The winners of this year’s Mayor’s Awards will be honoured at a glittering banquet to be held on October 6 at the International Convention Centre. South African Breweries has already committed R50 000 towards making this event a success and Engen Refineries has donated five computers as the main prizes for the five winners in the five categories, that is, Crime Prevention, Tourism, Wealth and Job Creation, Clean Environment and Community Development. Shell SA (Pty) Ltd has donated R10 000 and Oval Computers has made available a sum of R30 000 towards the training of prospective individuals through the Mayor’s Awards for Excellence campaign.
There is still time for the business sector to be associated with the high profile awards, and tables at the banquet are still available at R2 500 per table of 10.
Please contact Khetho Mathonsi or Nosisi Macoli at the Mayor’s Office on 300 6131/2 if you want to nominate a business, become involved in the awards function, or to book a table.
In addition to the recognition they will receive on the night and in the local media, finalists, winners, sponsors and business awards winners will also be featured in a spread in Metrobeat magazine which is distributed to everyone in the metro who receives a consolidated bill.

Redressing the past

Dear Editor
Perhaps it is proper to start this letter by congratulating Mr Maurice Makhathini on his new appointment, taking over Dan Smit’s job at Metro Housing.
Maybe the issue of provincial housing subsidy at New Dunbar will be resolved. It’s very important for us as COSATU in Cato Manor that the slow process of development be taken into consideration, and also the issue of mfelandawonye. I also think they should be given land to build their houses.
Enough is enough! People’s standards of living are deteriorating. We would like to appeal to members of development committees to abide with democratic decisions taken at community mass meetings because that is in line with RDP policies adopted at congress in 1993.
It is important to create employment opportunities if we are to fight poverty, but this must be done in accordance with conditions of the Employment Equity Act. That will ensure that everyone is taken into consideration.
It will be equally important to invite COSATU structures if democratic participation is to happen. We have tended to ignore COSATU. We must give account of how the RDP money is spent.

By the same token we must revisit all the proposals we made regarding new projects when we completed project management courses. We must not lose sight of the fact that CMDA is only but an agent. All structures must give us an account of their activities
Now is the time to redress past mistakes to bring back confidence among the masses.
That is our declaration as COSATU. We stand by President Mbeki’s speech which he delivered in Port Elizabeth.

Sincerely
MFANA NGIBA
COSATU Representative