ETHEKWINIWEEKLY BULLETIN

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1 July 2019 [Issue 172]By 2030 eThekwini will be Africa’s most caring and liveable City

“KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW”

UMLAZI WASTE REMOVAL CHALLENGES RESOLVED

ETHEKWINI Municipality will create more jobs in the south Durban region as part of a revamped refuse

collection service. The Municipality is presently

in the process of advertising positions to employ uMlazi residents as permanent employees to undertake refuse removal after a period of unrest in the area.The latest developments arose

after the City’s ongoing efforts to address waste collection disruptions in uMlazi. The Municipality subsequently took a decision to utilize the in-house service for refuse collection until permanent staff is appointed. This was announced by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala to uMlazi residents on 29 June during a community engagement meeting on waste collection challenges. Premier Zikalala, who was

accompanied by Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu, Public Works and Human Settlement MEC Peggy Nkonyeni, Acting Mayor Fawzia Peer, eThekwini senior management and councillors, said the Municipality is currently in a process of advertising posts to employ uMlazi residents permanently to undertake waste collection.“As government, who is

committed to serving people, we will not tolerate people who call themselves forums yet disrupt services in the communities. Such people will face the law. No services will be obstructed by greedy people who want to satisfy their gluttonous desires. People

should follow rightful processes if they want to do business with government,” said Premier Zikalala.He said government was

concerned with the wellbeing of the community. “As from to-day, we will ensure that we visit all KZN municipalities to listen to our people and introduce government programmes and projects that will benefit them to ensure that socio-economic challenges are resolved,” add-ed Premier Zikalala.Councillor Peer said: “As the

Municipality we regret that the disruption of service in uMlazi has taken this long.”She said as an effort to

accelerate Radical Economic Transformation (RET) the Municipality took a decision to outsource the collection of refuse to local businesses, but

unfortunately this did not pan out as planned.“After numerous intervention

to resolve the matter, the Municipality decided to in-source the service as the disruption of waste collection was poising health and safety risks in the lives of the residents,” said Councillor Peer.City Manager Sipho Nzuza

shared the same sentiments. “It should be noted that this City under my leadership is not going to advance the agenda of RET if it is going to threaten the welfare of our residents and their livelihoods. We have a responsibility as

the Municipality to elevate the interests of our residents above everything else. However, we will definitely support RET initiatives where

there is discernible evidence that they are improving the wellbeing of our residents. We are proud of the tremendous strides that we have made as the City with regard to giving economic opportunities to an array of contractors owned by multitudes of our residents that were neglected by the old order.” He said the City will continue

to use contractors in various townships provided they live up to their mandate. “The hundreds of millions that we have and still are putting in pockets of contractors, have indeed ushered in change in the lives of many of our people. We are beaming with optimism, in that gradually, we will make a colossal dent on the scourge of inequality that is plaguing our country,” he said.

Acting eThekwini Mayor Fawzia Peer led by example when she rolled-up her sleeves and removed waste in uMlazi following a period of unrest in the area. The Municipality has taken a decision to utilise in-house services for refuse collection in uMlazi until permanent staff is appointed.

2 ETHEKWINI WEEKLY BULLETIN ISSUE 172

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PUBLIC PARTICIPATION TO BRIDGE ECONOMIC MARGINALISATION

DEVELOPING a broader understanding of what democracy means and what it entails was the focal theme of the second Durban International Conference on Public Participation held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on 18 and 19 June.The two-day conference provided a platform to discuss the theoretical and practical implications of addressing economic marginalisation, economic exclusion and how public participation can help bridge the divide. The Municipality welcomed researchers and academics from France, Italy, Nigeria, India, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom

and South Africa where attendees were provided with insight on officials public participation experiences and given an understanding of how theory relates to its practice.The City in association with the Durban University and Technology (DUT) has enabled 600 employees to study towards a Higher Diploma in Public Administration with a specialisation in Public Participation. This successful programme has effectively impacted on two percent of the City’s workforce providing them with analytical abilities and practical skills aimed at public participation.EThekwini Acting Mayor Fawzia Peer said: “The aim of undertaking the Public

AFRICAN CITIES CONTINUE TO ENDEAVOR IN BOLSTERING URBAN SAFETY

COLLECTIVE information sharing among African cities was cited as pivotal in strengthening safer cities practices in order to realise urban safety goals at the Africa Forum for Urban Safety (AFUS) Bureau meeting. The meeting was held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on 27 and 28 June. During the event, held in

partnership by the City and key stakeholders including AFUS member cities and UN Habitat, various points including the report on the AFUS strategic plan, the forum’s legal framework, as well as the learning exchange were presented. Acting eThekwini Mayor

