4 March 2020
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If this old car could speak… UK nationals George and Rosamund Rainey recently visited Wilderness to catch up with this very special Aston Martin, restored lovingly by local resident Lewis Baker. Read their riveting tale on page 2.
New cash plan for Knysna - p3 Of memes and memetics - p6
Photo: Bob Hopkin
Sedge rescuer honoured - p12
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NEWS & VIEWS
4 March 2020
From Belarus with love Correspondent BOB HOPKIN met with two remarkable men inextricably linked by one automobile with an astonishing story HE name is Rainey, George Rainey. This may not quite have the cachet of ‘Bond, James Bond’ but classic cars made by Britain’s Aston Martin company are a common thread between the two men - one the creation of Ian Fleming, the other real and equally interesting. Two weeks ago, George and wife Rosamund Rainey made a pilgrimage all the way from the village of Safron Walden, near Cambridge in the UK to the Garden Route, to be reunited with a car owned from new by his father, Tristram, as a coming of age present from his grandmother. Made in 1934, the Aston Martin was one of only 12 manufactured, by hand, with the long, four-seater drophead chassis and a 1500cc engine by then owners of the brand, the Bertelli brothers. Young Rainey wanted more power, so he returned it to the works to have the engine uprated to racing ‘Ulster’ specifications. While father Tristram was still a bachelor, in those idyllic inter-war years, he used the Aston to holiday in Spain where he met and fell in love with Vera - an exotic Russian lady who happened to be staying with a Spanish friend. Tristram’s obsession and source of income was professional painting and he was so talented that he graduated top of his year from the UK Slade Art School, and used his travels for landscape subjects in Spain, France and, later, Poland. Soon after, he persuaded Vera to join him in the UK and they married. Using the same vehicle for their honeymoon in Nice, France, they then travelled to her family farm in eastern Po-
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land, now part of Belarus. Staying on the estate, they used the Aston for regular transport and, after a while, began their family with the birth of George in 1937. Sadly, the life on the farm was not to last, as war turned out to be inevitable and it became clear that their location would soon be on the frontline. A move, again using the faithful Aston, took them to the UK where Tristram, using his newly acquired language, became an intelligence officer in the RAF, debriefing Polish pilots. Shortage of fuel during the war years meant the car was warehoused for a while before coming back into use in 1945 before it was eventually sold in 1948. This is where it dropped out of sight for 55 years before the South African connection came along. Lewis Baker, originally from Durban, has always been an eager car collector and restorer. He recalls an urge, around 2003, to restore a classic Aston Martin. “I called an Aston specialist in the UK to see what they had and was horrified by the prices on offer. The dealer however mentioned that he had one prewar Aston, in rather a sorry state, that he was eager to get rid of,� he said. Lewis snapped it up without seeing it, had it shipped to South Africa, used it for a while and then began what he calls a “sympathetic� seven-year restoration. Amazingly, the car still sported the very same English number plate, AYM 862, with which it was originally registered 68 years before. During the course of the work, he began to be intrigued by the origins of the car and,
PRISTINE CONDITION: The new Aston in 1937 beside the farm mansion in east Poland
REUNITED: George and Rosamund Rainey (in the Aston Martin) with restorer Lewis Baker
RORTY: The Aston ‘Ulster’ motor with two Skinner’s Union carburetors
via the Aston Martin Owners Club in the UK, managed to discover the tales of the Rainey family. He finally made contact with the surviving son, George. Memories of his youth, and the emotional attachment to the car, led to the Raineys’ visit
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to the Lewis home last week and an (almost) tearful reunion with his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first car. As George said after a hairraising outing in the restored Aston, with Lewis at the wheel, paraphrasing Bond: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now I am both shaken and stirred.â&#x20AC;?
