The Natal Witness. Just a few links relating to Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas, the CAPITAL of KWAZULU NATAL and termed the “City of Choice” (With the highest crime rate per capita in the country…”
Lights out again in Hilton
[21 April 2010]
“IT’S bleak on the hill in Hilton today.”…
No skills, no power in PMB
[17 May 2009]
A LIMITED budget, inheriting a poorly maintained network and a critical shortage of skilled engineers have been cited as the main reasons behind Msunduzi Municipality’s inconsistent electricity supply….
Power: Hilton has yet another outage
[7 May 2009] Hilton residents were left without electricity once again yesterday evening, despite being assured that the problem had been sorted out.
When will electricity be fixed?
[6 May 2009] RESIDENTS in and around the Hilton area suffered further power outages on Tuesday when a secondary transformer at the Crossways sub-station burnt out once again.
No shocks here
[27 March 2009] Improving the city’s electricity infrastructure is on track
Municipal rough justice
[21 April 2010] THERE is an often unseen section of our community that has been dealt rough justice by the Msunduzi Municipality — the nonprofit service sector. The Municipal Property Rates Act (MPRA) provided a simple principle with respect to public benefit organisations (PBOs): if you are exempt from paying inco…
Oribi: municipal cut-off leaves ‘victim’ puzzled
[20 April 2010]
THE Msunduzi Municipality is employing strong-arm tactics in collecting its debt from the city residents, claims an aggrieved resident….
Avalanche of investigations
[20 April 2010]
AS much as the previous ANC-led provincial government resisted independent inquiries into mismanagement, fraud and corruption in its own ranks, the incumbent administration is launching forensic investigations left, right and centre….
Officials flee amid violent pay row
[19 April 2010]
SENIOR Msunduzi Municipality officials had to run for their lives yesterday when angry part-time employees, who were demanding their outstanding pay, attacked them and tried to hold them hostage. …
Msunduzi urged to clean up its water
[19 April 2010]
THE Msunduzi Municipality needs to expand monitoring of its water distributing network and develop a water safety plan to ensure the best drinking water….
Despicable act
[19 April 2010]
LUCKY Phiri of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) confirms (The Witness, April 16) that the people who were trashing the city are criminals and not members of his union. This should make the job of the police rather easy as photos and video footage can be used to apprehend these crim…
Managers claiming R16 a km
[19 April 2010]
SENIOR managers employed by the Msunduzi Municipality are putting in claims of R16 a kilometre for travel allowances….
Safe City cameras to focus on Alex Park
[19 April 2010]
CRIME could soon be under control in Alexandra Park as crime watchdog Safe City plans to spend R2 million on cameras….
Strike chaos in city centre
[15 April 2010]
SERVICES such as rubbish collection ground to a halt yesterday as Msunduzi Municipality employees rampaged through the city, throwing rubbish on to the streets….
Power theft: PMB homes left in the dark
[15 April 2010]
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Unearned bonuses
[15 April 2010] Msunduzi Municipality‘s hard-pressed ratepayers must wonder if they live in a parallel world.
Millions recovered
[15 April 2010]
MORE than R8,7 million embezzled from 13 provincial municipalities by corrupt senior officials has been recovered, Co-operative Governance MEC Nomusa Dube revealed in her first budget speech yesterday….
Firefighter hurt after picketing workers stone fire engine
[15 April 2010]
AN Msunduzi Municipality firefighter was sent to hospital after sustaining injuries to her eyes when a fire engine was stoned by picketing employees yesterday….
Primary school problems
[14 April 2010] THERE have been some most interesting and encouraging articles in The Witness lately on entrepreneurial spirit, a most innovative package training youth through business sponsorship and skills to repair school assets, and the work of diverse nongovernmental organisations doing sterling work in trai…
Engineer devotes time for SA’s future
[14 April 2010]
WHILE most people would never consider offering free community services, engineering devotee Surendra Dhilraj is offering free maths tuition classes….
City employees to strike today
[14 April 2010]
PIETERMARITZBURG residents may face disruptions to some municipal services today as local municipal workers down tools in support of the nationwide strike….
Msunduzi gives bonuses for failure
[14 April 2010]
DESPITE the dismal performance that has become synonymous with deputy municipal managers in the employ of the Msunduzi Municipality, a recent report reveals that they are still entitled to bonuses….
New speaker praised for thriftiness
[12 April 2010]
FROM 12 to zero….
Msunduzi workers don’t down tools as strike starts
[12 April 2010]
SERVICE delivery carried on as normal in the city yesterday, despite the national downing of tools by workers affiliated to the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu)….
Clean sweep needed
[12 April 2010]
LETTERS by Brian Bassett (The Witness, April 6), P. Miller and F. Shaik (April 7), all point to staffing problems at Msunduzi Municipality. They highlight managers who do not understand the role of management and that there are redundant personnel who actually do nothing. …
Another claim to Ashburton’s green spaces
[12 April 2010]
WITH the Mpushini Business Park still awaiting a decision from the Development Facilitation Act (DFA) tribunal, another development application for a property alongside the N3 in the Ashburton area was heard last week. This was for the Rita Light Industrial Park….
Mr Fix-it cleans house
[8 April 2010]
THE future of senior Msunduzi officials is hanging in the balance following the release of a damning report yesterday that indicates that they are being probed for their roles in the mismanagement of the municipality….
Local Samwu vows to join national strike for ‘proper salaries’
[8 April 2010]
THE Pietermaritzburg chapter of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) has vowed to join a nationwide strike called by its national office, which starts on Monday….
Raid on PMB firm suspected of tax evasion
[8 April 2010]
THE South African Revenue Service (SARS) raided the offices of Khuselani Security Company in Victoria Road yesterday morning….
