Firstly, to the resident who SMS’d last week about the derelict house in Somerset Ave, the formal processes for remedy have been exhausted and the issue has now been handed over to the enforcement team for action to be taken against the property owner. Unfortunately these things do take time but you can rest assured that in the background the cogs are moving.

To the land owners in Essex and Enfield roads who are working to clean up their derelict buildings, thank you very much for doing your bit to rid this community of grime and contribute to our efforts to combat crime. With the support of eThekwini officials we are also following up on other derelict houses including those in Evans Rd, Davenport Ave, Macdonald Rd and Bartle Rd.

You might ask what it is that you can do as a member of this community, or any other for that matter, to contribute to cleaning up and improving safety? In short, you can help in one of two areas: crime and grime. Combating crime is only effective when the community partners with SAPS, and getting involved with the Community Policing Forum is the most effective way of achieving that. Neighbourhood watches which work in conjunction with the CPF are another. Ridding our community of grime makes criminals feel less at home, and when we feel safer to be out and about in our numbers, we reduce the spaces in which criminals operate. We do this by maintaining our buildings, keeping vacant plots and bushes under control, cleaning our parks, and ensuring our public infrastructure is in a good state of repair.

You can help by taking initiative where you see a problem to either mobilise community members and tackle the problem ourselves or to work with public officials to find a solution. We have much to do in both combating crime and ridding our community of grime but a collective desire to improve will ensure we see the change we need. Inch by inch, with the support of community members, we will make Umbilo and Glenwood among the safest and most friendly places to live in eThekwini.

Warwick Chapman, Ward Councillor for Glenwood and Umbilo

Please find below a communique from ACSA regarding the pending switchover of operations from Durban International Airport in the South of Durban to the new King Shaka International Airport in the North.

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Please advise travellers that on 01 May 2010 the new King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) becomes operational for all Durban-bound air travel. The existing Durban International Airport will be decommissioned; although it may be used for a temporary period during the Soccer World Cup event if required.

All flights into Durban up to and including Friday 30 April 2010 will operate from the current airport. From 01 May 2010, all flights will officially operate out of the new airport which is located approximately 35 kilometers north of the city centre.
Please factor in extra time to get to and from KSIA and bear in mind that if you are travelling in one direction before 30 April and back after 01 May, that you may need a shuttle between the two airports.

SHUTTLE SERVICE

ACSA will provide a shuttle transfer between King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) and Durban International Airport (DIA) which will cover the cost for passengers that leave cars at DIA from 01 May for one week only.
Thereafter transportation between both airports will be for the passenger’s account and they will have to arrange transfers themselves.

Source:
Jacqueline Hooijberg
ACSA Durban Airport Manager

The Chairman
Municipal Demarcation Board
304 Orient Street
Arcadia
Pretoria
0083

18 December, 2009

Mr Mahlangu

Reference: DEADLINE FOR CONSENSUS ON 2011 MUNICIPAL WARDS

The press statement in The Mercury of Wednesday December 16 2009 issued by you states that today, December 18, is the deadline by which all municipalities are to indicate to the Municipal Demarcation Board whether consensus has been reached on the issue of ward delimitation for the 2011 Local Government Elections.

The Democratic Alliance first became aware that the new maps were available on 23 November per chance by visiting the MDB website.  The first time we were officially informed of this process by the Municipal Manager of the eThekwini Municipality was at an emergency meeting held on Tuesday after a front page article in The Mercury brought to the fore the lack of attention being given to this process.

At this meeting, Dr Sutcliffe stated unequivocally that the deadline of 18 December was unrealistic and that he had notified you of this concern.  He then instructed all political parties present to provide their input on this process by the 15 January 2010.  All our attempts to confirm this deadline extension with the MDB have been refuted by the officials with whom we have spoken.

The Democratic Alliance has worked hard over the past 2-3 weeks to analyse and understand the extensive demarcation proposals for the 2011 Local Government Elections.  It appears that around two-thirds of the 100 existing wards have been changed and we most certainly have fundamental objections to several of those proposals.

We believe that many of the proposed changes are not going to support the services delivery imperatives of this Government and some of them split communities across wards.  Additionally, we have proposals relating to the 3 additional wards to ensure these three wards are as compliant with the spirit of demarcation legislation as possible while still keeping community and service delivery concerns at the fore.

As a result of both the late availability of the proposals and the lack of consultation by the Municipality, we are concerned that local communities and other stakeholders have not had sufficient opportunity to understand and provide feedback on the proposed changes.

In light of the above, we thus request:
1. you register the objection of the Democratic Alliance in eThekwini to both:
a. the proposed ward delimitation proposals; and
b. the lack of any consultation and communication undertaken by the eThekwini Municipal Manager with respect to this process; and
2. clarification of the deadline for consensus as it applies to eThekwini.

The Democratic Alliance will provide constructive counter proposals at the MDB3 Workshop when it is held in eThekwini during May 2010 (according to the calendar provided with Circular no. 6).

Yours faithfully

Cllr Warwick Bruce Chapman
Demarcation Coordinator: Democratic Alliance eThekwini Caucus

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Response from MDB 22 December, 2009

Dear Municipal Managers

I wish to convey the MDB’s appreciation to the majority of KZN municipalities that managed to submit to the Board either form MDB1 or MDB2 or MDB3 before or on the closing date of 18 December 2009.

The Board would like to urge the other municipalities that have not submitted a form as yet, to do so urgently.

