30 May 2018 by CXpress

Photo courtesy Born in Africa - www.borninafrica.org

30 May 2018

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

FREE

Handle with care

Sunday was the start of Child Protection Week, with this year’s theme being ‘Let us all protect children to move South Africa forward’. Turn to page 2 for tips on safeguarding our offspring, and to page 6 for news on a brand new Lunchbox production that pays tribute to SA’s many missing children, and which debuts at Plett’s Whitehouse Theatre tomorrow.

Bitou defends its tourism bylaw p3

Housing woes addressed p5

Knysna in the pink... p9

10 000 FREE COPIES OF CXPRESS DISTRIBUTED ALONG THE GARDEN ROUTE EVERY WEDNESDAY

CXPRESS

NEWS & VIEWS

30 May 2018

Take extra special care of our children this week UNDAY marked the beginning of Child Protection Week (May 27 to June 3), this year’s theme being ‘Let us all protect children to move South Africa forward’. According to the department of Social Development, one in five children in South Africa is subjected to some sort of sexual, emotional or physical abuse before they turn 18. Social worker Mandisa Maruge slated the posting of pictures

of half-naked people on social media: “Sex on social media is very dangerous for kids, as that is where they see things they are not taught at home. If adults can only work with us and stop sending pornographic videos and pictures, kids will know they don’t have to be naked to feel pretty.” Peter Kruger of Fidelity ADT urged parents to educate children about safety while giving them the necessary tools to

deal with a crisis. “While we don’t want our children to live in fear, we do need to have frank conversations about what to do in a crises situation.” The golden rule is never to antagonise the criminal who is probably more scared than you are. Show them you are not a threat. Unless facing an imminent life-and-death situation, never fight back and readily hand over any material possessions.

“Encourage your children to try and get a good look at criminals and memorise physical details, clothing and cars. Listen for names or other details that might help identify them later. Kruger said these simple actions can often keep a child safe. He also reminded parents to constantly reinforce general safety tips for their children (read the full story at www. cxpress.co.za).

Time to enjoy winter in style at Plett ARTS Festival 2018 LETT celebrates the arts with two weeks dedicated to live performances, workshops, fashion and much more from June 25 to July 9 during the fifth annual Plett ARTS Festival. As always, Plett presents a one-of-a-kind backdrop to an arts extravaganza not to be missed. Enjoy exciting international performances and unique cultural activities at one of the most exciting new festivals along the Garden Route. On the cards is a fortnight filled with interesting and exciting events and activities. Prepare to salivate over the arty line-up, allowing festivalgoers to relish in music, pop-up art exhibitions, street performances and street food during the Twilight Meander along Plett’s Main Street, specifically designed for those adventurous souls in

search of after-sunset action. A popular feature, the Plett Food Film Festival, offers a journey of compelling fare and delicious film at select restaurants throughout town. Plett Winter School is an exciting new addition sure to inspire people of all ages about the visual arts, music, viticulture, wine tasting, quilt making and more. Workshops and short courses will be presented by printmaker John Moore, the Cape Wine Academy, African music authority Richard Nwamba, and top SA fashion designers. The Plett Fringe Festival brings comedian Daniel Richards to town for serious lighthearted entertainment, whereas the 2018 line-up also brings a new member to the Plett ARTS line up; Afridocs in Plett will feature documentaries, special

guests, and a nightly after-party with DJ Jazztrain and Plett’s unrivalled hospitality. Chill at Plett SunSets on a Friday with musicians like Koos Kombuis and other yet to be revealed legends. Another new entry with live music takes centre stage on Central Beach. Plett Afrojazz has masters Pops Mohamed, Dave Reynolds, Ronan Skillen, and Charlton Daniels opening the night and ushering in the Afrobeat sounds of Femi Koya and his nine-piece band - an exuberant finale to this year’s event. The 2018 Plett ARTS Festival is now four weeks away and tickets are available through Plett Tourism’s website www. pletttourism.com and Quicket. Visit www.pletttourism.com for more information about the line-up of events.

