Going Native |
News from Port Elizabeth |
News from Jeffreys Bay |
News from Port Alfred |
La Femme |
Job Zone |
The Kabuso Report |
TWO projects singled out by Local Government MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane when he finally made public the Kabuso report yesterday are laid bare in secret letters to political bigwigs and confidential special investigations attached in the report’s annexures.
Addressing the media, Qoboshiyane singled out the wasteful expenditure - as mentioned by Kabuso investigators - incurred by the municipality from renting vast tracts of property magnate Yusuf Jeeva’s Kwantu Towers block next to City Hall, while much cheaper property was available nearby.
Qoboshiyane also made mention of the Red Location mausoleums - a project driven by then mayor Nceba Faku - the “intention and purpose [of which] was never served”, while the incomplete project constituted “fruitless and wasteful expenditure”.
Yusuf Jeeva: In an interesting twist, investigators found that the municipality tried to purchase the Kwantu Towers block in 2001 - Jeeva had yet to purchase it - from then owners Tresso Trading 119. But all the offers, from R4-million to R7-million, were refused by Tresso, which less than two years later sold the building to Jeeva for a mere R2.5-million.
“Rental charges [of Kwantu Towers] are excessive when compared to available space at Algoa House,” the report states.
Jeeva’s close ties with senior politicians, like Faku, are laid bare in a letter Jeeva wrote to Faku in 2009 when he asked that the ANC help with a dispute between his property company, Africorp, and the municipality.
The municipality was suing Africorp for rates arrears of more than R16-million.
“We therefore request that you take up this matter to stop the court proceedings and instead to enter into good faith discussions with Africorp with the intention of resolving this matter amicably,” Jeeva asked of Faku.
But the request, which made its way to then municipal manager Graham Richards, only served to anger Richards. In a sharp-tongued letter to then mayor Nondumiso Maphazi, Richards bemoaned Jeeva’s “very successful ruse to avoid making payment of a large sum of money for a period of over three years”.
Incidentally, Richards’s response came just weeks before he was forced to take special leave while the municipality investigated allegations of mismanagement in a bid to oust him - allegations it would later be forced to drop.
Richards wrote: “I was contacted by the [ANC] chief whip, who suggested that this is a matter which is capable of settlement.
“I am in fact surprised to see that Mr Jeeva is contending that his family [supports] the ANC. His family has a long history of supporting the apartheid government ... the basis for their fortune arose from the exploitation of land transactions associated with forced removals.”
Red Location mausoleums: Also in the report’s annexures is a “private and confidential” special investigation by the municipality into the “allegations about irregularities relating to the mausoleums at the Red Location Museum”, brought to light by late councillor Terry Herbst.
Its date, July 29 2009, is the day Richards started his special leave while allegations of mismanagement against him were probed. According to the document, it was previous municipal manager Mzimasi Mangcotywa who fell out with Faku - then mayor - about building the mausoleums, first brought up in October 2004.
In November 2005, Mangcotywa asked police to investigate Faku for fraud after Faku’s apparently unilateral authorisation of the R1.4- million payment from the mayor’s office in mid-2005. Mangcotywa argued that Faku’s appointment of a contractor flouted municipal supply chain policy, although the National Prosecuting Authority did not institute criminal proceedings.
While the report calls Faku’s meddling in the project “debatable”, it recommends that “the amount of R1.4-million of wasteful and or fruitless expenditure be recouped from the office-bearer who authorised the project of constructing the new memorial space”.
It also stated that acting municipal manager Peter Martin signed off on the funds. Mangcotywa would not do so.
The National Lotteries Board (NLB) is investigating the leaking to a reporter of tapes of a highly confidential board meeting, it said on Tuesday (28/02/2012).
Leave to appeal Humphreys taxi case deniedAn application for leave to appeal the conviction and sentencing of taxi driver Jacob Humphreys was denied by the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday (28/02/2012).
SA sheep shearers seek world crownSouth African sheep shearers are firm favourites to win at the 15th World Shearing Championships starting in New Zealand on Wednesday (29/02/2012), industry experts predicted.
