ETHEKWINIWEEKLY bULLETIN

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08 July 2016 [Issue 40]by 2030 eThekwini will be africa’s most caring and liveable city

“KEEPInG You In THE KnoW”

aS part of eThekwini Municipality’s Economic Development Strategy to take service delivery to the people by bringing infrastructural development and economic opportunities right to their doorstep, a r35 million Furniture Manufacturing Incubator will be launched by the City on 12 July. This state-of the-art manufacturing facility will be unveiled in partnership with the offi ce of the MEC of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental affairs, Sihle Zikalala.The Furniture Incubator was recently completed and will have a drastic impact on the stimulation and development of manufacturing businesses and community access to locally produced and custom made furniture in the Phoenix, Inanda,

ntuzuma and KwaMashu (PInK) areas.once fully operational, the facility will be the fi rst of its kind in the eThekwini area. The launch of the Furniture Manufacturing Incubator is a partnership between the Municipality and Furniture Training and Incubation Sector Trust- Furntech, and a major breakthrough for small businesses in the PInK areas. The PInK Furniture Incubator, situated at Crossroads, the intersection of Malandela road and Curnick ndlovu Highway formerly known as KwaMashu Highway, is an innovative idea to promote small businesses, which play a major role in contributing to the economy at Crossroads near bridge City.Small businesses will have access to

workshop space, machinery, meeting rooms, showrooms, internet and other facilities allowing for ease of doing business.Mayor James nxumalo said the facility is a signifi cant milestone in the provision of manufacturing infrastructure in underdeveloped areas in eThekwini. “The furniture industry is labour intensive and can signifi cantly contribute to reducing the level of unemployment, increase exports and contribute to the development of small and medium enterprises,” said nxumalo.The centre, which is now at an operating stage, will provide easily accessible services and equipment allowing products to be manufactured within close proximity to markets.

A R35 million state-of the-art Furniture Manufacturing Incubator will be launched by the City on 12 July. The facility will be the fi rst of its kind in the eThekwini area and will provide easily accessible services and equipment allowing products to be manufactured within close proximity to markets.

CITY INVESTS R35M TOWARDS FURNITURE MANUFACTURING

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InnovatIon SummIt tackleS SocIo-economIc ISSueS

Durban is poised for greatness if the City’s youth come on board and starts developing innovative ideas to address societal challenges and assist in expediting service delivery.This emerged during the Innovation Summit 2016, held from 7-8 July, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.a host of experts in the innovation and technology space addressed business people and the youth at the third annual summit.Speaking at the opening, Deputy Mayor and Chairwoman of the Economic Development and Planning Committee, nomvuzo Shabalala said young

people have ideas that can address the challenges facing not only our City but many cities. “Young people have the knowledge and creativity to bring about change through innovation. Investment in younger people is investing in our City and country as the youth will be the ones to take this country forward,” she said.Shabalala said their mandate as local government was to provide basic services. “While we are still confronted with the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality, we believe young people in particular have innovative ideas to assist us in

addressing these challenges. Information is power and this summit is a powerful information sharing platform,” she said.City Manager, Sibusiso Sithole said the City was passionate about seeing young people being developed through high-impact summits. “no city or business can thrive without innovation. This summit comes at an opportune time when we as the City have to reflect on our state of innovation compared to the rest of the world,” he said.He said while many young people are unemployed and trapped in poverty, innovation can help reverse this trend.

ETHEKWINI AT YOUR SERVICE

ToWnSHIPS are a vital component to any City, which is why a concerted effort has been made by eThekwini Municipality to upscale development and accelerate service delivery in all underdeveloped areas.

notable progress has been made in townships which fall under the jurisdiction of eThekwini.

This includes bringing services closer to the people while focusing on infrastructural development, social upliftment, empowerment and job creation.

on the City’s agenda is addressing the spatial planning aspects within eThekwini by bridging the gap between the income groups and how they relate to economic uses, which traces back to race-based planning driven by the former apartheid regime. This pattern however is starting to be mitigated by improved connectivity which leads to better economic prospects. The establishment of a number of retail centres in townships has gone a long way in improving trip efficiencies for commuters and bringing retail, finance and service industries closer to the people.

EThekwini Municipality remains committed to improving the lives of all residents and has reported impressive numbers of employment opportunities, totalling some 134 883. one of our major focus areas has been the revitalisation of the inner City through our programmes aimed at attracting investment.

EThekwini Deputy Mayor, Nomvuzo Shabalala and City Manager, Sibusiso Sithole were among the speakers at the Innovation Summit where they emphasised the role youth must play in being innovators in society.

issue 39 eThekwini weekly BulleTin 3

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CiTY’s FRee WiFi PROJeCT TAKes sHAPeIn an effort to bridge the gap between the rich and poor, mainly focusing on underdeveloped communities, eThekwini Municipality is steadfastly installing WiFi equipment in various hotspots around the City. The equipment, which enables WiFi signal distribution, is currently being installed in KwaMashu, umlazi, the beachfront, Durban Central, around the Gugu Dlamini Park, and botanic Gardens. The City’s Chief Information

Officer, Robert Dlamini said the WiFi hotspots will be up and running soon. The free WiFi project will be rolled out in different public access hot spots, targeting rural areas, townships and areas near tertiary institutions. The project, which was announced by Mayor James nxumalo during his budget speech in May will be rolled out in phases, beginning with the pilot phase. This phase includes the rolling out fibre cable.