COMPETITION Plett Tourism and CXPRESS are offering five readers each the chance to win a set of Plett ARTS Festival Season Tickets (valued at R950 per ticket!) over the next four weeks. Simply answer the question: Which SA jazz masters feature in Plett Afrojazz? Email your answer, name, and contact details to esther@ cxpress.co.za and watch this space in the editions leading up to the festival kick-off on June 25 for winner announcements. Season tickets allow free access to a majority of events and activities owned by Plett Tourism (i.e. excluding Plett Food Film Festival, which is presented by local restaurants, and certain workshops, exhibitions, and performances aligned to particular venues or artists).

NEWS & VIEWS

30 May 2018

Bitou denies any plans to ‘close’ Plett Tourism Following widespread criticism over a new proposed tourism bylaw, Bitou Municipality has responded, saying it is not in the process of ‘collapsing’ the operations of Plett Tourism - YOLANDÉ STANDER reports HE proposed bylaw is open for public comment until June 8, but has already seen massive opposition including a petition signed by more than 2,000 locals to date. Municipal spokesman Manfred van Rooyen said it had been widely reported on various platforms that the municipality sought to “close” Plett Tourism. “Nothing can be further from the truth and therefore we want to state categorically and unequivocally that neither the council, nor the administration of Bitou Municipality is involved in any process or mobilisation to collapse the operations of Plett Tourism,” Van Rooyen said. He added that the municipality wanted to provide clarity on the matter including that the local tourism function was a municipal competency “with concurrence to provincial government that has the competency of tourism”. “Plett Tourism is a volun-

tary association and not a municipal entity, statutory agency or public private partnership. “In the context of the applicable legal prescripts, the primary relationship between Bitou Municipality and Plett Tourism Association, prior to the drafting of the bylaw on local tourism, has been guided by a service level agreement since 2013. “The most recent agreement was signed on August 4 last year. In broad terms, Bitou Municipality agrees and commits to transfer funding to Plett Tourism, linked to specific projects, functions or events, related to destination marketing, tourism-related activities, and tourism development strategies.” He added that the current agreement would terminate on June 30 and that the structure, as contained in the draft bylaw, would then become operational on July 1, subject to adoption and approval of the draft bylaw, by both mayoral committee and council.

“It is important to state that the transfer of funding to Plett Tourism is guided under the provisions of section 67 of the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act, No. 56 of 2003. “It is against the background of the constitutional and applicable legislative prescripts that Bitou Municipality has drafted a bylaw to establish a tourism service utility that will assist in the execution of its local tourism mandate and the development of local tourism.” Van Rooyen said public participation towards the final draft bylaw would include engagements with all stakeholders, role-players, and interested parties in local tourism and responding to all inputs or contributions. “In the absence of the bylaw, Bitou Municipality continues to make financial contributions towards Plett Tourism within the confines of the applicable legal prescripts.” To page 5

CXPRESS

30 May 2018

BUSINESS

IN PLETT

PROMOTION

NEWS & VIEWS

30 May 2018

CXPRESS

Mayor, minister address Knysna housing issue

I’LL BE BACK: W-Cape Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela conducted a site visit in Rheenendal on Sunday

NYSNA mayor Eleanore Bouw-Spies and Western Cape Human Settlements minister Bonginkosi Madikizela visited Rheenendal on Sunday May 27. Following a meeting with the Rheenendal Housing Committee on May 25 the mayor, accompanied also by municipal manager Kam Chetty and other officials, returned to the site where community members had erected illegal houses.

After the minister and officials were shown around, he briefly addressed the community and told them that provincial and Knysna Housing officials would meet to discuss the way forward. He promised to return in a fortnight to give the community an update on those meetings. He explained that province was looking at accelerating the installation of emergency infrastructure and asked that the community refrained from building any further illegal structures, which would hamper access to the sites, resulting in delays in the installation of these emergency services. Bouw-Spies said: “Irrespective of whether housing is legally or technically a municipal function, it is important that the constitutional rights of all our residents to adequate and sustainable human settlements are upheld.”

Bitou denies plans to ‘close’ Tourism From page 3 Van Rooyen said the municipality remained committed to invest in the tourism sector, as a critical component of its strategies and policies to enhance and broaden the local economy, creating jobs, diversifying the local economy and to facilitate the transformation of the tourism sector.

