Nondumiso Maphazi, Mayor of Port Elizabeth (Jacksonville’s sister city in South Africa), meets with community leaders.

 
From left to right - Derya Williams (CEO of River Region Human Services),
Nondumiso Maphazi (Mayor of Port Elizabeth, South Africa), Pat Lockett-Felder (Jacksonville City Council).

On Wednesday, June 13th, Nondumiso Maphazi, Mayor of Port Elizabeth in South Africa, met with community leaders at Jacksonville’s City Hall. She came to the U.S. seeking possible solutions to economic challenges and health issues in her city. Maphazi became a member of the National Parliament of South Africa in 1994, the year apartheid ended. She moved on to the Port Elizabeth City Council and was elected as Mayor in March 2006.

One of the health issues faced by Port Elizabeth and other cities in South Africa is AIDS. Derya Williams, CEO of River Region Human Services, travels annually to South Africa with a group that seeks to reduce the spread of AIDS through education about the disease and how to prevent it. “Mayor Maphazi is an inspiring leader with a strong vision for her city and her country,” Williams said after meeting with her.

River Region has been serving Northeast Florida since 1972.
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