Who’s got the power?

Mfaniseni Mdlalose writes:-

I WAS reading about the Paddadam Clean-up Project which made the front page of Vryheid Herald newspaper November 7, 2014. WOW! What a noble initiative! The call is for us to participate through our donations. I am committed to this call and I have responded appropriately.

I really applaud such community initiatives; it shows that citizens have power to make things happen. We always think that power is on top like Cremora, it is not, it is within each one of us.

I am reminded of the story of Rosa Parks, an American social activist who through her resistance to give up her seat in the bus in Montgomery started a civil rights movement which caught fire in many areas. A group named Montgomery Improvement Association, which had local activists and ministers, organised a movement. Martin Luther King Jr of the Baptist Church was chosen as a leader. This social movement was the start of a revolutionary era of non-violent mass protests in support of civil rights in the United States.

What is my point here? As citizens we spend much time looking for the so-called leaders to change our lives. If we can, like Dominee Ferdinand van Niekerk, Rosa Parks and many others who are tired of Paddadam situations, stand up in our little corners and contribute towards positive initiatives, we can change our communities.

Citizen participation in the community is not only about the government; yes there is a role and responsibility for this organ in society but we can also claim Paddadam spaces. Some Development Practitioners have coined these spaces as “uninvited spaces”. The invited spaces are the legislated ones such as: Integrated Development Planning (IDP) engagements – Izimbizo, Community Based Planning (CBP) meeting/ workshops and Sukuma Sakhe meetings. These spaces are organised by officials. The “uninvited spaces” are issue based meetings or gatherings, the Montgomery movement and Paddadam initiative, where citizens mobilise themselves to deal with the issue at hand.

This is where we see natural leaders like yourselves coming up to address issues affecting you the most. That is where you see citizens pulling together resources to make sure those things are done. What I love about the “uninvited spaces” is that willing government officials come in as well to support what the citizens have started. Laws change; projects are priorities if you get a listening ear from the powers that be.

Active citizen participation is not only about the IDPs but it is also about the grassroots initiatives which shift things from the bottom up. Let’s get involved in changing our communities, the power is within you. I love how the Paddadam is mobilising resources; the call is also extended to the pensioners because all of us can make a contribution in our own spaces.