Amnesty for water thieves - Durban · evidence that there are people encouraging consumers to...

NEWS26 March 2010 Page 3

Tour and teaat Gardens THE Botanic Garden ishosting a two-and-a-half hourwalkabout on Sunday from9.30am.

The walk, guided byChristine Sole, will highlightaspects of Durban’s pastfeatured in the gardens,including famous trees.

Gardens Education OfficerMartin Clement said the tourwould “unlock stories behindthe plants and places in thegardens, stir your sensesand invite you to look atplants in new and excitingways”.

There will be tea and eatsafter the walk.

For more information or tobook, call 031 322 4021 or031 309 1170 or e-maildbginfo@durban.gov.za . Thetours are R60 a person

Lights out for MabhidaDURBAN’S Moses Mabhidawill be among hundreds oficonic locations around theworld that will be plungedinto darkness this weekendin support of the WorldWildlife Fund’s Earth Hour.

The campaign is using thesymbolic act to encourageworld leaders to responddecisively to the dangers ofclimate change.

Earth Hour will take placetomorrow, from 8.30pm to9.30pm.

The World Wildlife Fund iscalling on all South Africansto follow suit and to pledgeto reduce their own carbonfootprint by visitingwww.wwf.org.za .

Mol tops billat workshopTHE Municipality has joinedforces with the EnablisEntrepreneurial Network tohost a workshop for buddingbusiness owners.

The event is on 14 April atthe Suncoast ConferenceCentre.

The guest speaker ispopular Top Billing presenterand entrepreneur, MichaelMol. Entry is free.

Call 031 311 7509 formore information.

Firearmsamnesty THE SAPS has urgedcitizens to hand in illegalfirearms before the end ofan amnesty on 11 April.

The amnesty is part of abroader governmentcampaign to promoteresponsible firearmownership.

For more information, callthe national firearms callcentre at 012 353 6111.

Big bertherSHIPSPOTTERS enjoyed arare treat this week. Theworld’s largest liner, QueenMary 2, berthed at Durbanharbour’s N-Shed onTuesday. Tourists enjoyedthe day before the ship setsail at sunset.

IN BRIEF

MACK MAKHATHINI

WATER thieves have beengiven a three-month amnestyto come clean.

The amnesty was launchedin Wards 17, 45 and 81recently, but anyone illegallyconnected in eThekwini isinvited to confess.

The Municipality has foundevidence that there are peopleencouraging consumers toconnect to the network illeg-ally in return for a fee.

Councillor Visvin Reddy,who chairs the Procurementand Infrastructure Com-mittee, said this hamperedservice delivery and theMunicipality could not affordto let it continue.

He said that 37% of all waterbought by the Municipalityfrom Umgeni Water could notbe accounted for.

“A large portion of thisunaccounted water gets lostthrough illegal connectionsand the Municipality cannotsustain this,” said Reddy.

He said losses, includingthrough illegal connections,cost the Municipality aboutR100-million a year.

“There are 34 000 suspectedillegal connections. We knowwhere they are and will con-firm through site visits if the

property owners do not takeadvantage of the amnesty,”said Reddy.

Mandla Malakoana, ProjectExecutive with the Water andSanitation Unit, said theamnesty was progressive andcustomer-friendly.

He said the programme,which began on Monday lastweek, would be rolled out toall of eThekwini’s 100 wards.

“The amnesty call is exten-ded to all people who areconnected illegally, to comeforward and declare them-selves. They will not be askedwhy they connected illegally,nor who connected them.

“They will only pay R250 as arectification fee and will beregularised.

“No deposit is required,”said Malakoana.

He said those who failed totake advantage of the amnestywould be dealt with throughthe law.

“Water resources are stress-ed at present and we will haverestrictions if we do not havegood rainfall.

“This programme is part ofbigger, non-revenue waterreduction efforts to try toensure we always haveenough water for everyone ineThekwini,” he said.

makhathinim@durban.gov.za

Amnestyfor waterthieves

MACK MAKHATHINI

DURBAN tap water has beengiven the all clear and is thebest World Cup visitors arelikely to drink, according to anaudit of the quality of drinkingwater in the country’s metro-politan cities.

Drinking water in Durbanscored 96% in the 2010 HostCities Drinking Water QualityManagement Audit Report,released by the Department ofWater Affairs last week.

