Latest news with #AndréBeetge
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Citizen
Check water outage times in Amanzimtoti and surrounds
SOME southern areas may be without water overnight (July 17) as a result of the extended closure of the South Coast Augmentation (SCA) pipeline to replace a faulty pump. Also read: South Coast water shutdown announced Ward 97 councillor, André Beetge, said the SCA will be switched off for an additional two hours from 21:00 to 05:00 tonight. 'This replacement should suffice in addressing the continued outages experienced in areas further south of the Amanzimtoti Water Works,' said Beetge. He added that this will result in an extended water outage on July 18 as well, while the system recovers and storage is built. For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox. Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
3 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Amanzimtoti Main Beach opens for swimming
WARD 97 councillor André Beetge has announced that Amanzimtoti Main Beach has opened for bathing following the conclusion of the annual Sardine Run. Also read: Swimming ban lifted at Toti and Pipeline During the Sardine Run, the Natal Sharks Board removes shark nets to allow for the sardines to commute freely. The sardines are usually accompanied by a host of predators, including sharks, dolphins, and birds, which makes swimming unsafe. Beetge said the Natal Sharks Board have confirmed that all devices are back in position at Amanzimtoti Main Beach and as a result, the beach is open for bathing from today (July 17). 'Note that this presently only applies to Amanzimtoti Main Beach. The other southern beaches are still closed for bathing,' said Beetge. For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox. Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
New Ward boundaries could affect political landscape
WARD 97 councillor and member of the eThekwini Municipality's executive committee, André Beetge, has addressed some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the proposed Ward demarcation and its impact on the demographics of the affected Wards. Also read: Communities urged to help reconfigure Ward boundaries This follows the recently concluded public input period to the Municipal Demarcation Board as part of consultations to redraw Ward boundaries ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections. Beetge said eThekwini is presently divided into 111 wards, each with between 15 000 and 20 000 registered voters. 'This is an attempt to have a balanced representation so one Ward is not, for example, representing 500 people, as opposed to another with 15000, yet having equal input at council. With rapid urbanisation and densification, the inland neighbouring Ward 109, spanning from the rear of Doonside, up School Road to Lower Illovo, now exceeds the maximum,' said Beetge. He said it is proposed that the Lower Illovo voting station, currently from the R603 down to the steel bridge and including the old Illovo Country Club area, which has 700 registered voters, be moved into Ward 98 across the river. Ward 98 includes Umgababa, Danganya, and Mashiwase. Suggested changes include reassigning part of Kingsburgh West, with 1207 registered voters, from Ward 109 into Ward 97, creating a fifth voting station for the Ward. Beetge believes the proposed realignment of Ward boundaries favours some political parties more than others. 'Residents are encouraged to check their voting registration status by sending an SMS containing their ID number to 32810, or to visit the Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC) website at and typing in their ID number. Registration can be done online on the same IEC platform or at IEC offices at Gracedale Road in Winklespruit from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 15:00,' he said. For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox. Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
03-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Abandoned Winklespruit electrical substation left to rot
A DERELICT electrical substation in Winklespruit along Kingsway Road, situated between Superspar Winkle and the Winklespruit taxi rank, has become a refuge for the homeless and dumping ground for the area's impoverished residents. A concerned resident, who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of his safety, called into question how a society and its government can turn a blind eye to people living in such conditions. Also read: Emergency power outage in Isipingo 'It is appalling. I have never seen anybody live in such conditions. It begs the question, does the community not care anymore? eThekwini Municipality is creating a new facility in Lower Illovo for the Durban CBD's drug-addled and homeless people, yet they allow drugs to fester here around the Amanzimtoti area,' said the resident. He explained that numerous attempts to contact the municipality, which owns the land on which the substation used to operate, the health inspector and even Durban Solid Waste, were to no avail. The area's environmental health practitioner, Mendy Khanyile, has been made aware of the situation, and has assured that investigations are underway. Ward 97 councillor André Beetge said official statistics would have it that should SA be able to consistently build 500 houses per day, it would still not suffice in eradicating homelessness. This goes hand-in-hand with the unemployment rate for the first quarter of 2025 being at around 33%, which further increases to 43% by adding discouraged job seekers. He said that nobody wants to live in slum conditions, or be reliant on scavenging garbage for a meal or to keep warm, but questioned whether they have any options at all. Homelessness in itself is also not a crime. Also read: Lower Illovo marches against homeless shelter project 'Over the years we have bricked up, broken down or closed off such situations, but the problem doesn't go away, it merely migrates to another hollow space. The abandoned substation affords a measure of shelter to those brave enough to sleep with one eye open. While several recommendations have been made towards repurposing the station as an extension of the existing taxi rank, additional parking for the adjacent shopping centre or as an informal trader zone, all remains reliant on the electricity department's long-term planning and the possibility of using the site to facilitate increased future capacity in line with envisaged development,' Beetge said. He added that the matter cannot be left as it is in the short term, which necessitates a funded multi-department approach that includes electricity, health, environmental health, solid waste, transport authority, town planning and metro police to clean, maintain and enforce. 'Legislation needs to be implemented rather than serving as mere guidelines,' he concluded. For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox. Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
07-05-2025
- IOL News
Five armed men storm Gqeberha church, steal 50 cellphones and flee in pastor's wife's Toyota
Five armed robbers target Gqeberha church congregation. Image: Pexels The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Chatty, in the Eastern Cape are investigating an armed robbery at a church on Gallant Street, Greenfields, Booysens Park, in which five perpetrators allegedly targeted worshippers. Police spokesperson Captain André Beetge said the incident occurred on May 5, about 6:30pm, when five armed and masked men allegedly invaded the church. "They stole roughly 50 congregants' cellphones and other belongings. The suspects escaped in the church priest's white Toyota RAV4, which was eventually discovered abandoned in Chatty. The car has been taken for forensic examination," Beetge said. Authorities ask anybody with information to call Detective Constable Enrique Louw at 071 570 0628 (SAPS Chatty), or Crime Stop anonymously at 08600 10111. In a similar case, armed robbers pounced on congregants during a church service at the Emmanuel Community Church in Spring Place in Tea Estate. Shocking CCTV footage of the heist showed a gunman holding the pastor at gunpoint. The armed assailant is subsequently shown robbing the pastor of his possessions while he preaches from the platform. The attacker is then seen disconnecting a television and walks away with it. Prem Balram of Reaction Unit SA (RUSA) said some 25 individuals, including children, attended the church service.
