MyPE

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Dear Gary, Please Define Exactly When our ‘Former Glory’ Moment was

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Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Gary van Niekerk was quoted recently as saying; “It is now time for all of us, the officials, unions, councillors, stakeholders like the business sector and most importantly the residents to work together and bring this Metro to its former glory.”

I have a number of questions around this:

  1. At which particular moment or period in time can Nelson Mandela Bay point to as a ‘glorious time’?
  2. What exactly is meant by the term ‘former glory’ in this context?
  3. I am finding it difficult to pinpoint an exact ‘former glory’ time.

Could Gary be referring to when:

  • PE was referred to as the ‘Ghost on the Coast’?
  • Or when people used to say; Will the last person to leave PE please turn off the lights and release the dolphins”?
  • When the streets were full of people protesting apartheid?
  • When people were forcibly removed from their homes?
  • When special SAPS units roamed our streets making people ‘disappear’?
  • When we hosted the 2010 World Cup?
  • When major businesses dis-invested?
  • When we hosted the Sevens World Cup?
  • OR When Gary became Mayor?

People need specifics – merely wishing for a return to ‘former glory’ means different things to different people.

Stop speaking like a politician and speak like a leader with vision Gary – you may find it refreshing and beneficial.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.