Plans are afoot by the Xubera Institute to facilitate a motley crew of like-minded individuals to have a deep conversation and to seek solutions, and begin the arduous task of slowly rebuilding KZN.
In the past week, KZN has been a sore site of rampage and chaos following a looting spree that brought the province’s economy on its knees.
Xolani Dube, think tank at Xubera institute, told EC Today that “We are all cognizant of the enormity of the task before us but have chosen to take the path of radical service to our communities. A lot has been lost to this generation, but our goal and objective is to rebuild for the sake of the generations that will succeed us.”
Broadly the aim of the Xubera Institute initiative include to
• Curb the looting to prevent further suffering
• To mediate the ongoing conflict that erupted during this time in the KwaZulu-
Natal province
• To take ownership of the current situation and come up with practical solutions
to rebuild our economy and communities
There has been a lot of tears and fears in KZN, which emerged from political skirmishes in the 90s. Now the recent looting has caused immeasurable damage, and Dube belies that “It is for our collective children that we choose not to be fearful and hopeless but instead to pool our respective resources and skillsets to rebuild every sector, every community, and every individual dream that has been destroyed.”
Dube continues, “The province is currently faced with food insecurity, threats to energy resources, infrastructure challenges, racial tension, and unease. These are our immediate challenges. A structured plan has, over the last two days, begun to take shape. Individuals have given of their time to say, ‘THE FUTURE IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY, it’s time to take action.”
We need to be responsible, selfless, and courageous as we venture forward as a collective. We need a program of action. We need to negotiate, and above all, we need unity.
Dube is not just calling for a talkathon but is pragmatic in approach, offering solutions including;
• Identifying a distribution network to provide food security, healthcare services/supplies, water supply, fuel, and so forth.
• Providing security for the distribution of the abovementioned essential supplies
• Undertaking an audit of the damage across the province.
• Sourcing funding for this intervention and revitalizing the economy.
“The tasks have been identified. The call is for all KZN citizens who want to rebuild to join the project, and together we can restore our dynamic province and leave it as a testament of resilience and leadership to future generations, “ added Dube.