He added that an amount of R5-million had been provided for in the bylaw, to “operationalise” the tourism service utility that would be established. “This illustrates the importance that Bitou affords to its local tourism mandate.” • See the Plett Tourism notice on page 4.

005-417 NPO

CXPRESS

NEWS & VIEWS

30 May 2018

Catch this dream before Lunchbox elopes to National Arts Festival UNCHBOX Theatre is producing a brand-new show, thanks to backing by the National Lotteries Commission and Assitej SA. Dream is to premiere at this year’s National Arts Festival, which kicks off in Grahamstown on June 28. Excellent news for CX Country citizens, though, is that we have the chance to see it first! Dream is the fascinating story of a young boy’s journey as he deals with the loss of his sister, played out in a most captivating manner and teeming with intriguing characters. Written by Amanda Valela, directed by innovative theatre veteran Nhlanhla Den Mkhwanazi (of Man and Dog and Cry the Beloved Country fame), and featuring ace actors Mncedisi Ncedani and Stuart Palmer, Dream is a multi-layered theatrical experience.

LIVING THEIR DREAM: From left are Mncedisi Ncedani (song composer and actor), Stuart Palmer (actor), Amanda Valela (writer and actor), and director Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi Photo: Gcobisa Gugushe

Amanda was chosen to represent young black female South African directors at Assitej SA’s Ideas to Action Programme in 2014. She co-directed iLifa - a show about children’s rights that premiered at the HIFA Festival in Harare. Her ongoing success has taken her not only to Zimbabwe, but also to Sweden and Austria. Having travelled the world, Nhlanhla says that South African theatre is

bringing us back together through untold and unwritten stories. “I am married to theatre,” he says. “It is a lifetime contract.” Now you have the chance to see the first-ever performance of this amazing production, best suited for children aged eight or older and their accompanying adults at the Whitehouse Theatre in Plett on May 31. See the advert on this page for booking details.

Notice Board • Join MOYA Animal Outreach for an informal evening at Katarina's on Kurland Estate on May 31 at 6pm, when Barend le Roux of CapeNature will give a talk followed by a discussion on wildlife concerns

like snares, baboons, and post-fire updates. Call 044 534 8000 for more info. • The PAWS Car Boot Sale is coming up on Sunday June 3 from 9am to 1pm in the Market Square car park. See you there!

• The correct B10F account details are: Bitou 10 Foundation, Nedbank Knysna (branch 108914) current acc # 103 230 1597. Turn to page 5 of the May 23 edition at www.cxpress. co.za to find out more.

BUSINESS

30 May 2018

CXPRESS

Now Bitou joins the ranks of the unclean... audit-wise, that is ‘Municipalities just won’t listen,’ says the Auditor General - STUART MURRAY explains the dire consequences HAT is going on at Bitou Municipality? Firstly, it seeks to take over Plett Tourism, which has done an excellent job in promoting the town as a premier holiday destination, and now it has lost its laurels as one of the few municipalities to regularly achieve a “clean” audit report from South Africa’s Auditor General. Bitou is not alone: only 13% of the country’s 257 municipalities got good marks from Kimi Makwetu - which equates to 33 municipalities receiving the thumbs up, compared with 48 the year before. What’s more, there was general backsliding. The Western Cape, which had the largest number of municipalities with clean audits (21), took a dive with six municipalities receiving a worse audit than in the previous year. These included the City of Cape Town, Eden and Bitou all losing their clean-audit status. Nevertheless, the Western Cape remains the provincial pack leader in general, increasing its clean audit numbers to 80%, followed by KZN (18%), and Eastern Cape (16%). Gauteng

was the only province to receive unqualified opinions on its financial statements. The message emanating from a frustrated Makwetu appears to be: “They just won’t listen...” Repeated advice and warnings to officials charged with the oversight of municipal spending over the past five years had fallen on deaf ears, he says. “We are still faced with the same accountability and governance challenges. There has been no significant positive change toward credible results. Instead, we are witnessing a reversal in audit outcomes.” Makwetu further complains that not only are his department’s pleas being ignored, but that the environment in which audit teams had to work was becoming more hostile, with increased threats to audit staff. Irregular spending has become endemic. The AG’s report reveals a surge in such spending, rising to an astonishing R28.4bn from R16.2bn the previous year. Worse, Makwetu explains that some R15bn of the total reported related to irregular expenditure in prior years that had gone undetected. Unauthorised

