ETHEKWINIWEEKLY BULLETIN

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19 February 2016 [issue 21]By 2030 eThekwini will be Africa’s most caring and liveable city

“kEEPinG YOU in ThE knOw”

PLAnS are moving steadily ahead to ensure Durban hosts an outstanding Commonwealth Games in 2022. This is to ensure the event is a

success especially in the tourism and infrastructure sector.The City is expecting around 200

000 visitors during the Games with an estimated R20 billion to be injected into the South African economy. Visitors are expected to contribute about R12 billion in direct expenditure. Deputy City Manager of Community and

Emergency Services Dr Musa Gumede said an inter-ministerial committee of cabinet would meet before the end of the month to decide on a planning structure.he said from there, different committees

would be formed to tackle the various aspects of hosting the Games.“Once these are up and running, members

from different organisations will be invited to sit on the sub-committees and the real planning will begin,” Gumede said. The impact the Games would have on

the City and province was mentioned at the Tourism Forum hosted by the Durban Chamber of Commerce and industry held at the inkosi Albert Luthuli international Convention Centre this week. Chairman of the Durban 2022

Commonwealth Games Bid Committee Mark Alexander said around 80 percent of infrastructure was already in place.Alexander said the tourism marketing

structure was fundamental to maximising and increasing the national and international brand awareness of Durban and kwaZulu-natal through integrated marketing plans. “Tourism plays a big role in ensuring that

the City and the country generate return on

global investment and that there are job creation opportunities. we need relevant stakeholders and joint venture policies to encourage more people to visit Durban before and after the Games,” he said.Durban as a host city has played a

fundamental role in cementing the country’s reputation as a leading sporting destination. The bid was also part of Durban’s strategic plan to promote the City as a world-class sport destination as R3,4 billion has been invested in sporting infrastructure since 2009. Durban Chamber of Commerce and

industry CEO Dumile Cele urged the youth and businesses, including small, medium and micro-sized enterprises, to invest in the Games and to work together to achieve economic growth and development. This would also assist in promoting social cohe-sion, she said.

CiTY’s COMMONWeALTH GAMes DeVeLOpMeNT pLANs uNDeRWAY

delegates from member states of the Commonwealth Games nations and territories toured the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium and other sports facilities during their visit to durban in 2015 to inspect durban’s value proposition to stage the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

2 eThekwini weekly BulleTin issue 21

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EThEkwini Municipality’s Electricity Unit’s mandate is to provide electricity, public lighting and other energy services that satisfy our customers and community needs while maintaining sound business principles.The City supplies electricity

to over 730 000 customers over 2000km2. however, theft of infrastructure and electricity continues to be a major challenge. numerous interventions have been implemented to curb theft. In the 2014/15 financial year there were 11 reported incidents involving illegal electrical connections which led to injury or fatalities. infrastructure theft often

causes damage to consumer appliances, extended outages and results in huge costs for the Municipality. To mitigate this trend, regular sweeps, disconnections and removal of tampered installations are done. Furthermore, electrification in informal settlements is expected to have a positive impact as the Unit expands its electrification reach.Several initiatives including

modifications to the infrastructure have been taken to minimise the impact of illegal electricity connections. The following are some of

the modifications made to the infrastructure and/or initiatives taken in an effort to overcome

the problem:• Frequent removal of illegal

connections: Our illegal services contractor teams, escorted by the security guards remove illegal connections on a regular basis.

• Affected service connections have been converted from underground mains to overhead mains, to minimise the interruption of supply to these customers;

• The overhead, bare copper, low voltage circuits have been replaced with aerial bundled conductor (ABC) as a deterrent to tapping onto the exposed copper lines;

• Circuits have been reconfigured to reduce the

interruption of supplies; • Awareness programmes

are conducted regularly to educate customers/residents on safety, reporting on the theft of electricity and the consequences of connecting electricity illegally;

• Short poles have been replaced with longer ones to prevent access to the overhead cables/connections.

EThekwini Mayor James nxumalo invites the public to share their ideas with the City including any advanced cable theft prevention methods that will help us win the fight against this crime.

eTHeKWiNi AT YOuR seRViCe

EThekwini Municipality’s Electricity Unit officials, Eskom, Telkom, members of the South African Police Service and other law enforcement authorities disconnected thousands of illegally connected electricity wires in the Sitaram and Imona informal settlement area in uThongathi today.

