Buffalo City’s 2010 chief, Roy Young, is a former primary school headmaster and sports administrator, a former professional South African soccer player, a former provincial rugby player, and, is devoted to helping uplift his community.
On top of being Buffalo City’s 2010 Project Manager, Young is the Director of the Community and Child Development Centre (an NGO), a founder member of the Buffalo Flats Chamber of Business (for disadvantaged groups), Buffalo City’s Senior Superintendent: Amenities and was the CEO of Border Athletics.
Young was an ANC deployed councillor from 1995 to 2003, the former chairperson of the Douglas Sparks ANC Branch (2001 to 2005) and played a huge role in providing people with government RDP houses in the greater Buffalo Flats area.
The former headmaster of Arpiranza Primary School (1994 to 2000) - who has a Sports Administration and Coaching Diploma and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fort Hare - is committed to helping young scholars from underprivileged backgrounds. He annually assisted Grade 7 scholars to be accommodated at senior schools to further their studies.
Questions:
1. Where were you born and bred and what is one of your fondest memories of growing up in the Eastern Cape?
I was born and bred in East London. Although suffering economic hardship at times, I learnt to live a life of contentment with our circumstances at the time, appreciating the concerted efforts of my parents to provide for me and my siblings. I will always treasure this memory of my parents.
2. Are you married? Do you have children?
I am married to Yvonne ‘Toeksie” and we have 3 children namely: Karen (married), Anqus (Forensic Investigator at SIU, also married) and Devon (3rd year law student) and a grandson (Andy).
3. Are you an avid sports lover? Do you play any sport or keep fit?
Yes, I still have passion for sport. I played soccer for Saints and also represented my province (Border) on numerous occasions and was selected for the South African Soccer Team under the auspices of the SASF in 1979 & 1981 respectively. I also played professional soccer for East London (EL) United and Port Elizabeth United. I was also a school’s sports administrator, and, was chairperson of Saints Football Club for ten years. I am currently the Honoured Life Vice President of the club.
I played rugby for Dower Teacher’s College, Old Boys and Rising Stars and also represented EL Rugby Union at the SA Colleges’ XV. I played cricket for Dower and Good Hope Cricket clubs.
4. What drives and motivates you in your work?
My passion for sport and the fact that I can contribute to the social upliftment of citizens of the Buffalo City Municipality and the development of sports facilities especially in the disadvantaged areas.
5. What do you value most in life or what is your motto/vision for life?
I value and treasure life itself- the mere fact that I can live another day. My motto or vision for life is “Never Stop Doing Good to Others”.
6. What has been one of the most memorable highlights in your career? Or, what has been one of your most personally rewarding jobs/or tasks?
There are many, but I will share one memorable highlight in my life. It was when I met the former president Nelson Mandela face to face at the unveiling of the late Steve Bantu Biko’s statue here in East London.
7. What memories do you hope our 2010 visitors will take home with them?
To remember our city, province and country as a safe and secure sport and tourism destination of choice, where one is free to live, work and play.
8. What would you like to see 2010 leaving in Buffalo City . . . what legacy would make it all worth it for you?
Of course, a successful 2010 world cup event but more so a legacy of improved sports facilities, especially in the rural areas as well as skills development of our youth.
9. What has been the most valuable lesson you have learnt so far about dealing with an international event?
To be efficient and effective in what you do and to strive for excellence at all times. In short, never to be content with mediocrity!
Nelson MandelaBay municipality's 2010 World Cup Executive Director Errol Heynes has been involved in community-based sport for more than 40 years, as a player, a coach and administrator.
With an arms length of prestigious sports, political, community and economic development positions to his name (too many to mention) here are just a few of Heynes’ achievements over the years:
Heynes served on the Eastern Province soccer, cricket and football boards as well as on the National Olympics and Sports Congress. He is also an honorary life member of the Eastern Cape Sports Council and is a founder and the President of the Glenville Celtic Football Club in Nelson Mandela Bay. Heynes also won the Eastern Cape Provincial Government Sports Achiever Award for service in national and provincial sports bodies.
