ETHEKWINIWEEKLY BULLETIN

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09 April 2018 [Issue 117]By 2030 eThekwini will be Africa’s most caring and liveable City

“KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW”

the budget. A major highlight is that

the City’s catalytic projects will attract over R100 billion in private and public sector investment and tourism.Despite increasingly

challenging circumstances and economic constraints, service delivery will continue to be sustained through the 2018/19 budget by reprioritising expenditure to ensure that key objectives are achieved. EThekwini Mayor Zandile

Gumede said: “The budget has been developed to contribute to the Municipality achieving the strategic objectives of the Integrated Development Plan. The 2018/19 Medium Term

Revenue and Expenditure Framework is informed by the Municipality’s long-term financial strategy with emphasis on affordability and long-term sustainability.” Some challenges

outlined include the high unemployment rate in the City, service delivery backlogs and further demands due to the impact of rapid urbanisation and the growth of the rates base. Proposed tariff increases are at

affordable rates and takes into consideration the plight of the poor. The proposed electricity tariff is 6.84 percent, the water tariff increase is proposed at 15 percent for domestic and

15.5 percent for business. Umgeni Water would be reviewing their tariff increase and as a result the City would also review the proposed tariff increase. The refuse removal tariff increase is proposed at 9.9 percent, sanitation at 9.9 percent and rates (average) of 6.9 percent.Other highlights include a

massive R107.8 million that is budgeted solely for youth development and residents benefitting from soup kitchens will be pleased to know that R112.4 million has been allocated for an additional 18 soup kitchens.

DURBAN’S DRAFT BUDGET TO BE RELEASED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

EThekwini Municipality’s 2018/19 financial year’s Medium Term budget, which was approved by Council, is a consolidated budget of R45.8 billion which has been developed with an overall planning framework and includes programmes and projects to achieve the City’s strategic objectives.

ETHEKWINI Municipality’s draft budget for the 2018/19 financial year - of

R45.8 billion - is expected to be released for public consultation in mid-April and will thereafter be adopted at the end of May. The draft budget report

was tabled at a Full Council meeting on 28 March and will be presented to standing committees, businesses and the public along with other stakeholders. Budget consultations and presentations form an important part of the budget process as all comments will be considered before finalising and adopting

2 ETHEKWINI WEEKLY BULLETIN ISSUE 117

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RACHEL FINLAYSON POOL UPGRADE NEARING COMPLETIONTHE multimillion rand upgrade to the Rachel Finlayson Pool on the Durban beachfront is nearing completion with the facility expected to be completed and open to the public in the next few months.Gopaul Pillay, Manager of

Aquatic Safety Pools said the facility is estimated to be ready between June and July. He said there have been some delays as a result of inclement weather. This includes the storm in October last year as well as recent rainfall.He said however, despite the

delays, the upgrades were still within budget.Pillay said some of the

upgrades to the facility include that the 50 metres pool is two metre deepened flat with an underwater hockey field. He said the pool will also accommodate water polo.Previously, the work on the

Rachel Finlayson Swimming Pool was halted in order to allow eThekwini Municipality the appropriate time to procure a finishing contract within the current financial year (2017/18).In the last financial year, the

rehabilitation of the Rachel Finlayson Swimming Pool posed a significant challenge as the full scope of the repair work to be undertaken could only be determined once the concrete walls and floors of the pool were exposed.The original scope of work was

to mitigate or eliminate the significant amounts of daily water loss experienced at the pool. This comprised of crack

repairs to the pool walls and floor, joint filling and sealing and replacement of defective pipework including some structural modifications. This, among other issues, needed to be addressed.The second item for additional

work related to a structurally

deficient pool structure discovered upon “uncovering” of the structure. Upon removal of the floor tiles and exposing behind the pool walls, it was discovered that the pools structure did not conform to design requirements for

a typical water retaining structure. The buttressed walls were relatively thin and prone to cracking under load and the pool floor appeared to be uncharacteristically unjointed. This observation explained the significant daily water loss

experienced at the pool. A report was submitted to the

Bid Adjudication Committee in terms of the Supply Chain Management Policy, for the necessary repair work to be undertaken.

The upgrades taking place at the Rachel Finlayson Pool will soon be completed with the facility expected to be open to the public in the next few months.

