The provincial and local government department is awaiting reports from disaster management centres before it intervenes in provinces ravaged by recent veld fires.

Spokesperson Zandi Ratshitanga on Wednesday said the department was waiting for reports on the extent of damage before deciding whether to declare certain parts of the country disaster zones.

Working on Fire on Wednesday said most of the fires had been brought under control and 19 air crews were on standby in Mpumalanga to respond to any fire threats.

Sunday

Further development in the region may be hampered by insufficient delivery of water and electricity.
This came under the spotlight at a Development Summit held at the ZCBF Park in Richards Bay on Tuesday.

Hosted by the uThungulu Strategic Development Committee (USDC), the summit was hosted to gather constructive contributions from a wide variety of roleplayers in the region.

The USDC was formed earlier in July with representatives from the Zululand Chamber of Business, Afrikaanse Handels-Instituut and uMhlathuze Development Association.

Sunday morning 9am saw the start of the RBM Duathlon which kicked off at the Zululand Multi Sports Club (ZMSC).

The event was a fantastic success, catering for young and old, new and seasoned, families and friends.

With varying distances, the course was challenging on all levels. The usual run / cycle combination of the duathlon was altered to reflect all the sporting disciplines offered by the ZMSC.

This meant that participants could choose to do a run / road cycle, walk / cycle, run / off-road cycle, run / canoe or enter in the the new kite-surf duathlon category (though a lack of morning winds resulted in a lengthy delay to the start of the latter).

The end is in sight for construction completion of the R290-million quay extension at the Richards Bay Coal Terminal.

The last big concrete mass capping pour takes place on 20 July with just the road and associated works alongside the quay to be done by mid-August.

Originally tendered at R270-million for completion in February, an extension was given when serious foundation problems were encountered.

The R40-million contract for two rail bridges on the John Ross Highway (P496) was awarded last week.
Leomat Construction, Mfihleleni Construction and Cele Construction Joint Venture will build the John Ross and Smelter Road-over-rail bridges due for completion on 10 September 2008.

At the monthly meeting of the John Ross Highway Project Liaison Committee on Wednesday, members were told that the start of the major Nseleni Floodplain and Nsezi River Bridge contract had been delayed because the successful tenderer had submitted an alternative design proposal.
The new design, if accepted, could save R7-million of the R257-million tender.

Almost 2000 civil servants took to the streets in Richards Bay on Wednesday, as the country

Richards Bay will soon have its own version of Cape Town's popular V&A Waterfront.

The Umhlathuze municipal council is planning to develop a multimillion-rand waterfront and marina to boost tourism and broaden its tax base.

City mayor Denny Moffat said recently: "The project has been on the cards for a number of years. We are taking maximum advantage of our coastal location and high demand for beach holiday apartments and recreational facilities."

The project, which is still in its initial phases, will spread over 100 hectares of land. Areas around Mzingazi Canal Steel Bridge, Alkanstrand and Pelican Island are part of the land to be transformed into luxury apartments, a hotel and a conference centre.