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Ward 89
Nov/Dec 2009 - Quarterly Report

Dear Resident

JMPD Land Invasions – continue to evict vagrants in Region C.  33 Hawker’s goods were impounded during Sept, 100 fines issued, 310 illegal posters, 16 steel advertising signs removed, 6 illegal banners removed, 55 non perishable good impounded , 4 cases of illegal dumping, 118 vagrants removed by Land Invasions 25 places destroyed 50 shelters demolished 220 people searched, 5lt of beer destroyed, 9 shacks demolishedand 20 sleeping places destroyed. Contact Mr Meintjies/Adendorf on 011 490-1509 to deal with land invasions.

Drug dealing at Palm Court as well as Ouhout Street Park has been reported to Comm van Huysteen as well as to Sup van Rooyen at SAPS Honeydew.

Please remember SAPS Crime Stop 0860010111. To report Crime Information, ring 073 1122393.

Residents are urged to constantly be alert to prevent a crime from being committed.     
Tel nos to ring in an emergency are: 10111, Honeydew 011 801 8400 and then the sector nos.

High Level meetings [2] with SAPS Province, SAPS Honeydew and The Honeydew Cluster Commissioners meetings took place in October. Councillors concerns were noted and it is encouraging to see that Comm Reddy, Cluster Commissioner is submitting all these concerns to the President’s Office within given time frames. Most of the role players were in attendance e.g. Correctional Service, Judicial Service, Education, Public Prosecutors etc. It was noted that JMPD are not attending these meetings and Comm Reddy will be submitting a complaint to the highest level in the President’s office. I certainly welcome President Zuma’s emphasis on service delivery in all sectors.

The COJ conducted a Measles Campaign between 12 and 31 Oct, visiting schools, crèches and clinics targeting children from the age of 9 months to 20 years. They also alerted the private and public sector about the measles outbreak.

The 16 days of Activism will run from 25 Nov to11 Dec. If you are aware of any incidents of child abuse contact Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit on 079 884 8904, all hours, Detective Capt Colin Morris. Ward 89’s Branch will be handing out cards with white ribbons to support the campaign of opposing Women and Child Abuse.

According to the Constitution, electricity cannot be cut off without giving 14 days notice, doing so is illegal!

JRA: Further road tarring has been completed in Vaaljakkesl, Tortoise and Spring roads. The 2nd priority of the Community Safety Based Plans for Ward 89, namely the upgrade of the Pedestrian Crossing outside Boskop Primary School in Blueberry Road has been submitted. A site meeting with JRA took place on 5 Nov and hopefully this will be implemented soon.

A meeting between myself and Mr v d Heever took place in late October and a list of needs around roads was handed to him for JRA’s attention.

In November 2009, Council called for ward’s community based needs [operating] I have submitted this which are the removal of the illegal taxi ranks at Palm Court, Monument Toyota and D ce Wet and eyers Naude Drive. The ‘hot spots’ noted are the Eldorado Complex in Rooitou St, [abandoned site] 21 Theunis St, [motorcar storage] and the former caravan park [abandoned site].

Should a Capital Project be allocated, I have requested that the Weltevredenpark Clinic be extended as well as additional staff to run an extended clinic.

City Parks: 75 additional trees were planted in the Rooitou Street Park, the Rooisering Park be developed early next year, the plans having been signed off by the Ila Interdesign Landscape & Architects, Jhb City Parks and myself in October.

I have submitted both the CAPEX and OPEX requirements to the IDP Budget Office for the Finance Committee to consider at their Legkotla in November for the 2010/2011 Budget..

The proposed new ward demarcations have been released and Region C will gain 3 new wards, ward 114, 115 and 126. The current Ward 89 will lose the Boskop Primary School V D, and the Weltevredenpark Primary School VD; will retain Panorama Primary School VD [5006 voters], Hillfox Value Centre [Kroton Street Park, [3408 voters], NG Kerk, Fairland, 4655 voters] and NG Kerk Quellerina [gaining a suburb, 2946 voters], a total of 16,015 compared to a current 23,500 voters. The Demarcation Board has endeavoured to lower the number of registered voters to an average of 16,000 voters. The City’s number of wards will increase from 109 wards to 130 wards. The total number of city councillors will rise from a current 217 to 260.  The Demarcation Board will meet with all ward councillors in 2010 to consider any objections to the proposed demarcations ahead of the 2011 Local Govt Elections. I cannot foresee a problem with the proposed ward 89 demarcation.

Please continue to report any deficiencies to the Call Centre/Peoples’ Centre on 011 375 5555/011 761-0144/5 or your local Residents Association who has contact details of departments to escalate problems.

Council goes into recess on 14 Dec till mid January 2020.

I wish all residents a blessed Xmas and a Happy New Year. Travel safely, take care.

Sincerely
Dee

News Update No 2  August, 2009– Ward 100.

Dear Resident/Stakeholder

UPGRADE OF BEYERS NAUDE DRIVE.

