“Our mission is to co-create a safe and vibrant space that connects the Philippi community to services, employment, educational opportunities, and activities.”
Those are the words of Bushra Razack, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Philippi Village, which acts as an integrated community hub for Philippi and the surrounding areas.
Razack believes that ongoing engagement is vital to any community development. He says engagement provides a better understanding of community needs, challenges, and opportunities.
As a community development specialist, who specialises in stakeholder engagement and is passionately committed to realising meaningful outcomes, Razack explains that for an initiative like Philippi Village to succeed, complex matters must first be addressed.
“We’ve invested a great deal of time and energy into mapping out exactly what our tenants, the local community, and other stakeholders require from Philippi Village, and then finding a way to meet those needs. We have used the results to work with our partners to design programmes and spaces that are relevant,” she said.
“It’s an ongoing process: every initiative and idea is tested to ensure it is fit for purpose and achieves the necessary objectives of meeting the needs of all stakeholders: tenants, the surrounding community, and investors,” said Razack.
This result is the creation of an exciting multi-dimensional, inclusive space that wouldn’t look out of place in any of Cape Town’s more trendy spots. Philippi Village is currently home to over 80 tenants providing products, services, and training opportunities as well as job opportunities to the local community.
The sports facilities and other amenities on offer ensure that there is constant activity and a buzz within the development with local community members feeling a proprietary sense of ownership.
The Philippi Village model, says Razack could potentially be rolled out in other townships, particularly the formula that has been developed to identify stakeholders, communicate with them, mapping out stakeholder relationships and engagements as well as how to test concepts prior and post implementation.
“What’s particularly exciting is the potential for change that a development like Philippi Village offers; it can become the connective tissue that links the community with easily accessible employment opportunities, training and development, health and wellness services, all underpinned by a strong social element. The connector that links proximity to challenges with the opportunity to re-imagine solutions. A place that offers inspiration and engagement and positions the community at the centre of the change,” she said.
Amid sluggish economic growth and a high rate of unemployment, revitalising South Africa’s township economies is potentially one of the most efficient ways to kick-start the country’s economic revival.
Official unemployment figures of 33,9% – and an even more alarming 44,1% according to the expanded definition, which includes discouraged job seekers – remains one of the most urgent crises facing South Africa given that socio-economic stability is heavily reliant on employment.
Not only will job creation create a more sustainable economy, but it will also broaden the tax base and lessen reliance on government’s social grants, said Razack.
The township economy – also referred to as the informal economy – is estimated to provide 17% of South Africa’s total employment and contributes around 6% to the country’s GDP.
Estimations are that there are around 30 to 40 businesses per 1 000 people in townships which translates into approximately 800 000 township businesses.
