Another year, another Ekurhuleni State of the City address.
It was a long speech, full of promise and hope, similar to our President’s fervent call to guard against the forces of pessimism, and all the usual suspects popped up like the hobbits in a Lord of the Rings movie. You know, eradicating poverty, building houses, creating jobs, improving service delivery and yes, electrifying all informal settlements.
The mayor spoke on crime, on the metro’s commitment to advancing a pro-poor agenda, and yes, he spoke on wonderful stuff like dumping sites, the closing of illegal mines and the metro’s finances.
He was, of course, full of optimism since the City was rated the Best Performing Metro in Gauteng Province by the Gauteng Region Observatory Quality of Life Survey 2017/2018.
Meantime, back at the ranch, the Advertiser is still inundated with complaints about poor service delivery, such as shoddy roads and rubbish not being collected.
The speech is worth reading if you suffer from insomnia.
In the midst of all the promises and hype, as we wait for fairies to dance under the moonlight, the mayor talked about the City of Ekurhuleni establishing a commission on fraud and corruption in order to curb fraudulent activities.
Apart from fast-tracking service delivery, the City saw it fit to implement a unit to clamp down on officials associated with illegal activities.
Can anybody spell ‘elections’? After all, this is what happens before such an important event. Every key player in government now pretends to make the right move to gain popularity.
It seems many are smelling a rat when it comes to Sanral’s supposed decision to suspend efforts of not pursuing debt. Probably another election stunt to appease the masses.
After May 8, we might all be hollering at the moon out of sheer frustration at being hoodwinked once again for the umpteenth time.
It is like listening to a very familiar record, but then our mayor strikes a different tune by making a bold announcement that he is shaking a fist at the colonial powers (even though we are 29 years on from 1994).
Yes, he wants to rename the streets, which will eradicate all traces of the influences of past terrors.
And so he says (and this is a quote): “The collective identity and moral image of the city must be drawn from within the histories of the whole population. The children of our city must grow up in an environment that bears names that are familiar to their home languages and of people they interface with in their everyday lives.”
I believe the majority of South Africans realise we need to strive to build a nation of unity and cohesion (as we watch the fairies dance), yet in my ignorance, how does the white population, for example, fit into the equation?
After all, whites are surely still part of this country, like all races, thus part of the ‘whole population’, so what about the children growing up with street names that are not familiar to their home language?
One can understand the motive behind such sentiments and the intended plan of action, but surely South Africa and this city should be built on collective interests and intentions.
There should be a joint effort to preserve culture, instead of choosing a path of alienation.
But alas, we continue to falter in attempts to advance unity as we run the risk of isolating many who are actually trying to build a South Africa of strong values and prosperity. Do they then not count?
We are heading for our sixth general and free elections and, more than ever, this should be a time of greater brotherhood and fraternity (yes, it sounds like the French Revolution), instead of targeting street names out of anger for the colonial powers’ evil plans.
The question indeed has to be asked, “how much will all of this cost?” Surely we rather need a proper state hospital in Boksburg where children can be born in good health and not in three parts and where roads serve their purpose.
And so we keep wallowing in the mire of yesterday, terrible we all agree, yet so intent are we to be delivered we have failed to notice how we are sinking deeper into the quicksand of today’s corruption and isolation in societies.
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