MyPE

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

Third pillar of NMB Vision launched

By

Dear MyPE

The third pillar of the DA’s vision for Nelson Mandela Bay speaks to the need for an Inclusive City – this we launched in Kwazakhele, a disconnected community in Port Elizabeth.

The DA recently opened this Ngqura Constituency Office here on Njoli Street to bring the message of real freedom, real fairness and real opportunity to this side lined community.

Most of the people in our Metro still live in suburbs divided largely along racial lines. The evil apartheid government was the architect of this abhorrent spatial planning system. 21 years ago, we had hope of rapid change with the birth of our precious democracy.

Sadly progress has stalled, delivery has declined and the reconciliation base has regressed.

Therefore, an Inclusive City, under a DA government, would ensure:

  • Public discussion forums, in partnership with universities, colleges and technicons, which deal specifically with cultural and heritage differences.
  • Inter-community school exchange programmes with the purpose of cross cultural education.
  • Knowledge transfer conferences for local businesses (Support for SMMEs and emerging entrepreneurs).
  • All inclusive fully functioning recreational centres in all communities – sports as a tool to promote reconciliation.
  • Transform townships into suburbs through rapid infrastructure development and investment into poorer areas to drive domestic and inclusive economic growth.
  • Safe, affordable, effective and efficient public transport system which integrates taxi and train routes with a bus network.

We should be so much further ahead than where we are 21 years into democracy. Instead, we still see large communities without adequate public transport and totally isolated from commercial and recreational hubs.

Building an inclusive environment means taking deliberate steps to bring people from different walks of life together.

An Inclusive City embraces diversity. South Africa can never become a truly reconciled nation without a deliberate focus on social cohesion, where all of us observe our painful past while embracing a new vision for the future.

The DA is set on winning Nelson Mandela Bay in next year’s elections so that we can begin building an inclusive Metro that caters to all residents.

I will remain steadfast in my devotion to freedom, fairness and opportunity. Given our painful past, social inclusion takes courage and commitment.

Regards

Athol Trollip

Athol Trollip helps children across a sewage and waste flooded street in Ward 19.
Athol Trollip helps children across a sewage and waste flooded street in Ward 19.
The following two tabs change content below.

Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.