SA water affairs minister warns of looming water crisisSouth Africa could face a “near crisis situation” with its water supply within the next decade if urgent steps are not taken, Water Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said on Tuesday (28/02/2012).
Government plans more funding for nuclear plantsThe government plans to allocate more funds towards the construction of nuclear power plants as it aims to boost electricity supply in Africa’s biggest economy, energy minister Dipuo Peters said on Tuesday (28/02/2012).
East Cape reels under R35m worth of health tender scamsTHE beleaguered Eastern Cape Health Department has been hit by yet another scandal - this time the police want to question a former MEC for her role in a R11.8-million fraud case which could lead to her arrest.
Low-cost housing plan for Mandela Bay CBD areaTHE Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is looking at making land in or near the CBD available for low-cost housing projects in order to bring people who live in townships on the outskirts of the city closer to public amenities.
PE man linked to Knysna drugs boatPORT Elizabeth resident Shaun Packareysammy was linked to nearly two tons of pure cocaine found on a fishing boat moored at the Knysna Waterfront after police found a bag containing his ID and passport in a car parked nearby, the Circuit Court heard yesterday.
Probe of water extraction activity in vlei areaTHE provincial water affairs department will be investigating water extraction activity in the vicinity of a prominent Port Elizabeth wetland after questions were put to it by The Herald. Water affairs department water regulation and use director Andrew Lucas said yesterday that the information received indicated that the situation needed to be assessed.
Man who killed toddler stepdaughter gets lifeCATHCART killer Mabhuti Mangali, 31, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the “horrific and brutal” murder of his toddler stepdaughter in a love triangle revenge attack.
Wave of optimism after J-Bay lossTHE downgrade of Jeffreys Bay’s famous Billabong surfing contest need not be negative for tourism, and could open up opportunities for increased growth.
Judge gets protection after threatsA JUDGE presiding over a cashin-transit heist trial in Mthatha has been placed under special protection after receiving death threats.
View moreTHE biggest problem with South Africa's democracy is that it's not understood well enough by those who live here and many of the benefits offered are abused through ignorance, rather than malice.
Assault case splits townTARKASTAD mayor Khayalethu Nqiqhi, who stands accused of assaulting a 62-year-old woman last month, made a brief court appearance this week while his supporters protested outside the courtroom.
All eyes on budget’s NHI funding provisionONE of the much-anticipated elements of today’s national budget speech is how the government plans to fund its national health insurance initiative, particularly with this year’s allocation already showing a shortfall from the amount originally announced.
Captured Durban duo sold twiceSOMALI pirates have sold Durban couple Bruno Pelizzari and Deborah Calitz to businessmen, who are now demanding a higher ransom for their release.
Mandla given 10 days to respondMANDLA Mandela has 10 days to declare all his financial interests to the court after an order compelling him to do so was served on his attorneys yesterday .
ANC councillors killed in crashTHREE ANC councillors died instantly and others were seriously injured when the minibus taxi they were travelling in overturned on the R72 road in Alexandria at the weekend.
Sports Minister in sex scandalMarried Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula - who last night celebrated his 40th birthday with a lavish party in Pretoria - is embroiled in a nasty spat with a former lover.
Another attack at festering ArlingtonANOTHER knife attack has occurred at Arlington Waste Disposal Site. The attack, which took place on Saturday afternoon, comes amid calls by the DA for an investigation into the chaotic state of the site and questionable swopping of contractors.
Schoenies otter takes fishing lessonsIT’S one of the iconic wild animals of the metro’s open spaces, but it’s not often seen - certainly not clambering onto the rocks right under your feet. But that was the experience of fishing buddies Gavin Curtis and Stuart Duckenfield who were trying their luck with light tackle and pilchards at Schoenies yesterday (August 10 2011).
Cause and effect of climate change explainedSO HOW to communicate the complexity and magnitude of climate change to youngsters from a little school in Zwide? The kids, in grades six and seven at Mzimhlophe Primary School, were given the answer to this question during their visit to the SA Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre (Samrec) yesterday (August 03 2011).