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NEWS & VIEWS
4 March 2020
Ratepayers’ pockets likely to be battered to get Knysna fluid once more Knysna is cutting costs severely after the municipality was plunged from a more than R50-million projected cash surplus in November last year, to a projected cash deficit of more than R200-million recently YOLANDÉ STANDER reports URING a special council meeting held last week, the Knysna council approved cost-cutting measures to alleviate the current cash-flow crisis which the municipality has attributed to unrealistic budgeting, poor financial controls, high outstanding debtors, and an increased capital budget. The town’s acting municipal manager Dr Michele Gratz presented short, medium, and long-term plans to lessen the pressure currently experienced by the cash-strapped municipality. To counter the cash-flow problems, Gratz said they needed to obtain a shortterm loan or overdraft facility, freeze all unfilled posts and curtail capital projects funded from municipal coffers. She added that travelling and subsistence costs, overtime and catering should also be curtailed. Gratz also said they would need to implement strict budget control measures and strict credit control procedures, while efficiently collecting outstanding grants. In the medium-term Gratz said that a proper budget procedure for the 2020/21 budget year needed to be issued; performance targets needed to be revised and municipal
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activities, rules and procedures needed to be consistent with relevant policies, legislations and by-laws. Other medium-term goals include taking up loans at the beginning of the financial year and not bridge financing; the revision of all employee-related policies and the revision of organisational structure in line with service delivery and within affordability of the municipality. Likely to hit ratepayers’ pockets, Gratz said tariffs needed to be revised to be in line with actual costs. For the long-term, Gratz suggested that a financial recovery plan should be designed with the purpose of improving service delivery. “This plan should include a revision of the roles and responsibilities of local authorities as envisaged in the Local Government Turnaround Strategy. These are service delivery, governance, financial management, infrastructure development, and fighting corruption. “It is important that only functions allocated to the local government in terms of schedules 4 Part B and 5 Part B of the constitution be undertaken and funded by the council.” Council also voted in favour of a recommendation
GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF A BOTTOMLESS PIT: Dr Michele Gratz is to lead Knysna’s administration for the next few months
from Gratz to stop payment of the 20% scarce skills allowances to the municipal manager and directors with immediate effect, and instructed her to recover all amounts paid since inception. In her recommendation, she said she had received notice from the office of MEC Anton Bredell, declaring the payments unlawful, and that he had launched an application to the high court against the municipality. “Provincial Treasury also advised that these payments were unlawful. At a cost of over R117,000 per month, our cash-flow crisis and a pending court order against us, there was no other option than to cease these payments.” The annual grant-in-aid proposal was presented to council for approval at the meeting. Gratz said council noted the application, but decided to hold back with the allocations until the municipality’s cash flow had improved. In the meantime, during a council meeting on February 13, municipal manager Dr Sitembele Vatala was placed on precautionary suspension after allegations of alleged financial misconduct were levelled against him. Gratz said that despite Vatala having been given until February 25 to make written presentation to motivate why he should not be suspended on a second complaint brought by the Knysna Ratepayers, council had not received any response. “An independent investigator was appointed and with the recently-appointed Disciplinary Board, we will proceed with a full investigation. A report must be submitted to the executive mayor within a period of 30 days of appointment.”
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Erratum XPRESS printed a summary of the recent Plettenberg Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association (PBRRA) report compiled in reaction to a forensic investigation initiated by MEC Anton Bredell, which ostensibly focussed on ‘failures of governance’ at Bitou Municipality. It was claimed that a company “owned by the municipality’s local development manager earns huge amounts out of events it organises for the
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municipality”. Bitou LED manager Lesley Jacobs pointed the error out to CXPRESS swiftly and, when questioned on the matter, PBRRA spokesman Debi Nicolson explained thus: “The reference in our report to the manager of Local Economic Development should have pointed to the manager of another department at Bitou Municipality. The mistake originated in an early draft upon which, given
our deadlines, we were forced to work. “The error was not reproduced in the final version of the report, which is posted on the Plett Ratepayers Association’s website. We regret the effect of the error and offer our sincere apologies for it.” The final report appears at www.plettratepayers. co.za under archived articles with the heading ‘Ratepayers Report on Failures of Governance within Bitou Municipality’.
