Pine Pienaar, Democratic Alliance (DA)

THE DA AND THE YOUTH

RF — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:35:39 +0000

Francois Greyling

PO Box 6258

Moselville

Uitenhage

6232

francois.german@gmail.com

072-371-0483

As representative of our constituency in the Youth and Fundraising portfolios I strive to produce moral and democratic leadership in the following ways:

Concerning Fundraising:

To trust God in all that we do and believe that He will provide us with the necessary resources and guidance.
To raise funds in traditional and innovative ways
To generate funds from funds.
To follow the correct procedures and protocol.
To inspire each branch in our constituency to recruit new members and to generate funds.
To assist with organizing, administration, logistics, labor and political activities in any means possible.
To humbly serve my community with integrity and respect.

Concerning Youth

Lead through example.
To challenge the norm.
To recruit as many future voters as possible.
To instigate a massive turn-up at the elections
To assist mainstream with organizing, administration, logistics, labor and political activities in any means possible.
Strive to uplift the youth of South Africa to our rightful place.
To always act with integrity, respect my seniors and to serve my community with pride.

Metro Mission Despatch

RF — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:32:14 +0000

MISSION

WARD 52 DESPATCH

DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

As Democratic Alliance Member/Chairperson, taxpayer, and resident of Despatch, experiencing the lack of services payed for, the deprivation of already payed established infrastructures, the neglecting of services within my environment of Despatch, urge me to get involved to re-establish services and to uphold already established infrastructure and to empower myself and everybody else of the know how of doing things.

Furthermore to enable residents who were neglected proper housing, infrastructure and or services, not to dug into the known reasons, but to seek solutions to rectify these problems. Strive to promote good relations between council`s employees, relevant stakeholders and parties. Strive to ensure and to do everything in my power to uphold and establish a save, healthy serviced community to every resident, within Despatch.

MARCEL SCHOULTZ

CHAIRPERSON DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

WARD 52 DESPATCH

Cell : 078 031 5815

Fax : 041 933 3773

E-MAIL : mnatpt@webmail.co.za

Who is Pine Pienaar?

RF — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:48:44 +0000

Johan Pienaar or Pine, as he is known, is the MPL (Member of Provincial Legislature) of Uitenhage.

He is one of only five DA members.

This blog is under construction. More detail about Pine and other reports will be published in due course.

Daily Dispatch: Premier Pays for Pothole

RF — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:25:14 +0000

Democratic Alliance transport spokesperson Pine Pienaar agreed that the province was opening up a floodgate of claims. Pienaar added that the province had a road maintenance backlog worth R15 billion.

“(Balindlela) must provide more money for the roads, (otherwise) she will be rendered as a premier who did not care for our roads,” he said.

THE Eastern Cape’s pothole- ridden roads have exposed the provincial government to litigation, with over R500000 already paid to motorists to fix pothole- damaged vehicles. The provincial Department of Transport confirmed it had three cases totalling R800000 against it – all claims from motorists whose vehicles have been damaged on provincial roads since the beginning of this year.

In the latest incident, Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela was ordered by the Grahamstown High Court last week to pay R317000 to the Vaal Maseru Bus Company after one of its buses was severely damaged when it hit a pothole on the road between Dordrecht and Indwe.

The settlement comes less than a month after the Bhisho High Court ordered Balindlela to pay a Pretoria businessman R204297 in damages for a 2001 car accident on the road between Queenstown and Cofimvaba.

While not admitting liability for the March 2006 accident which resulted in Vaal Maseru’s bus being written off, Balindlela conceded the claim and paid the full damages sued for, said Grahamstown lawyer Mark Nettelton, who represented the company.

The company said in court papers that a pothole had caused “extensive damage” to their bus, which had to be written off.

The Department of Roads and Transport was obliged to maintain and repair provincial roads and to regularly inspect the roads and timeously repair defects, it added.

It said that the accident was caused by a breach of “duty of care” by the department.

In a report attached to the court papers, road accident reconstruction specialist Wilma Badenhorst said the pothole was in the direct wheel path of vehicles travelling in an easterly direction.

She says the bus’s left front wheel hit the pothole and burst, causing the driver to lose control.

Yesterday, provincial government spokesperson Phaphama Mfenyana maintained that Balindlela was cited in the law suit as only one of the respondents in her capacity as head of the provincial government.

“The matter was between the Roads and Transport Department and the bus company,” he said, adding that the settlement was reached by the department.

Transport spokesperson Ncedo Kumbaca said the department had looked at the merits of the case before settling.

“There was no need to challenge it (the lawsuit). It was not a winnable case,” Kumbaca said, saying matters cited in the court papers were true.

Kumbaca conceded that his department had had three claims from motorists against it worth R800000, all resulting from the bad state of the province’s roads.

