Benoni Publicity Association closes its doors

This is the belief of long-standing BPA committee member and Western Extension resident Joe Civin.

He was commenting on the BPA committee’s decision to close the association, after over 80 years of existence, at the end of this month.

“I am very sad, very sad and very upset about it,” said Civin, who joined the association in 1940.

“We did a lot for Benoni, like organise carnivals, flea markets and then we used to organise – for the elderly – bus trips to Sun City.”

The BPA organised events such as the Miss Benoni Pageant, the Benoni Carnival (which drew 80 000 people at one stage), Street Parade, raffles, nominated Lane of Fame candidates, held water sports competitions, the Breakfast Cycle Ride, the Ma Africa Competition, flea markets and developed information booklets on Benoni, to name a few.

The BPA encouraged growth and the expansion of Benoni, with the hope of attracting people to the town by disseminating information about the commercial, industrial, residential and recreational amenities in the city.

The association ploughed all its funds back into the community, to fund the many events it organised.

It supported any cultural, recreational, business or charity events which benefited the entire community.

Civin told the City Times he was very emotional about the closure, saying it brought him to tears when discussing it.

“I am very upset, I watched the beautiful growth of Benoni and sadly it has declined,” he said.

“That is a sad loss to residents.

“The people I worked with on the committee loved Benoni and lived in Benoni.

“We worked unpaid, we were very concerned about Benoni.

“We were a force to be reckoned with in this town.

“We put Benoni on the map.”

The BPA’s outgoing chairperson, Demi Toontas, who occupied the position for over 20 years, told the City Times that the BPA was “highly respected”.

He said prominent Benonians, such as mayors, all gave their support to the BPA over the years.

“We held the community together,” he said.

“Benoni is very service-orientated and we took part in all the service clubs.

“We facilitated joint ventures with the service clubs.”

The chairperson said the association experienced a drop in its relevance to the community with the advent of the internet and the lack of funding from Ekurhuleni.

The BPA was also previously funded by the Benoni City Council and generated money through its kiosks at the Benoni Plaza.

Toontas said the association has been sidelined and can no longer generate money through tourism.

He said the decline started in 2001.

“It was a fantastic period,” he added.

“We worked very hard together and we did a great thing for Benoni.

“It is an era gone past and we look to do something in the future.”

Former Benoni mayor Sam Grolman expressed his disappointment in the closure.

He joined the BPA in 1982 and was chairperson in 1993.

“I am not happy about it, but I can see the reason behind it,” he said.

“I was at a meeting with the executive, recently, and the general thought was that it is no longer serving a purpose.

“There is no point in continuing something if people are not interested.”

He said the BPA built up Benoni tremendously.

The BPA office manager, Elaine Erasmus, has registered an organisation which will not in any way form part of the BPA.

The Ukubambisana Association will start operating from April 1.

Erasmus said the new organisation will continue the work of the BPA, including educating the youth in schools and colleges about tourism in Ekurhuleni, and will offer maths classes.

She said the non-profit organisation will be supported by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.