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NEWS & VIEWS
4 March 2020
Plett bail applicant faces uphill battle as hearing date is rescheduled
Ludumo Tede
N Friday February 28, a male aged 29 made his third appearance in the Plettenberg Magistrate’s Court - this after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenaged girl while she visited him and his wife in Harkerville during the December holidays. For the third time since his first appearance on Monday February 17, the decision went in favour of the victim and her supporters, as the alleged rapist could not be released on bail. However, on this occasion bail was not refused outright, nor was the bail application unsuccessful. The magistrate simply
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delayed judgement, citing the necessity of further assessment of statements from both the defence and the prosecution arguing whether or not he should be granted bail. Prior to the hearing, a petition which had by now garnered approximately 3,700 signatures opposing bail was handed to the court by a representative of Women & Men Against Child Abuse. The petition contained a quote by president Cyril Ramaphosa from the speech he made in Cape Town, amid the scourge of killing of young girls last year. The investigating officer read it to the
court: “Those accused of rape should be denied bail and when they are sentenced, there should be no parole for them.” Challenging the petition, the defence attorney maintained that the law held “no one should remain locked up without a valid reason”. In addition to that, he read out a statement written by his client in which he pleads to be released on bail. The accused said, inter alia: “I will not interfere with the investigation of the case, I will not intimidate any witness, and I will attend every court date.” It was also indicated that
the father of the alleged rapist could only afford a bail amount of R1,000. It was further highlighted that it was not the suspect’s debut appearance in a court of law, as he had been arrested before with regard to dagga-related charges. When the defence attorney pleaded with the judge for an alternative hearing date, as the following Friday was not suitable for him, the court date was shifted to Knysna and will now be heard on Thursday March 5. The alleged rapist is thus spending yet another week in custody.
Knysna Municipality welcomes new IDP manager Charles J Chordnum joined Knysna Municipality as head of IDP and Performance Management, responsible for the strategic processes that lead to the development of the Integrated Development Plan and institutionalisation of performance management. Hailing from Ngwathe Municipality in the Free State, where he provided strategic support services to the municipal manager, Chordnum obtained an undergraduate qualification from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Public Administration and a post-graduate in Public Management from the University of Stellenbosch. He was raised and schooled in Paarl and says he “is fortunate to join a dynamic coastal municipality” where he is set on making a difference. He hopes to inspire structured planning and innovation to support sustainable development for the greater good of Knysna and all its inhabitants. He will focus on driving the institutionalisation of departmental plans, linked to set goals and performance indicators that informs council reporting to the broader public. “I look forward to my interaction and engagement with both public and different stakeholders at set platforms to strengthen public confidence and good government,” he says.
Local students enter destination video for film festival HE organiser of the International Tourism Film Festival Africa (ITFF), Caroline Ungersbock, has welcomed a video entered by two young Knysna-based filmmakers. Raen, 24, and his brother Chant Messina, 20, filmed, produced, and edited the 2-minute, 58-second video, and also wrote and performed original music for the project, which is now live on their YouTube channel, Hermit State. Ungersbock said she was struck by the quality
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of the imagery and the storytelling in the video. “ITFF Africa is a platform for everyone who wants to show off their destinations, and these boys seem to have captured the essence of Knysna very well. It’s the kind of video that makes you want to visit the place - and that’s exactly what ITFF aims to achieve. “We believe that we need to grow and nurture young talent, and the International Film Festival is a great platform for that. We wish them all the best
through the jury process.” The video was funded by a grant from 34 South at Knysna Waterfront. “We took a chance,” said 34 South co-owner Charles van Tonder, “and gave the boys complete creative control. “We wanted to see how young people would interpret Knysna, and I have to say I believe that Chant and Raen have captured the two things that make this town unique: the forests and our beaches, where there’s enormous space
for everyone.” The video is expected to garner excellent coverage for Knysna and besides a screening at Africa Travel Week (during WTM Africa in Cape Town in April), all entries from South Africa are also to be screened on Brics TV, which has over 400-million viewers worldwide. Readers can watch the video at www.bit.ly/ HermitKnysna and visit www.itff.africa for more information on the International Tourism Film Festival Africa.
