B - Connect Issue 5
- 1. CONNECT Issue 05 Internal Staff Newsletter #RespekTheDoek Registered Date Saved Ready to Vote #3August2016 #AsambeKe
- 2. Editors Note Khanya Kalashe #RespekTheDoek A challenge in our circle South Africans have come out strong on social media to celebrate the head-wrap as a symbol of their "Africanness". This follows a controversial dubbed Doekgate. eNCA Senior Reporter, Ntobekho Sibisi alleged that a story she was working on for Africa Day was canned because she appeared in the insert wearing a head-wrap. She expressed her disappointment that a story that was about celebrating African excellence was taken off air. With that said, why do YOU wear a #Doek? Is it a cultural, race, language or religious influence or something else? And where do you draw the line? e.g Can you attend meetings wearing a doek? Have your say and you could be our first prize winner. New look, new feel! At least, that’s how I’d like to think about the new “B – Connect” internal staff newsletter. The main idea behind the concept is to try and personalise the newsletter with familiar faces, resulting in a more interactive and appealing newsletter for everyone. Generally, we have a "young" institution with all sorts of dynamics which make it interesting - hence the reason for the new design. In this quarter, we place our focus on the upcoming local government elections. ‘Are you ready to make your mark on the 3rd of August?’ Is the question you’ll need to answer for yourself. In other news, we’d like to know your view on what constitutes #RespekTheDoek in a corporate environment? Is it related to culture, religion, race or something else? With that said, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed compiling this edition. By Zukiswa Zimela (Destiny) Edited by Khanya Kalashe In an interview with 702’s Xolani Gwala, eNCA Editor-in-Chief Anton Harber said he had no problem with what Sibisi was wearing, adding that the incident had raised a sensitive issue, which necessitated a policy review. South Africans called for the channel to respect the doek, using the hashtag #RespekTheDoek. Men and women posted pictures of themselves wearing some form of headgear, calling for the channel to respect their Africanness. Email your opinion to kkalashe@sbdm.co.za and stand yourself a chance to win OUR FIRST PRIZE!! important expression of your heritage and it is always fitting to grace traditional events wearing one." On the other hand, we all have bad hair days, and to keep it hidden away we just bring out the doek as our fashion piece or statement, making it a fashion convenience as well.” she added. When Nolusindiso Hleko, NMMU Masters student, was asked about the headpiece she said,' the item is associated with being an Connect Voice Column South Africa has seen massive transformation in all sporting codes throughout the last few months and with the doek in question as a professional gear or not, can we safely say that we're moving towards a free transformed African country?
- 3. MANDELA DAY By: Khanya Kalashe Sarah Baartman District Municipality employees embarked on a Mandela day public participation programme that took place on the 18th of July 2016 at Sundays River Valley Local Municipality in Glenconnor. The day started off with loud cheers and praises from the children who were so eager to have their class painted and of-course a good slice of cake to accompany the excitement. Amongst the SBDM officials was the Portfolio Councilor for Tourism and Creative Industries, Mr Zamuxolo Peter, who enjoyed the company of the elderly while sharing a slice of cake and engaging on community based challenges. The two projects of the day included, painting the Grade R class with a touch of green and yellow, while the other project was aimed at cleaning the satellite clinic which was donated by the institution a few years ago. Special Programmes Unit Officer, Mr Luvuyo Madlakana, led the team on a very successful programme that touched the hearts of our own community residents. When asked why that area was chosen for the project, he said, "Sometimes its not about the area you choose but about what needs to be done to live up to the mandate given to us by our people, for our people". Nelson Mandela International Day was launched in recognition of Nelson Mandela’s birthday on the 18th of July 2009 via a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly. Sundays River Valley Local Municipality
- 4. Riebeeck East Library Opening By: Khanya Kalashe MEC for the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Dr Pemmy Majodina, together with the Sarah Baartman District Municipality and Makana Local Municipality officially opened a new library in Riebeeck East on the 7th of July 2016. The new library was named in honour of the late Edna Fortuin and was built by the Sarah Baartman District Municipality. 'Learning is an art that can never be bought by anyone' said the energetic MEC, Dr Pemmy Majodina at the official launch of the Edna Fortuin Library in Riebeeck East. Among those that attended the auspicious event was the Executive Mayor, Khunjuzwa Eunice Kekana, Speaker of the Makana Local Municipality, Cllr Vara and the Hourable Mayor of Makana, Cllr Gaga. The program kicked off with the choir singing both anthems (SA National Athem & AU Anthem), which then proceeded to the unveiling of the plaque. Mayor of Makana, Cllr Gaga then had the honour of cutting the ribbon which saw the doors being open for the community. At the same event, the SBDM Executive Mayor had the pleasure of handing over fire equipment to the Makana Local Municipality and said, "This equipment is meant to ensure that all our facilities are protected from what could be a possible threat to our children's future". The main event took place inside the community adjacent hall that was filled to its maximum capacity. Although the library opening was primari ly targeted at the youth, a large number of the elderly people participated in the event. The MEC noted that she was pleased with the turnout at the event. Proceedings came to a close and everyone departed in high spirits.
