SHELLEY POINT NEWS
October 2017 A community newsletter dedicated to fostering a sense of community and the free flow of information at Shelley Point
FROM THE EDITOR FROM THE EDITOR: newsletter through the postal service, please ensure that the SPHOA has an email address to which the newsletter can be forwarded so that you can continue to receive your copy each month.
Hi All Well, the good news is that the warmer summer weather is here but the bad news is that our severe drought continues and as such, there is much talk around Level 5 restrictions being introduced such as what has happened in Cape Town. If you are unsure of what Level 5 restrictions entails, please find additional information below together with information regarding the installation of rainwater tanks.
Have a great month! Terry - shelleypointnews@gmail.com MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN: Level 5 Water Restrictions may be on the way! Sadly, the rainy season has ended and the dams are at levels significantly lower than the same time last year. In Cape Town, the cap on individual property usage has now been set at 20 kiloliters per month for domestic households and it is believed that the West Coast could follow suit soon. When this happens, property owners of households using more than this will receive very high fines in the region of R5 000 - R10,000 per month. Therefore, it is suggested that each homeowner carefully monitors his/her water usage every day by checking the reading on the water meter.
If any of you have achieved significant water savings over the past year, please share your success stories and pass on the tips and tricks you are using to achieve lower water usage. Please continue to give us feedback, ideas, comments, queries and concerns. Shelley Point News is a wonderful way to create awareness about certain issues (as one of our homeowners has done in this months’ issue), air grievances, provide information about events or happenings in the area or just simply to offer an opinion. Address your emails to shelleypointnews@gmail.com or check out our website on www.sphoa.co.za.
Rainfall statistics for 2017: According to Henri Roux who is recording our rainfall here at Shelley Point, we had a total of 17mm which fell in the last reporting period of 15 August to 14 September. Henri’s figures show an annual rainfall so far in 2017 of 84.5mm which is significantly less than the 2016 total
On the subject of mail, due to the high cost and unreliability of local postal services, the surface mailing of levy statements, newsletters and any other correspondence to homeowners from Residentia will soon be discontinued. To those few of you who have been receiving the
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of 204mm and the seasonal average of 160mm.
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Cheers, o
Ian Mac
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HOMEOWNERS HAVE THEIR SAY: Praise for ADT: Yvonne has this to say, ‘I cannot praise our ADT team enough. Everyone is always friendly and extremely helpful. They know our names, our pets and where we live. My only regret is that we don’t know their names so we can’t return their greeting by name. Is it possible that the members of the team, office bound and on patrol, can be issued with name tags?’ I think this is a great idea! Maybe this is something our security manager could consider? – Editor.
• Estate Rules and Code of conduct: A revised set of Estate rules has been prepared as part of the overall objective of updating and streamlining all documentation on the estate. There is very little that is new in these rules, and the revision is rather aimed at improving clarity and removing ambiguities. The revised rules are available on the SPHOA website and members of the association are requested to acquaint themselves with these to avoid difficulties in future. Members are always welcome to engage with the Trustees or with Estate Management with respect to these rules.
Water wasters: I am writing this in my capacity as a homeowner and not in my capacity of editor of Shelley Point News…On 8 September, I was out running at about 5 a.m. in the morning. It was still dark and it was actually raining at the time (not a common occurrence this year!) And there, at one of the houses situated close to the hotel on Golden Mile Boulevard, were a series of automatic sprinklers going full tilt in the rain. I was appalled! Like so many homeowners here, I am having the most minimal of showers, driving a car that hasn’t been washed in months and desperately trying to keep a few shrubs going by using leftover water from basins and sinks. Most of us are trying hard to use as little water as we possibly can while others simply show flagrant disregard for the restrictions and carry on as if our dams were at 100 % and not 25 % capacity.
• Municipal rates: The exercise to revalue all the properties registered to the name of the SPHOA has been concluded. The trustees are pleased to report that the annual amount paid by the HOA in municipal rates has been halved from approximately R 58 000 per annum to around R 28 000 p.a.
