Dear Ed, Re: Ethekwini

Dear Ed, Re: Ethekwini

Durban is a crown jewel in KwaZulu -Natal, South Africa and Africa, especially as it is a thriving and bustling port city and gateway to many parts of the world. In the main, I am a proud Durbanite. We have much to be proud of as Ethekwini Municipality (the only metro in KZN and the only one in the country with a non-executive Mayorship) but sadly, in some instances, we are seriously wanting.

Thus I address this communication to both the political and non-political city leadership, headed by the Mayor and City Manager respectively. Please up your game, take necessary meaningful actions and decisions and make Durban a renowned international city

and tourist Mecca, putting it and its peoples foremost and setting aside petty bickering and political differences. All too often we hear of significant achievements and gloating about the city from various political sources. The negatives are either forgotten (selective amnesia) or glossed over (sugar coating).

It is long overdue that basic and relatively minor issues (grade R stuff) are attended to speedily, such as faulty street lighting, defective parking meters, potholes, overgrowth, faulty robots, noise, illegal trading, littering and delays in weekly collection of household refuse etc. Pupils especially often go to some municipal Libraries to make copies of learning material only to find that there is no paper to make copies or the photocopiers are out of order.

In tandem, major issues must be addressed with requisite boldness and wisdom and in consultation with relevant parties. Thus policy, contentious, critical and crucial decisions have to be made with wisdom, boldness and discernment , noting that the Integrated Development Plan , incorporating the Budget, is the most important municipal issue. In addition, the upliftment and improvement of the lives mainly of the less fortunate and underprivileged must feature prominently.

Dear Leadership if you are really serious about combatting crime, fraud , corruption and other misdemeanours and exercising true consequence management, I challenge you to firstly stop exercising double standards and making dubious decisions and secondly carry out a comprehensive investigation into the fraudulent occupation and ownership of low cost housing (RDP) stock by devious and corrupt city councillors and officials , whose detestable and shameful actions have deprived deserving persons and their desperate families.

Having worked and been closely associated with 5 Mayors, 2 Town Clerks, 4 City Managers and various Deputies, Speakers, Chief Whips -*all of Durban) and Directors-Generals in Provincial and National Government ( *2, 5 years in the apartheid era and 17 years post-apartheid), I know first hand what I am asserting . I worked with the current Mayor Cllr Xolisi Kaunda in the early 2000's when he was a "relative nobody". Besides, I have real undergraduate and post­graduate qualifications (unlike "Dr " Pallo Jordan and Vincent Mndunge ), coupled with extensive diverse secretariat, admin, legal and HR working experience , all courtesy of and thanks solely to the Empowerer -the Holy Spirit (Soli Gloria Deo). For information, I worked in the old regime as Senior Assistant in Secretariat (Committees) and Principal Committee Officer in City Admin and Secretariat Dept post apartheid and doubled as the City's Bylaws and Tariffs Officer -at no added cost to the city -and was based at City Hall.

Please/ngicela/asseblief appoint a new Deputy Mayor. Why the delay? Is Belinda Scott irreplaceable? Is Diana Homzuk (touted replacement) playing "hard to get"? Also appoint a one of a kind and out of the box thinking City Manager. For the sake of the city and its peoples and associates, I pray that neither the erstwhile Acting City Manager (Sipho Cele) nor the current

one (Musa Mbhele ) are appointed to this coveted post as both are, at best, tepid and simply mediocre. I worked with them for about 17 and 8 years respectively and have good judgement and assessments skills, also given by the aforementioned Empowerer. By the way, does it make any good sense that our Durban City Managers are paid in excess of the country's President?

Lastly, dear Leadership, and others in positions of power and authority, you must never forget or ignore the facts that firstly you can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time, and secondly in the land of the blind, the cock-eyed or one-eyed is king/queen.

Floreat Ethekwini- may Durban, its peoples and associates prosper and be blessed.

Simon Timothy

Verulam