Adopt a problem and make a difference

•  Prince Matonsi is chief operations officer of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber

The worst of times often bring out the best in people.

Take the many stories of people who took it on themselves to help clean up debris from streets and malls, and distribute food, water and other necessities, in the aftermath of the riots and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July last year.

When the Covid-19 lockdown arrived in SA in March 2020, we saw individuals, civil society organisations and all kinds of social media interest groups co-ordinating to collect and distribute food parcels to households in their area affected by job losses, or to deliver groceries and medicines for elderly neighbours, among many other forms of community solidarity and support.

On Human Rights Day, March 21, residents across Nelson Mandela Bay, from Summerstrand to Kariega, last year responded to the challenge of “Can the City be Cleaned in One Day?” by picking up litter in their street or block or local park — reportedly collecting more than 140,000 tonnes of rubbish in a day.

What these, and many other similar initiatives started by individuals or civic groups, have in common is that they involve ordinary people banding together to mobilise their resources, skills and networks, and making a substantial difference as a result.

They show a “yes we can” attitude and a spirit of working for the common good.

One could well argue that our metro is now in a “worst of times” scenario — drought worsened by unmanageable water leaks and recent water quality failures, vandalism and theft disrupting electricity supply, lack of maintenance on crumbling infrastructure, litter and decaying built heritage that deter tourism — the list goes on.

It is a scenario that calls for bringing out the best in all of us to work together, doing the mobilising of resources, skills and networks to reverse the decline, as in the citizen-led initiatives mentioned above.

Inspired by the power of people working together to make a positive difference, and the willingness of businesses to get involved, the business chamber last year launched the Adopt-a-School initiative in collaboration with the municipality and the provincial department of education.

Schools are among the biggest culprits for water losses due to leaks, mainly due to poor maintenance, vandalism and theft.

To date, 34 schools have been adopted by chamber member companies that have sent in plumbers to sort out leaks, as well as supplying water tanks and installing boreholes for more sustainable water security.

In the same vein, the chamber signed an agreement with the municipality for our Adopta-Substation project that would allow businesses to assist in providing security at electricity substations to curb cable theft and vandalism that disrupts electricity supply.

Several companies have come on board and work on three major substations has already been completed.

This will not only enable manufacturers to secure their own electricity supply and ensure continuity of operations, but will also benefit surrounding communities that rely on the same substation for their power.

In many cases, it can well be argued this is work the government should be doing.

However, the reality is we do not have a capable, fully functioning state and, even if we did, there will always be limitations on state resources and reach.

Thus we have two choices: We can bemoan the situation or we can work together to do something about it.

It is about “being the change you want to see”; about being an active individual or corporate citizen.

It is encouraging that we are seeing more of this kind of active involvement in addressing the issues facing our city.

Just last week, this newspaper launched the Put Your Hand Up campaign, creating a platform to connect areas of need with businesses and individuals willing to help out, starting with some of the city ’ s most rundown schools in this quarter.

The involvement of the chamber and business in providing a platform for businesses and residents to get involved in solving problems in the city ensures these efforts can be sustainable and work in a structured co-ordinated way, together with the relevant authorities to unlock public resources in support of the effort.

We believe the “Adopt-a” concept could well be rolled out to mobilise the skills and resources of business and residents to tackle other pressing issues such as roads and potholes, water leaks, infrastructure repairs, litter clearing and cleaning up, and so on.

As with the schools and substation initiatives, efforts would need to be co-ordinated and work in conjunction with the municipality and other relevant authorities, and we have shown this is possible.

Similarly, how about neighbourhood groups (most have WhatsApp or Facebook groups these days) coming to together to adopt their local school, park or old age home?

It’s not about spending money, but rather giving of time and possibly donating unused materials, equipment and so on that one no longer uses.

Tackle one problem at a time, with the resources we have available to share, and we could all make a significant difference in taking Nelson Mandela Bay out of the worst of times.