MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Local ANC councillor and party chief whip in the municipal council, Jovan Bruinders, was recently elected as regional chair of the Southern Cape.

This places the responsibility of visionary political leadership of ANC political structures and members in the lead-up to the 2019 elections squarely on his shoulders, yet it is not a responsibility he shies away from.

"Firstly, the challenge will be to focus not only on the 2019 election but to see that as a stepping stone for the 2021 local government elections. As a party, we have to now forge unity between the branches and solidarity among the members.

"While we prepare for 2019, we need to fine-tune the elections machinery to be super efficient for 2021 and beyond," Bruinders told the Mossel Bay Advertiser in an interview.

While the focus will also be to give effect to the party's Thuma Mina project, Bruinders has identified a number of challenges he is prepared to tackle head-on.

"The seemingly growing racial tension between communities is a concern that needs to be addressed. We cannot have communities fighting one another over basic services.

"With this comes the challenge to involve the youth - bearing in mind that approximately 60% of the Garden Route's population is young people.

"The youth have lost faith in politics and politicians; they no longer see politics as a gateway to a better future, although it impacts their lives directly. Going forward we need projects to engage with the youth and to incorporate their views and ambitions in our planning."

Economy
Speaking about the economic climate, Bruinders says his concern is that the middle-income group has developed into the "milk cows" of local governments especially. "The middle-income group has to buffer the economic onslaught. No programmes exist to alleviate the economic pressure and demand on this group.

"It is important for people to realise the cost of fuel is controlled by forces outside of government, by the world economy, yet it directly impacts the cost of living of all South Africans.

"And while South Africa is in a technical recession, I call on the people of the Southern Cape to exercise patience with the government as a fully-fledged rescue package is expected to be released within the next two weeks to stimulate the economy."

Land issues
On the matter of land expropriation without compensation, Bruinders reiterates that the government's focus is on land that is unused.

"The focus is on food security, on measures that will ensure that land use is optimised to ensure productivity.

The government will not expropriate without due legal process.

Land remains a sensitive issue that cuts across all communities and the need is uppermost to engage with all communities to address the fears and expectations that may exist.

"As the ANC, we need to work without fail to capacitate and empower the beneficiaries of land so that they may add to food security. As an organisation, we are very aware of the threat to food security. Ideally, farm workers would be beneficiaries."

Housing
Not only in Mossel Bay but across the Southern Cape, housing is an increasing dilemma. "I am on record for calling on the Mossel Bay Council to collectively approach the national minister of Human Settlements for help to address the housing waiting list of more than 10 000 people.

"Municipalities should urgently identify suitable land where housing projects can follow to address the housing need of not only the people in informal settlements or the backyard dwellers but also the middle-income earners who cannot afford or who do not qualify for FLISP or other housing projects."

Unemployment
Unemployment has been steadily rising in the Mossel Bay municipal area over the last decade, with an unemployment rate of 17.3 per cent recorded in 2015. In 2016, the unemployment rate was estimated to have increased further to 18.3 per cent.

"The challenge remains to get parastatals such as the Port of Mossel Bay and PetroSA, both ideally positioned to provide a push-back in unemployment in the area, to live up to the challenge. In the petrochemical industry the communities have upskilled themselves, people have the required red seals.

It is preposterous that people from outside the area be considered for job opportunities when skilled workers may be accessed right here."

Bruinders concludes by saying the biggest challenge will, however, be to motivate all of the eligible voters to participate in the upcoming election.

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