NEWS and FEATURESPage 6 12 February 2010

THEMBA KHUMALO

AN EXHIBITION of work byOmar and Ebrahim Badsha,titled Under the Umdoni Tree,has opened at the Durban ArtGallery.

It includes more than 70paintings, drawings andsculptures executed betweenthe early 1950s and the late

1960s. It runs until 21 March. Opening the show, Prof Ari

Sitas said, “This exhibitionasks us to search through thepast and try to imagine whatit was like then.

“The exhibition is aboutintimacy, violence, womenprotecting their children andeach other,” he said.

Sitas said it was important

for people to make their owninterpretation. “You can seethe detail in the drawings andthe discipline, and the waythings are manifested in theexhibition,” he said.

It explores the rich historyof artists and intellectualswho contributed to the richtapestry of life in the thenGrey Street precinct.

The Mdoni tree isindigenous to KwaZulu-Natal.It grows into a very tall treethat bears a juicy, black berry.

Badsha said, “I am veryhumbled by the gallery forgiving us a chance to showour work. My family and Ibelieve this work belongs tothe nation and not to us.”

khumalotk@durban.gov.za

Exhibition explores a rich history

SPECIAL OCCASION: Opening night at the Under the Umdoni Tree exhibition Picture: THEMBA KHUMALO

SIYABONGA MAPHUMULOand DERRICK DLAMINI

THE Executive Committee(Exco) has approved R320-million for the reconstructionand repair of Council housing.

In addition, a grant appli-cation for R280-million will bemade to the KZN Departmentof Human Settlements toservice budget shortfalls forhousing in Chatsworth, Lam-ontville and former R293 areas(townships).

The Council had initiallyauthorised R500-million torefurbish houses in formerR293 townships, but this wasexceeded as some of thehouses were badly damagedand had to be rebuilt.

The houses in question wereunder the former KwaZuluadministration, and later theDepartment of Human Settle-ments and are now the res-ponsibility of eThekwini.

In a report before Exco, theHousing Unit said, “Inade-quate storm water control hadundermined many housefoundations and these costswere not included in theoriginal scope of work”.

Housing Committee Chair-man, Councillor Nigel Gum-ede said funding constraints

had placed limits on thebudget initially. “However, asthe upgrading progressed,other essential repairs wereundertaken to restore thehouses to an acceptablequality. This resulted in theinitially approved fundingbeing exceeded,” he said.

A total of R80-million extra isrequired to improve houses inLamontville and Chatsworthand an additional R245-million for refurbishing R293houses.

In all, 22 areas havebenefited from the project.

Deputy Mayor Logie Naidoosaid, “Structural damageneeds to be reported immed-iately to engineers.

“The monitoring of dev-elopmental projects iscrucial,” Naidoo said.

He said all parties agreed onthe need for the HousingCommittee to step up itsmonitoring of housingprojects to curb irregularities,including the use ofsubstandard material.

DA Caucus Leader, Coun-cillor Tex Collins, said,“Councillors also need tomonitor housing develop-ments in their wards”.

maphumulosiya@durban.gov.zadlaminisd@durban.gov.za

Millionsextra forhousing

Qashana Khuzwayo Road Formerly Shepstone Road(Pinetown)

EDUCATOR, businessmanand community leader,Norman Qashana EmmanuelKhuzwayo resisted theformation of bantustansduring apartheid.

Khuzwayo was born on 14June 1932 in Clermont toSimon, a business pioneer inClermont, and YenaKhuzwayo. He was one of twobrothers and five sisters.

Khuzwayo attended StChads High School beforemoving to Inkamana HighSchool were he obtained hismatric in 1953.

The following year he joinedSt Francis College inMarianhill, were he studiedfor a teacher’s diploma.

His first teaching post wasat Glencoe Secondary Schoolwere he specialised inteaching English and SocialStudies.