R1.5-million farming venture will fit Eastern Cape to a teaTHE Eastern Cape government has set aside R1.5-million to kick-start an expanded honeybush tea industry that could be ramped up to produce a turnover of R100-million a year and hundreds of new jobs. The good news follows on the results that have emerged from a study of the honeybush industry, commissioned by the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) on behalf of the provincial economic development and environmental affairs department.
Snowed-in guards airlifted to safetyNINETEEN stock-theft guards stationed on the top of the Drakensberg have been plucked to safety as heavy snow presses in on their lonely outposts. The guards are housed alone or in pairs in 10 shipping containers, at key points along the Lesotho border with the north-eastern Eastern Cape, in the Rhodes area.
Algoa Bay the best monitored in all of AfricaALGOA Bay is now “the best monitored bay in Africa” with millions of rands worth of equipment installed below the surface measuring a wide range of environmental conditions. That was the proud revelation yesterday (July 28 2011) from SA Environmental Observation Network (Saeon) co-ordinator Shaun Deyzel, who was speaking at a marine science symposium hosted by SA National Parks, at the Addo Elephant National Parks.
Mantis in new Nigeria dealPORT Elizabeth based tourism group Mantis Collection has announced a bold expansion into West Africa with a landmark, multi-million US dollar deal signed in PE yesterday (July 25 2011) to roll out a sumptuous suite of boutique hotels in Nigeria. Mantis founder Adrian Gardiner signed the deal at Shamwari Townhouse in Summerstrand with highly respected Nigerian businessman Nze Chidi Duru, who is the chairman of Abuja-based Grand Towers Plc. The Nigerian company has interests in the pension, banking, retail, communications, IT and hospitality sectors.
Surf event sets greening benchmarkBILLABONG Pro J-Bay is setting a benchmark for international surfing contests with a comprehensive programme to protect the local environment and combat global climate change.
Karoo farmers take their fracking probe to Jo'burg oil summitA SMALL Karoo farmers’ association is so concerned about fracking, and damning new evidence out of the US, it is funding the R10000 bill demanded for a four-day oil and gas conference in Johannesburg, to allow one of its members to attend.
Swell job for man with decades of experienceWITH the small waves prevailing yesterday (Sunday July 17 2011) for the Billabong Pro J-Bay, all surfing mojos are focused on the second week of the contest and the swell that, it is hoped, will still set things on fire. The man with un-paralleled expertise in this department is contest director Eric Stedman, 54, who has been scanning synoptic charts, fiddling with barometers and assessing wind direction since he was a grommit back in East London in the 1960s. It also helps that he began surfing Jeffreys Bay 43 years ago.
New official whale watching operator launch in the bayALGOA Bay’s first boat-based boat-based whale-watching operation in a decade has been officially launched - and already some exciting sightings are being reported. Lloyd Edwards of Raggy Charters, the company awarded the boat-based whale watching (BBWW) license for Algoa Bay, said yesterday (July 14 2011) he spotted the cow and calf pair of southern right whales off Algorax earlier this week.
Unique source of Bay waterHOW many cities in the world can say they get their water from a World Heritage Site? Very few, I bet. Yet, that’s the case with Port Elizabeth and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and in fact the Gamtoos River Valley vege farmers.
Super surf contest starts at J-BayTHE latest edition of one of the great global surfing contests, built around an iconic right-hand point break, was launched in Jeffreys Bay last night (Wednesday July 14 2011).
Bayworld raggies returned to the oceanTHE biggest baddest pair from Bayworld’s de-commissioned aquarium, two bulky raggedtooth sharks, were released yesterday (July 26 2011) back into the sea. It was a sad day for the oceanarium, where they have lived for nearly two decades, inspiring awe in hundreds of thousands of visitors - but it is good news for the species, as the pair are now part of a research project aimed at securing our waters as one of the few safe havens in the world for raggies.
