Spotlight on Community Development

When the CMDA first set out, its primary aim was to provide basic requirements to the communities of Cato Manor. These requirements included infrastructure and housing. But as these services were provided it became apparent that to achieve its goal of developing Cato Manor wholistically, social development was an important component of the development. Hence the birth of the Community Development Department.

It is five years since this department came into existence. The department has been ably captained by Fisani Mzimela with Nandi Trinidad, Boykie Khanyile and Mabongi Mnikathi as her lieutenants.
A lot of skills training programmes (among other things) have been commissioned by this department. These programmes include leadership skills, aimed at building capacity of community leaders to enable them to lead their constituents better, skills designed to help residents access economic opportunities and business management skills to assist emerging entrepreneurs.
A data base was also created to capture all the available skills in Cato Manor. There are approximately
5 000 names in the data base. This data base is used for the recruitment of residents when employment opportunities requiring specific skills become available. As a matter of policy the CMDA works in tandem with the local Labour Forum to ensure that residents from all the corners of Cato Manor benefit from employment opportunities.
Have these programmes lead to improvements in the lives of the beneficiaries? Fisani Mzimela commented: "It is very safe to assume that a large percentage of the people who have gone through the system are economically active. They have either started a small businesses or they are employed. Committee members who have received training are able to perform their duties admirably.
"Some of the training provided has an after care component where people are monitored and assisted within a specific period of time.
"In more recent times we have embarked on training programmes that include placement of trainees in jobs. Close to 103 people that we trained in catering have been placed in jobs. Most of the people employed in the housing construction projects in Booth Road and Dunbar Road are recipients of our multi-skilling programme.
"We have recently changed our approach to recruiting people for training. We are asking all applicants to pay a minimum of R20.00 so that we can gauge their commitment. Too often we have trained people who were not committed. They either dropped out of training or later decided they were in the wrong job. Training is expensive. This time we want value for the money we spend on individuals.
"Another approach that we have embarked on is to involve employment agencies in recruiting people for training. Agencies have a better understanding of what is needed in the market and they can best suggest which training programmes are relevant. For instance the last group of 15 residents who were trained as artisans are almost guaranteed employment when they complete training."

Thanks to European Union funding thousands of Cato Manor residents are being trained to become economically active.

Community safety still a priority

Community safety is still a priority with those who are responsible for the development of Cato Manor. To them a safe environment is an integral part of the development. To this end the first phase of constructing a safety centre is underway.

A budget of R3 million has already been set aside for the construction of a one-stop-shop safety centre, with the national government expected to provide another R4 million as top-up funding. The construction of the safety centre will go hand in hand with the health centre which is scheduled to be complete by March 2003.
According to Community Safety and Security Co-ordinator, Sbu Xulu, it will take almost three years to develop the safety centre into a fully-fledged service centre as efforts to invite other line departments are still not finalised. It is envisaged that the departments of Welfare, Correctional Services, Health and Justice will be part of the safety centre.
The one stop safety centre will feature a support centre for victims where they can receive medical attention, be counselled, take statements and make arrests where applicable.
There are plans to include a
family court, a branch court, a small claims court, a district court and a municipal court at the safety centre.

Endangered chameleons threaten project

The long-awaited development of the first Cato Manor Industrial park has been put on hold following the discovery of a rare species of chameleons. Just when contractors were ready with bulldozers to start the development, KZN Wildlife were alerted to the existence of the black-headed dwarf chameleons.

CEO of the CMDA, Clive Forster, has expressed concern about the discovery of the chameleon at the last minute when planning of the project had come to an advanced stage. He said any delay to the project could jeopardise funding and could put the creation of 600 jobs at stake
"Nevertheless we are committed to finding a win-win solution to a potentially damaging situation," said Clive Forster.
The win-win solution involves keeping a portion of the site to create a new dwarf chameleon reserve.
The size of the chameleon is smaller that a R2 coin. The endangered dwarf chameleons are found in only a handful of patches of coastal bush between Amanzimtoti and Mount Edgecombe. Another small group has been found near the Zinkwazi River mouth. According to wildlife experts, the living range of the black headed dwarf chameleons species has been largely wiped out by sugar plantations.