Local is lekker (nice, great), as South Africans say in Afrikaans.

And so it is in the posts on this page, which profiles community minded folk who contribute their skills and time to society, especially Durban’s Urban Improvement Precincts (UIPs), non profit organisations set up to unite, improve and uplift their areas by complementing local municipal services, particularly with regard to safety and security, cleaning and greening.

The UIP mechanism is based on the Municipal Property Rates Act of 2004, which makes provision for the establishment of Special Rating Areas.
A UIP is established in a defined geographic area and must be approved by 51% of commercial owners or 66% of residential owners who agree to the top-up services, in addition to those supplied by the municipality.
Once the formation of the UIP is approved by Council, 100% of property owners within its legislated boundaries are required by law to contribute to the UIP i.e. every property owner contributes their share, proportionate to the budget for their precinct and the market value of their property.

Various areas, especially in the greater Durban and surrounds, have set up UIPs to almost supplement services that ratepayers have pretty much being paying for, for years.

A UIP is a registered non-profit company with a steering committee. A UIP’s three functions are; cleaning, greening and security and they work with stakeholders within the eThekwini Municipality who speak directly to heads of departments within the City.