Unique study of great whitesA UNIQUE study into the abundance, distribution and movement of great white sharks in Algoa Bay, sponsored by the metro, has been launched. There has never been a fatal shark attack in Algoa Bay, but the metro has committed the R800000 grant as a pro-active step, taken in line with their marketing of Port Elizabeth as “the watersports’ capital of Africa”, researcher Dr Matt Dicken explained yesterday (June 21 2011).
Dairy farm could close soonBUSHY Park Dairy Farm, a flagship “proudly Port Elizabeth” business and a much-loved feature of the metro for the past 20 years, is facing closure. The shock news was confirmed yesterday (June 21 2011) by managing trustee Puffer Hartzenberg, who was responding to unconfirmed reports about the matter.
Refurbished Skead book publishedA NEW book aimed at celebrating our natural heritage and guiding sound future conservation policy has been published in Port Elizabeth. Historical Incidence of the Larger Land Mammals in the Broader Western and Northern Cape (including the Eastern Cape as far east as Sundays River) is a complete re-furbishment - with summaries, maps, illustrations and two new chapters - of the original work of the same name by legendary naturalist Dr Jack Skead, who died in 2006.
Co-op sponsors two farmers on US missionTWO Karoo farmers have flown out of PE on a ground-breaking mission to the US, to get the low-down on fracking, in the country where it all began.
Link Refit to electric cars proposalIF WE CAN link Refit with electrical motorcars - then we could really be onto something. Speaking to The Herald yesterday (June 14 2011), department of environmental affairs deputy-director general for climate change, Peter Lukey, said the scheduled launch this month of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (Refit), will likely lead to significant positive change.
Exciting reforestation project underway in TranskeiAN UNUSUAL re-forestation and carbon sequestration project is underway in the heart of the old Transkei, where savage erosion is a common feature. The R7600000 project is being run as a partnership between the Congress of Traditional Leaders’ of South Africa (Contralesa), the national department of environmental affairs and a Johannesburg-based company called Carbon Worx.
Green electricity programme set to launch this monthGOVERNMENT will this month launch the long-awaited Refit programme that will make funding available to pay private energy entrepreneurs who will generate their own green electricity and sell it to the grid.
EC investment boost to counter climate changeEASTERN Cape economic environment MEC Mcebisi Jonas yesterday announced significant new green economy investment to boost green economy skills in the province.
Branch recalls fascinating careerFOR world-renowned reptile and amphibian expert Dr Bill Branch, who retired this week from Bayworld after 32 years employment there - it all began in 1969, on the shores of a lake in East Africa.
EC leads climate change battleTHE Eastern Cape government has declared its intention to lead from the front in the war against climate change, with a landmark multi-benefit project agreement signed at the Eastern Cape Climate Change Conference in East London yesterday (June 08 2011).
Climate change conferenceEVERYONE change - a milestone Eastern Cape climate change conference, featuring senior political leaders and climate change experts, is set to start in East London today (Wednesday May 8). The Eastern Cape Climate Change Conference will focus on the strategy document that has been prepared by local role-players, and will look towards the UN’s Cop17 summit, the international climate change indaba in Durban in December
'Plenty of power for smelter,' says CDCBLACK-out fears notwithstanding, there is more than enough electricity for the megawatt-hungry Coega manganese smelter, according to the Coega Development Corporation (CDC). CDC communications’ chief Senzeni Ndebele was responding this week to concerns expressed about the power demands of the smelter and how this will affect Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality residents and existing businesses.
Motherwell eco-schools big recipientsTWO Motherwell “eco-schools” were the recipients this week of tens of thousands of rands worth of equipment and furniture to help them learn better. The 26 maths and reading software packages, 100 desks and 200 chairs were donated by ABB after the power and automation giant participated last year in a Wessa eco-schools’ workshop in PE.
Pollution plume off the beachfront raises concernsA STRANGE-looking plume of discoloured water has been appearing sporadically in the bay between Shark Rock Pier and Humewood Beach, resulting in a number of calls from concerned residents, Following an initial report on May 20 by Humewood resident Elize Pretorius, and then disappearing for several days, it reappeared again this week, prompting further calls.