Officials now face the music
[7 April 2010]
NOW that Msunduzi political heads have been ousted, the question of whether senior municipal officials will also face the music has been raised….
First flowers, then bullets
[6 April 2010] AN Eastwood woman was shot dead at her workplace yesterday morning – allegedly by her husband, who brought her flowers and then shot her.
Storm damage widespread
[5 April 2010]
MOPPING up operations got under way in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands yesterday morning after scores of houses were destroyed and several residents were injured in violent storms with strong winds and heavy rains that struck on Sunday evening. …
One bodyguard for new mayor
[1 April 2010]
WHILE former Msunduzi mayor Zanele Hlatshwayo had eight bodyguards at her disposal, new mayor Mike Tarr is set to have only one….
Draft budget delay
[31 March 2010]
SHOWING a united front, the new Msunduzi political leaders called their first joint press conference at the Pietermaritzburg city hall yesterday to give reasons for the delay in the publication of the municipality’s draft budget. …
Reinventing apartheid
[31 March 2010] IN my view the ANC appointed Mike Tarr as Msunduzi mayor in terms of merit. Dumi Hadebe (The Witness , March 29) must remember that the ANC is a political home for all race groups, not only for blacks….
The Conyngham 2010 time capsule
[31 March 2010] SO the Editor departs in a graceful manner in contrast to those currently leaving Msunduzi Municipality. John Conyningham leaves during a most exciting era in the country’s development. I feel his move should be marked by something commemorative and propose that a time capsule should be buried at Wi…
Unnecessary loss of life
[31 March 2010]
THE safety of motorists and pedestrians using the Woodhouse Road bridge on the Msunduzi River is clearly the responsibility of the municipality. No substantial steps have been taken to improve safety there in the past decade. Many lives have been lost and this will continue as long as the municipali…
Fairness to the poor
[31 March 2010]
THE announcement by the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, that the Municipal Property Rates Act (MPRA) will be revised and the poor will be exempt from rates (The Witness, March 26) must be treated with extreme caution. …
Tarr, Nguba go on walkabout
[30 March 2010]
NEWLY appointed Msunduzi Mayor Mike Tarr and his deputy, Jabu Nguba, have hit the ground running barely a week into their new positions….
Waterfront back on track
[30 March 2010]
THE multi-billion rand Camps Drift waterfront development project, which is expected boost the city’s economy, is back on the cards after being put on ice for several months. …
King lashes out at corruption
[30 March 2010]
ZULU King Goodwill Zwelithini launched yet another scathing attack on corrupt officials in provincial municipalities, describing them as “thieves who steal from the poor”….
Lest we forget a hero of Willowfountain:David Cecil Oxford Matiwane who inspired the leaders of the struggle
[30 March 2010]
A PROJECT that speaks to the heart and soul of a community has been quietly on the go in Willowfountain, Edendale, thanks to the province’s first lady Dr May Mkhize Mashego and Thami Matiwane, the grandson of struggle stalwart the late D. C. O. Matiwane….
Beacon to many
[30 March 2010]
KEVIN Perumal, the acting manager of Msunduzi Municipality, is to be complimented for his professional handling of the mammoth task he had to endure during the recent strike. Perumal has a history of addressing the needs and concerns of the people he works with. Leaders don’t wait, they shape fronti…
Utilising skills and expertise
[30 March 2010]
DUMI Hadebe’s dismay at the appointment of a white mayor, Mike Tarr (The Witness, March 30), is a slap in the face of democracy and everything our Constitution stands for. Hadebe’s reckless comments merely serve to destabilise the economy of our city and the political stage that we have worked so h…
Hope for new start
[30 March 2010]
CONGRATULATIONS to Mike Tarr, the new mayor of Msunduzi, and his rescue team. The city is fortunate to have such a seasoned group of people at the head of its municipality….
Disgusting state of landfill site
[30 March 2010]
ONCE a week I load a small trailer with garden refuse from our attractive complex and take it down to the New England Road landfill site. This is a task I have volunteered to do and it has been ongoing for some time. I have noticed how the site and surrounding areas have deteriorated with all types …
Food rots at refuse sites
[29 March 2010]
GARDEN refuse sites in various parts of Pietermaritzburg have been reduced to illegal dumping grounds that pose serious health risks….
Dismayed at white appointment
[29 March 2010]
IT is with dismay that I note the MEC for Local Government, Nomusa Dube, and the ANC have appointed as mayor of Msunduzi Municipality a white person, Mike Tarr. This is undermining the progressive advancement of black people and rectifying the imbalances of the past where white people were considere…
Huge Eskom debt has been paid
[28 March 2010]
AS part of administrator Johann Mettler’s turnaround plan for Msunduzi Municipality, the city’s R42 million debt to Eskom has been paid….
‘Poor not asked on Eskom hike’
[28 March 2010]
SOUTH Africans are the victims of the policies that were made in 1996 and they have no recourse, says Cosatu’s provincial secretary Zet Luzipho….
Darvill stench ‘enough to make you want to gag’
[28 March 2010]
THE putrid stench wafting from the Darvill Sewage Treatment Works to the homes of nearby residents is putting people’s noses out of joint….
Power surge destroys residents’ appliances
[28 March 2010]
ANOTHER power surge — this time in Sweetwaters — damaged home appliances and affected more than 40 homes in the Mbutshane area last week….
Mayor sets his priorities
[28 March 2010]
NEW Msunduzi Mayor Mike Tarr is under no illusion as to the scale of problems facing the embattled municipality, and has called on relevant stakeholders to roll up their sleeves and get dirty in order to restore some pride and respectability to the city….
Donnette Fry (nè Davis)
Donnette #Randomness 