Current Status:

• As you will now be aware much grading of the road had been taking place and the Contractors has informed us that they are currently ahead of schedule..
• Deysel Road is currently being upgraded and traffic is likely to be diverted from Beyers Naude to Deysel sometime soon..
• Community Training has been going well over the past 6 weeks as part of the Government EPWP Program to uplift and equip communities.
• Relocation of the families living on the road reserve will be done in the second week of September. The families will be relocated within the area and well cared for during this traumatic time. Everything will be done to make their move as easy as possible.
• The Overhead Bridge will commence as soon as the families have been moved off the Road Reserve.

UPGRADING OF MALEBONGWE DRIVE.

• Great progress has been made in both the section from Cosmo City to the N14 and the section from N14 to the Lanseria Airport.

ZANDSPRUIT INFORMAL SETTLEMENT (EXT 9 AND EXT 10)

RDP Houses.

• Over 150 new houses have been completed in Ext 9 and 10  and these new houses have been handed over to the recipients
• The Contractor has been engaged to build the next 200 houses.

Taxi Rank.

• The  Provincial Department of Roads and Transport are starting a new project and will be building a Taxi Rank in Zandspsruit.
• This is a long awaited project and will provide many opportunities for training and employment for the residents.
• Training and Skills Development will begin soon in order to have skilled labour available once the clearing and building gets under way.

COSMO CITY.

• Work on the One Stop Municipal Centre is progressing very well.
• The Taxi Rank on the corner of Malebongwe Drive and South Africa Drive is almost complete.
• Work on a small Private Health Clinic has begun.
• The rental Town House complex on South Africa Drive,called  Hlanganani, is almost completed.
• Food and Trees for Africa have donated over 3400 trees for Residents in the RDP Areas and another 1200 trees will soon be donated for residents in all other extensions.
• Budget for a new Park in Ext 5 has been allocated and planning will begin soon.

GENERAL

• The home for abandoned babies has been very active and is almost full (The Lighthouse” Tel: 011-795 4207   Fax: 011-795 4069 ww.thelighthousebabyshelter.co.za. If anyone would like to help support them, it would be gratefully accepted.
• Any NGOs operating in Zandspruit or wishing to be involved, are invited to a Service Providers Meeting which is held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at Emthonjeni at 9.00am.
• A Traffic Circle has been constructed on CR Swart Drive at the intersection of Tarus Road to help with the traffic congestion at peak hours. Unfortunately the road markings have not been sufficient to stop motorists from driving over the circle. We have requested much larger clearer signs to be erected at this traffic Circle.

For the benefit of residents in Ward 100, I have an Office in the Boskruin Community Centre, Kelly Road.
Should you wish to meet with me to discuss any issues, please feel free to call and make an appointment for us to meet

Maureen Schneemann
Cell: 083 297 1128
E-mail: maureensch@telkomsa.net

Report on the Council Meeting of 18 June 2009

In the aftermath of the elections, the new (ANC) members of the Mayoral Committee, as appointed by Luthuli House, attended Council for the first time.  It is just a pity that the two new appointees, Cllr Oupa Moraneng, ex MP and Cllr B Mthombeni, ex MPL, both front benchers, dozed off during the greater part of the meeting.  Are Council meetings so boring or is imitation (of the Mayor) the best form of flattery?

Cllr Bafana Sitholo, previous Chief Whip of the Council and now Mayoral Committee Member for Community Development is seemingly also a great admirer of the Mayor.  However, the Councillors who served with him in the Northern Metropolitan Local Council can vouch that his dozing habits were well established during that tenure (1995- 2000).

Finance
·          The DA queried the way in which the Members of the Group Audit Committee were selected as the best scoring candidate at the interviews was not appointed
·        After constant calls for the resumption of the publication of the Monthly Revenue Collection Rates, those for January and February 2009 are published.  The DA is seriously concerned as the budget is based on a 95% collection rate and the reports reveal a rate of 60% which represents a monthly shortfall of about R100m. The reports itself are also problematic as the figures given in the body of the report differs from those in the tables.
·        The reasons given for the Debt Write-off of four separate accounts totaling R667 360 is also cause for concern as they point towards bad administration and debt collection.
·        Reports on the Management Information on the Year to Date Expenditure of the Capital Budget for the Months Ending January and February respectively are published for information.  Of a total of R6, 5 b budgeted for Capital Expenditure for the 2008/09 financial year, R2, 2 b
(40%) and R2, 8 b (44%) had been spent by the two respective month ends.
·        According to the report on the Performance of the Operating Budget for the period ending January 2009, the actual year to date operating performance compared to budget for the period resulted in a net operating deficit of R59, 5m.  This is due to the very low revenue collection as represented by an under recovery of R1, 3 b (9%) while under spending of the expenditure categories amounted to R75, 1 m.
·        The Targeted Beneficiaries Unit, which ressorts under Economic Development gave a progress report.  While the targeted beneficiaries are supposed to include ex-combatants, people with disability, youth and young women, only ex-combatants have been targeted to date.
·        Tariff Charges for Water Services and Sewerages and Sanitation Services are corrected.
·        R10 m is reallocated from Eskom grants for the installation of the electrical reticulation of Cosmo City.
·        The reallocation of some R1, 5m to the Metropolitan Trading Company's capital budget is approved.
·        Grant funding of R4m committed by the Development Bank of South Africa for the Conceptual Financial and Business Modelling for the Decking Technology of the Rail Lines Gulch, stretching from Doornfontein to Fordsburg, is accepted.
·        Social Funding Allocations (social responsibility category for 2008/09) are approved for instances that qualify for rates rebates.
·        R1, 9 m is accepted from the Department of Arts and Culture for the 2008/09 Heritage Day Celebrations.

