Scara Witbooi,a member of the Middelburg Community Revival Project, stands on the allocated land where the group plans to build an all purpose centre. Picture: MARK ANDREWS

With help from its former youth scattered around the country, Middelburg in the heart of the Karoo is making great strides in returning to its former glory.

Most small towns like Middelburg are often crippled by the effects of rural-urban drift as the youth leave to seek employment and a better life elsewhere.

Instead, young professionals living in East London, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg are now ploughing back resources into their old community, reports Michael Kimberley.

Totalling 100 members, the group – working as the Middelburg Community Revival Project (MCRP) – consists of engineers, scientists, HR professionals, bank managers and civil servants.

The apolitical organisation has already headed up projects that “drastically improved” the quality of life for many residents in the industrial town.

One member of the group, Thembinkosi Maseti, 36, who works on quality assurance systems and lives in East London, yesterday said: “(I) do it because I want my younger brother to have a better future.”

The organisation was formed in 2006 shortly after the demarcation process when a group of ex- Ekuthumleni High School pupils came together during a December holiday. Maseti said the industrial town had been forgotten by its “big brother”, Cradock, when they were both marked under the Nxuba  Yethemba Local Municipality.

“We met up and started talking about our community. We realised something drastic had to change for it to survive,” he said.

“Since then you can see the difference. We are developing the community. We are helping the town.”

Lindile Fikizolo, 36, who lives in Johannesburg and works for an audit firm, said the organisation had taught him to be passionate about his community.

“I got sick of seeing the same beggar on the same street corner six years later. Nothing was changing so we took it upon ourselves,” he said.

Fikizolo said since the organisation’s induction, they were quick to realise that the residents lacked a “platform of complaint”.

“The level of education with residents and councillors prevented many people from having their say.  We are doing our best to address this as well,” he said.

Some past and present projects MCRP are involved in include:

- Seeking sponsorships from companies to buy cricket equipment and  soccer balls for local schools;

- Hosting a sports tournament  that involved different race groups in  the town;

- Holding extra classes for  matrics;

- Hosting an annual memorial lecture in recognition of the role played  by local struggle hero Xolile Ntozini;  and

- Initiating an educational programme whereby high schools from  the various ethnic communities  would share resources and best  practices.

The latest project is the construction of a future community centre to be named after Ntozini.

The group is currently seeking funding but has already been allocated land by the local authority.

The centre will have a state-of the- art library, auditorium, art gallery, offices for rental, and a computer centre.

The group’s achievements have not been without challenges.

Member Melisizwe Bleki, 34, who  lives in Pretoria, said: “We continue  to face resistance and sometimes  deliberate obfuscation of our programmes … We believe that the local  council can do more in terms of  bringing services closer to the people.”