Empowerment charter of GO!Durban unveiled

Story teller Gcina Mhlophe with Andile Mkhize from Umlazi Primary school hand over a flame of hope to the Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo

The empowerment charter is not a preferencing policy, nor an embellishment of the BEE regulations, but is a series of additional specifications added by the GO!Durban project to all contracts awarded on the project. These additional clauses are targeted at addressing unemployment, poverty and inequality in the Metro.

The Mayor, James Nxumalo, called on citizens in the spirit and context of empowerment, to 'dare to care' not only about their individual needs, but the needs of those around them. "I ask you to lend a thought to the millions who are caught in between your needs and desires. I ask you to care for them, and see beyond your needs and requirements to their needs and requirements and invite them to participate in the economy that you have created around yourself, your business or organisation."

Tools for citizens

"In my mind empowerment is the manner in which we give our citizens the tools to better themselves in a moral and accountable way," said the Deputy Mayor, Nomvuzo Shabalala. "The GO!Durban empowerment charter has been crafted to specifically address both the complexity of a new public transport system and to ensure that fair opportunity is given through several different platforms."

"GO!Durban has tighter regulations and deliverables inserted into the tendering process and contract documents. We hope that the charter clarifies the process of empowerment and compels all service providers, contractors and subcontractors to follow strict guidelines and conditions or face clearly-specified penalties for non-compliance," Nxumalo said.

"The charter creation has taken into account empowerment landscape and seeks to redress the imbalances of the past. But the major difference is that this is Durban-focused, aimed at addressing local problems, ensuring that a dedicated portion of the spend on this project remains here."

Four pillars

The four pillars that underpin the GO!Durban empowerment ethos are equity, enterprise development, skills development, and socio economic development/CSI. Each pillar has been crafted to address the realities of the requirements of the complex project roll out that will affect the GO!Durban project until 2027, so the charter affects communities and industry now, into the future and beyond.

"The government clearly identifies the desire and need to bring about change and transformation in the fabric of our society work and community involvement." said the Mayor. "The correct use of empowerment charters in large contracts such as GO!Durban will not only drive the country and this province into a new era of economic prosperity, but lay the foundation for future opinion makers, business leaders and companies to take up the call to "dare" to bring about effective transformation of a nation."