1 October

1 October 2014

Published every Wednesday by CXpress 2006 (Pty) Ltd - PO Box 1449, Plettenberg Bay 6600 - 6 Park Lane, Plettenberg Bay - Tel: 044 533 1004 - Fax: 044 533 0852 Email: editor@cxpress.co.za / advertising@cxpress.co.za Web page: www.cxpress.co.za Printed by Group Editors

Faith surges after Lagos loss p3

Supercar tragedy shocks p4

Meet legendary Mamela p5

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Cheers!

The guy responsible for this striking image, Instagram aficionado Dean Cothill, is one of a new wave of talented key influencers, and has been tasked with steering Plett Tourism’s Instagram account during this weekend’s Wine & Bubbly Festival - turn to page 7 to find out how you can be part of the cheerful action of this festive Plett first

S-Cape whales surveyed p6

Photo: Dean Cothill

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CXPRESS

News & Views

1 October 2014

Driving Miss Crazy

To market, to market, to market we go... Part II JEEVES shares his adventures as Garden Route chauffeur extraordinaire...

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Our 10 000 free copies are distributed every Wednesday to a multitude of outlets along the Garden Route, with emphasis on Knysna and Plett and drop-offs at *Sedgefield Tourism *Caltex StarMart in Wilderness *Lynn Schroeder, Build It and other select outlets in George *Storms River Village and Bridge in Tsitsikamma - phone 044 533 1004 (o/h) with distribution queries.

If you’ve missed out on a hard copy, read the electronic version online at www.cxpress.co.za

La Luna

N Part I [CXPRESS of September 24], I wrote about a trip to the Sedgefield Market on a Saturday morning to replenish the larder of a couple from Knysna, he being unable drive because of a recent knee replacement and ‘milady’ had never passed the test.

And then, after they had been dropped back home, my mobile rang - it was her, wanting to know whether I had mistakenly mixed one of their packets for mine. They couldn’t find a parcel containing some cheese, and they had searched the car without result. Sorry, but not guilty.

A few weeks later, I get another call from the lady in question in a state of minor distress... (Good grief! What had old Jeeves done now?!)

Her husband had gone off to Australasia with a couple of mates, to support the Boks in their rugger tests against the Wallabies (Team Australia for the benefit of my German and American friends), and the Kiwis (All Blacks or New Zealanders, and referred to as ‘The Newslanders’ by some broadcasters).

Could I please come round to her house? “The gardener refuses to enter the garage.

It smells like something has died in there. And we need to move the car out anyway to get at the lawnmower. And as you know, I don’t drive.”

On approaching the garage, I detected a motley odour like hydrogen sulphide in the air.

The gardener was standing there with one of those antispray masks over his nose and mouth, like they wear in the streets of Beijing.

If anything had died in the garage, judging by the stench, it could only have been the likes of a skunk or polecat.

The car’s windows were all open, “so that Kitsy could jump in and out of her den”.

I asked for a scarf to wrap around my face. Where was the cat (hoping she wasn’t the cause of this mephitis)?

“Oh! She’s indoors. I always lock her up when we take the car out.”

Once I’d reversed out of the garage, we all set about searching for some deceased creature. Garages usually double up as garden sheds and storage areas for tools, surfboards, bicycles, and boxes of treasured memorabilia ‘too valuable’ to discard. This particular one was no exception.

After an hour, the madam, gardener, ‘Eve’, and myself, had produced zippo. A fruitless exercise thus far.

We adjourned for a cup of tea, after which I excused myself - because they were going to completely empty the garage of its contents, until the source of the stench had been established, hopefully. But I had a few other matters to attend in the meantime.

Two hours later, she sum-

monsed me to return to the house to put the car back into its coach-house. The storage area had been thoroughly repacked, save for a few boxes and rusty tools, which were to be discarded - a good excuse for a spring-clean and chuck out.

In their quest, no carcass or other reason for the foul pong had been unearthed. The garage actually smelt quite fresh

by this time, as it had been allowed to aerate for a few hours, and she had also emptied half a can of fragrance spray into it.

As I approached the car, I detected that foul whiff again… I climbed in. Oh no!

I scrambled out and lurched for the scarf, covering my nose and mouth with it again.

The stink-out was in the car!

“But we thoroughly searched the car three weeks ago!” she exclaimed.

Now it was my turn. First the boot - empty. Under the

WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? Was it the rather guilty-looking Kitsy, above, our chauffeur extraordinaire, or the owners of the cheese themselves? The answer lies in the evidence, below...

seats? (One of our tricks when we used to sabotage the groom’s car at a wedding was to pour milk on the carpet under a seat, and in a few days’ time. Presto! Smelt as if a stink bomb had been dropped.) Nothing.

While exploring under the passenger seat, I nearly brought up at the stench three inches from my nose coming from the pouch at the back of the seat; there was a bulge inside it. I stuck my hand inside its elasticised opening, and felt a packet. I slowly grasped it and gently withdrew it.

“Oh! That’s the missing cheese packet!” she shrieked.

Inside was a congealed mess of blended cheeses, containing Brie, a medley of blue cheese and Gorgonzola, all from The Cheese-Man three weeks earlier at the Sedgefield Saturday Market!

She didn’t want the packet on the property any longer than absolutely necessary.

And the rubbish truck was only collecting in a few days.

The gardener and housecleaner were standing some 10 metres away by the kitchen door, he shaking his head, and she a mouthful of white teeth.

A black refuse bag was brought, and the cheese packet tightly wrapped up.

I agreed to drop it off at the collection depot next to the Knysna Fire Station, carefully laying it on newspaper in the boot floor of my car, leaving the lid slightly ajar - I didn’t want that rotten heap leaving its permanent fingerprint on the inside of my vehicle!

She thanked me profusely, deeply apologised and thrust a Woollies gift card into my hand, a much relieved and happy person.

No, not THE END! (Next week, the final episode in The Saga of the ‘Missing’ Cheese.)

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News & Views

1 October 2014

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CXPRESS

Local Lagos survivor convinced that terror attack caused church compound collapse

‘Anthony, just keep on praying’. These were the final words Crags resident Louise van der Byl, 50, uttered before she died in the recent Nigerian church disaster that claimed the lives of 115 people, including 84 South Africans - YOLANDÉ STANDER reports

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HE words above were directed at her husband Anthony, 47, while they were trapped under tons of building rubble with dozens of other churchgoers after the guesthouse attached to the Lagos church, headed by preacher TB Joshua, collapsed on September 12.

The couple visited the

church to participate in a series of seminars, seeking spiritual upliftment after their eldest son disappeared from his workplace in 2011. He has not been seen or heard from since - a traumatic experience which had taken its toll on them emotionally.

