Makana Turnaround Specialist
The GBF Management Committee is delighted to report that our continued engagement with the Office of the Premier and other interest and pressure groups seems to have finally paid off in that the Office of the Premier has agreement to the appointment of a person who would be tasked to turn Makana Municipality around.
While the meeting revealed that there was complete consensus amongst all roleplayers about what needs to be done in order to fix Grahamstown, the inability of Makana Municipality to move forward without the appointment of a permanent Municipal Manager emerged as a key obstacle. Since such a permanent appointment is currently precluded by way of a court order, the Provincial Government agreed to appoint (and remunerate) a turnaround specialist with the necessary clout and connections to key government structures to draw on the necessary financial and other support. The GBF acknowledge with appreciation the role played by the Concerned Citizens Committee to Save Makana (CCCSM) with whose objectives we feel ourselves aligned, albeit with some discomfort around potentially conflicting approaches.
The GBF stands firm in our belief that an approach of constructive engagement with local and provincial government and other roleplayers which seeks to understand before demanding to be understood would be more desirable. While not set in stone yet, this potential solution is the outcome of many months of working with representatives from the Office of the Premier, the Makana Council and Makana Municipality, all with whom the GBF has built solid relationships of trust and collaboration.
The GBF Management Committee would like to thank our members for their continued support. Members who value our work and appreciate the positive impact of our efforts are urged to encourage their friends and business associates to join the GBF. Together we can do so much more.