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NEWS & VIEWS
4 March 2020
CXPRESS
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Garden Route District hosts United Nations experts on risk management, sustainability and urban resilience
NATIONS UNITE HERE: The group of representatives from 20 institutions from Sub-Saharan Africa, some from as far as Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania and Kenya, attending training at Garden Route District Municipality’s head office in George
HE United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Technical Centre for Disaster Risk Management, Sustainability and Urban Resilience (DiMSUR) are piloting the participatory planning tool for building urban resilience, known as CityRAP, in three South African cities. George was identified as one of the ideal cities to implement the pilot project, the other two candidates being Port Alfred
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and Potchefstroom. George is also the host of the training workshop for all three cities and a number of international university partners, during which 45 participants were being trained for five days, ending February 28. After the training, each city will implement CityRAP, which will be a three to four-month process. The main objectives of CityRAP are to develop local, national and subregional capacities for re-
MAP THOSE RISKS: Participatory mapping exercise simulation
TAKE THE RAP: Mathias Spaliviero - senior Human Settlements officer at the Regional Office for Africa of the United Nations Human Settlements programme - presents the CityRAP Tool
ducing vulnerability and building resilience of communities to natural and other hazards by making use of a participatory approach. According to Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Disaster Management head Gerhard Otto, who attended last week’s training, “CityRAP is an enabling tool, which puts us in the driver’s seat of urban resilience planning to ensure capacity retention and use”. Over the past five years, CityRAP has already been conducted in 31 locations in 11 African countries. Through the successful implementation and training of this tool, city managers and municipal technicians will be able to roll-out participatory urban resilience planning. It comes at a time when the District Coordination Service Delivery Model (DCSDM) has become a talking point among local governments. The DCSDM is expected to narrow the distance between citizens and municipal/district authorities, an approach complemented by CityRAP in terms of participatory governance, which will give rise to active participation by communities in development, and enable long-term planning as well as responses to immediate burning issues.
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NEWS & VIEWS
4 March 2020
Explore nature vs nurture, memes and memetics with savvy Len Swimmer LETT resident Len Swimmer will be speaking to Van Plettenberg Historical Society members on an intriguing and at times controversial topic at Formosa Garden Village on Thursday March 12. “We are all born with a life script, originating in our DNA and refined by family value systems and the environment in which we live. Major disruptions and perturbations may bring about meme* change - but this is not pre-determined by creed, colour or race. “Early in South African history, for instance - before external influences were felt - we can trace the most basic memes in the life script of the Bushmen, known today as the Khoisan people. This is where we begin,” he explains. Len Swimmer moved to Plettenberg Bay 15 months ago. Since his arrival he has thrown himself into Plett civic matters and has been elected to excos of the Plettenberg Bay Ratepayers Association, Van Plettenberg Historical Society, Community Environmental Forum, and Plett Probus. As a civil activist, he is passionate about the environment, democracy, free-
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HERE’S TO KNOWLEDGE: Len enjoys traditional food and a frosty at Sportsman’s Pub & Grub off Rietvlei Road in Plett
dom of speech and other fundamental freedoms. He fights vociferously against unjust causes. He is also a keen wildlife photographer and artist. Len has a BA (Law) degree from the University of Natal and has delivered lectures at universities, colleges and public platforms on law, management, communication, neuro-linguistic programming, motivation, and self-actualisation, His latest subject of interest is memes and memetics. Len’s talk is open to all
and will take place at Formosa Garden Village next Thursday. Doors open at 5:30 for a prompt start at 6pm. There is an entrance fee of R30 per person for the talk only. Light refreshments will be available after the talk for R30 per head. Email info@pletthistory. org and see the ad on page 5 for more information. * Meme: an element of a culture or system of behaviour that is passed from one individual to another by imitation or other nongenetic means.