Anthony had just stepped into the dining hall of the

GOD IS GREAT: Anthony van der Byl of The Crags says his faith is stronger than ever, as God has given him the strength to deal with the death of his wife Louise, below - one of more than 80 South Africans who died in Lagos last month Photos: Ewald Stander

guesthouse where he joined his wife after a quick trip to the bank, when he heard a loud noise.

“The wall in front of us just cracked and started to fold in towards us. The next moment the building collapsed on top of us. It was pitch black and there was dust everywhere,” Anthony said.

He added that during the chaos he was separated from his wife.

“Everything happened so quickly that no one even had time to react, scream or cry.

Only when the dust settled people started to panic.”

It was also at this moment when Anthony and several other survivors started praying. “Shortly after this, I heard my wife - in a laboured voice - say ‘Anthony, just keep on praying’. She was only a few feet away from me.”

“I never heard her speak again and I did as she told me, we kept on praying for the remainder of the 25 hours we were trapped there.”

Anthony said that they could feel breathing becoming more difficult as they were using all the available oxygen. “We then started to pray for oxygen and that is when the first miracle took place. Suddenly a cold breeze blew through the area where we were trapped.”

At one stage they became very thirsty. “We started praying for water and shortly thereafter we felt water dripping on us from the slabs of concrete above us.”

During their time under the rubble, Anthony could not move. “I was pinned in a very uncomfortable position, resting on one elbow, an iron bar behind my back and a concrete slab just inches above me. At one stage I wedged my wallet under my elbow as it started to hurt.”

The concrete above him and some of the other survivors was being held up only by a plastic table, where they were supposed to have had

lunch just moments before.

“One of the injured women among us was in a lot of pain and every time she moved, she hit the table. We were afraid that if it shifted the concrete would fall on top of us.”

During the 25 excruciating hours Anthony was trapped, he could hear rescue workers drilling from the outside in

an attempt to reach them.

“I then started to see an opening appear as they managed to break through the rubble. I was one of the first people out as the opening was near me.”

Anthony was admitted to a local hospital and treated for dehydration and other minor injuries. “Other than a few

scratches and stomach pain, I was unharmed.”

He was discharged the Sunday after the incident and then the search for his wife began.

“We first went to all the hospitals and she wasn’t there. We then went to the mortuaries.

There were three. We literally had to go from body to body To page 4

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CXPRESS

News & Views

1 October 2014

Cape couple suffers ‘multiple amputations’ when supercar race goes horribly wrong Yolandé Stander

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T is up to the court to decide whether criminal prosecution will follow the horrific crash that crippled two spectators during the Knysna stage of a cross-country supercar rally last week.

Police spokesman Captain Malcolm Pojie said no one had been charged yet and that the docket would be submitted to the senior state prosecu-

tor for a decision when the investigation had run its course.

Police are investigating a case of reckless and negligent driving after the driver of a yellow Lamborghini Superleggera lost control near the finish line of a time trial up Old Cape Road towards Simola Country Estate in Knysna last Thursday.

The driver was one of more

than 50 participants in the second Rogue Rally - a 2,800km jaunt for supercars from Johannesburg to the Cape.

Knysna was one of the final legs of the rally, which ended in Cape Town on Saturday.

At about 2pm the driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a Toyota Prado and a Mercedes Vito parked on the side of the road. A mar-

ried couple from Ravensmead in Cape Town - a 48-year-old man and his 49-year-old wife - was standing near the vehicles and could not move out of the way before impact.

“The Vito went over the hill next to the road and landed on its side next to some trees.

The two spectators sustained serious injuries and were rushed to a nearby private hospital,” Pojie said.

The couple, whose family requested that their names

not be released to spare them additional trauma, is said to have suffered “multiple amputations on impact”.

Rally spokesman Jacques van den Bergh confirmed the incident and that one of the rally’s drivers had been involved in the accident.

He added that the rest of Thursday’s stage was immediately cancelled, but that the drivers continued their journey to Cape Town the next day.

“We are busy reviewing footage from all cars in the rally to see if we can find out what exactly happened,” Van den Bergh said.

The accident happened on the same twisty 2km stretch of road used for the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb, which sees cars complete the distance in less than 42 seconds and reach speeds in excess of 240km/h.

The driver of the Lamborghini sustained only minor injuries and was treated in hospital and released at about 5pm on the day of the tragedy.

TRAGICALLY TOTALLED: The yellow Lamborghini Superleggera after having lost control and crashing into two spectators and two cars near the finish line of a time trial up Old Cape Road last Thursday - Photo: Twitter @pigspotter

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT? The photo above of journalist Yolandé Stander shows how close one could get to the track when supercars sped past at lightning speed; at right, the fleet of superexpensive and powerful fourwheeled beauties prepare to set off on time trials up Knysna’s famous Simola Hill - Photos: Ewald Stander

Local Lagos survivor convinced that terror attack caused church compound collapse From page 3 to see if our loved ones were there. It was extremely traumatic as all the bodies were deformed and missing limbs.”

After the first mortuary, this form of identification was stopped and a forensic team took over.

So far more than 60 of the 84 South Africans killed have been identified.

Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe, tasked with managing the situation in Lagos, said the process involved identification by next of kin, through photographs, fingerprints, dental records and,

lastly, through DNA. “On Saturday, forensic experts came to Plettenberg Bay to take a sample of our son’s DNA to use in identifying my wife’s body.”

Once her body is identified, she will be brought back to South Africa for burial.

Anthony said although a part of him longed to be with her “in heaven”, he knew he survived for a greater purpose.

“My faith has never been this strong. God has given me the strength to deal with the death of my wife and now I can testify about his greatness.”

Anthony said he was how-

ever convinced the collapse was no accident and that it was a terror attack.

“There was a huge aircraft that flew over the building several times before the incident and after the collapse was not seen again. I’m in the construction industry and if something gives way, then the building would not collapse in the way it did. On some video footage you can see an explosion before the collapse.”

• Louise leaves behind five children between the ages of 12 and 25 as well as two grandchildren.

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News & Views

1 October 2014

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CXPRESS

One show: SA dance legend Mamela Nyamza to grace Plett stage An acclaimed South African artist is giving back to the community by using her skills for the benefit of Bitou kids - CANDICE LUDICK reports from the source

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AMELA Nyamza, recently named ‘The Creator’ Woman of the Year 2014 by Incoqwt magazine, will be facilitating worldclass dance workshops in Plett next week.

Having used dance as a means to interpret, cope with, and reconcile her life’s events since childhood, Mamela believes that others, too, can explore this art form as a means to heal themselves by using it to express experiences they may find too difficult to put into words.

Through dance, she accesses the deepest layers of the body: fears, emotions and expectations.

