Community centre plans thwarted
If Malvern had a community centre, children would be kept occupied.
Following a recent plea from the Cleveland SAPS requesting parents to keep their children off the streets, Mr Mike Spadino said many children would not resort to playing on the streets if they had something better to do.
Last month the EXPRESS published an article in which the Cleveland SAPS made an appeal to parents, following the disappearance of three children in two days.
Constable Mpho Mashakane, the Cleveland SAPS communications officer, said officers often find numerous children playing on the streets late at night.
Last week Mr Spadino, the chairperson of the Malvern United Community Forum (MUCF), agreed that parents should pay more attention to their children. However, he believes there would be no need for them to be on the streets if there was a place for them to learn and socialise.
He and Clr Alison van der Molen, of ward 118, put in a lot of effort to get the budget from the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) for a community centre. Their efforts, sadly, came to nothing, leaving the pair disappointed.
Earlier this year, Clr Van der Molen and Mr Spadino, made a presentation on why Malvern residents were in need of a community centre at the Section 79 Committee for Community Development.
Clr Van der Molen said a community centre was needed to facilitate the upliftment of the community and to provide resources for the diverse group of residents.
Mr Spadino said the community centre would benefit both children and adults. People could enjoy dance classes, karate, holiday programmes and other skills development programmes which are lacking in the suburb.
“I am aware that no budget was allocated by the CoJ for the construction of a community centre. If there was a community centre, I believe children would get off the streets, be taken good care of and get involved in activities that improve their self-esteem and knowledge. It would stop children from putting themselves in vulnerable situations,” said Mr Spadino.
He added that the community centre would also be an ideal place to provide job opportunities for those who have certain talents, but are unemployed. It would also provide others with the skills to allow them to start up small businesses.
Clr Van der Molen said since 2011, she has personally put in requests for a community centre based on the input from the community, but this was never captured during the public participation process.
“It is frustrating that I have tried so hard to get a community centre for Malvern without any success. None of the sports facilities in my ward received funding. Instead, a facility in Kaserne was incorrectly placed under my ward during the budget allocation. I will have to make another presentation to the new chairperson of the Section 79 Community Development Committee and submit another request as part of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) at the end of the year,” she said.
