Ward 2 Newsletter by Councillor Dean Biddulph:
This is more than likely the last newsletter that I will be sending to you before the 2011 Municipal Election.
It has been an absolute privilege and pleasure to have been able to serve you all as the councillor for Ward 2 for the past two and a half years.
Although not without frustration, I am pleased to say that progress has been made in respect of the areas where I had hoped to be able to make a difference prior to my election in July 2008.
With the assistance of the parks department, well over 500 indigenous trees have been planted in the ward.
From a safety point of view, two new sector crime forums were established, along with the revival of the Beachfront Safety Sector Forum and two dedicated neighbourhood patrol vehicle programmes. I am pleased to report that residents are also taking more of a direct interest in their suburb with the formation of various new resident’s associations and forums.
The problem of illegal dumping at the back of Summerstrand appears to be drawing to an end with all signs pointing to the cleaning of this area as a result of the pressure to lift the land sales moratorium.
Numerous upgrades were conducted along the beachfront where no infrastructure upgrades had been carried out since the late 80’s. Further improvements are coming up with the King’s Beach environmental upgrade.
I will continue to fight for additional funding to be allocated to our beachfront which is an integral component of our city’s economic development and which has been allowed to decline for far too long. Economic development in our metro desperately needs to be given a kick start as without a strong local economy, we remain unable to address the issue of jobs and unemployment – which remains the root cause of all our socio-economic problems.
At the DA we are acutely aware of the problems and frustration experienced by residents and ratepayers around the questions of poor service delivery – something for which you pay and something to which we are all entitled.
Thank you all for the wonderful support that you have shown. Thank you too to the many good, hard-working officials who still lurk within the organisation. It will be my privilege to continue serving the residents of Ward 2 and would humbly ask that you please join us in our quest to take control of this metro on 18 May 2011.
Ward 2 Newsletter by Councillor Dean Biddulph April 2011
Beach Front Safety & Security
I regret to inform that the progress in respect of training the car guards for the beachfront area has not taken off as anticipated. Of the initial group of ten persons identified, unfortunately none turned up on the nominated training day.
As a result, we have to consider a different approach. The Beachfront Trader’s Association has been successful in getting free security from Enforce Security – who handles the Mandela Bay Stadium security contract. This has been implemented to very good effect along the traders strip on Sundays as they have been able to remove all undesirable element/car guards etc. every Sunday.
I am in the process of getting cost estimates to facilitate 24 hour guarding along the beachfront from S-bend through to the beacon at Admiralty Way. Once we have the estimates, I will be calling a public meeting to discuss various funding options with both the business and residential communities of the area.
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.
Any complaints can be reported to 10111 or to Metro Safety & Security on 041 5851555.
King’s Beach Environmental Upgrade – Coming Soon
Both residents and users of Kings Beach area have raised concerns and expressed their unhappiness at the state of the King’s Beach recreational area. Particular concerns revolve around the issues of personal safety, cleanliness and the poor aesthetics of the area.
While the initial planning for the area was carried out as far back as the 1980’s, and barring the rudimentary facelift done prior to the 2010 World Cup, the last significant infrastructure improvements took place nearly twenty years ago.
Historically, this area is one of the most important sections of Nelson Mandela Bay because it is located close to where the Metropolitan Area had its beginnings on the coast. It is therefore of significance for urban conservation and for tourism. The entire image of the NMBMM is contained in this central city area; it is the “face” that Nelson Mandela Bay presents to the rest of the world and which therefore gives it its unique identity, separating it from any other city.
So, what sort of face should Kings beach present to the world? This is the question that is up for discussion at the moment. A public meeting was held on the 22nd March 2011, at the King’s Beach Surf Lifesaving Clubhouse, at 17h30.
It is my belief that we have a fantastic opportunity to produce a community asset that will be of benefit to local citizens and will contribute to tourism development in the Nelson Mandela Bay area, which, in turn helps to create jobs whilst providing a safer, cleaner and more attractive beachfront.
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:
The meeting with Dawie Welgemoed did indeed take place as mentioned in the January ward report.
He has already started working with Roads & Stormwater to prioritise which areas will be cleaned first and also to establish whether all infrastructure is still in place to facilitate the initial sales of plots in the area.
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.
Drought Relief & Water Restrictions
By now, it has been revealed that of the R1.6 Bn in drought relief requested from national government, that less than R600 M has been approved. This has left the city in a precarious position as the funding will not allow for the major interventions that had been planned in upgrading the supply capacity from the Gariep Dam. The metro water department now has to see how best to utilise the reduced funding grant to best effect.
Households are still restricted to 500 litres per day before stringent penalty tariffs are implemented.
