Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Herman Mashaba, has implored Joburgers, and South Africans at large, to eliminate the growing culture of selfishness in our society.
Mashaba, speaking at a staff A Re Sebetseng clean-up campaign on Mandela Day that was held in partnership with the SABC, encouraged citizens to be selfless and to be of service to their fellow citizens, especially those who are most in need.
Councillor Mashaba decried the tendency to seek quick riches, insisting that this was the reason for the growing problem of corruption in the country.
“Today, the world celebrates what would have been Madiba’s 100th birthday. These celebrations will continue tomorrow and they will go on for the remainder of the year, at the very least. But I ask that, as we continue to celebrate his life and drink from his deep well of wisdom and knowledge, we strive to build a new culture and spirit of civic activism, civic duty and responsibility.
“I ask that we rid ourselves of the tendency to be selfish and guard against the insidious culture of ‘Me, Me and only Me’. This culture has engulfed South Africa and threatens to tear at the fabric of our society. I ask that we defy this culture and, like Madiba implored us on so many occasions, we begin to live for each other and not ourselves.
“I ask that we concern ourselves with the well-being of our fellow citizens and humanity, at large.”
Councillor Mashaba also used the occasion to outline his plans to revitalise the Inner City of Johannesburg, which has been allowed to be taken over by criminal building hijacking syndicates.
While decrying the state of the Inner City, as well as the state of South Africa’s underperforming economy, the mayor gave hope to residents who were forced to live in squalor.
He said: “We plan to transform our Inner City into a vibrant place to live, work and play. Recently, the City Council approved the Inner City Report, which gave us the greenlight to put to tender 71 buildings to be renovated for the purposes of providing affordable housing, student accommodation and rental space for small businesses.
“And more buildings will be offered to the private sector, to help us create more housing opportunities for our people. In order to achieve this, we are renovating these city-owned buildings and creating units to be rented out for between R800 and R1000 per month. With the rejuvenation of the Inner City and the growing popularity of A Re Sebetseng, we are getting Johannesburg working again and if Johannesburg works, South Africa works.”
