INTRODUCTION:
One of
the community leaders in Phoenix, north of Durban, who has emerged as a dynamic
and progressive force recently, since the outbreak of the disturbances in early
July, is Mrs Alice Govender. She has rallied to the cries of the people to
promote the interests of all residents. Who is this hands-on community activist?
Veteran journalist, Subry Govender, interviewed her recently about her
community involvement in Phoenix.
By Subry Govender
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.
(The Phoenix foot soldiers working with Mrs Govender)
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 RICH IN HISTORY AND CULTURE
“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.”
MUNICIPALITY MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE – SERVICE DELIVERY IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE
(Mrs Alice Govender addressing residents about the poor state of the municipal services to the community)
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, Phoenix. 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.
SCHOOL SPORTS FIELDS TAKEN AWAY FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
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.”
MUNICIPALITY SHOWS LACK OF CONCERN
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.”
WATER
AND ELECTRICITY DISRUPTIONS
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.
PHOENIX IS BEING NEGLECTED
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.”
EMULATE THE COMMITMENT OF PROGRESSIVE LEADERS OF THE 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s
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 Oct
16 21
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