The Village NEWS 08 July - 15 July 2020

8 JULY 2020

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Orcas kill great white Writer De Waal Steyn

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wo Orcas named Port and Starboard are believed to be behind yet another attack that killed a great white shark after the carcass of a 3.6 metre washed ashore on Saturday 4 July at De Gruis in Gansbaai.

Port and Starboard made international headlines in May 2017 when they were linked to the killing of several great whites, as well as numerous sevengill sharks along our coastline. In February this year they were responsible for the killing of a copper shark (also known as bronze whaler shark).

According to Wilfred Chivell, CEO of Marine Dynamics, the Marine Dynamics/Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) team was notified by resident Paul de Villiers of a white shark stranding.

“We recovered the carcass and transported it to the International Marine Volunteer Lodge where the following morning a team led by DICT marine biologists collected detailed measurements, photographic, and biological samples.

“The white shark was a 3.6 metre female with a large tear between the two pectoral fins, with the liver and heart missing – identical injuries to those previously recorded on dead white sharks in Gansbaai, and other shark species found along the coast,” said Chivell.

Two days earlier there were confirmed sightings in False Bay of the notorious orca pair.

The carcass also showed signs of multiple shark bites along its pelvic area, probably a result of scavenging after the initial predation.

“There were no signs that fishing gear was responsible for the death and no tag was observed on the shark. The DICT team took multiple samples, including fin clippings, muscle, vertebrae, gills and jaws. There has

been much speculation regarding the disappearance of white sharks from Gansbaai over the past three years – and what has caused their absence.

“We believe that commercial overfishing and removal of prey species has a critical impact on the number of white sharks and we are encouraged by the recent selection of an expert panel of scientists to advise the Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries on how to address this matter. However, the impact of orca predations on white sharks in Gansbaai is simply undeniable.

“It is not a smoke screen for a bigger issue but can be linked to pressures other marine species are enduring, adding further urgency to the action on threats affecting the decline of shark stocks along the South African coast,” said Chivell.

According to him the shark cage diving industry is key to daily monitoring of white sharks that can ultimately advise conservation policy. “We have been proactive in setting up our Covid safety protocols so we now await confirmation from government as to when we can start operating.”

Shark biologist Alison Towner comments, “We have monitored the behaviour and abundance of white sharks in the area for over 13 years through an established long-term, boat-based and -tagging data programme.

The interactions between orcas and white sharks were first observed in 2017 and seem to occur at similar times each year.

“Although we are only seeing the shark carcasses that wash out, they are all notably larger white sharks, over 3 metres in length.

This is concerning for a species that does not reach reproductive maturity until it has exceeded this size. Collaboration between key experts, scientists, and stakeholders is paramount to proactively preserve the future diversity of Southern African shark populations,” said Towner.

Marine biologists from Marine Dynamics took part in the necropsy on the carcass of a 3,6-metre great white shark that was predated by a duo of orcas named Port and Starboard.

The pair has been responsible for killing at least four great white, five broad-nosed sevengill (also known as cow sharks) and a bronze whaler shark over the last few years. Orcas are apex predators and they appear to have a predilection for organ meat. They essentially split a shark open by each grabbing a pectoral fin. The shark is flipped over and pulled apart, splitting open the throat and chest cavity exposing the large, lipid-rich liver.

PHOTO: Cari Roets, Marine Dynamics/Dyer Island Conservation Trust

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8 July 2020

Hotspot plan for Overberg rolled out Writer De Waal Steyn

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ince the Overberg was named as a hotspot

by Pres Cyril Ramaphosa in May, the Overberg District Municipality (ODM) has rolled out a district-wide hotspot plan, in addition to the Coronavirus intervention plan that was launched in March.

According to Reinard Geldenhuys, head of Disaster Management of the ODM, the objectives of the plan are to slow the spread of the virus, limit morbidity, protect vulnerable communities and increase economic activities.

“We need to prepare ourselves as the numbers of positive cases continue to rise. There has been a sharp increase in Hermanus and Grabouw, while there is concern for Gansbaai and Villiersdorp, which are now also treated as hotspots by the District Joint Operations Centre (JOC),” said Geldenhuys. (See Page 7 for Covid-19 Dashboard)

An Overberg hotspot team has been established, with representatives from all the municipalities in the district, SAPS and the provincial government. The national government still needs to nominate a minister to the team that is headed by Solly Fourie, Provincial Head of Economic Development. The team provides strategic oversight and direction to the JOC and must give weekly feedback to cabinet on its progress.

“Slowing the spread, helping those in need and bringing our economy back to life are at

the heart of the work we do in the district,” said Geldenhuys.

He added that the role of each resident is equally important. “If we are to limit the spread and keep our communities and vulnerable people safe, we must all be responsible. We are really worried about those who do not wear masks – especially when they are in a taxi, shop, or church. If you are in a small space with others, with limited fresh air circulating for longer than 15 minutes, you are at a high risk of contracting the virus. It’s important to protect yourself and your loved ones at all times.”

The plan also includes a focus on humanitarian relief and food security, both through direct and indirect support, and on implementing opportunities to facilitate an economic recovery.

To assist businesses, the team last week took delivery of 400 (of 1 000) kits containing hand sanitiser, masks, and other items to support registered spaza shops in the area.

The hotspot plan also includes continued testing of potential COVID-19 cases, and treatment for those who need it. Those who cannot self-isolate are housed at designated quarantine and isolation sites in the district.

Questions were raised after the provincial government decided to close one of the quarantine sites in Hermanus last month, after patients complained about the state of the facility and a lack of insulation against the cold and damp.

Jandré Bakker, Head of Communication of the

Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works, said there are a total of seven isolation and quarantine facilities in the Overberg, with a bed capacity of 307. These facilities include guesthouses, lodges and municipal facilities, and a total of 159 people are currently housed in these facilities.

Bakker said it is important for the public to note that there is no truth in the perception that these facilities are like a hotel. “Many sites have either a shared or dormitory style set-up. This is especially the case with isolation facilities where sharing a bedroom or bathroom does not pose a risk. All patients receive three meals a day.”

According to him, an additional 17 sites in the district have been identified and are ready to be activated. These facilities will add an additional 714 beds.

“We are not disclosing where these sites are as we have had problems with members of the public contacting these facilities directly to book themselves in. A patient must be referred by the Department of Health to either a quarantine or isolation facility. The department will guide the person on what the processes are and transport for the patient to the site will be provided,” Bakker said.

