AVBOB celebrates a milestone by rewarding its members on a large scale including two off-duty members of the SAPS have been killed during a shooting at a tavern in Mandeni Paramedics responded to the mass shooting of eight people that took place inside the tavern in Sundumbili Three victims died on the scene while five others were taken to a local healthcare facility A second off-duty police office later succumbed to his injuries in hospital Police are hunting for five suspects.  A STUDY into using solar energy to provide power for a water treatment works in rural KwaZulu-Natal could light the way for other municipalities battling to maintain service delivery during loadshedding The feasibility study into improving electricity efficiency and installing renewable energy at the Sundumbili Water Treatment Works in the iLembe District Municipality was conducted through the Vuthela iLembe LED Support Programme The Vuthela Programme is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented in partnership with the KZN Department of Economic Development and Tourism the iLembe District Municipality and the local municipalities of KwaDukuza and Mandeni The programme aims to improve the economic future of iLembe district residents through sustainable economic growth of the local economy by focusing on public financial management and building inclusive growth and partnerships The solar energy system investigated in this study will assist in providing renewable electricity for the works to abstract raw water from the lower Tugela River treat it to safe drinkable standards and pump it to consumers in the Mandeni and KwaDukuza municipalities The study provides an option for all municipalities to consider as loadshedding on the national Eskom grid continues to prevent many municipalities from providing continuous and essential services like potable water The feasibility study proposed several measures that would improve the works’ efficiency improving metering and changing the billing tariff applied by Eskom The study found that the site at the water treatment works has sufficient space to install rooftop and ground-mounted systems to provide up to 9% of the total power required Several configurations of rooftop and ground-mounted panels tracking systems that follow the daily path of the sun and battery storage systems were analysed for their energy output the number of years of payback and the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions The best scenario consisted of a ground-mounted tracking photovoltaic (PV) system with bifacial modules and a roof-mounted PV system to supplement the power provided by the national grid The entire system is expected to cost about R5.2 million to install and about R60 000 a year to operate It is expected to bring savings of about R4.8 million in the first nine years and about R12 million over 25 years The works’ operators will need to plan their work around the loadshedding schedules and use the power provided by the solar system to minimise the interruption of water supplies to communities A longer-term solution that could eliminate reliance on the national grid completely requires additional land for a larger solar plant Solar power for water treatment and supply has several benefits for municipalities It is now a well-understood technology that is relatively easy to install and maintain; it is possible to integrate solar systems with existing electrical systems and minimal interruptions of daily operations can be expected Installing solar systems can potentially create economic opportunities for many technicians in local communities – for installation and maintenance activities better service delivery and a reduced carbon footprint The iLembe District Municipality will now need to study the findings of the Vuthela feasibility study into renewable energy at the Sundumbili WTW institutional modalities for ownership and operation and take a decision on implementing the system other municipalities will be eager to see how the methodology and findings of the study could be used to improve service delivery in their own jurisdictions and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Site by AJ Digital Copyright © 2025 KZN Industrial & Business News. 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Picture: Nhlanhla Mabaso/ Eyewitness News TONGAAT - KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police gathered in Tongaat on Saturday to bid their final farewell to their slain colleague Khoza was shot and killed in the line of duty on Good Friday in the Sundumbili area He and his two other colleagues were responding to calls when a gunman was reported to be shooting randomly in the air When he and two other police officers arrived he was shot in the head and died instantly Police Minister Bheki Cele delivered the eulogy at the funeral “We must not be collecting your dead bodies when we would rather collect like we did in Mariannhill - there were no officers there we won’t stop protecting communities.” Police said this is the fifth police officer being buried this year who died in the line of duty [IN PICTURES] Police officers are seen shedding tears for their slain colleague. @_NMabaso pic.twitter.com/3M1oJPs3fo Sections want answers after the death of Siphesihle