Immigrants and their role in PE

AS THE political borders of states across the world are taken down, as countries reorganise into powerful economic blocs, as specialised new markets emerge and millions of people migrate in search of better lives, so the role of cities everywhere is changing. This is the age of the world city. We’d like to think Nelson Mandela Bay aspires to be such a city. It is surely no coincidence that the cities that are attracting economic investment, that are vibrant and cosmopolitan, that are looking for creative solutions to the challenges of urban life, that are hosting major events and boldly pushing their way into the 21st century, are also the ones that are most open to the influences of the rest of the world and to the diversity that brings.

Over the past week, as part of our groundbreaking Friendly City Project, the Weekend Post and its sister newspaper The Herald have taken a hard look at exactly how open our city is to these influences, the impact of immigration thus far and, we hope, looked forward to how the influx of foreign people and cultures might shape our future. We have, along with you our readers, made some remarkable discoveries that may begin to change the way the city looks at immigrants.

For starters, the metro is home to the largest immigrant population in South Africa, yet far from being “swamped” by foreign passport holders, conservative estimates suggest their numbers are relatively small.

We also found that rather than being a disruptive force that has usurped jobs and resources, many immigrants are skilled individuals who contribute to the local economy. We found evidence that challenged the assumption that the influx of foreigners is a major factor in the high crime rate.

Our reporters came across people in business and the arts, chefs who have brought exotic food to our jaded palates and a DJ who uses hip-hop to teach our children the dangers of HIV/Aids. The city’s biggest sporting success in years – Bay United’s climb into the Premier Soccer League – is due in no small measure to the efforts of two foreigners: the team’s Serbian coach and Zambian-born striker Linos Chalwe.

Certainly South Africa’s poorly managed immigration policy has introduced certain risks and not every immigrant has the potential to make a positive contribution. Yet it is time we began to have a frank and open discussion about the type of city we want to be and what role those who come from beyond our borders have within it.

Horror series for Proteas

THE demolition of the South African cricketers by England in the one-day international series which, thankfully, ended this week was as unexpected as it was clinical.

When the series started there was a not unreasonable expectation that the Proteas would carry on their good work from the Test series and add insult to injury for the English by clinching the ODIs too. After all, South Africa was rated number two in the world in this form of the game while their opponents were languishing in sixth place.

As it turned out Graeme Smith‘s team were pathetic and quite frankly did not belong on the same field with their English counterparts who were motivated and determined. The South Africans, on the other hand, were lacklustre and appeared disinterested.

Not a single Proteas player came out of the ODI series with any credit, and even Jacques Kallis, who is rated one of the top players in the world, looked out of his depth.

So what went wrong? Why did a team that dominated the four Test series suddenly lose form so rapidly?

These are questions that need to be urgently answered and the problems quickly remedied otherwise the end-of- year series against Australia is going to turn out to be yet another nightmare.

Opinion