Other host cities audited

included Johannesburg, CapeTown, Rustenburg, Port Eliza-beth and Bloemfontein.

They too were given a cleanbill of health, scoring 95%.

The audit used the BlueDrop Certification System, anincentive-based regulationsystem introduced in Sep-tember 2008.

It looks at water safetyplanning, submissions of

credible information, assetmanagement and incidentmanagement.

Over the past six months thecountry’s overall drinkingwater quality was measured at96%, an improvement overthe 2009 Blue Drop Report,when the country’s towns andmunicipalities scored onaverage 93%.

Minister of Water and Envir-

onmental Affairs BuyelwaSonjica said the findingsshould reassure visitors thattap water in all the host citieswas safe to drink.

“You go to other countriesand at the hotels there aresigns saying, ‘Don’t drink fromthe taps’.

“We’ve never had that,” saidSonjica.

She said South Africa had

also had very few outbreaks ofwaterborne diseases.

Councillor Visvin Reddy,who chairs the Procurementand Infrastructure Com-mittee, welcomed the reportand said, “This is an accoladefor the Municipality.” He saidthe report confirmed thatDurban had committed staffready to welcome touristsduring the World Cup.

“Our water is safe to drinkand we are proud of it,” Reddysaid.

makhathinim@durban.gov.za

Durban top of the taps

ICC boss scoops top job

MILLER’S TIME: Outgoing ICC boss Miller Matola has been appointed the newChief Executive of the International Marketing Council of South Africa

THEMBA KHUMALO

THE Chief Executive ofDurban’s Inkosi Albert LuthuliInternational ConventionCentre (ICC), Miller Matola,has landed a top job.

Matola, who has been at thehelm of the centre for fouryears, leaves at the end ofJune to head theInternational MarketingCouncil of South Africa(IMC).

The IMC is responsible forpromoting “Brand SouthAfrica” abroad.

“Leaving the ICC was notsomething I anticipated, but Icould not pass up thisopportunity to make acontribution to nationbranding,” Matola said.

Deputy Mayor LogieNaidoo said Matola haddone, “an incredible job in

stabilising the ICC financially,and in making it what it istoday.

“We are very excited for himand wish him all the best ashe takes on new challenges,”Naidoo said.

Matola has held a numberof high-profile leadershippositions in the tourismindustry, including that ofTourism KZN Chief Executive,and acting country managerfor SA Tourism in the US.

He will be taking the reignsfrom the IMC’s acting ChiefExecutive, Paul Bannister,who was appointed to theposition last year.

Matola said he was leavingthe ICC in capable hands.“The management team Ileave behind helpedconstruct the ICC’s vision andhave been instrumental inmeeting business objectives.

“I am confident that theteam will maintain themomentum and help ensurea successful transition foremployees, customers andshareholders.”

Chairman of the ICC boardMato Madlala said, “DuringMiller’s tenure at the ICC wehave seen huge growth inrevenues, which resulted inthe ICC achieving its ultimategoal of being self-sustaining.

“He has also beensuccessful in the marketdevelopment of the ICCArena, which has becomeone of the hubs of theentertainment industry inSouth Africa.

“We are very appreciative ofhis leadership and manycontributions and wish Millerand his family well,” Madlalasaid.

khumalotk@durban.gov.za

KHAYA SENGANI

YOU have just one day left totake advantage of anamnesty for returning alloverdue and defaultedeThekwini library books, CDsand DVDs.

The amnesty, which endstomorrow (27 March) is aninitiative by theMunicipality’s Libraries andHeritage Services to recoveras many lost or overduelibrary items as possible.

It is also part of LibraryWeek celebrations.

Libraries and HeritageServices Deputy Head, GuyRedman, called on the publicto take advantage of theamnesty to return overduematerial – “no questionsasked”.

“Libraries lose about R3-million in unpaid finesand overdue material every

year,” said Redman.He said it was important to

“preserve and maintain thevaluable knowledge andinformation contained in thelibraries”.

No matter how overdue anitem is, it can be returned toany library without charge orquestions asked during theamnesty period.

Patrons with outstandingbills or fines can also use theopportunity to have theirfines cleared.

Redman said that if usersfail to return library itemsthe library and thecommunity as a whole losesout.

The theme for LibraryWeek this year is,“ReadingChanges Lives”.

For more information onreturning library itemscontact your local library.

SenganiK@durban.gov.za

Fine time to returnlate library books