expenditure at R12.77bn remained more or less at the same level as during the previous year. He says that poor audit outcomes are due to instability in key positions, inadequate skilled personnel, and political infighting. Makwetu’s problem is that at present his department hasn’t the teeth to deal with erring municipalities. His ongoing appeals and warnings are being ignored. But there is some light... Parliament is busy approving a Public Audit Amendment Bill which will give greater power to the Auditor General’s office, and includes calling in the Hawks and the SAPS. Hopefully the bill will be presented to parliament before its current term ends in the middle of June. The bill would also give the AG’s office the ability to order accounting officers to repay money lost as a result of their mismanagement. But what about Bitou’s fall from grace? One interesting aspect is that in March the municipality advertised for persons with “suitable skills” to serve on its audit and audit performance committee.

Its duties would include reviewing the annual financial statements “with an authoritative and credible view of the financial position of the municipal entity, its efficiency and effectiveness, and its overall level of compliance with applicable legislation”. The committee would be appointed for a fixed term of three years. Alas, the committee has

not yet been assembled - or even chosen. Noting this, I recently emailed the municipality asking for information as to whether the committee was still on the cards. I received a reply from the acting Chief Audit Executive explaining that the acting Municipal Manger had decided to “re-advertise” the establishment of the committee. No reason was forthcom-

ing for his decision. Could this have anything to do with Bitou’s loss of its clean-audit status? Such a committee will surely be of great importance. • Stuart Murray (stuartmurray758@gmail.com) is a former senior assistant editor of Financial Mail and co-founder, editor, and CEO of Finance Week. He is retired and lives in Plettenberg Bay.

CXPRESS

INTERVAL

30 May 2018

The retired engineer HERE was an engineer who had an exceptional gift for fixing all things mechanical. After serving his company for over 30 years, he retired. Several years later, the company contacted him with a problem they were having with one of their multi-million dollar machines. They had tried everything and everyone else to get the machine fixed, but to no avail. In desperation, they called on the retired engineer who had solved so many of their problems in the past. The engineer reluctantly took on the challenge.

He spent a day studying the huge machine. At the end of the day, he marked a small ‘x’ in chalk on a particular component of the machine and proudly stated: “This is where your problem is.” The part was replaced and the machine worked perfectly again. The company received a bill for $50,000 from the engineer for his services. They demanded an itemised accounting of his charges. The engineer responded with the following detailed account: Chalk $1.00. Knowing where to put the ‘x’ - $49,999.00.

Three old ladies are sitting on a park bench. A man in a trench-coat walks by and flashes them. Two of the old ladies have a stroke. The other one can’t reach that far.

That’s a good Grade Point Average T the end of the college year, a star football player celebrated by attending a late night campus party. Soon after arriving, he became captivated by a beautiful co-ed and eased into a conversation with her by asking if she’d met any ‘potential

dates’ at the party. “Oh, I’m much more attracted to the strong academic types than to the party animals,” she said, “what’s your GPA?” Grinning from ear to ear, the jock boasted: “I get about 25 in the city and 40 on the highway.”

Whose dad is the fastest HREE kids argue about whose father is the fastest. One says: “My father is the fastest; he can overtake an arrow he shot with a bow.” The second one says: “My dad is faster - he can shoot a gun and then

run to catch the bullet before it hits anything.” The third kid says: “You don’t understand what speed is. My father is even quicker. He finishes work at 4:30pm, but he’s home by 3:45pm almost every day.”

Sunday sermon compliment HE minister gave his Sunday service as usual, but this particular Sunday it was considerably longer than normal. Later, at the door, shaking hands with parishioners as they moved out, one

man said: “Your sermon, Pastor, was simply wonderful - so invigorating and inspiring and refreshing.” The minister broke out in a big smile, only to hear the man say: “Why, I felt like a new man when I woke up!”

Weather update: Partly cloudy HILE watching the weather update late one afternoon in the middle of January, Fred noted the forecast was for partly cloudy the rest of the evening and through the night.

