28 June 2017
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You lookin’ at ME?! …and if not, WHY not? Nik Rabinowitz will present his new show ‘Fortyfied’ at Plett’s Whitehouse Theatre on June 30 and July 1, as part of the Plett Fringe Festival that opens tonight with comical newcomer Daniel Richards to this now annual institution - find out more about these comedians and their hilarious offerings, as well as details of the Plett Arts Festival, on page 11.
Bikers ride for Brad and funds p3
Here’s how Knysna will rise p5
News from Bitou leaders p8 & 9
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CXPRESS
NEWS & VIEWS
28 June 2017
Plett Secondary School bids farewell to principal Bowers after two decades of service Words & photos: Leigh Dunn
ELWYN Bowers, who turned 60 at the beginning of this month but still looks youthful, indeed, is the longest-serving school principal in Bitou. Originally from BeaufortWest, Mr Bowers obtained his Honours degree in Education at the University of the Western Cape, after which he moved to Plett in 1993. In 1997, he was appointed the new school principal of Plett Secondary School, during the year of the fifth anniversary of the relatively new high school at Ebenezer. He took over the leadership of the school from Milton Jacobs, then deputy principal who helped out after Clifton Frolick (a former mayor of Plett) resigned as principal. Mr Bowers has been intricately involved in the Bitou 10 Education Foundation, as well as in various community projects over the years. He recalls a few highlights of his career as principal, including the Entre Rios under-18 rugby tour from Argentina at the Plett Secondary premises in 2014, and a visit to his school by students of St Columba’s College in England in 2015. He also counts producing distinction candidates in the national matriculation exams as some of his proudest moments. There is such a peaceful ambience present when one enters the buildings of Plett Secondary, and I am sure that it is be-
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IN PURSUIT OF PEACE: Mr Bowers plans to rest and seek inner peace after concluding his 20-year term as principal at Plett Secondary
BIRTHDAY BOSS: Devoted Grade 10 learners surround their principal during his 60th birthday earlier this month
cause of the positive energy and calmness displayed by Mr Bowers as head of the institution. One has to notice the absence of litter on the premises, and the content air of staff members and learners alike. In my book, that says a lot about a competent leader and his influence in general. “Mr Bowers has been a true asset to Bitou’s school commu-
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nity and will be sorely missed,� says Mrs Nikkie Manuel - one of his longest-serving colleagues, who has known him as principal since 1997. She mentions that the school is planning its 25th anniversary celebrations in July and September this year, and that they will definitely invite Mr Bowers as guest of honour, seeing that his last day of office will official-
ly be this Friday, June 30. With a smile on his face, Mr Bowers says he does not have any future plans except to rest and find inner peace. He says it’s the grace of God that has carried him through, and he wants everyone to realise the importance of a strong faith, regardless of the circumstances or the challenges we face on a daily basis. He also wishes to thank his wife who has been a strong pillar of support throughout. “It was not an easy road, but I feel satisfied by what I could do to invest into the lives of our youth. I just wish that I could do more. It is my wish to instil in the parents of our communities a habit of being more involved in the lives of their children at high school level. “Experience has shown me that parents are very supportive of their children during the primary school years, but please be as involved in the lives of your high school children, because those are the years in which they really need all your support. “It has been a great honour for me to be a part of the lives of so many youngsters, and to see them grow emotionally, academically, and in many other valuable ways,� concludes Mr Bowers. His colleagues, learners, and the communities which he touched all wish him a peaceful and blessed retirement.