CiTY sTeps up FiGHT AGAiNsT iLLeGAL eLeCTRiCTY CONNeCTiONsA JOinT operation comprising eThekwini Municipality’s Electricity Unit officials, Eskom, Telkom, members from the South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies disconnected thousands of illegally connected electricity wires in the Sitaram and imona informal settlements in uThongathi today, 19 February 2016.The settlements were enclosed

by a web of live wires, that creep into the grubby maze of tightly knit informal dwellings. These exposed illegal electricity wires are either connected from tree to tree, going over houses, washing lines and pathways. The area visited today was identified by law enforcement authorities as one of the City’s illegal connection hotspots.A City Senior Technician

from the Revenue Protection Unit in the northern and northwestern region said the area was targeted due to a growing number of reports of people and livestock being electrocuted.

he said the City had had a number of successful disconnection operations but there were still challenges.“As much as this is for the

good of the community, we are still met with a lot of resistance from residents. During disconnection operations people will become volatile and threaten to harm us. we always bring armed law enforcement as the community can become violent,” he said.he said this was the third

time his team was in the area

to disconnect illegal electricity connections in recent months.“Every time we conduct a

clean-up, we get reports of reconnections within a month’s time,” he said.he added that he suspected

a syndicate was operating in the area but police were investigating the matter. he said there were a number of other clean-up operations scheduled in other areas as well. The scourge of illegal electricity connection has been an on-going challenge in

eThekwini Municipality. The Municipality has

continuously warned residents against cable and electricity theft as it often resulted in devastating and tragic consequences, such as loss of life as well as damage to infrastructure costing the Municipality approximately R230 million annually.Several interventions

including modifications to the infrastructure have been taken to minimise the impact of illegal connections.

issue 21 eThekwini weekly BulleTin 3

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ThE City has rolled out free internet and wi-Fi access at 79 public libraries throughout the eThekwini Municipal area, including townships and rural areas. All eThekwini residents are

set to benefit from this service, especially the youth and school-going children.By supplying the free internet

service the City aims to enrich the community, aid intellectual development and fulfil the Library Department’s role as an information center.networks and

Telecommunications Senior Manager, immanuel Pillay said internet has become an important part of learning and communication. “Library patrons are offered data allocation of 250 megabytes a day to ensure that everyone has a fair experience and quick access to the internet,” he said.The wireless Project started

in March 2011 and at that time only 30 libraries were connected. The wi-Fi Service has since grown and has

ThE best and determined creative minds in the entertainment sector will be in eThekwini later this month when the City hosts the Creative industry Summit in partnership with the Office of the Premier.The summit, which will

be the first of its kind, will provide a pivotal platform for the advancement of the creative industry in kwaZulu-natal. The provincial government is of the view that the creative industry has the potential to be a leading sector in generating economic

growth, employment and trade. The summit will he held from 26-27 February 2016. A number of influential artists

including Bheki Mseleku, one of South Africa’s most talented jazz musicians, nanda Sooben, a gifted artist and graphic designer, musician Johnny Clegg and a proud South African ambassador as well as artist noria Mabasa will be in attendance.Delegates will be able

to share ideas on how to overcome challenges in the creative industry sector.

The summit will provide a platform for stakeholders and government to share views on how to unlock the potential of the sector, including opportunities for youth as well as ways of developing the creative arts industry with business and legal acumen. There will be panel discussions, presentations, seminars and exhibitions taking place during the two-day summit. EThekwini Deputy Mayor

nomvuzo Shabalala said the City contributing towards the event was “money well spent”

as promoting the creative arts was important and the economic benefits it would bring would contribute towards the country’s economy.Council Speaker Logie

naidoo said the creative industry played a significant role in growing the province’s economic development. he said there was a wealth of talent to be unearthed in kwaZulu-natal.“it is wonderful to be linking

so many organisations together and providing a platform for the creative industry on such a high level event,” he said.

CiTY ROLLs OuT FRee Wi-Fi AT MuNiCipAL LibRARies

become more streamlined, quick, efficient and paperless with adjustments being made to the way users now connect.

Anyone with a cellphone device for instance can walk into a Municipal library and access the internet for free

by simply switching on the wireless icon on their device. “Access to the internet is a necessary tool for all as it brings the public into contact with a wider range of information, whether it’s to apply for jobs or conducting research for school children,” Pillay added.Andile nzama, a Grade 8

learner from Open Air School said internet access at Municipal libraries has helped him a lot when it comes to his school work. “i am able to do research for school projects and have a better understanding of my work,” he said.The free wi-Fi project cost the

City approximately R160 000 for equipment. There is also a monthly cost of R30 000 for internet Bandwidth. The remaining 11 libraries will be connected after the installation of our Fibre Links to those libraries. There is a project underway to ensure that the remaining libraries also have free wi-Fi and it is expected to be completed by January 2017.

