eThekwini Municipality

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Metro Ezasegagasini English

2022-02-04

Metro Ezasegagasini isiZulu

2022-02-04

Metro EzaseGagasini 24 Jan 2022 English

2022-01-25

/storage/<div>Metro Ezasegagasini. Article 1.  350 000 Visitors flocked to City over the festive season  Written By  NONDUDUZO NGCONGO  THE City’s tourism sector received a much-needed boost with approximately 350 000 visitors flocking to the City over the festive period starting from 15 December 2021 to 4 January 2022. There was also a 75 percent accommodation occupancy with an estimated R480 million direct spend, injecting R1.2 billion to the City’s GDP. Around 2 500 jobs were created during this period. This follows the release of the 2021/2022 festive season actual figures.  EThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda said he is elated with the figures and praised the City’s preparedness to host the influx of visitors. The actual figures exceeded the City’s projections which were a 65 percent accommodation occupancy and anticipating 275 000 visitors. However, it was indeed a booming festive season for the City as travelers that had planned international  vacations had to reschedule and plan domestic holidays as international borders closed without warning. Many of these travelers opted to visit Durban.  Over the Christmas weekend period, preliminary indicators show that close to 200 000 visitors descended on the City spending close to R150 million with the contribution to the City’s GDP being approximately R350 million. Throughout the festive season, the City’s occupancy rates across its accommodation establishments remained stable at 75 to 80 percent with uMhlanga averaging around 85 percent occupancy rates. Five-star hotels such as the Beverly Hills and Oyster Box were fully booked, said Mayor Kaunda. He said restaurants and eateries in townships and other destinations also did good business.  A breakdown of visitors to the City indicated that 34 percent of visitors to Durban were from KwaZulu-Natal, 31 percent hailed from Gauteng, 12 percent from the Eastern Cape and eight percent from the Western Cape. Compared to last year, there is a 50 percent increase in visitors and accommodation occupancy rates in the City. Mayor Kaunda said the Festive Season Management Committee ensures the safety of residents and visitors during the festive season. “We are indebted to eThekwini residents for their hospitality. We needed this development as the tourism sector was severely impacted by COVID-19.”  Article 2.  Student debt relief fund application open . Written By  JESSIE SINGH  ETHEKWINI Municipality invites qualifying applicants who wish to commence or continue studying towards their first undergraduate studies at a public higher education institution in the 2022 academic year to apply for the eThekwini Municipal Student Relief Fund. Application is open to South African citizens permanently residing in eThekwini. The closing date for applications is 31 January.  Head of the eThekwini Municipal Academy Professor Mpilo Ngubane said the financial assistance is for a full-time study programme at a public higher education institution. He said it will be awarded based on academic performance. The financial assistance is mainly for registration and a provision may be made towards a portion of tuition fees but not accommodation, meals, books, sports, transportation, and/or any other related costs. People with disabilities are also encouraged to apply. Ngubane said it is the student’s responsibility to get acceptance to a higher education institution.  Students are encouraged to further apply for financial assistance from other funding sources as well. Applications should include the following information/documents  • A copy of a Matric certificate if you have completed your NSC (Matric) and have not studied at any higher education institution.  • An academic record if you are currently studying at a higher education institution.  • Proof of income/salary of both parent/s and guardian/s (e.g. pay slip / letter from employer or sworn statement or tax return statement for self-employed parents or guardian/s).  • Income of parents combined and/or guardian is R160 000. Should there be two or more students in a household, the cut off income is R200 000.  • Proof of unemployment if parents are unemployed from the Department of Labour.  • Certified copy of your South African ID.  • Parents or guardian/s ID copies or death certificate where applicable.  • Acceptance letter from the public higher education institution.  • Financial statement from a higher education institution.  • Motivation letter from the applicant.  • Proof of residence.  HOW TO APPLY Applications must be submitted to Shell House, 11th Floor, 221 Anton Lembede Street, Durban, 4001. Applicants who have not been contacted within ten weeks of the closing date should consider their applications unsuccessful. For enquiries contact Vuka Gwacela: 031 322 0414 / 031 322 9836 Wendy Shabalala: 031 311 3924. Bright Shabalala: 031 311 3451.  Article 3.  SALGA conference charts new path for KZN municipalities  Written By  SIPHELELE BUTHELEZI  SOLUTIONS to address ongoing challenges in communities were among the issues discussed at the two-day KwaZulu Natal South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Conference held on 13 and 14 January. The conference aimed to chart a new path for KZN municipalities.  KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala acknowledged the progress local government has made in the provision of water. He said despite these gains, some areas still don’t have access to a constant water supply while other communities experience water shedding due to high demand. In response to these challenges, the provincial government recently launched its comprehensive master plan for infrastructure investment over the next 10 to 15 years. This includes the construction of dams. “We must move away from the provision of water through privately owned water tankers. Water tankers must be insourced and should not be a permanent feature but rather an interim intervention.  Provincial government insists districts prioritise the provision of water, sanitation, and other basic services,” said Premier Zikalala. He also recognised the crucial role played by SALGA in transforming municipalities. EThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda said local government is at the coalface of service delivery as the closest sphere of government to the people. He said: “Guided by ideals of the Freedom Charter which states, among others, that ‘The people shall govern’ we must be accessible to the public. It is important to be in touch with their daily reality on the ground.” He said the City has embraced the District Development Model which promotes an integrated approach by all spheres of government to avoid fragmentation and duplication. He urged councillors to accelerate local economic development and radical socio-economic transformation. “In eThekwini, we have identified job creation as a key imperative for economic recovery.  Our Economic Recovery Plan continues to drive our turnaround strategy for the economy and our finances,” he said. SALGA is expected to announce a new date for the election of the new leadership. Article 4. </div>

