BUILDING A LAW ABIDING SOCIETY

There has been quite a lot of fuss recentlyabout the issue of road closures. The real issue here is that as a municipality we cannot allow a small group to take the law into their own hands through illegally closing public roads.

The council leadership and I, and certainly everyone who is employed by the municipality, must regard it as our duty to promote constitutionality, the rule of law and the creation of a better life for all.

There is also another side to these closures, not just the fact that they are unconstitutional and illegal. These are the stories I receive from residents who feel they are being coerced into agreeing to close their roads by private security agencies who stand to gain from such local monopolies.

I get calls from some who say this is a new form of income-based apartheid and many committed South Africans are appalled at the message it sends to those whose lives were ruined by apartheid. A member of the EXCO told me of how someone almost shot him when he refused to sign a book when stopped at an illegal boom. And the Mayor told me of how he spent over an hour extra getting to a hotel in Johannesburg because residents had blocked roads.

I have also a number of joggers complaining because the illegal shacks force them onto unsafe streets. What also of the fact that our emergency vehicles now have to devise new plans to reach persons in aid of assistance.

Who do we blame when an ambulance does not reach someone because public streets have been blocked? And what do I say to the elderly woman who showed me the statistics that certainly indicated that road closures did not stop criminal activity but simply shifted it to her street which could not be closed?

Finding a solution is about weighing up all such evidence and then developing policies which will ensure that we advance the aims of our constitutional democracy. That is why it is correct for us to warn all residents taking the law into their own hands to immediately desist, take down such booms and work with us in finding appropriate solutions.

EXCO is presently considering a policy which will allow us to
advance solutions which build stronger, more defensible communities in strengthened neighbourhood units. We will ensure that whatever steps we take together advance these aims. Let's build a new, caring, crime-free society and not put up fences which, in the long term will make us even more vulnerable than we think we are.

KEY MATTERS FROM EXCO: 26 November 2002:

Creating an eThekwini Transport Authority: EXCO has agreed that we will be the first municipality to establish such an authority which will integrate all aspects of transport, from scheduling to ticketing to improving the infrastructure and coordinating across the different modes. This Authority will be established in early January 2003.

CCTV system in KwaMashu/Inanda/Ntuzuma: Together with SAPS we are going to ensure that our CCTV system is expanded to include the INK areas. So those who don't want to obey the law, BEWARE!

Draft Placement Policy: EXCO noted a draft Placement Policy which we have used in discussions with IMATU and SAMWU. Ideally, we would all like to finalise the new structures for the municipality and ensure all staff are placed so that we can get on with the real work. After the national Labour Bargaining Council meeting at the end of November I will produce a special version of this newsletter to outline some key aspects of the placement process.

Committees: EXCO finalised the new committees which will ensure we have proper direction in what we aim to do. The four main committees and their chairs are: Sustainable Development and City Enterprises (Councillor LogieNaidoo); Procurement and Infrastructure (Councillor Sbu Gumede); Health, Safety and Social Services (Councillor Visvin Reddy); and Corporate and Human Resources (Councillor Mina Lesoma).

Financial Report for October 2002: For the first four months until the end of October 2002 we find that our expenditure was just over R2.34 billion. We have lost some income because of the decrease in income from traffic fines, decrease in trade refuse income due to the strike, decrease in commuter income from transport due to the strike. Let's work collectively and creatively to ensure we save wherever we can.

DID YOU KNOW:

Film Industry: EXCO has decided to assist in the establishmentof a film industry office/commission in eThekwini. In South Africa asa whole, some R7.7 billion is spent per annum in the film industry. We have an all-year-round climate, the people,the locations and the infrastructure to make us one of the most sought-after locations in the world.

There are over 19000 children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in eThekwini and by 2010 it could be as many as120000. We are involved in a number of housing projects and we're working with other organisations to deal with the crisis of orphaned and displaced children.