Housing in Southern Africa June 2016

Industry Buzz

City’s Customer Service Centre undergoes revamp

The City of Johannesburg’s Thuso House Customer Service Centre in Braamfonteinwill undergoamajor facelifttoaccommodatecustomers.

C onstruction will begin shortly to transform the centre into a world class customer service centre. The objective is to create a friend- lier and more welcoming environ- ment for customers to engage with the city’s Revenue Shared Services CentreDepartment. The entire Centre will be revamped and a state of the art queuing system will be installed to improve efficiency and customer experience. The city’s spokesperson, Kgaman- yane Maphologela, says the revamp

was necessitated by the significant growth in the region in the past few years. Although we are excited about the renovations that are aimed at benefitting our customers, we would like to apologise for any inconve- nience that arises. This is all in an attempt to improve the customers’ experience.” Maphologela adds that during the revamp a temporary office will be set up in order to continue servicing customers. The temporary office will be operating from the ground-floor in Thuso House, 61 Jorissen Street,

Braamfontein. The revamp includes: • A walk in Centre of Excellence that will provide a more integrated, efficient one stop service to the customers. • A new state of the art queuing system. • A refreshing, welcoming area for customers to engage with the city. • Space optimisation to ensure that customers are served professionally. • More capacity to accommodate the growing numbers of customers. • Easy access to the facility. Cement & Concrete, Building Supplies & Equipment, Roofing, Ceilings, Insulation & Cladding To advertise contact Brenda Grossmann on 011 622 4770 or email brendag@crown.co.za Our Next Issue H O U S I N G in Southern Africa

Enterprise programme The first group of 30 tradesmen and women from the Builders Enterprise Programme recently graduated at a ceremony, held at the Parktown Protea Hotel.

T he programme is aimed at developing and empowering black businesses, particularly small to medium enterprises. The tradesmen andwomenwere selected based on a range of criteria devel- oped by Builders together with train- ing partners, Black Supplies. The programmewas launched last year and aims to provide additional skills and requirements to assist tradesmen and women with their businesses. The six month training programme includes business plan development, website creation and

business management. Participants were chosen from communities surrounding Builders Superstores in Tembisa, Evaton, Cosmo City and Vosloorus in a bid to become skilled professional and preferred suppliers within their communities. As part of the programme, builders also assistedprogramme participants to register their BBBEE companies and tax forms. Builders also supplied participants with iPads, in order to enable the tradesmen and women to run their businessesmore effectively. “As Builders, we are committed to principles of empowerment and community upliftment, which is why we introduced the Builders En- terprise Development Programme. This programme gives Builders the opportunity to play a real role in the sustainability and growth of our country’s economy,” says Nkele Mukhari of Builders. As they continue their venture into business, these tradesmen and women are now able to do so equippedwith the necessary training required for successful busi- nesses. Builders supplied marketing materials, a starter pack and tools. ■

H O U S I N G in Southern Africa www.housinginsamagazine.co.za

June 2016