MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Encourage and Empower Citizens to Care and Build Their Wards

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In is weekly missive to the nation today, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the following:

Our efforts to build integrated communities are frustrated by the legacy of apartheid planning and persistent inequality. Our cities, towns and rural areas are still all divided by both race and class. This discourages cooperation and understanding, and hampers the work we have undertaken to build a non-racial society.

Correcting these spatial distortions must be part of our work of building an inclusive economy and improving the living conditions of all South Africans. It is why we are working to build flourishing township and rural economies, and focusing on the growth of small businesses. It is why we are investing in infrastructure in these areas and working to improve the provision of services.

My remedy is simple:

Make the responsibility for growth of small businesses a WARD imperative – empower Wards (and their Councillors) to encourage and compete for sustainable small businesses to establish and expand in their Wards.

Choose a Ward and use that as an example of how to grow a small business economy that will lead to a change in the divisions between race and class by attracting employers and employees to settle in that Ward.

Forget the huge industries and infrastructure projects that gobble up land and incentives – concentrate on high value ‘cottage industries’ that attract foreign earnings through knowledge transfer or tourism. Start with existing businesses and help ease their red tape or access to solutions.

Here in Ward 7 we are trying to do our ‘bit’ by promoting businesses that are in Ward 7, see:

Business Listings to date here
Add your Ward 7 based Business here for free

Ward 7 Independent Councillor

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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.