THE municipalities of Walvis Bay and Drakenstein in the Western Cape, South Africa, signed an inter-municipal cooperation agreement earlier this month.
‘There is a Zulu maxim that says, ‘Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu’, which means a person is a person because of other people. With this African maxim, we are constantly reminded that for human beings to prosper and develop there is a need for symbiotic relations based on mutual respect, goals and strategy. As such, it is in essence our approach to build lasting mutually beneficial relations with our neighbours and people that share our commitment to service excellence, the creation of improved livelihoods through socio-economic opportunities and the general well-being and development of our respective people,’ said Walvis Bay mayor Uilika Nambahu.The executive mayor of Drakenstein, Charmaine Manuel, said one of the main reasons for the decision to establish formal links with Walvis Bay is the historic ties that the cities share. ‘In the past many skilled artisans especially from Paarl left their homes to work in Walvis Bay. Although many returned, others remained. So there are still family ties between the cities. As council we decided to reach out to other African cities, and not only to European or other international twinning partners. We believe that we can learn and share a lot with our counterparts in Africa, as we share a commonality and similar challenges,’ she said. Manuel noted that the delegation was ‘pleasantly surprised’ at the rapid growth and development that had taken place in Walvis Bay in the past few decades. Drakenstein is the second largest municipality in the Western Cape and comprises the towns of Paarl, Gouda, Saron, Wellington and Hermon, with a population of 200 000 people, and the economy is based on agriculture, especially the winelands area.