Policies, Frameworks and By-Laws
·        The Revised Property Rates Policy and the Property Rates By-Laws are finally adopted.
·        The 400 learnerships which are included in the target of 150 000 jobs envisaged in the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP): Policy and Implementation Framework is very low.
·        Although welcomed, the Export Promotion Policy of the City has weaknesses in its programme such as the lack of any means to track
quantifiable exports.  There is also the possibility that this is a duplication of work already done by instances such as the Johannesburg
Chambers of Commerce and Industry which has a very good track record of SMME's
·        The DA's request that the Investment Incentive Policy Framework for the City of Johannesburg be withdrawn as it was of a very low standard and thus unacceptable, was rejected.
·        An Urban Agri-Business Strategy and Implementation Plan, whereby all the land portions situated below power line servitudes is made
available   for crop farming by emerging farmers, is approved.
·        A study to Assess Economic Projects and Programmes in other spheres of Government and Bordering Municipalities to Determine the Possibility of Developing Synergies with the City, is approved and endorsed.
·        The 2010 Office is very slow in putting measures in place to comply with FI FA requirements. As late as half way through the Confederations Cup it  requested the approval for the Temporary Outdoor Advertising Campaign by the CoJ for the forthcoming Confederations Cup and 2010 Fifa World Cup.   This item caused a dilemma for the City as it cannot legally ask for an exemption to relax its own by-laws. It was to prevent  situations like this that the DA had called for an oversight committee when the 2010 committee was established.  This was however denied and the  committee was put under the auspices of the Mayor.
·        The revised Informal Trading By-laws are Approved and Adopted for Promulgation.  It will be difficult to implement them as they contain questionable aspects such as trading in parks in residential areas and at schools.
·        In an attempt to eliminate washing hanging in the public eye, especially at flats, the Public Roads and Miscellaneous By-Laws: prohibition of                 display of household clothes and fabric other than items for sale, is amended.

Land Matters
·        In accordance with a report on Progress on the Sale of Council Owned Shops in the Greater Soweto Area some 70 of the 1 500 Council owned shops will be advertised and thereafter submitted to the bid evaluation committee for the identification of the successful purchasers.
·        The progress on Orlando Ekhaya is reported.
·        An amendment by the DA, that the income received from the residential component of the alienation of erven 2,3,4 and 5, Victoria Ext 3 and the         long term lease of erf 1, Victoria ext 3  (part of Paterson Park) by public tender be ploughed back into Paterson Park, was accepted.
·        Various other alienations as well as a donation of various portions of the Farm Randjiesfontein to the Department of Public Transport,
Roads and  Works for Gautrain, are approved.

Business Plans: 2009/10
As in the past, the budget was approved (May 2009) before the business plans for the various departments were approved (July 2009).  This means that budgets were allocated randomly by the Budget Office, the Mayoral Committee and a few senior officials and once again councillors were stripped of their oversight function.  As they stand, the business plans were also not discussed in depth by the section 79 committees.

