Ricardo Mackenzie, member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament: chairman of a standing Committee on the Premier and Constitutional Matters, and a member of the Budget, Social Development, Parliamentary Oversight and Rules committees
Last year Joan Woodman, councillor for Ward 75, including Colorado Park and Woodlands, used ward allocated funds to teach unemployed youth the skill of hairdressing.
We have an established relationship with the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI).
Actor Forest Whitaker visited Mitchell’s Plain last year, and met with Premier Alan Winde, Education MEC Debbie Schäfer and I to discuss how we could work together.
Today several trainee hairdressers from the Cape Flats, and 20 participants from Mitchell’s Plain, started their @connectWPDI five-month business training.
The course includes how to start a business, basic business skills, finance skills and how to sustain a business.
Some individuals, at completion, may receive between R15 000 and R40 000 to start their businesses.
They will be selected by a panel of adjudicators, including Ms Woodman and I.
The Mitchell’s Plain trainees were introduced to the programme by Ms Woodman.
We will continue to monitor their progress over the next five months.
Thanks go to Ms Woodman for the ward allocation and their
new trainer Colvin
Snell.
It is great when the private sector like WPDI, local government and the community work together for the benefit of the people of Mitchell’s Plain and the larger Cape Flats.