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. 

Vietnam’s role in rhino poaching

By Patrick Cull and Yolandé Stander

VIETNAM’S role in South Africa’s rhino poaching scourge appears to be more apparent as new figures reflect how many of the animals are being killed or targeted by people from that country, both legally and illegally.
Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa told the national assembly that of the 384 foreign nationals who have hunted rhino in South Africa since July 2009, some 185 were Vietnamese.
In reply to a written question from DA shadow minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Gareth Morgan, Molewa said 24 of the rhino hunted by Vietnamese were in the Eastern Cape, 133 in North West, 28 in Limpopo, 22 in the Free State and 14 in KwaZulu-Natal.
The only other nation to be significantly represented was the Czech Republic whose citizens hunted 34 rhinos in North West.
Furthermore, according to Eastern Cape anti-poaching intelligence coordinator Rodney Visser it is known that, of all foreigners arrested for illegal rhino poaching, about 58% are Vietnamese.
South Africa has now barred Vietnamese nationals who have applied to hunt rhinos in the country, Bloomberg reports, “because it hasn’t been assured that they won’t illegally sell the animals’ horns, which are worth much more than their weight in gold”.
In April Molewa was quoted as saying that all 23 rhino hunting applications by Vietnamese residents this year had been rejected.
“A majority of the people that are being arrested here, a lot of the permits that are being applied for here, come from Vietnam,” Molewa said, adding that there was “no clear record of proper processes that need to be followed.”
This week Molewa said nearly 60% of rhino hunting requests since the beginning of 2010 had come from Vietnam, where rising prosperity had fostered demand for the horn, which some believe could cure ailments including cancer.
The horn can fetch as much as R48 0000 per kilogram.

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

IPTS routes to start running in July

By Patrick Cull

THE first routes on the long- awaited Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS) between Motherwell, Njoli Square and Greenacres, and Uitenhage and KwaNobuhle will start running from July 1.
A report to the Nelson Mandela Bay council on Friday said that following a workshop on Wednesday it had been agreed that during peak hours in the morning “express buses” would run directly from Motherwell to Greenacres via the freeway. Others buses would link Njoli Square and the shopping centre.
At peak periods, the buses will operate at 10 minute intervals “so there is no demand for more buses in the Motherwell-Njoli area”.
The buses purchased for the 2010 World Cup will be used and divided between the Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage routes.
The launch of the IPTS follows an agreement between the municipality, Laphu’milanga Secondary Cooperative – which represents the taxi associations – and the Algoa Bus Company.
The report says a “high-level dispute resolution and political structure” has been put in place involving the politicians and the chairman of the secondary cooperative.
Seven work streams have been set up to address outstanding issues that include loading facilities at Motherwell and Greenacres, finalisation of bus stops and removal of speed humps.
The next route on which the IPTS will be rolled out is Cleary Park, from January next year.

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

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.

Puffing on the beach out with new law plan

By Patrick Cull and Shaun Gillham

SMOKERS face new restrictions that will ban the smoking of tobacco “in any public place” and prohibit the provision of food or refreshments and entertainment in a designated smoking area.
And, if the regulations are adopted, smoking will be prohibited even on beaches where public bathing is permitted unless you are 50 metres away from the closest person near the demarcated swimming area.
The new regulations, published by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi in the Government Gazette, will affect all spheres of life if ratified. They will have a major impact on how restaurants and entertainment venues conduct their businesses.
There is also doubt as to exactly how the new Tobacco Products Control Act will be policed given smokers are seldom penalised and establishments do not adhere to existing legislation.
In terms of new regulations smoking will be banned in:

• Stadiums, arenas, sports facilities and playgrounds;
• Zoos and outdoor eating and drinking areas;
• Venues where outdoor events are taking place; and
• Covered walkways and covered parking areas.

And for teachers accustomed to nipping outside for a quick puff, the ban extends to the premises of schools and child care facilities.
DA Eastern Cape shadow health MEC John Cupido said when the current legislation was introduced  police used to send in undercover officers to make sure the laws were being adhered to, “so that might be done in this case”.  Restaurateur Paul van der Merwe, owner of Angelo’s in Port Elizabeth, labelled the proposed legislation as “draconian”. “As it is, when the first new smoking legislation came out [stipulating a specific smoking section] we got an architect in and spent money accommodating the laws. We have made further alterations at cost, and now there are new laws on the cards.”
Van der Merwe said the non-smoking lobby and laws were becoming “too controlling”. He believed new regulations would have a negative impact on restaurants, but importantly laws were increasingly restricting people’s rights to choose.

