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Wordsmith
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EAWeat June
Was per - 16
11
Sat: 11 - 18
Tues: 10 - 23
Sun: 08 - 21
Wed: 09 - 22
Mon: 10 - 25
Thur: 09 - 23
In This Edition:
• State of the City Address
• Meet the Metro’s “Mr
Fix-it”!
State of the City Address “The Five Golden Years”
• Health & Safety Representatives Acknowledged
• NMBM Restores Dignity
of Walmer Residents
• Municipal Veterans Club
• Belated Birthday Party
• Wordsmith
Editorial Team
Editor: Kupido Baron
Mayor Jordaan delivering his State of the City Address
“We must never forget that our task always remains to transform the lives of
our people who suffered social and economic injustices over many years. In essence, our task is to deliver jobs, to spur
the economy and to create a human City,
a City that has a human face and a caring heart.”
On 9 June 2016, Nelson Mandela Bay
Municipality’s Executive Mayor, Cllr Danny Jordaan delivered his State of the City
address at a packed Feathermarket Centre, setting out his vision for the City to
the Bay’s most powerful and influential
people, including captains of commerce
and industry, religious leaders, leaders in
the arts and culture sectors and sports
organisations, and a host of other key
decision-makers and opinion-shapers.
the Take Back the City safety campaign,
and good and transparent governance.
Managing Editor: Marthie Nel
“You cannot argue against success and
progress. Accelerated service delivery
continues to be our golden thread. This
is solely as a result of improved efficiencies in the administration. We are not
here to make promises, but to report on
milestones.”
Contributors:
Zee Agherdien
Mthubanzi Mniki
Sivenkosi Mtiya
Siphokazi Nogaya
Lucas Ompi
Princess Tobin-Diouf
Mayor Jordaan continued: “We have
reached out to our people through Mayoral Izimbizo, IDP public participation
sessions, the recent People’s Council in
Uitenhage and sector meetings to ensure that service delivery is on track and
to introduce immediate, visible improvements. We have renewed relationships
with major economic actors and im-
Language Editing:
Alta Meurs
R200 million has been allocated to the
development and empowerment of our
crime-ridden Northern Areas.
“A year ago, we mapped out a conceptual framework for the transformation of
the City, under the rubric of “Five Golden
Years”. The task to transform and diversify our economy has been approached
with much vigour. This framework posited the following ideas that underpin this
developmental city: the development of
the oceans economy, township economy,
the creative industry, tourism and agriculture.”
Attendees, in their numbers, at Mayor Jordaan’s State of the City Address
Senior political leadership present included the Deputy Minister of Human
Settlements, Zoa Kota, the Deputy Minister of Treasury, Mcebisi Jonas, members
of the NMBM Mayoral Committee and
ordinary Councillors. On grasss-roots
level, many Ward Committee members
were spotted in the audience.
Mayor Jordaan related to his select audience the significant turn-around in the
Metro’s fortunes under his leadership
over the past 12 months. He shared that
his administration had inherited a Municipality riddled with inefficiencies and
a forecast deficit budget of R439 million.
His team’s focus on improving service
delivery and rooting out corruption,
which saw 29 senior officials dismissed,
with investigations still ongoing, clearly inspired new confidence in the City
and its future, with private sector investments of over R20 billion recorded.
Vitally important was the improvement
in the City’s cash holdings to over R2 billion. Milestones since taking office also
include an improved Moody’s credit
rating, the diversification of the economy, the launch of the Metro Police, the
Smart City provision of free Wi-Fi, title
deeds hand-over to thousands of beneficiaries, the fact that we now have a
cleaner city, accelerated service delivery,
proved citizen engagement.”
Housing was raised as a key topic, with
4 175 units rectified thus far. Government plans to build over 7000 houses
this year, with a total of R713 million to
be spent on 4000 low-cost houses and
the balance towards the upgrading of informal serviced sites. An additional 714
houses will be built through the Social
Housing Programme.
Khayamnandi, known as “toilet city”, will
receive 823 units. Altogether 7 765 beneficiaries are being verified to receive
title deeds, to add to the 2000 who have
already received them, giving recipients
the opportunity to finally own land and a
house in the country of their birth.
