Latest news with #Annipen
IOL News
28-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
Phoenix school community rallies to restore water supply after week-long outage
Phoenix Pioneer primary school Principal Neesha Chetty and Councillor Dr Jonathan Annipen. Image: Supplied IN A HEARTWARMING display of community spirit, residents in Phoenix came together last week to assist Phoenix Pioneer Primary School, which was left without water for an entire week due to damage to its pipeline. The crisis had left learners and staff alike grappling with the absence of one of life's most essential resources, ultimately drawing the community closer as they sought solutions. Neesha Chetty, the Principal of Phoenix Pioneer Primary School, shared her frustration at the situation, explaining that they were informed by the eThekwini Municipality that the fault lay on the school's side, presenting a daunting repair cost of R11,500. 'We faced a state of helplessness as a public school with limited financial resources,' Chetty lamented. 'This amount was simply beyond our reach. For seven long days, we were without water, an essential resource for the well-being and safety of our learners and staff,' she said Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Councillor Dr Jonathan Annipen, who represents the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in eThekwini, said that this was his former school and that it served hundreds of underprivileged learners in the Phoenix area. 'The crisis not only disrupted daily operations but also posed serious health and hygiene concerns for both learners and staff. Plumbers assessed the damage and quoted the school but as a public institution they could not afford it. With no funds readily available, the school was in a dire situation,' Annipen said. Moved by the plight of the school, Annipen said he understood first-hand the challenges that public schools face and acted swiftly to resolve the issue. 'I could not sit back knowing that my alma mater was struggling to provide a basic necessity like water to its learners. This school is more than just bricks and mortar—it's a foundation for the future of our children, and I am committed to doing what I can to support it,' Annipen stated. Annipen stated that local businessman Marcel Choonilal undertook the repairs at the school. Chetty expressed heartfelt gratitude to both Choonilal and Annipen for their timely and generous intervention which saved the school a significant amount of money and ensured that the learning environment was restored. "Annipen's support has reminded us that leadership is not just about politics, but about service, compassion, and genuine care for community upliftment. He is a beacon of support for schools and communities in need," Chetty said.
IOL News
09-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
eThekwini Municipality budget consultations: IFP demands policy reforms for residents
Dr Jonathan Annipen, an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) councillor in eThekwini, has submitted a plethora of demands to the municipality revenue department's policy developers, calling for unprecedented policy reforms. Image: Leon Lestrade / Independent Newspapers While the eThekwini Municipality leaders crisscross the wards for the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) consultations, a local councillor is calling for policy reforms before the budget is passed. Dr Jonathan Annipen, an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) councillor in eThekwini, has submitted a plethora of demands to the municipality revenue department's policy developers, calling for unprecedented policy reforms. These policies could be voted on with the budget at the next council meeting later this month. The deadline for residents, businesses, and stakeholders to submit their inputs into the Draft Budget and IDP, R64.2 billion operating budget, and R7.1 billion capital budget for the 2025/26 financial year is May 17, 2025. Annipen said residents will only be able to cope with the proposed tariff increases as spelt out in the 2025/26 budget if major changes are made to the city's budget-related policies. 'Central among them are the indigent support application and the credit control and debt recovery policies,' he said. Annipen said the city's social package in its current form simply exists to meet a legislative requirement and, by doing so, ticks the budgetary requirements set out by the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA) and the National Treasury. 'These policies do not speak to the growing needs of the residents of eThekwini. Needless to say, substantial amendments need to be made to ensure these policies are adaptable to the people of the city in the context of some of the socio-economic challenges faced by our people,' he said. According to Annipen, residents are struggling to meet their financial commitments to the municipality, forcing them to live without basic services, such as water and electricity, or resort to illegal measures like tampering with the city's infrastructure to bypass their electricity and water metering systems. He stated that the proposals made by the IFP are practical and add significant value to the otherwise opaque, ambiguous, and outdated policies enforced by the municipality. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Annipen said this also strengthens the existing policy framework articulated in the existing standard operating procedures and terms of reference of eThekwini's budget-related policies, but primarily seeks to reduce some of the causes of unauthorised, irregular, wasteful, and fruitless expenditure while reducing debtors' book by unparalleled markers. He added that ultimately, the amendments they are suggesting will reduce the capital amounts written off by the city, dispose of historic debt, and secure a far higher revenue collection proportion than what is presently being illustrated by the city. 'Our recommendations have been formulated through personal interactions with residents and first-hand experiences lived out by the ordinary people of eThekwini. We call on residents, lobby groups, ratepayer bodies, and other civic society agencies to join us in this fight for policy change in order to provide relief to the marginalised masses within this metro.'