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

Special rhino unit for Eastern Cape

By Patrick Cull

A SPECIAL Investigative Unit has been established in the Eastern Cape to combat rhino poaching, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism MEC Mcebisi Jonas has announced. 

The announcement comes as poachers turn to Eastern Cape game reserves and as National Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa told parliament 78 rhinos had been killed by poachers between January 1 and February 27 this year. 

Presenting his policy speech in the Bhisho legislature, Jonas said his department planned to “professionalise” the investigative unit through DNA rhino sampling training, crime scene management courses, media campaigns and the training of provincial parks’ and private reserves’ anti- poaching units.  In addition, he said, honorary nature and environmental conservators (green reservists) would be appointed. 

“Led by the Green Scorpions, the province will pursue a zero tolerance approach to environmental crime,” he said.  Replying to a question from Gareth Morgan (DA) in the national assembly, Molewa said  the “most significant obstacle” facing anti-poaching campaigns was the “international nature of the crime as well as the fact that organised crime syndicates are involved”.  “It is thus not easy to get to the kingpins who buy the rhino horn.” 

Spelling out steps taken by SANParks, she said a feasibility study was under way into the use of tracker dogs in anti-poaching and follow-up campaigns, while a second ultra-light aircraft had been purchased for operations in the Kruger National Park.  In addition, 58 new field rangers had been deployed into poaching “hot spots” in the park. 

Molewa said besides the steps taken by SANParks, the South African National Defence Force had been deployed along the eastern boundary of the Kruger National Park “as part of their mandate to control the international borderline of South Africa”. 

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday March 24, 2012.

Elections: Tight contest for control of region

By Patrick Cull and Yolandé Stander

THE battle for control of Eastern Cape municipalities is on a knife-edge with politicians and analysts both agreeing Wednesday’s local government election will prove to be one of the most hotly-contested days at the polls since South Africa became a democracy in 1994.

All eyes, both nationally and throughout the province, will be on Nelson Mandela Bay, where the DA is confident that, with the support of other parties, it can keep the ANC below a 50% majority. The ruling party, in turn, is adamant this outcome is “not even in our thinking”.

While there is not expected to be a “dramatic change” in the balance of power at the Buffalo City Municipality, the DA was likely to see a “favourable increase” in votes, according to analysts.

Essentially what will determine the outcome in Nelson Mandela Bay is the percentage poll.

The DA wants a minimum of 70% turnout in the wards it controls – it failed in most instances to hit this target in the 2006 local government election – with a far lower percentage poll in those areas that are typically ANC strongholds because of an election protest stay-away.

If that happens, the possibility of a DA-led coalition will be enhanced. Both the DA and Cope have stated that they are open to a post-election coalition.

DA mayoral candidate Leon de Villiers said the DA was confident it could lead a coalition of parties after the elections, adding this was based on the fact that the ANC lost 20% of its support in the metro in the last general election in 2009.

“With the current cash-flow crisis in this metro, the poor service delivery, corruption and the ongoing infighting within their ranks, ANC voters are becoming increasingly despondent, so they are going to lose further votes,” he said.

A further indication that the DA believes it will be heading a coalition in Nelson Mandela Bay after May 18 is that national leader Helen Zille will be in the metro on Tuesday and election day – the fifth time she will have campaigned here.

On top of that the “tracking” of support for the ANC and DA suggests the result will be close.

The basis of the DA’s belief that they can defeat the ANC rests on the results of the 2009 general election when the ANC polled 50.14% in the national election in an 81.2% poll and 49.64% in the provincial election in an 80.6% poll.

In the national election in 2009 the opposition parties which could possibly form a coalition after the May 18 election – the DA, Cope, African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and Freedom Front Plus along with the Independent Democrats – took 47.77%.

In the provincial poll they won 48.14%.

Cope mayoral candidate Smuts Ngonyama was as bullish as De Villiers, saying his party had “substantial support” and was going to do well.

