Message from Knysna:

This is a year of opportunity

On behalf of the Knysna council I would like to wish you all a happy New Year.

I believe this year, 2019, to be the year of opportunity.

No matter if you are a young adult just starting out in life with your newly acquired matric certificate, a regular resident trying to eke out a living for you and your loved ones, or one of our retired folks who is enjoying the fruits of years of hard labour, I believe there is an opportunity for you to be or do something different that will ultimately benefit yourself and civil society.

I know that should we all work together, much can be done to change old bad habits and to create new opportunities. At this beginning of 2019 it is of utmost importance to grab all opportunities and embrace them in a positive light, because only together can we grow our youth and utilise their potential to the fullest while embracing the wealth of experience many of our residents have to offer.

Working together we will strengthen and improve on our service delivery mandate, we will improve on our identified weaknesses and challenges, together we can explore all possibilities with a view to realise our full potential. It may not happen overnight, but it is important that we lay a solid foundation to that end.

There are many ways that we may help uplift another – by being encouraging, staying humble, being positive, and sharing our knowledge. Don’t forget that when you uplift others you rise with them.

Here at Knysna Municipality, we are all about people and nothing else. So in 2019, we must strive to put the interest of our residents first and before our own interest as politicians and officials. So much has been done and there is still a great deal to be done to restore the worth and dignity of the previously disadvantaged. To achieve this, your little contributions become essential. We cannot afford to be self-serving. We must do right even if no one is watching.

So for 2019, allow me to encourage you to become the masters of your own destiny, a destiny you can reach and encourage others to reach by embracing this year as the year of opportunity.

I wish each and every one of you a very blessed year ahead.

Mark Willemse