The difference between an isolation and a quarantine site is that isolation is intended for a person who tested positive for COVID-19 but is showing none or mild symptoms, and separating them from others to prevent the spread of infection or contamination. Quarantine means

taking in a person who is not showing any symptoms of COVID-19 but was potentially exposed to the virus, and separating them from others to prevent the possible spread of infection or contamination.

Alan Winde, Western Cape Premier, last week announced that the latest modelling scenarios for the province indicate that infections are expected to peak later than was originally projected. The peak is likely to be reached between the end of July and the beginning of August.

“This peak is also flatter than was originally projected. This means that we will not have as many hospitalisations and deaths at the peak as we originally thought. As a result, it is projected that 5 450 beds will be needed at the peak, should this scenario hold. This is lower than both the original provisioning scenario from April (6 304), and the previous national modelling from May (7 800).

“However, this flatter trajectory would last for longer. This means potentially more cumulative deaths of approximately 10 000 people during the pandemic. The virus could be with us for longer than we thought, with this first peak only ending towards the end of November,” Winde said.

Residents are urged to report unsafe behaviour by a COVID-19 positive person, such as not adhering to the health regulations, by contacting their local police station, or by calling the provincial hotline on 021 928 4102. The national hotine number is 0800 029 999.

COVID-19 and living with comorbidities Every time I go ‘inside the out’ (with acknowledgement to Pixar Animation Studios) I tell myself I will not set foot out of the house again until the Covid-19 pandemic is under control or I have been given the much-anticipated vaccine.

COVID-19. Apart from taking immuno-suppressants every day to help my body fight Rheumatoid Arthritis I also suffer from hypertension, thanks to spending most of the last 30 years in newsrooms. If you think reading the news is stressful, try publishing it!

or condition together with a primary medical condition. In other words, comorbidities are the accomplices which conspire with COVID-19 to kill. According to studies, the top five are: diabetes, hypertension, HIV, obesity, and asthma/ chronic respiratory disease.

preliminary analysis of risk factors for COVID-19 deaths in the province, said epidemiologists have found that men are 40% more likely to die of COVID-19 than women, and that the risk of death increases in each age band over the age of 40.

Like many of our readers, I am faced with the added burden of comorbidities that place me in the category of those who may contract severe

Before the pandemic burst onto the scene, I had never heard the word comorbidity, which is the presence of one or more additional disease

And it seems the more comorbidities you have, the greater are your chances of dying. In June, the Western Cape Department of Health reported that amongst those who had died from the Coronavirus, 65% had more than one comorbidity, and two out of five had three or more.

Diabetes raises the risk of death more substantially than hypertension or chronic kidney disease.

According to aidsmap.com people with HIV in the Western Cape are about two-and-a-half times more likely to die of COVID-19 than others, as shown by an analysis of people receiving public sector health care.

Dr Mary-Ann Davies of the Western Cape Health Department, who last month presented a

In the case of diabetes, researchers found that poorly-controlled or uncontrolled diabetes was associated with a substantially higher risk of death from COVID-19 than controlled diabetes.

Whereas people with controlled diabetes had a four-fold greater risk of death compared to people without diabetes, the risk of death was nine times higher in people with poorly-controlled diabetes and 13 times higher in people with uncontrolled diabetes.

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disease, or if you are on cancer treatment.

Davies estimated that at the time of the study around half the deaths from COVID-19 in Western Cape public sector patients were attributable to diabetes, while hypertension (19%), HIV (12%), chronic kidney disease (9%) and TB (2%) were also implicated in deaths.

If you fall into any of the above categories, do not go out unless necessary, discourage visitors in your home, keep completely separate from anyone in your home who is infected with the Coronavirus and do not visit a healthcare facility unless you really need to.

According to information released by the Western Cape Government you are at high risk of severe COVID-19 if you are 55 years and older or an adult with diabetes. You are at moderate risk if you are an adult on TB treatment, have HIV, kidney disease, hypertension, chronic lung

Those with a higher risk are advised to use a face mask as much as possible, to adhere to social distancing rules and to practise good hygiene. If you or others in your household have been out, take a shower or a bath and change your clothes.

If you are suffering from an existing comorbidity, ensure that you keep on taking your prescribed medication.

If you have a sore throat, start coughing or experience a loss of smell or taste, contact your doctor or the COVID-19 hotline immediately to arrange for a test. Early tests are the most reliable.

Should you experience any of the following you must seek help immediately: difficulty breathing, confusion, inability to wake up completely, chest pain or pressure that will not go away, sudden weakness of an arm, leg or the side of

your face, or sudden loss of speech or vision.

We all know that suffering from a chronic disease is not easy and it is tough knowing that you are at risk of severe COVID-19. While our various diseases have different effects on our lives, the one thing we must be sure to do during the pandemic is to ask for help when we feel we need it.Ask someone to do your shopping for you, organise home deliveries of your medicine, speak to your doctor when you are not feeling well and share your worries with someone you trust. The provincial hotline is: 021 928 4102.

- De Waal Steyn

Second phase of learners returns to school Writer Hedda Mittner

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earners in Grade R, 6 and 11 returned to school on Monday as part of the government’s phased-in approach to the reopening of schools. These learners now join the Grade 7 and 12 learners who went back to school on 1 June.

This amendment to the gazetted directions for the reopening of schools, which would also have seen ECD, Grade 1, 2, 3 and 10 learners return to their classes on 6 July, was again announced at the last minute by the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, at a press briefing held on Sunday afternoon.

In another U-turn, it was decided that only Grade 6 and 11 learners had to return to school this week. Schools that were ready to receive their Grade R learners could also go ahead as planned, the Minister said, adding that not all schools were at the same level of readiness and had until the end of the month to accommodate their Grade Rs. Motshekga said her decision had been informed by the feedback and advice received from scientists, medical experts and various stakeholders, including school principals, school governing bodies, national teachers’ organisations and the Council of Education Ministers.

proach to phasing in grades that has been provided for, and the ability for schools to adopt a slightly slower phasing in approach, should they need to do so.” However, several schools in the Western Cape, including the Overberg, have welcomed back learners in Grades 1, 2, 3 and 10 as planned. Bronagh Hammond of the WCED confirmed that those schools “which are ready and have made all the necessary preparations, may continue to receive grades other than those specified. At all times, the required safety protocols must continue to be followed, regardless of the number of grades present at school.”

