COLUMN - With mass industrial action planned by a certain political party on a national scale on 20 March, many South Africans awoke with trepidation in their hearts and minds.
Would it be safe for them to go to work? How would the authorities deal with the disruptors? Were there contingency plans in place?
It's no secret that there is rot throughout the system, from the crème de le crème at the highest national levels, right down to the lower, municipal ones. The question begs, "How do Mossel Bay's municipality and its affiliated agencies manage to shine above the rest, time and time again?"
The answer, in my humble opinion, is: Because every person employed in these organisations understands the mandate they're paid to uphold, and they fulfil their tasks with integrity and pride.
Service delivery is ensured, and issues, regardless of how unpleasant their nature may be, are addressed with fairness and dealt with accordingly.
One example that comes to mind is the termination of the then-municipal manager's contract in 2021, following an investigation into claims of sexual harassment.
I can't help but wonder how issues at a certain parastatal institution might have improved if the Minister of Public Enterprises had given credence to the allegations of corruption reported by the then-CEO, rather than sitting on the information.
As a long-time Mossel Bayer, with deep roots in the town, as you will know from my first column, I was not one of the panicked masses on the day preceding Human Rights Day, because countless times, in the decades that I've lived here, the municipality and other officials have proved their mettle – by being pro-active, and taking a zero-tolerance stance on those residents and/or events that may cause harm to the residents, destruction of their properties, or threaten their livelihoods.
It's part of what makes Mossel Bay iconic. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for friends of mine residing in the municipal areas of Ekurhuleni and Tlokwe. Every day I wake up in Mossel Bay is one for which I'm grateful.
I'll admit, there have been incidents of unrest in Mossel Bay, but they have been few. In such instances, the reaction from the JOC has been swift and effective, with as little disruption as possible. The residents were also always kept abreast of the situation through excellent communication channels, which is another factor that contributes to the system that works.
For our municipality and its joint forces to operate above reproach (backed up by consecutive clean audit reports) in an obviously shattered system, where the attempted murder of a parastatal CEO is dealt with by low-level police officers with clearly substandard training, is truly commendable.
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