Cllr Warren Burne - Ward 30

🚨 The DA will support the 2025/26 Budget vote following the President’s decision to dismiss Minister Nkabane after sustained DA pressure. This decision is the crucial first step in holding compromised Ministers accountable.

In a coalition, meaningful consultation with partners is not optional. It is essential to rebuild public confidence and ensure accountable governance. The DA will continue to lead the fight against corruption from within the GNU.

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One Compromised Minister Down, The DA Will Keep Fighting for Clean Government The Democratic Alliance will support the 2025/26 Appropriation Bill following the President’s decision to dismiss Minister Nkabane after sustained DA pressure.

ETHEKWINI NEWSFLASH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

20 JANUARY 2023

LOAD SHEDDING AND EXTREME HEAT PLACES BURDEN ON ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE

The City is aware of multiple power outages affecting several areas in eThekwini. These outages are due to load shedding and the extreme heat that is placing a burden on electricity infrastructure. Despite being inundated by reports of faults, the City’s technicians are working hard to restore power and ease current pressure on the network.

Overload trips after load shedding are a result of in-rush currents when the power is switched back on. To minimise overload trips, residents are urged to switch off non-essential appliances during load shedding. These include heaters, aircons, geysers, stoves, and pool pumps. It is advisable to switch on these appliances in 15 minutes intervals.

Load shedding has a negative impact on electrical infrastructure which leads to prolonged outages.

The City understands that prolonged outages has an impact on residents and reassures the public that teams are doing everything in their power to restore supply speedily.

EXCEPTIONAL SCHOOL TRAFFIC CONGESTION - SANDRINGHAM ROAD, SHERWOOD (Ward 30)

Warren Burne
Jan 18, 2023, 4:34 PM (14 hours ago)
to Sbonelo, Parboo

Dear Sirs,

I acknowledge that this is a big ask, but I will ask nonetheless.

There was much traffic congestion in Candella Road and Sandringham Road this mornng and this afternoon.

Please send a member of your staff to the area to cover the congestion tomorrow morning and at school closure, and again on Friday.

Thank you in anticipation.

Regards

Warren Burne
Ward 30
083-326-6633

From Warren Burne
At 09h30 on 19 Jan

GRRASS CUTTING IN BEREA WEST AREA.

I have just seen a grass cutting team at work in Konigkramer Ave. (Heaven help them in this heat!)

I expect that they will be busy in the Berea West area for a few days.

If, by, say, late Saturday afternoon, there are any uncut parks or unmaintained grass verges in the Berea West Area, please let me have those locations on Sunday.

Thank you.

(Message 8 of 8)

When I went to the City Manager’s office yesterday, I thought that I had hit the jackpot!

The CM’s PA told me that the CM would not able to attend the walkabout, but that his strategic advisor would attend with a team of suitable officials. We arranged to meet on site in Blinkbonnie Road, as soon as possible, which was expected to be 15h00 yesterday afternoon.

I was in Blinkbonnie Road from about 15h00 until 15h30. I drove up and down a few times, but I did not see any Municipal officials.

I spoke to Mr Mannie Pillay from about 15h20 to about 15h25 explaining to him the recent developments. I asked him to let me know if he sees any officials doing an inspection in the area.

I would very much like to be present at the inspection visit with officials so that I ca point out the problem issues to them. But if the visit takes place in my absence, that will be better than no inspection visit at all.

I will follow up with the City Manager’s office to ensure that the inspection does take place.

Hopefully the officials will be suitably disgusted with what they see has been allowed to take place in Blinkbonnie Road, and that they will be suitably motivated to do something about it.

Time will tell.

(Message 7 of 8)

Re: SMORGASBORD OF SERVICE DELIVERY FAILURES - BLINKBONNIE ROAD, BONELA (WARD 30)

Warren Burne
Mon, Jan 16, 8:08 AM (16 hours ago)

to Mr, Ednick, (Ednick, Richard, Steve, Mr, Ntokozo, Eservices, Philile, Community, Nomathemba, YOGIS


Dear Sirs and Mesdames,

I refer to my e-mails below.

For the record, I confirm that I did receive an e-mail from your (Mr Mbhele's) office about arrangements for a walkabout, and I also received a message or a whatsApp message about arranging the time. So, I am very heartened by the response from your office, Mr Mbhele. Unfortunately, Festive Season arrangements got in the way of finalising the time of the walkabout, so I gave up trying.

I also received a response from Metro Police.

I was in Bonela yesterday and on Saturday. I drove up and down Blinkbonnie Road a number of times. The conditions in Blinkbonnie Road get worse and worse every week. More and more unauthorised block buildings are being built every week in an area for which no municipal services have been planned, nor are being provided (other than an inadequate domestic refuse collection system).

I would like to hold the walkabout as soon as possible. This week, if at all possible. Can you make yourself available on Friday? What time suits you?

I will be in City Hall later this morning. I will come to your office to compare diaries.

Regards,

Warren Burne
Ward Councillor for Ward 30
083-326-6633

(Message 6 of 8)

The terrible condition of Blinkbonnie Road is never far from my mind. But when I drove around Bonela on Saturday afternoon assessing the state of domestic refuse collection, I realised that I should take matter up with the City Manager and the other officials without delay.

So, yesterday, 16 Jan, I sent an e-mail to Mr Mbhele and others advising Mr Mbhele that I could be in City Hall yesterday, and would come across to his suite of offices at City Hall yesterday to arrange a time for the walkabout.