Salient issues:
·        The Community Development Department cannot carry out its day to
day duties as there are insufficient funds with which to meet the needs of the community.  The very small budget is not enough to cater for all the activities of such a big and important Department.
·        Two different credit ratings for the City - AA and A+ - are mentioned in the Finance Business Plan and it is not clear which one is correct.  The processes for the City's supply chain management have not yet been defined, while it is also unclear whether the accounting policies of the New  Fiscal Municipalities Act, which is effective from 1 July, are to be used.
·        The establishment of an Economic Development Department, separate from Finance is welcomed.  Regeneration of the Inner City has practically come to a standstill over the past two years as nothing happened there since the Better Buildings Programme was terminated.  The Inner City Property Scheme, according to which regeneration should be resumed, is introduced.
·        The 2009/10 Revenue and Customer Relations Management Department Business Plan is very short on detail and concrete action and does not address the department's core function of revenue collection.
·        The business plan for the Johannesburg Tourism Company is unsound and with less than a year before the 2010 Soccer, action is needed.
·        The Johannesburg Fresh produce Market is an asset to the City. More attention must however be paid to Credit Control.
·        The Johannesburg Property Company remains the epitome of lost opportunities.  Hopefully the company will gain momentum under the t he new management team.
·        The Metropolitan Trading Company does not have manpower or budget, but is forging ahead with the proposed linear markets.  The organizational review and design is still in progress and the company is not yet prepared to take over the management of Rea Vaya.
·        Grey areas such as the collection of revenue and the management of housing stock as well as the lack of an asset register is not included in
the  business plan for the Johannesburg Social Housing Company. The housing allocation process is poor as there is no list to work from.
·        There is no correlation between the line items of Budget, Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Business Plan for the Infrastructure
Department , including Johannesburg Water, City Power and Pikitup.
·        City Power has given no assurances that it intends to address and/or solve the problem of life line tariffs for multi-complex units.  ANC Mayoral   Committee Member for Infrastructure eloquently supported this non-intention by stating: "...everything worked out perfectly in what we planned."
·        The targets of the Transport Department's 2008/09 business plan have not been met:  the intended kilometres of gravel roads have not been
tarred,  while only 15km of the BRT has been completed compared to the 150km in the 5 year plan.  It is therefore uncertain how the intended
process of  speeding up the delivery process will be sustained.  This department has also not yet issued a report on the negotiations with the taxi industry vis-à-vis the BRT.
·        The question regarding the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) business plan is what happens to the Johannesburg roads as there is not
sufficient  financial provision for road maintenance.  In order to do proper road maintenance, the DA suggests that special restatements teams
be used, that   contractors whose work is not up to standard be fined and that all road works be supervised properly.
·        The Business Plan for the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg is a vital document.  There is however, no provision for oversight of this         office.

Quarterly Reports
The reports for the third quarter of the 2008/09 financial year, (January to March 2009) were available for oversight within 2 months after the end of the quarter. The DA's repeated requests for quicker presentation of the reports have thus been successful.   As the DA addressed most of the
concerns arising from the reports in either the sec 79 committees or in the debates on the business plans, the ANC chairmen of the various departments used the opportunity to sing the praises of their departments. 

Some of the DA's concerns included:

·        According to the Report on the Monitoring and Evaluation of Capital Projects Implementation by Municipal Owned Entities, City Power overspent by R100m - an amount that was funded by the City.  Pikitup has at the end of the quarter only spent 20% of its available capital while JRA's expenditure of its allocation for storm water allocation runs at 35%.
·        The DA reminded the newly appointed MMC for Community Development, Cllr Bafana Sitholo, that that department functioned well because the former MMC always listened to the DA.  His reply and also his maiden speech as MMC: "I shall look at those things.  My door is open," should be recorded in the annals of the CoJ for posterity.
·        ANC Cllr S Mogase, chairperson of the Finance Sec 79 Committee admitted that that department worked under strain, due to the difficult
financial position of the City.  This statement contradicts all the assurances regarding the City's financial position given regularly by Finance MMC, Cllr Parks Tau. Worrying issues include: no decision regarding the debtors' book has been made, financial reporting in terms of revenue received is not done,  there are still many problems concerning the rates' policy, wasteful expenditure and the collection of arrears.
·        The DA maintains that it is more important for the Housing Department to deliver quality RDP houses rather than bigger quantities of badly built  houses.
·        City Power's projects are still badly managed and the company continues to ask for the goal posts to be moved, rather than look at ways to improve its service. The level of complaints regarding non-working street lights is still unacceptably high.
·        Pikitup's crushing plants are to become fully operational and it will then be possible to drop builder's rubble at garden sites.

Overseas Visits
A report was received on the Study Tour by the Community Development Section 79 Committee to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

COMPILED BY : COUNCILLOR LAURETTE VAN ZIJL (082 3300 593)

FOR COMMENTS CONTACT : COUNCILLOR VICTOR PENNING ON: 082 490 1171

Report on the Council Meeting of 28 May 2009

The Greater Johannesburg has moved closer to being a uni-city in May when the Preparation and Notice for the Draft Johannesburg Town Planning Scheme was published.  This will replace the 13 separate town planning schemes presently being used for the respective areas within the mega city borders.
Besides bringing uniformity to the city regarding town planning, the proposed new scheme also presents a great opportunity to rectify the issues which are problematic with the movement towards creating a denser city.
Everybody is welcome to comment one the draft has been published. This draft is still circulating amongst the various Council departments and should be published for public comment in July or August  and be brought back for final approval at the September meeting.

The DA approves the concept of a single Town Planning Scheme for the City, and will partake actively to ensure the best possible new scheme.

Soccer matters
  *      An upwards adjustment of R127m was made on the Capital budget for   the upgrade of Soccer City.  These funds represent an allocation from the   National Department of Sport
  *      Permission is granted to utilise R5m of the national grant for   Public Transport and Infrastructure for 2010 World Cup related projects.
  These funds represent a saving on completion of certain pedestrian   walkways and training venues before the Confederation Cup.
  *      The DA questioned the legality of the City providing surety to the tune of R350m to Scania for the delivery of the 143 busses ordered on   behalf of the bus operating entity still to be formed for phase 1a of the Rea Vaya BRT Project.
  *      Council is advised of the Public Engagement Process to be followed in relation to the Commercial Exclusion Zones for the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup.

