Bay school without water for 14 years

By Lynne Gadd-Claxton

DOZENS of teachers and children have been struck down by serious illnesses at a New Brighton school  which has been without a constant supply of clean running water for the past 14 years.
Nombulelo Sume, principal of the Charles Duna Lower Primary School, said each month about 20 children – some of whom were HIV-positive – were sick with diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea, while two teachers were recently diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis and  four others had contracted a bladder infection, allegedly because of the water situation.
Sume said the school suffered an unusually high absenteeism rate because of the health problems created by the lack of clean water, poor sanitation and inadequate plumbing.
The plight of the school was brought to the attention of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s public health committee, where it was revealed that  the two teachers had been diagnosed with the life-threatening illness (meningococcal meningitis).
The committee’s investigation also revealed that:
* The school had been without a constant water supply for the past 14 years due to a defective underground piping system;
* The underground pipes were  only 15mm in diameter, resulting in inadequate water pressure and no water supply to a second ablution block;
* The school had two ablution blocks about 50 metres away from each other. Bad smells emanated from the facilities with evidence of overflowing toilets in the first ablution block;
* Parents were  fetching water from an adjoining premises with buckets and a wheel-barrow to fill the cisterns.
Sume has obtained a quotation from the municipality to rectify the problem for R72 000, which the school cannot afford.
Following last weekend’s heavy rains in Port Elizabeth, the flaws in the  drainage system were brought to the fore when teachers were forced to send the school’s 998 pupils home at the beginning of the new term on Monday. Sume told Weekend Post this was a common occurrence when it rained.
The flooded school grounds made it impossible for Weekend Post to enter the school’s offices and classrooms and Sume and the few teachers who remained had to wade through calf-deep water in gumboots.
According to Sume, the water collects because there is no drainage system in place, which results in flooded grounds and pupils being sent home. “Many of my pupils are disadvantaged and come to school to be educated, but are told to go home.
“The Education Department expects us to deliver on the curriculum but we are unable to attend to the pupils in these conditions.”
Sume said the damp conditions were not good for children with a compromised immune system and those who were asthmatic.
The public health committee decided the Departments of Health and Education would pursue the matter regarding the provision of an adequate waterpipe system.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday July 21 2012. 

Billions in rates charged ‘illegally’

By Shaun Gillham

EASTERN Cape municipalities may face legal action after being accused of illegally  charging property owners an estimated R6-billion in rates over more than a decade. It has been claimed the municipalities had  not followed prescribed government procedures, thus acting unlawfully.
Representatives from a number of Eastern Cape ratepayers’ associations who met in Port Elizabeth this week, said they were investigating possible litigation against scores of municipalities across the province, which they accuse of gross mismanagement and corruption.
They also plan to form a provincial “mega ratepayers association” and are considering a  rates withholding campaign.
This emerged after a meeting in Nelson Mandela Bay where representatives of ratepayers’ associations from Nelson Mandela Bay, East London, St Francis Bay and Jeffreys Bay, among others, reached  consensus on their allegation that municipalities had been charging ratepayers’ rates illegally since 2005.
The claim is linked to a technicality which the ratepayer representatives claim means municipalities have illegally charged and taken more than R6-billion in rates over nearly 12 years. 
According to the Municipal Property Rates Act of 2004, all municipalities are compelled to publish the rates they intend to charge in the provincial gazette every year, which, the association says,  not all have done.
However, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality spokesman Kupido Baron dismissed claims that the municipality had not gazetted rates, saying this had been done since 2005. “We also publish the rates in the local newspaper and have already paid for the 2012/2013 rates to be gazetted.”
National Taxpayers’ Union chairman Jaap Kelder, of  Kempton Park, said the meeting resolved that all Eastern Cape ratepayers’ associations would meet in Cradock on August 4, where the issue of legally challenging  municipalities around the rates issue would be decided  as well as whether support would be sought for a province-wide campaign to withhold rates. “We found that, according to legislation and the constitution, any bylaws that have not been promulgated are not valid,” Kelder said.
Nelson Mandela Bay Ratepayers’ Association chairman Kobus Gerber said ratepayers “would no longer be bullied”.
“Ratepayers are paying about R100-million annually in rates.”
He said proof that municipalities had acted illegally regarding rates payment would give ratepayers “massive bargaining power”.
Buffalo City Municipality spokesman Keith Ngesi did not respond to Weekend Post queries at the time of going to print.

Additional reporting by Barbara Hollands and Shaanaaz de Jager

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday July 14 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. 

