Note to Editors: This is an acceptance speech from Bosman Grobler
Today is an enormous privilege and honour for me to take the lead in a movement that is going to bring change to the people of this beautiful municipality. It is a responsibility which I do not take lightly.
I stand before you today to say that I accept the nomination to be the mayoral candidate for the DA in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality. This place, where we gather today, the Sydney Choma Hall, is right across the road from my birthplace, the Middelburg Provincial Hospital.
Clubville is the neighbourhood where I spent most of my childhood years. I was in primary school just a few blocks from here, and I matriculated from HTS Middelburg. I remember cycling to primary school to arrive early enough to be on duty at the scholar patrol. I remember returning at night on my bicycle when we had band practice or athletics in high school. I have fond memories of running cross country and swimming galas at the Kees Taljaard Sport Facility. It was a safe environment, where children could roam the streets, and have a carefree and safe childhood.
It was our parents, teachers and members of this community who taught us that if we want to achieve something important in life, we must work hard for it, because nothing in life comes easy or free. It is this lesson that I reflect on today, because what we are about to embark on won’t come easy, but I know it is possible.
I realise that I am fortunate to have had the opportunities I had in my childhood. And I am blessed that I was able to make use of them. I realise that all children who grew up in my era did not have the same opportunities. And that is one of my greatest inspirations, to pursue this dream. To enable others to have equal opportunities.
I have served the people of this municipality and this province as a public representative for many years. I have dedicated my life to serving the community. And although we have had our ups and downs, we have had victories and defeats, both in our careers and our personal lives. It is a call that gives purpose to my life, and energy to my body every day.
We are all fortunate that today we live in a society where we are all equal and we all should have the opportunity to live the life we value. But, in practice, we still have a long way to go for that equality to translate into a fair and open society for all. We are not there yet as not all have had the same opportunities that we were afforded. As a resident of Steve Tshwete you may find that: Life is hard as some people endure extreme poverty and cannot afford to put a decent meal on the table for their families.
The vast majority of people who live in our municipality are below the middle-class. They work hard every day, to put their children through school and raise them to become responsible citizens.
These are the parents who invest every available resource they have in their children’s future.
Life has become even more difficult as the cost of living increases every single month. Daily life has become a real struggle just to get by. They work hard, pay their rates and taxes, and then pay double taxation when they pay for the services their municipality fails to deliver.
They live in fear, doing everything possible to avoid becoming another victim of crime. And then they pay double taxation for private security covering up for the safety services their municipality fails to deliver.
And although they spend their entire adult lives investing in their children’s education, they are anxious about their future, because they know, opportunities are limited, and the few that do exist are too often given to insiders and politically connected persons. So, we have to keep on fighting, let’s get Steve Tshwete working, let’s build a home and society that we are all proud to live in.
Let us envision a different Steve Tshwete, a different Middelburg, Hendrina or Doornkop. I want us together to chart a new way forward, where the gains of freedom and equality will see a municipality delivering services to all residents, and will mean that everyone has an equal foundation. A municipality that delivers the basics, fairly, for all its residents.
The great philosopher, Spurgeon, once said that if you are in the middle of the ocean, you should pray as if rowing won’t help you, but you should also row as if praying won’t help you. Today I want to say, we should not just hope and pray, we should also VOTE! And vote right. The power to elect principled people, who uphold the values of freedom and fairness lies with you. The decision to have running water, a safe municipality that allows you to thrive, work and play – is made in that quiet moment at the ballot box. In a democracy like ours, helplessness ends where that choice is made.
Don’t be an innocent bystander in your future, in a future that affects not only you, but future generations to come.
IT’S TIME TO STAND UP FOR STEVE TSHWETE!
If we stand up together, we will be stronger together. And nothing can stand in our way to build a better future, and a better municipality for the people we love and care about.
Change is coming to Steve Tshwete. So, let’s get down to work and let’s build this municipality together.