Today the 18th of September 2024, the Mayor of iLembe District Municipality, Cllr. Thobani Shandu had the honor of kicking off the 5th Urban Agri World Summit 2024, hosted by Enterprise iLembe in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority, and the Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau.

In his opening address, Mayor Cllr. Thobani Shandu highlighted the pivotal role of the Urban Agri World in fostering innovation, sustainability, and collaboration within the agricultural sector. He emphasized the strength of iLembe District in agriculture, known for its fertile land and robust infrastructure, and the exciting potential of vertical farming to revolutionize traditional practices.

Key points from the address:

• Resilience and Growth: iLembe’s agriculture sector has shown remarkable resilience and growth, as reflected in the latest Business Confidence Index.

• Intra-Africa Trade: Leveraging agricultural strengths to enhance trade and investment within Africa.

• Vertical Farming: A paradigm shift in agriculture, addressing climate change, urbanization, and food security.

• Call to Action: Encouraging farmers to embrace new technologies and innovation, and inspiring the youth to participate in agriculture.

Shandu fortified the prayer for stakeholders to work together to build a sustainable, innovative, and inclusive agricultural future!

#UrbanAgriWorld #SustainableAgriculture #Innovation #VerticalFarming #iLembeDistrict #AgricultureSummit2024

In preparation for the summer season, iLembe District Disaster Centre and the Provincial Disaster Management Centre conducted a refresher training program for disaster volunteers, made up of selected ward committee members, community development workers and other relevant members of the community.

The program took place at Sibusisiwe Hall and was well attended by internal and external role-players, as well as Councillors. Various presentations shared include filling of damage assessment forms, introduction to disaster management and volunteerism, integrated institutional mechanisms and other disaster management legislative matters.

According to the District Disaster Manager Sifiso Ngubane the role volunteers play is vital because it doesn’t start only when disasters strike, but during ongoing prevention and mitigation programs. “It is also your responsibility to help with identifying and profiling risks in your areas or wards, while analyzing vulnerabilities in the community, championing community awareness and educational campaigns and assisting in developing and reviewing disaster management and contingency plans, as well as providing early warning mechanisms to the community,” said Ngubane.

Provincial Disaster Management Centre representative Bheki Phungula outlined the roles and responsibilities for the three spheres of government in disaster management and fire services as well as the protocol to be followed when disaster occurs, including how to fill the disaster management assessment form. “It is important that we all understand our roles and responsibilities to ensure that relief is coordinated early, and the lives of the people affected is able to go back to some level of normality, as soon as possible,” said Phungula.

BALLITO: Delegations representing various sports associations have praised the Mayor of Ilembe and his administration for the district’s first ever Sports Indaba that is being held over two days at Hampshire Hotel in Ballito. The conference is being attended by councillors, senior officials, administrators from the entire Ilembe Family of Municipalities and representatives from sports federations.

Speaking at the conference, the Mayor of Ilembe District Municipality Cllr Thobani Shandu, who graced the event alongside his counterparts who sit at the district’s Youth Arts Sports and Culture, amongst others, committed his administration to implement the resolutions taken by the Indaba, “for the longest of time, the development and promotion of sports in the district has been a process driven and managed without a clear plan, strategy or policy. This resulted in the sport sector getting lesser priority and as such receiving least resources. This has further been exacerbated by the drop in numbers of federations, clubs, and participants in competitive, structured, and affiliated sport in the district and consequently contributing toward moral degeneration, crime, drug abuse and apathy amongst young people.”

Continuing, Mayor Shandu mentioned some of the achievements that the district municipality has attained in the most recent past, this includes youth development strategy. “As a former Youth Leaguer myself, I’ve since charged the administration to rekindle and reposition the sport and recreation to what it is supposed to be, producing elite athletes and creating vibrancy amongst our communities.”

Amongst the strategic areas that the above is aimed at addressing so as to broaden the base of sport and recreation in the district is, namely: mass participation in sports and recreation activities; implementation of compulsory physical education in schools; annual youth camps to cultivate self-esteem and to promote patriotism amongst youth and grass roots sports programmes with a special focus on rural areas.