To date, 2 740 teachers and 1 260 pupils in the country have contracted Covid-19 since schools started to reopen on 1 June. Motshekga said this constitutes a small percentage of people in the schooling system. “The 2 740 teachers out of 440 000 is equivalent to less than 1%,” she said, adding that it is “unfortunate” that 11 of those infected teachers and four non-teaching staff members had died. Three learners who reportedly had serious comorbidities, have also lost their lives. The 1 260 infections among pupils, she said, came to less than 0.1% of pupils in the country.

“We will adjust the reopening phases based on the risk-adjusted strategy, which is a considered attempt to balance our approach to school reopening taking into account all factors that affect the work we do. We are guided in this by an observation of the rising numbers of community transmissions throughout the country,” said Motshekga.

Motshekga also confirmed that, to date, 968 out of a total of more than 25 000 schools nationwide have had to close temporarily due to infection. “That means that only about 4% of schools have been affected and they were not closed for long periods. The average duration of the deep cleaning and decontamination of schools is three days,” she said, emphasising that this was preferable to the blanket closure of all schools for a longer period. “This would come at an unacceptable cost of lost learning and school feeding for an entire generation of children, with a consequent worsening of social and economic inequalities for years to come."

According to the Western Cape Education Department, “We welcome the differentiated ap-

However, the Minister admitted that the challenges will become greater as more grades

return to school, especially with respect to social distancing, timetabling and classroom management.

Rotating classes was one solution, but would lead to more teaching days lost. She said new “innovative approaches” needed to be adopted by schools, as it was in the overall best interests of learners to be back in school.

The third cohort of pupils is expected to return to school on 3 August. Parents who choose not to send their children back to school, she added, must apply to the provincial education department – and not the schools – to register for home schooling.

Regarding ECD (Early Childhood Development) centres, the Minister said the pre-Grade Rs would have to wait a little longer, as ECD falls under the Department of Social Development and not the Department of Basic Education.

However, on Monday the Gauteng High Court ruled in favour of private ECD centres reopening immediately. The case had been brought by trade union Solidarity's Occupational Guild for Social Workers and their School Support Centre (SCC) against the Department of Social Development.

The Grade 1 learners at Hermanus Primary, who went back to school on Monday, are divided into groups that rotate in order to keep classes at 50% capacity.

To improve their concentration, the children were given a break every half an hour to stretch or dance.

PHOTO: Taylum Meyer

"We are delighted with the ruling. It means thousands of parents will be able to place their children in the care of their competent teachers again for the stimulation and learning that children so desperately need," said Marisa Engelbrecht, sector head of the Solidarity Occupational Guild for Social Workers. "What is even more reassuring, is that these children will now be in a safe environment again and that those dependent on feeding schemes will once again be able to learn and develop optimally with food in their stomachs."

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WHAT'S COOKING

Source local, eat local, spend local O

h, the joy of eating out again! And what an encouraging sight it was this weekend, seeing people sitting outside in the sunshine, enjoying a meal and the glorious views. Such a contrast with the eerily quiet streets and closed-up businesses we’d seen during the hard lockdown.

“Yes, Hermanus is still here – and we must have faith in that,” says Shane Sauvage of La Pentola.

“There is still nowhere else I’d rather be.” For him, the first weekend since restaurants were allowed to reopen for sit-down service was an uplifting experience. “For the first time in a long while I was able to do what I do – and what a pleasure it was!” he says. “This restaurant is my life.”

Unlike many restaurants in other towns and cities, including Cape Town, that have already had to close their doors, most of our restaurant owners are still hanging in there. “Business is slow, but we are doing the best we can,” says Han Meerburg of Walkerbay Grill in Voëlklip.

“The biggest problem we have is not being able to serve alcohol, as it is such an integral part of dining out. You know, people don’t go to a restaurant because they’re hungry; what they want is an evening away from home, they want to have a celebration, an experience.”

very quiet, it has been good for the morale of his staff to be back at work. Most of the restaurants are also still continuing with their take-out service, which has helped them to tick over and support their staff members since the move to lockdown Level 3. All of them have struggled to receive even minimal TERS payments. Rudolf van der Berg of Burgundy, who hopes to reopen at the end of the month, says he’s been helping his staff out with food parcels since the start of the lockdown.

At La Pentola, with its gorgeous views of Walker Bay, Chef Shane Sauvage is offering 20% off on all his new winter dishes on the menu. Open for lunch and dinner on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday, and lunch only on Sunday.

PHOTO: Hedda Mittner

In spite of all these challenges, Petri Hendriksz of Pear Tree and Char’d remains upbeat.

“We just have to stay positive and innovative, and keep thinking out of the box. That’s why we continue to come up with new dishes and specials, and drinks treats to make up for the lack of alcohol,” he says. “Local support is very important to us right now and we have to make sure that we don’t compromise on quality.”

Although several restaurants are offering specials at the moment, including La Pentola, Shane says the restaurants should beware of starting a price war. “Our restaurants are the pride of Hermanus and we should never devalue what we do. Now, more than ever, we need to work together and support one another. We have been through a lot – hard winters, riots, and now this pandemic. But we are a hardened bunch and it is our sense of community that has always pulled us through.”

Most restaurant owners have said that the prohibition on serving alcohol is impeding their chances of survival. “At the moment I am just trying to break even so that I can at least pay some of my staff,” says Han. “With so many people laid off and unemployment rising, that alone makes it worthwhile. So I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.”

Someone who can attest to that is Rebecca Matthysen of The Eatery, who became involved with the Food4Love feeding scheme during the hard lockdown and has provided delicious home-cooked meals for home delivery since Level 3. “Hermanus is a very supportive community that always pulls together in times of crisis.

We now have to make sure that we source local, eat local and spend local.”

Bruce Geddes of Rossi’s says although it is still

Amen to that!

PHOTO: Hedda Mittner Pear Tree is a popular spot on the Hermanus Waterfront, open from Tuesday to Sunday.

Bruce Geddes and his team are delighted to welcome sitdown diners back to Rossi’s. Their full menu is also available for takeaways and deliveries. You’ll find a mobile-friendly version of the menu on their website, www. rossis.co.za

PHOTO: Taylum Meyer

Here Chef Petri Hendriksz is shaking things up with innovative taco specials and mocktails.

PHOTO: Hedda Mittner

Writer Hedda Mittner

8 July 2020

Rebecca Matthysen (on the right, with Margret Mafrika) has been delivering delicious, homecooked meals during the lockdown, which are still available for pick-up, along with artisanal coffees, cakes, pastries and preserves. The Eatery is now also open for sit-down breakfast and lunch.

