ANC stalwart, Joy Coplan said much work still needed to be done in building a country where everyone was equal and its people having only kind words for each other.
With local government elections looming, Coplan, the Ward 90 councillor for the 3 August elections said the race was not about winning or losing, but the needs of the masses. “I am doing my bit because I want to help the ANC have a presence in this area,” she said.
“A lot has been achieved by the ruling party and I want to be part of the city that Mayor Parks Tau has developed.”
The mother of four said she was introduced to politics in the early 50s by her father whom she accompanied to political meetings at a tender age. “The driving force was my belief that the country belongs to all who lived in it,” said the UCT graduate.
“The intolerance, indignity and humiliation I witnessed catapulted my political career. In 1990 when the ANC was unbanned, that’s when I started getting my hands full. I worked in the Orange Grove area and I became involved in starting a branch in Ward 73.”
The ward councillor who has lived in Dunkeld for more than 17 years started a branch in the suburb and said it was still in good standing.
“I’ve been the ANC public relations councillor since 2006. This is the end of my second term and I believe there is still a lot that we can do to show our people that we care.”
The former teacher said one of her main objectives had been working tirelessly towards building an additional police station in her area, especially since Rosebank was expanding. She added that to keep the ward free of crime, a new police station was vital.
“This ward is a financially comfortable ward. However, residents are vulnerable as far as crime is concerned. We have to work the crime out and the police are trying to mobilise residents of the ward to develop an understanding on how to become more aware and vigilant to their surroundings.”
Coplan said billing system errors were still one of the major problems residents faced in her ward and she had been working with the City to ensure accuracy was achieved. “It’s a very serious problem because many people in the area find that they get bad accounts,” said Coplan.
“I’ve been working with the residents and will continue working with them post elections.”
Coplan encouraged all South Africans to go out and vote on 3 August. “We all have to be involved as citizens in building a compassionate country, in promoting social cohesion and integrated communities.”