Mamela will visit selected Bitou 10 schools - Formosa, Kranshoek and Phakamisani Primary, as well as Pletten-

berg Bay Secondary and Murray High - to facilitate dance workshops from Monday October 6 until Wednesday the 8th, courtesy of the Bitou 10 Foundation (B10F).

One open workshop will be held for the public on Wednesday afternoon October 8 at The Whitehouse Theatre from 2-5pm. Participants are required to bring two empty soft-drink cans to work with.

Having presented this workshop at the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art in the USA during September, Mamela will draw inspiration from Plett participants, working from the inside out, guided by her own and the participants’ inner feelings.

Space is limited.

In addition to this outstanding community outreach ini-

tiative, local arts enthusiasts are in for a treat as Mamela will also be performing her critically acclaimed autobiographical work Jcvejgf at The White House on Saturday evening October 4.

This exclusive performance will not be repeated, and all proceeds of the one-off show will benefit the B10F. Jcvejgf has been staged at the Out The Box Festival, the Baxter Dance Festival, and at the World Population Foundation. Informal studio performances have been presented in Brazil, Vienna and at selected schools in the Eastern Cape, Durban and Cape Town, as well as at the SA Domestic Violence conference in Joburg.

Mamela has also performed the piece in various shelters

Upgraded clinic a shot in the arm for Bitou healthcare

Words & photo: Timothy Twidle

IN GOOD HEALTH: At the official opening of the new clinic in New Horizons on Friday were, from left, Eden District councillor Henry McCombi, Mossel Bay municipal councillor Flip du Plessis, Knysna municipal councillor Richard Dawson, Bitou mayor Memory Booysen, WC Health minister Theuns Botha, Bitou municipal councillor Elaine Paulse and Lida Ziervogel, assistant Primary Health Care manager at Bitou Municipality

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FTER a year of extensive modifications and improvements, the refurbished and expanded facilities of New Horizons Clinic in Bitou were officially opened by WCape Health minister Theuns Botha on September 26.

About one hundred people, comprising staff of provincial healthcare organisations along the Garden Route, municipal councillors and other interested persons, attended the function.

In a speech that dwelt upon healthcare throughout the Western Cape, Botha said that R5-million had been spent on upgrading the New Horizons Clinic, now 353m² in extent and boasting eight consultation rooms, a boardroom, a medicine store and an observation room, to serve a community of some 7,000 people.

The clinic complements services provided by the KwaNokuthula Community Day Centre, and clinic in Plett

CBD. Botha added that over the course of the next 10 years, new clinics will be built in Sedgefield, Karatara, Hornlee in Knysna and The Crags.

Clinics such as the one in New Horizons provide primary healthcare and a point of entry to the system of national healthcare in South Africa.

Following the official proceedings, a plaque was unveiled at the clinic’s entrance

by Botha and Bitou mayor Memory Booysen.

for abused women in the Netherlands.

Following the show, the audience will have the opportunity to meet Mamela over drinks while local muso extraordinaire Martin Wolfaardt plays his particularly pleasing jazzy tunes, having generously volunteered his piano skills and passion towards this worthy B10F initiative.

Martin founded the Offshore jazz trio and released three albums, the third in collaboration with some of South Africa’s top musicians, including Buddy Wells and Marcus Wyatt. He has played at the Cape Town International and Standard Bank Jazz Festivals, among others.

Mamela, born and raised in Gugulethu, has achieved international acclaim for her work as dancer, choreographer, activist and teacher. She is trained in classical ballet, contemporary African and pantsula dance, jazz, Spanish, gumboot dancing and Butoh.

She performed in various major international musicals including Vjg"Nkqp"Mkpi, Yg" Yknn" Tqem" [qw and Chtkecp" Hqqvrtkpvu during her early

NO HATCHLING: This image of Mamela Nyamza - who boasts an impressive string of local and international accolades and collaborations - provides a glimpse of the intensity of ‘Hatched’ Photo: John Hogg

career. Since 2006, Mamela has primarily focused on her own choreography. In 2008, she co-choreographed the American TV version of Uq" [qw"Vjkpm"[qw"Ecp"Fcpeg.

In 2009, she represented SA on NBC’s Uwrgtuvctu" qh" Fcpeg. In 2011, she was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Dance.

Much of Mamela’s performance work addresses the politics of the body and the important issues of gender, race and sexuality in the contemporary South African context. Her works include Jcvejgf, Kukpiscnc, Coc/ hqpmqpi, K" Uvcpf" Eqttgevgf,

Vjg"Ogcn and, most recently, 3;/Dqtp"98/Tgdgnu.

Her performances and collaborations have been presented to international audiences including the USA, Mali, Egypt, Lebanon, France, Slovenia, Canada and Singapore.

“We are all extremely excited to welcome an artist of Mamela’s calibre to Plett.

This is an amazing opportunity for Bitou’s children to learn from an accomplished artist who has overcome adversity to achieve her artistic goals,” said Bitou 10 Foundation CEO Kim Weyer.

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CXPRESS

News & Views

1 October 2014

Aerial survey of southern right whale population now ‘in air’...

T HE Mammal Research Institute of the University of Pretoria started flying their 36th annual helicopter survey of the Southern Cape’s right whale population on Monday.

All encountered whale species will be recorded and groups of southern right whales comprising a cow and calf pair or animals with distinctive brindle colouration markings will be photographed.

Vertical images of both the heads and backs of the animals allow individual identification, as individual whales can be recognised from the patterns of the wart-like callosities on their heads and in some cases from the pigmentation patterns on their backs.

Photography of each group usually takes less than five minutes, during which time the helicopter descends to and hovers 100-200m above the whales, before continuing the survey at 1000ft - although, in areas of high whale densities, the aircraft may move directly from group to group at the lower altitude.

After the survey, the photos are filtered to select the best of each individual and these are compared to the Institu-

te’s catalogue of ID photos from previous surveys.

Sorting of images is initially done using a computer-based image recognition system, followed by final matching of whales by eye. The catalogue now has some 1,700 recognisable adults on file from the 35 previous surveys and over 2,900 re-sightings of individuals (some have obviously been re-sighted multiple times) have been recorded.

This process allows for the movements and distributions of individuals to be investigated and the reproductive/calving histories of individuals to be analysed, providing a suite of information on the vital parameters of the population including abundance estimation, population growth rate, survival, calving intervals and age at first parturition (age at when a female calf first returns with her calf).

Southern right whales were subject to severe historical whaling pressure, particularly from the Moby Dick-style open-boat whalers between 1780 and 1835. By the time of international protection in 1935, the global population was estimated to have been

reduced from 70-80,000 individuals to probably less than a few hundred.

Despite such protection, illegal Soviet whaling fleets continued to take southern rights until the 1960s. With the local population increasing at about 7% per annum and now in the region of 5-6,000 individuals (of a total global population of ±15,000), these whales appear to be staging a strong recovery.