NEWS & VIEWS
28 June 2017
CXPRESS
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Residents protest against lenient penalties to drug lords plying trade in Plett Enough is enough for residents of New Horizons, who marched through the streets of their neighbourhood demanding an end to the tyranny of drug dealers - YOLANDÉ STANDER reports related projects in New Horizons and to increase visible policing in the area. They added that they would also like police to involve the community in their crime-fighting efforts, and to advise them on how to assist in bringing the
FUTURE IN THE BALANCE: Marchers bemoaned, among other issues, the fact that kids as young as primary schoolers had become runners for local drug pushers - Photo supplied
EW Horizons Concerned Residents Forum organised an anti-drug march last Saturday to raise their concerns over what they believed was a drug scourge in their community. As part of the march, they also handed over a memorandum with their concerns to the Plettenberg Bay police. “As a community we have reached the point where the issue of drugs, the selling and the usage, is out of control. Our children are be-
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ing severely affected by the drug lords that reside here. “They are using our children to sell drugs for them and encourage these children to use drugs themselves,” said the Reverend Roger Muller of St Mary’s Anglican Church in New Horizons. This claim was highlighted in November last year when parents at Formosa Primary School intervened after a series of incidents at the school, including alleged drug abuse by some
of the learners. Parents not only reached out to the Western Cape Education Department, but also started doing daily patrols on the school grounds. Muller however commended local police for the drug-related arrests made to date. “Unfortunately the suspects appear in court and are released on minimal bail and this is sending the wrong message to the sellers, potential sellers, and users.” The group asked police to therefore start more drug-
Fire funds boosted by Garden Route bikers HE #SoundstheCall Mass Ride on June 25, organised by a group of ‘like-minded individuals’ and motorcyclists to raise funds for the various fire management units (FMUs) in and around Bitou, was a great success. Around 200 motorcyclists from Plett, George, Oudtshoorn and PE met on the day at Harkerville Sasol garage at 10:30am to ride along the new Airport Road where most of the devastation could be seen, and on into Main Street, gathering at LM in Plett. An amount of R22,000 was raised for #Sounds theCall through the sale
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of car stickers featuring the #SoundstheCall logo and meals sponsored by LM. This money will be go to the voluntary and self-funded (FMUs) that suffered losses of life and damage to equipment - including the complete destruction of one firefighting vehicle two weeks ago during the inferno that engulfed our area. As per the organisers, the event was arranged in order ‘to give back’ to the firefighter’s who put their lives on the line. According to a statement, the FMUs “are a vital resource to the community and offer up their personal time, endangering their lives
and making sacrifices to help fighting fires, as far as Cape Town and as close to home as Plett”. It continued that the devastation caused was insurmountable and the emotional effect on many community members, in particular the volunteers was “beyond words”. The mass ride was also undertaken to honour fallen Plett firefighter Bradley Richards. See the Facebook page to donate to #Sounds theCall (part of the registered nonprofit charity in the name of Plett People’s Purse), and turn to page 12 for photos. - Nikki Ridley
problem to an end. “We would like to be informed of arrests to enable us to immediately do petitions to oppose bail so that the courts would reconsider handing down lenient bail amounts. The current bail is absolutely nothing for these drug lords.” Muller added that drug dealers were now starting to use younger children to conduct their business. “Some are even in primary
school,” he said. “We urge Plettenberg Bay police to assist us to eradicate this growing and disastrous situation, before we lose the battle completely. We need to look ahead to our future, and the children are our future. Together we can make a difference.” Police confirmed receipt of the memorandum and vowed to provide feedback to the community in due course.
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CXPRESS
28 June 2017
NEWS & VIEWS
Decade-old strategy adored but ignored, ultimately facilitating fire disaster Albert A Ackhurst
BOUT 10 years ago, I delivered a presentation to Bitou Municipality in its Council Chambers. I urged them to consider climate change and its effects on our ecological infrastructure leading to dryer conditions and the threat of extreme fires
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and flooding as well as loss of water, all exacerbated by alien invasive plants and timber forestry. I showed visually what the consequences of ignoring these threats would be and provided the councillors with a comprehensive plan to avoid this by clearing aliens and planting indigenous vegetation while providing the eco-
COULD THIS STATE OF BEING HAVE BEEN AVOIDED? Incinerated vegetation covers thousands of acres of land in Bitou and beyond - please visit www.cxpress.co.za and read ‘Whatever you do, don’t feed the animals’ (an essential guide by the Eden to Addo team) - Photo: Derek Frielinghaus
nomic drivers through several alien biomass economies and carbon markets. Well, they loved it and included the strategy in their IDP review 2007-8. But that was a previous regime (under former mayor Lulama Mvimbi) and very soon it was shelved and out of mind again. I tried to revive the plan several times after that, but politically there was too much self-interest and bigger fish to fry. I took the strategy to Parliament’s portfolio committee on Water and Sanitation nine years ago and reiterated the threats and I warned again that climate change posed a challenge for the Southern Cape region through increased fires, increased flooding, an increase in alien species, and increased pathogens. I emphasised that the worst threat was to Bitou’s poorest - that aliens like wattle and eucalyptus burned very readily, thereby acting as a carbon dioxide pump ‘setting the clock back to zero’ and increasing habitat loss, substrate compaction, rampant fires, flooding, loss of water, wholesale carbon export, and poverty. I also reminded them that indigenous forest hardly burned at all. In the parliamenta-
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ry portfolio committee I stressed again that the risk of fire in monoculture forestry far exceeded that in indigenous forests, while the latter was much more water-conserving. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) head Tshepo Malatji said afterwards that it was important to work together to benefit all individuals and communities affected and that the Department sought to promote both indigenous forests and monocultures and wanted to work closely with Bitou to ensure that indigenous forests were supported. Dr Themba Simelane, DWAF director of Policy and Strategy, noted that he was impressed by what he had heard about Bitou Municipality and my presentation and that if there were no policies to support the benefits to communities of the indigenous forests, then it was essential to formulate such policies and to focus on climate change. He added that it was important to meet the climate change challenge because Bitou’s approach was quite novel compared to that of the Department’s approach at the time. Finally, the chairperson commented that alien species had to be seen in the context of the urgent need to conserve water resources. Nevertheless, my plan was eventually featured on SABC TV’s environmental programme 50/50 two years later and the portfolio committee chairperson (a Ms C September) publicly pledged the committee’s support of the plan, and urged Bitou Municipality to continue with it. The mayor at the time was also interviewed and voiced his firm approval of the plan, saying that it represented the interests of the environment as well as Bitou’s people and economy. But maybe all those efforts - and those of several scientists whom subsequently tried to make the point, for instance prominent scientist Prof Richard Cowling of NMMU and, more recently, Dr Guy Preston of the Department of Environmental Affairs were and may forever be in vain. Will decision-makers wake up now? Today there are smart approaches like a science based Ecological Infrastructure Investment Framework that’s been developed by the Department of Environmental Affairs and development Planning (DEA&DP) and that will ultimately guide prioritisation and management of our natural resource base including water security, fire management and disaster risk reduction. I truly believe that the fire tragedy in Bitou and Knysna could have been avoided. Or am I being too optimistic? Suffice to say, it’s time for us to band together and ensure that smart water and fire strategies and plans are budgeted for and included in all future municipal plans. • Albert A Ackhurst holds a BSc Honours degree in Botany, BCom Honours degree and a Master’s degree in Forestry (soil carbon science) and is currently the head of the component Biodiversity for the DEA&DP where he continues to assist in developing ecological infrastructure and biodiversity economy policies, plans and strategies.