Upon getting up and looking outside the next morning, Fred called the TV station, and asked if they could send someone along to plough the 18 inches of “partly cloudy” out of his driveway.

“What kind of tea is that?” asks Mary. “I don’t know, I found it in my grandson’s room!” snickers Joan.

My television set broke, so I was forced to rely on the lost art of conversation with the wife at dinner... “Have you seen the iPad, love?”

SOCIAL SCENE

30 May 2018

CXPRESS

GLORY ME, THAR FLIES A LOERIE: It was time to paint Knysna various shades of rosy again last week when the annual Pink Loerie Mardi Gras lured droves of multi-coloured acolytes to the town’s streets and eateries and night-time jorl joints. A huge score was the right - no, the privilege - to stage the Mr Gay World pageant as part of this local rollercoaster LGBTQ+ ride. Australia’s Jordan Bruno was crowned Mr Gay World during a glitzy do at Villa Castollini on Saturday night, but preceding that firm highlight was the people’s favourite of the afternoon’s parade down Main Street. Pictured clockwise from left are Knysna Tourism’s Elmay Bouwer, Ypie Kingma and Jeannine Orzechowski looking properly ‘in the pink’; Georgie from Japan and Sushant from India striking a pose; a thoroughly continental couple in full regalia; Mr USA saluting like a sociable seaman; and magnificent Mr Mexico strutting his stuff complete with ravishing Aztec headdress. All of these images of course bear witness to the fact that CXPRESS stringer Gigi Lewis has all but lost her knack of bringing out the camera queen in everyone she aims her lens at.

Photos: Gigi Lewis

FOCUS ON SPORTS: Bitou municipal officials recently established a sports council and recreation committee for Qolweni/Bossiesgif in anticipation of the R3-million sport facility to be established here. The meeting became rather heated when representatives of other sporting codes demanded to be accommodated in their fight for the same respect and recognition as soccer and netball. The biggest requirement, it was agreed among all, were playing fields and ablutions. Phase 1 of the facility will be fencing, soccer and netball fields; Phase 2 will involve cloak rooms, store rooms and high-mast lights. At right, newlyelected chair Kenneth Magaga (boxing), is flanked by his deputy Mzukisi Tsibapi (soccer), treasurer Zoliswa Qoloma (netball), Bitou Municipality’s Johannes Pika and Wellem Swanepoel, and secretary Phelisa Mbanguta. - Khaya Mbesi

CXPRESS

30 May 2018

CLASSIFIEDS

Local registered counsellor for REAL debt counselling and COMPLETE peace of mind. Phone today for a FREE consultation with no obligations.

Gerhard van Huyssteen is your LOCAL registered Debt Counsellor (NCRDC#778) Cell: 071 332 2341 Tel: 044 533 2805 Email: plett101@gmail.com

005-417 NPO

ON THE SOAPBOX

30 May 2018

Letters to the Editor

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

Please help this mother out as winter looms The following is but bare bones of the story of a widowed woman with a small boy in distress. Mechelle Pittie has been selling used clothing at Plett Seconds year-round and in season drew henna tattoos on Central Beach.

Looking ahead to winter with the prospect of little money, nowhere to stay and a small boy in playschool, she appealed to her pa in Joburg. Eventually he came through with a promise of a room for them, and be-

Geese in tune with royal wedding

Plett resident Corinne Fernley shared this pic and wrote: “I snapped this photo in the waning light of Saturday evening May 19. These two Egyptian geese began to perform, accompanied by a cacophony of honking. Maybe it was the royal wedding feel-good factor seeping through, but it did seem impossibly romantic. Some enchanted evening, tra-la-la!” (Regular readers will remember Corinne’s spectacular image of an African oystercatcher that adorned our cover on May 9, its stormy ocean background symbolising calm juxtaposed with chaos. Seems you have a knack to interpret bird behaviour in the context of current affairs, Corinne? Do keep on snapping and sharing… - Ed.

ing the entrepreneur that she is, Mechelle checked out potential work in the markets for henna tattoos. Her pa had found a room for Mechelle and her son in a Joburg home for the destitute where she would be tasked to work

in the kitchen ‘till 2pm. Yeah. Her father put his daughter and grandson in a home for the destitute. Can you perhaps help with an interim or permanent solution? Call Mechelle on 079 715 3543. John Johnson, Plett

Ta for making ‘Chase’ so amazing The 2018 Amazing Crags Paper Chase was held on May 20 at Kurland Club in The Crags. It turned out to be a super fun day, with teams racing around the country roads finding clues and having to complete an array of rather strange activities. Some teams were more clueless than others, and then there were teams who really got into the spirit of things - they arrived dressed up in amazingly creative outfits. A big thank you goes to all the teams who entered and joined in the fun with so much enthusiasm.