The annual survey provides important conservation data to monitor this recovery. All surveying is carried out under a permit from the Department of Environmental Affairs to approach and disturb whales and under specific Marine Protected Area permits from conservation authorities.

Weather plays an important part in achieving the full survey coverage so flying may be required over weekends.

• Call Ken on 082 570 8212 or Meredith on 082 746 5579 for more info on the survey, and Gwen on 072 817 7979 for details of the Dgcej"Oqx/ kg"Pkijv at 6pm on Qevqdgt"6" at Central Beach to celebrate National Marine Week and Plett’s Hope Spot initiative.

EYE IN THE SKY: This image was shot during last year’s annual southern right whale aerial survey, carried out by the Mammal Research Institute - the current survey is also done in a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter at an altitude of 1,000ft some 500-800m offshore between Nature’s Valley and Muizenberg during the following two to three weeks - Photo: David Hurwitz

News & Views

1 October 2014

Burchell commemorated in George Words & photo: Timothy Twidle

KEEPING ABREAST OF BURCHELL: At the unveiling of the bust of William John Burchell in the Garden Route Botanical Garden in George are pictured, from left, Philip Caveney (with microphone) of the organising committee, Dr Roger Stewart and Dr Stanley Caveney

T

HE bicentenary of the visit to the Garden Route by renowned naturalist and explorer William John Burchell was celebrated in George on Friday September 19.

Informative and illustrated talks were given by Dr Stanley Caveney and Dr Roger Stewart, both authorities on Burchell’s work, followed by the unveiling of a bust of Burchell in the grounds of the Garden Route Botanical Garden.

Burchell travelled exten-

sively through a large part of SA from 1810-15 and spent time in what is today called the Garden Route from April to October of 1814.

During the course of his exploratory travels, Burchell collected in excess of 60,000 botanical and zoological specimens and he is one of the most eminent persons to have been involved with the exploration and taxonomic classification of the flora and fauna of Southern Africa.

Many of the specimens he

collected are held to this day at the Royal Botanic Gardens and Oxford University in England. Burchell is remembered in familiar names such as Burchell’s Zebra and Burchell’s Coucal and in the species nomenclature of many plants, shrubs and trees.

He documented his travels in two volumes entitled Vtcx/ gnu"kp"vjg"Kpvgtkqt"qh"Uqwvjgtp" Chtkec, and one of the highlights of the bicentenary celebration was a presentation to the Garden Route Botanical Garden Trust (GRBGT) of a first edition of one of these volumes, now a highly valuable item of Africana.

In excess of 150 people attended the talks and the unveiling ceremony, organised jointly by Knysna Historical Trust, Outeniqua Historical Society, the Simon van der Stel Foundation, George Heritage Trust and the Garden Route Botanical Garden.

GRBGT chair John North told CXPRESS that an annual camping evening on the site of Burchell’s camp in George was in the pipeline, “in order to educate and inform the next generation of the importance of the natural history of South Africa and our role in protecting the environment”.

Don’t miss the Sasfin Plett Wine & Bubbly Festival this weekend!

SIP more than 30 local wines and bubbles, SAVOUR the delicacies of artisanal foods and eateries, SEA the Big Blue and ENJOY the festivities along the Plett Winelands...

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E sure not to miss the first celebration of wine and bubbles in Plettenberg Bay! Tickets are R250 per person and are available from the Plett Tourism office on 044 533 0230 or visit www.pletttourism.com if you prefer your comms electronically.

The Sasfin Plett Wine & Bubbly Festival will offer over 30 wines from the Plett Winelands area, for guests

to sample during two days of grand tastings. The event takes place at the Beacon Island Resort, on Saturday October 4 and Sunday the 5th, from 1pm to 8pm on the Saturday and from 12 noon to 8pm on the Sunday, with a dress theme of ‘Blue & White, Ocean & Bubbles and Wear a Hat’.

The entertainment line-up includes leading South African acoustic rock group

Watershed on both days, with supporting acts of Sujo & Storm and local favourite Tigger.

Parking will be available to patrons at the Central Beach parking area both Saturday and Sunday, and there will be escorts to assist you across the bridge and beach to the Beacon Island Resort.

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Tipplers tickle palettes at craft beer fest Words & photo: Bob Hopkin

T

HIS month a farm north of George hosted the first exclusively craft beer festival in the Western Cape. Organised in a classic rural setting in the shadow of the Outeniqua Mountains, the festival attracted hundreds of imbibers during its two-day tenure.

Visitors were encouraged to try any or all of the 29 beers

TIPPLE FOR THE TAKING: Organiser Alewijn Dippenaar with some of the 29 beers on offer

on offer by a clever voucher system that enabled beer connoisseurs to taste just a 100ml sample before deciding on the brands that they preferred.

‘Double Owl’, ‘90 Shilling’ and ‘Blind Mole’ were just some of the creative names of the brews on offer. Organiser Alewijn Dippenaar joked: “You can tell a craft beer from the first taste but, just to be sure, you need to drink the

whole bottle!”

Exhibitors said that the craft beer industry was flourishing as, despite the usually higher retail price, drinkers who appreciated the subtleties of the blend of ingredients such as the malt and hops and the differences in the brewing processes would pay the premium to escape the blandness of mass-produced beers.

Brews from Cape Town, Mossel Bay, a new brewery in George and the wellestablished real ale from Knysna were all appreciated by the visitors.

Dippenaar said he was delighted with the popularity of the festival despite its rather remote location. “For me this is a dream come true and I hope to turn it into a regular, annual event.”

CXPRESS

Read CXPRESS online @ www.cxpress.co.za

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CXPRESS

Business

1 October 2014

Investor Focus

The Big Five - Part III: MTN

Malcolm Stewart – Investment manager at Michaelides Parker Wealth Knysna & Plett

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RIGINALLY called M-Cell, MTN traces its roots back to 1994. The company grew through various corporate actions prior to changing its name.

It focused on developing its network in South Africa until 1997 when it started to expand into Africa.

These initial steps took it to Uganda, Rwanda and Swaziland.

The expansion rate then accelerated with Cameroon in 2000, Nigeria in 2001, Iran in 2005, and Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in 2007.

In 2009, it won the African business of the year award, and in 2012 it was rated as the 188th most valuable global brand.

It has now expanded across the Middle East into countries like Afghanistan, Syria and Iran.

MTN has a total of 203-million subscribers; the spread of those subscribers is impressive and is worth a more detailed examination: South Africa 24.8-million, Nigeria 57.2-million, Iran 41.7-million, Afghanistan 6-million, Ghana 13-million, Uganda 13-million, and Sudan 8-million.

These are staggering figures, particularly if one considers how cellphones have changed the lives of all that they have touched.

