Latest news with #Vilane
IOL News
26-05-2025
- IOL News
Looking back: A seismic election changes SA politics forever, the 'Miracle of Dunkirk, and black South African on top of the world
Sibusiso Vilane at the summit of Mount Aconcagua in the Andes, the highest mountain in the Americas, in 2005. Vilane will soon be the first African to complete the Three Poles Challenge " having reached the North Pole, South Pole, and Mount Everest. Sibusiso Vilane at the summit of Mount Aconcagua in the Andes, the highest mountain in the Americas, in 2005. Vilane will soon be the first African to complete the Three Poles Challenge " having reached the North Pole, South Pole, and Mount Everest. 1872 During a 'terrific gale', seven ships are wrecked, with the loss of 10 lives, at the Buffalo River, East London. 1878 Interpretive dancer Isadora Duncan is born in San Francisco. She revolutionised the entire concept of dance by developing a free-form style and rebelled against tradition, performing barefoot in a loose fitting tunic. She experienced worldwide acclaim as well as personal tragedy. Her two children drowned, her marriage failed, and she met a bizarre death in 1927 when a scarf she was wearing caught in the wheel of the open car in which she was riding, strangling her1908 The first big commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made in Persia (Iran). 1940 The Dunkirk evacuation is begun to save the British Expeditionary Force trapped by advancing German armies on the northern coast of France. Boats and vessels of all shapes and sizes ferried 200 000 British and 140 000 French and Belgian soldiers across the English Channel by June 2. 1948 The Herenigde Nasionale Party pulls off a surprise general election win which will change the landscape of South Africa. 1961 A US Hustler bomber crosses the Atlantic in about 3 hours, twice as fast as an airliner. 1991 Major-General Ken van der Spuy, veteran of both world wars, as well as the Russian Civil War, dies aged 99. He was South Africa's first qualified military pilot and the first South African Air Force pilot. 2003 Sibusiso Vilane, 32, is the first Black South African to summit Mount Everest. 2004 The New York Times publishes admission of journalistic failings, claims its flawed reporting and lack of scepticism during buildup to 2003 Iraq War helped promote belief that Iraq possessed large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. 2018 Real Madrid beat Liverpool for their third straight Champions League title. Manager Zinédine Zidane becomes the first to win 3 consecutive titles. 2019 Nine climbers die in a week on Mount Everest after overcrowding leads to queues. 2021 Amazon says it will buy 97-year-old film and TV studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $8.45 billion. DAILY NEWS
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Urgent plans to resolve Durban's 7,000 water pipe leaks by July 2025
The eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) unit is expected to conduct a clean 'sweep' of the outstanding backlog of 7,000 pipe leaks once the budget becomes available from July 2025. The EWS presented its status of water supply report for May 2025 to the eThekwini Executive Committee (Exco) on Tuesday Image: File The eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) unit is expected to conduct a clean sweep of the outstanding backlog of 7,000 pipe leaks from July 2025, subject to budget availability. The EWS presented its status of water supply report for May 2025 to the eThekwini Executive Committee (Exco) on Tuesday. The municipality intends to create a separate management entity for the EWS with a planned Water Turnaround Strategy (WTA) to resolve its problems. Sibusiso Vilane, the acting HOD for EWS, said the municipality was ranked 'very poor' when it came to the Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) interpretation. This was in the category of unavoidable annual real losses (UARL) and current annual real losses (CARL). The ILI defined poor as an urgent need for leakage control and asset renewal. With demand exceeding supply, Vilane said that reducing Non-Revenue Water is crucial for improving the financial and operational performance of EWS. 'When we get access to the budget, we are going to be sweeping all areas of backlogs from the list from July 2025,' he 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. 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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. Next Stay Close ✕ Vilane also touched on plumbing contractors that cost the city an estimated R56 million per month. He said a review of the policy was in place for contractors, including upskilling many of them to meet requirements. According to Vilane, the EWS has been hard at work installing restrictors, generators, and meters at reservoirs. He said they were looking at a new management approach to streamline the EWS and hold people accountable. Councillor Nkosenhle Madlala, ANC Exco whip, commended the EWS on the interim arrangement to supply Clover with water to stabilise the supply. Madlala called on the EWS to extend this approach by identifying other critical stakeholders such as hospitals, hotels, and other essential service institutions, and to urgently design a targeted water supply plan to ensure uninterrupted service to these facilities. Madlala said the commencement of the second phase of the installation of back-up generators is a crucial intervention to guarantee water supply during periods of electricity outages. 'This forms part of a broader resilience strategy that we fully endorse. The introduction of performance-based water management contracts is noted and supported. These contracts will not only promote efficiency but will also help in driving accountability and measurable outcomes.' Madlala said the adoption of a single point of accountability approach could significantly contribute to reducing the ILU to below 4, an important milestone in curbing NRW. He stated that these interventions reflect a proactive and responsive approach to water and sanitation service delivery, adding that the ANC will continue to support and provide oversight as these plans are rolled out. 'We urge the unit to expedite the meter audit process. This will assist in improving billing accuracy and managing demand effectively. We reiterate our support for the insourcing of plumbers. This will not only improve service turnaround times but also enhance accountability and ensure value for money.' Madlala stated that the city must communicate more proactively about challenges posed by informal settlements and developments outside existing water supply lines. 'This will help manage community expectations and inform long-term planning. We fully support the decision to acquire our plant and fleet. This is a strategic move that will improve operational efficiency, reduce reliance on external contractors, and result in long-term cost savings for the municipality,' Madlala said. Yogis Govender, DA Exco member, called for enforcement to deal with illegal water and electricity connections. 'There is always a plan with no enforcement. There are never any arrests or statistics on what the consequences were for those found with illegal connections. I am happy that there is a tracking mechanism for the EWS implementation processes,' she said. Thabani Mthethwa, DA head in eThekwini, urged the EWS to move from planning to implementation. He also called for a period of amnesty for those who were connected to the system illegally to come forward without being penalised. He said this was a reason why the demand exceeds the supply. Themba Mvubu, EFF Exco member, described the report as transparent and honest. He also agreed on the skills development of plumbers. eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said they took the matter of water seriously and that he was concerned about the water loss figures. 'When departments are honest, we can support them in various ways. If you hide things, we will always be blaming you for all the problems people complain about. We have to deal with illegal connections before people think it is a norm and that they are entitled to free water,' Xaba said.