Duma a third-year Dramatic Arts student from the Durban University of Technology The body of the 23-year-old woman was found floating in the sea at South Beach said the family was notified of her disappearance by a room mate and close friend after she did not return from an outing on Wednesday “Her best friend called and informed me on Thursday that Siphesihle had not returned to the student residence She emphasised that this was a red flag because she did not present herself for her practicals and she never misses any class and she is always on time,” Madela said A missing person poster was created and shared on social media platforms on Friday A man who saw the poster said he had seen Duma go into a club in Durban Madela said the family approached the bouncer at the club who said he had seen Duma on the day she went missing “The bouncer told us that he remembered seeing her His attention was drawn by an argument that she was having with a man who was the last one to be seen with her alive He said the man was adamant to leave with her but she was refusing and crying,” she said Madela said CCTV footage showed Duma leaving the club with the man following after her She said the family received another call on Friday from a jogger who told them she had seen the body of a young woman being removed from the water on Thursday morning “We went to the Point police station to enquire about the body they found and they told us that the body had been sent to a mortuary in Phoenix We then identified the body on Saturday morning,” an emotional Madela said She said the club management had been forthcoming with information as it released the CCTV footage to the family Madela said the footage had been handed over to the police Provincial police spokesperson Nqobile Gwala confirmed that a body was found on Thursday “An inquest docket was opened in Point for investigation after a 23-yearold female drowned at South Beach The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated,” she said Madela called on anyone who might have information to come forward “We don’t know for sure how or why she died but knowing what (happened) would bring us a lot of closure as a family I do not believe that she drowned or went to the beach voluntarily because the video evidence clearly shows that she left the club under suspicious circumstances “We just want to know what really happened to her,” she said – Tongaat couple beaten by four suspects during robbery – Durban motorist escapes injury after plummeting 50m down an embankment while avoiding a pedestrian – Competition Commission to establish inquiry into fresh produce market – Tensions brew over eThekwini city manager post, smaller parties angry over being excluded from the process – Police arrest bogus eThekwini Municipality workers wanted for robbery of Phoenix family THE MERCURY thesouthafrican.com is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd Reproduction without permission prohibited Home » Search on for young boy who drowned in crocodile-infested river A ten-year-old boy was reportedly swept away and drowned while swimming with friends in the crocodile-infested Tugela River The search is still on for the body of a ten-year-old boy The 10-year-old was swept away on Monday 9 January.  According to private security, Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) residents searched for the boy for a week along the river banks fishermen reported seeing a child’s body floating in the water They did not enter the water fearing for their safety as that part of the river is known to be infested with crocodiles ALSO READ: Fisherman drowns while casting his net in KZN river It was confirmed that the sighting was the partly eaten carcass of a cow.  the boy’s family reportedly contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) to seek assistance The Pilot & Crew kitted up with floatation devices & flew 84 kilometres out to the Tugela River.  ALSO READ: Body of fourth child who drowned at Kariega beach washes up RUSA spokesperson Prem Balram said after a briefing with the family; the aircraft conducted a low-level search of several kilometres of the river.  “The crew spotted a huge crocodile in the water & opted to land in the vicinity and search an island on foot The temperature in the search area was 35 degrees Celsius The search is currently in progress & an update will follow.” The 10-year-old boy is a learner at Ubuhlebesumbili Primary School ALSO READ: Father dies while trying to save son from drowning at KZN beach Search still on for teenager caught in rip currents at Strand Beach Follow us on Facebook for the latest breaking news, polls - and more! RUSA rescued a two-week-old baby kidnapped in Durban and arrested a 21-year-old woman in KZN for allegedly abducting the child The City of Tshwane disconnected the Weskoppies Hospital Meet the miracle Hyundai Creta 1.5 Matte Edition that survived 36 hours in the eye of a firestorm Take a look at what the weather has in store for South Africa’s nine provinces this Tuesday Gayton McKenzie has finally registered a foundation in Joslin Smith’s name days after her mom was found guilty of kidnapping and trafficking Today’s Daily Lotto jackpot stands at an estimated R520 000 If you want to win your share of the jackpot