Thusong Centre celebration
Friday, 25 October saw a joyous occasion at the Thusong Centre in Adriaans Avenue, KwaNonqaba.
The centre celebrated 20 years of integrated service delivery, where the community and guests joined in the festivities hosted.
Singing and dancing was the order of the day and set the tone of celebration. The audience was soon swaying to the music as young dancers performed the popular Sarafina dance and other favourites.
A strong message of acceptance of one another's cultural heritage was communicated. A Reverend Gcaza, in his opening speech, said that in diversity, South Africans share an important common denominator, being humanity. He read from Psalm 133, citing that it is a joy to God's heart when people congregate in unity.
The acting mayor, Alderman Cliffie Bayman, said both the council and the community were privileged to celebrate the excellent service delivery record of the Mossel Bay centre.
"The exceptional service the community has become accustomed to at the Thusong Centre is typical of how we do things in Mossel Bay. We continuously strive for excellence. In Mossel Bay, the centre has proved its effectiveness in responding to the needs of our residents."
Alderlady Venolea Fortuin reminded guests that Thusong is a Sotho word meaning, “a place of help”.
She said: "We invite our community to use the centre and to effectively engage with the various service providers who offer their services, such as the Department of Home Affairs.
Western Cape deputy director of Local Government Ntombi Mbadlanyana said the provincial government was impressed with the interaction between service providers and the community at the Thusong Centre.
"The Western Cape received the award for the province with the best-run Thusong centres and we are pleased that Mossel Bay was able to contribute to the province's success in bringing services to the people."
Speaking on behalf of PetroSA, the main contributor to the celebrations, Lucky Manlingozi reminded the community of the legacy of the national oil company. "Both the brand and the work we do in the community as part of our corporate social investment programme are well known and we remain committed to the community of Mossel Bay."
The day's programme also included the presence of stalls from several service providers such as SASSA, SA Police, SARS, GEPF, and local banks, community organisations and local entrepreneurs.