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NEWSPage 2 31 July 2009
NONDU NGCONGO
MISS BIG KZN, a competitionaimed at making largerwomen feel better aboutthemselves, was launched inDurban recently.
The event is being organisedby the eThekwini Muni-cipality Community Partici-pation’s Gender Departmentin partnership with the 360Degrees organisation.
Ntokozo Chonco, Head ofthe Community Participationand Action Support Unit, saidthe unit had a duty to ensurethat the needs of vulnerablegroups were taken care of .
“When the 360 Degreesorganisation approached meand presented their ideas, I
felt this was another way toensure women are empow-ered and recognised, irrespec-tive of who they are.
“This event will help womenwho feel discriminated agai-nst to gain confidence andpride.
Women have a lot ofpotential, but if they are notconfident about themselvesthey will not achieve any-thing,” Chonco said.
Refiloe Masilo, a Miss Bigco-ordinator at the 360Degrees organisation, said acalendar featuring pictures of“fully figured” women wasplanned and the campaignwould be expanded to otherprovinces with the intentionof selecting a Miss Big
ambassador for next year’sWorld Cup.
“Most young, fat ladies donot want to look after them-selves because of their looks. Ihave noticed that even insome shops it is hard to findsizes to suit us. As a result,most have lost hope. With thiscompetition we want to provethat even with our fat bodieswe can achieve a lot.
“We thank Community Par-ticipation, Donna Claire andMiladys for their support andtheir belief in us,” Masilo said.
Woman aged 18 to 35 whowear size 36 or bigger areinvited to participate.
For more information, call083 522 2007 or 082 761 3361.
Big opportunity for 36-plus beautiesTO MARK Women’s Day andto raise awareness aboutnature, the TC RobertsonNature Reserve will be holdingan art exhibition at the reservein Scottburgh.
The Art in the Forestexhibition is on NationalWoman’s Day, 9 August, from9am to 4pm.
The Reserve’s DebraSharples said, “This is our wayof celebrating Women’s Dayand we are hoping to raiseawareness of the importanceof nature.”
Artists who would like tobook a stall to display theirwork should call Louisa Wattat 039 976 0709 or084 368 6905. – Metro Reporter
BIG PLANS: Refiloe Masilo, Head of Community Partici-pation Participation and Action Support Unit, NtokozoChonco and Palesa Masilo are together organising abeauty pageant for large women Picture: SANE SHANDU
Women’s Dayart exhibition
SOHANA SINGH andCELO BUTHELEZI
THE Municipality has begunwork on rejuvenating theonce-popular Umgabababeach area and plans to turn itinto one of the region’spremier rest and relaxationdestinations.
The first phase of the R25-million project is due forcompletion in August.
Project Manager, NkululekoMkhize, said, “The first phaseincludes improving access tothe beach by tarring the roadand creating a parking lot. Itincludes landscaping andimproved lighting.
“The second phase involvesbuilding a second pool foradults. The final phase of theproject will be building sportsgrounds and lifeguard infra-structure,” Mkhize said.
Job creation and economicdevelopment are key objec-tives of the project, with 35local people now employedon site. More will be employedas the project progresses.
Mkhize said the beach, oncetransformed, would attracttourism-related businesses,including a resort develop-ment, restaurants and chalets.
The beach upgrade is ex-pected to encourage develop-ment of the nearby station, ashopping mall and privatehomes.
Deputy Mayor Logie Nai-doo, who chairs the EconomicDevelopment Committee,said, “During the apartheidera, Umgababa Beach wasone of the only black beachesin KwaZulu-Natal.
“This Municipal initiative
will restore Umgababa Beachto its former glory for all thecitizens of eThekwini to enjoy.
“The development will un-leash the potential of the areaand will benefit the localcommunity,” said Naidoo
He said the project was inline with national policy onrural development.
Shunnon Tulsiram, Head ofthe City’s Economic Develop-ment Unit, said, “The promot-ion of eThekwini’s 100kmcoastline as a tourist attrac-tion has been part of theMunicipality’s plan for a longtime. The Umgababa develop-ment is a step towards realis-ing this.