The United Democratic Movement’s Max Mhlati said the settlement meant that people whose vehicles were damaged because of potholes would come in numbers to sue government.

“(Balindlela) must provide more money for the roads, (otherwise) she will be rendered as a premier who did not care for our roads,” he said.

Rhodes University’s dean of law, Professor Rob Midgley, however, said that the settlement did not mean that everyone whose vehicle had been damaged by a pothole would have a case against the provincial or local authority responsible for the maintenance of roads.

“The courts have found that the liability for relevant authorities in respect of potholes should be determined by a number of factors.

“Each case would have to be determined on its own merits and the financial capacity of the relevant authority (local or provincial) to meet its mandate (to maintain the roads).”

Both Mfenyana and Kumbaca downplayed the implication of the court cases.

For Mfenyana, the court case was about competencies within the spheres of government to play their roles. “They (authorities) have to make sure, more than fixing of roads, (that) you inform road users about hazardous conditions on the road.”

Kumbaca said although people had a right to sue the government, his department encouraged the public to report potholes to the tollfree number 0800644644. “Instead of making (pothole damage s) a money- making thing, we encourage people to call our hotline,” he said.– Daily Dispatch, 13 May 2008

Die Burger Oos-Kaap: Pine Pienaar se Reaksie op die Begroting vir Hospitaalpaaie

RF — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:43:51 +0000

Mnr. Pine Pienaar, DA-woordvoerder oor paaie, is ook verheug oor die departement se planne.

Hy het beklemtoon dat die provinsie se behoeftes oor ’n baie wyer gebied as net toegangspaaie strek.

Volgens hom is daar slegs R2,4 miljard begroot om paaie in die provinsie te bou en in stand te hou, terwyl die provinsie tussen R13 en R14 miljard nodig het.

PORT ELIZABETH. – Die Oos-Kaapse departement van vervoer het meer as R800 miljoen bewillig vir die verbetering van toegangspaaie na die hospitale in die provinsie.

Dié paaie in die voormalige Transkei gaan veral hierby baat vind. Voorkeur word aan hospitale met meer as 200 beddens gegee. Die grootste bedrag – R240 miljoen – is bewillig vir die opknapping van die pad na die Sulenkamma-hospitaal. Werk hieraan het al begin.

Die departement het verlede week aangekondig dat een van dié projekte – die pad na die Greenville-hospitaal in Mbizana – reeds aan die gang is. Dié projek, wat werk aan 1 380 mense verskaf, gaan die departement R102 miljoen kos.

Twee soortgelyke projekte – die pad tussen Flagstaff en die Holy Cross-hospitaal, asook die pad na die Bambisani-hospitaal – is reeds voltooi. Dít het altesaam R175 miljoen gekos.

In Januarie en Februarie vanjaar is die paaie na Madwaleni- (R77 miljoen) en Zithulele-hospitaal (R233 miljoen) onderskeidelik aan die gekose kontrakteurs oorhandig.

Mnr. Thobile Mhlahlo, LUR vir paaie, het in sy 2008-’09-beleidstoespraak aangekondig dat die pad van die N2 na die Siphetu-hospitaal vanjaar voorkeur sal geniet. Die werk sal hierna voortgesit word met ’n pad van dié hospitaal na Ntabankulu.

Mnr. Pine Pienaar, DA-woordvoerder oor paaie, is ook verheug oor die departement se planne.

Hy het beklemtoon dat die provinsie se behoeftes oor ’n baie wyer gebied as net toegangspaaie strek.

Volgens hom is daar slegs R2,4 miljard begroot om paaie in die provinsie te bou en in stand te hou, terwyl die provinsie tussen R13 en R14 miljard nodig het.

Pienaar het verder gesê die Oos-Kaap is vol “juwele”, maar dit is hartseer dat die swak paaie die toeriste daarvan weerhou om dié dorpe te besoek.

Een van die nuwe hospitaalpaaie vorm wel deel van ’n langtermyn toerismeprojek. Die pad tussen Tombo naby Port St. Johns en die Isilimela-hospitaal, gaan deel uitmaak van die Wildekus-toerismeroete.

Verbeterde toegangspaaie na die markte sal die boere bevoordeel. Bouwerk aan dié paaie sal ses jaar duur en sowat 4000 werkgeleenthede skep. — Die Burger Oos-Kaap, 6 April 2008.

Die Burger Oos-Kaap: Nóg ’n Kind Val in Doodskanaal

RF — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:44:59 +0000

Mnr. Pine Pienaar, die DA-woordvoerder wat die departement oorreed het om ’n nuwe heining op te rig, pleit by ouers in die omgewing om hul kinders van die kanaal weg te hou totdat die heining voltooi is.

ADDO. – “As daar ’n heining was, sou my kind vandag nog in my arms gewees het.”

