Political power battles were more detrimental to gang-ravaged communities than the gangsters themselves, a packed conference room at the Grand Hotel in Central was told yesterday.
The warning came from Desira Davids, chairwoman of the Helenvale Development Forum and one of the expert speakers at the Mandela Bay Development Agency’s Think Tank Colloquium, held at the venue this week.
Crime- and gang-riddled Helenvale has been chosen by the MBDA for a pilot project which is aimed at enforcing greater inclusiveness and a community sense of involvement and ownership regarding economic development.Despite challenges, it was not all doom and gloom, MBDA spokesman Luvuyo Bangazi said yesterday.
The recommendations brought forward would be an integral part of the agency’s five-year plan for the troubled community, he said.
“We spend some time in Helenvale every single month and we see the dynamics of that community. There’s a lot of good that’s happening there.
“There are a lot of guys who are doing really great work with art. There are kids who are transforming their lives by having left gangsterism and are now getting an education.
“So, we are hoping that this initiative will help unleash the potential that is there in Helenvale.”
Davids, who is a qualified social worker, said she was optimistic the initiative would be a success.
“The research I did for my master’s degree was specifically about finding protective factors that can prevent young boys from getting involved in gangsterism.
“I am optimistic that there are solutions to the problems in my community. You don’t have to become a gangster, you don’t have to become a drug lord, you don’t have to sell drugs because you are from Helenvale.
“We need to get rid of that stigma as a community.”
Davids said communities should ward off political interference in projects that were planned for the benefit of residents.
“Political power battles complicate everything and they can be more detrimental than gangsters themselves,” she said.
“For instance, if I’m known to be affiliated to the ANC and I [can] come with a very good programme that will benefit the whole community, but, if the ward councillor is DA, it will get shot down, and viceversa. And that is what we’ve been experiencing in our community for many years.
“If you are not of the same political affiliation as the person who is in charge – and in many cases it’s the ward councillor – then it doesn’t matter with how many good programmes you want to run in the community, those programmes will never come to be. And that is what hurts the community the most – more than the gangsters even,” Davids said.
Managing director for the socio-economic consultancy company CS Business Innovations Neil Campher said the gathering had not been a mere talk shop.
“All good things that have to be implemented start with people finding each other, so the talking is very important,” Campher said.
Mount Road cluster commander Brigadier Andrew Louw said: “If you look at the initiative on its own, it can only foster good working relationships [between the police and the community].
“It can also build relationships and most importantly, swing the hearts and the minds of the community so that we can work together in the fight against crime.”