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PROMOTION
4 March 2020
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INTERVAL
4 March 2020
Calculations made easy ICH, Dave, and Johnny are three contractors who are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House. All three go with a White House official to examine the fence. Rich first takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. “Well,” he says, “I figure the job will run about $900. $400 for materials, $400 for my crew, and $100 profit for me.” Dave also does some measuring and figuring,
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then says: “I can do this job for $700. $300 for materials, $300 for my crew, and $100 profit for me.” Johnny doesn’t measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers: “$2,700.” The official shouts: “You didn’t even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?” Johnny whispers back: “$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you, and we hire the other guy to fix the fence for $700.”
The author’s rejected ‘unread’ manuscript PON receiving her manuscript with a rejection letter back from a major publishing company, the author sent a letter to the editor. “Sir,” she began, “you sent back a story of mine. I know that you did not read the story, for as a test I pasted together pages
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18, 19, 20 and 21. My story came back with these pages still stuck together. I know you are a fraud and turned down the manuscript without reading it.” The editor replied: “Madam, at breakfast when I open an egg I don’t have to eat the whole egg to discover that it’s bad.”
Not a husband... FTER a round of golf two guys, one newly-wed, were at the 19th hole talking about the recent marriage. First golfer: “So, you’re
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your wife’s third hubby?” Newly-wed: “No, I am her fourth husband.” First golfer: “Heavens man, you’re not a husband, you’re a habit!”
At the gym
Other girls
Me
I just spent R5,000 on a limousine and discovered that the fee doesn’t include a driver... I can’t believe I’ve spent all that money and have nothing to chauffeur it!
SOCIAL SCENE
4 March 2020 ARTS FEST FUN: Teachers from The Crags Primary School - at left, Mr Maddat is flanked by Mms Pluim and Louw - were in attendance at last Friday night’s Plett Performing Arts Festival show starring Daniel Mpilo Richards. The festival raises funds for the Kids of Kurland School Project, of which The Crags Primary is the main benefactor. At centre below, Kids of Kurland cofounder Ann Fermor enjoys the evening with husband Dai and Sharon van Hees - a member of her awesome organising team. Take note that this year’s Plett Performing Arts Fest concludes on Saturday night with ‘Shakespeare Abridged’ at The White House at 8pm. Buy tickets at R200 per person from The Old House Shop, or call Ann on 082 452 8764 for additional information. Photos: Vinthi Neufeld Photography at Frisson Room
People, places & events
JHB 25693/VODA
EXCITING BEAUTY ADDITION TO THE BAY: Lash Care International (LCI) recently launched its fabulous Lash & Brow Bar in Plett CBD. The new LCI branch offers a luxury experience for ladies as well as gents, the latter truly benefiting from the polished look afforded by a pro lash and brow treatment. The menu include lash extensions and lifts, threading, tinting, facial waxing, and a bespoke after-care range, complemented by an international eye cosmetic range. About 55 guests popped in during the official opening on Friday night to meet the team and join them for a glass of bubbly. In attendance were influencers and members of the media, hair and beauty salon representatives, event and wedding planners, and other business owners. A vibey and festive affair, guests were dressed to the nines and curious to find out more about this exciting new venture of Plett resident Jacqui McMillan, pictured second from left above, with hubby Bob toasting his wife and her able team. Lodestone bubbly flowed and canapes from Zanzo’s were enjoyed by all. Guests received goodie bags with gift vouchers for classic lashes, along with products and other treats. Finally, live demos proved a huge hit, as it’s always best to see firsthand exactly how the magic happens. At top right, Jacqui looks glamorous as ever while mingling mid-air with Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi and World Cup-winning coach Rassie Erasmus on a recent flight from Dubai. See the advert alongside for contact details and opening hours.