- 5. 'NEHAO' 早上 Jet - lagged for who? Ms Theo Betha The Chinese government together with the South African government signed the “Nuclear Energy Peaceful Use Agreement” in June 2006. Subsequently, the two governments signed a “Memorandum of Energy Cooperation" in 2010, which laid a good foundation for nuclear power cooperation between the two countries. The Chinese Government proposed the establishment of a training cooperative agreement between the two countries. Recently, PMU Manager, Theodora Betha, was among 50 participants that visited China on a nuclear power plant study programme that will benefit South African communities, in particular the Camdeboo Local Municipality. According to Betha, "The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) received an invitation to participate in phase II of the Nuclear Training programme and extended the invitation to its key provincial stakeholders. The CDC explores opportunities related to the Nuclear Energy sector through relationships with key industry role-players. The CDC invited SBDM on the 9th of November 2015 to nominate a young professional, with at least one year work experience. Among the 50 participants that were invited, she was accompanied by representatives from the Blue Crane Route Local Municipality and Kouga Local Municipality. In a recent interview with B-Connect, Betha shared her experience as a nominated delegate from SBDM. "The study programme was broken down into 10 groups. I formed part of the construction technology group," she said. She attended a series of lectures and was exposed to the 'cap 400' nuclear plant, which is currently in its production stages in Shanghai. On the lighter side of things, Betha woke up very early in the morning to try her hand at the popular Chinese exercise called "thaj", which is similar to tai-bo. Asked if she would ever go back to China she replied with enthusiasm, "Yes i would but if there's one thing i will never miss, it is the food". The training programme went on for just over 2 weeks. With that said, B-Connect congratulates her on a job well done.
- 6. ARE YOU READY? By: Khanya Kalashe The Sarah Baartman District Municipality, together with the Eastern Cape Legislature Offices, has embarked on a voters education programme in Camdeboo. The area has been identified as one of the 'lowest voter turnout' areas in the Eastern Cape province. One of the common reasons behind this problem is that voters are not well informed before they have to take to the polls. The importance of voter and civic education during an election year cannot be overstated. Such initiatives assist voters in better understanding their rights and responsibilities, as well as giving them sufficient knowledge about the country’s election process and political system. Voters can then understand the value of democracy, the impact it has on the system of government, and how it can be used to address the economic, social and political challenges facing the nation. In a recent interview with Ndlambe fm,SBDM Speaker of Council, Deon De Vos said,"In the run-up to the 2014 elections, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) made an effort to ensure that eligible voters, and specifically young, first-time voters, get registered. The voter education programme is one of their initiatives in making sure our people are well informed before taking on the polls". He then added, "Young South Africans need to be sufficiently knowledgeable and informed to cast their votes and participate meaningfully in the voting process.
