Unity in sports is the way forward: Minister of Sports and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula

South Africa’s dream to be a winning nation can never be achieved unless the sporting fraternity unites for a common purpose. Minister of Sports and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula said during an Imbizo that was held in Lillian Ngoyi Sports Centre on Thursday (10 October 2013).

Minister Mbalula was addressing sporting federations, Nelson Mandela Bay political leadership and the community. The Imbizo was part of President Jacob Zuma’s Imbizo Week Engagements by cabinet.

The day visit by Minister Mbalula started in Uitenhage Town Hall where the Minister Mbalula, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Deputy Executive Mayor Chippa Ngolomba and Sport and Recreation Portfolio Chairman Nomamerika Magopheni held a closed session with leaders of sporting federations.

At that session issues of sport transformation, availability sporting facilities and the condition of sports fields were discussed.

It was followed by an Imbizo session at Lillian Ngoyi Sport Centre in Kwazakhele Township where the leadership had an interactive session with the members of different clubs, sporting codes and general community.

During the interactive session issues of issues of lack of facilities were raised. The Minister and the municipal leadership was also asked to assist sporting federations in mobilising funding.

Minister Mbalula said the visit was not the first and not the last in the Nelson Mandela Bay.

“It is crucial for us to commit ourselves in making sure that sports development in the metro works. The success of the Nelson Mandela Bay will translate to the success of the Eastern Cape as a whole,” said Minister Mbalula.

He said all the efforts that the leadership might do will not work if the sporting community does not unite.

“We need you to unite for government to be able to assist. Sustainable solutions can only be done when we all unite for a common purpose. This is very important for the future of our children who have dreams of becoming world champions one day,” said Minister Mbalula.

The minister said the school sport was another key aspect that needs to be strengthened. “For us to excel we need to do these things right from the start,” he said.

Deputy Executive Mayor Ngcolomba said the visit by the Minister was good for the development of sport in the City.

“We are a City that aspires to be in the map as a City that produces World Champions. The interactions with the Ministry as the political leadership and Nelson Mandela Bay sporting fraternity is a step towards the right direction,” said Deputy Executive Mayor Ngcolomba.

Trading entity verifies government vehicle fleet

The Eastern Cape Provincial Government Fleet Trading Entity in collaboration with Fleet Managers from different provincial departments is currently verifying all government vehicles throughout the province.

The objective of this exercise is to verify existence of the fleet leased to all Provincial Government departments. The entity will also verify the condition of each vehicle. Utilization charged by the entity is based on the kilometers travelled hence the teams will also verify speedometer readings on these vehicles.

The exercise started on 01 October 2013 and is expected to be finished on 11 October 2013. All Provincial Departments are urged to avail vehicles in all verification sites. In order not to hamper service delivery, the Entity has identified Emergency Medical Resource Services (EMRS) offices as verification sites. 

As from the 1^st of February 2012, the Eastern Cape Department of Transport took over the management of the provincial fleet function. A new Trading Entity was established within the department with its own bank account.

The government Garage in East London is the “HUB” of the Entity where all the purchasing, preparing and dispatching of the vehicles is done, while Port Elizabeth and Mthatha act as secondary bases for the entity servicing these two districts. Queenstown, Alliwal North and Mt Ayliff have satellite offices based at the Department of Transport offices to service other departments.

Below is a list of verification sites per district:

District	Sites
Alfred Nzo	Qumbu Soc. Dev.
	Mt Ayliff – DoT offices/Sports field
	EMRS- Mt Ayliff
	Maluti Colleague
	Mt Fletcher – Elundini LSA
	Mt Frere Traffic Station
Amathole	DOT KWT
	EMRS – East London
	Fort Beaufort Training College
	East London Government Garage
	Butterworth College
	Idutywa - Department of Roads & Public Works
Joe Gqabi	Aliwal North - SASSA parking
	Sterkspruit – Bensonvale College
Chris Hani	Komani Hospital
	Queenstown EMRS
	Cradock Traffic Station
	Engcobo Sports field
OR Tambo	Umtata Government Garage
	Umtata - EMRS
	Port St Johns Traffic Station
	Lusikisiki Training College
	Bizana Traffic Station
Cacadu	PE Government Garage
	Humansdorp - EMRS
	EMRS - PE
	Graff - Reinet- Department of Roads & Public Works
	Grahamstown - EMRS
	PE Government Garage
	Port Alfred

President Zuma to celebrate World Teachers Day by re-opening school in Mbizana

President Jacob Zuma will mark World Teachers Day at Redoubt, Mbizana in the Eastern Cape on Saturday, 5 October, where he will open and hand over Ethridge Junior Secondary School to the community.

The school has been built by Anglo American Platinum as part of compliance with the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act’s Social and Labour Plan. The project was facilitated by the Department of Mineral Resources.

