The new man at the helm of Ilka
The new chairperson of the I Love Kensington Association (Ilka), Mr Tony de Munnik describes himself as a team player.
By Brian Mchunu
The new chairperson of the I Love Kensington Association (Ilka), Mr Tony de Munnik describes himself as a team player.
The 58-year-old married father of three, said he has been living in Kensington for the better part of his life.
He has roots embedded in the area and he comes with skills and experience in management and leadership.
Mr De Munnik matriculated from Jeppe High School for Boys in 1975. Has served on the school’s governing body.
He also served as chairperson of the Jeppe High School for Girls’ School Governing Body.
He is the founding member of the Ruth First Memorial Scholarship Fund at Jeppe High School for Girls and is currently the vice president of the Golden Lions Rugby Union. This is to name but a few of the roles in which he has served.
He said the community of Kensington is a special one.
“Residents here are community driven. People here live together and work together. They know each other. There are a lot of people who have been living here for a long time. When you drive along the road, there is always someone you know who will wave to you,” said Mr Munnik.
He added that the Kensington community is always willing and waiting to help when needed.
“We are not like the northern suburbs that have lots of traffic. There it can be too impersonal,” he said.
He added that he loves the creativity shown by the residents of Kensington.
“Even those who bought the derelict houses in the area; when they rebuild them they reinstate them to be close to their original state of origin,” he said.
Mr De Munnik said he is looking forward to a good working relationship with the community.
“We will be working together with the committee and the community. Residents should expect honesty and transparency from us. I am also a believer of the small wins. You can have the grandest plans but finishing and winning your small plans will go a long way,” he said.
He urged the community to be part of making their suburb a better place to live in.
“Let us have a sense of belonging and involvement. Let us work together to realise our common dream of a safe and clean environment. Let us all be team players. Even if you are busy and cannot attend all the community meetings we hold, you can still helps us in achieving our common goal. You can pay your gardner a day’s salary and donate that person’s services to the community to trim street trees. This can be done once a month. There are many ways one can contribute to making our suburb the best place to live in,” said Mr De Munnik.
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