NEWS & VIEWS
28 June 2017
CXPRESS
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Knysna to serve as pilot project for truly integrated human settlements ‘#KnysnaRises’ is the word on the street and all over the World Wide Web - CANDICE LUDICK reports
JOINT FORCES: Human Settlements minister Lindiwe Sisulu with Communications head Ndivhuwo Wa Ha Mabaya leave Knysna Council Chambers to go on a tour of affected areas
NDETERRED by the magnitude of its national disaster, Knysna municipal officials have been working around the clock to ensure that all effects and potential pitfalls following fires that ravaged the town are taken into consideration in planning clean-up and rebuilding operations. National minister of Human Settlements Lindiwe
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Sisulu visited Knysna and Plettenberg Bay on Thursday June 22 to assess the scope of the disaster, 16 days after the first fires resulted in mass evacuations, environmental and infrastructural degradation, and damage to property. According to Knysna mayor Eleanore BouwSpies, some 35 acres across the greater Knysna burned;
approximately 1,300 people are registered as being affected by the fire to date; 30 accommodation establishments were destroyed; and some 2,600 people have been left unemployed as an immediate consequence of the damage. The implications for the town are far-reaching and pose extensive environmental, economic and social threats in the short to medium term. The current reality is that many people have found themselves destitute when their rental homes burned and uninsured contents were left in cinders. The cost of the damage in Knysna alone as calculated thus far runs into hundreds of millions of Rands. Sisulu confirmed it was the first time that a disaster of this scale had occurred in South Africa. “Together we can find a solution,” she said. She offered her assurance that the Department of Human Settlements would provide the necessary support, and suggested that any unused budgets from other areas be redirected to Knysna. Bouw-Spies expressed her gratitude at being “supported in a way which is beyond us”. “It is very reassuring for us as a town in the midst of a disaster,” she said. “We will rise.” Knysna, Bitou, and Eden District municipalities presented their respective re-
ports on fire damage. Bitou mayor Peter Lobese was positive about the way forward: “Out of every disaster we discover something new about ourselves.” He suggested that fireresistant materials be used for informal housing in future, as this was not the first time that informal settlements in Plett had been affected by fires. Eden mayor Memory Booysen made a commitment that the district would fill in the gaps where these existed at local municipal
level. Sisulu assured Lobese that the focus on Knysna did not negate the damage suffered in Bitou, but rather that Knysna was viewed as a potential pilot project in terms of the development of truly integrated human settlements. “Human life does not distinguish between resourced and not,” she stated. Sisulu reminded everyone present that the former Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing had been replaced
with a new-term representative: the future provision of adequate housing for all South African citizens is known as Breaking New Ground (BNG) housing. She said she viewed this disaster as an “opportunity to restructure our cities to represent what we want to see in the future”. Sisulu envisions a city of Knysna that truly represents its demographics - an opportunity to recognise our shared humanity, to ultimately bridge the political divide.
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CXPRESS
NEWS & VIEWS
28 June 2017
Idioms rule as Born in Africa kids battle it out for prizes Belinda Coram BIA Education Coordinator
T Born in Africa (BIA), we believe that education is the fundamental right of every child. Language skills are most important for the educational and social development in our children. For this reason, BIA decided to inspire learners by organising a fabulous Afrikaans language idiom competition. In the past, we have organised and hostel similar competitions in Mathematics and English language skills, so it was high time for Afrikaans to be our chosen guest star. To initiate the studying of idioms, we distributed a set list of idioms to all Grade 1-7 learners in the BIA programme. With shopping vouchers to be won, they all studied ferociously during their afternoon group session classes coached by BIA mentors. When the big day arrived on June 1, we welcomed a total of 50 selected learners at the Born in Africa education centre in Kranshoek for the grand finale.