The services now available to people living in remote areas are invaluable. There are agricultural apps, climate/ weather apps, money/banking apps, and as we all know the list is endless.

Over the last five years MTN has spent over R136billion on capital expenditure.

This has greatly enhanced the communication networks of its host countries while ensuring that its systems are continuously updated.

It has been able to work across different cultures and religions. It has weathered the storms of civil unrest and in some cases what appeared to be outright war.

This company has become one of the giants of Africa and the Middle East. Its be-

ginnings are in South Africa and reflect the incredible entrepreneurial spirit of South African businessmen.

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Accounting made easy Jeremy Andrews – Andrews & Co Chartered Accountant & Auditor - Plett

Joining forces for a complete service offering

B

Y profession I am an accountant; my passion is the management of small and medium-sized businesses and I have been a computer geek from before the advent of PCs. Strange how fate works my first exposure to computers nearly put me off them for life. But, as luck would have it, my involvement with the installation of an early forerunner of the modern PC into a Barlow subsidiary where I was FD at the time got me fascinated... and then hooked!

So taken was I by this newfangled thing that I started a software development company specialising in business software, tailored to the needs of individual businesses and industries.

Computers, particularly their use in helping management achieve objectives and the smooth administration of their businesses, became a real passion from that time on.

The need to provide a really slick management accounting service lead me to developing SiAcc for the rapid processing of bank statement information into really useable management data.

While SiAcc works like a dream and is probably the easiest way possible for performing this accounting function, it was never intended as a solution where the situation called for systems such as debtors, creditors and POS integrated into a package.

So I have constantly been looking for a package that covered this need and that we could offer to clients with confidence.

Over the years, I have been truly disappointed by all the systems I have encountered - to the extent that I was beginning to doubt that I would ever find “The System”. I also started wondering if I was not setting the bar too high.

But I believe my search is over. You know that feeling

when shopping for something special? You see a product and you immediately know you have found what you are looking for - those shoes in the shop you know you will walk out in!

Well, that was the feeling I got when I first started looking at Omni Accounts a few months ago. It just felt right from the word go, and everything since then has confirmed my first instinct.

From my meeting in Plett with their MD, Andy Kudla, and their Eastern Cape consultant, Tanya Taylor, to signing-up as a dealer and then on to some quite intensive testing and trying out of their support function, everything confirmed that they are offering a solid product with solid support.

And while Omni is no longer a small company, they have retained the most important element of small company ethos: a desire to be of service to customers.

I still have a lot of Omni exploring to do, as it has a very comprehensive list of modules.

But I can tell you that not only is the system intuitive, but it also enables you to get to information easily and efficiently - aspects I have found to be really lacking in other systems I have dealt with over the years.

I will share more details in future articles when I will provide a more in-depth description of Omni’s outstanding features, such as the ability to use it over the internet and sensible pricing.

For us at Andrews & Co, this is a really exciting addition to the services we already offer clients.

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Promotion

1 October 2014

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Social Scene

1 October 2014

RAIN WALKERS RAISE FUNDS: Knysna Rotary Ann Linda Smerdon sent these pics, paying tribute to the many enthusiastic walkers and their dogs who braved grey skies and an early morning downpour to raise funds for hungry folk by signing up for the annual ‘Feet for Food’ Charity Fun Walk on Heritage Day. Says Linda: ‘They conquered the scenic 12km and 5km routes from Crabs Creek and Featherbed Terminus to Loerie Park and all proceeds will be distributed to Sedge Mobile Meals, Badisa and Knysna Child Welfare. But let these walking pics do the talking...’ Anti-clockwise from the top: singing in the rain and safely sheltered under an umbrella were Rotary Anns Jill Warne and Avis Boyd, right.

Collectively catching their breaths at the finish line, Knysna Anns president Sue Mill is flanked by Rotarians Derrick & Barbara Ikin. Having completed the ‘Feet for Food’ Charity Fun Walk, Marie van der Walt, left and Paul van Huysteen concurred that walking in the rain was ‘a glorious feeling!’

Photos: Glenn Murray Photography

ALWAYS SMILIN’, NEVER BLUE... Above are some of the Plett locals who conquered the Otter Challenge - the so-called ‘social’ version of the death-defying Otter Run, which took place on Heritage Day. But as photographer Glenn Murray put it when we asked about pics of local runners who tackled this year’s Retto (only for super athletes!), as the Grail of Trail’s west-east edition is known: ‘I decided to go the social fun route when deciding which photos to share with CXPRESS - not that the Challenge is social, or fun...’ So here’s three cheers to the brave Plett heroes who managed to run 42km of Otter Trail in less than a day - pictured clockwise from above left are Chris ‘Third Time Lucky’ Upton, ever-smiling Hanlie Sinclair, Devon ‘Face Adrenalin’ Tuohey, Blue of Surf Cafe fame, and blossoming Blossom Orzechowski. Hanlie raised funds for cancer sufferers in Plett through her Otter efforts while Blue... well, Blue’s just a bit of a show-off. See him and other local and not-so-local trail runners in action during this weekend’s Robberg Express - call Georgie on 072 629 5316 or email nicki@lionroars.com to enter or visit the Plett Athletics Club Facebook for more information.

CELEBRATING OUR HERITAGE WITH FOOD AND TUNES: The images below serve as proof that Plett folk can party with the best of ‘em when a great occasion like last Wednesday’s national Heritage cum Braai Day comes along. The Market Square invited all to put their best food feed forward with a competition judged on not only taste but also team spirit, support and appearance. Mad Brad, left, of Psycho Circus fame spinned perfect tunes for the occasion - what fun!

People, places & events

THE ‘OTHER’ DR EVIL: Born in Africa head honcho Isabelle Brink, left, with a bunch of colourful BIA volunteers before the start of a 3.5km cycle race that set off and finished at the starting line of last month’s successful Pennypinchers Dr Evil Classic mountain bike race in Wittedrift. Read the full story on page 16 of this edition.

Promotion

1 October 2014

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Interval

1 October 2014

A tourist walked into a fish and chip shop in Ireland.

“I’ll have fish and chips twice,” he orders.

“Sure, I heard you the first time,” came the reply.

Is that sign for real?

F R E S H

TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE THE FLOOR BELOW In a laundromat: AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES - PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT In a department store: BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS In an office: WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN In an office: AFTER TEA BREAK, STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD Outside a second-hand shop: WE EXCHANGE

T

ANYTHING - WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN? Notice in a health food shop window: CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS Spotted in a safari park: ELEPHANTS, PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR Seen during a conference: FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN’T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR Notice in a farmer’s field: THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES Message on a leaflet: IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS

The blonde pilot...

HIS is the story of the poor dizzy blonde flying in a two-seater airplane with just the pilot. He has a heart attack and dies. She, frantic, calls out a Mayday.