Policies and Frameworks
The following policies were proposed for review.
  *      Human Resources which makes provision for industrial action. The Da requested a workshop.
  *      Metering of electricity, water and sewerage services.
  *      Energy Efficiency and Criteria for Land Use Development Applications.  This proposed policy is not decisive and contains ‘suggestions’ and 'requests' rather than definite measures
  *      Air and Underground Rights
  *      A policy for the Application of Bulk Services Contributions as a mechanism to implement the City's Growth Management Policy (GMS) is approved.

Urban Development Frameworks for the following were approved:
  *      Lawley to Grassmere Rail Corridor
  *      Naledi and Merafe Stations
  *      Swazi Inn.
  *      Industrial Framework for Kew, Wynberg and Malboro: this presents nothing new and action is urgently needed, especially in respect of the  people living in the former factories in Wynberg.
  *      Florida, Unified, Maraisburg, Bosmont, Newclare and Westbury Rail stations:  its implementation will be a lifeline to the area and it has the potential to be the greatest economic injection in the west 'since the discovery of gold'
  *      Overall Contextual Framework for the Modderfontein Development:  AECI is a law unto itself and the pollution of the Modderfontein Dam must  be rectified.  Residents must also be engaged in future plans.
  *      Approval of the Region C Economic Development Plan
  *      Proposes Industrial Land Study guideline and the proposed way forward:  consultation must still take place Quarterly Reports – the stuck CD Council's oversight role was once again questioned by the DA as the quarterly reports for the second quarter of the 20008/09 financial year (September to December 2008) only came to Council for approval in May 2009 - one month before the year end.  DA leader, Cllr Vic Penning called the executives of the City to account, especially as that report was served before the Mayoral Committee in March.

The Report of the Legislature of the City of Johannesburg for the period October to December 2008 and the oversight report on the City's performance for that period highlighted the shortcomings of the Council's operations.
  *      According to the Service Delivery and Budget implementation Plan for that period, the City's collections stood at 81,46% as opposed to the target of 91% , something that would impact negatively on its service  delivery ability.
  *      Highlights of the Community Development Department included the launch of the Career Pathways skills training programme and the opening of a shelter for street children at Hospital Hill (the only one in the City).  The Soweto Theatre should be operational by 2010, but needs more funding.  The Scorecards for both the Joburg and Roodepoort Theatres
have both been amended.
  *      The DA singled out the poor performance by town planning and building inspectors who operated in a chaotic and unprofessional way in  the Development Planning and Urban Development department and called for a special task team to investigate and suggest corrective measures.

Regional Urban Management Projects have not been updated since 2008 and Regional Directors' and urban inspectors still lack enforcement powers.
  *      Overall water quality has not yet improved and is still problematic for the Environment Department which also has to contend with many resignations of specialist officials.
  *      Due to the lateness of the reports the City's overall Financial performance cannot be judged.  As at the middle of the financial year the capital was still way below the expected expenditure.  The DA also requested that the earnings of the directors of the Metro Trading
Company and the Johannesburg Property Company be sent to the Municipal Public Accounts Committee for review as they seem to be very high.
  *      The long promised turnaround strategy for City Power has not yet been introduced.
  *      The Government is taking up to six months to pay for the water consumption of schools and hospitals without Johannesburg Water taking  any steps.
  *      The Emergency Management Services (EMS) has not yet implemented a disaster management plan as required by the National Act of 2001.
*      Response times of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) is unacceptably slow.
  *      The Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) is neglecting an asset of R32b by not doing the necessary maintenance on the City's roads, while its storm water network is inefficient and the kerbs are not cleaned regularly.

Overseas Travel
DA requested that the delegation on the Proposed Study Tour New York City and Miami, USA: Finance and Economic Development and the Inner City Section 79 Committees,   do  not fly business class, but rather economy class as this will result in a saving of R500 000 of the taxpayers money. The ANC rejected the proposal outright as it was not policy and insisted that the policy be changed first.
A report was received on the Study Tour to Berlin and Hamburg Cities by the Section 70 Committees for Infrastructure and Services and Public Safety.
Approval was requested for follow up activities, in a Report of the Kick off Workshop of a Three Year Carbon Finance Capacity Building Program in Switzerland.

Servitudes
  *      Various servitudes are cancelled in Rosebank, Parktown, Craighall Park, Risidale and Olivedale ext 31 while others in favour of Rand Water  are granted.  The DA  is still awaiting a policy regarding servitudes as  promised last year.  Presently it is still unclear who is responsible for the maintenance of such spaces and ward councillors are battling to
sort  out problems where development has taken place across servitudes.
  *      Certain erven in Bosmont have been transferred from the City to the Gauteng Provincial Housing Development Board.
  *      A part of Napier Road in Lombardy East has been closed permanently and part thereof has been consolidated with surrounding properties.