ISSUE 117 ETHEKWINI WEEKLY BULLETIN 3

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REVIVING the township economy by bringing economic opportunities closer to the people and empowering small businesses will continue to be prioritised by eThekwini Municipality.The KwaMnyandu

Development node is a prime example as it already serves as a catalyst for local economic empowerment. While there has already been significant investment in the KwaMnyandu Development node, there are plans to further improve the local economy.The 200 000 square metres

in size Gross Lettable Area (GLA) node houses the 23 000 square metres KwaMnyandu Shopping Mall and the R33 million pedestrian bridge

that provides easy access to the entire node which also boasts brand new facilities for informal traders. The node is situated in

uMlazi, south of Durban and is the country’s second largest township with a population of over a million people. The planned, zoned and

approved available vacant development opportunities within the node includes high-density residential facilities, commercial facilities and retail. Deputy City Manager for

the Economic Development and Planning Cluster Phillip Sithole said the node still has about 150 000 GLA to be unlocked which is valued at over R2 billion. “The City is prepared to prioritise the

zoning and approval of building plans of any economic viable development to the node.”Sithole said some of the

portion of the unused space is going to be utilised by the Municipality to construct a R25 million, 2 000 square metres light industrial incubator to house the area’s small, medium and micro-sized enterprises. Construction is set to begin in May. “A survey conducted in 2012

indicates that approximately 28 percent of the overall population in uMlazi are employed, 38 percent are unemployed and 34 percent are not economically active. Therefore, the investments being made in this node are to address unemployment and for

people to become economically active,” he said. Sithole said the node is in a

strategic location as the M30 Highway (Griffiths Mxenge Highway) and the railway meet at this juncture, resulting in a high concentration of people in the area who have ease of access to public transport facilities. As a result the area has been identified as having incredible potential to be developed as an economic node in terms of trading and services. He said there are linkages planned to boost and create easy access to the node since the railway line next to the Griffiths Mxenge Highway creates a barrier between the western and eastern areas of uMlazi.

ETHEKWINI CONTINUES TO BOOST TOWNSHIP ECONOMY

The City has plans to further develop the KwaMnyandu Development node with about 150 000 square metres in size Gross Lettable Area to be unlocked which is valued over R2 billion.

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EDITORIAL TEAMEDITOR: Tozi Mthethwa • CONTENT EDITOR: Gugu Sisilana • WRITERS: Charmel Payet, Princess

Nkabane, Romita Hanuman-Pillay, Nonduduzo Ngcongo and Jessie Singh • DESIGN AND

LAYOUT: Zakhe Ntshingila

CITY DISCUSSES TRANSFORMING THE INFORMAL ECONOMY TO CONTINUOUSLY empower and develop Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs), eThekwini Municipality recently partnered with key stakeholders to host a national dialogue on the Transition from the Informal to Formal Economy in South Africa.The three-day dialogue was

held from 26 to 28 March at the eLangeni Hotel in Durban. The dialogue featured

discussions on legal reform, participatory approach to law making, rights of workers, including collective bargaining and worker organisations at a local and provincial level, decent jobs for all and social protection.The dialogue was in line with

implementing Resolution 204 (the transition from the informal to formal economy) which was adopted in 2015 during the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Resolution 204 applies to all workers and economic units in the informal economy including own account workers, employers, wage workers, domestic workers, subcontracted workers and members of cooperatives and social solidarity organisations. The thought-provoking

dialogue provided a platform for various stakeholders to engage in robust engagements and emerge with an Integrated Provincial Master Plan and Integrated National Strategy

for facilitating the transition from the informal to formal economy. The City’s Municipal Institute

of Learning facilitated the workshop and brought together the Department of Labour, the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC), the R204 national task team and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to guide the participants.Some of the key discussions

were regarding the provision of rights, protections and incentives for informal workers and informal businesses and the need for a friendly legal and policy driven environment.KwaZulu-Natal Provincial

Street Law Co-ordinator

Phumzile Xulu who spoke on the ‘Current status quo of Informality in South Africa’, said that the informal economy is not adequately protected and promoted through legislation and policies and that informal workers were not fully enjoying their Constitutional Rights.Xulu said that the way

forward should include strong representation by informal worker organisations or unions to promote collective bargaining. Xulu added that current

labour laws must be amended and that new laws must be developed through the Law Reform and Sectoral Determination processes.

R2 MILLION NORTH STORMWATER DRAINANGE SYSTEM UPGRADE TO CURB FLOODINGFLOODING in the event of a storm in the northern parts of the City will be considerably reduced when eThekwini Municipality completes upgrades to the storm water drainage system running under the M4 Ruth First Highway at the Armstrong Avenue and Melkhout Road intersection.EThekwini Municipality’s

Coastal, Stormwater and Catchment Management Services Area Project Engineer Prashan Shukla said the R2 million upgrade will not only repair some of the damage that was incurred during the devastating heavy rains that occurred in October last year, but will also include reinforcing

the embankment.“During the upgrade the

City will also redirect the existing stream, strengthen the

drainage system and introduce more manholes which will ease the strain on the other water inlets during storms,” he said.

The project began in March and is expected to be completed in May, subject to agreeable weather conditions.Prishen said the stormwater

drainage system upgrade would not affect any motorists.“We will, however, have a

team flagging down motorists to ensure that our workers are safe. We ask that motorists are patient and adhere to the rules of the road,” he said.Meanwhile, all other post-

storm infrastructure repairs commenced in February this year. A report detailing the extent of the damage, repairs and financial implications will be compiled once all work is complete.

Upgrades to the storm water drainage system which runs under the M4 Ruth First Highway at the Armstrong Avenue and Melkhout Road intersection will reduce flooding after heavy rain.