Grahamstown, the future’s in your hands
The people of Grahamstown across the spectrum should provide decisive leadership regarding the future of their City. You are the architects of your own destination, and your future is in your hands. Innovative thinking is required in order to shape the direction of your City, lamenting is not a solution to deeply embedded political and socioeconomic problems.
Grahamstown is the heartbeat of Makana and the demise of Grahamstown would be disastrous for the region.
The people of Grahamstown can no longer fold their arms and watch the City decline. Failing to pick up the baton now means the next generation could turn their backs on you. You are the only people with the ability to resolve your own problems. Do not expect external interventions to bring about miraculous solutions. You have the responsibility to thrash out the domestic problems threatening the prosperity and sustainability of your home town.
Previous external political interventions were informed by financial interests and were aimed at isolating and dislodging Grahamstown's voices of reason.
These acts were sponsored from outside the City by dubious political figures in cohort with their local proxy patronage networks.
The latter was the weak link, being made up of inexperienced individuals who lack political credibility due to their historic role during the dark days.
To beef up the capacity of this frail network of political patronage, external deployments had to be made into the municipal administration in order to maintain hegemony. The rationale was to maintain close proximity to the municipality’s resources.
Grahamstown, I do not think persons of your calibre should rest easy, as if all is well. Sacrifices of the highest order were made for the liberation of the country in general and Grahamstown in particular.
Those who sat on the fence during the dark days, sustaining the evil system and now involved in power-mongering games to domesticate the state, may not understand the significance of my statement.
Aluta continua is in motion in a different context, and concrete conditions may escalate the heat of this process.
The preservation of the democratic project requires the participation of South Africans at all levels of society.
Grahamstown urgently needs an inclusive and pragmatic approach to drive the developmental agenda forward. It’s my considered opinion that some of the initiatives currently under way may not have an impact because they are section-driven and are underpinned by knee-jerk methodologies.
I sympathise with the architects of such programmes because they genuinely want to change Grahamstown's outlook.
But their approach to the City’s development lacks mass participation. This means it lacks credibility, taking into account South Africa’s historical complexities.
Compounding the situation is inaction and indecision on the part of the statutory stakeholder. The municipality lacks the ability to pronounce on matters within its legislative mandate in the best interests of the community, because factional considerations have to be taken into account.
To rescue the situation, alternative people-driven initiatives should be explored.
People are not owned by political parties. Political parties are voted into power by the people. Rather than political enslavement, people across the spectrum should rally around issues affecting them.
They do not need political approval from any political party to shape their destiny. Political parties have to work hard to win their minds and hearts through meeting basic needs.
Failing to do so, people may switch their political allegiance to other parties of their choice. Freedom of association is enshrined in the Constitution of the country.
Political enslavement compels individuals to support unethical, immoral and unlawful acts in the name of preserving organisational discipline, to the detriment of a genuine cause. Such acts are traitorous. But the voice of reason has finally prevailed in the minds of certain individuals, and this has been displayed by not observing instructions outside the ethical, moral and legal framework.
To turn the situation around, the people of Grahamstown must break the si- lence. The resurgence of activism is critical. People should rally fearlessly around civic matters daily. Bread and butter issues should be a rallying point. The re-birth of the City requires active citizenry and the participation of all sectors of society.
Governance structures should reflect a people-centred and caring local space.
Wailing in corners is a waste of time and energy. You’re your own liberators and you need not to wait for a messiah because the latter might not come.
Get out of your comfort zones and make a difference in shaping the outlook of Grahamstown in order to make it a prosperous space.
• Christian Mxoliswa Mbekela is a strategic work consultant specialising in HR, EE and risk management. Former SAYCO NEC member and he was part of the team that re-established the ANC Youth League. He is currently doing a PhD in the Sociology Department at Rhodes University. www.cmmmindpower.co.za