Other Matters
  *      The Liquidation of the City Housing Company is finalised.  The DA pointed out incongruities in the report which included 68 units that were not accounted for and also questioned the financial statements.  The party asked for the report to be sent to MPAC.
  *      The DA questioned the oversight role of the Finance Committee as an Economic Development Advisory Panel has been appointed without any mention made to that committee.
  *      The renaming of Bloemhof Park in Troyeville to David Webster Park was condoned.
  *      The Attendance of Councillors at council and committee meetings May - December 2008 is condoned.

Councillor's Report [Ward 89]

June 2009

Dear Resident

As reported in March, the COJ, in February 2009, formed, an initiative of the City Manager, a special task team to deal with Service Delivery in the City. This task team is to remain intact till the 2011 local govt elections which is certainly good news.

JMPD Land Invasions – continue to evicted vagrants in Region C and destroyed 580 litres of illegal alcohol during this quarter. Please tel Mr Meintjies/Adendorf on 011 490-1509 to deal with land invasions. Shelters for Homeless people are funded by Provincial Social Development. The homeless should be referred to such facilities where they exist; in Region C it is Operation Job, the target group is all groups, men, women and children in Roodepoort. This division can be accessed thru’ Social Services at the civic Centre in Florida.

Illegal Posters: 587 illegal boards were removed since my last Report. If you have any illegal boards in your area please send a list of streets and the nearest cross street to so that the CPF can forward this to JMPD.

The National & Provincial Elections 0n 22 April 2009 saw an excess of 17,000 voters making their mark in Ward 89 in comparison with 13,000 in 2004. The DA regained the Ward with 70%, the ANC approx 17% and COPE 10%. By and large the day was peaceful and quiet but the queues were long and this needs to be addressed as well as the training of the IEC officials. Letters have been submitted to the Region as well as the IEC.

The house in Rugby Road is under surveillance as it is suspected that drug dealing is being conducted as well as overcrowding by illegal immigrants.

Further drug raids took place at Palm Court in May and these will be on-going.

CITY PARKS –The development of The Kroton Street Park is complete with the opening having taken place on 16 June. This is indeed a wonderful park that City Parks have provided for the children in the vicinity. 

JRA  have implemented a safety intervention cor Sophi St/12 Ave, Fairland, where repeated accidents were occurring as a result of the Community Based Planning Priorities submitted last year. Other priorities hopefully such as a road tarring programme will be also be implemented between now and 2011. Rugby Road, portion of  Springhaas Road and portion of Haak & Steek Road, some of the items submitted in my Integrated Dev Plan; many other roads need re-surfacing and we await this.

Health: The recent Health Clinic’s go slow/strike is illegal and the Health Dept is ensuring that all is being done that can be done. The Health Dept has put out information educating citizens on the Swine Flu scare – no cases have been confirmed in S A.

SAPS: Meeting with Dir Potgieter, SAPS, CPF Chairman, Kim Myburgh – Honeydew and 4 councillors:  Dir Potgieter stated that the Sector Meeting were all important and only issues that could not be resolved at these meetings would be brought to the monthly CPF General meetings.

The sector meetings, as they have always been, will be open to all members of the public within that sector. Ward committee members [safety] and chairpersons of R A's are encouraged to attend the sector meetings.

Dir Potgieter stated that public participation is needed between the community and security companies which they continue to co-operate with. The Honeydew precinct is extremly vast and exit roads are very easy for criminals to escape from scenes of crime. Zandspruit is currently undergoing the implementation of a satellite SAPS station. Cosmo City is earmarked for a full police station but this will not be evident before 3-4 years.

People must become more aware and alert and they are often guilty of being very careless knowing the crime situation that we currently live in. The sector policing and the security companies that operate in the various suburbs of which members are subscribed to must be contacted should suspicious behaviour be noticed. Tel nos are regularly published in the weekly community newspaper of the sector policing. Parks and JMPD were asked to co-operate with each other so as to be effective in warding off the vagrant problem.

Please advise your residents to constantly be alert to prevent a crime from being committed.     
Tel nos to ring in an emergency are: 10111, 011 801 8400 and then the sector nos.

Pikitup: The recent initiative of Pikitup to clean up the city is commendable and this needs to be an on-going exercise. Road intersections are still a problem and Pikityp need to provide additional bins and wardens at these points as well as at illegal taxi ranks.

Plot 21 Theunis where A1 Assist are storing smashed motor cars is under investigation; while the due processes are very time consuming, they have to be followed or should this go to court and processes are not followed, it could be thrown out of court thus starting over and taking even longer to resolve.

The 2009 Confederations Cup is under way and the City is extremely proud to host the 5 soccer matches that are being held at Ellis Park. Some problems have been encountered but this is a first on a big scale and is a dress rehearsal for the 2010 World Soccer Cup. The City is confident that problems encountered can be ironed out to ensure smooth process in 2010. 

Please continue to report any deficiencies to the Call Centre/Peoples’ Centre on 011 375 5555/011 761-0144/5 or your local Residents Association who has contact details of departments to escalate problems.

