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TEACH 'EM YOUNG: Children entertain guests at the opening of Uthando Centre yesterday.

Good Cause: Infrastructure MEC Qedani Mahlangu also attended. PHOTOS: MABUTI KALI

CHILDREN from Hillbrow, in Johannesburg, and surrounding areas have been thrown a lifeline with the opening of Uthando Centre.

The youth centre, which was officially opened yesterday on Constitutional Hill, aims to nurture and develop children living in the inner city.

Uthando Centre, which was built by international NGO Afrika Tikkun, is one of the youth centres in Gauteng that offer social, health and educational services.

Manny Mhlanga, the general manager of the centre in Hillbrow, said he hoped the centre would change and develop communities around the area. "Children will now have access to computers and tutors, which they don't have access to at home," he said.

Mhlanga stressed the need for the community to support the centre so that the youth can best benefit from it. "We had meetings with local communities and schools to tell them about the centre so they could bring their children here," Mhlanga said.

Marc Lubner, CEO of Afrika Tikkun, said they wanted to work with the communities to best help their children with their needs as opposed to dictating to them what their needs are. The main focus of the youth centres is early childhood development, he said.

"We take children from two to six years old and equip them with education and life skills so they can go to primary school with an added advantage," Lubner said.

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Thu May 23 10:42:57 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 16, 2012

Tsek

Hao!! do we still have south africans living ko Hillbrow???
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Aug 16, 2012

sabza007

@Tsek

Hahaha..I am suprised as well.

They have just created a window shopping opportunity for human traffickers.Hillbrow is not a suitable place to raise kids, period. Unless if you don't have choice.
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Aug 16, 2012

MommaC

I hope it comes with some serious security or it will be hijacked by the drug lords like everything else in Hillbrow
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Aug 16, 2012

Voetzek

They are teaching them go ja marago, nothing more nothing less
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Aug 16, 2012

Nomadic

As a matter of statistical fact, more then 50% of all residents in the Hillbrow area are South African.

It is saddening to see how South Africans have given up on the country. I happen to have attended this opening, it is in Braampark, a part of Hillbrow that is undergoing some massive reconstruction. You should all give yourselves time to go visit and see what a positive outlook backed by South African industry can do to reshape a broken space.
Hillbrow has thousands of buildings that are unoccupied or illegally occupied, and hopeless perspectives and comments loaded with blame such as the ones above will never launch a new day.
At some point the city needs to be reclaimed, all those buildings that lie empty there are an opportunity to resolve the joblessness and entrepreneural issues that riddle this nation.

Just saying...
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Aug 16, 2012

pmolefe

If I may ask, what is the percentage of South Africans living below the poverty datum line and how many of them are living in Hillbrow...
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Aug 16, 2012

MommaC

Nomadic

In the early 1980's I used to live in Sunnyside and we often went to party in Hillbrow. I wouldn't go near either area today as they are little more than ghettos
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Aug 16, 2012

sabza007

@MommaC

Sunnyside and Hillbrow are ''worlds'' apart kilometres wise, were you grooving that far from Sunnyside. The Joburg City Centre hijackers are now many in numbers in the suburb that I loved few years back, Kensington. You can not even go to relax at Rhodes park freely now. They are everywhere.
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Aug 16, 2012

Mellow

Tsek
Hao!! do we still have south africans living ko Hillbrow???
.............................................................................................................
LMAO am also wondering the same though

This cant be good for youngsters, jokes aside but building youth centre in hillbrow is like sending innocent to those illegal initiation school no good is gonna come out of this only drug-lords and pimps eish thanks to our African brothers who have taken over

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Aug 16, 2012

Mellow

@MommaC you're a brave one hey so you were living in one hell and grooving in another one geezz were you a ganster way back or darting one LOL
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