Community urged to help revive Kagisanong Centre

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18-06-2025
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Krugersdorp News
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Kagisanong Community Centre has seen some recent improvements, but the restoration is still incomplete. More support and assistance are needed to fully restore the building.

Kagisanong Community Centre has been undergoing renovations and a much-needed facelift, but its future remains uncertain. Despite the work done, the hall still risks becoming one of Kagiso’s unused or neglected ‘white elephants’.

Although organisations and occasional community members use the hall for events, the building’s condition is still not up to standard. However, there seems to be some hope, although there is a long way to go.

According to community activist and manager of the centre, Tshegofatso Moswabi, the hall was established in 2002 by Simbambene Lewisham Development Forum, an NGO under the guidance of the Department of Public Works.

At that time, the organisation was mainly responsible for engaging in charitable activities at the hall, such as:

• Small to Medium Enterprises (SMME) development and training for small businesses
• Raising awareness and education on preventable diseases
• Collecting and receiving funds for uplifting community projects
• Feeding the underprivileged
• Networking of businesses and organisations

Inside the hall of the Kagisanong Community Centre.

Since then, the organisation has been deregistered due to financial mismanagement and community dissatisfaction. The NGO would be reinstated, however, under new leadership, and calls were made for community members to volunteer in restoring the building.

“An investigation into the finances of the centre was initiated because of the community’s concerns regarding the lack of direction and the future of the facility. Eventually, calls for people to serve on a community initiative were issued on 15 April this year.

As with many community programmes, a slow response led to delays, with few people responding to that call. Thus, a plea for interested individuals to volunteer remains open for submission to this day.”

Tshegofatso currently serves as the manager of the facility and keeps track of those interested in hosting events.

“I am currently a member of the community initiative. I mainly focus on administrative tasks, which include facility management, communication with tenants, clients, subcontractors and contractors.”

She also oversees the facility’s maintenance and renovations, as well as debt collection and bookings. She is further tasked with writing memoranda of agreement where required and ensuring that clients receive the best service. Tshegofatso added that efforts have been made to restore and improve the facility, confirming that R140 000 of funds have been collected so far, which will be used to finance the improvements; however, more funding is required.

“The estimated renovation costs are R400 000. We can confirm that R120 000 was raised from the collection of old debt, bookings, and rentals. We need approximately R280 000, according to our initial projections, to complete our tasks. However, despite this major setback, we were still able to improve a portion of the facility, such as:

• The facility office initially had holes in the ceiling; during renovations, they were able to fix and paint the walls and repair electrical sockets for the lights
• Ward 14 and 15 offices were painted, despite Mogale City being responsible for the offices on the premises
• The entire stage was painted, including the ceiling
• Inside the hall, the walls were painted and restored
• Both boardrooms were repainted, and the ceiling in one boardroom, which had fallen, was fixed
• The kitchen walls were painted, with the sink repaired
• The main entrance of the hall was repainted

Despite these significant improvements, Tshegofatso insisted that there is still a long way to go to give the facility a much-needed facelift.

”The desired time to officially open the centre is December. However, everything depends on the funds we will receive, whether it is cash or other resources. For example, we require a ladder so that we can reach the internal ceiling for painting and fixing the lights. The restroom for people with disabilities needs an upgrade.

"The hall has a large capacity, so we need 500 plastic chairs and 20 folded rectangular plastic tables, a sound system, boardroom furniture, office furniture, and kitchen appliances, just to name a few things.”

The caretaker of the facility, Peter Kachingwe, also spoke to the News and stated that there is hope; however, there are still obstacles that need to be overcome to ensure the facility is fully operational, which include a few safety concerns.

”The poor state of the building is mainly due to neglect; however, vandalism and cable theft have also been significant issues here. We have made efforts before to fix the building, but due to the lack of security, it has always been one step forward and two steps back. We have had electrical appliances stolen and windows broken simply because of people being spiteful. Despite this, we remain persistent in ensuring that the facility will be in good condition for the community,” Peter said.

According to MCLM communications officer, Tendani Shavani, the building is not managed by the Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) despite sharing ward offices on the premises.

"Kagisanong Community Centre is not among the halls managed by the municipality as it falls under provincial management,” Shavani said.

However, calls are open to the community to provide a helping hand so the facility can be opened for the community. If you would like to volunteer and play a part in the efforts to restore Kagisanong Community Centre, please contact Tshegofatso on 076 012 9453.