The Manilva Sports Department is pushing forward with the project to build a racquets centre in the Maicandil area, despite having seemingly abandoned work on the Sabinillas Sports Centre site, which has stood idle for over 18 months.

The racquets centre, which will have a budget of 1,121,000 euros of which 500,000 euros will be granted by the regional government's Tourism, Commerce and Sports Department leaving the balance to be funded from Town Hall coffers, will be equipped with three tennis courts, four paddle courts, two squash courts and two badminton courts.

Work is expected to begin next year with completion some time in 2010.

Manilva’s financial woes continue to create a headache for the current administration, who are now having to deal with a revolt by council workers over late payment of wages.

Diego Díaz Jiménez, in his capacity as councillor for local development, has initiated a feasibility study to look into providing Wi-Fi internet access for Manilva, specifically for the Nueva Manilva, Utopía, Muro Aguilar, and all properties in that general area which currently do not have access to fixed telephone lines.

The cost of the installation would be subsidised by around 85 to 90% in most cases by the Junta de Andalucia.

The councillor has stated that if the system is well received it could be extended to cover the whole municipality as he considers it a priority that the population should have access to all the latest IT technologies without hindrance of any sort.

Once again the local authorities are offering Spanish Lessons to the local foreign community.
The Winter Course begins on the 1st October and offers 6 different levels: Beginners I, II, and III, Intermediate I and II, and Advanced. The lessons offer practical exercise and conversation for groups of 10 to 12 people over 2 hours per week.

For those of you who didn’t get the chance to visit the “Science and the Cinema: The Myth of the Mummies” exhibition at the recent Estepona Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, you will get a chance to see it when it comes to Manilva from the 9th to the 21st September at the Castle in Castillo de la Duquesa.

Guardia Civil in Manilva have detained a young woman for making a false accusation of rape. She had claimed to have been "brutally raped by two dark skinned men".

According to the police their investigation had failed to produce any evidence, including medical, to corroborate her story.

The 17-year-old English girl had claimed that she was dragged from the taxi rank in Puerto de la Duquesa at around 4 am and taken to the beach where she was brutally raped.

The new council offices (tenencia de alcaldia) were officially inaugurated on Friday, 22nd of August and were open for business as from the following Monday, 25th August.

Manilva's councillor for Commerce, Augusto Gil, oversaw the drawing of the winning tickets for the 'bet on local commerce' campaign at last weeks 'Tourist Day' celebrations.

The prize of a Mediterranean cruise for two was won by ticket number 2692 which was issed by Pinturas Eurotex.
The prize of a 600 euro spending spree went to ticket number 7911 which was issued at the butchers "El Canicero de Sabinillas".

Winners have thirty days in which to present the tickets at the Delegacion de Comercio in Plaza Ginebra, Sabinillas to claim their prize.

The Councillor has also announced that they will be repeating the campaign in December, so watch out for the notices.

The Councillor responsible for Manilva’s Planning Department, Emilio Lopez Berenguer (ASM), has sent a letter to local developer Prienesur thanking them for their quick response in attending to the dilapidated buildings next to the old Gran Bar building (now occupied by Andalucian Dream Homes).

Recent acts of vandalism have led the local authorities to consider the installation of a number of cctv cameras in the municipality.