Shock metro housing plan

By Patrick Cull

A TASK team led by Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Zanoxolo Wayile  is  considering buying or even expropriating the popular Walmer Country Club to expand the city’s congested Walmer township – scene of several recent violent service delivery protests.
The task team  has also set its sights on a multimillion-rand property in the industrial area in Airport Valley near the airport owned by Irish property mogul Ken Denton, as well as environmentally-sensitive land in  Madiba Bay which encompasses the Driftsands and Cape Recife-Sardinia  Bay  coast.
However the shock Walmer Service Delivery Intervention Plan – a copy of which was leaked to Weekend Post – drawn up after a meeting with the community last month, points out that there has been “no interaction between the municipality and the property owner” [Walmer Country Club], a fact  confirmed by club president Mark Anschutz yesterday.
However, should negotiations occur and subsequently fail, the municipality could look into the possibility of land expropriation, the plan states. It also notes that no provision has been made in the budget for the acquisition of the land, and that a “preliminary minimum estimate” of four to six years is likely before any development can start.
The proposal outlines a number of short and longer term interventions geared at addressing challenges within the Walmer township community that exploded into violent protests in the past few months.
Councillors who met with residents reported that the community had vehemently rejected a densified layout in the township, with the  human settlements committee saying  it was “left with no option but to consider various portions of private land in Walmer”.
Although Walmer ANC councillor  Nomajama Benya  was not aware of what was contained in the document, she confirmed that the residents of  the formal and informal sections of the township had requested the municipality to relocate them.
“There are six informal areas in Walmer township. Even though not all Walmer township residents will be relocated, about 6 000 will have to be relocated,” she said.
“There is the possibility that property rates in nearby areas can drop. However it is very, very necessary for the residents to be relocated. With the heavy rains the residents in the informal settlements always struggle.”
In respect of the Walmer Country Club, the plan moots  “a continuous corridor” of high density residential development along the western side of Victoria Drive, “stretching from  Walmer Links to Glendore Road”.
The valuation of the golf club is R34.9-million but it was “likely that a valuation of this property will be in the region of R50- to R100-million”, the document says.
However, it  goes on to say that   “should the negotiation route not be favoured, an expropriation can be considered”.
The document also warns that the development of the property “may attract opposition” which could result in delays in both the rezoning and sub-division, as well as the EIA processes and any appeals that may result.
In the interim, the municipality is moving ahead with accessing funds for the rectification of properties in Walmer township and has outlined a detailed plan of interventions aimed at addressing the issues raised by the community, although there are obstacles such as the refusal of the airport authorities to allow the erection of high mast lights.
Mayor Wayile could not be reached for comment.
Additional reporting by Shaanaaz de Jager

This is a version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday July 28 2012. 

Billion rand hangover for Mandela Bay Stadium

By Patrick Cull

NELSON Mandela Bay has ended up shelling out close to R1-billion for the privilege of being a host city for the 2010 Fifa World Cup as both national and provincial government have defaulted on funding commitments.
This after the city should only have had to pay R340-million.
Local politicians and ratepayers have slammed the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) for allowing the staggering costs – R878-million –  to get so out of hand, saying it is yet another example of the metro making “impulsive” decisions that could end up crippling the city financially.
They also fear the forthcoming Afcon 2013 tournament – of which Port Elizabeth is a  host city – could see the municipality follow the same devastating path.
Chairman of the Nelson Mandela Bay Ratepayers’ Association, Kobus Gerber, said it showed the municipality was “making impulsive decisions and putting ratepayers at risk”.
Gerber added the municipality had “yet again got itself in a financial mess” with ratepayers having to pay to “get them out of it”.
“With Afcon 2013 we are bound to walk the same path again. Who gives the municipality the right to take our money and push it into events like this?
“They sould ask us before they just spend money like this, because we are the ones who have to help them out of trouble when everything flops.”
The current cash crisis, DA caucus leader Leon de Villiers said, was “largely due to the cost of hosting the World Cup” and the reason why the metro’s Capital Replacement Reserve was now  depleted.
De Villiers said Mayor Zanoxolo Wayile and the ANC “have made the same mistake by committing this metro to host Afcon 2013 without first obtaining a firm funding commitment from national and provincial governments”.
“No details have as yet been released on the extent to which national and provincial government will assist in terms of the R30-million required to stage the tournament,” De Villiers said.
“The mayor and ANC have their priorities wrong as they are unable to provide basic services to a vast number of residents who are still using the bucket system, without proper housing, water and electricity.”
De Villiers said the failure to appoint a permanent municipal manager and spending R11.8-million to sponsor nine PSL soccer matches at the stadium earlier this year indicated the mayor and the ANC were “failing the residents of this metro”.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday June 16 2012. 