Later he moved to St

Augustines, were he taughtthe brother of Dr FrankMdlalose, the first Premier ofKwaZulu-Natal

Wishing to work closer tohis home, Khuzwayo wastransferred to the newlyopened Sibonelo High Schoolin KwaMashu.

In 1959 Khuzwayo married

Miriam Dikeledi Mothebe,from Orlando East, who was atrainee nurse at the time.

The couple had fourchildren, Ginger, Sibusiso,Dukuza and Vukile.

Khuzwayo had a keeninterest in promotingtechnical skills among blackpupils and as a result wasattached to the TV and videoschool in Marianhill as avolunteer headmaster.

Khuzwayo’s other interestswere soccer and music.

He was a prominentmember of theChristianenburg ChurchChoir.

His family described him asan honourable man who

always put them first. Khuzwayo was killed in

1988. He was survived by hiswife, two sons and 13grandchildren.

swazid@durban.gov.za

As part of a series on the heroeshonoured in eThekwini’s new streetand building names, Swazi Dlaminiprofiles Qashana EmmanuelKhuzwayo

Committed to education

NONDU NGCONGO

LOCAL democracy should bestrengthened thanks to thelaunch last week at the CityHall of a forum to co-ordinatethe work of Chapter 9institutions in the province.

These organisations are setup in terms of Chapter 9 of theConstitution to guard dem-ocracy. They include the Inde-pendent Electoral Com-mission, Public Protector, theAuditor-General, and theHuman Rights Commission.

Beverley Motlhabani, SeniorManager of Regional Services

in the Municipality’s Comm-unity Participation and ActionSupport Unit, said they hadorganised the event because,“Lots of people are unaware ofthese institutions. They don’tknow what they do or whereto reach them.”

She said they wanted thepublic to understand theseinstitutions’ link to theMunicipality.

Motlhabani urged coun-cillors to hold informationworkshops in their wards.

KwaZulu-Natal Chief Elec-toral Officer Mawethu Moserysaid, “These institutions must

be impartial and performtheir duties without fear,favour of prejudice.

“We must make sure weconduct elections which arefree of corruption,” he said.

Khosi Nxumalo of the Com-mission for Gender Equalityexplained their vision of asociety free from genderoppression and all forms ofinequality.

“Our mandate is to promoteand protect gender equalitythrough research, publiceducation and legislation,”Nxumalo said.

Nkosinathi Nkosi did a

presentation on the work ofthe Office of the PublicProtector, which investigatesimproper conduct by organsof state, and recommendsremedial action.

The South African HumanRights Commission, the KZNDepartment of Social Devel-opment and the South AfricanSocial Security Agency alsomade presentations.

Also attending were DeputyCity Manger, Governance,Sipho Cele, councillors, trad-itional leaders, officials andmembers of the public.

ngcongon@durban.gov.za

Forum boost for democracy

WORTHY: At the launch of a forum for Chapter 9organisations were Godfrey Naidoo and MawethuMosery of the IEC, CRL Commissioner DorasamyMoodley, Khosi Nxumalo of the Commission for GenderEquality, Nkosinathi Nkosi of the Office of the PublicProtector and Deputy City Manager for Governance,Sipho Cele Picture: JESSIE SINGH

QASHANA KHUZWAYO

OMAR BADSHA: Thiswork belongs to thenation

ARI SITAS: Detail anddiscipline

WORK on the Bluff Clinic ison schedule, eThekwini’sSouth Durban Basin (SDB)Area Based Management(ABM) has announced.

Anitha Govender, SDBProject Administrator, said,“There were delays caused bybad weather, but the teamremains committed tofinishing in May.”

SDB Acting Area ManagerEurakha Singh said,“Wewant to ensure residents donot have to leave their area toget medical attention.”

Sathie Chinnasamy,eThekwini Heath’s SeniorManager for the South, saidresidents would soon have aclinic to be proud of. – S’fisoXulu

Progress onBluff clinic