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Children from the various schools where BIA is involved were ready to enter the battle of the idioms and it was wonderful to see Kranshoek Primary, The Crags, Wittedrift Primary and Harkerville Primary schools all well represented. It turned out to be a great opportunity to meet fellow BIA learners and show them just how hard they have studied to ultimately test their idiom skills against such able competitors. We thank master of ceremonies Mrs Louw from The Crags Primary and our judges Mr Fourie (Kranshoek), Mrs Koeberg (The Crags) and BIA volunteer Veronique Claes for facilitating such a superb afternoon and a very well-coor-
PIECE OF CAKE: Learners in the Born in programme could win big if they knew their Afrikaans idioms best below, judges from left Vero Claes, Mr Fourie, and Mrs Koeberg along with MC Mrs Louw test the skills of one of the competitors
dinated event. Our kids exceeded all our expectations and words cannot describe the pride that felt inside. Well done to each learner who participated!
B10F hosts Occupational A brand new wheelchair for Therapy workshops Reesa’s frail UALITY early development is important for young children as it has a direct effect on their emotional, social, behavioural and physical development. The Bitou 10 Foundation (B10F) has over the past few years successfully im-
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TEACHING TEACHERS: Michelle Luyt, above, and Nicole McDonald, below, share their skills during one of the Occupational Therapy workshops
plemented Occupational Therapy workshops and on-the-job training for local Grade R teachers and ECD practitioners. This year, Occupational Therapists identified that practitioners and teachers have to deal with learners who don’t all share the same level of development. The ability to teach a classroom of children with a range of abilities and difficulties remain challenging for many. The therapists are addressing these issues by conducting weekly workshops to provide both ECD practitioners and Grade R teachers with practical activities and theoretical approaches to apply in the classroom. The focus is on the foundation of appropriate developmental skills, with a strong emphasis on practical interventions and activities to promote development in this age group. The participating teachers and practitioners commented that the workshops were fun while providing an extraordinary learning experience. “We would like to extend our gratitude to therapists Nicole McDonald and Michelle Luyt for their dedication and commitment to this programme, which will touch the lives of many children in Bitou,” said B10F spokesperson Veronique Kock, adding that they were grateful for funding from Vesco Plastics.
ANNS JOIN FORCES: Reesa resident Freddie is seated in the new wheelchair and on his knees is a lovely blanket knitted by Anns’ friend, David - standing behind Freddie is Ann Ruiters and at left is Rotary Ann, Ann Smart, with incoming Ann president Marjorie Henley at right
HE Rotary Anns of Plett were delighted to present a new wheelchair to the residents of Reesa Frail Care in Kranshoek – a most tangible example of Rotary International in action. Donated by the Wheelchair Foundation of the UK via the Rotary Club of Plettenberg Bay, its Anns were able to significantly assist Reesa Frail Care with this welcome gift. Says Ann Beryl Winter: “Reesa Frail Care is beautifully run by Ann Ruiters and cares for a maximum of nine people. The residents are extremely frail and this lady with a heart of gold cares for those afflicted with dementia and the aftermath of strokes.”
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BUSINESS
28 June 2017
New study claims retirement is just as stressful as working A retirement planning expert reveals the surprising findings of a Manchester University study and explains how to retire with less stress EOPLE often assume that retirement is nothing but golf and afternoon naps, but a recent study from Manchester University shows that retired folks have the same amount of stress after quitting the workforce. “The researchers tested the cortisol levels of employees before and after they retired. They found that while high-level employees did show a reduction in stress, lower-level employees did not,” says Joshua Kadish, partner at RPG-Life Transition Specialists. The researchers say that
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financial stress is the reason why retirement can be so joyless for retirees. “If you are worried
JOYLESS: Staying active and finding a support network is important
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about how you are going to pay for your medications or concerned over your rent, then it’s going to be hard to relax and enjoy the sunshine,” says Kadish. “In fact, one shocking study has found that retirement can increase your risk of clinical depression by up to 40 percent!” Staying active and finding a support network is important, but Kadish says that working with a fiduciary can help to alleviate some of the pressure felt by retirees or those planning to retire in the future.
“For many people, their finances are so stressful because they are confused and overwhelmed. Working with a fiduciary is not just a good move money-wise, but it can lift a huge emotional burden. “You know that you aren’t in it alone and you have someone who can help you with your questions and assuage your fears. A fiduciary will educate retirees on their specific situation without an obligation to do business beyond that educational engagement.” • Visit www.rpgplan.com for more information.
