Stop and reflect on your privileges
I know you receive many emails of competing attention, and I hope mine reaches your printing press.
Dear editor and residents
In this period where we are all financially pressed, I would like to appreciate the Alberton Record’s free delivery to my gate by women and men wearing red overalls.
Some may take this privilege for granted, but I cannot because I know that behind this free delivery, there is a team who stresses finding commercial businesses that are financially strained to continue advertising in your newspaper.
The next message is in the same mood. We, as Alberton residents, are so privileged but because most of us don’t travel to other areas of the country where, for example, service delivery does not exist, we don’t always realise it.
Under Ekurhuleni, we have Alberton City for shopping and access to working municipal offices, our roads are not too full of potholes, we have community members who write letters instead of burning infrastructure, we have affordable schools, we can walk and jog in our streets, we can go to church without fear of being robbed, we have sports clubs, we have street lights, we have so much to be grateful for.
It is my wish, therefore, that as we navigate load-shedding, traffic lights not working and bad drivers, to stop a little and realise how privileged we are.
Last week, there was an accident on Kritzinger Road. Joooh, I was so proud to be an Erkurhuleni resident when I saw the JPMD and an array of ambulances, and when the big fire truck arrived, my son was jumping because, as sad as this was, it was a show-off from our different departments of emergency services. All the persons involved in the accident were transported, despite the fire department having to cut someone out of the vehicle.
Such doesn’t happen where our relatives live in villages. We complain about sewage while they still use pit toilets. We complain about load-shedding while they still use a wood fire and those who can afford to use a paraffin stove. We complain about the quality of water from our taps while they still have to carry buckets to fetch dirty water from rivers they share with cattle.
We are surrounded by privilege. People from other countries prefer to rent rooms in our city because it is affordable. We are one taxi away from Joburg city for those buying stock, where people travel from Limpopo to stock up in Joburg.
Our city is working, and, honestly, we have fewer challenges than other cities. Our police station is open 24 hours and within reach, our clinics work, and the CPF is there for us. What more can we ask for?
People in Turkey are experiencing earthquakes and losing their lives and homes. Many in Sudan are experiencing civil war.
In closing, my wish is for us to stop and reflect on the privileges we enjoy.
Bosakeys