However, ANC regional secretary Zandisile Qupe rubbished these claims, saying his party was very confident it would not only retain control of the metro, but also make inroads into other areas. “The possibility of a DA victory is not even in our thinking,” he said.

Port Elizabeth political analyst Joleen Steyn Kotze said the result of the election in the Eastern Cape would depend on the internal battles within the ANC, which could lead to increased voter apathy. “We have seen various incidents of conflict between different factions within the ANC,” she said.

“There are already claims that the candidature of the ANC in the Alfred Nzo Municipality (covering the north-eastern side of the former Transkei) is rigged. These factors, cumulatively, could lead to an increase in voter apathy as the perception that political parties are too concerned with internal power struggles rather than the voter could emerge.”

Kotze said the ANC would “most likely” take all these municipalities, but the percentage remained the question. “We have seen a decline in the support for the ANC provincially by as much as 10%. This is significant, considering the Eastern Cape is seen as the birthplace and heartland of the ANC. Therefore, we may see a decline in the percentage of votes to the ANC and an increase in the opposition, (but) the ANC is still most likely to take the municipalities.”

She did suggest, however, that Cope could be a strong player in municipalities like Buffalo City. “They could be strong contenders for the official opposition. The UDM has been very quiet and has also declined significantly, nationally and provincially, in percentages.”

Rhodes University ,  said the most significant contests had taken place in the run- up to the elections in the struggle over party lists. “How the outcomes of these factional contests will affect voters is worth considering. They may also affect turnout, as people boycott candidates rather than vote for other parties.”

Fort Hare University politics lecturer Lwazi Lushaba predicted although there would not be a “dramatic change” in the balance of power at the Buffalo City Municipality, the DA was likely to see a “favourable increase” in votes.

“There is obvious discontent about how the municipality has been governed over the years and the internal differences in the ANC have negatively affected the smooth running of Buffalo City. The political structure of the municipality has dragged the administration into a vortex of disorder.”

Lushaba said because the DA was the only other “viable party” it would stand to benefit from the disorder.

Beachfront mayhem as vagrants, street kids and illegal car guards “take over”

MAYHEM: Popular Humewood and Hobie Beaches have become a hangout for self-appointed car guards, vagrants and street children. Picture: Mike Holmes

By Patrick Cull and Shaanaaz de Jager

NELSON Mandela Bay tourism bosses have warned that the city’s main beachfront has descended into “a state of lawlessness” with vagrants, street children and illegal car guards terrorising employees and visitors to the area.

Tourists staying at some of the beachfront’s premier hotels have checked out because they felt threatened and the municipality’s acting Safety and Security executive director, Shane Brown, has acknowledged the situation is so concerning it “needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency”.

Business owners in the area complain they regularly find urine and human faeces on their doorsteps and say patrons are frequently harassed by drunk, self-appointed car guards.

At a popular beachfront hotel a car guard recently ran into the hotel chased by three youths who wanted to throw bricks through the window to get at him, according to a complaint received by DA councillor Dean Biddulph. This was the second incident involving the same man who on another occasion had been chased by a person with a rock who had subsequently pulled a knife.

The incident resulted in two British guests asking for arrangements to be made for them to fly home immediately, according to the complaint.

At another hotel near Humewood Beach a laptop was stolen from a ground floor room, with a complaint to Biddulph that street children were coming onto the property and “harassing guests for money”.

Hotel managers were especially concerned about the safety of tourists and visitors with the Splash Festival coming up this Easter weekend.

There have also been complaints to Biddulph of numerous young street kids hanging around the Hobie Beach area in “gangs” of six to eight.

Puddles of urine and human faeces left on the doorstep of the premises are a regular occurrence at the nearby PE Beach Yacht Club with club manager Michael Toughey saying the mess he and his staff regularly found on the front steps of the club was disgusting.

“These are not car guards, they are vagrants who live on the streets. “They urinate and leave their faeces and litter on our doorstep and we have to clean it up. It is ghastly and intolerable.

A livid Toughey said he had witnessed people trying to get into their cars being harassed by drunk “car guards”. He also pointed a finger at people who sat in cars drinking, which was against municipal by-laws, and smashing their empty alcohol bottles onto the ground in the parking area.

Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism marketing manager Titus Chuene confirmed his office had received complaints about unruly street children and car guards on the beachfront.