UPDATE FROM THE SHELLEY POINT BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
• Managing Agent: The trustees are currently actively engaged in negotiations with Residentia Trust to revise / update the management contract to more accurately reflect the current levels of service required by the HOA. A spin off from these negotiations is likely to be a substantial reduction in the cost of their
• Rainwater tanks: The trustees have approved the installation of rainwater harvesting tanks provided that the following are adhered to: o Application is made to SPHOA DRC indicating size, colour, position of tank and associated plumbing.
The maximum height and capacity of tanks not to exceed 1900mm and 2500 liters respectively. Colour of tanks must be either white or beige to keep them unobtrusive. The tanks must be screened for the full height on all visible sides by erecting a stout 75 x 75 mm SAP framework covered with 19 x 102 mm SAP horizontal edge rounded slats fixed with corrosion resistant screws. Slats to be a maximum of 50mm apart. Slats and framework must be painted white.
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services to us. Watch this space for more details as discussions proceed.
submitted by Ian Wilkinson and is a particularly beautiful and striking photo.
SECURITY REPORT: (Chris Sivertsen and Daniel Plaatjies) "When you empower a woman, you empower a nation.” Very true words…both recipients of the Employee of the Month were women! On Saturday the 5th of August, ADT received an email from a resident who had lost his black man-bag containing “his life”. Due to the complexity of the incident, our only lead was an unknown person in a vehicle that travelled behind the resident and his friend. The control operator Selina Pane correctly identified the vehicle and helped to track down the driver. The bag (intact) was successfully reunited with its grateful owner.
Lighthouse at dawn by Ian Wilkinson
Please remember that there are only two months left in which you can submit photos for the Leapfrog Properties Photo of the Year competition. There is a total of R1000 cash up for grabs. Any photo depicting life at Shelley Point will be considered – scenery, wildlife, flora, people, buildings, whatever.
Our second recipient is Gloria - a stand out officer who is always on time and will cover any open post at any time. Congratulations to both Selina and Gloria for their outstanding work.
SPORT AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES: Monthly “Sundowners” get together. Diarize Friday 27 October 5.30-7.30 pm for the monthly get together at the Clubhouse. This monthly event has been poorly attended over the past few months, perhaps because of cold weather. However, with Spring having sprung, the evenings are getting longer and milder. The get- together is open to all owners and residents (and their guests) and is a great opportunity to meet people, enjoy some good company, good conversation and good food in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. There is also always the opportunity to interact with the Trustees and others to get the “latest” news and views. As usual, please bring a plate of snacks to share.
Selina (left) & Gloria (right) with Residential Guarding Site Manager Daniel Plaatjies.
LEAPFROG PROPERTIES PHOTO OF THE MONTH:
Golf News (Anne Ainsworth): Please note that annual golf fees are due on 1 November. To be in line with the SPHOA year end, this year’s fees will only be for eleven months and will take us to 30 September 2018. Changes to the fees will be kept to a minimum and details
Our iconic Shelley Point feature, the lighthouse, is a firm favourite among our resident photographers and we receive many beautiful photos of it in all seasons and in all kinds of weather. This months’ entry was
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will be available shortly. Please also note that there has been a change to the green closure dates to accommodate school holidays. Greens will now be closed for Spring treatment on Monday 9 October and will reopen on Thursday 12 October. Other items to diarize:
of property at Shelley Point. This month, his article focuses on market segmentation as it relates to Shelley Point as well as the profile of new buyers in the area. Living Standards Measure (LSM): The SAARF Living Standards Measure (LSM) has become the most widely used segmentation tool in South Africa. It is a means of segmenting the South African market that cuts across race, gender, age or any other variable used to categorize people. It groups people according to their living standards on a scale of LSM 1 (Lowest standard of living) to LSM 10 (Highest standard of living).