Put the environment on agenda of new councils Concerns over Ngqura oil leak 'unfounded'CONCERNS have been raised that the oil and gas exploration rig in Port of Ngqura could be leaking oil into the bay. Both the Norwegian company that owns the ultra-deepwater drilling rig and the harbour authorities have rejected as unfounded the concerns raised by environmental group Ocean Messengers.
Ball of fire not the beginning of the end.Was it a bird? Was it a plane? Was it a comet hurtling to Earth in delayed fulfillment of Harold Campling’s doomsday prophesy? Well, no. In fact, it was the International Space Station (ISS) and space shuttle Endeavour, catching the last rays of the setting sun.
Ngqura a fish magnetTHE Port of Ngqura has become an extraordinary magnet for marine life, and could point the way to an important new role for harbours, according to Bayworld marine biologist and shark specialist Dr Matt Dicken.
Stately emperor pays family a flying visitTHERE are moths and there are moths - and then there is the pine tree emperor, one of the giants of the insect world. Gorgeous yellow in colour and “easily the size of a man’s hand”, one of these moths swooped into a Seaview home the other night.
Endangered forest clearing probedA SWATHE of critically endangered forest and new generation legislation formulated to combat climate change are at the centre of a confrontation in Deer Park. The forestry department has slammed as “reckless and malicious” the clearing of the area, which is over 100m long by on average 4m wide.
Male in search of good life turns up at beachfrontHE WAS a prickly customer - but in the end he came quietly. It was Patrick Mange, the cleaner and gardener at beachfront flatblock Bandle, next to the Beach Hotel, who found him.
EC operators performs strongly at IndabaTHE Eastern Cape has fared well at the Indaba tourism conference and expo in Durban, taking gold in two different categories in the main Welcome awards and only just falling short in the Eteya emerging tourism operators’ awards. The Welcome Awards winners are both from PE and are both family-owned businesses: the Plantation, the wedding, functions’ and accommodation venue on the Sardinia Bay road, and Economic Cars and Bakkies, the 20-year-old Walmer-based car rental firm.
NMMU microscope a global break-throughNMMU has been catapulted into the forefront of nanoscience research with the arrival of a state-of-the-art custom-built microscope from Japan. The high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) is the first of its kind that has been sold commercially outside of Japan and the last of a suite of four electron microscopes, costing a total R90-million, that have arrived in the past week from Tokyo manufacturer JEOL and a second manufacturer in The Netherlands.
'Port guards like the Stasi'FOREIGN tourists yesterday compared guards at the Port Elizabeth Harbour to the dreaded Stazi security police of East Germany, following an incident in which their driver was manhandled, forcibly detained and then bundled off to Humewood Police Station. The incident happened yesterday morning as the tourists, a group of five Russians and a Belgian, were about to enter the harbour at its southern entrance, headed for a day diving excursion in Algoa Bay with local dive company Expert-Tours.
How to rejuvenate Baakens River ValleyI WAS chatting to permaculture activist and leading member of Transition Network PE Naomi Suzane the other day, and she came with a great idea of how to secure, rejuvenate and celebrate the Baakens Valley. We kicked her idea around, and this is how it turned out.
Dad's call following son's deathSIMON Swart started drugging in his early teens and he had been through 15 rehabilitation centres before he died, alone in his room in a backpacker lodge in Central, a fortnight ago. But there was much more to this young man.
Nuclear moratorium callTHE concern group challenging the Thyspunt nuclear reactor has called on government to place a moratorium on all nuclear development in South Africa until the full extent of the Fukushima disaster is known. The call by the Thyspunt Alliance - a broad coalition of residential, cultural, environmental, tourism, fisheries, business and surfing interests in the Oyster Bay, St Francis, Humansdorp and Jeffrey’s Bay area - co-incides with the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl, the historic nuclear melt-down in Ukraine.
Major show jumping event scheduled for PEPORT Elizabeth has been named as a host city for a world show-jumping championship qualifier event, sparking great excitement in the show-jumping fraternity, and the promise of an energising mid-Winter injection of tourist revenue. The event will be attracting the country’s top jumpers, so it is being celebrated in horsey circles - but it is much more than that, event co-ordinator Tanya Radke said yesterday.
