Over the years, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) has established processes and practices to support job creation and enterprise and skills development for disadvantaged groups of women and youth.

The JDA has also been instrumental in implementing infrastructure for the City, creating safe spaces for the youth, allowing youth development, and providing an alternative to the toxic environments they may face. In celebrating Youth Month, we highlight three projects completed by the JDA.

The Klipspruit Sports Centre is not only a place where youth can enjoy a healthy and stress-free lifestyle, it’s also home to the best and high-performing sports fanatics, active youth, and best-performing pupils.

The multipurpose sports facility is adjacent to Nike Sports Centre in Nancefield, Soweto. It comprises a new basketball centre, two new outdoor basketball/netball pitches, and new splash pad and play equipment. Other associated services include the parking, seating areas, landscaping, and a new park link.

A guard and caretaker’s house is there to ensure safety and security when busy doing outdoor gym or at playgrounds, using the pedestrian path, cycling, or hosting a braai or picnic.

Recently, the centre hosted Netball Classic Elite Clash Day, where the Johannesburg netball community competed in trials against top teams such as the Jaguars and Fireballs. The two-day classic netball clash also offered the City an opportunity to showcase its sporting infrastructure, contribute to netball sport development and vie toward the 2023 Netball World Cup to be hosted in South Africa.

The Alexandra Safa Safe Hub, implemented by the JDA, is intended to create a viable and attractive option for young people to get involved in football and a range of life skills programmes.

Completed in 2021 and located in Ward 91, the project was a partnership between the City of Johannesburg and the South African Football Association Development Agency (SAFADA). During construction, the soccer field got an upgrade, floodlighting, and the addition of a youth hub with indoor and outdoor seating.

A lot is happening in the centre – educational, health and enterprise development facilitation, to provide a viable and attractive alternative for young people to get involved in positive activities.

Alex now has an information technology centre with a 40-seater. The youth can now search for jobs, write their curriculum vitae, and send it to prospective employers with a click. They receive career counselling in the centre facilitated by Non-Governmental Organisations, government, and service providers.

The Alexandra Safe Hub hosted a community day full of fun activities like aerobics and soccer matches. For career development, the youth had an opportunity to improve their curriculum vitae for employment opportunities.

#CheersToYouthJobsinAlex

The Paterson Park Sports and Recreation facility is a modern design recreational facility, which will provide a safe space that facilitates the development of fundamental skills like reading and writing, in conjunction with sport, physical activity and health to stimulate growth and development in the community.

The facility has an Olympic-style swimming pool and splash pool with a grandstand for spectators. A full-size soccer field, two smaller five-a-side fields, two tennis courts, a multi-court, and a basketball court, with a pavilion, offer a range of new programmes and activities. In addition, the park offers an enclosed multi-functional sports hall with a fully equipped gym.

From a learning perspective, the Paterson Park Sports and Recreation facility offers learning space through a state-of-the-art library and a craft centre to facilitate artistic expression and growth at the Amphitheatre for community-organised shows, presentations, and recitals.

The Community Development Department in the City of Joburg will manage this centre to improve social cohesion, nation-building, and quality of life for residents around the centre.

In the budget speech tabled last month, the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Finance Cllr Julie Suddaby indicated a total of R89 million capital expenditure for sports and recreation facilities. These facilities will empower our youth, said the Development Planning MMC Councillor Belinda Echeozonjoku.

Residents can look forward to other JDA implemented youth spaces, including the Ivory Park Swimming Pool Complex, Bertrams Multipurpose Centre, Kaalfontein Multipurpose Centre, and the Drieziek Multipurpose Centre, she concluded.

Date: 20/ 06/ 2022