WARD councillors in Durban are ready to put plans into action for their respective wards this year. Ward 31 (Musgrave, Overport, Sydenham) councillor, Chris Pappas said he had numeric goals for his ward in 2017.
“I want to see 95 per cent of the street lights in working order and 90 per cent of the pot holes in roads fixed. I want to see a decrease in the amount of illegal dumping in Sydenham and ensure prioritisation of Randles Road in Sydenham and West Street in Overport, which I want redone this year, or the budget allocated for next year,” he said.
Pappas said he aimed to get parks maintained and usable, which included the replacement of old park equipment or the addition of equipment so parks could be enjoyed by all residents.
“I also want to create a working relationship with the Parks Department and the community,” he said.
In dealing with cardboard collectors in the area, Pappas hopes to find a permanent solution in terms of legislation and sustainability of livelihood, and to ensure the way this is operated isnot a disturbance or eyesore for residents.
“I also want to try enable SAPS to better fight crime in the ward and to work with groups such as the CPF and neighbourhood watches to help the police do their job. In terms of town planning, there are no plans for Musgrave, Overport and Sydenham, and this needs to be addressed,” he said.
Pappas said he had started a database of unemployed youth in the area and approached local businesses that have vacancies to help get the youth jobs. He is currently looking for sponsors to set up an internet cafe or get computers for his office where young people could get help to put together their CVs.
“I also plan on speaking to old age homes in the area to find out how residents in the area could be more accommodating to them, as well as to leadership at high schools to discuss ways to encourage the youth to stay in Durban and South Africa. I also aim to be as available to the community as humanly possible,” he said.
Ward 28 (Berea, Warwick Junction, City Centre) councillor, Ntando Khuzwayo, said crime was a big concern in his ward, and he would be embarking on programmes this year to help law enforcement.
“We also have a lot of social issues in our ward such as vagrancy, which is shocking and I have a proposed programme to deal with this. Youth issues are important to me and I aim to address issues such as illegal abortions and the emancipation of the youth, in terms of skills development and social programmes to keep them away from crime,” he said.
Khuzwayo said he wanted to do something positive in the ward, and felt the revival of sports would be a good option.
“I have 41 student residences in my ward. I will be working closely with all the institutions in my ward to drive awareness programmes and to encourage the youth to focus on their studies. I also want to fight for access to information and speed up free Wifi everywhere in the city,” he said.
Councillor Martin Meyer of ward 27 (Musgrave, Morningside, Blue Lagoon) said his first goal was to get the ward committee up and running and functional, and to ensure the community knew who the members were.
“We will be hosting three feedback meetings this year where residents will be invited to hear what the committee is doing in the ward. I also aim to find out why people do not attend community meetings, such as CPF meetings,” he said.
He said in 2017 he would continue to fight the ‘old’ fights such as traffic calming, derelict buildings and vagrancy in the ward, and that he was planning a meeting with eThekwini Transport Authority officials so residents could ask the relevant questions regarding speed calming and interact with officials directly on the issue.
Meyer has moved into a new office at 453 Lillian Ngoyi (Windermere) Road and said residents could phone ahead to make an appointment to meet with him there.
Ward 33 (Glenwood/Umbilo) councillor, Mmabatho Tembe, will be going on maternity leave from the second week of February until the end of April but assured residents that the DA would place a PR councillor in her position to take over responsibilities during this time.
“I am hoping the ward committee will play a big role in helping the PR councillor during this time and I thank residents for their patience during this time of transition. I won’t disappear though, and will keep my ear on the ground and keep in the loop with what is happening in the ward while I am away,” she said.
Tembe said when she returns to work in May, she will be working closely with departments such as DSW and Parks.
“Glenwood is dirty and I have noticed rubbish isn’t picked up on time. This needs more regulation. Illegal dumping is also a big issue which I want to tackle, and I also want to ensure Parks maintains trees and cuts verges,” she said.
She said the ward had beautiful parks and she wanted these to be maintained to improve their beauty so people could utilise them. “Metro Police also need to increase patrols in parks to ensure by-laws are enforced and to improve safety of park-goers,” she said.
Tembe said she also wanted to get on top of the issue of Congella Sports Club, which has been earmarked for development. “I want to know what the municipality is doing to secure the area, as there should be more protection of the property if it is to be developed,” she said.
She encouraged residents to get more involved with crime initiatives in the area, as crime and violence was increasing and people needed to be more vigilant and aware. She said she aimed to put more pressure on the police to increase patrols in the area.
“As a DA councillor, I aim to enforce the vision of freedom, fairness and opportunity in the ward and to ensure better service delivery for all. On a personal note, I will be raising a child in this ward and I want it to be safe and fit for a child to grow up in,” she said.
Ward 25 councillor, Hassan Haniff, said he aims to make Crescent Street park family friendly again.
“I want to get rid of vagrants from the park and also work on upgrading West Street. I want Parks to prune trees on Alpine Road, Intersite Avenue and Kosi Place and to cut verges in these areas,” he said.
Haniff said illegal dumping was an issue he wanted to address and that he planned on putting together by-law leaflets to give to the community.
“I aim on sorting out electricity issues and to work closely with different departments to speed up service delivery,” he said.
Lastly, Haniff said he wanted to work with the Health Department so the poor can be assisted by creating outreach programmes and wanted more speed and ‘no parking’ signs erected in the ward.