Oceanarium seals readied for departureHOW do you transport eight seals to Pretoria? That’s the preoccupation right now of Bayworld’s oceanarium team, as the relocation of their animals moves ahead.
Chumming fines co-incide with issuing of whale permitNELSON Mandela Bay Municipality has issued four fines to marine tourism operator Lloyd Edwards related to the controversial chumming incident off Humewood Beach last month. The issuing of the fines at the Port Elizabeth beach office on Friday co-incides with the issuing this week of the long-awaited boat-based whale watching (BBWW) license for Algoa Bay - to Edwards.
Farewell (for now) to Bayworld oceanariumBAYWORLD’S oceanarium is set to close at the end of this month to prepare for the de-commissioning of the 43-year-old dolphin pool and the transfer of 24 penguins and nine seals to Pretoria Zoo. It’s all part of “operation stop the bleed” in which Port Elizabeth’s much loved museum and oceanarium complex has had to make some tough decisions in order to deliver, hopefully, long-term bounty.
Get out the Karoo, farmers tell ShellANGRY residents of the Middleburg area have called for Shell to “get out the Karoo” after the company failed to guarantee the security of their water if fracking goes ahead. Addressing Shell representatives at a hall in Middelburg’s Grootfontein Agricultural College in a hall packed with farmers in T-shirts saying “Don’t Frack with our Karoo,” members of the audience asked repeatedly if the multi-national could “guarantee no risk to our water”.
Radio activity comtamination concern surfaces around fracking planKAROO anti-frackers are calling for the authorities to take note of the latest findings in America that fracking could be contaminating drinking water supplies with radio activity. The findings stem from an investigation by the New York Times and were reported in that newspaper on Friday. The findings include that waste water produced by fracking wells often absorbs radio activity from naturally occurring minerals underground like uranium.
Nieu Bethesda farmers count flood costsIT COULD take some farmers in Nieu Bethesda a decade to get back to where they were before the flood that hit them Saturday. That’s the word from the mountainous catchment area north of Graaff-Reinet, where well over 100mm of rain fell in 24 hours, flooding the Gats River and all its tributaries, flattening stock fences, stripping roads to bedrock and bursting farm dams.
WALMER SHACKS BURNING! Why is the ANC not doing anything for these people who stoically vote for them each election only to be let down again and again.The housing fiasco is getting very circus like!...
White Settler 25 February 2012 8:35 amYou are only guilty(corrupt) if you have been caught and exposed and sentenced. IF the people who are policing this exposing and sentencing are also corrupt then no one is corrupt. We therefor do not ...
White Settler 25 February 2012 8:35 amYou are only guilty(corrupt) if you have been caught and exposed and sentenced. IF the people who are policing this exposing and sentencing are also corrupt then no one is corrupt. We therefor do not ...
dokhotelo 23 February 2012 9:47 pm...Mathale says his province leads the nation in good financial record keeping.........Zuma says South Africa is the only country with a program to fight corruption.......... HA HA HA HA......no wonde...
dokhotelo 23 February 2012 8:59 pm.......HA HA HA HA HA.........Trying to find out the real age of the ANC by looking for the origins of the "predator" genes !!!!!!!...................
dokhotelo 23 February 2012 8:59 pm.......HA HA HA HA HA.........Trying to find out the real age of the ANC by looking for the origins of the "predator" genes !!!!!!!...................
BrandGat 23 February 2012 4:15 amBudget now at a Trillion Rand? hmm! were will it all go,could be a big boost for corruption....
mcr 22 February 2012 2:38 pmRight now I understand the teachers aren't being treated fairly and that the pupils are upset but burning school books? How exactly is this going to help? At the end of the day, they are making your o...
vim 22 February 2012 12:23 pmRidiculous. It has been about 10 years since I last saw a warden in uniform anyway. Fire them....
ijedereL 21 February 2012 8:41 amSingle people who are unattached are left out of the party every Feb. 14. But a brand new study suggests a way that the lonely singles can at least increase their likelihood of not being alone next v...