Alex must start dialogues of healing, Prof Serote urges
ALEXANDRA – Professor Serote says a nucleus of capable leaders to start the dialogues already exists within the book club.
Alexandra must harness all its sectors of civil society to form a single and formidable fighting machine that will be capable of tackling the township’s forces of evil head-on.
This is the view espoused by the former CEO of Freedom Park in Pretoria Professor Wally Mongane Serote during an interview with Alex News soon after his donation of a collection of books to the newly formed Alexandra Book Club that operates from Sankopano Centre.
Serote, who was born in Sophiatown but grew up in Alexandra after his parents moved to the township when he was still young, believes the forces of darkness can only be conquered if civil society comes together as one.
“We already have a nucleus of capable leaders already working together under the book club and I implore them to expand their tentacles and pull together other civil society organisations to their fold and form a network of common thinkers to tackle the problems.
“Once organisations such as churches, clinics, traditional healers, schools, sports bodies, councillors, ward and street committees, and other formations have been pulled together, a dialogue process of trying to heal the wounds of the township can then begin,” Serote suggested.
If need be, Serote said the township could be segmented to allow civil society organisations in that particular area to handle the burning issues in society such as crime, drug abuse, gender-based violence and the breakdown of family values, and even around the issues of vandalism of the cemetery and parks.
“We must call on all churches in the township to preach about the importance of issues around family values, the anti-drug war and instilling the culture of reading within our schoolchildren. It may sound to be easier said than done but nevertheless everything looks impossible until it’s done.”
