Latest news with #Ward33
The Citizen
06-08-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Bakery project rises with opportunities
AROUND 15 jobs are expected to be created with a bakery and agricology project which is to be launched soon at Dunkirk Park. The Bakery Upskill Project and the Urban Agricology Project, a joint venture between Ward 32, Ward 33, and the Umbilo Business Association (UBA), will be a game changer for the community. In December, the eThekwini Municipality council approved funding of R6.75m for the implementation of the community bakery programme in five communities. Areas that were set to benefit were Albert Park, KwaXimba, KwaMakhutha, oThongathi, and Ntuzuma/Inanda. UBA's Tash Wells said the organisation was approached by Ward 32 councillor Protas Mngonyama to join the venture as a 'citizen consulting group on securing financial and entrepreneurial resources'. The wheels to get the project up and running were set in motion earlier this year, with the UBA applying to adopt the spot, and Ward 33 councillor Fran Kristopher investing in the fencing of the area, following the release of Community Improvement Programme budget by the city. The businesses on the lower end of Umbilo had raised concerns about the park invasions and the loitering of vagrants which is affecting their businesses daily. Also Read: Ward 33 residents to fight property value decline 'Our goal is to apply ubuntu economic principles to grow local Umbilo jobs as a crime reduction measure,' said Wells. 'The idea is to turn the once rundown park into a beautiful space for people to stop by, to rejuvenate the area, turning this space into a little tea garden where local college students can stop by and grab something fresh to eat.' Following an oversight visit earlier this week, Kristopher said she was pleased with the progress made so far, with the container now on site. 'The new bakery is almost ready to be launched. Together with the assistance from the UBA, we are hopeful that this space will be turned around and be put to good use, assisting many across the community with affordable baked goods and fresh vegetables. 'I am proud to be a part of this venture, with my two neighboring councillors, who have also welcomed this initiative and motivated for it to come to light. It's joint efforts such as these, whereby one puts all differences aside and focuses on the very reason why we are in the positions that we are in.' Her enthusiasm was shared by Mngonyama: 'This initiative sends a strong message of how working together can benefit the community. The containers were a nice touch which means they did not go to waste and the park is being put to good use.' He added that the most important aspect to come out of the project is job creation. 'We are looking at about 15 to 20 jobs being created by this project. With the success of this project there is definitely more to come,' added Mngonyama. For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here
The Citizen
21-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Ward 33 residents to fight property value decline
A CALL to establish a dedicated municipal court to urgently deal with problem properties was made at the recent Ward 33 Problem Property Forum community meeting where residents bemoaned the slow enforcement of by-laws regulating the rezoning of properties in eThekwini which they say has led to the deterioration and decline of their properties. Niki Moore, a member of the Problem Property Forum committee, said that out of 170 complaints that have been filed by the civic movement since last year, only two have been resolved by the city. 'The problem is not with the inspectors, it's the fact that there is one court that sits for one day a month and can only look at 30 cases at a time, that is if there are no cancellations or delays,' said Moore, who encouraged resident to continue logging their complaints via the forum website. She raised concern with declining property values, which was linked to the rising number of student properties and the uncontrolled densification of the Ward. Coupled with the City's slow service delivery, Moore said that a plan and action was needed from residents to fight this decline. 'The City is obliged to evaluate your property every four years, but at any point you can lodge an appeal for an evaluation and be rated accordingly. At the moment we are paying exorbitant amounts and yet we are not getting the services from the municipality which has led to the decline of our property values. The City must rate us accordingly,' said Moore. Also Read: Councillor cracks down on problem properties in Ward 33 'We are appealing to people to join our co-ordinated rates dispute. If your property has been devalued because you live next to a student property, we can help identify the property values in your area and log a dispute. We want to put all of these together and go to the municipality with these objections and appeals. They will have to do something about it.' The second part of the plan, according Moore, is to one day take over certain parts of service delivery to the area. 'There are provisions in the legislations, what is required is an entity, like a ratepayers association or forum such as this. It must be a civic organisation, that can go up to the municipality and say, 'You guys are not filling in potholes and don't have the staff, so we want to conclude a service agreement with you. We fill in the pothole and you pay us.' The municipality is mandated to appoint a community service provider. This is part of a long-term plan, where we can form an entity and get the municipality to notice us through the rates appeal,' said Moore. This was supported by some of the residents, with one suggesting joining other eThekwini ratepayers in withholding rates payments. Ward 33 is recorded as being home to over 10 000 students who live in 324 NSFAS-registered properties. For more information or to be part of the Problem Property Forum, contact Ward 33 councillor Fran Kristopher via email: [email protected] For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