As part of its dedicated focus on the
elderly, the Municipality will take over
the management of municipal old age
homes as of 1 July 2016 to increase their
efficiency, through infrastructure and security developments. This date will also
mark the reinstatement of IPTS buses on
the roads of Nelson Mandela Bay.
Other key allocations were for the Metro Police (R20 million); crime prevention
in Helenvale (R15 million); bucket eradication (R25 million); and electricity supply extensions (R20 million). Altogether
Six cultural hubs will also unfold within
the townships, with the focus squarely
on youth development through arts and
culture.
In conclusion, Mayor Jordaan said, to
thunderous applause: “Nelson Mandela wants us to be a caring government.
Those of us who walked and worked with
him, have a special responsibility to do
so. If we can achieve all of this in twelve
months, imagine what we can do in five
years!”
9 June 2016 marked a significant day
for the Municipality, as many gathered
to witness the Executive Mayor’s State
of the City address. However, various
officials representing all Directorates
set up exhibitions on the Vuyisile Mini
Square on the day, to educate the public about their role and functions in the
Municipality, serving localcommunities.
A very popular exhibition focused on the
Municipality’s latest initiative, “B Connected”, a project in terms of which the
Municipality provides free Wi-Fi to communities, attracting both young and old.
Acting City Manager: Johan Mettler also
made his rounds, interacting with staff
and the public at the exhibition points.
B Connected Free Wifi Exhibit with (centre) City Manager, Johan Mettler
Barry Martin (seated 2nd from left) and his Water & Sanitation Team
Colleagues from Waste Management
The team from Health & Safety at their exhibit
Meet the Metro’s “Mr Fix-it”!
Known in our communities as “Mr Fix-it”,
Zonile Ndoni, Coordinator of the NMBM
Mayor’s Rapid Response Task Team
(RRTT), is a man who has an unrivalled
passion for service delivery. Known to often work around the clock, you will find
this legend among municipal employees
among the disaster-stricken, the poorest
of the poor, the hopeless and helpless of
the City. His job is to ensure that their
needs are attended to in the quickest
possible time. This article sheds light on
the function of the RRTT and Mr Ndoni’s
role within it.
Since its inception in 2013, the mandate of the RRTT has been to ensure
the acceleration of all outstanding service delivery matters, guaranteeing a
turnaround time of two to three days
per problem reported. The RRTT is a
non-political structure, consisting of employees from each municipal directorate
involved in service delivery and various
government departments, such as SASSA, Home Affairs and the Department of
Social Development, who assist by expediting urgent matters within their departments to produce practical solutions
to the needs of the community.
Mr Ndoni always emphasises that he
works as part of a team: “I give praise
and credit to all government departments that get involved and support the
Municipality. When there is good feedback, I don’t take it as my achievement
- it’s always a team effort. The success
and efficiency of the Rapid Response
Task Team (RRTT) depend on the full support from the directorates within and
government departments outside the
Municipality.”
Mayor Jordaan (centre) and Zonile Ndoni (RRTT Coordinator, in striped shirt) with staff of
Ekuphumleni Old Age Home
He added: “Our City is the only one with
a Rapid Response Team. Since the establishment of the RRTT, we have recorded
the lowest frequency of service delivery protest actions among all Eastern
Cape municipalities. That illustrates the
achievement of the RRTT!”
But what does the Team do? The following are some of the recent achievements
of the RRTT:
• The delivery of 33 chemical toilets and a water source to Helenvale’s 7de Laan, where residents
have
been
surviving
without even these basic services.
• Eight chemical toilets were delivered to the informal settlement of Grootkloof, as a shortterm solution until the residents
are relocated to RDP houses.
• Relief was offered in the form of
food, blankets and building materials to 21 families in Walmer Township, whose shacks had burnt down
in a recent fire.
• In Uitenhage, a 74-year old woman’s
home was extensively renovated.
• The home of a wheelchair-bound
man, aged 75, in Zwide was renovated for his special needs,
and he also received furniture,
a washing machine and a TV.
• A crèche in Motherwell with absolutely no resources was completely
renovated to accommodate the children and received books and teaching materials.
