Like a tapestry, all the strands of society that make up a well-functioning metro, city or town are inter-connected; none can work alone and, together, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
As one of those strands, business has an interest in a stable, predictable, sustainable operating environment. The survival of all businesses depends on the basics of usable roads and transport connections, reliable and cost-effective electricity, water and public infrastructure, cleaning and public health, safety and security, and law and order.
These enable business to create the jobs, incomes, and value chains with global reach that keep a local economy alive and contribute around 40% towards total municipal income. This amounted to R6.7 billion last year in taxes, rates and payment for services. In turn, employees of the various businesses also contribute towards the municipal coffers, underscoring the direct and indirect impact that the manufacturing sector, which comprises 22% of our local economy’s GDP, has on municipal revenue.
Likewise, the quality of life of local residents depends on these basics.
If those are not working, business has options – do nothing and wait for the situation to improve or, more likely, relocate to a better environment and take jobs, taxes and municipal rates income with it or, keep applying pressure on local authorities who are hamstrung by processes, supply chain obstacles and a lack of skills to do their job better.
Businesses that believe in and want to stay in Nelson Mandela Bay have taken it a step further, getting involved and helping to bring about the change we need.
We do this by linking in with the diverse strands of the socio-economic tapestry – from worker unions, community organisations, cultural and faith-based groups, education institutions to environmental activists.
It is clear government alone cannot drive the change required, and neither can an individual constituency – we all need each other.
Together, we form a vibrant, dynamic and engaged civil society in Nelson Mandela Bay, with many of these groups and organisations represented in the NMB Civil Society Coalition, united on what needs to be done to improve service delivery to communities and businesses.
The 11 geographic business clusters supported by the NMB Business Chamber are a prime example of active business involvement in the enabling environment.
In key industrial, commercial and tourism nodes across the metro, local businesses are organising in a highly structured and visible way to improve security, road safety and cleanliness, secure electricity supply, combat vandalism, clear stormwater drains and remove illegal dumping and alien vegetation.
They are not only improving their own operating environments, but making conditions better for employees, customers and visitors.
We are holding the line, because we know it is much more possible to rebuild a fixable metro than one that has slid beyond repair.
The question often asked of organised business is, why are we doing this, are we just propping up a failing state?
How can this possibly be sustainable, when what we all want, as residents and businesses, is for government to just step up and do the job that we pay rates and taxes for?
The simple rebuttal is, what is the alternative?
If business was not taking action, where would we be now?
It is surprisingly easy for a multinational business with thousands of employees, who each support a family, to shutter a factory and relocate to another province, country or continent.
None of us want this, not the manufacturer, nor the supermarket in Walmer, the tshisanyama in Motherwell, the tyre shop in New Brighton, the hotel in Summerstrand.
Since government alone cannot fix the problems in the enabling environment, we are willing to roll up our sleeves and get involved.
Nelson Mandela Bay’s strong manufacturing sector offers a deep skills base of engineers and technical experts who understand what needs to be done to fix infrastructure and services. They offer their expertise and active participation in rebuilding the metro, irrespective of who is in power. Additionally there is a wide spread of broader business expertise which rests with the many entrepreneurs operating in the Bay as well as across retail, professional services and other sectors.
We share the belief that the Bay is where we want to live, do business, raise our children, and that this is SA’s most fixable metro – due not only to its manageable size, but also because of the unity, broad buy-in and coordinated action across the spectrum of civil society.
To the critics of business working with government to improve the operating environment – for example, at national level through Operation Vulindlela on structural reforms around electricity, logistics, crime, and local government – one again has to ask, what is the alternative?
There must be a reason that South Africa’s leading corporates are willing to deploy expertise, resources and time into helping government resolve barriers to getting the economy moving.
It is not out of naivete or the goodness of their hearts.
It is recognition that by building multi-stakeholder relationships of mutual trust and respect, that business and civil society have a better chance of holding government accountable, as a partner rather than external commentators or perceived adversaries.
A strong and active civil society is imperative for our country moving beyond the local government elections, to ensure checks and balances, accountability, and building the truly inclusive society and participatory democracy envisaged in our Constitution. The reality is that, even if political stability is achieved through local elections, it will take years to rebuild municipal service delivery capabilities.
Business in Nelson Mandela Bay – as employer, contributor to the local economy and public fiscus, and as an active participant in civil society – believes in the potential of the Bay and that it can only be unlocked through the buy-in and participation of all of us.
Denise van Huyssteen is Chief Executive Officer of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber.