I attempted to lay a charge of intimidation on behalf of the members of staff who chose yesterday not to go on strike but were forced to stop work by a mob of strikers who came into the Civic Centre Offices and intimidated them. The SAPS require more details and witnesses for the intimidation charge to be laid but Municipal workers affected are too terrified to speak to me.

I have distributed letters around the office requesting employees provide me information via email, SMS or slipping it under my door in the Civic Centre. I am sure SAMWU will slip a dead fish under my door as a result.

Municipal Manager, Dr Mike Sutcliffe, has been made aware of the charge being laid and is in support of this action.

I strongly condemn the actions of the striking workers who have broken the law several times today.  I have thus appealed to other municipal employees to disclose the names of those persons responsible for the damage and disruption today.  While I am aware employees are fearful of disclosing such information, I am making the opportunity available to them.  See the letter below in this regard.

I will immediately be attempting to lay a charge a charge against SAMWU and its shopstewards for the crimes committed.  The charges are outlined in the second letter below.

I was flying with the boys from 15 Squadron last week and snapped a few awesome pictures of Pinetown, and thought since you’re the Councillor I’d email you a few of them.

Regards,
Jesse

The Old Mutual Towers on St Johns and Bamboo Lane

The Anderson and Clermont Taxi and Bus Ranks in the Hill Street area of Pinetown

Dear Editor

Pinetown will be the focus of my attention in Ward 18 for 2010 and quite possibly the years to follow. Infrastructure maintenance remains a priority in the ward and though significant progress has been made in 2009, Pinetown has a long way to go in this regard. Additionally, I believe that the town was never designed for the extent to which it is currently pedestrianised and I will be focusing on formalising the many footpaths which cut through green areas in Pinetown. An example of this can already be seen in the work in progress in the front of the Pinetown Civic Centre where the disused concrete walkway is being cleaned up and and made more presentable and the footpath from Crompton Street to Old Main Rd will be paved as soon as funds become available.

Further to the infrastructural and pedestrian issues, the Pinetown Precint Plan which incorporates wide ranging proposals to revitalise the CBD of Pinetown will be tabled before the eThekwini Economic Development and Planning committee in the first meeting of 2010. I am hoping the plan, which has been many years in the making, will be approved at the meeting, allowing us to present it to the greater Pinetown community for comment.

Crime in Pinetown and the surrounding areas is a major concern and while Councillors are not empowered to influence the fight against crime directly, I am confident that slowly but surely “cleaning up Pinetown” has to make a difference.  We need to ensure infrastructure maintenance is prioritised, parks and gardens and tended to, buildings are painted, windows are fixed, paths are formalised and, in general, the area is revitalised.  I am firmly of the belief that criminals do not thrive in well maintained areas.  Crime loves grime – we need to get rid of the grime.

Additionally, I will be working with SAPS and Metro police to prioritise the policing of minor transgressions such as urinating in public, ignoring rules in parks and traffic violations.  The major crimes must be investigated and are always the top priority but it is high time that chancers and petty criminals learned early on that crime doesn’t pay.  I urge all residents to assist in the fight against crime and get involved in your local Community Policing Forum.

As always, residents are welcome to contact me should they have any municipal issues they have not been able to resolve through the normal channels.

– Warwick Chapman (Cllr Ward 18) | 083 7797 094 | ward18@ethekwini.org | http://warwickchapman.com

I’m extremely pleased this project is nearing completion both because it is another social green space which has been rehabilitated for public use but also because it does show that our local government is capable of performing desperately needed maintenance of existing infrastructure.  The renovated Lahee Park Swimming pool is the cherry on top of the ongoing cleaning and rejuvination of the Lahee Park preceinct, which now has 4 fulltime staff keeping it tidy and tending to the gardens.  One step and a time, we will get it whipped back into shape.

DA activists honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela by cleaning Crompton Park

Keeping parks clean, planting trees and providing safe spaces for people to rest and play is a priority of Warwick Chapman, the new DA councillor for Ward 18 (Westville North, Cowies Hill, & Pinetown CBD).

“Parks and other green spaces are important meeting, resting and social spaces and need to be properly maintained in order to ensure they contribute to rather than detract from the social fabric of the community,” says Chapman.

Crompton Park, on the corner of Sunnyside and Crompton Roads, is a green space that has been allowed to deteriorate. It is not uncommon for many illegal activities to happen there, including the trade in drugs and the sorting of stolen goods. The DA chose to clean up Crompton Park as one of its many activities in eThekwini Municipality to mark Mandela Day. This unique day, celebrated across the world to honour the humanitarian legacy of former President, Nelson Mandela, required individuals to contribute 67 minutes of their time to community service. More than twenty DA activists and public representatives gathered in Crompton Park and filled approximately 70 large refuse bags with litter from the park.

Other recent cleaning projects organised by Councillor Chapman include two cleanups in Lahee Park in June. This park moved from a veritable litter dump to clean and green, and the City Parks Department is committed to keeping it that way.

Residents can make a difference by encouraging one another to keep these spaces green and clean. “Crime loves dirt and grime, so let’s get cleaning and greening,” says Councillor Chapman.

I have confirmed with the two City officials responsible for the work currently underway on the Lahee Park Swimming Pool that the work will be complete by the end of August.

Pepe Dass and Jose Gomez of City Parks and Architecture respectively have confirmed that there was a delay related to the payment of contractors and that had been resolved in a meeting last week Thursday.  The work remaining involves sealing a few cracks and the marblite work, and barring significant adverse weather conditions will be completed before the end of August and the pool filled by the end of the month.  Additionally, the rubble and other building refuse resulting from the work will be cleaned up during the course of August.

Please direct any queries to Warwick at ward18@ethekwini.org or 083 7797 094

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