* In our future editions, we will continue to report on the good work done by
Mr Ndoni and the RRTT. We commend
all those special officials who form part
of the RRTT and appreciate their consistent efforts to render speedy and quality
service to the people of Nelson Mandela
Bay. - EDITOR
Health & Safety Representatives
Acknowledged
pleasure for me to welcome all the members of the audience and members of
this very important Health & Safety Representatives’ Day. Today is your day, and
we are very happy that we could set a
moment aside to be with you this morning.”
Winners of the night, posing for a final photo after an extremely enjoyable morning
The annual Health & Safety Representatives Awards Ceremony, held on 3 June,
proved to be a major success, the core
focus being on recognising and awarding
all those selfless municipal employees
who serve as Health & Safety representatives within their municipal workplace,
ensuring that their colleagues and peers
are safe and that safety procedures are
adhered to.
Wellness Sub-Directorate, was held in
the Feathermarket Centre.
In his keynote address, the Executive
Mayor: Dr Danny Jordaan, touched on
the legislative, imperative and moral
duty on modern-day employers to prioritise the health & safety of their employees. He also acknowledged those whose
work requires physical labour, making
them more vulnerable to safety hazards.
The awards ceremony, hosted by the
NMBM Occupational Health, Safety &
“On behalf of the Council and the Mayoral Committee of the NMBM, it’s a great
The awards certification ceremony recognised large groups of employees from
directorates such as Infrastructure & Engineering, Electricity & Energy, Budget &
Treasury for their dedication and hard
work to ensure that health & safety in
the workplace is always prioritised. Each
employee was presented with a certificate and trophy. Those awarded under
the special categories were:
• Best innovative idea from H&S Representative: Mr PG Gqomo
• Best performing H&S Representative: Mrs Shantel Jacobs
• Most active municipal Directorate in
H&S matters: Infrastructure & Engineering
Guests were entertained by local comedian Ntosh Madlingozi, musicians Urban
Breeze and Programme Director Lulu
Haarmans from Umhlobo Wenene FM.
NMBM Restores Dignity to Walmer
Community
to own anything, and we did not have
title deeds. To have a title deed in the
country meant that there must be a war
against you to take that title deed and
to take that land. Even when we moved
into the city, we could not own property
and land.”
The Mayor, accompanied by Mayoral
Committee member, Cllr Nomvuselelo
Tontsi, then visited elderly residents at
their homes, where they were presented
with the title deeds to their homes.
Proud new home owner: Mayor Jordaan hands title deed to mama Agnes Msipa, with
Mayoral Committee member, Cllr Nomvuselelo Tontsi (far left), looking on
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s
Executive Mayor, Cllr Danny Jordaan, accompanied by senior officials from the
NMBM Human Settlements Directorate, recently officially handed over more
than 400 title deeds to underprivileged
residents living in RDP houses throughout Walmer, proving that nothing restores pride more than land ownership.
Cllr Danny Jordaan said: “Handing over
title deeds is a fundamental step to restore ownership and dignity, and to make
you equal to every resident in this country. Today you can feel equal in dignity to
those who live in the suburbs. What has
been normal to them for many years, is
now normal here, too.”
The hand-over ceremony took place at
the Walmer High School on 8 June 2016.
Mayor Jordaan spoke about the injustices of the past, when citizens were
removed from their land and were not
allowed to own property. He also spoke
about the 99-year lease system of the
Apartheid government, which prevented
any person of colour from owning property.
“In the earlier days, the Land Act stripped
all of us of our land. We were not allowed
Officials from Human Settlements remained at the venue to assist with the
registration of all title deeds handed to
residents who were present on the day.
“I am so happy today and I want to thank
the Municipality for giving me ownership
of my house, through this title deed. I
feel good knowing that I can leave this
house behind to my children and grandchildren”- Mama Agnes Msipa.
“I have lived in Walmer for ten years
without my title deed. Today I am so
grateful that I have it. Up until now, it
didn’t feel like I owned my house, but today I feel like a home owner. Thank you,
Mayor” - Jane Koester.
Municipal Veterans Club –
Tamsanqa Charles Mbenya
Which qualities made you persist, persevere and succeed in service delivery
over all these years?
“The thing that has kept me here for 41
years is the passion I have for my job, I
enjoy what I do. Since starting at the Municipality, I have not looked for another
job, because I am happy here.”
