Collective action can change future of metro for the better

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“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

The origins of this saying are disputed, but the meaning is clear — putting competitive or partisan interests aside and acting for the greater good will deliver long-term, sustainable results for all.

Whether one calls it collaboration or co-operation, the proof is in the positive developments happening in Nelson Mandela Bay driven by businesses, residents and civil society organisations that are united in their belief that collective action can change the future of this metro for the better.

Seeking solutions over talk shops and finger-pointing, the people of the Bay are rolling up their sleeves and taking action on issues such as clean environments, crime and safety, restoring infrastructure and basic services, preventing infrastructure vandalism, and an enabling environment for business and retention of local employment.

A case in point are our 11 geographic clusters across the metro, supported by the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, where businesses are working together, often across competitor boundaries, to address shared problems in their areas.

The clusters are making a real difference — reducing electricity outages caused by vandalism by providing security to substations in Struandale and other industrial areas, improved safety and security through security cameras and lighting of public areas on the beachfront, repainting road markings in North End, clearing illegal dumping in Perseverance and Neave/Korsten.

These are just a few examples of what can be achieved through collaborating to find and implement practical solutions.

Many of these are achieved by working together with the municipality, with a master memorandum of understanding between the municipality and the chamber facilitating business support and intervention to address critical issues such as infrastructure, cleanliness and security.

As they did during the metro’s previous water management crisis, businesses are once again stepping in to work with schools and clinics to address leaks, water wastage and conserve water through our Adopt-a-School programme.

This has been targeted at schools because this is where an estimated 10% of total water losses takes place, and also puts the spotlight on the need to urgently address leaks.

Another example of constructive collaboration is the chamber’s engagement with key labour formations, where we are united in our aim to prevent de-industrialisation of the local manufacturing sector and protect employment.

Together, we are working on solutions to advance youth employment and develop workers with future-fit digital and technical skills, in the shared interest of job creation and retention.

Taking such collaborative approaches acknowledges that no single sector or actor can resolve the myriad challenges facing the Bay and that all stakeholders have a shared responsibility to take action.

This is encapsulated in the Social Compact signed in January by the members of the Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition, committing to co-ordinated, action-oriented collaboration and solutions to “restore institutional capacity, retain and attract investment, and build a more inclusive and resilient Nelson Mandela Bay”.

The partners in the coalition include representatives of youth, women and senior citizens, religious leaders, the education sector, traditional leaders, civic organisations and NGOs, organised labour and organised business including the business chamber and other organised business entities.

The business chamber has committed in the social compact to partnering with civil society and government to support functional governance, reliable infrastructure, ethical leadership and inclusive economic growth through the strategic application of business expertise, resources and advocacy.

This includes chamber initiatives such as technical support from business to the municipality in strengthening electricity, water and sanitation infrastructure; expanding business participation in water conservation and infrastructure protection programmes such as Adopt-a-School, Adopt-a-Pumpstation and Adopt-a-Substation.

Also, advancing public-private partnerships to strengthen security measures such as CCTV cameras and supporting law enforcement agencies; as well as our initiatives in trade and investment promotion and support to small, medium and micro-enterprises.

At the same time, the coalition launched a Service Delivery Scorecard to guide engagements with the municipality, advocating for a more stable and functional administration, improving service delivery and holding local government accountable for performance.

A joint technical task team which includes participation from the coalition and the municipality is engaged around getting alignment on the key issues and the required solutions.

Key priorities are headed by the urgent need to appoint a permanent, suitably skilled and qualified, competent city manager; along with calling for a concrete action plan to restore effective municipal function.

Actions required include strengthening municipal supply chain and procurement processes, reducing the city’s unaccounted water losses, effective by-law enforcement, filling of critical technical vacancies, among other things.

The intention is not for the coalition or any of its stakeholders to “take over” the running of the municipality, but rather a call for public-private partnerships, working together to ensure the focus is in the areas of highest impact and to improve the overall functioning of the metro.

The coalition’s view is that civil society has a critical role to play in oversight of local government, to ensure transparency and accountability, and to offer collaborative solutions and assistance to the municipality where needed, because all of us — politicians, officials, civil society and business — have a shared interest in a prosperous future for all the people of the Bay.

It no longer matters about how we got to this point but it is rather about what actions are going to be taken to rebuild, reinvent, reignite and unlock the potential of the Bay of Opportunity.

The bottom line is that if Nelson Mandela Bay wants to go far and achieve a metro that sustainably works for all its people, and puts all its people to work, we need to work collaboratively and act together for the greater good.

Denise van Huyssteen is the chief executive officer of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber.