Residents have let city deteriorate
PORT Elizabeth is in a state of spectacular deterioration.
I usually visit my hometown once every second year, after I left it almost 20 years ago.
It really saddens me to see how this once clean and beautiful city is resolutely ensconced in its shadow of former splendour.
The state of deterioration lucidly exposes the lack of foresight and vision of politicians in Port Elizabeth. Even the once beautiful parts, like the beachfront, have long suffered years of infrastructural decay.
In the northern areas, where I grew up, there is no sign of a modicum of development over the past 20 years.
For the first time after many years I drove through Durban Road in Korsten – to state I was shocked is without exaggeration an understatement.
Durban Road is undoubtedly the tip of the proverbial iceberg of expansive decay.
With sadness I have noticed how this decay also manifests itself among the people of Port Elizabeth. The city is cloaked in a distinct atmosphere of lethargy and despondency, reminiscent of the ’80s, when the city was described as “the ghost at the coast”.
In a democratic dispensation there is a social contract between citizens and leaders. Elected leaders are the servants of the citizens, not the VIPs.
As citizens, we have a responsibility to see to it that our elected leaders are held accountable.
Essentially in a democratic society the onus is on its citizens to become agents of change or active citizens, thus the watchdog for the public good.
I left Port Elizabeth saddened but also perplexed and with more questions than answers. My question is directed at the citizens of Port Elizabeth, not politicians.
How could the citizens of Port Elizabeth allow this rot to be perpetuated for almost 20 years?
I suppose many would say easier said than done. The reality is if we as citizens allow this to happen, politicians inevitably become arrogant and perceive themselves to be beyond reproach.
This attitude among politicians often mutates into a culture of pillage and patriarchy which eventually permeates everything in society.
The fish rots from the head, hence decay always starts with the leaders.