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8 July 2020

Local artists transform bollards into Art starts where words no public works of art longer have any meaning

Jaco is a well-known Onrus-based sculptor who has been involved with the annual Sculpture on the Cliffs exhibition since the inaugural FynArts Festival. With the Covid-19 pandemic having disrupted not only the usual format of the festival, but also the livelihoods of our local artists, Jaco realised what a challenge it had been for them to stay positive and to continue coming up with creative ideas to keep the pot boiling.

“I believe that this optimistic, keep-on-going spirit is one of the distinct characteristics of artists,” said Jaco, “and it’s something they have now been able to offer our town during a time when we have been challenged as never before.”

These public works of art, he believes, will serve as an inspiration for residents and future visitors to Hermanus.

The project certainly attracted a lot of attention from the public as the participating artists – Charmé Southey, Terry Kobus, Jenny Jackson, Malcolm Bowling, Mardee Zwe, Obert Jongwe, Carl Becker, Lidi de Waal, Alyson Guy, Charmaine De Jong Gelderblom, Anna Lamprecht, Leon Müller, Jeandré Marinier, Christine Henderson, Geta Finlayson and Lize Van der Walt (Ed Bredenkamp was unfortunately ill and not able to participate, as planned) – each painted one bollard over the course of Friday and Saturday morning.

PHOTO: James Luckhoff

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omeone once said that art starts where words no longer have any meaning,” said FynArts Festival Director, Mary Faure at the opening of the ‘Artist for Hermanus - Hermanus for Artists’ project on Saturday 4 July. This collaboration between FynArts and a group of local artists was the brainchild of Jaco Sieberhagen, who came up with the idea of uniting 17 artists in the common purpose of turning the bollards along Marine Drive in front of the War Memorial into public works of art.

“I am very grateful to Jaco for suggesting this project as a collaboration under the FynArts umbrella,” said Mary at the opening, adding that without the support of the Overstrand Municipality and, in particular, Cllr Kari Brice and Hermanus Area Manager, Anver Wyngaard, it would never have happened.

The ‘Artist for Hermanus - Hermanus for Artists’ project was executed while complying with the strict safety measures issued by the municipality, including social distancing, which is why only every second bollard was allocated to an artist.

“Each one had the opportunity to paint the bollard in their own distinctive style and also sign the work in order for visitors to get an appreciation of their unique visual voice,” said Jaco. “FynArts provided the necessary enamel paint and thinners for the cleaning of brushes. The artists brought their own brushes, cloths and palettes to mix their colours, and had to ensure that the pavement was kept immaculately clean from any paint.

It is also the responsibility of the artists to ensure that the bollards remain in pristine condition after completion of the project.”

Mary called this initiative “a bold statement that there is still colour and beauty all around us during this difficult time” and expressed the hope that the project would expand and continue into the future.

(After all, there are still many more bollards in Hermanus that could benefit from the same ‘treatment’!)

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At the opening of the ‘Artist for Hermanus - Hermanus for Artists’ project on Saturday were (from left) local artist Jaco Sieberhagen, who initiated the project, land artist Strijdom van der Merwe, who was invited to do the opening, Cape Whale Coast Tourism Manager Frieda Lloyd, Deputy Mayor of the Overstrand Elnora Gillion, (in front) FynArts Festival Director Mary Faure, Hermanus Area Manager Anver Wyngaard and Cllr Kari Brice.

PHOTO: Taylum Meyer PHOTO: Hedda Mittner

1. Terry Kobus’s bollard is entitled ‘Cape Floral Kingdom’. “The Overberg has survived many wildfires but through all this, with time, there is renewed growth that transforms the landscape. Although this pandemic is disastrous to our town and region we will, like ravaged fynbos, rise again and blossom.”

PHOTO: Taylum Meyer 2, 3 & 5. Among the artists who participated in this project were Mardee Zwe (2), Lidi de Waal (3) and Jenny Jackson (5).

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4. Passersby were intrigued by the bollards, which had been transformed into colourful works of public art by our local artists.

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A special guest at the opening, all the way from Stellenbosch, was another FynArts stalwart, sculptor and land artist Strijdom van der Merwe, who said public art was a strong expression of place and identity. “Towns and cities with public art are more attractive to visitors, entrepreneurs and artists, because they convey a sense of meaning, uniqueness and connectivity,” he said. “Public art allows all people to experience art in their daily lives.”

PHOTO: Taylum Meyer

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PHOTO: James Luckhoff

Writer Hedda Mittner

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FROM THE EDITOR

Show your love by staying away The next edition of The Village NEWS will be available on 15 July 2020. The NEWS can be found at over 300 distribution points in the Overberg.

De Waal Steyn PUBLISHING EDITOR E: dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za T: 083 700 3319

Hedda Mittner CONTENT EDITOR E: hedda@thevillagenews.co.za T: 083 645 3928

Raphael da Silva ONLINE EDITOR

President Cyril Ramaphosa eloquently articulates in his letter to the nation on Monday 6 July the importance of keeping the elderly and those with comorbidities safe. He writes: For those fortunate enough to have an elderly parent or grandparent still alive, not being able to spend time with them has been one of the most difficult parts of the lockdown.

Because of social distancing regulations, most of these activities have been curtailed, potentially leaving them feeling socially isolated and lonely. And leaving their loved ones anxious for their wellbeing. The reality however is that in keeping our distance from our elderly parents and grandparents at this time we could be saving their lives. Coronavirus

Sugar & Spice

SUB-EDITOR & JOURNALIST E: elaine@thevillagenews.co.za T: 084 343 7500

Taylum Meyer PHOTOGRAPHER & PRODUCTION MANAGER E: taylum@thevillagenews.co.za T: 084 564 0779

Charé van der Walt MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE E: chare@thevillagenews.co.za T: 082 430 1974

Nickey Jackson MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE

In addition, data released by the Department of Health indicates that people with underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, renal disease, asthma and chronic respiratory disease are more vulnerable to developing severe complications and dying from Coronavirus. According to new research published by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a third of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 had at least one comorbidity.

More than 4.5 million South Africans have diabetes, a figure that has doubled since 2017.

and continue to take their medication.

One of the lessons from this pandemic is that we need a holistic approach to health. Anecdotal evidence suggests many of our people have used the lockdown period to make positive lifestyle changes like doing more exercise or quitting smoking.