“Mayday! Mayday! Help!

Help! My pilot had a heart attack and is dead, and I don’t know how to fly. Help me!

Please help me!”

She hears a voice over the radio saying: “This is Air Traffic Control and I have you loud and clear. I will talk

you through this and get you back on the ground. I have a lot of experience with this kind of problem.

“Now, just take a deep breath. Everything will be fine. Now give me your height and position.”

“I’m 5’4” and I’m in the front seat.”

(Pause) “Okay,” says the voice on the radio, “please repeat after me: Our Father. Who art in Heaven... ”

Betty Louw

D

IE ou oom en antie sit op die stoep en drink ‘n koppie tee.

Oom se selfoon maak ‘bliep-bliep’. Hy haal dit uit sy sak om te kyk wie hom SMS. Antie vra: “Wie is dit?”

Oom antwoord: “Betty Louw. Ek ken nie ‘n Betty Louw nie,” en hy sit sy foon terug in sy sak.

Na ‘n paar minute maak die oom se foon weer ‘bliepbliep’ en hy sê: “Ai, die Betty Louw is lastig.”

Antie sê: “Gee jou foon hier laat ek sien.”

Sy kyk die oom se foon so en sê: “Jou onnosel, dis nie Betty Louw nie, dit sê ‘Battery Low’!”

A farm kid’s take When you’re from the farm, your perception is a little bit different…

A

farmer drove to a neighbour’s farmhouse and knocked on the door.

A boy, about nine, opened the door.

“Is your dad or mom home?” asked the farmer.

“No, they went to town.”

“How about your brother, Howard? Is he here?”

“No, he went with Mom and Dad.” The farmer stood there for a few minutes, shifting from one foot to the other, mumbling to himself, when the young boy said: “I know

where all the tools are, if you want to borrow one, or I can give Dad a message.”

“Well,” said the farmer uncomfortably, “no, I really want to talk to your dad about your brother, Howard, getting my daughter, Suzy, pregnant.”

The boy thought for a moment, then said: “You’ll have to talk to Dad about that. I know he charges R500 for the bulls and R50 for the pigs, but I have no idea how much he charges for Howard.”

“Ma’am! How do you spell ‘ichael’?”

The teacher is rather bewildered: “Don’t you mean ‘Michael’?” she asks.

“No, Ma’am. I’ve written the ‘M’ already.”

Home & Health

1 October 2014

CXPRESS

FOCUS ON EYE CARE

13 ADVERTORIAL

Everything you need to know about Posterior Vitreous Detachment A

posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) occurs when the collagen fibres which make up the vitreous (jelly of the eye) condense, causing the gel to pull forward.

Patients typically complain of seeing central floaters and/ or flashes of light, usually in their peripheral vision. This is a normal age-related phenomenon, but in some patients, it can be associated with a retinal tear or detachment.

The flashes are due to the physical stimulus of vitreoretinal traction. With normal eye movements, traction on the retina stimulates the neurons of retina to fire. This signals the brain to ‘see’ light.

The symptoms of flashes are most prominent in dark conditions, and generally disappear with time. A few reproducible flashes, especially with head movement, are not particularly worrisome, and also tend to lessen with time.

The floaters are due to a combination of aggregated or clumped collagen fibres, haemorrhage, and/or glial cells from around the optic nerve. The symptoms due to floaters generally diminish over time, sometimes months.

Because the floaters are tissue, they do not go away (unless due to blood), but you learn to gradually ignore them. So what causes Posterior Vitreous Detachment?

Cig As a person gets older, the gel-like material in the vitreous begins to liquefy in the centre. Eventually the vitreous will collapse in on itself, pulling the vitreous free from its attachments on the retina or at the optic nerve.

SEEING EYE TO EYE: Ophthalmic surgeon Dr Dylan Joseph consults in Plett and Knysna

Posterior vitreous detachments occur in less than 10% of people under the age of 50 but they occur in more than 60% of persons who are 70 years or older.

Vtcwoc Trauma to the eye can also cause a posterior vitreous detachment. A blow to the eye causes traction on the vitreous and can pull the vitreous away from the retina. Trauma can be a factor in posterior detachments occurring in people younger than 40 years of age.

Pgct/ukijvgfpguu Because the eyes of nearsighted or myopic people are longer than the average eye, these people are at a higher risk of developing a posterior vitreous detachment. Statistical evidence has shown that posterior vitreous detachments are associated with near-sightedness.

Kphgevkqp"qt"kphncoocvkqp Infection in the rear portion of the eye can cause inflammation. This inflammation can cause the vitreous to liq-

uefy as well, leading to the gel in the vitreous collapsing and the vitreous pulling away from the retina of the eye.

Conditions like uveitis, which is an inflammation of the vitreous, can cause a posterior vitreous detachment as well.

Uwtigt{ People who have had cataract surgery are at higher risk of developing a posterior vitreous detachment. Patients who have had a specific type of laser surgery called a YAG laser after cataract surgeries are also at risk for posterior vitreous detachments.

U{orvqou"cpf"fkcipquku" qh"RXF PVD can cause symptoms such as floaters, little flashes of light, or a cobweb effect across your vision. Some people get all three symptoms and others may only get one or two.

Some people get a lot of each of these symptoms and others hardly any. Importantly, these same symptoms can be an indication of a

more serious problem, such as a retinal tear, which needs urgent attention.

You will not be able to tell the difference between floaters and flashes caused by PVD or retinal detachment.

The only way you can tell is to have your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist.

If you suddenly experience any of the following symptoms, make sure you have your eyes examined as soon as possible - preferably on the same day or within 24 hours: • Sudden appearance of floaters or an increase in their size and number; • Flashes of light and/or a change/increase in the flashing lights you experience; • Blurring of vision; • A dark ‘curtain’ moving up, down or across your vision, as this may mean that the retina has already partially detached.

It is important to remember that in most cases these symptoms are caused by vitreous detachment and this rarely causes any long term problems with your vision. However, because there is a small risk that these symptoms may be a sign of a retinal tear or detachment it is always best to have your eyes examined.

Jqy"ku"RXF"vtgcvgfA At the moment there is no medical treatment for PVD. There is no evidence to show that eye exercises, diet changes or vitamins can help a PVD. Because PVD floaters, in most cases, clear up on their own, the possible benefits of surgery do not outweigh the risks involved.

Tgvkpcn"vgctu"cpf"RXF As noted earlier, when the vitreous detaches it may tear a hole in the peripheral retina which may be asymptomatic.

Use the analogy of Prestik on tissue paper.

Knysna gardeners to showcase their art end-October

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT... Some of the beauties that are sure to inspire the green and not-sogreen-fingered at this month’s Open Gardens of Knysna event – from left, Crouch garden Leisure Isle, Jacobs garden - Thesen Islands, and Nel garden - Leisure Isle

K

NYSNA has many glorious gardens, and with the kind consent of the owners, Open Gardens of Knysna will be hosting a wide and varied selection of gardens on October 25 and 26.