As you are aware – and as indicated in Circular 6/2009 – the Board will commence with its MDB3 visits to municipalities by February 2010.

Should you be able to submit the outstanding forms by, at the latest, 15 January 2010, we might be able to consider and map the proposals before the scheduled MDB3 meetings.

Should you intend not to submit a form please inform me urgently by email. The MDB’s proposals will then be gazetted for objections.

The MDB appreciates your contributions, and wishes you all the best for the Festive Season and for 2010.

Regards
Robert Willemse
Municipal Demarcation Board

Moneyweb have covered this issue here: http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page295027?oid=312210&sn=2009%20Detail&pid=287226

A contact in the media has passed me the document pack which Adapt-IT has had produced in consultation with a Johannesburg-based PR Agency to “clear their name” with respect to the rapidly spiralling, R6.5m Durban FIFA 2010 Web Portal issue (Portalgate?).  I have it on authority from both the CEO, Sbu Shabalala, and another Director of Adapt-IT that they are desperately trying to clear the name of Adapt-IT in the public sector as it is affecting their ability to tender for projects, particularly in the City of Johannesburg.

The media release pack from Adapt-IT includes the following documents, and all I have done is convert them to screen readable PDF:

The Official Story

Durban 2010 Portal Progress Report

eThekwini 2010 Portal Costs

Spokesperson Contact List

Spokesperson Profiles

My take on this

If one considers the answers provided by the ANC-led City Government to my questions posed to them at the last full sitting of the eThekwini Council on 30 July, 2009, one will see that:

1. The responses relating to tender procedures and budget allocation do nothing more than highlight the need for answers as to how this large sum could be awarded without following the normal procedures.  Owing to the lack of transparency on this matter by the City, investigating the legalities of the awarding of this tender is proving difficult.
2. The last question was sidestepped altogether.  It was  posed specifically with respect to the decision to switch platforms from the current standards compliant platform in which at least R8.1M has been invested in the last 3 years, to a new Microsoft-based platform which is potentially not compliant with Government policy covering such systems.  The answer provided speaks of user experience, the website “standing out from the rest” and most interestingly, avoiding the sort of problems experienced during the “re-evaluation process”.  If the “re-evaluation process” mentioned in this answer refers to the hugely criticised rates valuation process, then it appears the City is throwing money and technology at problems which are instead caused by skewed policy, divisive leadership and poor management.
3. The first time any meaningful insight into the scope and scale of the website development has been provided is now, through the Adapt-IT media release pack and not via the City.  Why is it that the City has not laid out all the cards and provided open access to the information relating to this development.  In particular, I believe the City needs to make public the following:

• The technical report which justifies objectively the choice to switch platforms, despite the signficant future expense to the taxpayer relative to the R8.1m investment already made in the current platform.
• The project plan for the entire portal development from stage 1 through stage 3 and onward as the City has stated they intend this new platform eclipsing and replace the current www.durban.gov.za information portal.
• The breakdown on tenders, contractors and service providers involved in the project and the scope of work and/or services provided by each.

Media coverage of the contents of the media pack have resulted in articles from:

MyBroadband – http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Business/9186.html

My Questions on behalf of the Democtratic Alliance:

I tabled the following questions in terms of Section 17 of the Rules of Order at the 30 July Council Meeting:

1. Was there a tender process entered into for the preparation of the new website?
2. From which budget allocation was the funding for the new website sourced?
3. Was the cost of R6.5 million made known to the relevant Council Committees prior to the launch and the resultant media exposure?
4. How much money has been invested in the existing www.durban.gov.za website and platform since it was deployed on the open source Plone system?
5. Why did the City decide to develop the new website using expensive Microsoft technologies instead of sticking with the existing open source, standards compliant platform?

Answers from the City:

Councillor Fawzia Peer (ANC), in her capacity as Chief Whip provided the following respective responses:

1. Yes, in May 2008 the Municipality advertised for the appointment of a panel of consultants to assist the information services section to deliver on its various projects. From this panel, a quote system was used to obtain services for various projects, including the preparation of a new website.
2. 2010 IT budget.
3. IT budgets for 2010 were confirmed very late, due to late clarification from the LOC and FIFA companies as to what the Municipality is expected to fund for 2010 IT Projects and 08/09 year this budget was R7.5 million.
4. Budgeted figures are:

06/07 – R2.7 million;
07/08 – R2.7 million;
08/09 – R2.7 million.

5. We needed a very dynamic and robust website that would:

● Allow citizens and visitors alike to have an exciting experience when visiting the website,
● For the website to stand out from the rest and
● Cater for the volumes of people visiting the website.
● Ensure we don’t end up with the difficulties experienced during the re-evaluation process.

My thoughts

I am concerned that question 1’s answer suggests due process was not followed but am not familiar enough about what the process is, especially considering answer to question 2. and 3.? I will be finding out about this.

Answer to question 4. shows that deploying and managing the Plone-based current website for the past 3 years has cost R8.1m – only R1.6m more than the budgeted cost to build the new site.

Answer to question 5. is totally avoiding the question and the policy requirements.

While the DA supports the right of the workers to strike, we cannot accept the behaviour of the strikers during what should have been a peaceful march.

South Africa is entering a concerning period of potentially violent activism as the poor and unemployed struggle to survive in the face of deep recession.  We require strong leadership and austerity from the ANC to chart a course and set the example through these troubled times.

Cllr Warwick Chapman, Ward 18