Reducing the burden of lifestyle-related diseases on our health system is ultimately in the best interests of our health, our economy and our personal finances.

In the Western Cape alone, diabetes is a co-morbidity in over half of all COVID-19 deaths. In the Western Cape, testing is being offered to people with comorbidities such as diabetes, whether they show coronavirus symptoms or not. This smart approach to screening and testing is part of our effort to limit infections among those most vulnerable.

People with underlying medical conditions like diabetes and hypertension should be extra cautious. They should observe social distancing, stay home if possible and stay away from crowded places. Like everyone else, they should practice good hygiene

While the COVID-19 fatality rate is low in South Africa compared to the rest of the world, the rising number of infections is a caution against complacency.

– This is the good NEWS - Ed

Is your glass half empty or half full?

E: raphael@thevillagenews.co.za T: 074 125 5854

Elaine Davie

can infect anyone, but older people are among those at highest risk of getting severely ill and possibly dying. Sadly, there have been several Coronavirus outbreaks at old-age homes and care centres, resulting in a number of deaths.

for Stupid (Sorry, Donald). If you can accept these three truths, your life will be so much easier.

By Hélène Truter

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es. It's a shitty situation. Try saying that when you're drunk (which probably includes about 80% of the population.) In retrospect, 2020 has been a unique Leap Year.

It had 29 days in February; 100 days in March; with April, May and June spread over five years. How many more weeks in the month of July?

I don't know, my brain can't compute the numbers being thrown around these days. One hundred billion stolen... Three trillion in debt... How many zeros are we talking here? Nevermind, it's a rhetorical question.

However, there's hope, folks. We may be living in unprecedented times (I so hate that overused word) but three fundamental truths will never change: 1) A buttered slice of bread will always land on its buttered face.

2) Incompetence has always been the ‘new normal’. 3) There is no vaccine

Sometimes it feels as if we're fighting three pandemics at the same time – Covid-19, Fake News and Stupidity. My husband warns me not to take on the Stupid. They're a dangerous bunch.

Don't fret my skat, Stupid is too stupid to know it's stupid.

No, I'm not being a Stupid-ist. Some of my best friends are stupid. They send me WhatsApps like this one: All smokers and people over 45 will be forced to go back to Level 5. If you don't comply, you will be dragged kicking and screaming to a quarantine facility.

When questioned, my friend (Ann) is adamant: "It's true. My cousin's mother-in-law goes to the same hairdresser as the Minister of Land Reform's chauffeur's wife." That's where Ann heard it. And it's on WhatsApp, so it must be true. Ann has a degree. The old-fashioned kind of degree that you actually had to study for. Common sense is currently whizzing over us like a frisbee over a fat Rottweiler's head.

Since my last lament, hairdressers and beauty salons have opened. Yaaay!

Not just for the sake of our small businesses, but after three months of lockdown there were some pretty ugly women walking our streets (including yours truly). I have realised that I don't know any women who sport their natural hair colour. Some wise person stated that this lockdown has exposed people's true DNA. Lockdown in my opinion has shown our true roots.

I apologise to my acquaintances whom I simply didn't recognise in the street. Not just because of the masks, but that hair! Those unplucked eyebrows! And as the mask slips... is that a hairy lip I see before me? Mask up sister, you're scaring the kids. After all this is over, I wonder if we'll have a tan line on our faces.

I'm not sure I'll be able to give up my mask so easily. It's great to be incognito, quickly slipping out in your old faded tracksuit to buy milk. And some other stuff. No, I'm not the masked woman buying cigarettes. That would be illegal. I wonder if there's enough jail space for the 11 million smokers

who are currently breaking the law.

On the other hand, they are supporting small businesses (albeit illegal).

This was Tannie Kopdoek's legal argument. Nope. Didn't read that on a WhatsApp group.

It's a well-known fact that during World War II the sale of lipsticks soared. Without women’s love of Pretty, I too would have gone under. I hope that our love for delicious food will save our restaurants. We're been deprived for so long. Spoil yourself!

And in the process we can help each other. Let's get over our negativity. If you see your glass as half empty, pour it into a smaller glass and stop whining. See? I feel much better already.

I sometimes wonder what I will do once this all ends? It's kind of handy using the virus as an excuse for not seeing people you don't want to see, and for not doing things you don’t want to do (like exercise, for example).

Although, truth be told, even before lockdown I constantly forgot to go to the gym. For three years in a row, in fact. Now I can simply blame Covid.

My cup runneth over.

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TOTAL CASES AS OF 6 JULY 2020:

OVERSTRAND BREAKDOWN OF CASES: TOTAL (ACTIVE)

WORLD: 11 638 986 SOUTH AFRICA: 196 750 WESTERN CAPE: 69 982 (35.57% of cases in SA) OVERBERG: 1 363

• MT PLEASANT: 63 (44) - 1 death • ONRUS: 30 (14) - 2 deaths • SANDBAAI: 14 (9) • FISHERHAVEN: 6 (5) • STANFORD: 27 (24) - 1 death • GANSBAAI: 127 (60) - 2 deaths • VERMONT: 7 (4) • HAWSTON: 55 (38) - 1 death • ZWELIHLE: 313 (148) - 5 deaths • HERMANUS: 76 (49) - 2 deaths • KLEINMOND: 21 (16) TOTAL: 739 (411) - 14 deaths

LAST WEEK'S TOTAL CASES: WORLD: 9 896 947 SOUTH AFRICA: 124 590 (18th in the world) WESTERN CAPE: 57 260 OVERBERG: 992 OVERSTRAND: 538

(26 JUNE)

OVERSTRAND

LOCKDOWN LEVEL:

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COVID-19 DASHBOARD

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www.thevillagenews.co.za

8 July 2020

LET'S TALK

Calling all charities to apply for funding Applications have now opened for charitable organisations that would like to become the beneficiaries of the 2021 Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse Ladies Walk funding. Every year, the Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse Ladies (NPO) hosts the special L2L Ladies Walk to raise money for a worthy local charity.

Following their successful 2020 walk, which raised over R800 000 for The Butterfly Centre in Stanford, the L2L ladies are striving for new heights in 2021.

and viable, and has to be completed within the year following the handover of the funds.

The organisation must be in possession of the property/land and approved building plans must be available. The application also has to indicate the organisation’s target group (and the size of the target group) and the community that will benefit from this project.