- 7. STILL I RISE #InspiredToConquer By Khanya Kalashe B - Connect Warrior of the Week Born and bread in the upper valley of the Great Fish River (Cradock), just 250 kilometers northeast of Port Elizabeth, hails a woman who takes pride in her upbringing. Many will know her as 'Khanyisa' Stemele, a customary name given to her by her in-laws in 2004 and some will refer to her as 'Nolwayiphi' Mzimkulu. In a recent interview with B-connect, Stemele shared a life-time testimony that seeks to challenge and motivate 'unemployed youth graduates' within the institution. Growing up in a christian home and being the brightest in the family, Stemele had hopes of becoming one of South Africa's first black scientists. Little did she know that things would take a wrong turn after she fell pregnant with her first daughter, just moments before enrolling into the University of Port Elizabeth, which is now known as NMMU. This ordeal came with great challenges as she could no longer enroll herself into the institution and felt it necessary to find a job in PE after conceiving her baby. More challenges queued up as she heavily relied on her baby's father for assistance, who also didn't earn that much at the time. Despite her family's disappointment, her mother was the only token of strength she could fall back on. With this said, Stemele was motivated to assist her husband and got her first job as a waitress at a coffee shop in Summerstrand. She later joined a security company that had an ongoing contract with the Cacadu District Municipality at the time. The company was called Nomathamsanqa and was owned by Nomtha Stemele and Pauline Nkwinti at the time. With the new job came greater responsibilities so I started looking out for other opportunities. "I was fortunate enough to get a new job as an operator at DNB wiring," she said proudly. However, she was retrenched not long after she obtained the new job. Stemele opted to get married and rather raise her children as a housewife until her marriage took unbearable strain and she was forced to get a job. After numerous applications she eventually got employed as a tea lady at the erstwhile Cacadu District Municipality and was then later promoted to an Archives Clerk. Stemele is now prepared to go back to school and finish what she had started years back. "I'm now a mother of three and a woman amongst other women," she concluded with a giggle.
- 8. Connect Putting People First Principle's We Share By: Graham Terblanche To promote this notion of “putting people first” and to provide a framework for the transformation of public service delivery, government introduced the concept of Batho Pele, “people first” in 1997. This notion was expanded in the White Paper on Transforming the public service, also known as the Batho Pele White Paper, which provides a policy framework to ensure that Batho Pele is woven into the very fabric of government Simply stated, Batho Pele is an initiative to get public servants to be service orientated, to strive for excellence in service delivery and to commit to continuous service delivery improvement. It is a simple, transparent mechanism, which allows customers to hold public servants accountable for the type of services they deliver. The Batho Pele White Paper signalled very strongly government’s intention to adopt a citizen- orientated approach to service delivery, informed by the eight principles of consultation, service standards, access, courtesy, information, openness and transparency, redress and value for money. In a genuinely competitive commercial market, private companies cannot afford to ignore the needs and wishes of their customers if they want to stay in business, because dissatisfied customers can choose to take their business elsewhere. Knowing what the customer wants and providing it quicker, better and cheaper than your competitors, is essential to business success. As competitive companies worldwide soon discover, 'the customer comes first' is not an empty slogan but a fundamental business principle. By contrast citizens, as the 'customers' of public services, cannot choose to take their business elsewhere. For example, any South African who wants a passport has no alternative but to apply to the Department of Home Affairs. Many public services are not paid for directly by individual 'customers', and national and provincial departments which fail to satisfy their 'customers' do not go out of business. Moreover, many public services, such as revenue collection or the imposition of law and order are not 'services' but are regulatory in function.They are accepted by citizens as essential safeguards of a civilized society in which the vulnerable are protected and all citizens have equal opportunity for economic and social development. The concept of the citizen as a 'customer' may therefore seem inappropriate at first sight. 'Customer' is nevertheless a useful term in the context of improving service delivery because it embraces certain principles which are as fundamental to public service delivery.
- 9. Santam launches fire prevention to Kouga Local Municipality By: Charl Bosch As part of its contribution to International Mandela Day, short term insurer Santam, in partnership with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, handed over a number of smoke detectors at the municipality’s head office in Port Elizabeth on 22 July, as part of a pilot project set to commence in the Kouga Local Municipality. Speaking to Sarah Baartman News after the formal handover, Santam Stakeholder Relations Head John Lomberg said the detectors would be handed over to vulnerable communities in Cape St Francis, in response to the area often being affected by devastating fires. He confirmed that a total of 252 out of the 798 detectors would be implemented as part of the pilot, With the help of the municipality who identified the potential hotspots in the respective informal settlements, we hope to reduce the risk of fires in these areas and also to highlight the dangers of how smoking affects communities with regards to fires. with the eventual project rollout set to start in early 2017. "As part our partnership with SALGA, training will be provided to communities as to what they can expect with the smoke detectors, and we will also monitor and track progress over the next three months before rolling the programme out nationally,” Lomberg said.