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CLASSIFIEDS
ON THE SOAPBOX
4 March 2020
Letters to the Editor
Email: editor@cxpress.co.za - Fax: 044 533 0852 - PO Box 1449, Plett 6600
On mayoral self-indulgences and excesses Hats off to ‘Hungry, Thirsty, Revolting Peasant’ for his/her enlightening commentary on lavish lunches and other mayoral excesses. [Read ‘Open letter to Bitou Mayor: in memory of Madiba Day and other lavish lunches’ to page 11 of the Febru-
ary 19 edition at www. cxpress.co.za]. Also, well done Plettenberg Bay Ratepayers Association and CXPRESS for the comprehensive commentary/report on the ‘state of Bitou’ en route to Bredell’s desk. After diligent research,
the forensic auditors recommend disciplinary action against the mayor and his accomplices and recommend charges in respect of corruption, fraud, and racketeering. The next urgent step is for the councillors, as elected representatives of
the community, to take appropriate action in terms of the Municipal Structures Act. Time to say “goodbye” - clean out the crooks and let’s welcome better days ahead! Long-suffering Ratepayer, Plett
Silence of whites deafening after FW de Klerk’s comments The last remaining apartheid president, FW de Klerk, was in hot water recently - this time for apartheid denialism. During an interview with the SABC, De Klerk commented that apartheid was not a crime against humanity, despite the fact that it was declared such by the international community through the United Nations. More frustrating to some of us is that, by denying that apartheid was a crime against humanity, you deny the very existence of black people in this country. To you, their pain and suffering does not matter - that those who died at the hands of this racist regime, died in pain. But black South Af-
ricans, through Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, chose to forgive and forget - this despite the fact that South Africa did not go the route of the Nuremberg Trials, where perpetrators where actually held accountable for their crimes in what the world has come to know as The Holocaust. However, I am not surprised by racist comments in South Africa anymore. The question for me is: what are white South Africans (the good ones, at least) doing to combat racism in their own circles? I’ve been battling with this question for a long time now, because I am not convinced that the white community in our
country is doing enough in this regard. In fact, the silence from key organisations that always claim to be speaking on behalf of the white community is just too loud - your Helen Suzman Foundations and the like. To us, this silence means they in fact endorse De Klerk’s view. I think it was Bishop Tutu who said: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” For as long as the white community in this country is quiet on the issue, we
won’t see progress in terms of improved race relations. South Africa’s white community seems to not appreciate our negotiated settlement, which favours them in all aspects, to the detriment of justice and healing for those who suffered under apartheid. Perhaps Mandela and Tutu were naïve to think that we could foster a united rainbow nation when we had not actually dealt with the elephant in the room. De Klerk’s comments are an insult, but it’s the silence of those he purports to speak for that troubles me. I support the move to have his Nobel Peace Prize stripped - he didn’t deserve it in the first place. Wandisile Sebezo, Plett
Who put you on those benches, honourable members? The fact the FW de Klerk stated that apartheid was not a crime against humanity was ridiculous. Any government that sets out to separate a section of its people against another is committing a humanitarian crime. But as the good Lord said, who has clean hands? Both sides had reached a point of mutual hatred. Would the shooting
down of an airliner by the ANC have been a crime against humanity or would it have been an act of war, or just part of the dreadful ideology that was pursued to prevent the emancipation of its society? Having got that out of the way, let us look at FW: he was part of the opposition to PW Botha, crossing the Rubicon which set the country
Wanneer is genoeg, GENOEG? Trane wat ek weg verf Deur seer wat ek moes erf Die pyn hoe ons nasies mekaar uitwerk Hoe mense mekaar met haat merk Tragies hoe ons land nou lyk Hoe iemand ons kinders deur ‘n verkyker bekyk Terwyl jy by die huis sit Soek iemand sy of haar kind Iewers tussen ons