He also served as Deputy Mayor and Councilor on the first democratically elected Port Elizabeth City Council, serving concurrently as head of the Local Economic Unit which he set up.
Heynes was instrumental in attracting investors to the Eastern Cape during his tenure as Deputy Mayor – serving as the first Chairperson of the Coega Section 21 Company (for which he won the Port Elizabeth Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Percci) Local Economy Award. The Port Elizabeth/Gothenburg twin city partnership was his brain-child. Heynes also initiated and developed the Community Self-Employment Centre (Comsec) since 1996.
Questions:
1. Were you born and bred in Port Elizabeth and what is one of your fondest memories of growing up here?
Yes - but growing up was tough. My family was moved twice by the group areas act before I was 7-years-old. I spent most of my growing up period in Gelvandale in the middle of gangsterism.
2. Are you married? Do you have children?
I am married to Kayleen and we have two children - Tammy-Leigh, a HR graduate, and Trenton who is in matric at Victoria Park High.
3. Are you an avid sports lover? Do you play any sport or keep fit?
Yes, have always been addicted to sport. I represented EP Schools in athletics and soccer. I also played soccer for Trojans AFC and Glenville Celtic, the club that produced Bafana Bafana players Elrio Van Heerden and Dayne Klayte. I’m still the president of the club. I also played cricket for Shatterprufe in the juniors and Albany and Omega in the seniors. I still try to keep fit. I swam the Redhouse River mile and did the full MTN triathlon challenge this year. Also did the highest bungi jump in the world on my 50th birthday at the “ BlaaukransRiverBridge”.
4. What drives and motivates you in your work?
I thrive on innovation and hard work and achieving success under difficult conditions, that is why I have taken up the challenge of the World Cup. I love working with people, who also see the possibilities that challenges present. I believe in taking on the challenges as they present themselves and although failure is not an option, should things go wrong - I believe in failing forward.
5. What do you value most in life or what is your motto/vision for life?
Honesty, integrity and a sound value system. “Do unto others what you would want others to do unto you. What goes around inevitably comes around.” I also know that I am not perfect and don’t pretend to be. We all have our faults, strengths and weaknesses.
6. What has been one of the most memorable highlights in your career? Or, what has been one of your most personally rewarding jobs/or tasks/experiences?
Voting for the first time in 1994 was euphoric. Also, the success of Comsec - which I grew out of nothing. The establishment of the Economic Development Unit when I was in council and the success of our soccer club Glenville Celtic AFC. There are many other spikes like having played a key role in the start of the Coega project, being Deputy Mayor of NMB, being a member of the team that set up the National Sports Council and negotiated the national sports unity process in South Africa and playing a role in the establishment of the South End Museum.
7. Are you confident that NelsonMandelaBay’s stadium will be ready by the March 2009 deadline set by FIFA?
Most definitely. We are faced with some challenges, but it is folly to think that a massive project like this will be without challenges. It is how we manage those challenges that counts.
8. What memories do you hope our 2010 visitors will take home with them?
I sincerely hope that we can change the international perception of SA as a country riddled with crime. I would also like for us to showcase the province and metro to ensure repeat visits. We have to show the international community the resilience and ability of South Africans. That is why the people of the province should be focused on what we can do for the success of the World Cup instead of what we can get out of the World Cup. The benefits that we are going to derive from the World Cup, post 2010, will be directly proportional to the success of the World Cup in the province and metro.
9. What would you like to see 2010 leaving in Nelson Mandela Bay . . . what legacy would make it all worth it for you?
A successful World Cup that puts the metro and province on the map permanently to the 30 billion viewers across the globe. Most of all I would like to see the World Cup uniting our country into a true non racial democracy that we all burst with pride to be South African brothers and sisters irrespective of race. It’s my view that we have been moving apart as South Africans after the euphoria of 1994 and the Rugby World Cup in 1995.There is a distinct feeling of marginalisation among minority groups.
10. What has been the most valuable lesson you have learnt so far about dealing with an international event?
That we are viewed with a great deal of Afro pessimism by many, as a third world country . That we have to produce world class if we want to compete internationally.