Nokwanda Gumede (14) a Grade 10 learner from George Campbell School of Technology and Andile Nzama (14) a Grade 8 learner from Open Air School using free Wi-Fi at one of the Municipal libraries in the City Centre to conduct research for their school project.

CiTY TO HOsT CReATiVe iNDusTRY suMMiT

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Email: gugu.mbonambi@durban.gov.za

if you would like to submit feedback or contribute to eThekwini weekly Bulletin

EdiTOriAl TEAMEdITor: Tozi Mthethwa, Head of Communications • CoNTENT EdITor: Gugu Mbonambi

WrITErS: Charmel Payet, Ziyanda Dlembula, Princess nkabane

& Mandisi hlatshwayo dESiGN ANd lAyOUT: Sandile Sokhela

EThEkwini’s Arts and Culture industry has been thrust in the spotlight after the City revealed its high-level plan to develop the sector while nurturing its local talent. The City’s interventions

include the redevelopment of its arts and culture facilities in and around eThekwini. The Municipality recently completed the identification process of infrastructural projects that will reposition the arts and culture industry as part of the inner City Regeneration Strategy. The regeneration project will

include areas such as the Rivertown Arts and Culture Precinct, the Gandhi Street, Ushaka Marine Precinct, kwaMashu kCap and Umbilo Sports ground, to mention a few. Speaking at an Artist imbizo

held at the Rivertown Beer hall on wednesday, 17 February 2017, Chairperson of the health, Safety and Social Services Committee Zandile Gumede emphasised the City’s commitment to invest in its people, especially the youth, in the creative industry. “Such

CiTY pAssiONATe AbOuT ARTs AND CuLTuRe iNDusTRY

Local artist Sindi Msomi engages with City leadership during an imbizo for those in the Creative Arts Industry on how artists and government can work together to grow the Arts and Culture Industry.

projects will decentralise the City’s economy to avoid over reliance on a few selected areas,” she said.Gumede also announced

plans to develop an Arts and Culture Policy as a guide on how the City interacts with its local artists and also define its role in this sector. “The City strongly believes in the empowerment of its local artists. we are conscious

that the creative industry is a strategic tool for economic growth and job creation,” she said.The policy with strive to

bridge the gap between the government and the creative industry as a whole. with these initiatives the

City hopes to have a thriving creative industry while creating jobs especially for young people.

EThEkwini Municipality will be hosting the first Durban Maritime Summit next week. The summit will take place at the inkosi Albert Luthuli international Convention Centre from 24-26 February 2016.The summit, hosted by

EThekwini Maritime Cluster in partnership with eThekwini Municipality, aims to position Durban as a Smart Port City. The port of Durban is the

biggest in South Africa, generating more than 60

percent of the combined revenue of South Africa’s eight ports and handling 80 million tons of cargo annually.The summit is designed to be

outcomes based and provide delegates with an opportunity to participate in robust discussion that will result in resolutions. These resolutions will be

implemented during the 2016 financial year and a report back on achievements will be made at the second Durban Maritime

Summit in 2017. The line-up of topics during

the summit includes maritime security, maritime enterprise development, maritime skills development and training, sustainable development and operation of the maritime sector as well as improving the competitiveness of Durban’s marine manufacturing and transport sector. A Trade and Career Expo will

be held simultaneously at the Durban Exhibition Centre.

Maritime Summit to boost Durban’s economic growth

COMMUNiTy MEdiA FOrUM bEArS FrUiTFUl rESUlTS

ThE second meeting of the Community Media Forum, which was launched by the City in October last year, took place at Suncoast Casino recently.

The aim of the Forum is to bridge the information gap between the City and its residents. head of eThekwini Communications Tozi Mthethwa said community media played a critical role in achieving this.

“Community media is close to the community. The public needs to be made aware of the many projects the Municipality has,” she said.

Presentations made included the 2014/15 Annual Report, plans to address social cohesion, the shortage of gravesites and the benefit of the City hosting upcoming Metro FM awards.

Community Media in attendance welcomed the Forum saying it provided the opportunity to get the story first hand from officials.

The exhibition will provide entrepreneurs, scholars and the public with an opportunity to understand the maritime industry. Through the EThekwini

Maritime Cluster, the Municipality aims to fast-track enterprise development and look at ways in which the maritime sector can be opened up for Black Economic Empowerment development.