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Maurice Makhathini
steps into top housing job
Maurice Makhathini, new head of Metro Housing
Filling Professor Dan Smit’s shoes requires someone
with a big presence, both literally and figuratively. Dan, who was
chief executive of the CMDA for several years before joining the
Metro Housing Unit as executive director, is moving on once again.
His knowledge and experience is needed elsewhere.
Maurice Makhathini, a former member of the CMDA Board
and understudy to Dan for several years, is the man chosen to fill
his big shoes. Maurice is the first person to admit that filling
Dan’s position is a challenge.
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"Dan has been my mentor, my boss and a good
friend," Maurice told Izwi. "He has been involved in
shaping my career. Filling his shoes is a challenge. One needs
fresh ideas to steer the Metro Housing Unit into the future, especially
when the whole question of the Unicity process is still unresolved.
"The building process is always a slow one.
To tackle the housing problem we need to seriously start considering
the involvement of the emerging contractor when we shape policy.
Development of staff needs to start happening to create a balance
and a level of competitiveness to enhance delivery.
"The question of inheriting tribal authority
land in the rural areas that have been adopted within the new
Durban Metro boundaries needs special intervention. We lack experience
in dealing with tribal authorities.
"We must also renew existing partnerships
with organisations that are committed to the delivery of housing
to poor people such as the University of Natal, the National and
the Provincial Housing Board and the communities which we are
striving to develop," said Maurice.
Maurice joined the Metro Housing Unit as director
of policy and support when it was first established in 1998.
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Neville Moodley with the car that crashed into his house
in Wiggins Umkhumbane
The morning of 10 June was just like any other
for Neville Moodley and his wife, but little did they know that
they were about to experience a close shave with death.
Neville had just stepped out of his bathroom when
a car crashed into their house causing a large chunk of their wall
to collapse. If the accident had happened a split second earlier,
Neville would surely have died as the bathroom wall would have buried
him alive.
"I rushed to the car to assist whoever was trapped
inside. But before I could rescue him, the police arrived, arrested
him and placed him inside their van. Apparently the driver of the
car had been involved in a car chase with the police. But then he
escaped again," said Neville.
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Small manufacturing enterprises wishing to improve their businesses
should look no further than the Durban Manufacturing Advice Centre
(Dumac).
Dumac has been mandated by government to provide assistance to
small manufacturing businesses.
If requested to do so, Dumac advisors will assess your business,
make recommendations as to how you can improve profitability, manage
the improvement projects, and link your business to other service
providers.
These projects are subsidized, therefore the consulting services
and assistance is affordable to small businesses.
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