On behalf of Kurland Club, I thank the following prize donors - without your support, the day would never have been such a great success: Nature’s Way Farm Stall and Nursery, Plett Tourism, The Biltong Boutique, Alchemy Restaurant at Redford Lane Wines, Candylwood, Ingwe Forest Cabins, Knysna Boat Charters, Hog Hollow Horse Trails, Brimful Adventure Trails, Monkeyland, Jukani, Birds of Eden, Amara Farm Stay, Hikers Cabin, and Four Winds Guest House. Elke Cable, Plett

Open letter to Bitou on its proposed tourism bylaw I write to you as the chairperson of a major development in Plett, which encompasses more than 100 holiday apartments. We pay substantial rates to Bitou each year, and we are concerned that your proposal to absorb Plett Tourism into the municipality may have a negative impact on the important business of tourism. Over the last few years we have seen a huge increase in overseas and local visitors to Plettenberg Bay, and the holiday season has been extended considerably to the benefit of all residents and businesses. Plett is dependent upon tourism jobs. I object strongly to your proposed tourism bylaw which, at a stroke, will undo the wonderful results that Plett Tourism has achieved over the last few years. Daily we read reports of the happenings at SAA, Denel, PRASA, Eskom and other badlyrun, bankrupt and failing SOEs, run by politicians who pose as business people while they rape the public purse. Perhaps you would be good enough to explain why the council is proposing that we go down the same slippery slope. If Bitou stuck to governing it could serve the community best by addressing bylaws that currently sadly need attention. An example is the noise pollution emanating from New Horizons and Qolweni, which is in total breach of your bylaws. Yet you delude yourselves that you could

register tourist organisations which must then discipline establishments; collect and hand over data, including ownership information; collect and hand over levies to the municipality; report establishments not registered; and provide for search and seizure of premises and materials if non-compliance is suspected, and for fines and imprisonment if convictions follow. These terms are draconian and bureaucratic in the extreme. It will probably substantially increase the headcount and cost of municipal employees. Currently Plett Tourism is largely manned by interested parties who in many instances are unpaid volunteers who do the work for the love of the town. Bitou does not have such capacity and if it does, it is overstaffed. Bitou needs to remember that Plett is a holiday destination and not some kind of penal institution. I have doubts whether this proposal is constitutional. There is no definition of how you intend to collect and hand over data when worldwide there is a currently a huge debate over Facebook and its use of private data for business and political purposes. Have you considered the reputational damage and the possible financial problems you may generate for the municipality? As for collecting and handing over levies: it might have been illuminating if you had had the courage to state exactly what you were intending

to charge for the levies. More to the point, what would you be giving for these levies? One would hope that it would represent better value for money, otherwise you will drive tourists and jobs away. We note with alarm that you intend to report establishments not registered. Please spell out what the criteria will be for registration and how this will benefit the community, and with whom and at what cost registration will be effected? One of the pre-requisites for attracting the tourist rand is transparency. Have you considered how you intend to give any professional input to assist in registering non-registered establishments? It is high time you established a culture of cooperation and fair play for all stakeholders, and particularly with the people you supposedly represent. Without a well-established code of cooperation nurtured over time, this will go the way of most ill-conceived plans fostered by politicians. Without the respect and consideration of the people it is aimed at, it will be totally ineffective. Have you stopped to consider the detrimental effect on Plett’s Tourism if your ill-conceived ideas attracted the attention of a body like OUTA which has effectively shut down the Gauteng government’s attempt to fleece motorists, and which has collapsed spectacularly? No doubt you thought your pronouncements