Slap in the face for local soccer talent

By Shaun Gillham

BAY Stars managing director and businessman Tony Lovegrove has slammed a move by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality – in particular Mayor Zonoxolo Wayile – to buy Premier Soccer League (PSL) team Maritzburg United as a slap in the face for local football development.
An angry Lovegrove said on Friday that politicians and officials “did not care about the great talent in their own back yard” and were demonstrating that they did not think locals were “good enough”.
Municipal spokesman Kupido Baron confirmed the initiative, which insiders told Weekend Post will cost the metro R30-million in relocation costs alone.
“I can confirm that the municipality is in the advanced stages of negotiations with Maritzburg United Football Club. This is towards maintaining the sustainability of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium,” Baron said.
According to a source close to the deal, Wayile instructed Nelson Mandela Bay Development Agency Pierre Voges to negotiate with Maritzburg United and that the deal had to be closed before May 18 or 19 due to a Safa deadline dictating the cut-off date by which clubs have to declare their home stadiums.
According to another source, the team might not even be permanently based in the region, but would simply be “rented for some PSL games”.
The new development comes as a massive blow to Bay Stars, which was created out of the former Bay Academy Football Club with extensive financial backing from local business and with the aim of representing the metro in the PSL within three years.
 Lovegrove believed a contract signing with Maritzburg was imminent.
He said Bay Stars was formed after Safa contacted local businessmen to assist in the former Bay Academy team. “We looked at the PSL model and we formed a team, which has full technical support, with the aim of getting it into the PSL in three years. We’ve done all the right things; put all the correct structures and support systems in place. We had an MOA [memorandum of agreement] with the mayor, who publicly supported the team and its aims, and we are on track to develop this team, which has great talent,” Lovegrove said.
Lovegrove questioned why tens of millions would potentially be spent on importing a franchise when they had battled to get R4-million worth of repairs done to the team’s home ground, the Wolfson Stadium.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday May 12, 2012.

Controversial municipal leases being ‘renegotiated’

By Patrick Cull

MANY of the controversial leases identified in the Kabuso Report were being renegotiated, acting municipal manager Themba Hani said in a report to the Nelson Mandela Bay council today (Friday).

The “interim report” on actions flowing from the release of the report follows resolutions taken by council on December 8 last year with respect to the leases, rental of office accommodation in Kwantu Towers, an investigation of staff misconduct, and the reporting of “prima facie criminal conduct” to the police for further investigation.

Regarding the “prima facie criminal conduct” Hani said these cases were reported to the Hawks on December 9 and he met regularly with the various law enforcement agencies for “reporting purposes”.

The report reveals several leases of municipal facilities are being renegotiated, with compliance notices issued to the companies involved on February 6:

* Madiba Bay – the company proposed that the municipality consider including an addendum to the original lease which had been referred to Council’s legal representatives;

* Willows Resort – Madiba Bay Resorts had indicated willingness to conclude a Facility Management Agreement to regularise their occupation of the resort; this would be put before Council before being referred to the company for its consideration;

* Van Stadens Resort – A revised proposal and addendum to the initial lease had been received and referred to the Council’s legal representatives, with final opinion expected on May 23;

* Beachview Resort – The company wished to conclude a Facility Management Agreement as it was “not in a position financially” to comply with the terms of the lease agreement;

* Motherwell Beach – No proposal had been received from the developer and it was proposed new development proposals should be called for if the developer does not indicate interest by May 25

* Swartkops Power Station – The developer had “indicated a willingness to resolve the matter amicably” and the possibility of housing the desalination plant there had been discussed. An EIA and feasibility study were awaited from the developer.

With regard to Kwantu Towers, Hani said all staff except those on three floors had been relocated. The others were still in Kwantu Towers “pending the finalisation of the tender process for the procurement of office accommodation”.

Hani said the matter relating to misconduct by municipal staff had been referred to Internal audit and labour relations for investigation and advice; disciplinary hearings would be scheduled according to the reports received.

He said issues raised in the Kabuso Report with regard to possible financial irregularities and maladministration were receiving “the necessary attention,” adding that the matter might not be finalised in the current financial year.