Council goes into Recess on Mon 29 June till Tues 129 July; should you be travelling over the school break, please drive safely.

Sincerely
Dee

DA Press Release on Tariffs
for Pikitup , Johannesburg Water and City Power 2009

Summary
The City of Johannesburg published proposed increases for the tariffs for Pikitup , Johannesburg Water , and City Power on the 26th March , for public comments. The DA did not support the increases on account of the absence of time to debate these in the Section 79 Committees , but have objections to the tariffs on their own account.  The Pikitup increases for properties of less than R700 000 are less than inflation , but for business and higher valued properties the increases are from 22% up to 30% and highly inflationary, and unacceptable

In respect of Johannesburg Water apart from some allowances for those consuming less than 10 kl per month the increases are above inflation, and go up to 12,8 and 13,8% for business
These too are unmotivated and therefore also unacceptable.

In respect of electricity , the position is complicated by the ESKOM issues , and the Treasury has recommended  that 25% be allowed , In short , again apart from allowances for those consuming less than 500 kWh per month, increases for all are up to 30% , and possibly up to 50% for single phase consumers which is excessive and cannot be supported.
              
Pikitup  Waste Removal Services

The proposed Domestic Tariffs  continue  to be based on the ratable value of the property

                                                2007/8                                                 2008/9      Effective Incr%
    <R100 000                       no charge                                                                              0
R100 001 to R150 000      no charge                                                 R60               not meaningful
R150 001 to R300 000      R50 plus R10 city cleaning levy           R65                    8,5%
R301 000 to R500 000      R60 plus R10 city cleaning levy           R76                    8.6%
R500 001 to R700 000       R70 plus R10 city cleaning levy          R87                    8.8%
R700 000 to  R1 500 000   R80 plus R10 city cleaning levy          R113                  26%
> R1 500 000                        R120 plus R10 city cleaning levy        R159                  22%

The separate City Cleaning levy we have had has been absorbed into the tariffs. This is welcomed by the DA, as it created confusion .

The  re- inclusion of properties  between R100 000 and R150 000 left out last year is supported and is in line with the DA’s recommendations last year that we should try to include as many people paying something.    But once again those residents whose properties  fall:

·         above R700 000 will now pay R113  in place of   R90 (+26%), and
·         for properties  up to R1,5m  will pay R159 in place of R130
·         which is R15 and R18 more than if they also had an 8.5% increase.

Whilst this may not seem that much, the question why not a uniform increase for everyone?

It is implied by elements in the text of the report that this surcharge will be used to help fund recycling. Whilst this is laudable it seems to the DA that the City is running close to being in contravention of the Constitution  Clause 195 (1) (d)  “Services must be provided impartially , fairly , equitably, and without bias” The City could well lay itself open to legal challenge where it could be proved that only the higher valued properties were in fact contributing to these costs.

Non Domestic refuse removal.
Two years ago the tariff  for non-domestic refuse removal was  R150 per bin. As from last year there is a stepped arrangement based on the ratable value of the property .  The new levels are:

·         from R90 for a  property valued at less than R2m
·         in 4 steps to R330 for a value more than R30m per bin.

The actual increases of on average around 30%  are inflationary and have to be excessive in the current economic climate. In addition businesses have to pay a 2% surcharge.    The DA takes the view at this time that this will not contribute to job preservation and in the absence of any motivation is not acceptable.

The revenue projection is up by 6.7%  and it is noted that the subsidy from the city is only increased by 4,9%.   Pikitup is therefore expected to be more self funding. Otherwise why are these increases necessary.   We cannot support the proposal as a whole.

Johannesburg Water

The Turnaround Strategy of a few years ago allowed an increase of 3% above inflation every year for three years That meant a nett increase in the cost of water of around 12% above inflation.  This represents a built in increase  in income which was needed in the short term but continues.  The City should therefore not be asking for more than inflation. There ought to be savings from improved efficiency

In respect of the Domestic Tariff, the proposal is to continue with the stepped tariff which we have had in place for some years now. But to apply a differential rate of increase for domestic use for metered areas : 

                                                                                          2008/09                 2009/10                 the first 6 kl free,
 the step from 7 to 10 kl is increased by 5,8%         R4.40                   R4.66
11 to 15 kl : 8.8% ,                                                         R6.27                   R6.82 
16 to 20 kl : 10.8% ;                                                       R7.93                   R8.79 
21 to 30 kl 11.8%;                                                          R9.52                   R10.64           
31 to 40 kl 12.8%                                                           R9.61                   R10.84           
and higher 13,8 .                                                           R11.46                 R13.04           

The nett effect is, for example for 40kl consumption 11.3% because of the steps and not 12,8%

The cost to commerce, business and  industry goes up by 12.8 for up to 200 kl and above that by 13.8%   There is no motivation given in the proposals other than that water is scarce .  The increases for sanitation are similarly 13,7% for each step (They too are on a stepped tariff related to property size)  . No motivation for this is provided either.