Fawzia Peer, acting in her capacity as the AFUS Chairperson opened the meeting by highlighting the Municipality’s significant contribution of resources

Acting eThekwini Mayor Fawzia Peer speaking at the Africa Forum for Urban Safety Bureau meeting held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on 27 and 28 June.

towards the realisation of 2030 goals which include safety, inclusivity, resilience and sustainability.“A particular focus in this

regard is the effectiveness of our municipal integrated development plans that we seek to review and

further improve through such knowledge exchange and lesson learning,” said Councillor Peer. Senior Manager for the

Safer Cities Unit Nomusa Shembe, while presenting on the City Safety Audit and the City Safety Laboratory,

listed what has been achieved thus far including Council approving cooperation between institutions of higher learning and the Municipality as well as the commencement of engagements to develop the Safety Curriculum and Lab. Shembe also highlighted some

of the findings that emerged from the safety audit, listing drugs and alcohol as some of the main concerns.“Easily available drugs and

alcohol is still one of the most concerning challenges in our communities,” said Shembe. Coordinator for the Safer Cities

Programme within UN Habitat, Juma Assiago, spoke on the role of the City in addressing crime, violence and insecurity.“Safety is a key driver of the

urban development agenda and safety is currently a hot topic which is why we hope that the guidelines in this forum will be adopted into regional guidelines,” said Assiago.

EThekwini Municipality officials and various stakeholders who presented at the second Durban International Conference on Public Participation.

Participation Training Programme in partnership with DUT was that our employees should receive appropriate accredited qualifications and gain a thorough understanding of the importance of public participation in the deepening and strengthening of South Africa’s democracy.”DUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor Sibusiso Moyo said: “We are highly in support of this collaboration with the City. We view the role of this conference as bridging the gap between organisations and universities. It brings together practitioners with experience and the universities’ theoretical addition to collaborate and produce new knowledge.”

ISSUE 172 ETHEKWINI WEEKLY BULLETIN 3

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SIGMA BUSINESS PARK NEARS COMPLETION

BUILDING A SAFE GLEBELANDS

Glebelands Community Residential Unit Manager Thabani Nyawose showed Municipal officials, including City Manager Sipho Nzuza the newly built flats in the area.

RESIDENTS from the Glebelands Community Residential Unit (CRU) are steadily moving towards their dream of living in a dignified and secure environment. The Glebelands CRU, which is located in uMlazi, accommodates over 22 000 residents compromising of men, women and children.Over the years, the deterioration of the CRU has gained the Municipality’s attention resulting in various departments being deployed to provide services to improve residents’ living conditions. It has been two years since the deployment of services and eThekwini City Manager Sipho Nzuza along with Municipal officials last week led an inspection to gauge the work that has been done as well as identify other areas of concern to be addressed.Thus far, the City has rendered the following services to residents;

Roads and Stormwater- After conducting inspections around the community residence, Roads and Stormwater officials reported 110 manholes, which have been fixed. Cleansing and Solid Waste -The unit has an integrated approach together with the Human Settlements Unit and has ensured that waste gets collected every Thursday and

Saturday.Housing -To date, the Human Settlements Unit has built 32 new units for residents with plans to revamp existing buildings.Water and Sanitation-Over the next 12 months, the unit hopes to divide the bathrooms and renovate the lavatories by adding new toilets, showers and new water pipes.

Electricity-To beef up safety for residents, the Electricity Unit will be adding floodlights to dark areas of Glebelands.Parks, Recreation and Culture-Every five weeks, the unit ensures that the grass within the CRU is cut. The unit has plans to add a swimming pool that will cost R50 000 as well as an outdoor gym facility.Safer Cities (Crime Prevention) -The Metro Police have been deployed to work 24 hour shifts and send out patrol cars every hour to monitor the area. Disaster Management and Emergency Control-In 2017, six dome pan–tilt–zoom cameras and 44 box surveillance cameras with connections to the SAPS help desk were installed. The installation of these cameras has proved successful as criminal activities have been captured. Suspects were arrested and firearms have been recovered from people who looked suspicious.

