Farewell to a champion for the people
Always a go-to source for many
After nine years of serving the business sector and the community of Komani, Border Kei Chamber of Business (BKCOB) administrator Adré Gainsford-Bartis will be starting a new chapter in Gqeberha.
When Bartis broke the news about her departure on Facebook, Komani residents flooded the comments section with tributes and well wishes.
Many expressed their gratitude for the impact she has made in the community, and acknowledged she would be leaving big shoes to fill.
“I am moving to Gqeberha for the new chapter of my family’s journey and we are quite excited about what this year has in store.
“However, I do believe it will take me years to get to feel as connected as I have felt here in Komani. I leave a piece of my heart here,” she said.
Bartis became a champion of the people, using her Facebook page to provide information and updates when the local municipality’s power outages caused frustration and confusion.
Her page became a go-to source for information on power issues, serving as a lifeline for businesses and residents.
She shared how she got involved in helping the business sector and community, saying it began when she worked in the nongovernmental organisation (NGO) field in Gqeberha and Cape Town for 15 years before moving to Komani.
Her work involved working with communities and all spheres of government.
“So you can say it was in my blood to look for opportunities to assist the community,” she said.
Bartis said her first opportunity to assist the community came when the local municipality wanted to build community residential units (CRUs) in Komani Park.
“I had just started working at Harcourts Queenstown and my boss, Moira Pappas, asked me to attend the meeting with her because of my extensive background in human settlements.
“I was able to debate the Housing Act and various housing policies with the appointed official and it was clear that the municipality had no idea that they could not put those particular units just anywhere they intended to.”
She recalled her second and most memorable intervention was when Komani had its first power outage for 13 days in 2016.
She had sent out a voice note after calling various numbers at the municipality and finally getting hold of someone willing to provide some information.
“The voice note was shared back to me by the then mayor, not knowing that I was the one who started the voice notes,” she said.
“Mark Wilson later advised that I should add my name to it and also add from which organisation it came. I was the chairperson of BKCOB by then.”
She started sharing useful information on her Facebook page because she knew how vital it was for proper planning and how tough it was for people who could not get the right information.
However, her willingness to help the community was at times met with harsh criticism including death threats.
“I got attacked [verbally] by some members of the community saying that I was working for a political party and trying to get the community to vote for them.
“I got called out by the municipality, saying I was stealing information to sell to various political parties.
“At times the municipal officials would not provide accurate information or timeframes and I would get shouted at for giving false information. I even received death threats.”
The funniest incident she remembers was being accused of trying to “buy a seat” to become the mayor.
“I found that part the funniest. There were a lot of ugly challenges my family and I had to face but we have put it behind us.”
Her most rewarding experience was when the Pakistani Muslim community gave her the go-ahead to build two boreholes in some of the communities.
‘’This included a house which unfortunately was hijacked by the local councillors in the areas as their projects.
“However, the look on the faces of the recipients was pure joy.
“I will get involved in projects like this any day.’’
She was moved by calls from pensioners asking her to report issues on their behalf and found it rewarding to strike up a conversation “because they felt a bit lonely. It helped them and fed my soul in so many ways”.
During the 2023 floods, Bartis said she was able to work with various organisations and was able to fundraise more than R300,000 from local businesses to support desperate flood victims.
“One of my proudest moments came with working with entrepreneurs and seeing how they developed and tackled every challenge. Mentoring them was one of my most rewarding highlights.”
She was also involved in various community groups and projects.
She felt fortunate to have worked with a number of groups of incredible people who shared the same passion and commitment.
She encouraged others to get involved in community work: “It does not have to be something big to have an impact.”
She said if everyone pulled together and put aside petty politics they would discover a vibrant town with endless possibilities.