Says Open Gardens convenor Esther Townsend: “Our last show was in 2006 but due to the drought and severe water restrictions, the event was put on hold until climatic conditions improved.

“This year we are proud to show 11 gardens, from a large

farm-style affair to small town gardens, all charming with their own characteristics.

“We hope many will take advantage of the opportunity to spend an enjoyable day visiting the gardens, while at the same time helping local charities to meet the ever-increasing cost of running their organisations.”

And not only will visitors be able to feast their eyes on the array of gardens, but there will also be an art and pottery exhibition at the two

Belvidere homes partaking in the event.

All funds raised will be divided between charities nominated by the gardeners and tickets are now available from Sotheby’s offices on Thesen Islands and Leisure Isle.

Email knysnaopengardens @gmail.com or phone Esther on 072 466 1781 for more info, and visit www. gardeningatleisure.co.za/ knysna-open-gardens-2014 for more images of participating gardens.

If you peel the Prestik off, it will either pull loose from the tissue paper causing no damage to it, or it could tear a piece of the tissue paper with it. The same process happens to the retina when the vitreous pulls loose.

If your ophthalmologist notices that a piece of retina has been torn but the retina is still

attached, then that tear can be ‘welded’ closed with laser. If, however, the tear has resulted in a retinal detachment, surgery to reattach the retina is likely indicated.

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CXPRESS

1 October 2014

Classifieds

On the Soapbox

1 October 2014

Letters to the Editor

Email: editor@cxpress.co.za - Fax: 044 533 0852 - PO Box 1449, Plett 6600

We all have a hand in creation of take-take-take culture Further to my letter last week, I would like to take this a little further, as the story was not quite complete [see ‘Being ripped off for services not delivered’ on page 15 of the September 24 issue at www. cxpress.co.za].

The transfer/registration of my plot took place round about end-October 2013.

The conveyancer works out roughly what the rates, electricity and water will be for a certain number of months, in this case, up to June 2014 - for

my property: R8,102.

That is R1,282 actual rates R160.25 x eight months according to the statement/ account I received. I will say again that I do not have a problem with the rates portion.

So the R6,820 Bitou decided

to keep - even if no services or goods are supplied, it is quite OK to them!

During this period I received no account or any document from Bitou, indicating this amount and the monthly charges being deducted from

Bitou municipal ‘Availability Charge’ misapplied?

In reference to recent letters from owners of vacant stands who have been hit with a new municipal charge for the ‘Availability of Service’ not actually supplied, I have done a little digging into the published municipal rules and by-laws with some interesting observations.

According to Bitou Municipality Customer Care and Revenue Management ByLaw definitions and interpretations, “availability charge” means a fixed monthly or annual charge levied against the account holder which is based on the cost for providing a municipal service to the premises of the account holder.

Chapter 3 of the same document, section 17, describes ‘a two-part tariff structure consisting of a fixed availability charge coupled with a charge based on consumption’.

For electricity this two-part tariff is described in section

20 which details a number of consumption based tariffs and in sub-section (d) - ‘a domestic electricity consumer other than a registered indigent and sub-economic (government subsidised housing) consumer must additionally be billed an availability charge per meter installed’.

Section 21 of the same document describes the tariff structure for water usage, again sub-section (d) states ‘an availability charge per water meter, as determined by the municipality, is charged on a water consumer’.

Section 22 refers to refuse removal and makes no reference whatsoever to an ‘Availability Tariff’.

Section 23 refers to Sewerage, sub-section 3(a) ‘an availability charge is charged per month or annually for an undeveloped erf, irrespective of its permitted or intended use’.

The currently published

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Bitou Municipality - Tariffs: 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 20162017 page 10, describes electricity ‘Availability Charges - This Tariff is applicable on Vacant Properties, based on the zoning of the property’.

Page 16 makes reference to Refuse, page 18 to Sanitation and page 20 to Water, all making reference to Vacant Properties. It is my humble view that our municipality has chosen to misinterpret the applicability of ‘Availability Tariffs’ to undeveloped land.

According to their own by-law “availability charge” means a fixed monthly or annual charge levied against the account holder which is based on the cost for providing a municipal service to the premises of the account holder.

If water or electricity are not provided to an erf and terminated at a meter, how can any reasonable person suggest that the service is available? Like-

wise with sewerage - if there is no sewer connection to an undeveloped erf, how can the service possibly be available?

To give our municipality a small glimmer of support, I would agree that refuse collection is a little less clear.

Just because an erf is undeveloped does not prevent the landowner from putting out ‘garden waste’, etc. which could be collected by the municipal refuse service.

Additionally, where a vacant erf or a vacant home are provided with municipal services, i.e. water, electric and sewer connections, regardless of consumption, then it is a reasonable assumption that the ‘availability’ of these services must be paid for.

I’m sure this subject will result in some interesting CXPRESS content over the coming weeks and I look forward to future editions with interest!

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What a terrible way to start Heritage Day

this amount. I got an account for more money, when they thought it was time for some additional funds.

Then I saw what they were really getting up to, with a whole host of the phantom services they were happily charging me for (as indicated in my last letter).

I did apply for electricity and water connections, but when they quoted me about R7,500 I hit the brakes and never followed through, as I was planning to start building as soon as possible.

Needless to say, I will not participate in an environment like this and cancelled all planned building activities, even after I have approved building plans.

Money has become a disease, cancerous, from the street children to the wealthiest

and it seems even presidents all need more and more.

Some of these children in town here do not see me as a MAN but as a beautiful shiny ATM and they don’t even need a card nor PIN number.

Where do they get this from?

They learn it from us, and the municipality is leading the charge. It is one vicious circle. You take from me; I take from another to get what you have taken from me. We all had a hand in this creation.

I was reading today’s PE newspaper, The Herald. These municipalities are rotten to the core. I do not think one would find a single person that does not have his hands in the till, in one way or another. Even those that steal the toilet rolls from the staff toilets are part of the system.

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I refuse to pay!

Thank you to the two people who aired their views on refuse charges on vacant land - surely there must be more out there...

Anyway, I met with Mayor Booysen last Tuesday. (After asking for his office to make the appointment, I was put through to the kitchen.)

I arrived at the appointed time of 10am to find he indeed had an office and it was so much better than a kit-

chen! But, my appointment was nowhere in the book.

However, I sat until I could see him and he promised to contact me next week with news. I won’t cancel any of my appointments, just in case.

But I have stopped my debit order to Bitou and it is now a stop order through the bank for rates only. I am not paying for a refuse removal service when there is no refuse.