Water restrictions lifted from Monday

THE Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality today (Thursday, July 21) announced a lifting of the water restrictions imposed on ratepayers since water supply decreased below 60% almost two years ago when the city was, until recently, experiencing a severe drought.

Punitive water tariffs will be lifted with effect from August 1, but decreased water usage restrictions will already take effect from Monday, July 25.

According to a statement from municipal spokesperson Kupido Baron the lifting follows a notice from the Department of Water Affairs advising the municipality that restrictions on its intake from the major supply dams have been revised.

At a press conference today, Wayile thanked residents, businesses and municipal officials for helping to prevent a potential “humanitarian disaster” by saving water. Water levels in the city had threatened to drop below 30% for the most part of 2010 and at the time there were fears the city’s hosting of the Fifa World Cup would be hampered had consumption remained high in the midst of the drought.

The municipality, however, has urged residents to continue to use water sparingly given a projected “dry season”. According to Baron certain activities remain prohibited and the municipality is encouraging use of recycled water in car washes, for example.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber today welcomed the announcement. Chamber head Kevin Hustler said in a statement that the lifting of the punitive water tariffs were welcomed and that the easing of the water usage restrictions was a sensible approach “to what remains a scarce natural resource”.

“The decision taken by the metro will be a great boost to manufacturing in the city and to business in general, in particular businesses such as commercial nurseries and businesses where water is a critical component.”

The chamber had been lobbying both the municipality and the Department of Water Affairs strongly for a reduction in water tariffs and an easing of restrictions on behalf of organised business since the recent raising of the dam levels, due to the severe impact of the tariffs on investment, economic growth and employment in the region.

Memorial for Albertina Sisulu on Thursday

A SPECIAL memorial service will be held for Albertina Sisulu, who died last week, in Nelson Mandela Bay tomorrow (Thursday, June 9).

Executive Mayor Zanoxolo Wayile paid tribute to”Mama Sisulu” today and said the memorial tomorrow would be an opportunity for local residents to join the nation as it bids farewell to an icon.

“On behalf of the council of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, all municipal officials and residents, I wish to pay tribute to the late Albertina Sisulu. A ripe 92 years old, the Mother of the Nation slipped away quietly, leaving behind a remarkable legacy and occupying a unique place in South African history,” Wayile said.

“She was an enduring beacon of hope and resistance during the tumultuous struggle years, both as activist and wife of the late and great ANC president, Walter Sisulu.”

Mama Sisulu, who died on June 2, was born Nontsikelelo on October 21, 1918 in the Transkei. She trained as a nurse at a hospital in Johannesburg and joined the ANC Women’s League in 1948. In 1954 she joined the Federation of South African Women and in 1983 was elected president of the United Democratic Front’s Transvaal region.

Between 1964 and 1982 she was the subject of several banning orders and in 1984 she was was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for furthering the aims of the ANC.

“Mama Sisulu” was a legend in her own lifetime and, in 1956, joined 20 000 women in the historic march to the Union Buildings in protest against the apartheid government’s requirement that women carry passbooks as part of the pass laws.

“Mama Sisulu has carved out a unique place for herself in South African history. Her life was one of dedication, service and great sacrifice, followed by triumph and joy at the emergence of a free and just South Africa,” Mayor Wayile said.

The special memorial service will take place at the Nangoza Jebe Hall in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, at 5pm tomorrow (Thursday).