Any Non-Profit/ Public Benefit organisation within the Overstrand municipal district is welcome to apply by compiling a one-page summary of a proposed project for 2021 (funding will not be provided for running costs).

The closing date for proposals is 31 July 2020.

After the closing date, the L2L Ladies committee will determine a shortlist and request further documentation, including an up-to-date financial statement and SARS Tax Clearance Certificate for previous years’ financial statements. Applicants will also have to specify the sustainability of the project and the charity as a whole.

The proposal must include the name of the organisation; the NPO and PBO number; and the project proposal. The project must be realistic

Applications must be submitted to the L2L chairlady, Ronelle van Zyl at ronelvzyl@telkomsa.net by no later than 31 July.

Healthy and robust debate are crucial for democracy. The Village NEWS firmly believes in freedom of the press as well as the right of individuals to freely express themselves, as long as they don’t infringe upon the rights of others. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors therefore do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of The Village NEWS. Letters may be shortened and/or edited for clarity and style. Enjoy our paper. Send your letters to dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za.

The heart of Fernkloof Nursery will go on

Secrets of the Wild Coast Join our Zoom chat with John Costello as he takes us on a journey through the Wild Coast of South Africa.

This is the third in the series of inspirational nature talks. If you have not already registered for the series of free Zoom talks, go to https:// us02web.zoom.us/webinar/ register/9015926545433/ WN_2Aiy4OMwRPS1I9iioP__ WQ

Thursday 9 July @ 18:00

Jack and Kathy Bold managed the Fernkloof Indigenous Nursery on behalf of the Hermanus Botanical Society for the last 20 years. So it was the end of an era when we said farewell to Jack, who, at 75 will now be taking his well-deserved retirement. (On the photo above are Kathy and Jack Bold with Di Marais, chairperson of the HBS.) Over the years Jack has applied his great love for the flora of this region by propagating and nurturing the indigenous fynbos to be sold at the Fernkloof Indigenous Nursery. He has significantly increased the range of specimens available and leaves a legacy of over 400 species that he has propagated, including at least 10 species on the red data list. In 2014, Jack was recognised for his considerable contribution as the recipient of the mayoral award for Environ-

mental Conservation.

Kathy has provided administrative support over the past 14 years, ably assisting the Nursery’s clients and maintaining the Facebook page, encouraging people locally and beyond to visit Fernkloof. Hermanus will miss them, as they are much-loved members of this community! We wish them much happiness for this next phase of their lives.

For now, the Nursery will be run by volunteers from the Hermanus Botanical Society, and will be open for business from 09:00 to 13:00 weekly and from 09:00 to12:00 on Saturdays. We look forward to assisting anybody wishing to plant their gardens to indigenous fynbos.

- Hermanus Botanical Society

8

www.thevillagenews.co.za

8 July 2020

MY WELLNESS

Save lives by doing only three things Writer Hedda Mittner

has spread exponentially within social and family circles, and that it is impossible to know who could unwittingly be infectious – including ourselves.

A

s the Coronavirus pandemic continues to cut a blazing path through our communities, we are now at the point where many of us know people who have contracted Covid-19. Some of us even know people who have died. They are not just statistics, but people with names, faces, families and friends.

After months of relative calm and a slow increase in new daily cases, the numbers are soaring all over the country and the reality is sinking in that we are all at risk. Now is not the time for ‘Corona fatigue’. It is easy for us to pretend that the danger has gone away because the shops and restaurants have reopened and people are back on the streets.

While this is a welcoming sight, we need only look at what is happening in the US to see the dire consequences of reopening businesses and getting back to our ‘normal’ lives, while ignoring the importance of safety measures such as social distancing and the wearing of masks. It is possible to engage in more activities – and vital for our local economy that we do so – but only if we continue to be vigilant.

The two most obvious things we can do to stay safe is to maintain a distance of at least 1.5 metres from others and to always wear a mask when leaving home. Why, then, does it seem so difficult for people to do these two very easy things?

Yes, wearing a mask feels uncomfortable and stuffy, especially when you’re walking or talking a lot. It’s tempting to just lower it for some relief, but whenever I feel that way I remind myself of the doctors and nurses who spend days and nights behind their masks (and covered in additional layers of PPE), sometimes performing complicated, hours-long surgery. Now, if they can do that without becoming oxygen-deprived, then surely we can keep ours on for the short periods when we are interacting with people who are not part of our own household.

Although it is heartening to see more people out in public wearing masks, there are very few who do it correctly and consistently. The habit of removing a mask or lowering it to hang around your neck seems to be common practice, especially when encountering people you know well. But surely it is completely illogical to think that acquaintances, colleagues, friends, neighbours and family members do not pose a threat. We should all be aware that Covid-19

The same attitude seems to apply to social distancing. Whenever we encounter someone we know, and might not have seen in a while, it is all too easy to forget about the necessity of keeping a safe distance.

Now I know it might be a bit more difficult to have a conversation from behind a mask and from a distance of 1.5 metres, but that is simply something we are all going to have to get used to. It’s called being considerate. It’s not only about my safety but also about yours – and all the other people we come into daily contact with, including our family members.

If we as a community can work together and consistently adhere to these two simple measures, we could save lives while at the same time supporting businesses so that our local economy has a chance of recovery during this challenging time. Businesses themselves have a responsibility to make their customers feel safe; some business owners, shop assistants or staff members are still to be seen interacting with clients without covering their faces properly.

(And no, a mask hanging around your neck does not offer any protection!)

The correct way to use a mask: The whole point is that you wear it the entire

•

•

•

•

time you are out in public or interacting with people. This means that you put on a clean mask with clean hands when you leave home and keep it on until you are back home again.

The mask has to fit snugly over the bridge of your nose (and not balanced on the tip, where it will keep sliding down). It should cover your nose and mouth, and extend over your chin. (There is clearly no point in wearing a mask if your nose is sticking out!)

Don't touch your mask while wearing it. That means no fiddling, and no pulling it down to rest on your chin or hang around your neck.

When removing it, use the loops or ties to take it off, rather than touching the fabric.

Wash your mask frequently with hot water and detergent and allow it to dry completely, preferably in the sun. Don’t wear it when wet. Always store it in a clean, dry place.

And the third thing? Why, wash your hands, of course. Do this thoroughly, and frequently, with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds.

We should all know the drill by now!

9

www.thevillagenews.co.za

8 July 2020

Stitched up: Dal Botha and FynArts Writer Elaine Davie

online; one is spoilt for choice really.”