• The Golden Oldies event will take place first Tuesday in October at Vredenburg Golf Club. There is a list on the board for interested players. • The Tommie Bosch Open Golf Day: Entries are filling up very quickly. Don’t delay or no play! Free entry and lots of prizes. Normal green fees will apply.
Shelley Point as a suburb, falls in the LSM 9 category although on an individual basis there are many owners categorized in the LSM 10 category. From a property ownership perspective, this is positive as Shelley Point will continue to attract buyers falling in the LSM 9 to LSM 10 categories looking for property in an upmarket area.
• NGK Fundraiser is scheduled for 4 November. Entry list is on the notice board. Entry is R300 pp which includes green fees and a meal. There will be a wet hole and lots of prizes. This event has provided much fun and laughter over the years. So, get your names down as soon as possible.
New Buyers’ Profiles
Tennis: The Sports and Social Club Interim Management Committee (IMC), is busy considering structures and fees for the different sports sections. Niel du Toit, the tennis representative on the IMC, requests that home owners with an interest in playing tennis in Shelley Point please contact him at 082 579 9692 or at ddt@vodamail.co.za as he would appreciate their input on the proposals to be submitted to the IMC.
Coastal retirement has been steadily growing over the past twenty years, specifically driven by the “baby-boomer” generation. “Baby Boomers” are those people that were born in the years following World War II, typically from 1946 to 1964 and who were in the age groups 52 – 70 in the year 2016. They are approaching retirement or are currently retired but many Baby Boomers have also started so-called “encore careers” starting over as entrepreneurs. We are seeing an increasing number of enquiries and sales from this market.
Other activities – bowls, bridge, etc: If you are interested in participating in any of these activities, please consult the information table in the September edition where you will find contact details and additional information.
The coastal holiday home market across South Africa is currently largely driven by the socalled Generation X who are in the age groups 34-48 years old, and in the prime of their careers. Their spending power is of the highest proportion in South Africa. We are also seeing increasing enquiries and sales from the high earning, middle and upper middleclass buyers from historically disadvantaged
LIFE AT SHELLEY POINT: Property overview for Shelley Point by Maurits Marnewick of Leapfrog Properties. Last month, Maurits provided some very interesting statistics related to the movement
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communities who have increasingly been entering the leisure property market.
marine life and eventually human beings. On a global scale, South Africa is, sadly, the world’s 11th worst offender when it comes to releasing plastic waste into our sea. Did you know that the weight of plastic entering our oceans each year is that of 40 aircraft carriers? By 2050, it is projected that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.”
Due to their demanding and busy careers and lives, Generation X’ers are exploring ways and means of “getting away from it all” and the tranquil West Coast region is ideally suited for the JSE trader or Corporate executive to spend quality time with family and friends. Please watch this space for the next in Maurits’ interesting series of articles on the Shelley Point property market.
That, for our community here in St Helena Bay, is a disastrous fact! But, we can all help. At the end of each boardwalk there is a bin which the Shelley Point staff empty on a regular basis. So, if each of us picked up a piece of plastic and threw it away, we would certainly be doing our bit for this special bay. It is so easy to do and we all walk along the beach on a regular basis, so this is an impassioned plea: Pick Plastic uP!
PPP (Pick Plastic UP) – Written by a resident homeowner at Shelley Point. A short walk of no more than 600 meters along our stretch of beach, from what we like to call, “The thatch house,” towards the small boat harbour beach ending on “Clawless otter rock”, yielded an entire refuse bag of polystyrene. There were big pieces – freezer box lids, crate packaging and fast food take away boxes which we were able to collect. But there was nothing we could do about the little bead-like pieces that litter the sand.
The Cape Golden Mole (written by Henri Roux in Afrikaans and translated by Yvonne Collett) Occasionally, one comes across a running mound of raised disturbed soil on the beach, on lawns and in sandy areas. This is the trail of our endemic Cape Golden Mole. These surface mound runners also indicate why it is often referred to as a “Runner Mole”.
