Opinion piece by Phapano Phasha. The long awaited opening of Umhlanga Ocean Project which includes the Raddison Blu Hotel, 600 apartments and a mall is a welcomed economic catalyst needed by the people and province of KZN.
After the unfortunate 2021 July unrest which left the Province, the region and business with an estimated cost of R70 billion, the opening of this project led by prolific businessman Vivian Reddy could not have come at the right time.
Indeed Christmas has came too early for thousands of residence in and around Ethekwini who will be employed and the litany of business people who will directly benefit from this project especially after the July unrest and it’s dire impact on the fiscus and livelihood of the people of KZN.
Perhaps what could also critical and a substantive catalyst for change in and around EThekwini region is for patriotic business people such as Mr Vivian Reddy to also partner with the Provincial government of KZN to help close the wealth and inequality gap which sees the African Majority in the Province in a cycle of poverty or swimming in debt.
This intervention is also very critical in light of the obvious yet ignored tensions between the African and Indian community in the Province.
The Phoenix Massacre was but an indication of simmering unspoken differences and since the Indian community is at an economic advantage, business leaders such as Vivian Reddy who have created thousands of job opportunities and economic growth can be champions of such initiatives.
In a ground breaking study by Amy Liu and Reniya Dinkins on ‘how CEOs can advance racial equity in their regional economies’, the authors argue that; the is a new sense of urgency among business leaders to tackle racial equity specifically and to acknowledge and utilize their power to disrupt the nation’s legacy of racism and promote a more just economy.”
This coalition and actions beyond rhetoric for racial equity requires a blue print which recognises that the island of prosperity cannot exist alongside the sea of poverty.
Equally, with the outcry that the economy is spilling more jobs instead of economic growth, all efforts to take our country out from the dark slumber of unemployment and possible social unrest requires support and encouragement.
South Africa’s vision of prosperity requires a thousand VivianReddy’s and with another project such as Umhlanga Ocean, the sky is the limit.
Phapano Phasha is an independent writer
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