Ambitious R50m programme to boost troubled area set to begin

[caption id="attachment_38795" align="alignright" width="405"] ALL FOR ONE: Peace and upgrading project stakeholders at a workshop at the Helenvale resource centre are, from left, Roland Ziss, Eldridge Jerry, Stephen Muthwa, Pierre Voges, Dr Lynne Damons, Hedwig Crooijmans, Neil Campher and Nico du Plessis. Picture: FREDLIN ADRIAAN[/caption]

HELENVALE residents, often regarded as victims of a gang-ridden hell, are hard at work finding ways to make their neighbourhood safe.

Through a bold multimillion- rand plan to transform the area over the next four years, the residents, together with various stakeholders of the Safety and Peace through Urban Upgrading (SPUU) programme, have identified projects that will rid them of its status as a gangster haven.

The project, which received a R50-million injection from a German development bank and is being facilitated by the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), is aimed at addressing social ills, such as unemployment, drug abuse, gangsterism and domestic violence. - Alvené du Plessis