Malcolm Stewart – Investment manager at Michaelides Parker Wealth Knysna & Plett
Inheritance… What inheritance?! ANY retirees would love to leave a sound financial legacy to their children or grandchildren. Much of their estate planning is to reduce death duties, etc. so as to leave as much as possible to the next generation. While this is an admirable objective, there are other surprising aspects that many have not considered. The management of inherited wealth is often ignored or ill considered. In 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt died leaving a fortune of US$100-million (about US$215-billion in today’s terms!). The money was inherited by his son, William Vanderbilt, who doubled the wealth before dying nine years later, leaving the cash to his wife and eight children. By 1973, just two generations later, there was not a single millionaire left in the family. The fortune was all gone.
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The Vanderbilts are no exception. A global study by the Williams Group among 200 wealthy families found that 70% of family fortunes were squandered by the second generation of heirs, and 90% were gone by the third. This exercise shows that the transfer of wealth from one generation to another is not accompanied by a transfer of values. Family finances are often an unpopular topic of discussion; parents are afraid that family wealth might spoil their children, or they may wish to protect them from the anxiety and stress associated with money and work. Many heirs are unprepared for their inheritance - a lack of communication and trust are seen as the real reason for this misuse of money. Sanlam Private Wealth recently conducted an experiment in this regard. The children of
BUCO Plettenberg Bay
two wealthy families were locked in a bank vault. Each child was given a pile of R200 notes that were equal to their prospective inheritance. Both families experienced similar results: Rows and rows of bank notes were quickly reduced when the kids followed prompts to take away amounts for taxes, obligated expenses, startup costs for business ventures, fancy cars, travel, mansions, and clothes. Deflated by the prospect of a far more modest lifestyle, the children were, hopefully, left with a more realistic idea of how to manage their future. It is clear that much family discussion is needed to try and insure that your next generation is better prepared for the management of your legacy. In many cases, the immediate heirs may need the inheritance so as to dig themselves out of a bad financial hole. Perhaps the
idea of conserving the capital but using the income could prove useful. I have seen others inherit vast tracts of land; they then sell off parts of it to meet their immediate financial needs, but end up destitute when there is nothing left to sell! This topic needs serious personal thought. Family discussions are called for. Locking the inheritance into a trust can be equally devastating for families. I acknowledge Sanlam Private Wealth for the contents of this article. The thoughts and sympathies of the staff and directors of PMK Wealth go to those in the Garden Route who lost their homes and, in some tragic cases, their lives. • Malcolm has been in the investment industry for nearly 50 years. He has written this column in CXPRESS for the last 19 years and is a specialist in managing retired wealth.
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CXPRESS
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CXPRESS
28 June 2017
COUNCIL NEWS
COUNCIL NEWS
28 June 2017
CXPRESS
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CXPRESS
INTERVAL
28 June 2017
Tax cuts in simple terms... UPPOSE that every day ten men go out drinking and the bill for all ten comes to R100. If they paid the bill the same way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this: • The first four men, being the poorest, would not pay anything. • The fifth would pay R1. • The sixth would pay R3. • The seventh would pay R7. • The eighth would pay R12. • The ninth would pay R18. • The tenth man, being the richest, would pay R59. So, that is what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day the owner of the bar threw them a curved ball. “As you are all such good customers,” he said, “I am going to reduce the cost of your daily drinking by R20. Drinks for the ten of you will now cost just R80.” The group still wanted to pay the bill the way we pay our taxes, so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free, but what about the other six men, the paying customers? How would they divide the R20 windfall so that everyone would receive a fair reduction? They realised that R20 divided by six is R3.33. However, if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would
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each end up being paid to drink their beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by a proportionate amount to that which they were paying now. He thus proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay. Consequently: • The fifth man, as the first four, did now not pay anything (100% saving). • The sixth man now paid R2 instead of R3 (33% saving). • The seventh man now paid R5 instead of R7 (28% saving). • The eighth man now paid R9 instead of R12 (25% saving). • The ninth man now paid R14 instead of R18 (22% saving). • The tenth man now paid R49 instead of R59 (16% saving). Each of the six was better off than before, and the first four continued to drink for free. However, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings. “I only received R1 out of the R20,” declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man. “However, he received R10!” “Yes, that is right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a rand too. It is unfair that he received ten times more than me!” “That is true!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he receive a R10 refund when I only received R2? The wealthy receive all the breaks!”
When grace is needed ITTLE Mikey and his family were having Sunday dinner at his grandmother’s house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When little Mikey received his plate, he started eating right away. “Mikey! Please wait until we say our prayer,”
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said his mother. “I don’t need to,” the boy replied. “Of course, you do,” his mother insisted through gritted teeth. “We always say a prayer before eating at our house.” “That’s at our house,” Mikey explained, “but this is Grandma’s house and she knows how to cook.”
