The rushed allocation of R5m to spruce up the Langa Memorial exposes yet again the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s reactive rather than proactive approach.
Time and time again, the municipality finds itself wanting when it responds to situations after the fact, instead of taking the initiative to anticipate and address potential problems.
The money has been redirected from the KwaNobuhle library project after the 2024/2025 adjustment budget was passed at a council meeting on Monday.
With just over a week until the nation’s eyes turn to Kariega for the national Human Rights Day celebrations, the municipality finds itself scrambling to refurbish the Langa Memorial.
Human Rights Day commemorates the March 21 1960 Sharpeville massacre in which 69 people were killed and 180 wounded by the apartheid police.
The Bay will also pay homage to the men and women killed in the Langa massacre on March 21 1985, when police fired on mourners marching to a funeral.
The memorial was built in their honour. Its importance as an historical landmark is undeniable.
The massacre remains a painful chapter in our history. However, the memorial has suffered years of neglect and vandalism.
It took the national department of sport, recreation, arts and culture to tell the metro that the memorial was in a state of disrepair because of vandalism.
It is only right that the site receives the care and respect it deserves, but we have to ask why, on the eve of a high-profile event, there is an urgent push to spruce it up.
The decision to divert funds from the construction of the KwaNobuhle library is also problematic.
Libraries are an important tool in communities. They promote education and literacy.
By postponing the library project to the next financial year for a quick fix of the memorial, the city has once again ignored long-term development for short-term optics.
Honouring history should not come at the expense of the city’s future.
Instead of reacting to crises, the municipality needs to be proactive.
It is as simple as that.
The Herald
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