Inside Report with Michael Basch: Industrial Nightmare

ALBERTON – Those who are lucky to be employed face equal hardships with the rising cost of living but the stagnation of salary scales.

With this backdrop, it is astounding how little attention is given to Alrode, one the largest industrial areas in Ekurhuleni and the source of thousands of permanent and part time jobs. I have been doing the rounds, meeting with a number of key players in the Alrode area, or should I say I have been swerving like a drunken mad man avoiding potholes to meet with key players in the area.

The lack of services, or general apathy to resolving problems as they arise in this area, means that new investment has decided to seek shelter elsewhere. Now for those of you that don’t know new investment is a jittery animal, seldom seen wandering on its own. Its natural environment is capital market which attracts growth; it is very risk averse and can be scared away by the smallest of service issues.

But once new investment has found a place to settle, it tends to be quite robust in its approach and, if nurtured, quickly attracts many more of its herd to the area. But if left to alone to face the challenges on its own, the numbers of new investment dwindle quickly, taking with it opportunity and growth as it heads for greener pastures or just into extinction.

I for one want to attract the elusive and much prized new investment but realise that to do that, we need to first look after existing investment or current business as it is known by. The metro has to urgently establish a task team with the view of resolving all the challenges faced by Alrode. If Alrode fails, Alberton fails and Ekurhuleni fails.

Worse than not being able to attract new investment is the extinction of the current investment. Now I know that residential areas need attention too, but if companies close, the negative effect on our residential area will be swift and noticeable. One needs only see the gauntlet of job seekers sitting on main routes right now as an indication of that.

But the problems in Alrode are not the council’s alone. Big business has become complacent and in many ways knowingly adds to the decay. Responsible sustainable business should be the cornerstone of the Alrode area, and businesses should not be doing what you know is wrong, just because there is no one policing it. So it does go both ways, both business and Ekurhuleni have a responsibility. And if both parties don’t take this seriously, it will end in tears I’m afraid.