Hard-talking Moss hits nail on head

THANK heavens for the straightforward talk of Nelson Mandela Bay tourism chairman Nceba Moss, who has frankly and perhaps courageously criticised local politicians for delaying important tourism projects which should, by now, be pulling in tourists and interested locals but which appear to be going nowhere.

Moss, in a hard hitting address to the Eastern Cape quarterly update at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, said the city’s huge tourism potential was not being realised “because of bickering among politicians – this potential is not being exploited and the implementation of projects is suffering”.

How right he is.

The long-awaited Red Location Museum is a prime case in point. Former executive mayor Nceba Faku’s pet project of having heroes Govan Mbeki and Raymond Mhlaba laid to rest in a special museum mausoleum won little enthusiasm. This was certainly one of the reasons for the project being delayed but that issue was resolved some time ago and there can be no excuse for the fact that the museum has still not opened to the public. This after its opening has been delayed no less than three times.

The Red Location is indeed an ancient township in a depressed area, one which needs the financial stimulation tourists and visitors will bring. Creation of a cultural museum showing how township people lived in the days of apartheid is one way of showing the rising generation how people suffered – and survived – the days of the struggle.

Other Vision 2020 projects Moss expressed concern about were the Njoli Square development which seems to drag on forever, the Freedom Statue and the much-needed upgrading of Bayworld.

The Freedom Statue – if it ever comes to fruition – will attract many tourists to Nelson Mandela Bay while Bayworld is already a prime attraction for visitors.

The renovation of Bayworld is one project that could be fast-tracked – there are precious few places for tourists to visit should they tire of the beaches or when the weather is bad.

Those who run Bayworld do a wonderful job under sometimes difficult conditions and it is time it was upgraded to put it on a par with similar facilities in cities like Cape Town and Durban.

Let us hope Moss’s call for action will result in projects like these being accorded the urgency required so they can be completed and contribute to the city’s reputation as a tourism hub.

Strikes a danger to SA

STRIKE action in the Eastern Cape this year has had a devastating effect on the local economy as we report today, with many millions of rands being lost on each day of industrial action – something this province can certainly ill afford.

More seriously, the spectre of labour unrest is a sure way of scaring off would-be investors to the region, which desperately needs large-scale investment if jobs are to be created.

It is perhaps ironic that in some instances strikes are called by the labour unions to protest against the high rate of unemployment when, by their very actions, they are adding to the problem.

After all, what overseas investor with a modicum of sense would risk investing in a region where he or she knows there is a good chance that industrial action will negatively impact on that investment?

Of course, the right to strike is enshrined in the Constitution and so it should be. It is the right of every worker to resort to industrial action when it is warranted.

However, that right should not be abused for the sake of political gain, as is happening in this country. And it should always be a last resort, not something that happens on a whim.

If this country continues to be crippled by strikes, we can forget achieving the economic growth required to make inroads into the unacceptably high rate of unemployment.

Opinion