Once again, I would like to thank all of you who supported both me and the Democratic Alliance by turning out to vote on 18 May 2011.
Whilst we may not have achieved our stated objective of taking control of the metro, your support went a long way toward achieving this goal in the next elections.
Election Results Ward 2
It certainly was an exciting and eventful 2011 Municipal Election which saw us gaining 19 seats and nearly taking control of the metro away from the ruling party. I would like to also give a personal word of thanks to all of you who turned out to vote on Wednesday 18 May and mention a special thank-you to the many volunteers who gave of their time to help at the polling stations – thank you, without the support of the voters and residents, we could never have achieved such a wonderful result.
The only negative that one can draw from the result for Ward 2 is that, in spite of all our efforts to turn out the maximum number of voters on the day, that still only 58% of registered voters came to vote. If for some reason you were unable to vote of were not registered, please register and come and exercise your vote in the general election so that we may use the platform of the municipal elections to force the opposition under 50% and so that we can finish what we started when the next municipal election comes round.
Based on the vote numbers, the seat allocations have been calculated as follows:
- ANC = 63
- DA = 48
- Cope = 6
- UDM = 1
- PAC = 1
- ACDP = 1
Service Delivery JOC (Joint Operations Centre)
The metro has recently established a service delivery JOC. The purpose of establishing this entity is to deal with complaints across the board. The JOC is headed up by Brigadier John Best (retired from the SAPS) and has been a great help in getting things done. Through the JOC, metro officials are now obliged to report back with each complaint given a unique tracking number with feedback going back to the office of the Municipal Manager.
Anyone wishing to report complaints can do so by making use the toll free number 0800 20 5050.
Beach Front Safety & Security
The problems relating to the concerns around beachfront safety reached a head since I last spoke to each of you, with an alarming article which appeared in the Weekend Post. I have since been in discussion with Mr. Shane Brown, Acting Director, Safety and Security, who has promised to increase the number of patrols along the beachfront.
Hot spot areas where residents should exercise caution, remain the King’s Beach area (preferably do not walk alone and leave valuables at home), and generally, the beach front precinct after dark, specifically the area between Happy Valley up to and including the Hobie parking area.
Any complaints can be reported to 10111 or to Metro Safety & Security on 041 5851555.
King’s Beach Environmental Upgrade – Update
This upgrade is still on the cards; however it would appear that owing to the current financial situation that it will have to be phased in over two years, with the first phase earmarked for completion in time for Summer Season 2011.
For more information as to how you can get involved with planning for the future of the Kings Beach area, please mail your comments and input to ward2@mandelametro.gov.za so that this input can be included into the shaping the final plans for the upgrade.
Beach Front Dog Control Measures
Many of you may have noticed that fairly extensive signage has been erected along the beachfront indicating where dogs may be walked on a leash. This is part of the awareness programme that Stanford and I insisted upon prior to implementing more rigid enforcement and fines.
As mentioned previously, dogs will be allowed on the beach from the harbour wall to the King’s Beach slipway. Between the slipway and Pipe parking area, dogs allowed back of beach on grassed areas. Dogs allowed again from Pipe to Receife. Dogs will also be allowed on the connecting sidewalks between King’s and Hobie.
Dogs will be allowed on all other beaches OUTSIDE of demarcated bathing areas. Dogs are to be kept on a leash and owners must have means of disposing of faeces. Proposed fines that have been promulgated through council are: Not removing faeces R1000.00, dog not on a leash R500.00 and walking a dog in a restricted area R500.00
Illegal Dumping Update:
This saga continues to drag on with another meeting set with Dawie Welgemoed on 9 June 2011 to establish just how far the plans to clear an sell the Summerstrand Ext 14 plots has progressed.
I have also been working closely with Environmental Health to deal with dumping at the end of Strandfontein Rd and Admiralty Way. Should there be any areas of concern close to where you live, please let me know so that we can try to address these
Should you see someone dumping, please take a picture and/or their registration details, and forward
to me or to Ann on 041 585 0515.
Dam Levels & Water Restrictions
The recent rains, which saw our wettest May in many years has yielded very positive results for the metro dams with still more rain forecast for the coming weeks.
Water restrictions however remain firmly in place and I have been advised by Barry Martin, head of water for the metro that the Department of Water Affairs will advise at what level consideration might be given to the levels which will allow for the lifting of restrictions. I will advise as soon as I am informed. Households are still restricted to 500 litres per day before stringent penalty tariffs are implemented.
Boardwalk Casino Upgrade:
The project is progressing well and on track for completion at the end of 2012. I have received a number of complaints from various members of the public around the trucks dumping excavated material, the mess that the sediment from the trucks has left on the roads an also about the effluent that has washed out to sea near the Hobie Beach area.
I am pleased to confirm that I have had meetings with Clifford Ngakane, the GM of The Boardwalk who has taken the concerns very seriously and has been working closely with our beach manager, Fernando Caine and out Environmental Officer, Godfrey Murrell in addressing the concerns.
I can confirm further that the entire current crop of concerns has been adequately addressed with mitigating measures now in place.
Should you have any concerns please let me know so that I can deal with these via Clifford’s office.
NMMU Second Avenue Hawkers
In spite of my best efforts to resolve the ongoing nuisance of the hawkers trading outside the NMMU Second Avenue campus, including regular enforcement action by metro Safety & Security these folk remain entrenched at this site.
I have taken the matter up with retired Brigadier John Best who assures me that they will be dealing with the problem. I am also still waiting for a response from Mt Toft Soga as to the possibility of creating a small space inside the campus where these hawkers can be allowed to trade.
I will keep all concerned residents informed of any developments in this regard and thank you for your patience.
Events and Road Closures
A meeting is to be held with all relevant stakeholders and officials in the coming month to discuss the new national SAPS events act and legislation and also to discuss the increasing concerns around road closures for events – I will advise of any new information as it becomes available.
The city has recently appointed an events officer, who will have the responsibility of helping to build a strong annual events calendar, at the same time ensuring a better spread of events, both on our annual calendar and also a better spread geographically.
I have also had extensive discussions with many of the officials responsible for events to ensure that all future events are properly coordinated through one port of call and that a standard protocol be installed to ensure proper communications not just around the issue of road closures, but also noise nuisance and all related areas of concern.
Clearing of Alien Vegetation
Please let me know if there are any specific areas of concern where I can try to assist. Bear in mind that the problem of alien vegetation is an ongoing one and there are also always numerous property owners involved, making clearing problematic when the ground in question is not owned by the metro.
Traffic Matters
Traffic matters are dealt with on an ongoing basis – should you have any areas of concern, please bring these to my attention so that I can assist.
Ward Inspections
Ward inspections are still undertaken of a six weekly cycle between myself and representatives from metro parks, traffic, electricity, beach office, metro environmental. During these inspections various problem areas are raised and possible solutions and interventions considered for implementation. Should you have anything that you wish to include into the ward tours, please let me know.
Please advise if I can assist with any Council or Ward matters.
Ward 2
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Now if Retief Odendaal would only do a regular news letter for our ward. I would love to know what is going on around here as well.
Ek sal vir hom se – he, along with every other Ward Councillor has a standing open invitation to use MyPE as a vehicle to keep his ratepayers informed.