There has been an ongoing thread running through many news reports regarding the recent revaluation for rates purposes, of all properties in the municipal area. It has emerged from these reports that the property valuations were arrived at on a thumb-suck basis. Adjacent properties of similar size have been valued at radically different amounts and humble properties have been valued in millions.
Today's Mercury, August 29, 2008, reports that that city manager Mike Sutcliffe, has admitted to 9000 errors having been found among the 50000 objections received. The errors add up to a R1.72-billion over valuation of the properties concerned. At the time he reported, there were still 20000 objections to be processed and 11000 which had been returned to property owners for more information, so there may be many more than the initial 9000 errors.
** The paper has a follow-up to the story in the previous post, that the navy was after new patrol vessels. The paper reports various experts as saying that the navy's four frigates, which cost R6-billion, "are not ready or up for the job". Other sources reported that the navy does not have the funds to properly operate or support their sophisticated Meko-class frigates. The cost lack of suitable patrol craft apparently prevents the navy from protecting our marine resources from rape.
It comes as no surprise to me that the frigates are unsuitable by being too sophisticated and/or expensive for our needs. I have been aboard one of them, the SAS Mendi, when it visited Durban. There is a write-up on my visit to the ship in the entry for November 9, 2004, on this page. Even to my untutored eye, the vessel looked far too elaborate for patrolling our coasts and seeing off the odd illegal fishing boat. It has a stealth design, is able to seal itself against nuclear and biological hazards, and its primary armament is Exocet ship-to-ship missiles and surface-to-air missiles. What particular enemies, I wondered, was the navy planning to fight.
The manufacturers surely didn't offer any bribes to secure the sale, so I guess that the illegal fishermen are better armed than I gave them credit for... ;-)
Friday, August 29, 2008
Reversing street renaming
The front page in yesterday's Mercury, August 28, 2008, reports that opposition parties in the city council have launched a court attempt to reverse the name changes. The paper reckons that this is the first salvo in what will be a bitter court battle. In another article in the same issue, it was reported that the sister of one of the namees [if there is such a thing] has claimed that her sister's name has been misspelt. Manning Road has been renamed after Lena Ahrens but the signs apparently have her as Lina Arense.
** Not directly applicable to Durban, but it seems the navy are demanding 12 new patrol vessels to a value of about R3.6-billion. This is in spite of the fact that they recently bought 4 frigates worth R6-billion as part of the highly controversial R30-billion arms deal.
See the next post for more on this.
** Not directly applicable to Durban, but it seems the navy are demanding 12 new patrol vessels to a value of about R3.6-billion. This is in spite of the fact that they recently bought 4 frigates worth R6-billion as part of the highly controversial R30-billion arms deal.
See the next post for more on this.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
No mass action, please
In a previous post, I mentioned the ongoing Jacob Zuma saga. The threat by local ANC branches to picket procedings is serious enough that KZN Judge President Vuka Tshabalala has called on the ANC not to inimidate the courts. The most worrying thing for the long-term future of this place, as I've said before, is that his supporters seem to have no concern about whether he is guilty or not.
The same paper also reports:
* The new Moses Mabhida stadium is going to cost R200-million more than expected but should still meet the October 2009 deadline. Work is about to start on the stadium precinct.
* The sad fact that 30% of South Africa's municipal councillors are illiterate. Some can't speak English and, therefore, follow the procedings in council meetings. More than two thirds don't understand their roles, responsibilities or local government legislation. These figures are a horrific indictment of our education system and the apartheid regime which spawned it. The report concludes that adult education must become a priority for municpalities and I suppose that might help.
The same paper also reports:
* The new Moses Mabhida stadium is going to cost R200-million more than expected but should still meet the October 2009 deadline. Work is about to start on the stadium precinct.
* The sad fact that 30% of South Africa's municipal councillors are illiterate. Some can't speak English and, therefore, follow the procedings in council meetings. More than two thirds don't understand their roles, responsibilities or local government legislation. These figures are a horrific indictment of our education system and the apartheid regime which spawned it. The report concludes that adult education must become a priority for municpalities and I suppose that might help.
Container port
The Port and Shipping page in the Mercury today, August 27, 2008, has some interesting facts about the Port of Durban. We're apparently no longer the busiest container port in Africa or in the southern hemisphere and slot in behind Jakarta in Indonesia, Port Said in Egypt and Santos in Brazil. In world terms, Port Said ranks as the 38th busiest container port, having handled 2.8 million TEUs (20ft. container equivalents) in 2007. In the same year, Jakarta ranked 27th (3.689 million TEUs), Santos 43rd (2.55 million TEUs) and Durban 44th (2.51 million TEU's).
The page is compiled by Terry Hutson whose Ports and Shipping website is a valuable resource on our harbours and other matters maritme. He tells me that Richards Bay does a bigger cargo volume than Durban but that we are still the busiest harbour in African and the southern hemisphere if you measure by the value of the cargo handled.
The page is compiled by Terry Hutson whose Ports and Shipping website is a valuable resource on our harbours and other matters maritme. He tells me that Richards Bay does a bigger cargo volume than Durban but that we are still the busiest harbour in African and the southern hemisphere if you measure by the value of the cargo handled.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Petulance
In the last post, I mentioned the ongoing problem that many of our political supporters don't seem to care if their chosen ones are honest or not. There is a prime example in today's Mercury, of August 26, 2008, which reports that a meeting of the ANC branches in the Durban area has decided to picket the courts and police stations to try and upset Jacob Zuma's trial which resumes next month.
He's very likely going to be our next president and there's no fear that the courts are going to find him guilty if he isn't. Come on, the whole world will be watching closely for any sign that the trial is unfair!
** In the same paper is a comment by city manager Mike Sutcliffe on the new street signs which have been defaced. Sutcliffe is reported as coming up with the somewhat petulant threat that, if the vandalism continues, he will consider pulling down the old street signs as soon as the new ones are put up. Now that'll really teach us a lesson!
John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance caucus in the council, said he was not suprised by the vandalism. I agree. The ANC has had comparatively recent experience of being in the position where no weight at all was given to their views and grievances. I would have thought that they would have been a bit more sensitive about putting others into exactly the same position. Unless the liberation struggle was really only about changing elites....
He's very likely going to be our next president and there's no fear that the courts are going to find him guilty if he isn't. Come on, the whole world will be watching closely for any sign that the trial is unfair!
** In the same paper is a comment by city manager Mike Sutcliffe on the new street signs which have been defaced. Sutcliffe is reported as coming up with the somewhat petulant threat that, if the vandalism continues, he will consider pulling down the old street signs as soon as the new ones are put up. Now that'll really teach us a lesson!
John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance caucus in the council, said he was not suprised by the vandalism. I agree. The ANC has had comparatively recent experience of being in the position where no weight at all was given to their views and grievances. I would have thought that they would have been a bit more sensitive about putting others into exactly the same position. Unless the liberation struggle was really only about changing elites....
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