We are certainly not throwing our hands in the air and saying there is nothing we can do to stop it, because there is, in fact, very little we can do at the source. The big commercial fishing boats will always lose pieces overboard and the building firms, of which there are so many in Shelley Point at present, will continue to throw out packaging used to protect huge glass doors and windows. The Cape Golden Mole
But we can certainly try to do our little bit, because if we don’t, the resultant damage is irreversible. Quoting from the latest Sawubona magazine: “This plastic pollution poses major ecological and human health problems. Plastics remain in our oceans in many shapes, forms and sizes, from unsightly plastic bags, plastic bottles and discarded fishing line to microscopic plastic beads and microfibers. And the extremely long lifetime of plastic presents a persistent threat to ocean life. It is filling the bellies of seabirds and mammals, which are unable to process it. Moreover, plastics act like a sponge, absorbing toxins that are ingested by
They dig just below the surface which gives one the idea that they feed on plants and roots. The golden mole digs its little passages while hunting for his favourite food, often leaving mole hills of excavated soil. Often regarded as a garden pest, they are actually a valuable gardening ally which devours many harmful insects such as garden crickets, caterpillars, millipedes and other such undesirables. On the dry beach sand, they hunt amphipods and isopods associated with kelp and seaweed flotsam.
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This little tailless mammal is about 11 cm long, weighs about 40g and its name is derived from its rich iridescent fur. They are perfectly adapted for burrowing with a streamlined body and a wedge-shaped head and a thick tough skin. Their tiny eyes are practically non-existent and covered with membranes. They have no outer ears but their inner ears are extremely sensitive to vibrations, both for the location of food and approaching danger. Typical of insectivores, they have tiny pointed teeth and a leather-like cushion on the nose to assist with burrowing and to protect the nostrils. Apart from the visible surface mounds, they also dig deep tunnels for hibernation and for the rearing of one or two offspring. Because they are solitary animals, each mole maintains its own tunnel system.
Cape Dune Mole Rat
Cape Honey Badger: Henri also submitted this photo of Cape Honey Badgers which he found playing in the rocks off Shelley Point. Many people are not aware that honey badgers live here in our area. Well, here is proof!
The habitat of the cape golden mole is limited to the dry sandy south western corner of Africa. This habitat has changed dramatically over the past 350 years due to coastal tourism, farming, urbanization and the mining of alluvial diamonds. However, proximity to, and cohabitation with humans is not considered a threat to them and has in fact helped them to flourish. Although they are pursued by gardeners and course keepers and caught by dogs and cats, these deaths are insignificant considering the size of the population and its “concealed� nature.
Honey Badger or Ratel
WARNING: Honey badgers are notorious for their strength, ferocity and toughness. They have been known to attack almost any kind of animal when cornered, even repelling much larger predators such as lions. Bee stings, porcupine quills, and animal bites rarely penetrate their skin. They are generally harmless if left alone but are utterly fearless and can be dangerous if cornered.
By contrast to the little golden mole, the one creature that gives us huge headaches is the endemic, Cape Dune Mole Rat, the largest living, completely underground rodent /mammal in Africa. The Cape Dune Mole Rat is actually not a true mole but belongs to the rat family and lives on plant roots, bulbs and other vegetation – an herbivore rodent with massive chisel incisors they can and do cause significant damage to lawns and crops. They dig deep tunnels and leave the large molehills we so often see.
Feral Cat Update We are pleased to report that two more feral cats were sterilized at Wesland Animal Clinic over the last month bringing us to a total of six females and two males that have been spayed and neutered respectively. If there are any other feral cats that have been sterilized,
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please bring this to our attention so that we can keep tabs on the situation.
daily special which was fried hake and which came with chips and salad (R 75). Both meals were delicious, very quickly served and the portions were more than generous. Foodie 2 remarked that she would have preferred the fish lightly fried rather than battered and deep fried but that is a personal preference. Other lunch items include the traditional lunchtime fare that one would expect from a coffee shop – a large variety of quiches, toasted sandwiches, burgers and tremazzinis – all in the R50-R80 price range. A variety of breakfasts are also available.