What were the highlights of your career?
Our municipal Veteran this week works
at the Struandale Depot and has been
an employee of the Municipality since
May 1975, giving him an outstanding 41
years of service. Meet Tamsanqa Mbenya, a truck and tractor driver, whose
duty is to ensure that our greenery along
the coastline is kept neat and tidy at all
times by cutting the bushes and mowing
the grass with his tractor.
“When I reached 25 years of service, the
Parks Directorate awarded me for my
service. At the time I received a certificate and memorabilia. As a senior worker, this has taught me to be an example
to my colleagues at all times. Another
highlight was when I received my Level 3
ABET Certificate through the Skills Development Directorate.”
What are some of your biggest sacrifices?
“I have a wife and four children who depend on me for an income. This has always motivated me to push on and keep
at what I am doing. Often my health
suffered, but even when I was not well,
I came in and carried on with my work,
because my family depended on me.”
Any stressful incidents?
“A tragedy was when my son passed
away in a car accident. At that time, it
was so hard to focus on my work, because of the sadness I experienced. Despite the stress, I soldiered on and carried out my duties.”
Any advice for your younger colleagues?
“It boils down to a matter of hard work
and respect for those who have been
given the authority to lead. Punctuality
and compliance with all the policies and
procedures at work are very important.”
What are some of your hobbies/interests outside of work?
“When I am home over the weekends, I
enjoy relaxing and watching TV and socialising with my friends in the area. I
also am a big supporter of Kaizer Chiefs.”
Belated Birthday Party for Natasha Jafta
since about 2004. As you see her now, is
how you will see her every day. You never
see her angry and she always has a smile
on her face. She is always willing to go
the extra mile and assist in any way that
she can.”
Shelley-Anne Baatjies (Deputy Director: Cash Management): “She is one of
the most dedicated and helpful people I
know. We all rely on her in this Section,
because we work in a stressful environment and she is always willing to relieve
some of the pressure.”
Happy Birthday!: Natasha Jafta (centre) and the Cash Management Team
Proving that accountants do have fun,
the team from Budget and Treasury:
Cash Management secretly arranged a
surprise party for their colleague, Natasha Jafta (Financial Support), regarded
as a valuable team member. Colleague
Nomasundo Gogo (Accountant) conceived of the idea of a surprise party for
Natasha to celebrate her 40th birthday
(this fell in January – but Natasha was on
maternity leave then).
An overwhelmed and emotional Natasha shared at her gathering: “To my dear
colleagues, I want to say thank you very
much, I am so surprised! Thank you all
for making me feel this special - and part
of a family.”
We then asked some of Natasha’s colleagues to tell us why they felt she deserved such an initiative.
Adriaan Ferreira (Senior Director: Office
of the Treasury): “We’ve known Natasha
Sibabalwe Johnson (Accountant): “With
work, you can ask Natasha something
else once and she will assist. She won’t
even tell you that she is busy with something; she will quickly finish what she is
doing and come to assist. We felt something had to be done for her this time
around.”
Nomasundo Gogo (Accountant) “Natasha is a big giver and is always willing
to help others. When I returned from
maternity leave, she organised a baby
shower and bought some of the presents
herself. She is always generous toward
everyone.”
Wordsmith
Let’s try to build our vocabulary and be more creative, inventive and precise in our choice of words and
expressions! Here are a number of words, together with other words that carry the same meaning (synonyms) and, just for fun, words meaning the opposite (antonyms) as well.
DESCRIPTION
Genuine
Hungry
Indulgent
Ladylike
Modest
Noticeable
Obedient
Permanent
SYNONYM
Authentic
Sincere
Honest
Ravenous
Famished
Eager
Generous
Liberal
Lenient
Refined
Elegant
Mannerly
Humble
Unpretentious
Demure
Distinct
Visible
Apparent
Compliant
Law-abiding
Docile
Lasting
Durable
Eternal
ANTONYM
False
Insincere
Dishonest
Sated
Full
Indifferent
Stingy
Narrow-minded
Strict
Coarse
Unfashionable
Rude
Haughty
Pretentious
Wanton
Indistinct
Invisible
Hidden
Obstinate
Unlawful
Willful
Transient
Perishable
Passing