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Take our example… we fixed the road!

FREE FOR ALL: Bakkie-loads of people, seemingly undeterred by officials, arrived to get their share of the scattered goods after a milk truck crashed off the N2 at the Keurbooms turnoff

Radio Algoa kicked the day off with the sound of diverse children explaining what Heritage Day means to them.

Most said how it was about respecting other people’s culture and heritage, and to celebrate how far SA had come.

I am not confident that I agree. Like vultures to prey, I witnessed troops of cars approaching an overturned milk truck by the Keurbooms

Strand turnoff, and was overcome with disgust.

My immediate response was: “I hope no one is hurt.

What do you think happened?” But it seems people with my concern were few.

Those cars did not care two hoots about who was hurt or what had happened; it was all about who could carry the most cartons, with Plett Police as their encouraging audience.

Bakkie-loads of township children were sent into the wreckage to recover as much as they could, smiles consuming their faces as if they have just won the jackpot!

Municipal workers and police members did nothing to stem the hunt.

Upon their arrival, members of the Provincial Police Force were shaking their heads in dismay - almost as if

this is what they expected of their local counterparts.

I would like to extend my hopes of a steady recovery to the driver, and my utter disgust in the people who behaved like vultures on this Heritage Day. This not only highlighted how far SA has failed to come, but also how incredibly different we all really are.

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The roads in Knysna have been deteriorating rapidly and the potholes have increased to the extent that it has become dangerous for motorists swerving to avoid potholes, and hazardous to drive because of the danger of causing an accident or damaging your car.

There have been numerous pleas and requests to Knysna Municipality regarding the condition of the roads and to our frustration we have been told that after the salaries have been paid, there were not enough funds left to fix the roads.

Therefore, we as ratepayers have decided to take matters in our own hands and fix the road ourselves.

Wilson Street is one of the roads where the potholes have not been fixed for an extended period and as responsible people, the team of Re/Max Coastal took it upon ourselves to fix the potholes.

It turned out quite successfully as a trial run and in the future we will be able to improve on our performance.

We have received lots of praise for our effort and it must be said Re/Max paid for everything ourselves.

We trust the municipality takes note of this action and fulfil its responsibility and repair all potholes in Knysna and through that, restore our lost confidence.

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Inching ever closer to yet another failed state...

Guess what happens when the African National Circus comes to town?

Last week we witnessed a congress of clowns over a number of days comprising no less than one cabinet minister and at least five deputy cabinet ministers with a supporting cast of so-called provincial bigwigs, i.e. lostthe-plot Fransman, scribe-in-

a-paper-pile Mjongile, and the near-obsolescent Putco M. The occasion? To help hold onto Bitou Ward 7 in that Wednesday’s municipal byelection. This really confirms that they must have precious little real work on their plates.

But it’s not particularly surprising, with their boss busy attending weddings, sucking up to despots as

well as kleptocratic fiddling while South Africa inches ever closer to becoming another failed state.

All the DA had to do while the circus of nine swaggered around wasting ever more money was merely just to produce two, yes only two, short-stay visitors from Cape Town, viz. Helen Zille and Dan Plato.

And the result? A fine capture of the Ward 7 seat from the said circus by the DA’s Annelise Olivier.

So one does not have to be a rocket scientist in this instance to see the real net worth of the DA. Makes one think what a strong and prosperous country South Africa would be under a DA government.

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POTHOLE DYI: The Re/Max Knysna team hard at work fixing the holes in Wilson Street on September 16

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Sport & Adventure

1 October 2014

Knysna, Plettenberg Bay gymnasts gear up for nationals Jennie Anderson shared this photo of a gifted group of local gymnasts who last month qualified for the National Gymnastics Competition to be held from October 8-11.

At back from left are Carmen Swiegers, Rene Strydom, Anya Fechter, Allana Jantjies and Francine Olivier, with Monique Fechter, Carla Collins, Veronique Behrens and Lara Schlechter in the middle row, and Crystal Hart and Heather Anderson in front.

Jennie thanks the following businesses for their donations of great prizes for the Knysna Gymnastics Club lucky draw raffle: Boat Hire at The Angling Club, Adventure Land, Link Pharmacy, PNA, The Fat Fish, Yellow Wood Spur, Lederle’s and Bargain Books in Plett.

The race that broadened horizons

W

HEN the second leg of the Dr Evil Classic saw nearly 300 riders set off to complete an 80km route in ice-wind conditions,

32 development riders from Born in Africa took off on a challenging 3.5km race from Wittedrift to the Wadrift water table and back.

Kickboxing their way to Destiny USA

Students from the EFA kickboxing clubs in Knysna and Plett took part in the 2014 NMA-ISKA Destiny National Championships at Bellville Velodrome in the Cape recently.

The nine local participants brought home an impressive 17 medals, among these eight golds (national titles), seven silver, two bronze and an opens trophy. In the Junior category, Divan Luiters took gold for points fighting, high kick and tag team, while also winning the opens trophy. Seniors Ceileigh McCurrach won gold for points and continuous fighting and silver for traditional kumite, Africa Vumazonke claimed silver for K-1 (full contact), Errol Martin bronze for points and continuous fighting, Nakita Roelofse silver for kumite and continuous fighting and bronze for kumite and kata, Janine Stephens gold for points and continuous fighting, and sensei Reynard Westraad silver for continuous fighting. Veteran Harry de Villiers won silver for points fighting. All fighters winning gold, silver or bronze at Destiny were selected to take part in the ISKA world champs held in Orlando in the States next year.

We wish these fighters the best of luck for that, as well as for the the Eastern Province championships held in Jeffrey’s Bay this coming weekend. Flanking sensei Reynard in the pic above are, from left, Errol, Divan, Janine and Nakita.

They made their way to the finish line in record time, with Satley Davids the first boy home, followed by Joe Mclean and Breyton Petersen. Girls’ race winner was Leanne Plaatjies, with Vionet van Rensburg hot on her heels and Davinia Averies third.

The event was the brainchild of retired Wittedrift headmaster Andre Bouwer and BIA’s Belinda Coram, and it all came together after BIA and Rotary donated 100+ bicycles to Wittedrift Primary students in March.

And came race day on September 19, the participating Grade 6 and 7 pupils showed true enthusiasm.

Says Belinda: “The preceding week was spent on preparing their bikes, bodies and minds for the race - an event like this truly broadens our kids’ horizons.

“We thank Pennypinchers Plett, race organiser Zandile Meneses, our own Isabelle Brink and Messrs Chalmers and Marallich of Wittedrift Primary and High for granting us permission to host such a memorable event.

“We also thank the marshals and Bitou Traffic for keeping our kids safe and, most importantly, all the competitors who made us very proud. Tour De France, here we come!” *Ugg"rkevwtg"qp"rcig"320+