YOUTH AT THE FOREFRONT OF HIV/AIDS DIALOGUEETHEKWInI youth were provided with an invaluable opportunity to lend their voice to the ongoing dialogue around the pertinent issue of HIV/aIDS.Hundreds of youth engaged with officials from all spheres of government as part of a youth dialogue at the Hilton Hotel on 7 July. The dialogue was held just days before the City hosts the 21st International aIDS Conference at the albert Luthuli International Convention Centre from 18 – 22 July. Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Performance, Monitoring, Evaluation and administration, Jeff radebe said it is imperative for youth to talk about issues that directly affect them. “We aim to combat the spread of the disease. our youth are both infected and affected by HIV/aids and require as much information and dialogue as possible around the issue. They are our future leaders and must be part of the plight to rid the coming generations of the

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health, Sibongiseni Dhlomo and nurses celebrate more than one million patients being reached through the nurse-initiated and managed ARV programme.

disease,” radebe said.Minister of Health, aaron Motsoaledi said South africa has one of the highest prevalence of HIV in the world. He said however, that strides have been through programmes such as the Mother-to-child Transmission Programme which has yielded results. “In 2004

about 70 000 infants were born with HIV and currently we have reduced that number to about 6000,” he said.During a panel discussion it emerged that South africa has the largest anti-retroviral (arV) Treatment Programme in the world. However, panellists emphasised that prevention is

better than cure.KwaZulu-natal MEC for Health, Sibongiseni Dhlomo said South africa has been commended for its access to arV treatment with 3.4 million people currently on treatment. EThekwini Mayor James nxumalo said the aIDS Conference was being held in the City at an opportune time.“The Conference will be key to finding solutions to add to the programmes currently tackling HIV/aIDS. We are proud to host the Conference in our City and are looking forward to engaging with experts about how we can achieve the ultimate goal of an HIV-free generation,” he said.Some of the issues raised in the dialogue by the youth included assistance from government regarding interventions and access to condoms and contraceptives. The two-day Children and HIV Symposium will be held in Durban on 15 to 16 July where critical issues related to the prevention and management of the disease among children and youth will be discussed.

about r30 million has been set aside for the project in the 2016/17 financial year. The data limit will begin at 250

megabytes a day per device, in the pilot phase.During his budget speech address, nxumalo said the City has currently rolled out over 1 500 kilometres of optic fibre cables.This, he said, has enabled the City to connect all public facilities and to provide free WiFi in all Municipal libraries. nxumalo said the City intends to have rolled out 750 WiFi access points within three years. More areas will be identified soon.

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EDITORIAL TEAMEDITOR: Tozi Mthethwa, Head of Communications • CONTENT EDITOR: Gugu Sisilana

SUb-EDITOR: Nondumiso Mathomane • WRITERS: Princess nkabane and Charmel Payet

DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Zama Zwane

ETHEKWINI TIGHTENS UP SECURITY IN CRIME HOTSPOT

To rein in on criminals in the City, a multidisciplinary task team made up of various units in eThekwini Municipality is currently constructing two wall barriers at the notorious brooke Street bridge.The bridge is used by residents and students to walk to the adjoining taxi ranks and businesses. However, it has now become a haven for opportunistic criminals who jump over the bridge after mugging or attempted carjacking incidents.Metro Police Superintendent, anand Maharaj said his

unit had received numerous reports of people having their cellphones, laptops and bags stolen. In some cases the criminals would physically assault the victims.“The brooke Street bridge was the most dangerous area in the Central business District. People had become too afraid to walk there and unfortunately most people who work in the nearby factories had no choice but to walk on the bridge,” he said.Maharaj said the City had increased police visibility in the area and stationed Metro

Police officers near the bridge in an attempt to curb criminal activity. He said criminals however would jump over the bridge and run across the train tracks, making it difficult for the officers to catch them.“The two walls will close off the street from the railway. This will bar criminals from lurking under the bridge waiting for victims and will prevent vagrants access to the train tracks,” he said.In addition to the walls, Maharaj said there would be a heavy police presence in the area, adding that a high fence

was being put up underneath the bridge making it hard for people to live under it.He said the positive response from residents and business owners in the area had been overwhelming.“People have been coming up to us to look at the work being done, and they tell us that they now feel safer. business owners said criminals had been scaring away customers but they felt that with the implemented security measures, this would now change,” he said.

Metro Police officers and City officials constructing two wall barriers at the notorious Brooke Street Bridge. The wall is an initiative by a multidisciplinary task team made up of various Units in eThekwini Municipality which aims to rid the area off criminals and vagrants. The initiative comes after business owners and people in who use the bridge complained about criminal activities.