Despite the teething problems confronting the sport and recreation in the district, overall, stakeholders are upbeat about this inaugural District Sport Indaba and especially with the commitments made by the political leadership.`

KWADUKUZA TOWN HALL: The Mayor of iLembe District Municipality and the Chairperson of iLembe Local House of Traditional and Khoisan leaders, supported by Mayors, Speakers, Deputy Mayors, and Councillors, have concluded an all important one-day engagement between Amakhosi and Councillors. This unique initiative, only found in the iLembe District, underscores the District Municipality’s commitment to fostering collaboration and unity within our communities.

Key recommendations from the meeting include:

🌱 Future Engagements: All municipalities under the district will present in future sessions between Councilors’ and Amakhosi.

🌾 Agricultural Initiatives: Recruitment for agricultural initiatives and trainings will now accommodate Amakhosi and/or their representatives.

🚜 Tractor Maintenance: Traditional Councils will be authorized to maintain minor mechanical issues on tractors bestowed to them.

🌿 Co-operative Support: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will incubate co-operatives in Traditional Communities, focusing on funding, soil tests, and crop identification.

🤝 Project Synergy: Better synergy in involving Amakhosi and iziNduna in projects and steering committees within Traditional Communities.

🙏 Prayer for Participation: Encouraging Amakhosi to participate in District and Local Municipality activities to improve communication on service delivery.

⚡DDM Meetings: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Eskom will be invited to DDM meetings to address relevant issues and present programs.

🏞️ Enterprise iLembe: Interaction with Amakhosi regarding projects in Traditional Communities.

📋 Service Delivery Planning: Municipalities request that Amakhosi communicate plot allocations to better plan for water, roads, electricity, and sanitation services.

This engagement marks a significant step towards a more inclusive and collaborative future for iLembe District. Together, we are stronger!

On the 22 August 2024, the mayor of iLembe District paid a visit to KwaSizabantu Mission to explore its incredible offerings. From the vibrant school to the thriving businesses within the Mission, the Mayor was all smiles as he learned about the significant contributions being made in enterprise development and job creation. It’s inspiring to see such dedication to community growth and empowerment!

On the15 of August 2024, Council led by His Worship the Mayor Councillor Thobani Shandu hosted a ceremony to recognize and issue certificates of achievements to employees who have successfully completed their qualifications through various skills development initiatives including the Municipal Assisted Study Scheme, Learnerships & Apprenticeship, Skills Program, Work Integrated Learning, and Internships.

The event was held at the iLembe Auditorium where employees were honored for various qualifications including civil engineering, water processing, plumbing, public administration, business leadership, BCom law, science in environmental management, and master’s degrees.

The Municipality also recognized interns who have been with the municipality in various Departments as part of an internship and apprenticeship program and work integrated learnership funded by the District Municipality.

Mayor Shandu said he was humbled to hear of employees who came in as general workers and had little to no skills but are now diploma holders.
“Your hard work and determination is admirable. These qualifications will open many doors for you, not just with iLembe. We also appreciate the effort made by our Human Resources unit. An organization that invests in human capital will never go wrong as this contributes to the growth of the country as a whole,” said His Worship.

30 employees received further education and training certificates in Water and Wastewater Treatment Process Control provision accredited by the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority.

Local Public Administration Portfolio Commitee Chair Cllr Bheka Dlamini appreciated the allocation of a budget to assist employees with furthering their studies.
“This does not only help them in their personal capacity, but it also helps the district municipality in ensuring that it renders services of a suitable standard to the communities. This is even more important as the population in the district is increasing at a high rate, double that of the province. The demand for water and sanitation services is growing and now more than ever we must ensure that we provide a service that is befitting,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries Khayelihle Ndlanzi from Doringkop who has been with the municipality since March 2023 as part of the work integrated learning program thanked management and council for the rare opportunity.
“The experience we received has enabled us to start applying for jobs and to further our studies as well as many of us will now be registering for degrees. I must say as we were rotating departments, we met with some challenges such as working under pressure, but it is this very experience that will propel us further,” she said.