THE Cornubia precinct has become a hub of economic activity with a growing number of businesses located in the node. Currently there is another

private investment being developed in the node which will bring communities closer to job opportunities, affordable trading units and contribute to local economic growth.Construction of the Sigma

Business Park which is located within the newly established Cornubia Industrial Business started in July last year and is about 95 percent complete. It is expected to be up and running by August.The business park will provide

30 double-storey units that are 180 square meters each. The units are innovatively designed to allow vehicles requiring height clearance to be able to drive in for uploading and off-

loading purposes. These units will accommodate a wide range of uses including warehousing, services and light industrial, distribution, manufacturing, logistics and showrooms. Due to the project scale and

impact, Sigma Park is one of the developments that has benefited from the Municipal-ity’s Economic Development Incentive Policy this year which offers a rates rebates in order to encourage businesses to ex-pand and grow within the City. Dr Ajiv Maharaj, Deputy Head

of the Municipality’s Economic Development and Investment Promotion Unit said: “The development activated local economic impact as it drew temporary labour of 60 jobs from the area during the construction phase. It also stimulated the economy further by providing private capital expenditure at a time when the

The almost complete Sigma Business Park, located in the Cornubia node, is expected to contribute vastly to local economic growth.

economy needs it the most. From the City’s point of view, it will increase the revenue base by adding 5 245 square metres of ratable industrial buildings and provide approximately 10 permanent jobs.”Developer of Sigma Park,

George Koumantarakis of Koumantarakis Group of Companies said businesses have already shown an interest in the development. “Secured occupiers are from automotive, clothing and coffee roasting

sectors.” Head of the Municipality’s

Human Settlements Unit Lawrence Pato said: “With Cor-nubia being the largest sustain-able mixed-use development in the province, the aim was for the node to attract as many retail and industrial facilities as possible for communities to access jobs and business opportunities closer to home. We are happy the development is living up to its vision.”

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EDITORIAL TEAMACTING EDITOR: Mandla Nsele • CONTENT EDITOR: Nondumiso Mathomane WRITERS: Charmel Payet, Sanelisiwe Shandu, Nonhlanhla Mkhabela, Carly Abdul-Rasheed, Nonduduzo Ngcongo and Jessie Singh.• PHOTOGRAPHERS: Pumla Khwela, Mpumelelo Makhaye and Busiswa Chiliza • DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Zimana Bashe

SERVICE DELIVERY LEARNING EXCHANGE

OFFICIALS from the Chris Hani District Municipality attended a two-day knowledge exchange programme on 24 and 25 June to learn more about eThekwini Municipality service delivery operations.The study tour focused mainly

on the role the Municipal Public Committee (MPAC) plays in curbing wasteful expenditure, the City’s complex water management operations and customer services centres.EThekwini’s Head of

Governance and International Relations Eric Apelgren explained the structures within Council, with reference to the role of the City Manager and the reporting structures of the executive committee. Other topics covered were the positive impact of the City’s Ombudsman Office and the purpose of war rooms. Apelgren

emphasised that eThekwini is committed to good governance and accountability.The City’s Water and

Sanitation (EWS) Deputy Head Aaron Mfunda presented the City’s plans on providing effective, affordable and sustainable water services to its residents. He said the department’s philosophy is to invest in human resources which enhanced service delivery. Mfunda said the City has a 24-hour call centre including a WhatsApp, SMS and email service for customers. The visiting delegation also

showed a keen interest in learning about the City’s communications platforms. The Communications Unit Acting Head Mandla Nsele showcased the 11 communication tools and described the role of the

department in coordinating all communications activities for Council. Chris Hani District

Municipality Senior Manager from the Office of the Speaker Nozibele Makanda said the delegation was highly impressed with the study tour, adding that the team will continue to engage with eThekwini to implement its ideas and strategies. “Although we are a rural district, the learning exchange has shown us the parallels and programmes we can use for future partnerships,” said Makanda. Day two of the study tour

concluded with site visits to EWS headquarters and two Sizakala Customer Services Centres in uMlazi.

EThekwini’s Head of Governance and International Relations Eric Apelgren, centre, with officials from the Chris Hani District Municipality. The delegation visited the City on a two-day learning exchange programme.

SARS services offered at Sizakala CentresTHE South African Revenue Services (SARS) will be operating from selected Sizakala Customer Service Centres from 8 July.SARS will assign its Mobile

Tax Unit with trained staff to the centres where they will render tax-related services.This emanated from a

need for Sizakala Customer Services to provide this service to the public. EThekwini Municipality aims to provide access to services provided by SARS to areas closer to the community, affording SARS with a platform to expand and improve on the delivery of its services to residents.This agreement will see

eThekwini residents and the public in general, who need tax-related services, benefiting.The tax-related services to

be offered include;• Tax registrations,• Completion and

submission of tax returns,• Submission of pay you

earn reconciliations and EasyFile assistance,

• Statements of accounts,• General enquiries and,• Changes to registered

particulars.The services will be offered

from 8 July at the following Sizakala Centres;• On the second Monday

of the month at MegaCity Sizakala Centre in uMlazi and, Mnini Thusong Centre in Umnini /Mgababa.

• On the fourth Monday of the month in Mpumalanga Sizakala Centres in the Mpumalanga Township/Hammarsdale and Verulam Sizakala Centre in Verulam.