Boardwalk Casino Project
I have received confirmation from the GM of the Boardwalk Casino that the upgrade and construction
of the new hotel will commence in the New Year. It is envisaged that the construction phase will take two years before the new improvements are opened for business. The official sod turning ceremony will be held on Tuesday 29 March 2011.
I have received a number of calls in respect of the contractors drawing water from the municipal supply. I have followed up and even though they apparently have permission from the metro to purchase water, I will try to ensure that they not be allowed to use potable water for this purpose.
NMMU Second Avenue Rezoning
The public meeting relating to the proposed rezoning of portions of the NMMU Second Avenue campus was held as mentioned in January’s report. The discussions were constructive and held in a good spirit where opportunity was given to affected residents to raise any concerns.
There were also a number of good suggestions and ideas put on the table by residents which will be incorporated into the plans going forward.
Should anyone still have any direct enquiries, Rowan Van Gendt from Urban Dynamic can be contacted on 041 374 3980 or on info@udec.co.za
Municipal Elections 2011 – To be held on 18 May 2011
Can the DA win the 2011 Municipal Election in the metro? This is a question which many, including myself may have asked themselves. The simple answer is YES and is based upon a few simple assumptions.
The 2009 general election results and detailed market research undertaken by the DA all indicate a strong local government election result on 18 May 2011. If one considers for a moment the excellent result that the DA had in the 2009 General Election where the ANC procured only 50.4% of ALL votes cast in the metro – and one transposes these results onto a municipal election, the seats picture would be as follows:
2009 General Election result would have given the following number of seats:
- ANC – 60 seats
- DA – 36 seats
- Other – 24 seats
- Total – 120 seats
What the 2009 picture illustrates is that the ANC are one seat away from losing their majority in council.
The DA are confident that hard work, dedication and a smart, well-run campaign will result in the DA becoming the senior partner in a coalition that will unseat the ANC from power in the Nelson Mandela Metro.
A successful campaign victory will see proper service delivery in our metro through providing transparent, accountable and responsive local government that will show the people of the metro that where we the DA governs, they govern well and deliver to all the people.
To ensure that no stone is left unturned in our efforts, it is essential that we assemble a strong team of volunteers to assist on and around Election Day on the 18th. We need your help – if you are able to assist (even for an hour or two), please RSVP as soon as possible. Full training will be provided.
This is therefore a personal appeal to you to please help us deliver on our promise to you. We may never again have such a good opportunity to ensure a better future for our metro and I thank you in advance for your interest and assistance.
Events and Road Closures
I have received numerous complaints from various residents who have been inconvenienced by poorly communicated road closures during events. This is obviously an unsatisfactory situation and is being taken very seriously by both myself and Stanford, into whose ward the majority of events occur.
As councillors, we have a duty primarily to the residents of our respective wards and it is against this background that we strive to find common ground where all parties involved are able to benefit.
It is however integral to the economic development of our metro that we position ourselves well in respect of being a desirable host venue for events as these form an important part of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism’s plan for growing tourism in the city.
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
I have noted the rapid increase in alien vegetation along Strandfontein Rd once again and have been in contact with Mr Godfrey Murrell who has very kindly agreed to once again put the Coast Care team through the area to thin out specifically along the Strandfontein Rd area between Telkom Park and the Sasol garage.
Traffic Matters
I am pleased to report that many of the problem areas in respect of traffic matters, raised With Supt Simakuhle during a ward tour have received attention. Amongst these, were the taxi stopping problem in front of The Boardwalk Casino, the hawkers on Second Ave at the NMMU campus and the regular incidence of no stopping at stop signs along Humewood Rd.
To give you some idea of the extent of the problem I have included some interesting statistics sent to me from traffic.
Humewood Road – Stop sign complaint
- 2 February 2011, the stop sign complaint was attended between 12:15 and 13:30 and a total of 52 prosecutions were issued.
- 27 February 2011, the complaint was again attended between 11:00 and 12:00 and a total of 61 prosecutions were issued.
- 23 March 2011, complaint was attended and a total of 30 prosecutions were issued for a stop sign in Humewood
Should you have any specific area of concern, please report it to me so that I can engage the traffic department to try and assist.
Finally, it is illegal to ride an unlicensed bike or quad along sidewalks, in a public road or on a public open space. Anyone observing such activity should report it immediately to the metro Emergency radio control room on 041 585 1555.
Ward Inspections
Ward inspections are still undertaken of a six weekly basis 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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What happens to the wards that are not under DA control – can the DA go and do inspections. I heard a story about a faulty water meter that has been spewing out water for days in Wells Estate. The owner of the house has called the municipality and nothing gets done about it. Is there anything that the DA can do to intercept issues like this and perhaps earn some support at the same time?
Who has been looking after Ward 3??? Havent seen or heard of such a person and I have been living here for 10 years!! Perhaps it is time to re-think my vote??
See Ward 3 reports from Prof Andre Goosen here.