Ekurhuleni LifeLine still operates

Despite being placed under administration after the dissolution of its board last July, Ekurhuleni LifeLine remains open and fully functional.

This is according to David Mokwena, the organisation’s acting director.

Mokwena, an operations manager at the organisation’s Randburg national office, took the Russel Street offices reins shortly after the board collapsed.

Concerns about the NPO’s continued operations started to swirl when signage at the property was no longer visible, and its number was no longer in service.

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During an exclusive meeting with the Benoni City Times, Mokwena, along with Nthabiseng Phasha (administrator) and Ndanduleni Ndou (social worker), aimed to set the record straight, assuring the community that Ekurhuleni LifeLine’s doors are open and trained councillors and social workers are only a call away.

The board

“According to the organisation’s constitution, executive boards at the branch level must comprise no less than 10 members,” said Mokwena.

“Due to various personal and professional reasons, eight of the branch’s board members resigned, and it was then deemed necessary to place it under administration.

“An AGM was scheduled for February 17, but because the branch financial audit report was incomplete, it was postponed at the last minute.”

Mokwena continued, saying the AGM and election of board members must be concluded by the end of June.

“The world is changing rapidly, and NPOs also need to evolve to offer quality service to those in need,” he said.

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“Evaluating the current situation, we have realised that to bring stability to the organisation and the branch, we need to recruit board members who are specialists in specific fields, such as finance, project management, human resources and marketing, to name a few.

“The strength of the board and good governance will not only catapult our organisation’s ability to extend our reach but will have a positive impact on its daily operations.”

Signage
Speaking about the visible absence of signage, Mokwena said it had been removed because it became weather-worn and illegible.

“In 2022, LifeLine launched its strategic plan, which included the change in the organisation’s tagline from Building community at heart to Mental and emotional health for all,” he said.

“Our new signage is scheduled to be erected soon.”

New number

Responding to complaints that the branch’s 011 422 4242 is no longer in service, Nthabiseng Phasha says the lines were damaged by a severe thunderstorm late last year.

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“A new number has been made available to us and to inform community members of the change, pamphlets were distributed at clinics and during community outreach projects,” said Phasha.

“Pamphlets were also distributed at our satellite office in Duduza.”

After an online search, the City Times found the number still displayed on the branch’s online pages, including Facebook, was not updated with the new number.

“Not broadening our efforts to update the telephone number was an oversight and we did not fully consider the implications of this,” said Phasa.

“In hindsight, distributing pamphlets was not the most effective way to relay this information, and we apologise that community members could not make contact.”

Mokwena said in closing that Ekurhuleni LifeLine remains committed to serving the community and that its doors remain open for anyone in need.

The new number for the branch is 010 065 1342, and calls are taken from 08:00 to 16:00.

Alternatively, these dedicated 24-hour lines are available:

• Gender-Based Violence: 0800 150 150 (toll-free)

• Aids help-line: 0800 012 322

• WhatsApp: 0861 322 322

• Safe talking email: safetalking@lifeline.org.za