​Last Thursday, 10 July 2025, the Gauteng Department of Social Development, in collaboration with the Emfuleni Local Municipality and other government departments, including various Non-Profit Organizations, held a community dialogue at the Small Farm Community Hall near Evaton, Southern Corridor.
The interactive dialogue aimed at information sharing and community empowerment while fostering collaboration between the residents, community organizations, and the government. It also sought to address the social challenges of poverty, inequality, and unemployment, especially among youth. 

About 150 community members from Evaton participated in the engagement, which later broke into five commissions to discuss issues of Gender-Based Violence, Substance Abuse, Youth Development, older persons and persons with disabilities, Unemployment, and Agriculture.

Speaking to the attendees, Community Development Supervisor Malitaba Sootho emphasized the importance of collaboration and engaging with the community on a continuous basis to tackle issues that affect them in their daily lives. She said that as a department, they look forward to partnering with residents to bring development that will change their lives for the better. 

“We are here to listen to your challenges, foster understanding, collaborate, and partner with the community to tailor our interventions and initiatives to address your specific needs,” she said. She noted that community dialogue provides a better platform for residents to collectively identify pressing issues and collaboratively help develop practical solutions.

Benard Lephoto (51) said they welcomed the efforts to bring development to their community; however, the focus must not only be on young people because adults are also affected by issues of poverty and unemployment. He added that he would be happy if the issues of substance abuse were given high priority because it is the one that destroys many young lives in their area.

“It is a fantastic initiative to bring programs like these to our townships to encourage our youth to stop abusing alcohol and focus on activities that will develop their communities,” said Lephoto. Another community member, Relebogile Mohapi (23), echoed the same sentiment; however, she added that many young people are troubled by a lack of access to information due to the high rate of unemployment. She indicated that the lack of technical skills among youth is one of the reasons they find themselves abusing substances.

Mohapi pleaded with government officials to work on bringing a skills training center to their area to empower them with practical skills. To further address some of the challenges affecting the area of Small Farm in the short term, it was agreed that a date would  be  chosen  for  a  coordinated multi-departmental service delivery blitz in the area. In the long term, a committee comprised of various stakeholders, including community representatives, will be established to work together on driving issues of development.