two-bedroom condominium in a Dublin, Pennsylvania housing association, said he was fined $100 by the association for putting up a clothesline in a common area.
“It made me angry and upset,” said Firth, a 27-year-old carpenter.
“I like having the laundry drying in the sun. It’s something I have always done since I was a little kid.”

Reuters
Source:http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1089365