NEW STATUES PLANNED FOR THE CITY

A statue of anti-apartheid activist Archie Gumede will be placed in the City following the tabling of a report at a Full Council meeting held today, 31 July.

The meeting was held at the Dr John Langalibalele Dube Sports Ground in Inanda which was attended by a number of community members.

The tabled report stated that eThekwini Municipality had previously received a request from the National Department of Arts and Culture to identify a suitable location to erect the statue of anti-apartheid activist, lawyer and politician Archie Gumede.

The Community Services Committee, where the report was initially tabled, supported the identification of Durban Church Walk for this purpose, the tabled report states.

The report approved the installation of the Archie Gumede statue in the Frances Farewell Square, Durban Church Walk next to the City Hall as the area is considered popular by passers-by, pedestrians and tourists who frequently use the space to rest and take pictures.

The report states that City Manager Sipho Nzuza, on behalf of eThekwini Municipality, will sign a memorandum of understanding with the National Department of Arts and Culture in order to address issues of custodianship of such plaques.

Meanwhile, Full Council tabled a second report which outlined plans for the Sivananda World Peace and Community Development Foundation to erect the busts of His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithni, former President Nelson Mandela together with the Sivananda Peace Pillar at Mitchell Park.

The report notes that the erection of busts in respect of King Goodwill Zwelithni and Nelson Mandela at Mitchell Park would be a strategic move by the City to transform the heritage landscape.

The report states that 2018 marks the 45th anniversary of King Goodwill Zwelithni being the King of the AmaZulu and the 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela. It further states that the statues would be erected at Mitchell Park, and has been supported by King Goodwill Zwelithni, in a bid to enhance the education value at the Park.

The report states that philanthropist Ishwar Ramlutchman made a commitment to the late Swami Sahajananda to undertake the installation of eight Sivananda Peace Pillars across South Africa as a beacon of diversity with all costs, including the costs of the unveiling ceremony, being born by the Foundation.

The Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit will supervise the implementation of the project to ensure that all aspects of the project complies with the eThekwini Monuments and Memorial guidelines.

ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY EMPOWERS SMMES IN THE CITY

A report outlining the rollout of the business empowerment workshops and roadshows by the Business Support, Markets and Tourism Unit targeting small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME’s) in various wards was tabled at a Full Council meeting held today, 31 July.

The report notes that the objective of the Business Empowerment and Information and Dissemination Programme was to empower SMME’s with business development information which is critical for the success of their businesses as well business opportunities available to sustain them. This has been achieved, the report notes, by partnering with other relevant City units such as Supply Chain Management, Corporate Human Resources, City Integrity and Investigations Unit and the Supply Chain Management (SCM) Unit.

The partnerships have extended to other developmental institutions such as iThala Bank and parastatal institutions such as Transnet.

The continued roadshows will focus on cooperative development, franchise development, access to finance and markets, combating corruption in the City, compliance with SCM, agribusiness and radical economic transformation.

CITY TO HOST IMPUCUZEKO MASKANDI FESTIVAL

EThekwini Municipality, in partnership with Impucuzeko, will host the annual Impucuzeko Masakandi Festival following the tabling of a report outlining the details at a Full Council meeting held today, 31 July.

The report notes that this event provides an opportunity for upcoming Masakandi artists to perform with fully-fledged artists. Workshops are also conducted for all new artists to assist them to grow in the industry and to be made aware of the opportunities available.

The Community Services Committee, where the report was initially tabled, emphasised the importance of ensuring that artists participating and performing in the Festival are fairly compensated.

The City will sponsor R1.5 million for the Festival for the 2018/19 financial year in support of Impucuzeko, a non-profit organisation to cover venue hire, related infrastructure, sound, and stage and artist’s payment.

ENDS

Issued by the eThekwini Municipality’s Acting Head of Communications Mandla Nsele.