on tourism would bear fruits both for the council and its inhabitants. The writer’s feeling is that you need to stop to consider the appalling impact on all parties should your ill-considered intention become the subject of a viral negative public relations campaign. In the interests of transparency, please enumerate what talents are contained within the council which are relevant to the tourism industry. What special gifts do your councillors possess that would justify your closing down a successful organisation in favour of the bureaucratic approach you are proposing? Your intention to control tourism through an appointed board and chair is totally undemocratic, as is your pronouncement that this board will determine your spending priorities, and is at liberty to allocate funds as it deems fit. Have you produced a draft budget yet? That is vital. But no doubt a paragon has been identified from within your group to head up this board. Please in all sanity, scrap this crazy idea before you destroy many thousands of bed nights in Plett. Have the good grace to accept that politicians globally are not equipped to generate business revenue, and that most of such hare-brained schemes turn out to be thinly-disguised patronage. In plain language, it’s jobs for pals, of which we have seen far too much. Paul S Clipsham, Plett

CXPRESS

30 May 2018

SPORT & ADVENTURE

Groundswell of support pushes local teams over Expedition Africa 2018 finish line HE last 24 hours have been rough and tough to say the least - cold, wet, misty and gruelling. Buco slept on a ledge during the night with a 100m drop below us. Our trek from T4 to T5 took place during daylight, but still no easier on rugged and steep terrain. The unexpected weather has taken its toll on most teams. But as they say: That’s adventure racing… This is an excerpt from the extensive ‘diary’ posted by James Stewart of the Buco Adventure Racing Team last week while

mid-in the trials and tribulations of Expedition Africa (EA) 2018. Taking place from May 18-27 in the rugged Namaqua West Coast region, the annual race saw 52 teams of two to four members each traversing 550+km on their own precious steam, with a cut-off time of six days or 144 hours max. Yep, that’s nearly a full week of trekking (walking or running), mountain biking, kayaking, and abseiling while navigating between 34 different check points over eight

arduous legs, some of which took as long as 36 hours to conquer. As in the past, the Route was represented by a healthy contingent of adventurers who took their place among some of the country’s most determined teams and a handful of foreign racers, all of whom competed for the coveted first prize of free entry to the AR World Champs in Mauritius in October. In the end, the Russian outfit Team Blizzard proved themselves as champions crossing the finish line after 94h55m of racing. A combination of brilliant navigation and perseverance on their final legs helped retain their growing lead on teams Sani/Best 4 Sport (RSA) and Omjakon (Finland). Says Stewart: “Getting back from EA 2018 just reaffirmed why I love this sport. The challenges are huge both leading up to, during, and even after the race. “Plettenberg Bay was represented by Buco and the Plett AR team this year. But with our home turf being the ultimate training grounds for adventure racing, EA 2018 had Garden Route representatives in as many as six other teams as well. “Mention must be made of the Knysna paddling duo of Darren Berry and Martin Fraser Mackenzie who with their team King Price moved up the field from 15th to second on the 50km paddling leg. Unfortunately, they dropped back down to just outside the top 10 as the race progressed. “Finishing these races which span up to six days is a real achievement and all but one of the Garden Route Athletes made it to the finish line.” Stewart says a huge driving factor has been

the groundswell of support from everyone at home. He thanks each of them as well as sponsors Buco for the continued backing. Visit www.kinetic-events.co.za for results and www.cxpress.co.za for more race images.

CX FLAG HELD HIGH: Stef le Roux, Jeanette Walder, James Stewart, and Jeffrey Willcocks of the Buco AR Team, above, with Plett Adventure’s Sarah Hearn, Petrus Maree, Drew Scott, and Andrew Damp below

PLAIN SAILING: Expedition Africa directors Heidi and Stephan Muller flank Rogan Hindmarch of Africanyon in The Crags, who was responsible for rigging the most memorably scenic EA abseil ever Photos: Bruce Viaene

WHERE TO NEXT? Expedition Africa’s 34 checkpoints were distributed rather unevenly 14 in the first 20km, so only 20 spread over the next 530km-odd leaving lots of route choice for local mountain goats like Drew Scott, at left, and Stef le Roux at right - Photo: Glenn Murray