On behalf of the Democratic Alliance, I would like to formally extend our deepest condolences to the friends and family of a great South African, Douglas Gibson.
ouglas was the consummate politician and public servant, perhaps best remembered in terms of his career as the Chief Whip of the Democratic Party and later the DA in Parliament – and then later as South Africa’s ambassador to Thailand.
Chief Whip and Ambassador are positions that almost describe Douglas perfectly.
He was a fierce fighter for freedom in South Africa who, even to the last days of his life, took no prisoners in advocating for what he and our party believed. And yet, he brought to all he did an immense capacity for compassion, retaining throughout his career an accessibility and clear humanity in all engagements.At the same time, he was a great ambassador for our country, our party, and the values of non-racialism and freedom.If you wanted someone who could step up and show the best of our country, our party, and the values we hold dear, Douglas was that man.We will miss him dearly. | John Steenhuisen, MP Leader of the DA
Your May edition describes efforts to resuscitate the “Go Durban” bus rapid transit (BRT) system, which is many years behind the much-publicised date of opening.
It is common knowledge among experienced transport engineers that eThekwini’s record in implementing the system is the worst of any metro in the country While there are many reasons for this poor performance, the reason for the current delay is reported to be the fact that the bus industry and the municipality do not see “eye to eye” about the operation of the system. Any sound integrated public transport needs to make use of low occupancy vehicles (kombi taxies), higher occupancy buses, and rail transport Leaving rail out of the current discussion it seems that the taxi operators, for whatever reason they might have put forward, want a slice of the bus operations on the BRT corridors Surely this is a case for lateral thinking by the municipality.
Given the fact that the taxi operators are far more “business savvy” than the municipal public servants why not allow them in, to operating an integrated system on the corridors involved? This would at least kindle the beginnings of a properly integrated public transport for our city, which our city fathers have been notoriously poor at implementing. | Dr Malcolm Mitchell Hillcrest
It is critical in understanding the many wars between India and Pakistan over Kashmir that patriotism has no religion. Do not discount the probability of agent provocateurs surreptitiously stirring a witches brew to keep the people of the region engrossed in a perpetual cycle of hatred resulting in the wasting of valuable resources on military equipment as well as its toll on human life.
Instead of focussing on mutual respect centred around co-existence, as well as alleviating poverty and underdevelopment, both these undemocratic and ethno-nationalist governments have been fixated with the enemy across the border.
During the 1980’s, I spent approximately six years of studying and travelling all over India and Pakistan including Kashmir without any fear or anxiety based on nationalistic or tribalistic concerns. These were memorable days and I lived the life of Riley traversing these exquisite and engaging lands full of natural beauty, history and culture that once existed as a unitary entity.Sadly, today Indian Muslim’s face discrimination and their patriotism is questioned due to these internecine wars over Kashmir. It pains me to see my brothers and sisters in faith, who are living in India, having to continually prove their patriotism to Hindustan.
Yet, according to historical research a Muslim named Ahamadullah Shah freed a large area of Awadh from the British colonialist.
A cogent testimony that religion and patriotism should not be conflated. | Mohamed Saeed Pietermaritzburg
I have posted openly across the SA media condemning vitriolic hate mails and attacks on journalists and Editors following the India-Pakistan war. Yes, I am posting what follows to express my deep concern and condemnation of the rising tide of vitriolic hate mails and attacks on journalists and editors in our society. So, I hope that this letter finds you well disposed towards considering it for publication. It raises a very critical issue.
Unfortunately, many journalists and editors face harassment, intimidation, and even violence from fundamentalist groups, including some from Hindu and Muslim communities. This is despicable. These attacks not only undermine the safety and dignity of these individuals but also threaten the very foundations of our democratic institutions.I believe that it is essential to create a culture of respect, tolerance, and open dialogue, where differing opinions can be expressed without fear of reprisal or violence. Journalists and editors should be able to perform their duties without being subjected to hate speech, online harassment, or physical attacks.I urge all individuals, organizations, and communities to condemn these attacks and promote a culture of respect, empathy, and understanding. We must recognize the value of a free press and the critical role it plays in holding those in power accountable and promoting transparency and accountability. | Saber Ahmed Jazbhay Durban
The DA in King Cetshwayo welcomes the revised proposed water tariffs under the 2025/2026 budget as well as in the medium-term. We opposed the draft budget on the concerns that the proposed increases would have strained an the already overburdened district residents and customers.
The revised proposed water tariffs affecting residents went from 17.5% to 6% for 0-6kl households and 16% to 7.9% for 7-20kl consuming households. The new tariffs are by far the lowest in the province and we are proud of the district finance team that worked so hard to make adjustments to the proposed budget to make room for the changes.
These tariff changes are important because they show council’s willingness to meet residents halfway as we all deal with a tough and struggling economy.
We also acknowledge that Council will have to reprioritise to accommodate the reduced tariff increases, but while consumers must make some cuts the government also has to tighten the belt.
We appreciate the co-operation within Council that allowed for discussions to take place where differences had arisen, King Cetshwayo remains a District with great potential and this budget once passed will help in achieving sustainable and equitable services to all. | Councillor Sihle Magubanen DA King Cetshwayo caucus leader
DAILY NEWS
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