Ethridge Junior Secondary School was identified as one of the projects that would contribute towards rural development in one of the labour sending areas in the Eastern Cape. 

Though this project was part of the Social and Labour Plan commitments of Anglo American Platinum and commissioned in November 2011, it has been fast-tracked as part of the efforts to implement the commitments entered into by government and social partners in the High Level Dialogue on the Economy convened and Chaired by President Zuma on October 17, 2012, also known as the Presidential Package for mining towns.

The provision of the school directly responds to commitments in the Presidential Package for the development of a new partnership between social partners for the development of sustainable human settlements in mining towns, labour sending areas and all communities.

The total expenditure of the project is R 45 732 773. 84. The school has state of the art facilities including:

·          18 Class rooms;

·          Sports Ground;

·          Computer Laboratory;

·          Science Laboratory; and

·          Library

·        A Lilliput Sewer Treatment Plant which processes sewerage and releases grey water for irrigation;

·          A borehole and chlorination providing the learners with potable water;

·          A community hall will be constructed as part of the Phase 2 of the project.

Ethridge JSS was established in the nineteenth century by the Anglican Church missionaries. The school had become dilapidated with old infrastructure and a lack of adequate equipment to provide a good enabling learning environment. The newly constructed school will cater for 1000 pupils from Grade R to Grade 9.

The school will be handed over to the Eastern Cape Provincial Government and the community by the President.

Extra Short Documentary Project shot entirely on cellphone

Watch this extra short, 1 minute documentary filmed entirely on a Samsung Omnia Pro B7330 at the Creative Market in Port Elizabeth. No bounds to filmmaking... 

Minister Manuel to engage with the youth of Port Elizabeth on the National Development Plan

Minister in the Presidency responsible for National Planning Trevor Manuel will on Saturday, 5 October 2013, engage with the youth of Port Elizabeth in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province on the National Development Plan (NDP).

Since the tabling of the NDP, the Youth formations have synthesised it and drafted a set of proposals to the National Planning Commission (NPC) through the Youth Accord.

This engagement will afford the NPC a chance to engage with the proposals and to widen the debate with the youth on the NDP. The engagement will also offer an opportunity for a dialogue on the state of the country.  

                                                

The Minister’s speech and the panel discussion will be streamed live on Google Hangout (event name – PE Young Engagement on the NDP).

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Time                :           9h00 - 14h00

Venue             :           Nangoza Jebe Hall, New Brighton (previously known as Centenary Hall)

Combatting Crime, Drug Abuse And Gangsterism In The Northen Areas Is Everybody's Business

Combatting crime, drug abuse and gangsterism in the Northen Areas of the Nelson Mandela Bay is everybody's business.

That was a clear message from Deputy Minister of Police Maggie Sotyu and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor, Benson Fihla when they addressed community members in Chatty Community Hall on Tuesday (1 October 2013).

The leadership visited the Nelson Mandela Bay as part of their engagements with the police, community policing forums, street committees and members of the community about social, policing and crime related challenges facing the Northen Areas.  

MEC for Safety and Liaison Helen Sauls-August, MEC for Social Development Pemmy Majodina and Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Binta were also part of the visit.

The community meeting was called for the members of the public to express their concerns and share their experiences about drugs abuse, crime, gangsterism in their communities.

They were also given an opportunity to suggest to both the police and political leadership It was also for the leadership to share with the community intervention measures that are being done to deal with the challenges experienced. The area has for the past 15 years has experienced challenges of gangsterism, drug trafficking and abuse and violence towards foreign nationals.

Accompanied by Nelson Mandela Bay South African Police cluster commanders the delegation also visited areas that are affected by gangsterism and drug abuse in the Northern Areas.

Speaking at the packed community hall, Executive Mayor Benson Fihla called on the people of the Northern Areas to take back their City from criminal elements. “We should work hard together in making a difference, it is the duty of all of us here to fight crime,” said Executive Mayor Fihla. 

He said it was impossible for government alone to succeed in fighting the problems that are being experienced in the areas of Chatty, Gelvandale, Helenvale, Bethelsdorp and the surrounding areas. "This battle can be defeated if we can all partner to take back our streets and playing parks to be places that are suitable for the upbringing of our children," he said.

Deputy Minister of Police Maggie Sotyu said: “I will make sure that I work with Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to put in place satellite police stations as this visit has revealed the need." However Sotyu said satellite police stations alone will not be an answer to all the problems facing the area.

She said vigilance within the community on the issues affecting them was the first step.

“We cannot be sitting and waiting while our communities are being destroyed by drugs, we need to take responsibility as parents, children and as a community as a whole,” said Deputy Minister Sotyu also promised that it will not be the last time that her department visits the area until all the challenges have been solved.