Metro EzaseGagasini 24 Jan 2022 IsiZulu

2022-01-24

Metro Ezasegagasini 10 Dec 2021 English

2021-12-10

/storage/<div>Metro Ezasegagasini Article 1.  City ready to welcome visitors for the festive season  Written By  Sane Shandu ETHEKWINI Municipality is pulling out all the stops to ensure the safety of thousands of holidaymakers that are expected to descend for the December holidays. SAFETY AND SECURITY The City’s law enforcement officials and lifeguards have undergone intensive training to ensure that they are ready for any eventuality. Around 65 beach guides will be stationed across various beaches. An additional 120 lifeguards have also been deployed. Over 2000 Metro Police officers will be out in full force. They will be supported by members of the SAPS.  The City has also procured the services of private security personnel to beef up security. Beach law enforcement officers will conduct regular patrols at all beaches. The City has also made available 200 000 wristbands to be worn by all children visiting beaches to make it easy to identify them and to re-unite them with family should they get separated. If children are separated from their guardians, 38 child-minders are on standby until children are reunited with their families.  SWIMMING POOLS About 35 pools are opened for the public this festive season. They will be operational from 6am to 5pm. BEACHFRONT OPERATING HOURS Alcohol is strictly prohibited at the beachfront. Beach Law Enforcement teams will start their shifts from 6am to 6.30pm. Toilets and ablution facilities will be open from 6am to 8pm on Monday to Thursday. During the weekend and on public holidays, services will be available from 6am to 10pm. A 24hour service will be provided at Point, Addington, South, CAC, New Beach, Country Club and Bay of Plenty beaches.  Bathing at beaches will be allowed from 6am to 6:30pm. The City has also procured portable toilets to be placed at strategic areas to augment the capacity of the existing infrastructure. Fishing north of the Umngeni River is still prohibited. REFUSE COLLECTION In anticipation of the huge amount of solid waste that is going to be generated during this period, the Durban Cleansing and Solid Waste (DSW) Unit has appointed 135 additional staff. The staff will work 16 hours a day to keep up with demand.  TRAFFIC CONTROL Given the high volume of traffic during this time, access to certain roads will be controlled via boom gates. Road safety campaigns are in place to ensure that unroadworthy vehicles, drunken driving and any other irresponsible conduct on the road is dealt with. To ease traffic congestion, a Park and Ride facility will be available at no cost to the public.   COVID-19 With COVID-19 numbers increasing, residents and visitors are urged to be vigilant and to observe all safety protocols. Vaccination sites will continue operating during the holiday period. Hands must be washed or sanitised regularly and adequate social distancing must be maintained at all times. The wearing of masks remains mandatory.  Article 2.  Using technology to address water challenge in City  Written By  SANE SHANDU  ETHEKWINI Municipality together with uMgeni Water are working tirelessly to ensure residents have access to water. This follows the planned interruption of water supply due to uMgeni Water’s 200 meter pump failure at the Durban Heights Water Works. This fault has restricted inflow to eThekwini reservoirs, resulting in many areas experiencing water shortages. Technicians and contractors are on site working to ensure the repairs of the failed shaft pump is completed to ensure water is supplied without interruptions. Progress thus far is satisfactory, and the repairs are expected to be undertaken for a maximum period of five weeks.  Head of the Water and Sanitation Unit Ednick Msweli said City management met on 3 December to ascertain the cause of the pump failure and to develop possible short-term solutions. “We want to assure eThekwini residents that there is positive progress made with regards to this matter. Repairs have started and we expect to finish before the estimated fiveweek period,” said Msweli. Msweli appealed to residents to use water sparingly and to reduce demand while repairs are underway. Meanwhile, the City is also investigating technologies that will provide sustainable solutions to water challenges. This includes the feasibility of a large-scale desalination plant to further supplement the water supply.  To implement this, the Municipality partnered with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) for the construction of the Remix Demonstration Plant to demonstrate new energy efficient and environmentally friendly desalination technology. Senior Manager from the Water and Sanitation Unit Dhevan Govender said the demonstration of the new technology will take place at the Central Wastewater Treatment Works due to its proximity to the sea. “The demonstration period will end in March next year and during the period, the product water will be tested to ensure that it complies to the applicable standards.” He said sea water desalination technology is one of the solutions earmarked to secure potable water provision in water scarce regions of the world.  Article 3</div>