dwaal iemand rond Wat ons kinders verblind Saam met hom sleep en misbruik Dit moet stop, Voor nog ‘n onskuldige siel as vermis oppop Genoeg is genoeg, dis nou tyd om as nasies saam te staan Want onthou: jou kind, is my kind en my kind, is jou kind! Heinrich Pienaar, per epos
back a couple of years. In spite of that - or because of it - when he became president, he made one of the most important speeches ever made. He changed the course of history. This was done in spite of the opposition of his own tribe and many in the ANC. He saved the country from total annihilation. So when the honourable members shout for his persecution, they should remember that they are
sitting on those benches because of the guts of one man who put his country before tribe, and saved it from the rubble of war - unlike the president of Syria. I was once in a lift in Pretoria when FW pressed the wrong button for my floor. Thank you for having the guts to press the right button when you made president; you would never have made a decent liftman. Paul Deans, Plett
Imagine removing all the statues worldwide... Calls for FW de Klerk to relinquish his Nobel Peace Prize raise an interesting question. Would Mr Mandela also have to give up his? After all’s said and done, his word has been broken - if posthumously - on protection of minority rights. They both agreed on the covenant (our constitution). At least Mr de Klerk has not broken his word.
Imagine removing all the statues worldwide… PS: So much has been written about the American gun laws, but so little understood. The second amendment simply permits the populace to be as well-armed as the army and the police thereby preventing a coup. Makes you think, doesn’t? A Forbes, Plett
CXPRESS
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CXPRESS
4 March 2020
SPORT & ADVENTURE
Sedgefield loses legendary resident sea rescuer AST Wednesday, the National Sea Rescue Institute head office issued an official adieu to one of its finest crewman, when Allan Cramb - coxswain, station commander and former NSRI operations director passed away at the age of 68. Having dedicated his adult life to sea rescue, Allan and his wife Elspeth recently moved to Sedgefield to retire in this peaceful Garden Route town. But the previous five decades
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of his life were far from calm, as he spent much of his time rescuing those in trouble at sea. Allan was a founding member of Station 2 at Bakoven, which he joined in August 1967 aged 16. He was made a coxswain five years later and in 1982, was elected as station commander - a position he held for 12 years. In 1986, he stood down from active service after he broke his back while on a
rescue mission. In 1994, Allan joined the Sea Rescue head office team as operations director and was appointed to its board of directors in 1990. In October 1993, Rotary honoured him with the Vocational Service Award in recognition of his dedicated service. Allan boasts an impressive series of long service awards signed by four decades of presidents - PW Botha, FW de Klerk, Nel-
son Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. He received numerous awards including Meritorious Service, Directors Certificate of Thanks, the Perry Ment Award, Honorary Life Membership, Honorary Life Governor and, in 2017, an incredible 50 years long service award. He earned the respect of the volunteer crews who went to sea with him in all kinds of weather because of his excellent seamanship and steady nature at the helm. His kindness and willingness to listen rather than to simply instruct made him an admirable mentor. In June 2011, Allan retired from NSRI Head Office and moved to the banks of the Breede River. During this time he still made an effort to be actively involved with the Witsand sea rescue base on an advisory and support level. The NSRI tribute concluded: “The Institute is deeply saddened by Allan’s death. He will be terribly missed by the crews who went to sea with him and all NSRI volunteers who knew and admired him. Sincere condolences are conveyed to his family by all at NSRI. Until we meet again, we bid you fair winds and a following sea.”
HALF A CENTURY OF SERVICE: In 2017 Allan, at left, received a remarkable 50 years long service award from the NSRI
IN MEMORIAM: Allan Cramb recently moved to the Garden Route, after having spent years rescuing lives around the Cape coast - he is pictured in this newspaper clipping (holding the NSRI flag) with Bakoven deputy station commander Don Nicholls, at right, during a routine exercise
Storms River
TIN HOUSE Self-catering accommodation