Delft, a township near Cape Town in South Africa, makes often headlines for the wrong reasons: violence, crime, gangster, rape, drugs, guns – you name it, Delft is in for it.
Looking a bit deeper, it appears that Delft has all credentials to be the opposite: a beacon of hope for the new South Africa and a promising place for what should be the norm for aspiring communities.
Delft is not only located close to the airport – an economic hub which should provide for jobs and upliftment of a community, the township also has excellent schools, all necessary infrastructure and a mix of people from all walks of life mirroring the diversity which should be the norm in South Africa.
There is indeed no reason for Delft not to rise from the ashes of lost hopes by violent crimes and high unemployment towards a really confident hub within the greater Cape Town area where people live, earn and spend their money and participate in the economic development provided by the expansion of the airport.
The question is what it takes to ignite the pride of the residents and the energy needed to move from a place of fear and partly hopelessness to being a crown jewel and an example of successfully turning a township around towards prosperity for all.
HOPE Cape Town has set a mark of uplifting with the decision to settle its home in Delft and to concentrate on this area with holistic services and the intent to walk the talk with the community, building on years of work within the community of Blikkiesdorp and services rendered at the health facilities.
It might sound more like a dream to turn around the township of Delft into an area of peace and prosperity, but every real action starts with the imagination of a dream. Obviously nobody can do it alone, but together with all parties concerned and putting aside for a while the egos and rivalry, much can be achieved for a better life for all in this area.
Lots of ideas and initiatives are already in place – but the joined effort and the synergies possible if those efforts are coordinated would promise faster results and more possibilities in a feasible timeframe. Political will and the buy-in of the people would be the base for such synergies.
Filed under: Africa, Politics and Society, Reflection, South Africa, Uncategorized, airport, cape town, crime, Delft, economy, hub, south africa, western cape
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