Só het mev. Joyce Matthews gister hartseer gesê nadat haar driejarige seun, Spelele, Woensdagoggend in ’n besproeiingskanaal op die dorp verdrink het.

Dít kom net enkele dae nadat die Oos-Kaapse departement van waterwese aangekondig het ’n lemmetjiesdraadheining gaan langs dié kanaal opgerig word om verdrinkings in die Sondagsriviervallei te verminder.

Geskokte gemeenskapslede op die dorp het egter gister uit een mond gesê hulle dink nie dié heining sal die kinders lank uit die kanaal hou nie.

Daar is blykbaar in 1989 ’n heining langs die kanaal opgerig, maar volgens insp. Funeka Sipunzi, ’n plaaslike polisiebeampte, is dit deur gemeenskaplede gesteel en gebruik om hul eie wonings te beveilig.

Inwoners meen die gemeenskap groei deesdae baie vinnig en daarom sal dit nie lank wees voordat die heining weer voete kry nie.

Totdat die nuwe heining opgerig word, besoek polisiebeamptes en munisipale werkers skole in die omgewing gereeld.

“Ons waarsku die kinders dat dit gevaarlik is om naby die kanaal te kom,” het Sipunzi gesê.

Klein Spelele was een van die kinders wat dié boodskap al telkemale gehoor het.

“Ek het al drie my kinders mooi geleer om nie naby die kanaal te kom nie en nie een van hulle het al nie. Woensdag was die eerste keer,” het Matthews gesê.

Spelele het Woensdagoggend sy ma gesoen voordat sy hom by ’n buurvrou afgelaai het. “Hy het my elke oggend gesoen voordat ek werk toe gaan . . . Ek gaan sy soentjies mis.”

By die buurvrou het Spelele saam met maatjies in die agterplaas gespeel.

“Toe ek weer kyk, was Spelele en nóg ’n kind weg. ’n Rukkie later het die ander kind huilend by my aangekom en my vertel Spelele het in die kanaal geval,” het mev. Thozama Ngalo, ’n buurvrou, gesê.

Mnr. Bonginkosi Macezu, ’n inwoner van die gebied, het Spelele omstreeks 10:30 sowat 2 km gevind van die plek waar hy in die water geval het. Hy het hom uit die water getrek en na ’n nabygeleë kliniek gebring.

Die kind is met hul aankoms daar dood verklaar.

Spelele is een van sowat 60 mense wat al in die kanaal verdrink het.

Thembeka Wewers (11), ’n jong inwoner van Addo, het gesê sy is baie bang vir die kanaal.

“Baie van ons maatjies het al daar verdrink,” het Thembeka gesê.

’n Paar tieners in die gemeenskap het egter gesê dit is moeilik om van die kanaal weg te bly omdat dit hul enigste lafenis teen die hitte is.

Supt. Priscilla Naidu, ’n polisiewoordvoerder, het die voorval bevestig en het bygevoeg ’n geregtelike doodsondersoek gaan volg.

Opposition ‘unlikely’ for Trollip in DA elections

RF — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:57:26 +0000

MPL Pine Pienaar has already indicated that he will avail himself for one of the positions.

ATHOL Trollip, Eastern Cape leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), is unlikely to be challenged when the new provincial leadership is elected at the party’s provincial congress next weekend in Middelburg.

Party insiders said this week that although Trollip did not enjoy support from the entire provincial top structure during the recent election of a national DA leader, when he was comprehensively defeated by Helen Zille, he would not be opposed come election time on November 10.

Although unlikely to be beaten, congress chairperson Anette Steyn confirmed that interest has been shown to oppose one or even both men holding positions as provincial deputy leaders, MP Donald Lee and MPL Donald Smiles.

Steyn said MP Eddie Trent has indicated that he would vacate the position of provincial DA finance chairperson. Likely candidates to compete for this position are senior party officials Elsa van Lingen or Chris Roberts.

One or more of the three positions of provincial deputy chairpersons held by MPL Bobby Stevenson, councillor Terrence Fritz of East London and councillor Bobby Cekisani of Nelson Mandela Bay may also be contested.

MPL Pine Pienaar has already indicated that he will avail himself for one of the positions.

Steyn said the party will be addressed by Zille at a function on the Friday evening. Separate conferences by the provincial DA youth, women and councillor structures will also take place on the Friday evening.

This year is the first year that the party will honour its best MP, best MPL, top funds raiser, top councillor and party members with outstanding and long service.

A panel has been appointed to evaluate submissions before the winners will be announced.

Some of the discussion points that could lead to lively debate this year are high crime, name changes and the possible scrapping of district municipalities. – Daily Dispatch, 11 February 2008

Daily Dispatch: Full Steam Ahead for Kei Rail Link

RF — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:50:25 +0000

Mhlahlo addressed some of the concerns raised by the Democratic Alliance’s provincial spokesperson on transport, Pine Pienaar, who said the new service could pose safety risks because trains had not been on the line since 1988. He said children had grown accustomed to playing on the line.