Here is a copy of my e-mail:

(Message 5 of 8)

There were some phone messages from the staff in Mr Mbhele’s office, but the end result was that we were not able to finalise a time for the walkabout before Christmas. (Residents will recall the extended electricity outage from 11 to 14 December 2022, and the community meeting with officials on Wednesday 21 December 2022.)

(Message 4 of 8)

Re: SMORGASBORD OF SERVICE DELIVERY FAILURES - BLINKBONNIE ROAD, BONELA (WARD 30)

Warren Burne
Sun, Dec 11, 2022, 11:09 PM

to Mr, Ednick, (Ednick, Richard, Steve, Mr, Ntokozo, Eservices, Philile, Community, Nomathemba, YOGIS


Dear Mr Mbhele and Everyone Else,

I refer to the brief discussions which we had on Thursday, 08 December 2022 after the abandoned Full Council meeting, about my invitation to you to do a walk-about up Blinkbonnie Road in Bonela, so that I can show to you first hand the nature and the extent of the breakdown of service delivery in this part of Ward 30.

I understand that you are willing to take up the invitation.

Please check your diary before the Full Council meeting on Tuesday, 13 December 2022 so that we can compare our diaries at the meeting, and schedule a date and a time for the walkabout.

I must add that I met on site with Mr Mike Baldav of EWS on Friday, 02 December 2022 to discuss the water flowing down Blinkbonnie Road. Mr Baldav has subsequently done some investigations and made recommendations to Mr Daniels Pentasaib and to the Building Inspector, Ms Busi Tshabalala.

Also, DSW arranged two teams of about 10 to 15 workers to pick up the domestic refuse but, with respect, it hardly made a difference. A more permanent solution must be found.

I look forward to finalising the arrangements with you for the walkabout in Blinkbonnie Road.

Regards,

Warren Burne
Ward Councillor for Ward 30
083-326-6633

(Message 3 of 8)

After the abandoned Full Council Meeting on Thursday, 08 December 2022, I spoke to Mr Mbhele about the proposed inspection walkabout. He seemed agreeable to the idea, so I sent a follow-up e-mail to Mr Mbhele on Sunday, 11 December 2022 asking if we could prepare diaries at the Full Council meeting on Tuesday 13 December 2022. Here is a copy of that e-mail:

(Message 2 of 8)

SMORGASBORD OF SERVICE DELIVERY FAILURES - BLINKBONNIE ROAD, BONELA (WARD 30)

Warren Burne
Thu, Dec 1, 2022, 12:45 PM

to Eservices, Mr, Ednick, (Ednick, Richard, Steve, Mr, Ntokozo, Philile, Community, Nomathemba, Thabani, YOGIS, Andre


Dear E-Services, Mr Mbhele, Mr Mswele, Mr Mngoma, Commissioner Middleton, Mr Linda Gumede, Mr Ntuli, Philile, and Londiwe,

It is appropriate to commence this e-mail with the text of a WhatsApp message which I received this morning from Mr. Perumal "Mannie" Pillay, who lives in Blinkbonnie Road in Bonela. Here is the text of Mr Pillay's message:

"Good morning Mr Burne. Hope you are well this morning. Sorry to trouble you sir, but we are now in a critical situation. We cannot come out of my driveway. Half the road is covered with dirt and other half the road is covered with water. The water is not flowing on road. But also seeping into my yard. Please Mr Burne as a matter of urgency please look into the matter. Kind regards"

I have had many meetings and discussions with Mr Pillay since I became the ward councillor of Ward 30 in August 2016. I know Mr Pillay to be a very mild-mannered, respectful and tolerant person. Any person of less restraint than Mr Pillay would have been far more aggressive and strident in any message to me about the issues which Mr Pillay is referring to.

Yet, Mr Pillay's message encapsulates the pathetic circumstances in which Mr Pillay now lives.

I therefore invite each of you, Mr Mbhele, Mr Mswele, Mr Mngoma, Commissioner Middleton, and Mr Gumede, to take a walk with me up Blinkbonnie Road past Mr Pillay's house. Please come and see what Mr Pillay is referring to.

When can we meet? I will make myself available at any time.

Having invited you to meet with me in the area which Mr Pillay is complaining about, it is probably opportune to mention that the issues which have been intending for some time to report to the Public Protector's office for investigation because of the Municipality's failure, refusal or neglect to deal with, are within a few hundred metres of Mr Pillay's house, so it might be advantageous for you to allow an extra 30 minutes or so of inspection time so that I can point those locations out to you at the same time.

I look forward to hearing from each of you.

Regards,

Warren Burne
Ward Councillor for Ward 30
083-326-6633

From Warren Burne
At 07h15 on Tuesday, 17 Jan

(Message 1 of 8)

BLINKBONNIE ROAD – A SMORGASBORD OF SERVICE DELIVERY FAILURES

Since early December 2022, I have been trying to get the City Manager, Mr Musa Mbhele, Mr Ednick Mswele (as the Head of eThekwini Water and Sanitation), Mr Richard Mngoma (also of EWS), Commissioner Steve Middleton (of Metro Police), Mr Linda Gumede and Mr Ntokozo Ntuli (of DSW) to do a walkabout with me in Blinkbonnie Road, so that they can see for themselves first-hand the complete breakdown of municipal governance and service delivery in Blinkbonnie Road.

The request was made in writing by e-mail on 01 December 2022. Here is a copy of the e-mail which I sent on 01 December 2022: