2 September 2020
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
This group of brave ladies and a handful of gents were part of the happy collective that celebrated spring on Tuesday morning September 1 as first light appeared beyond the Tsitsikamma Mountains. Plett’s Central Beach was echoing with whoops and wows as they attacked the surf en masse, with the spectacular display of purples and oranges colouring refreshed bodies of all shapes and sizes to emulate superior life forms that had just seen the light…
Photo: Fran van Rooyen
Spring is in the air… and in the ocean!
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Don’t miss this exhibition! - p2 Abandoned baby’s mother arrested - p3 Views on chokka fleet shared - p5
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CXPRESS
NEWS & VIEWS
2 September 2020
Buyers seeking a safe haven in property set their sights on Plettenberg Bay
OPTIONS ABOUND: Homes located in the vicinity of Seaside Longships, Signal Hill, and gated security estates like Whale Rock Ridge have been attracting significant interest from serious buyers
LETTENBERG Bay property is back in business - this according to local Seeff licensee Kevin Engelsman. “Despite the challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, our property market is active again, in fact more so than it’s been for some time. While about 90% of all sales fall below the R4-million mark, the market is active across the board,” he says. While there’s lots of activity in the R7 to R9-million range, agents are also quite busy showing homes valued between R10-million and R15million, as well as in the R18 to R25-million range. So the luxury end of the market is on the up, too, with renewed demand for high-end properties priced
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At the opening of the Reidwood Exhibition at Yellowwood Centre in Plett’s main street on August 27 were, at left, Reidwood proprietor Patrick Reid and his spouse Laurian, right, together with the team of cabinet-makers who assembles their superb range of wooden furnishings - from left are Okuhle ‘Jojo’ Makwethu, Tiaan Booysen, Angelo Paulse, Cedrick Bezuidenhout, Cyril Wildeman, Pieter Paulse, and Nazeem Haron. The Reidwood Exhibition runs from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday, and from 9am to noon on Saturdays until September 30. Visit www.reidwood.co.za for more information. - Timothy Twidle
in excess of R20-million. “The perception that property prices are negotiable is only true where properties are not priced in line with the current market. Where they are correctly priced, sellers are achieving close to and even full asking price,” Engelsman says. Given that sellers only have one chance to create a favourable first impression, new listings are currently attracting the highest attention. It is therefore essential to stage a property in such a way that it will create a strong demand. “Bear in mind,” he says, “that most sellers in Plettenberg Bay don’t need to sell - especially if it is secondary property holdings - and they’re prepared to wait for the right price. Where
sellers do offer a discount on the asking price, it’s generally only about 5-10%.” Low offers are not accepted, and the buyer simply risks losing out on the property, even at the top end of the market, Engelsman explains. Work from home A key emerging trend in Plettenberg Bay since the onset of the pandemic is that people are now buying to work from home. Engelsman says there has been quite an influx into the town since late March as people look to enjoy better surroundings while confined to their homes and running businesses remotely. Consider rentals There’s also been a major pick up in the rental market with a
shortage of stock, especially at higher price levels being in the R17,000 to R25,000 per month range, and some demand reaching up to R27,000 per month. It’s therefore a great opportunity for property owners to put their homes into the rental market or to invest in property for the rental market right now. “Overall, the demand for property is currently much higher than the number of new listings that are becoming available. In contrast to what we may have expected, there’s a shortage of luxury stock for sale and rent and opportunities abound,” concludes Engelsman. See the Seeff adverts on the cover and on page 3 for current listings and contact details.
Don’t miss this exhibition of fabulous furniture, fine art, fabrics, and ceramics
NEWS & VIEWS
2 September 2020
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CXPRESS
Abandoned baby’s mother arrested in Plettenberg Bay NVESTIGATIONS into the case of a baby found abandoned in Central Knysna bore fruit when the Georgebased Family violence, Child protection and Sexual offences (FCS) unit traced the child’s
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mother within hours after detectives attached to the unit commenced their probe. On Tuesday September 1, it was announced that a search was launched for the mother of an infant, discovered in
bushes within the Knysna CBD on Monday at 2:40pm. According to Southern Cape SAPS spokesman captain Malcolm Pojie, the coloured baby girl was estimated to be about a week old, and was discovered in the bushes near Green Street by a passer-by, who then took her to the Knysna SAPS Community Service Centre. “The baby was immediately
transferred to Knysna Hospital, where she was admitted and received medical treatment and the necessary nutrition,� said Pojie. He added that attempts to find any of the infant’s relatives commenced at the same time. “After consultation with Knysna Hospital on recent admissions in its maternity ward, information obtained took the investigating
officer to New Horizons in Plettenberg Bay, where they traced the 17-year-old mother.� The teenager was arrested on the spot before being processed and detained. She was expected to make her first court appearance in the Knysna Magistrates Court this morning, where she is facing charges of child neglect and child abandonment.
LITTLE GIRL LOST: After this baby girl was found in bushes off Green Street on Monday, she was immediately admitted at Knysna Hospital for medical treatment and nutrition
Knysna officials won’t pay it back OLLOWING allegations of irregular expenditure levelled against Knysna Municipality by the town’s Ratepayers Association, acting municipal manager Dr Louis Scheepers submitted a detailed report addressing this issue during a council meeting of August 27. Scheepers said it was important to note that the findings of the Auditor General (AG) in relation to the interpretation of the implementation of Regulation 32 were not peculiar to Knysna, and that save for two in the Western Cape, all other municipalities in the province - even those who received socalled clean audits - had similar findings resulting from the the AG’s interpretation of these regulations. Dr Scheepers conceded that Knysna Council had to comply with the legislative provisions that a committee of council investigated, even if the circumstances dictated or
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warranted otherwise. “In this case, the committee can only come to the conclusion that, firstly, no political office bearer, the accounting officer, or another official knowingly, deliberately or negligently incurred irregular expenditure. “Secondly, the municipality received value for money even though the expenditure was irregular,� said Scheepers. In conclusion, he added: “The municipality will therefore not be able to recover any monies from any political office bearer, the accounting officer, or from any other official. “However, to comply with the prescripts of the Municipal Financial Management Act, council must refer the matter to the Municipal Public Accounts Committee and only after receiving a recommendation from this committee can council decide to write off the expenditure.� See the Editor’s Desk at www. cxpress.co.za for the full story.
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CXPRESS
INTERVAL
2 September 2020
Biggest plot twist endings
The training of Jim IM, who was late to everything, was drafted and sure enough, in boot camp, he was last in line to get a rifle. When it was his turn, the quartermaster said: “I’m sorry but we’re all out of rifles.” Jim asked: “How can I do the drills then?” The quartermaster replied: “Take this stick and when it’s time to shoot, yell ‘Bangety Bang Bang!’ Go get a bayonet on it and maybe it’ll look better.” But, again, Jim was last in line. The quartermaster told Jim: “I’m sorry, but now we’re all out of bayonets. Tie this banana on the end of your stick and when you’re doing drills, yell ‘Stabety Stab Stab!’” It went well, but after just a couple weeks of training Jim found himself in the actual war. He was on the front lines and he didn’t know what he was going to do. But then an enemy soldier jumped out in front of him, and Jim’s training took over. He pointed his stick and yelled: “Bangety
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Bang Bang!” The soldier fell down dead. Another rushed him from the back. Jim twisted around and yelled: “Stabety Stab Stab!” and that soldier also fell down dead. “Maybe that quartermaster was a wizard,” Jim said to himself as he took down enemy soldiers right and left. “Bangety Bang Bang! Stabety Stab Stab!” But then a very burly soldier stepped in front of Jim. “Bangety Bang Bang!” Jim yelled. Nothing happened. The soldier kept coming. “Stabety Stab Stab!” Jim tried. Again the soldier kept coming. “Bangety Bang Bang! Stabety Stab Stab! Bangety Bang Bang! Stabety Stab Stab!” Nothing fazed the soldier as he slowly pushed Jim over, and trampled him to death. The enemy soldier looked down at Jim and said in a very, very deep voice: “Tankety Tank Tank.”
“You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer or an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapon, but at the very least you need beer.” - Frank Zappa
Nice try… T a girl’s college dormitory, dates are permitted only on Saturday nights. One young man shows up on a Tuesday evening, explaining to an older woman in the lobby of the dorm that it is im-
perative he sees a certain young lady - immediately. “I want to surprise her. You see, I’m her brother,” the young man says. “Oh, she’ll be surprised all right,” says the woman. “But just think how surprised I am. I’m her mom!”
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Back in the 1980s, I fell off my bike, twisted my foot, and hurt my knee. I’m telling you this now because there was no social media back then. 1
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S A Y H U I A L H E T E Z E UN T H S L E A L L E R S E AUD
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T I DA R E B I I B A S S P H D A E A L D E NO O V L T OA C C O N L C E N T A I N A M E D G AMB U E Y A P A D E L
3. Fight Club 2. The Sixth Sense 1. The song ‘Row, row, row your boat’
B E S A C S E A I R L OY I C A L A A A C F O OWN R I E S C
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ON THE SOAPBOX
2 September 2020
Letters to the Editor
Email: editor@cxpress.co.za - Fax: 044 533 0852 - PO Box 1449, Plett 6600
Does anyone know what all those brightly-lit boats are doing in our bay?