Dal explains that fibre art differs from quilting or embroidering in that there is no bar on the type of fibre you use or what you do with it. She has, for example, been making sculpted bowls using brightly-coloured thread from silk saris and one of the pieces in the brochure by Tamlin Blake is made from woven twisted spirals of paper. It is not essential to make use of fabric at all, or for that matter, stitching. In fact, it allows for great creative freedom and continues to grow in popularity world-wide.

O

ne of the perennial draw cards at the FynArts Festival has, almost from the start, been its ‘Art of Thread’ exhibitions, displaying a breathtaking array of quilting, embroidery and fibre art. There can be no doubt that these manifestations of an ancient craft, practised in almost every culture on earth, have successfully transitioned from the practical to the realm of Fine Art. Since 2014 these exhibitions have been curated

by Pringle Bay quilter and fibre artist, Dal Botha.

For Dal, this is an annual event she loves being involved with. Although she claims not to be a working artist, she has been quilting for 30 years and for the past 12 has immersed herself in a range of fibre art techniques. She successfully completed a year-long online teacher’s training course, where the pass mark was 80%, to place it firmly on par with international standards, followed by a

All the work in the FynArts brochure is for sale and can be viewed by clicking on the following link: https://www.hermanusfynarts.co. za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ Online-Shop-Thread-Art.pdf

“Even when it comes to quilting, there have been innumerable innovations,” she says. “Some computerised sewing machines these days have been designed for just this purpose.

You programme the design you want into the computer and the machine will carry out your instructions quickly and faultlessly. By contrast, there are those who still enjoy doing it all by hand. Because quilting has to be precise and accurate, this is often extremely time-consuming, but all the more satisfying in the end.”

This year, as things turned out, it was not possible to stick to the tried and trusted exhibition format. The artists had all been invited to exhibit, some of them had already completed their pieces for the show (under the title, ‘Design Matters’) and others were well on their way when, suddenly, everything locked down. Between Mary Faure of FynArts Select and Dal the decision was taken to go ahead with it anyway on an online platform.

The result is a beautiful brochure featuring the work of 20 of South Africa’s foremost fibre artists and their amazingly diverse pieces, each with its own interpretation of the theme. Depending on what happens on the COVID-19 landscape, Mary is still hoping to present a conventional exhibition later in the year.

doing during the pandemic: slowly stitching small pieces by hand. It is soothingly repetitive and you don’t have to think too much. In fact, if I’m making something for somebody else, as I have been doing, I pray for that person and somehow the prayer is stitched into the piece.”

judge’s qualification which took three years to complete.

Having judged in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Zimbabwe, she is blown away by the standard of work in this part of the world, which, she says, favourably compares with anything on the world stage. In fact, our artists often participate in overseas competitions and invariably walk away with awards. The biggest of these is the World Quilt Show in the US. As the wife of a South African diplomat, Dal was privileged to live in the UK, Austria, France and Singapore where she was able not only to take classes in quilting and fibre art, but was exposed to techniques from all over the world and able to compare

the various traditions.

“It’s fascinating how colourful and almost ‘blingy’ the Russian work is,” she says, “and then, by contrast, the English tend to use very muted pastel shades and the Japanese, taupe, greys and blues. In India they use a lot of silk, of course, but the ones that really intrigued me were the Cairo tentmakers. They appliqué traditional motifs very fast; they’re often quite rough and ready – naïve, I suppose you could call it – but very bright and colourful. And interestingly, they are all men, although more recently a small number of women have been accepted, if they belong to tent-making families.

“These days, though, there is no shortage of courses and workshops

Lockdown has been very difficult for many quilters and fibre artists, comments Dal. “You’d think it would have offered them time to get down to new projects or experiment with techniques, but actually it seems to a degree to have smothered creativity.

We miss meeting together, too. This is an important factor in our art form.

Most of us get together regularly in small local groups where we can exchange ideas, discuss challenges or learn new skills. Members provide a strong support system for one another in a sometimes lonely creative space.

“Actually,” she confesses, “I find hand work therapeutic in itself; in fact I wrote a paper for one of the training courses I did titled ‘Quilting as an aid to healing’. So that’s what I’ve been

TOP LEFT: ‘The Egyptian Goose Family’ by Kathryn Harmer-Fox is one of the most beautiful pieces to be found online in the FynArts ‘Art of Thread’ brochure. It won First Prize in the Innovative Category at the International Quilt Festival in Texas, USA, the largest and most prestigious quilting competition in the world. ABOVE: Well-known Pringle Bay fibre artist and quilter, Dal Botha who has curated the FynArts ‘Art of Thread’ exhibition for the past six years.

10

www.thevillagenews.co.za

8 July 2020

Feeding schemes provide a lifeline Writer Taylum Meyer & Hedda Mittner

T

he nationwide lockdown regulations that were implemented more than 100 days ago have had a devastating impact on our whole region, with the unemployment rate continuing to rise. Realising that food insecurity was one of the most dire consequences faced by the poorest and most vulnerable members of our communities, a project called the Overstrand Community Food Kitchens was created by the Overstrand Municipality, in collaboration with the Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, Masizole Mnqasela.

“In the Overstrand area alone, there are 50 food kitchens which feed about 13 000 people a meal every day – and this number does not include the informal soup kitchens or those volunteers who are handing out food parcels,” says Mnqasela. “There are no politics involved. Anyone who needs food can go to the kitchens. The portion they receive is enough for two meals, so they can split it to last during the day.”

says she realised that relief from government was not reaching small towns, although the need for assistance in these areas was clear.

Via a Facebook post, she asked for recommendations on reliable organisations to support, and after a few phone calls, decided on Relief.Life in Hermanus and Red Cross in the Greyton/Genadendal area.

Zelda called Andries and Marli to offer her assistance and also contacted several of the local Ward Councillors who are part of the Overstrand Community Food Kitchens project. She realised that donations would also need to come from outside the Overstrand, as many locals were already struggling to support their own families and could no longer make donations.

She contacted a friend at Land Rover South Africa, who quickly organised 1 000 food parcels with the help of the Minnie Dlamini Foundation, Jaguar and Red Cross to be

The food kitchens rely on constant donations and funding, and several NGOs, organisations and individuals across the Overberg have been working tirelessly to make sure that people don’t go hungry. Others, such as Relief.Life collect food items to make up hundreds of food parcels that are distributed weekly to needy families in collaboration with Disaster Management.

