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Lifetime Bluff resident serving his third term in office as representative
of the area. Member of the Democratic Alliance.
This weeks Councillor comments
Duncan Du Bois
You can contact Councillor D Du Bois by e-mail @ dubois@axxess.co.za
Phone:467-0343 or mobile:083 291-4913
Municipal Manager - Dr Sutcliffe:  Tel 311-2130 ;
SutcliffeM@durban.gov.za
Report dumping  or unauthorised use of verges; Phone 311-7448

Metro All-Call / All hours Tel No.:  361-0000

Metro Police: Tel 402-0680

Brighton Beach SAPS:    Tel 451 8060 / 8059

Brighton Beach Community Policing Forum Chairman:  Carl Knauff : 082 449-6503

ROAD REPAIRS and SMASHED DRAINS - Toll free call: 080 13 13 013
Or   -   email:  eservices@dmws.durban.gov.za
Useful Contacts
South Durban
Community
Environmental
Alliance
Educating for Eternity
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Visitor
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Bluff Ward 66
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ISSUES IN WARD 66  FOR THE
ABM IN THE SOUTH DURBAN
BASIN TO FLAG:
Learn more about issues in ward 66
JUNE'08
Download a copy of
"STOP RATES RIP OFF"
petition and get as many people as you can
to sign it and return it on completion: fax to:
086 633 7200. Email:  
admin3@kzn.da.org.za
Property For Sale
HEADLINES
READ ALL ABOUT THE RATES ISSUE
STREET RENAMING: WAR HAS
BEEN DECLARED ON HERITAGE
AND DEMOCRACY
18 May'08

' Despite the lodging of thousands of objections
and despite attempts to engage constructively in a
process whereby consensus could be
reached in accommodating street name changes,
the jackboot decision of the ANC to foist 85 name
changes within the Metro amounts
to a declaration of war on democracy and on
heritage,' says Bluff DA ward councillor Duncan Du
Bois.

' From the outset it has been apparent that the
process was flawed. Instead of communities being
asked whether they wanted their street
names changed, the decision-making cabal within
the ANC drew up a list of proposed name changes.
At no time were those affected by
the proposed name changes consulted. The claim
that ward committees deliberated the changes is a
red herring. With few exceptions,
across the Metro ward committees are simply an
extension of ANC branch structures. Their role is to
rubberstamp  their commissars'
instructions.That is not democracy in action.'

' The preamble of the Constitution pledges "
respect for those who have worked to build and
develop our country." The unilateral, top-down
decision to scrap the names of those whose
contribution to the country is remembered and
honoured by street names, therefore, violates
the spirit of the Constitution. Besides, a heritage is
something that accrues, accumulates and is added
to. It is not something that is deleted.'


' With few exceptions, the names the ANC wants to
impose are linked to an ideology, namely
communism, with which the
majority of South Africans have never identified.
Communism caused the deaths of over 100 million
people in Russia and China and brought
misery and servitude to over a billion people. If it is
freedom that we want to acknowledge then the
names of communists cannot be entertained.'

' Therefore, I hereby give notice that  I do not and will
not accept names changes that are ideologically
offensive or dictatorially imposed and which
violate local history and heritage. If the ANC wants
to declare war on such things, then war is what they
will have. On The Bluff Edwin Swales VC Dve
will remain Edwin Swales VC Dve. Gray Park Rd
will remain Gray Park Rd.Bideford Rd will remain
Bideford Rd. If we want to prevent this country from
becoming another Zimbabwe then defending our
heritage is a cornerstone of that struggle,' said Cllr
Du Bois.
MANUEL'S CANDID REMARKS ON FAILED  LOCAL
GOVT  DELIVERY APPLAUDED
8 June 2008

English poet Stephen Spender in an essay on the
excesses of power wrote of the need
for power to be tempered by humility. ' Without


The candid admission by finance minister Trevor
Manuel ( Business Report, June 6)
that ' the bulk of economic policy is not being
implemented at municipal level'  is both refreshing
and encouraging. It brings a ray of hope to a
political landscape perverted by denialism,
dishonesty and dysfunctionalism.

It also exposes the abject failure of the ANC to
implement their 2006 election slogan ' to make
local government work better.'  Promoting cronyism
and incompetence has proved disastrous.

Manuel's candour, however,  is only the first step in
the process of breaking the disillusionment with
which government
and politicians are perceived. Wholsale dismissal
of incompetents, starting with Mbeki, political
realignment and fresh elections are what South
Africa really needs.
STREET RENAMING OBJECTIONS:

The DA has confirmed that some 28,000 objections
were logged against the Council's street renaming
exercise. This is in contrast to the group of four
persons who compiled the list of new names,  the
metro committee comprising some 25 ANC
councillors who recommended  the renaming
proposals and the 110 ANC councillors who
approved the list at the Council's May 28
meeting.

RATES OBJECTIONS:

Metro Manager Dr Sutcliffe recently admitted at a
meeting of the Council's Executive Committee
that 50,069 objections were received from property
owners to their rates valuations. He originally
played down the extent of the backlash against the
valuations claiming that only some 20,000
had been received.
The objections were received over a 30 day period.
The DA has pointed out that in Cape Town
only 30,000 objections were registered over a 90
day period.
Calling all NGOs and NPOs in the Bluff
and Clairwood area:
11 June 2008

Bluff ward councillor Duncan Du Bois invites NGOs
and Non Profit Organisations in the Bluff and
Clairwood areas which may wish to benefit from
corporate funding to get in touch with him.

' The South Durban Basin, as the producer of 10%
of the country's GDP has many large corporations
that seek to assist worthy causes in local
communities as part of their corporate social
investment  [CSI] programmes. But without a data
base to work from, that process is being stymied,'
said Cllr Du Bois.

' The South Durban Basin has a co-ordinator by the
name of Richard Hughes for CSI projects. I have
offered to compile a list of worthy organisations for
Richard who will then liaise with them and process
their applications. Obviously, terms and conditions
apply and this should not be seen as some kind of
get-rich-quick handout. In fact, the emphasis is very
much on non-profit organisations
that provide aid, training and care to the needy.'

Interested organisations should fax their details to
Cllr Du Bois on : 086 614-4431.