JB Marks unveils new corporate identity

In their vision for a transformed and integrated African world-class city, the JB Marks Municipality unveiled the new municipality’s corporate identity at a low-key function on Monday night at the Madiba Banquet Halls.

The executive mayor, Kgotso Khumalo says this new corporate identity ‘will highlight our strengths and assets as a people and as a place. It is about building the municipality’s image to maximize our potential and improve perceptions; not just locally, in how we view ourselves, but nationally and internationally.’

The council speaker, Elias Mogoeemang termed the new municipality as a new baby that was born on 3 August 2016. ‘This new baby will make us proud one day. Let’s have hope and look for the brighter things to come from this baby – the John Beaver Marks Municipality.’

According to Willie Maphosa, council spokesperson, the logo was inspired by the JB Marks statue that was erected in Ventersdorp on 25 March, this year. Maphosa explained the colours of the logo. ‘The deep yellow represents joy, warmth and optimism. The emerald green denotes growth, stability and calm. While the lime green symbolises newness, nature and balance. The crest of the municipality has features of both Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom such as maize, rivers, oak leaves, willow branches, culture and music such as the Aardklop Festival, and education,’ said Maphosa.

The event was also marred by controversies when the DA announced on that day that they won’t be attending. The party said in a statement they will not attend the logo reveal party while people living within the borders of the JB Marks Municipality suffer without proper services, housing and struggle to get jobs. ‘We will definitely not attend the exclusive VIP party that will take place in the Banqueting Halls in Potchefstroom. It is ridiculous to spend money on revealing the new logo of the municipality when it could have been spent on much-needed service delivery for the community’, says Neels Coetzer, the DA Chief Whip of the JB Marks Municipality.

Khumalo, however, defended this and said that he doesn’t believe that money that was intended for service delivery such as housing was wasted. He said about R700 000 was spent for the public participation process for the new name and the event. ‘When the two towns were amalgamated, the national government contributed R13 million towards the amalgamation,’ he said.

He added that the new corporate identity is also part of service delivery. ‘We needed to have a new and name and identity.

We were expecting people to complain, however, we did nothing unlawful, bad or wrong,’ he said.