Boost for tourism as PE chosen as Afcon host city

By Patrick Cull and Yolandé Stander

EASTERN Cape residents may have been told by 2010 Fifa World Cup organisers that the spectacle was a “once in a lifetime” event but Friday’s announcement that Port Elizabeth will be a host city for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations is creating almost as much buzz.
Following the announcement by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula that the city would join Durban, Rustenburg and Mbombela as host cities, soccer fans, tourism authorities and business leaders across the province erupted in celebration.
The tournament is expected to be a massive boost for the region. A total of 16 teams – four of which will be based in Port Elizabeth – will participate in the event that will run from January 19 to February 10.
Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) chief executive Sybert Liebenberg said the city being chosen as a host was “phenomenal”. He said a tournament like the African Cup of Nations gave tourists every reason to visit the region.
“These people need to stay somewhere, they need to eat and get transport, so the direct and indirect spin-offs are massive. This is also a vote of confidence in the province that it has become a world class-sport destination.”
Although the cost of meeting the city’s obligations in terms of the tournament is expected to be around R30-million, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality economic development and recreational services executive director Zolile Siswana was “confident we will get financial support from both national and provincial government”.
In a report to the local Sport, Recreation, Arts and Cultural Services Committee he said the intention was for the provincial government to foot R20-million of the estimated costs and the municipality R10-million.
A report to parliament on the Sport and Recreation Department budget k said an additional R26-million had been made available for guarantees required for staging the tournament.
 – Additional reporting Sapa

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday May 5, 2012.

Shoes stream in for needy kids

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber’s Top 40 Under 40 business leaders of 2012 teamed up with the municipality’s education task team to collect new and good-quality second-hand shoes for needy school children as part of the international One Day Without Shoes campaign on April 10. About 900 pairs of shoes, and various other items, were donated by businesses and the public and handed over to executive mayor Zanoxolo Wayile (third from left) at the city hall on Tuesday. With him are Top 40 candidates Luvuyo Bangazi (left) of Boomtown and Alan Barr of KPMG. Joining them is the chamber’s Nicole Klokow, who drove the project. The Top 40 Under 40 includes Weekend Post assistant editor Louise Liebenberg and is made up of 40 of the city’s top business achievers, all under the age of 40. Picture: Louise Liebenberg

Water shortage ‘crisis’ hits northern areas

By Shaanaaz de Jager

SEVERE water delivery problems in parts of Nelson Mandela Bay’s northern areas are wreaking havoc with residents’ daily lives and forcing many people to move out.
 Residents are frustrated and baffled because they say their accounts are up to date. They claim the municipality has not been forthcoming about the cause of what they have labelled a crisis.
However municipal spokesman Kupido Baron said water consumption had increased to a point where the existing reticulation was overextended.
He said residents had erected structures over the existing water mains, making it “difficult to detect and repair leaks”.
The affected areas in Schauderville include Roos Street, Gideon Road, Luyt Street, Searle Road, St Nicholas Crescent and Ferreira Street.
Residents said the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality secured the services of trucks to deliver water in January and February. But, they said, this was still not enough. Bertie Andrews, of Gideon Road, confirmed the problem persisted for nearly two years.
“Even though there is improvement with water flow from the taps, the problem still frustrates me,” he said. “When we ask what the problem is, we are not given a straight answer. There were times when we would not have water during the day and only late at night.” The erratic water service had also caused Andrews, who rents a house in Roos Street, sleepless nights as tenants were streaming out. “They say they won’t pay rent because there is no water.”
Another resident, Nigel St Clair, said it took him more than an hour to shower in the mornings as he waited for water to be channeled through the system.
 Baron said residents would only have been charged for water “consumed through their meters and not for the water delivered” and mains were being installed.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday April 14, 2012.

Water relief promised with extension to Nooitgedacht

By Yolandé Stander

WORK on the extension of the Nooitgedacht level water treatment works along the Sundays River is under way.
Massive water pipes are being installed next to the R335 or Addo Road past Motherwell. This extension is set to see an extra 70 megalitres of water being pumped into the Nelson Mandela Bay area every day by the end of March next year.
Municipal spokesman Kupido Baron said this was part of the municipality’s drought relief efforts. “We asked for R1.6-billion for drought relief efforts from national government. This year, we received R450-million from treasury and that is what we are using to implement phase one of the Nooitgedacht scheme,” Baron said.
He added the decision to prioritise the low- level scheme was because this project was the most viable.
“We do, however, have other projects on the cards for the future, including our planned desalination plant and boreholes.”
He said another R350-million should become available to complete phase one during the course of the next financial year.
The Nooitgedacht scheme is the extension of the Nooitgedacht water-treatment works, which treats Gariep Dam water which flows via the Orange-Fish River tunnel and a series of connected rivers to the Sundays River irrigation scheme.
From there it is piped, via the treatment works, to areas that include PE’s Bluewater Bay.
The first phase of the project involves the implementation of the “bare essentials” which will enable the municipality to treat the water to an acceptable standard and push it through the system.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday April 7, 2012.

Rubbish collection as usual over Easter long weekend

THE Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has said it will stick to its regular schedule for rubbish collection over the Easter period.

Kupido Baron, municipal spokesman, said residents of the city should abide by the usual collection schedule from Easter Friday up to and including Monday April 9.

Rubbish should be taken out for collection before 6am on the collection day, as usual.