“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men, who drank for free, in unison. “We did not receive anything at all. The system exploits the poor!” So the nine men surrounded the tenth man and beat him up. The next night the tenth man did not show up for drinks. Who could blame him? So the remaining nine men sat down and had beers without him. However, when it came time
to pay the bill, the men discovered something very important. They did not have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill. And that is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes receive the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking elsewhere, where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier…
ENTERTAINMENT
28 June 2017
Mind-bending music collaboration hits CX Country this weekend ARDEN Route music lovers will be delighted at the opportunity to witness a world-class musical first in our ‘hood this weekend. Ben Badenhorst, Schalk Joubert, Jonno Sweetman and Martin Wolfaardt will share the stage at their debut performance as Mind Circle in Knysna on July 1 and again in Plett on Sunday the 2nd. “This exciting collaboration takes elements of funk, jazz, rock and ghoema as the grist for a spirited musical conversation with scant regard for boundaries but absolute commitment to the groove. Bring your best ears and funkiest dancing shoes,” said Wolfaardt. Schalk Joubert on electric bass and vocals is a Cape Town-born awardwinning producer, arranger and performer. Based between Europe and SA, he performs contrabass and electric bass, and regularly tours the USA, Australia, the UK and Western Europe. He recently played with Ginger Baker and Michelle Shocked. Cape Town muso Jon-
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no Sweetman, originally from Knysna, has grown into one of the most original and sensitive drummers on SA’s exploding music scene. He effortlessly spans genres, touring internationally with the Kyla Shepherd Trio and playing major festivals with the Blues Broers. He has featured regularly on such worldrenowned stages as the Montreal Jazz Festival and Cape Town International Jazz Festival where he performed, among others, with Wolfaardt’s Offshore ensemble. Ben Badenhorst has been
playing guitar for 20 years. His style encompasses broad stylistic areas, including Maskanda, Jazz, Indian Classical, Progressive Rock, Fusion, Middle Eastern and Avant Garde. Ben performs in a number of contexts, and has worked with a veritable who’s who of SA music including Anton Goosen, Offshore Jazz Ensemble, Mynie Grove, Wendy Oldfield, Andrew James, Jamie Jupiter, Tristan Waterkeyn and many others. He produces his own recordings in a unique blend of Maskanda, Kwaito, Jazz and World.
BACK TO BASS: Schalk Joubert is one of the country’s most celebrated bassists; based between Europe and SA, you’d do well to catch him and fellow Mind Circle musos in Knysna and Plett this weekend
Martin Wolfaardt is founder member of Offshore - a jazz sextet that has garnered critical acclaim across SA with stand-out performances at the Cape Town Jazz and National Arts festivals. He has collaborated with a plethora of artists across genres, including Jonathan Crossley’s Electric band, appearing on the seminal recording Funk for the Shaolin Monk. The band have decided to donate a third of proceeds from their Garden Route performances to fire-relief efforts and will agree on a chosen charity in line with their values to be announced at the performances. Diarise July 1 at Knysna Yacht Club (doors open 7pm, show starts 8pm, cash bar) and July 2 at Plett’s Barnyard (doors open 2pm, show starts 3pm, cash bar). Tickets cost R150 and booking is essential. Visit www.facebook.com/playonevents ART to view the event pages and contact Candice Ludick on 060 715 3607 or at playon@candiceludick. com for more information.
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Plett Arts Fest: dates to diarise ONDAY July 3 will see the opening of the exhibition 'Local Identity' in Melville’s Corner in Plettenberg Bay from 6pm. The curated exhibition of contemporary work by Garden Route artists who have been working with Elfriede Dreyer will run until July 22, and everyone involved thanks the centre for kindly availing this exhibition
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space, to the left of Clicks on Plett’s Main Street, for the purpose. Also diarise: July 6, 13 and 20 - Twilight Meander (www.plett-tourism. co.za/events/plett-arts-twi light-meander/); and July 22- Surprise closing event PEEP Art (www.plett-tour ism.co.za/events/peep-art/) Please call Carol Sachs for details on 082 798 7907.
La Luna
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CXPRESS
28 June 2017
SOCIAL SCENE
BIKERS FOR BRAD AND FIRE FUNDS: The sad procession from left are Norman Doyle, Theresa Doyle (Bradley Richards’ mother), Sean de Almeida and Ian Barnard, carrying a framed firefighting image - just left behind Ian is his wife, Stephanie Barnard. Once last Sunday’s mass ride came to a halt at LM in Plett, Denise McNamara, at centre below, handled the fundraising like a mafia boss. “You want 10 stickers… at least - right?!” Garth McNamara can be seen behind the bowl of cash. At right below are Plett biker Michael Loughran and daughter Georgina, 2. At left below are the rally organisers who call themselves “a trio of like-minded individuals” - from left are Dorothy Prinsloo, Santa du Toit and Calvin Forbes, the latter being photobombed by the inimitable Lynn’e Kapp Faasen. According to Steve Ritky of Plett South FMU, #SoundstheCall had become a symbol of generosity and multiple fundraising efforts since its inception, and the establishment of the Plett Purse two weeks ago, and for many moons to come. Also read the story on page 3. - Nikki Ridley
SOCIAL SCENE
28 June 2017
CXPRESS
13
People, places & events
THAT’S THE SPIRIT: At the opening night of the Bitou Amateur Theatrical Society’s production of Noël Coward’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ at the St Peter’s Anglican Church hall in Plettenberg Bay were, from left above, Barbara Rolfe, Beryl Winter and Lesley Wheelan, all residents of the town. At right, fellow Plett locals Glenn Hagedorn-Hansen and Cecile Jacobs enjoy the occasion.