SEIZING THE DAY: These chokka boats photographed 13 years ago, when their numbers pushed nearly 100, operated on the same principle of today’s fleet of 30-odd boats: the bright lights enable crews to better locate shoals and process their catch while duping sea creatures into behaviour brought on by the illusion of eternal daylight - Photos: Derek Frielinghaus
We have been living in Plettenberg Bay for the past 20 years. During recent weeks, we’ve been counting 15 to 20 boats in the bay at any time. Can you explain to us what they are doing here? We remember a time about 15 years ago when Portuguese fishing boats were taking away so
much of our local fish stock that even the dolphins stayed away, because they had nothing left to eat. Is this happening again now? Please give us an answer at your earliest convenience. Dr Annelie and Volker Ney, Plett (While awaiting official
stats in this regard from Plett Beach Control, we bugged local archivist and NSRI stalwart Derek Frielinghaus for his take on the state of boats operating off our coastline at this time of year. He shared the images above and wrote: “I took these photographs in 2007, when there were
nearly a hundred chokka boats operating in the bay. They are catching calamari for export purposes and I believe the whole process is legal.” Watch this space for additional information on the subject, currently being compiled by the crew at Beach Control’s HQ on Central Beach. - Eds.)
Additional parking would go a long way towards restoring Lookout’s allure Plett has lost its best beach, the famous Lookout, to the last great flood of a decade or so ago. Parking facilities at Main Beach, Robberg 5 and Solar Beach are lacking in peak season. Lookout Beach must have been the biggest drawcard for the holiday makers and tourists who made Plett their holiday destination. So why can’t we do something to restore the parking lot? Even a temporary refurbishment of the surface would be welcome. General restoration may not even be necessary if one could only provide a hard-surface off-ramp;
THOSE WERE THE DAZE: Lookout Beach used to teem with holidaymakers before the parking lot was washed away - this picture was taken around 2010 and, according to the author of this letter, the last great flood occurred around 2012
just imagine how popular it would be if we gave access to 4X4 vehicles. What/who is stopping us? Where there is a will, there’s a way, but without a will there is no way. The Drone, Plett (We suspect your suggestion of allowing fourwheel drive automobiles on Lookout Beach will be met with serious resistance, dear Drone. But with regards to making Plett’s award-winning beaches more user-friendly, there should be scant reason to disagree. Readers are welcome to share their views on this subject by emailing editor@cx press.co.za - Eds.)
Sharing a moment of joy The greatest sense of achievement and JOY is that of Just Owning Yourself. It is a tough call in a society that values what everyone else thinks
of you, above what you think of yourself. Living in JOY requires a paradigm shift - it is about living the kind of life you have always imagined or
Marine mammals are jumping…
Suzy Noble of Plett recently captured this spectacular image when her son Connor was snorkelling at Keurbooms, perfectly timing the shot to catch a dolphin frolicking in the sun-lit surf just metres away from this able young angler’s preferred fishing grounds. So perhaps the presence of Plett’s visiting chokka fleet has not deterred the bay’s best-loved marine mammals from making the most of current surf conditions...
longed for, and then following the feelings that will add JOY to each moment, each day of your journey of life. I am in a position where many of my clients have had to close doors. As a single breadwinner this is very scary - BUT, I can deal with this one moment, one choice, one decision at a time. I cannot feel overwhelmed by what society has conditioned me to believe; I would have had to find a way of opting out of life. Still here I am, weaker but stronger, disheartened but motivated, fearful but curious. What else can life bring? Massive change brings massive shock or massive change on the JOY (Just Own Yourself) side.
Embrace the major shift and change. When you go with the flow rather than against it, amazing things happen, almost like magic. Ever seen a unicorn? That is the level of thinking required: just like cryptocurrencies came out of nowhere, so can your fantasy, your belief, your purpose. Believe in something, whether it be God, Buddha or the sun rising yet again tomorrow. Life is not a choice, but how you choose to live it is. Choose JOY! Rose Scott, Plett (Rose writes a weekly contribution in the hope that it may “help us to unite, to heal and to remember that what we have discovered is truly important for each one of us”… - Eds.)
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2 September 2020
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CONTACT NUMBERS OF THE PLETTENBERG BAY POLICING AREAS: SECTOR MANAGERS
Sector 1: CBD, Poortjies, Dunes, Town areas W/O Taylor: 079 894 1645 Sector 2: New Horizon, Bossiesgif, Qolweni, Wittedrift - W/O James: 079 894 1643 Sector 3: Natures Valley, The Grags, Keurbooms area, Covie Sgt De Vos: 082 820 7889 Sector 4: Rural Safety - farms W/O Van Pletzen: 082 411 2738 COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTRE
Plettenberg Bay 044 501 1900 / 044 501 1907 / 044 501 1908 / 044 501 1909/10 Vispol Commander: Lt Col Solomon: 044 501 1939 / 082 778 7310 Detective Commander Plettenberg Bay: Lt Col Cebekhulu: 044 501 1946 / 082 778 6713 COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTRE
Kwanokuthula 044 533 2145 Detectives: 044 533 3121 Administration: 044 501 2900 Switchboard: 044 501 4200 Policing areas: Kranshoek, Harkerville, Piesang Valley
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Plett Animal Welfare Service
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082 251 8134
