By Subry Govender
Veteran Political
Correspondent
In mid-2000 a woman resident
of Unit 10 in Phoenix became concerned at the construction of houses in open
spaces and children’s playlots in their area by contractors in collusion with
the new democratic Ethekwini municipality.
The resident, Mrs Alice
Louise Govender, also raised her concerns about the decision of the
municipality to allow the sporting grounds of a nearby school to be confiscated
for housing developments.
Today, 16 years later and at
the age of 55, Mrs Govender is still fighting the social and economical cause
of the local people. She has found that the socio-economic conditions of the
poor and those living on the margins of society in Phoenix have in fact
deteriorated over the past 27 years.
In order to interact directly
with the municipality about the general degradation of the township, she has
now agreed to calls by residents to contest the local government elections on
November 1.
She has not joined any one of
the established political parties to contest the elections but in fact will be
contesting Ward 52 as a member of the community organisation, Active Citizens
Coalition. The ward includes the areas of Redfern, Whetstone, Westham, White
City, part of Lenham and part of Bhambayi.
“Phoenix is a township rich
in history and culture but sadly after 27 years of freedom there is a general
atmosphere of social and economic degeneration and degradation all over,” Mrs
Govender told me in an interview.
“There’s filth, litter and
rubbish everywhere; the Gandhi-Luthuli Park, named after two iconic leaders, is
in a shocking and neglected condition with all sorts of nefarious activities
taking place there; drug lords and gang leaders are destroying the future of
our young people; open spaces and play lots are being confiscated for housing
development in already congested areas; and generaly there’s a climate of
neglect all over.”
(Mrs Alice Govender talking to residents recently)
Mrs Govender wants to ensure
that the municipality is accountable to ratepayers and there’s economic
development in her ward and Phoenix in general so that the unemployment
situation of both the skilled and unskilled people are tackled effectively.
“For me service delivery will
be of paramount importance because I believe ratepayers must get the services
they are paying for. I am concerned about the safety of our residents. We must
feel safe when we leave home and return after dark.”
A mother of two adult
daughters and grand-mother, Mrs Govender
was born in Durban in June 1966 and grew up in Unit 10 Phoenix. She completed
her matriculation at the Northmead High School in Whetstone. She studied
business management and is an accredited financial advisor.
While still at high school
she became aware of the plight of families in her neighbourhood who struggled
to make ends meet. She joined community groups to provide some assistance for
the less privileged.
Her community awareness
heightened when in 2018 she found that the Redfern/Whetsone sports fields were
being graded for housing development.
“A school friend, John
Pillay, informed me about this pathetic state of affairs and this touched a
sensitive nerve.
“I joined a group of fellow
activists and ex-students to try to save the sports fields. Despite turning to
various community political leaders, the ward councillor, Housing MEC and the
incumbent mayor, the anti-social development went ahead.
“The sports fields are the
only available space for communities to use for sporting, religious and
community activities. The Redfern/Whetstone sports field is an historic piece
of land and has been an integral part of the identity of the community for more
than 40 years.
“The Ethekweni Municipality
and the developers have failed to take into account the processes and by-laws
before confiscating the sports fields for housing development.
“Together with other
concerned activists, religious leaders and residents we founded the Phoenix
Civic Association to take up the social, sporting, cultural and economic
concerns of the people. As a final step we took the matter to court and this
matter is still ongoing.”
(Mrs Alice Govender and some of her fellow activists)
Mrs Govender said as far as
she was concerned the Durban municipality did not care much about the social,
sporting, cultural and economic conditions of the people of Phoenix.
“There’s lack of evidence of
progress and development over the past 27 years. Unemployment is at an all-time
high, social services are always unavailable when in need, and sports fields
are being expropriated for high profit housing developments.
“Businesses and residents are
plagued by rising crime and municipal services that are contracted out have
become a failed system.”
In her interactions with the
residents, she had found that the people were badly affected by water and
electricity disruptions. The residents were also concerned about the safety of
their children walking to and from school because of the lack of road verges.
The safety of the children is also of concern because of the dilapidated
condition of many of the school buildings in the township.
Mrs Govender said as a
councillor she would form strong and healthy networks with all community civic
groups and ensure that residents are informed of municipal and government work
opportunities.
“The Phoenix community has
not benefited from any of these benefits. In addition to keeping in close
ethical contacts with the residents, my office will have an open-door policy to
assist those in need. Regular meetings with constituents are vital to ensure
social and economic upliftment of the people and the residential areas of
Phoenix.”
The emergence of Mrs Alice Govender is a clear indication that there’s a
need for committed, hard-working and strong leaders to help in the
socio-economic development of the working-class and the poor in communities
such as Phoenix. Mrs Govender has given her assurance that she would promote
the interests of the people just like our progressive leaders
and forces of the late 1960s,1970s, 1980s and early 1990s era. As a
demonstration of her commitment to community development, she has pledged that
once elected the first two months of her salary would be set aside for urgent
environmental improvements in Ward 5. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com
Sept 16 2021
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