“With the beach spanningmore than 3km, the hosting ofsome of Durban’s biggestsporting and beach events willnot be a problem for thisvenue.
“Easter festivals, concertsand community events can allbe held on this beach. The firstevent to be hosted willhopefully be CelebrateDurban this September,” Tul-siram said.
Ward Councillor, StanleyXulu, who has been workingwith the Economic Develop-ment Unit was delighted withthe progress of the project.
“In the past, parking andinfrastructure at the beach-front were problematic.
“We are going to change thisby adding proper parking andnew infrastructure that will beable to host communityevents,” he said.
The development will becompleted in time for theWorld Cup.
R25m forUmgababaupgrade
GUGU MDLALOSE
IF YOU live in Pinetown ornearby, it’s now easier to beenvironmentally friendly,thanks to the recent openingof a recycling drop-off area atthe Mariannhill landfill site.
Any material that can berecycled and has been separ-
ated from other rubbish cannow be offloaded for free atthe new drop-off area.
The drop-off area is expectedto help streamline the work ofthe Mariannhill MaterialsRecycling Facility which has
already drastically reducedwaste going to the landfill.
DSW, in partnership with arecycling and environmentalsolutions company, now pro-cess about 60 000 tons ofwaste a year at the facility, of
which 8 000 is recycled.There are plans to recover all
recyclable materials fromWorld Cup events throughouteThekwini using the provenMariannhill concept.
Even if you don’t use the
new drop-off facility, you canhelp the City’s recyclingefforts. Robert Abbu, DSW’sDeputy Head of Strategic andNew Developments said,“Industries and communitiesare asked to work with DSW
to minimise waste. If theygenerate it, there must be astrategy to manage it”.
He said separating garbagebags was a big help in man-aging waste because wastewas sorted at the landfillaccording to the bags inwhich it came.
Drop-off recycling centre opened at Mariannhill
DERRICK DLAMINI and TELISHA NAIDU
WORK on 128 housing unitsin Landsdowne Road, Mere-went, should not be held upby “politically driven” warn-ings that the swampy site isunsuitable for development.
That was the message fromCouncillor Nigel Gumede,who chairs the City’s HousingCommittee. He was speakingafter tabling a report to theCouncil’s Executive Com-mittee seeking approval for atleast R13-million in additionalfunding to cover additionalcosts and engineering work.
These include more piles tosupport a suspended slab andmore blocks, raised platformsand walkways, retaining walls
and extra roof trusses.Opposition parties, chiefly
the DA through its Whip,Councillor Collin Gaillard,said faulty estimates had ledto a contractor wanting morefunding. He said the projectshould be abandoned andtaken elsewhere in the area.
He said the community hadearlier indicated the area was“a normal catchment area forwater, unsuitable to buildsuch numbers of units.
“This February, when weagreed to the R35 million, weshould have been assured ourengineers and all our surv-eyors had done their job andinspected the terrain and thatthey would provide advice oncost implications for buildingin such an area.”
Gaillard said the Councilshould investigate andestablish who had made sucha “costly decision”.
Gumede said the difficultiesfaced “shouldn’t halt the pro-cess of building much-need-ed houses for people”.
‘Success’He said storm water infra-
structure would be upgradedto ensure the success of theproject.
It was apparent that some ofthe concerns were “politicallydriven to hinder any develop-mental process by govern-ment. “Undoubtedly, we’llfind ways of working aroundsuch engineering challenges.But we must all remember the
grave need for houses. We aretrying to meet that. It’s ourpriority,” Gumede said.
More than 110 families,mostly from Tara Road Rain-bow Barracks, stand to benefitfrom this housing project.
Gumede said the City wouldnot force anyone to takeoccupation.
“It’s their prerogative. How-ever, if we have a surplus ofhouses not occupied, we’llfind others who are on thewaiting list to occupy them.So indeed, it’s optional,” hesaid.
The ANC and IFP voted infavour of the recommen-dation for additional funding,with the MF abstaining andthe DA voting against.
‘Merewent housing will go ahead’
MAKING IT HAPPEN: Work continues on the Landsdowne Road, Merewent, housing project. It will provide homesfor more than 110 families Picture: JESSIE SINGH