LE DÎNER EST SERVI! By popular demand, Le Fournil in Plett’s Lookout Centre is now open for dinner each first Thursday of the month, as are the centre’s food, art, clothes and beauty enterprises, with live music to boot, from 5-8pm. These pics show some of the delighted diners, exhibitors and goods on offer at this month’s inaugural First Thursday. See you for supper on July 6! Photos: Lynette Mullins - ShowMePlett
YOUTH DAY USED FOR GREATER GOOD: These good folk from the Methodist Church in Bitou spent most of Youth Day, June 16, distributing clothes and baby food to people of The Crags after their shacks burnt down, leaving them with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Says coordinator Thamsanqa Dazela: “As members of the congregation, we collect goods and ask for sponsors to help rebuild the future of these people. We also visited the homes of those who are suffering - most of them are living off child grants and others with old-age pension, with no one working in the family. We can only pray with them and try helping with whatever we can give them.” If anyone can assist with donations, call 083 723 2676 or email dazelathamsanqa@gmail.com for more information.
FUNDS WORKOUT WORKS OUT WELL: CrossFit Plett invited athletes across the country to participate in a ‘hero workout’ on Saturday June 17 in honour of fallen firefighter Bradley Richards. Not only did participants have to complete a gruelling workout, but at the same time they raised funds for injured Plett firefighter Ian Barnard. More than R10,000 was raised in the process! - Photo: Vanessa Brewer
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CXPRESS
CLASSIFIEDS
28 June 2017
Paws
Plett Animal Welfare Service
ON THE SOAPBOX
28 June 2017
Letters to the Editor
Email: editor@cxpress.co.za - Fax: 044 533 0852 - PO Box 1449, Plett 6600
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CXPRESS
Read CXPRESS online @ www.cxpress.co.za
Open letter to Bitou mayor about our fire future
CHOO ARY S OND SEC
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“I took these pictures two weeks ago from my car parked just off Plett’s Airport Road. The sequence of the plane being filled with water from three domestic water tanks situated off the runway took about eight minutes. I timed the duration from take-off to dumping over the fire to landing - it was just under four minutes. There was a team of three who ran the hose out to the plane once it turned off the runway. It parked there with propellers turning slowly and once the water pipe was disconnected, thumbs up was given and off the pilot went, to return but four minutes later, and then the cycle would start all over again. I am not sure how many sorties these guys did, but it must be some sort of record.” - Derek Frielinghaus, Plett
correct qualifications, especially now that we have United Nations recognition for our Garden Route Biosphere. For the amount of tourism attracted to our area by the landscape, the ocean, the walks, the birding, etc., we surely should have a qualified Environmental Officer as part of Bitou Municipality? This person would be tasked with taking decisions that will protect our area from unscrupulous development, and implementing and upholding the law against uncontrolled alien invasive vegetation, while also looking long-term at future hazardous natural occurrences such as fire and flood. This is a long letter, I know, but I have written it from the heart and I would dearly love to have a reply from you about its contents. I know that there are a lot of people in our municipality who would be interested to know the answers to my questions. Helen Mudge, Plett
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Records surely set by our firefighters
Plett has many - too many - unemployed and poor people, and by making and maintaining these fire-breaks, a lot of those people would find employment. At the same time, they would be protecting our town and its outlying suburbs from this most dangerous threat of all: run-away wild-fires. The same goes for the Eskom lines: vegetation growing underneath these lines should be cleared twice-yearly, so that in high winds trees do not fall onto the lines. And another question begs a response. Word has it that there exists a position in Council, or in Bitou Municipality, for an Environmental Officer. I believe this post has been vacant ever since it became available 18 months ago. In a town world-renowned for its natural beauty, and which depends on tourism for much of its income, it would be a great thing to have this essential environmental post filled by someone with the
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the United Nations. [Turn to page 4 of the June 21 edition at www.cxpress. co.za, and look out for CXPRESS of July 5]. I hope that in the future, and because of this recognition, a larger budget than has previously been the case will be set aside to help rejuvenate our landscape. Over many years it has been allowed to get overgrown with alien invasive vegetation, and in part this type of vegetation provides a run-away fire with a much hotter and more dangerous fire-load. So I’m hoping this issue will be addressed by Bitou Municipality and by Province now that we have suffered so badly by these recent fires, in an effort to understand how best to go forward, knowing that with climate change and a degraded landscape these fires will get worse in time. If the law stating that all alien vegetation must be cleared off private and state land were implemented, this would go a long way towards helping decrease the danger of future fires in our area: without the fuel load they would not be so hot, and they would not travel so fast. After the fires in December, we were surprised to learn that firebreaks in our area were non-existent. Surely it would be ideal if each and every location, township, informal settlement and suburb were surrounded by a twice-yearly maintained 15m fire-break?
