Electricity Saving Tips

 

By Fred Felton | 30 May, 2023

The eThekwini Municipality has released a new load shedding schedule and here are some tips on how to save on electricity to help you out during the following months:

• Switch off appliances when not in use
• Only boil enough water in your kettle for what you need
• Move to LED lighting which uses less power
• Use a low flow showerhead
• Check that your seals on your fridge are in good condition
• Keep temporary lighting such as candles and torches nearby
• Make sure your cellphone is fully charged
• Invest in a power bank for your mobile devices
• Prepare meals in advance
• Switch off high usage appliances during load shedding
• Report outages to eThekwini Municipality via WhatsApp on 076 791 2449 or Toll Free on 080 311 11 11 

 Download your free copy of the new eThekwini Load Shedding Schedule here

 

Mayor outlines plans to build a better life for all

ETHEKWINI Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda recently delivered the State of the City Address (SOCA) where he outlined the Municipality's financial position, progress on capital projects, as well as setting the agenda for the year ahead. 

He said the municipality has identified the following key five priorities:

• Building adequate infrastructure to improve service delivery
• Job creation
• Skills development
• Fighting crime to create safe living spaces
• A resilient social solidarity economy 

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

The 8 000 families who were displaced by floods and moved to 120 mass care centres are now in safe family-friendly accommodation. Plans to build permanent houses for them are also advancing. The municipality is preparing 15 sites for this purpose. This will yield 3 500 sites. Building material to 576 families affected by the floods has also been supplied. In the current financial year, the Municipality will deliver 19 800 housing opportunities through the construction of new and upgraded community residential units, rectification of pre and post 1994 houses (numbers), and the eradication of transit facilities. 

WATER AND SANITATION

The municipality has completed 11 flood-related water projects in various areas. ''Together with Umgeni Water, we are finalising plans to upgrade the Southern Aqueduct which, when completed - will provide these areas with a reliable supply. The project will cost over R900 million,'' he said. 

He said contractors are repairing two major wastewater treatment works in Umbilo and the Northern Wastewater Treatment works in Sea Cow Lake. 

To improve water accessibility in areas with water network challenges, the Municipality is procuring 55 new water tankers to add to the current fleet. 

The construction of Umkhomazi Dam will resolve the deficit in available raw water to meet the full water demand for the entire municipal area. 

ELECTRICITY

Mayor Kaunda said challenges of load shedding, theft, and vandalism of electricity infrastructure continues. He said over 100 power stations were severely affected by the floods however now all are in good working condition. The issue of cable theft and vandalism of infrastructure sets the municipality back with constant replacements and repairs to damaged power stations. 

ROADS, STORMWATER AND BRIDGES

Of the R1.5 billion flood relief grant, R1.2 billion has been allocated to repair roads, bridges, and storm water systems. In the past five years, the Municipality has upgraded 68km of roads from gravel to tar and rehabilitated 1 106km. 

BUILDING SAFER COMMUNITIES

Part of the interventions the municipality will implement to eradicate crime include: 

• Recruitment of 400 Metro Police officers annually
• Use of technology to fight crime using CCTV cameras in the CBD, rural areas, and townships
• Facial recognition cameras at entry points
• Body cameras for Metro Police Officers
• Training of specialised units in collaboration with SAPS
• Using drones to detect crime. 

Top 5 Highlights from Africa's Travel Indaba 2023

 

By Fred Felton | May 17, 2023.

Africa’s Travel Indaba 2023 started off with much fanfare and networking in Durban, South Africa from 8^th May 2023. Here are just five of the highlights from the travel and trade show.

BONDay

The event kicked off with the Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay) which featured a great deal of networking and some of the top speakers in the travel industry.

Tourism for Africa

Richard Quest in discussion with the South African Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille at Indaba. | Photo: Fred Felton 

On the next day Africa’s Travel Indaba was officially opened by South Africa’s Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille. The Minister of Tourism noted that South Africa was rolling out an e-visa system for several African countries including Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt. The goal was to expand the e-visa system to 20 more countries. ‘’Our people across the continent of Africa are our greatest asset,’’ said South Africa’s Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille.

The eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda noted that it was an honour for Durban to host Africa’s Travel Indaba this year.

The Durban Tourism stand was a hive of activity during Indaba. | Photo: Fiona Wainwright

Speed Marketing

The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa hosted three speed marketing events at Africa’s Travel Indaba. Each event covered different topics such as Scenic Beauty, Township and Nightlife and Wildlife and Safari tourism offerings. Each session allowed for a short amount of time to market each tourism product featured. If a speaker took too long to finish their speech they were quickly cut off with sounds such as the noise a Hadeda bird makes or the sound a minibus taxi hooter makes.

There were a variety of speakers at these events and they shared the highlights of their tourism products and offerings. James McCulloch from Big Skies near Kosi Bay told us about the lodge he works for and the various offerings in the area. They offer a relaxing place where you can unwind and switch off from technology. Activities include beach walks, scuba diving and the lodge even offers vegetarian meals only.

USA Market

There were a variety of talks and workshops at Indaba including a workshop on how tourism companies from South Africa can target the USA market. Shelby Johnson, VP Partner Strategy at UM Worldwide shared some statistics that could help SA tourism leverage the USA tourism market. ‘‘6 in 10 adults believe it’s vital to learn about the culture of the place they travel to,’’ said Shelby Johnson. She also suggested that those in tourism identify relevant trends in the industry and draw from inspiration.

Stephanie M. Jones, Founder & CEO of Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, Inc. shared with the audience deeper insights into how African-Americans travel. ‘’Black travellers spent $109.4 billion on travel in 2019,’’ said Stephanie M. Jones.

 She also revealed why African-Americans like to travel to South Africa. There are a variety of reasons which include shared values, rich cultural heritage, the opportunity of a lifetime and diverse experiences. Stephanie M. Jones advised South African tourism companies to interact with African-American travellers.  ‘’Speak our language, join our spaces, leverage local marketing networks, join the Black Travel Movement on Facebook,’’ said Ms. Jones.

The Stats

Africa’s Travel Indaba 2023 attracted a wide variety of visitors from all around the world. These included 1000 international buyers, around 1000 exhibitors, 350 products, 123 small businesses and there were visitors from 21 African countries. There were many meetings held over the event and much discussion was had about tourism and travel offerings.

The LN Watches stand at the Sustainability Village captured the eye of many a visitor with their eye catching watch designs. | Photo: Fiona Wainwright 

The event contributed significantly to the Durban Gross Domestic Product which was estimated at R130 million and spending amounting to R78 million which resulted in the creation of 250 job opportunities.

For more information visit: www.indaba-southafrica.co.za