Imtiaz Syed, the Chairperson of eThekwini Secure, expresses his disappointment with the increasing division and competition among ratepayers associations in different communities. While he appreciates and commends the growing number of associations, he finds their lack of unity and shared goals worrisome.
“We’re finding great ratepayers associations prop up all over the place, which is brilliant. But there’s conflict within those communities to say that we have better ratepayers than the other. It’s about time that we need to understand that there are many organisations and everyone doing the same thing at the same time, which is very impactful and powerful. We need to learn to respect that this isn’t competition in any way. It’s about getting the work done.”
Furthermore, Syed raises doubts about the motives behind these associations, questioning whether their true purpose is to advocate for communities and voice their concerns to local governments and municipalities or if they are primarily driven by self-interest.
A Country Divided
Activism and self-reliance are deeply ingrained in the DNA of South Africans. However, the lack of unity among communities, social groups, and individuals in recent times has rendered the efforts of others unproductive and ineffective.
The current reality in South Africa exposes a fragmented landscape. One contributing factor to this lack of unity is political fragmentation, which has trickled down to the people and affected their level of activism.
External divisions, internal conflicts within political parties, power struggles, and ideological differences hinder effective governance. When even associations established to represent the people are divided, the prospects for meaningful change become exceedingly slim.
“We need to remember that currently, right now in our country, we’re in a political war. There are parties that are fighting with each other. There is infighting within those parties, and there’s no real emphasis placed on actual service delivery. That now calls for people to start standing up for themselves and start demanding their needs out of government.”
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What is Causing the Division Amongst Ratepayers Association?
In response, Syed without hesitation said the egos of specific individuals within these associations are to blame. He acknowledged that there are exceptionally talented individuals within ratepayers associations who genuinely strive to positively impact and serve their communities to the best of their abilities.
However, the intense competitiveness among these groups and the overriding desire for personal recognition overshadow the genuine interests of the communities they are meant to serve.
“It comes down to egos. We’ve got some brilliant people, and everyone wants to do good. We should just allow everyone to operate in their space and let them do what it is they want to do with the following that they have.”
Consequently, he strongly encourages ratepayers associations to grant each other the necessary space to tackle various challenges and to release any trivial disputes. His call is for these associations to come together to address service delivery issues and other pressing challenges.
“Far and large, people need to start uniting, people need to start being respectful to each other, and people need to start just doing the work. Do what needs to be done. Today’s work is today’s work, and that’s what needs to happen.”