Our feral cat fund desperately needs further donations! We had a total of R2300 in our fund made up from donations as follows – R1000 (Maurits and Michelle Marnewick), R500 (Yvonne Collett), R700 (Mackintosh family) and R100 (Marieta Brand). Further amounts have been pledged from Nicky Brouwer and the Feldman family. However, with this month’s sterilizations, the fund is down to R1500 and we desperately need to arrange for many more sterilizations – starting with the rapidly growing population around the golf club. So, please consider donating to this very worthy cause, no matter how small the amount. Donations can be given to Lindy at the office. If you are not resident here and would like to donate, let us know and we will arrange for you to send your donation by EFT.
Afterwards, the Foodies decided to share a slice of the legendary carrot cake (R38). This lived up to its reputation and is absolutely to be recommended. There are a variety of other cakes, scones and muffins to enjoy with your tea and coffee – all very generous portions and obviously all very popular. So, in the coffee shop category, the St Helena Bay nursery, in the Foodies opinion, earns a well-deserved four stars. Anyone looking for good, freshly-prepared food in a relaxed environment with stunning sea views need look no further.
One of our residents has expressed interest in coordinating the feral cat programme and hopefully we will have further news on that shortly. In the meantime, if you have tame feral cats around your house, please consider taking them to Wesland Animal Hospital. Just phone ahead to arrange an appointment. The cat can be collected the same day. If you need a pet carrier to transport the cat, please let us know. Additional information regarding the procedure is available in last months’ Shelley Point News (September edition).
LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDERS Last October, we published a list of service providers based on recommendations from residents at Shelley Point (see below). This list needs to be updated as some of these service providers are no longer operating. Also, new businesses have opened and as such, we would be grateful if you could assist the community by letting us know at Shelleypointnews@gmail.com about any providers who should either be added or deleted from the list below. The updated list will then be circulated to all.
Food review – St. Helena Bay Nursery Coffee Shop This month our Famished Foodies visited the St Helena Bay Nursery for lunch. The sea view from the deck is beautiful and if one gets tired of looking at the sea, there are plenty of animals (goats, donkey, dog) and birds to amuse you. The Foodies enjoyed a glass of wine while perusing the menu (beer, wine, cider available together with the usual coffee, tea, sodas, milkshakes, juice and so on). Being lunchtime, Foodie 1 opted for a bacon, feta and avo tremazzini (R80) which came with a freshly prepared salad. Foodie 2 ordered the
• Handyman/General repairs: o Pieter: 079 607 2127 (incl.electrics) o Kat: 083 468 5107 •
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Air Conditioning: o Daneo 083 660 0756
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Electricians: o CM Electricians 022 713 4807 (After hours 083 284 2669 / 083 284 2668)
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House cleaning: o Carina: 078 140 9642 o Dot & Linkie: 0837613584
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Garden services: o Barney: 082 379 1718 o Roy: 082 466 1071
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VASCO SAYS:
House painting: Carina: 078 140 9642 Kat: 083 468 5107 Robert: 076 402 4322 Ricco: 060 688 3225 Keppies Painter: 071 782 5624
They said it’s Saldanha’s red dust That caused my appearance of rust But look at me now If I could, I would bow To the two guys who cleaned off the crust
Window cleaning: o Christo: 082 560 1053 o Anton & Johanna 072 826 0830 / 072 227 5474 o Carina: 078 140 9642
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Plumbing: o D & L Plumbers 083 287 9815 o Freddie and Laguna 084 250 8337 / 022 772 0418
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Home Appliance Repairs o Werner 082 433 5652 o Debbie 072 556 6351
Many thanks to Mias and the maintenance team for giving “ol’ Vasco” such a good scrub. He looks so much better and from next month his “profile picture” will be updated to reflect his new image.
“Bath time” by Yvonne
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