The rural-urban connection
IT’S A dance to try and foretell how the Eastern Cape will develop, possibly impossible. But something is happening. Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa was in town to put his personal touch to the announcement of a major investment in extending the MBSA plant in West Bank.
On Page 1 today we report on this exciting moment.
Mercedes-Benz SA is an anchor tenant in this city, bringing a wealth of jobs and skills, and it also extends its influence into communities through staff-run initiatives, and through close communication with Buffalo City Metro (BCM).
But its influence extends further into enhancing the quality of lifestyle in the metro.
The MBSA Coastal Education and Visitor Centre at Nahoon Point Reserve, for example, attracts people from across BCM who can be seen on the boardwalk ringing the spectacular Nahoon Point, taking newlywed photos and snapping romantic and family selfies, hanging out and enjoying the glory of Eastern Cape nature.
We have also reported on the the 1000-job, R1-billion investment in the Yekani cellphone and laptop plant in the ELIDZ, and the R300-million Chinese tile plant also billed to create a 1000 jobs.
There is a problem in all of this. Sure, it is amazing that at long last, after some very troubled, economically emaciated years, BCM is starting to see some action.
It’s right that there should be billions and jobs pumped into a gateway metro.
The issue, however, is that the urbanrural matrix that binds us all means the effects of all the progress at the node has to feed back to smaller towns and rural areas.
There is an economic imbalance in the province which is ignored at our peril.
There is trouble inland. There is a crisis in Enoch Mgijima where, after a string of embarrassing and shocking administrative failures, riots have broken out.
It should be noted that when service delivery protesters move to damage roads and burn halls and other public assets, they are attacking the community. It is difficult to see this as protest, which entails raising an issue and being rowdy about it, but is not violent. When protest turns to destructive mayhem, it tends to be a riot.
The violence and the destruction of rights that characterise a riot fall outside of our constitution, which remains the legal and moral creed agreed upon by the vast majority of South Africans.
It is vital that, while we celebrate our new investments in BCM, we do not become myopic. For example, while rioting was taking place in Komani, there was another noise taking place not that far away in the tiny dorp of Hofmeyr, which now falls under Enoch Mgijima.
A Dispatch reporter saw on Saturday up until 5pm and on Sunday at 7am heavy machinery and men were hard at work.
They were ripping up and building roads in this far-flung town.
It felt illogical, especially when much bigger Komani is aflame over poor roads.
We are caught in two worlds, urban and rural, and our new leaders have to extend their progressive efforts to feed back into the rest of Eastern Cape society.