JORDAAN KAMELE OPENS HIS HOUSE TO CELEBRATE MANDELA DAY WITH STARS YOUTH CLUB AND MANGAUNG METRO DISTRICT

By Lerato Khateane

• Stars of Albert Luthuli Square:Despite disability, Jordaan Kamele mentors youth through his Stars Youth Club. Social Development partnered with the club for a Mandela Day event, providing services and information to the community.
• Soup, Support, and Safety:The event offered a free breakfast, information on social services, and crime prevention tips from police. Councillor Mohibidu urged residents to utilize available resources.
• Youth in Action, Community Uplifted:Social Development encouraged Stars Youth Club to apply for funding to continue their work. The day ended with Red Cross donations and a community clean-up led by the club and youth groups.

Albert Luthuli Square in Bloemfontein Ward 15 woke up to Social Development banners at Jordaan Kamele’s house.Here, the Mangaung District Community Development Directorate joined hands with Stars Youth Club to commemorate Mandela Day. Mr. Jordaan Kamele has been disabled since birth due to polio, but his disability hasn’t stopped him from keeping young people focused and out of crime. He says the youth are young boys he helped raise in the area. They used to spend time at his house after school, and he then decided to assist them by registering an NPO. The area community development worker, Ms. Akeketso Mbalula, says the club uses Mr. Jordaan Kamele’s RDP house as a clubhouse. She explains that the house became the clubhouse because he is the founder of the organization.

Elderly people and people with disabilities were also invited to the event. They not only enjoyed a cup of soup and bread for breakfast, donated by district officials, but were also provided with information by social workers, SAPS, Mangaung Metro, the Red Cross, and the local councillor. Councillor Pulane Mohibidu of Ward 15, Albert Luthuli Square, pleaded with the community to take advantage of the services made available by the stakeholders present that day.

The Kagisanong SAPS crime unit pledged their support to protect the elderly, people with disabilities, children, and the entire community from crime. They provided the community with cellphone numbers for direct contact with the police station. The social worker responsible for the area, Mr. Fingo, reminded them of the services available at the district office and encouraged them to report any challenges they experience with their children or grandchildren, especially incidents of abuse.

Ms. Mokodutlo from the Community Development section explained the services available to the youth and people with disabilities. She also encouraged the Stars Youth Club to apply for funding to continue their daily community work. The day concluded with the Red Cross donating clothes to schoolchildren in the area. Social workers rendered services to the community, while community development workers, the Youth Stars Club, the Youth League, and young women from the area cleaned Mr. Jordaan Kamele’s yard and house.