November 3, 2003

By Nangamso Mabindla

Buffalo City Municipality introduced the R1-billion Mdantsane Urban Renewal Programme, aimed at changing the face of the impoverished township, during an official ceremony at the Mdantsane Indoor Sports Centre last week.

Residents on Friday were shown slides and plans of the 20-year-project, while Tshani Consortium, the team overseeing the upgrade, explained the details. Ambitious plans include:

• supply of water and electricity to those who are not part of the supply grids;
• upgrading the township's pipe and cabling systems that are old or obsolete; and
• improving the roads and transport infrastructure to Mdantsane.

Tshani Consortium's Tom Wanklin said the renewal programme was going to do more than improve the standard of living in the township, it will also "improve the economic standards of the people".

Winkell said part of the project's focus would be on the socio-economic development of Mdantsane. A further R40-million in investment was needed to ensure this happened, he said.

Buffalo City Executive Mayor Sindisile Maclean said the municipality would be looking at improving every aspect in the lives of the people of Mdantsane.

"We are already giving the people 50-kilowatts of free electricity because we know that most of them do not earn good salaries," he said. "This has contributed to the improvement of lives in Mdantsane. People can now enjoy the privilege of having electricity in their houses. In fact, it is a right."

One of the spin-offs of the programme is that the racially offensive zone designations "NU" would soon disappear.

Sections of the sprawling township are numbered from NU1 to NU17 and it was these labels that were to be removed. According to Buffalo City Executive Sindisile Maclean the term NU, which stands for Native Unit, is "offensive and unacceptable" and had to be dropped. '

The mayor has already set in motion the process of renaming Mdantsane's zones.

Councillor Maclean added his office had already contacted the chairperson of the Provincial Geographic Names Committee, Fumanekile Dyubhele, and the director in the Department of Sports Art and Culture, Similo Grootboom, about the procedure.

"This process will be a first for the country," Councillor Maclean said, adding that other areas such as Motherwell in the Nelson Mandela Metropole and townships in the Western Cape had the designation "Native Yard".

Mayoral advisor, Mathew Mooneiya, said the name change was within the municipality's competency and the next step was to apply to the National Geographic Names Committee for approval.

Councillor Maclean said he was surprised at how few people knew what NU stood for. "When I announced the name changes at the urban renewal launch last week, I was surprised by the reaction. It said to me that people did not know really what NU stood for," the mayor said.

"But, changing the names will emancipate the people from mental slavery," he added.

South African Cities Network: www.sacities.net