Relief.Life is based at Shofar Church in Hermanus, where the items are sanitised and packed by a small team from the church led

by Pastor Andries van der Merwe. Last week, they received a generous donation of 450 food parcels from Land Rover South Africa and the Minnie Dlamini Foundation – all thanks to Nelson Mandela’s former private secretary, Zelda le Grange (now a resident in the Overstrand). Another 550 parcels were also given to Marli Hoffman of the Red Cross in Greyton for the families in need there.

After speaking to a friend in Greyton, Zelda

Zelda la Grange jumped right in to help offload the 450 food parcels from the lorry after it arrived at Shofar Church from Greyton. PHOTO: Taylum Meyer

dropped off in Greyton and split between families in Hermanus and Greyton. Zelda, Mnqasela and the relevant Ward Councillors met with Andries at Shofar Church to arrange for the delivery of the parcels, which had been fetched from Greyton by Hermanus Disaster Management.

PR Councillor Lindile Ntsabo, who oversees all nine food kitchens in Zwelihle, says the project has been a challenge but is going well: “Out of all the food kitchens in Zwelihle, only one has had to close due to Covid-19 infection. We closed the kitchen and opened a new one at a different premises while the other was being disinfected. We also replaced the volunteers with a whole new team. All of the kitchens are disinfected every single day and we have team members who ensure that people practise social distancing while they queue for food.”

In addition to these precautionary measures, they have also decided that those who are not wearing a mask will not receive food. “At the food kitchens you must have a mask on and sanitise your hands upon entering,” says Ntsabo. “We understand that not everyone can afford a mask, which is why we have been supplying masks to these people thanks to a donation from the DA. We have bought material and now have local gogos making masks to be handed out at the kitchens.”

Cllr Ntsabo and his team also plan to play a recorded message through the streets of Zwelihle three times a week to remind residents to practise good hygiene and social distancing, and to keep them updated on the number of cases in their community.

In Mount Pleasant, Cllr Ronald Nutt and his team have also been focusing on creating awareness of the risks of infection by handing out pamphlets to residents. Both Councillors emphasise their gratitude to the community for their support of the Overstrand Community Food Kitchens project.

SEE MORE ONLINE www.thevillagenews.co.za @thevillagenews

Soraya Pieterse (ABOVE), who started feeding hungry children in Mount Pleasant more than a year ago, says there are now many more. “I used to give about 150 children lunch after school but during the lockdown that number doubled,” she says. At her Love, Hope, Faith & Happiness Soup Kitchen, which she runs from her modest home in Mount Pleasant, Soraya starts cooking every morning at 04:00 and provides both breakfast and lunch, seven days a week. She also makes up food parcels for families in need.

“I am very grateful for the assistance of the Overstrand Community Food Kitchens project, which supplies me with food items once a week that provide meals for at least three days. For the rest I rely on the kind donations of individual volunteers, organisations, churches and businesses who have come to my assistance time and time again. Among them are Jozua Rossouw, Maret van Dyk, Hermanus Round Table, Van Blommestein Slaghuis and AGS Kerk, Sandbaai. There is no way I can ever thank them enough.”

Soraya has also been making sure that the children understand the importance of wearing masks, washing their hands and staying 1.5 metres apart. “That is not easy to do!” she laughs.

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Plastic Patrol is back on the beat Writer Sarah Taylor

C

ovid-19 surrealism has ruptured more than our economic and social stability.

The environment has also suffered.

Quarantine regulations and limits on gatherings, beach activity and exercise have meant fewer voluntary rubbish collectors and the accumulation of more waste than ever along the coast and in the ocean itself.

In addition, ‘corona-time’ has led to an increase in single-use items like disposable masks, gloves, plastic bags and plastic containers.

According to the Sea Save Foundation (seasave.org), eight million tonnes of waste enters the ocean every year. In 2017, the United Nations Marine Conference heard that “as many as 51 trillion microplastic particles, 500 times more than the stars in our galaxy, litter our oceans and seas, seriously threatening marine wildlife”.

Enter the Plastic Patrol’s first organised event of 2020, to be held in the Hermanus New Harbour on Saturday, 11 July from 10:00 – 13:00. The event is being held, aptly, during Plastic Free July (plasticfreejuly.org), a global movement “challenging millions to combat debris by reducing everyday single-use plastic or even going completely plastic-free for the month”.

Plastic Patrol, an initiative of Kim ‘Sharklady’ MacLean, will involve volunteer rubbish collectors, in, on and along the water. “An urgent plastic clean-up is needed in and around the New Harbour,” says Kim, whose mission with Plastic Patrol is to care, protect and educate.

“We are proud to announce that our premises at our dive school in the New Harbour will be able to accommodate, post-Covid, 25 children for marine education classes, including how to combat the problems of plastic pollution,” says Kim. Harbour Master Nomonde Simon, in charge of the Overstrand’s small harbours, is “fully behind the Plastic Patrol initiative”.

“Plastic pollution is the most widespread problem affecting the marine environment. It also threatens ocean health, food safety and quality, human health and coastal tourism,” he says. “I have seen people, especially kids, swimming in the harbour, along with floating

plastic and drinks cans. And there is evidence of this pollution all along the coast, thrown away by people who don’t think about the end results of their careless actions.

“While we at the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) have been involved in many school awareness programmes, more is needed to educate kids about the impacts of plastic pollution in our oceans, which are ingestion, suffocation and entanglements of marine species. We will continue to generate awareness until we get good results!”

While most companies in the New Harbour do their part to keep the environment clean, with the assistance of the few DEFF staff members, their resources are too limited to keep up with the demand for regular refuse removal, especially over weekends, when the bins are usually overflowing. Some restaurants and takeaway spots are still providing their customers with plastic straws and non-biodegradable polystyrene containers, which often end up in the water.

The skipper of Majestic Cruising, Glynn Channer notes: “Citizens should take more responsibility for their own waste and be encouraged to take it home with them. In addition, larger, sealed refuse bins, divided according to waste type for on-site recycling, would suit the harbour environment better, and would be dassie-, bird- and child-proof.

“Every piece of litter we pick up could be saving the life of a marine or land animal. This is what drives me to keep picking up the debris I find,” he says.

Kim assures would-be volunteers that the Plastic Patrol event on Saturday will be responsibly managed with compulsory social distancing, hand sanitisation and mask-wearing. Gloves and collection bags will be provided – one to each volunteer. