Right man for job of mayor

MANY people are regarding Danny Jordaan as a messiah who is going to rescue the metro from the jaws of defeat by the DA in next year’s local government elections. Others are taking their hats off to the ANC, saying that the appointment is spot on, he is the right man for the job.

Let me briefly take you back to the days when Jordaan was a leader of the South African Council of Sport (Sacos) and later a leader of the National Sport Council (NSC). When I think about him, my mind becomes flooded with memories.

He was a very loyal and dedicated cadre of the organisation and he did not buy popularity. I remember him welcoming us at an athletics meeting at the Gelvan Track when we joined Sacos for the first time as pupils from the Xhosa-speaking areas.

His words inspired and motivated us because we had no support from our teachers. We had to be the teachers ourselves. He also had this no nonsense approach to handling issues.

I also remember one night when he introduced the NSC to us for the first time at the Wolfson Stadium.

Many of us were not happy and we were disorientated.

He told us bluntly that the Sacos days were over and we should start familiarising us with NSC because that decision had been taken at a special congress of all the sporting unions and we should toe the line.

The reason I am bringing history to this debate is that people are thinking that the ANC appointed Jordaan and he had been created by the media when he was chief executive of the 2010 World Cup bid.

That is not the case – his appointment is about his good track record, nothing else.

Jordaan comes from Port Elizabeth. He knows exactly what the people of this metropole need and I just hope he has not been corrupted by the system.

When you start attending board meetings with these business gurus you begin to look like them, and they will easily turn you from a fire-eating radical into an ice cream-eating, whisky-drinking and cigar-smoking gentleman.

Looking at the mayoral committee, it is a well balanced team with a generation mix.

Before we throw stones, let us give them a chance to perform their duties.

The Jordaan I know is always with the masses and he will never detach himself from them. the 2010 World Cup saga that is hanging over his head will blow away.

As the people of the metro we need to give him and his team the necessary support they require so they can lead us in the right direction.