“This behaviour is bad for tourism,” Chuene said. He said NMBT served on the beachfront safety forum and during a recent meeting it was decided that Maranatha, a registered non-profit organisation which deals with street children, would work with the department of social development and other social workers in an effort to “re-unite the children with their families”.

Chuene said the NMBT did not encourage people to give street children money and added that a by-law was needed to regulate the “illegal car guards”.

“The city needs a by-law which stipulates car guards must be trained and are registered,” he added.

In an e-mail to Biddulph, he states he has started with a process of establishing a By-Law Enforcement Unit to deal specifically with the enforcement of council’s by-laws.

 (This is a condensed version of an article that was originally published in Weekend Post on Saturday, April 16, 2011.)

McArthur Baths newest Bay tourist attraction to close

By Patrick Cull

NELSON Mandela Bay’s tourism industry suffered has yet another crushing blow with the sudden closure of the popular McArthur Baths swimming pool complex.

The metro has also shut down its once internationally renowned Oceanarium at Bayworld, where other facilities have languished at the run-down complex for many months.

Adding to the city’s bleak tourism picture is the demise of the famous Apple Express narrow gauge steam train at the end of last year and the loss of the last of the city’s once-prized Blue Flag beaches at the beginning of this year.

An historic, art deco-styled complex that underwent a highly-publicised R13.5-illion revamp about 10 years ago, McArthur Baths closed following a surprise decision by Bel-Essex, which had operated the complex on behalf of the municipality for the past 10 years, not to renew their lease. The company has already removed its equipment from the complex.

Bel-Essex has remained tight-lipped about the reason for its decision, with managing director Riaan van der Mescht saying its contract to manage the baths had expired at the end of March.

Not so, said municipal spokesperson Kupido Baron, who claimed the management contract would only expire in October.

“This is a sticky matter,” Baron said. “Our legal services are busy looking into this.

“Bel-Essex terminated the contract which was meant to expire only in October. We acted in good faith and bent over backwards for the operators. “We also gave them ample opportunity to rectify the situation, but they have acted in a malicious manner,” Baron said.

The closure of the baths comes just days before 1800 athletes from 36 nations arrive in Port Elizabeth for the high-profile annual Ironman event on Sunday, April 10. An  offshoot “IronKids” event is meant to be  held from McArthur Baths.

In a letter to the metro’s Recreation and Culture Portfolio councillor Maria Hermans, DA councillor Dean Biddulph expressed concern about the situation.

Biddulph said he had contacted representatives from Bel-Essex to appeal to them to consider maintaining the baths at least until after the Ironman weekend, but they had not been prepared to do so.

Biddulph said as a result responsibility for the facility reverted to the metro as from April 1. He said he had spoken to Beaches and Resorts Director Tony Knott, who had suggested he contact Leon Botha, head of pools, “to see if he might assist in maintaining the facility”.

“He says the facility falls under Facilities Management, that he has no budget allocation for the pools and therefore is not in position to assist,” Biddulph said.

“The metro cannot afford to be embarrassed by pools that are in a poor condition over the Ironman weekend. Our beachfront has taken a beating in recent times as a result of the ongoing Bayworld saga and the loss of Blue Flag status.”

Biddulph appealed for “an intervention at the highest level” to ensure the facility was kept at an acceptable standard. He also said it was “vitally important that ongoing maintenance be done to protect the substantial private sector investment” made by a tenant at the complex – popular restaurant bar Cubana.

“I would urge that immediate consideration be given to fast-tracking the process (of) calling for expressions of interest to ensure the continued viability of the complex. A new operator urgently needs to be identified and contracts put in place.”

Eastern Cape tourism specialist Peter Myles said the most important aspect now was for the complex to be maintained. “It could very quickly deteriorate and become an eyesore,” said Myles.

He added the complex had always been an attractive and prominent feature along the Port Elizabeth beachfront. “In order to attract not only tourists, but also investors, we have to keep up a world-class look.”

Baron has assured that services at the baths would soon resume “as normal”.

“Our beach office will be taking over the management of the facility until this situation is rectified. All the planned events, such as the IronKids, will go ahead.”

Additional reporting Yolandé Stander and Shaun Gillham

(This article was originally published in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday, April 2, 2011.)