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Buffalo City Campus management and academics were left bursting with pride after witnessing the first-ever ‘State of the City Address’ organized and hosted by first-year local government finance (LGF) students at Potsdam Site recently.
In what was a first for the department, the first-year class of 2022 displayed the necessary foresight and agency to bring to reality some of the theories and knowledge learnt in the lecture room, a lightbulb moment which brought about the organizing of a mock city address that included a mayor selected from within the students’ ranks.
With all the poise and glamour befitting a real-life first citizen of a city, Lindokuhle Ngoqo took to the Potsdam Site auditorium podium to address certain issues currently facing the residents of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.
“Our city has been hit by two major incidences – disasters if you will. One was natural, whilst the other was man-made. The first incident saw the city hit by flash floods in January which caused great damage and devastation to many of our people. Parts of the city that was hardest hit were Mdantsane and Duncan Village, however, the damage was somewhat mitigated thanks to our emergency services,” said Ngoqo.
The second disaster the “mayor” addressed was the infamous ‘Enyobeni’ tragedy that saw the untimely death of 21 teenagers at a shebeen in Scenery Park in June earlier this year.
He used the moment, quite tactfully, to warn children against reckless and dangerous behavior such as underage drinking which ultimately was what led to the deaths.
“This isn’t only a tragic moment for those that lost their lives on that day. It’s also a tragic moment for the community of BCMM and it needs us to stand up and take notice and guard against such a tragedy ever happening again,” said Ngoqo.
Guest speaker on the day, cooperative governance and traditional affairs departmental head, Andile Fani, had some strong lessons to share with the students about the ever-growing challenges within the local government space.
A former BCM municipal manager himself, Fani didn’t hold back in alerting the students to some of the harsh and sobering realities that lie in wait – dangers such as threat to life and limb.
“I must be honest with you and tell you, if you are going to be honest and tell the truth, your job will be on the line, so you have to choose two things, and those are, either you lie, because you want to be loved, and you subsequently go to prison, or you either lose your job. I’m saying this to you because I’ve tested it. I stayed at home for more than four years when the city (BCM) dismissed me when I was dealing with corruption, but I had to fight that and clear my name and I won eventually,” said Fani.
He sounded a clarion call to the students to guard against being turned into weak and corrupt leaders and officials that prove to be aloof and detached from their communities and instead dance to the tune of unscrupulous business interests that milk the public purse dry.
Fani told frightening tales of abductions of his children and numerous attempts on his life – schemes all designed to remove him from public office because, according to him, he was a hindrance to sinister forces hell-bent on accumulating wealth at the expense of the public purse.
“Local government should be about affording worthy and legitimate businesses an opportunity to serve the people of the city without there being corruption involved. It’s about making sure that everybody gets a fair shot at securing tenders, and, most importantly, honouring those commitments to those specs and stipulations of those tenders,” he concluded.
By Thando Cezula