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I realise that you must have been as horrified as everyone about the fires which our area has been subjected to, and I send my condolences to you and to everyone in your municipality that has suffered in any way. I have lived in Bitou since 1976, and was personally affected by the fire at The Crags in April 1998. Although I did not lose my home, I lost a lot of wood and machinery (at that time I had a furniture-making business on our farm), and building damage that adversely impacted my livelihood considerably. I would have lost much more than I did, except that I used to keep my fields cut very short, and I did not leave the cut, dry matter on the field; each time I cut it, I burnt it so that it could not fuel any fire that might come my way. This was a twice-yearly procedure, which was expensive at the time, but it certainly stood me in good stead when the fire-storm came through my farm. From that time I have watched other run-away fires on our Garden Route so densely covered in fynbos - as well as, unfortunately, pine, wattle, Port Jackson willow and other invasive alien plants. I am extremely glad and excited, as I’m sure you are too, with the news from Paris, France, that the Garden Route Biosphere has been recognised and accredited by
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Celestial concern?
John Magill took this picture of the Knysna skies on June 7, captioning his image thus: “From under bushy eyebrows, the burning sun glowered upon the hellish chaos below.”
Unity of our people and government efforts lauded I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ANC government led by president Jacob Zuma. Plettenberg Bay and Knysna were engulfed by horrific blazes that took lives and destroyed belongings. Although we were warned about the bad weather and authorities were ready to deal with the aftermath, people from George to Knysna, Plett and Port Elizabeth were uncertain about their existence, some asking if this was the wrath of God. We salute the patriots who gave it all to fight these fires; those who opened up their houses; those who stood up and volunteered their time to help in operation centres that were set up. “Umntu ngumntu nga bantu” - this phrase explains the spirit of Ubuntu that was displayed by so many South Africans. Our caring government is
still at work, trying to find a lasting solution to this problem that might well occur again. The fact that our president and five of his ministers attended the memorial service of Plettenberg Bay hero Bradley Richards was an emotional occasion. I thank the ANC Constituency Head of Bitou, minister Ayanda Dlodlo: “Imisebenzi yakho iyabonakala mbokodo.” President Zuma should rightly bestow an award for bravery posthumously to Bradley Richards. Finally, I thank Human Settlements minister Lindiwe Sisulu for her commitment to assist those who lost their belongings. Working together we can do more, indeed. Although a member of the ANC in Bitou, I wrote this letter in my personal capacity. Thembela Mhlana, Plett
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CXPRESS
SPORT & ADVENTURE
28 June 2017
Karate trio to battle it out in Orlando IDEN Trahms along with brothers Aligi and Galliano Boni have been chosen to represent South Africa at the 2017 ISKA World Martial Arts Championships in Orlando, USA, on June 30 and July 1. This is the biggest global event of its kind, with
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thousands of contestants from all over the world. All three contestants are members of Plettenberg Bay Martial Arts Academy; it is Aiden’s third competition, and the second time the Boni brothers will travel to the States for the occasion. Galliano achieved the unique feat of becoming
the first and youngest South African to win a Grand Champion trophy at the 2016 edition of the championships. But the past year has been a golden one indeed, with all three boys becoming SA champions in their respective divisions. Team South Africa arrived in Orlando on Sun-
day June 25, and the days leading up to the competition are sure to be filled with lots of training as well as fun at the area’s vast array of theme parks. We wish them the best of luck and have no doubt that these Plettenberg Bay Ninjas will make us proud once again.
TEAM SA: Plett Martial Arts Academy members, from left, Aligi Boni, Sensei Elrie Bosman and Aiden Trahms, with Galliano Boni in front
Support these stars with national champs expenses
Crispin Kaizer from New Horizons was selected to represent Eden District when the country’s U16 boys gather in Pretoria to battle it out for SA’s top team from July 2-11. Mom Porcia Kaizer is a widow tasked with raising R15,000 to finance her son’s trip, so please email her at pkaizer3@gmail.com if you can help.
Anuchia Kiewiets of Concordia Primary in Knysna is packing her bags for Gauteng, where she will be representing the Western Cape at the SASN All Ages Netball tournament in Boksburg from July 2-6. Businesses or individuals in a position to support this costly trip financially are urged to call the school on 074 321 6121, or contact Concordia sports head Marshall Willemse at mrshllwillemse@gmail. com or on 076 388 9533. With Anuchia in the pic are proud coaches Marlene van der Walt and Sunette Barnard, right. Although the tournament kicks off this weekend, all donations will be gratefully received and used to recoup expenses. - Photo: Marshall Willemse
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