The City also has a set of tariffs for use in the old deemed consumption areas where pre=paid meters  are installed, which reach the same level at +40 kl , but start at R3,60 for the first step i.e. 7 kl to 10kl.

This is significantly inflationary, and in these tough economic times this is really bad news

The City has also modified its approach to the Expanded Social Package and has introduced a points system. Which ends up in three bands of poverty level . In the lowest band the free allowance is increased to 15kl per month , in the middle bracket to 12 , for the highest bracket it remains at 10kl.  However (in item 55 on the agenda for last Thursday) we were told that the expanded package should cost the city less than at present. So that isn’t the reason for the increases

Therefore why do we need a 13% increase in the water tariff?. Inflation is currently 8.5%.

The projected increase in revenue is 18 %. The budget reflects a 18,2% increase in the cost of bulk purchases of water corresponding to R276m  which in turn represents 6,7 % of the budget of R4,135bn .  The cost of bulk purchases itself is only 45% of the budget so that is not the whole explanation. Just because it comes from Rand Water isn’t a good enough reason.  The budget reflects that the City is aiming to restore its surplus  to figures we had in earlier years by R255m . In other words in order to be able to provide a profit to the City  of R418m JW is increasing its tariffs by on average 13 % i.e. 4.5% above inflation.

Given also that the commercial losses at the last time we had a report were around 24%  corresponding to around R1bn if we could only improve on this  by 5 or 6 % points this inflationary increase would not be necessary.  We could have a surplus , if only we could collect it from people who owe it to us such as Govt Departments. 

The goal of saving water has to be supported but it tends to overlook the fact that many businesses, commercial and industrial consumers simply need the water they consume, and they are effectively being penalized. Since they have to pay a 2% levy on top of this, the proposal has to be highly inflationary. We cannot afford that for the economy of the city. We cannot support these increases

City Power : Electricity Tariff :

It needs to be noted that there are range of tariffs which include  the domestic lifeline , the domestic prepaid , the single phase , and three phase domestic conventional connections , for 60 and 80 Amps, the seasonal tariffs , the business tariffs , and the agricultural tariffs. For simplicity in this we refer primarily to the domestic tariffs  Nevertheless with the exception of the domestic lifeline tariffs for consumption up to 500 kWh per month where the increase is 7,5%  , and the prepaid  tariffs where the increases are 25%, all others are, in general  increased by 30%.  With one exception set out below. These represent a significant increase in these times of economic hardship.  Specific points are

1) To cater for the uncertainty around the likely increase from ESKOM  Treasury has recommended that councils allow for a 25% increase in their tariffs. The approach of City Power is to say that  the City needs to allow more than this because of the past historical performance of ESKOM.   This is crazy.  If the City doesn’t accept a directive from the Treasury they run the risk of being considered to be in breach of the Constitution clause 229 which requires that the City sticks  to national economic policy. In the last few days   ESKOM has indicated that they are going to try for an average of 34%. However this has to go through hearings, etc. At this stage the Treasury ruling should stand.

2) The Demand Side levy which was a National Concept last year was appropriated by City Power to help fund Demand Side initiatives. This is to be continued in addition to the National Initiative described as the Environmental Electricity Levy and the 2% levy on businesses. All of these levies are frankly just bad practice, and create confusion.

3)  Last year there was some confusion between what was proposed  to the NERSA and what was accepted in respect of the single phase tariff. The City  certainly approved a single phase tariff at 39.82 cents per kWh , and  service charge of R147.12 at the July meeting,  However it is being suggested by the City that this was not approved by the NERSA . NERSA did not allow for the stepped phase increase for increased consumption as was introduced for three phase domestic customers. It appears that City Power applied the three phase tariffs in some cases. The proposals now reflect a stepped tariff for single phase customers.  The result is that there is now an increase in the unit charge for single phase customers in the range 0 to 500 kWh of 51% !!  It will be surprising if the NERSA allows this, but it appears that they they created the problem.  Having at least the same energy charge for single and three phase is desirable.

4)In order to overcome the problem created by the fact that  City Power did not have in place a mechanism to deal with single phase /lifeline customers in multiple dwelling units. Here the complex usually has a three phase supply , and the mechanics of arriving  at a  fair tariff for those single phase customers particularly for those on the lifeline tariff was never implemented.  We tried to get this rectified but this was turned down.  There is no mention in the report as to how this problem is going to be dealt with.

5) We note that  the budgetary projection of the increase in revenue is  24 % , whilst the increase in bulk purchases of electricity is 26.6%. 

The muddle around the single phase tariff has to be sorted out . Nevertheless the DA  view is that whilst we have some time until this is all applied , and can therefore make adjustments , we should not be asking for more than the Treasury recommends i.e. the 25 % from ESKOM and the expected lesser amount from Kelvin , and in the light of the downturn the ESKOM programme might well have to be cutback , and the increases of 53% over three years  of which they started with 13% could well be reduced.