THE last hurdle blocking the establishment of a rail link between East London and Mthatha was cleared yesterday, with Kei Rail being issued an operating licence by the Rail Safety Regulator.

A passenger service is expected to commence before the end of the month. Breaking the news during the Bhisho government’s Cabinet lekgotla, the MEC for Safety, Liaison and Transport, Thobile Mhlahlo, said the people of the Eastern Cape would now have a safe and reliable transport option between East London and Mthatha.

Mhlahlo said a one-way trip would cost R30, with tickets available at the East London, Amabele, Khomga, Butterworth and Mthatha stations two hours before the train’s departure.

The train will initially run at weekends only, operating in the day.

The commencement date of the service will be announced shortly, but department insiders said they expected it to be operational before the end of the month.

According to Mhlahlo, a plan for an evening service was ditched in favour of a day service for safety reasons. “… the train will be as visible as possible ….”

A safety awareness campaign was conducted by the department to inform people of the dangers of an operational railway line. – Daily Dispatch, 6 February 2008

Daily Dispatch: Laptop Disappears with Forensic Audit Report Data

RF — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:55:16 +0000

The DA’s Pine Pienaar had asked whether
the department had undertaken any forensic audits between 2004 and 2006 and what
the outcomes were.

A LAPTOP containing electronic versions
of different forensic audit reports conducted
at the Education Department has mysteriously gone missing.

This emerged last week during a question and answer session at the Legislature in Bhisho.

The DA’s Pine Pienaar had asked whether
the department had undertaken any forensic audits between 2004 and 2006 and what
the outcomes were.

In his response, Education MEC Johnny
Makgato admitted forensic audits were conducted but that information could not be
retrieved.

“This is due to the loss of the laptop of the chief finance officer (CFO) at the time,” Makgato said. He did not, however, name the CFO.

Makgato failed to respond to Pienaar’s question on the outcome of the forensic audits.

Pienaar described Makgato’s response as highly inadequate and utterly unacceptable.

“The DA very strongly condemns the reply given by Education MEC Johnny Makgato.”

He said Makgato’s response had serious
implications and raised a number of questions.

“One of these is the fact that the so-called
‘loss’ of the laptop by the chief financial officer amounts to gross negligence, and in terms
of existing labour laws, should be punishable, and be made the subject of a disciplinary hearing and inquiry.

“The information concerning these audits is of a highly sensitive and critical nature, and the alleged ‘loss’ of this computer translates into loss of government property,” Pienaar said.

He was concerned that the information had not been saved or backed up elsewhere.

Pienaar then called for a thorough investigation into the disappearance of the laptop. – Daily Dispatch, 29 October 2007

Daily Dispatch: R72 Due for Upgrades of Some Sections

RF — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:48:33 +0000

His assurance follows warnings by Democratic Alliance spokesperson for roads, Pine Pienaar, who said a probe by his party found the perception created by the Eastern Cape government that the R72 will be rebuilt or resurfaced before 2010 could be highly misleading.

Pienaar said consulting engineers have assured him that it would take no less than seven years to rebuild the 270 km coastal road between East London and the Ncanarha interchange near Coega. “Our information shows that even if the government employs two of the best contractors in the country to rebuild the road, they will make no more than 30 km progress per year at a cost of R10-million per kilometre. Planning and design will take at least a year.”

He said while the 100 km closest to East London could be resealed, the other 170 km would have to be rebuilt completely.

“This will mean that the rebuilding alone will take at least five and a half years. We are concerned that businesses on the Sunshine Coast could have been misled to believe that they will have a perfect road by 2010,” Pienaar said.

THE R72 coastal road between East London and Port Elizabeth will not be rebuilt before the 2010 Soccer World Cup, but upgraded in a few sections.

This assurance was given by the MEC for Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport, Thobile Mhlahlo.

He said while the 100 km closest to East London could be resealed, the other 170 km would have to be rebuilt completely.

Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport spokesperson Ncedo Kumbaca said while the Department of Roads and Transport has resolved to invest in the road to unlock tourism and business potential for the 2010 World Cup, his department cannot give details before a feasibility study has been tabled before the provincial executive.

“This is a vital arterial road that supports both industry (East London and Coega IDZs) and tourism, and is also of importance for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”

He said in the interim his department will:

l Rehabilitate the section between the East London Airport and Lillyvale at a cost of R20-million between January next year and 2009;

l Widen the bridges over the Bushman’s and Kasouga Rivers at a cost of R5-million during the same time; and

l Rehabilitate the sections between Fonteinskloof and the Ncanarha intersection. — Daily Dispatch, 10 October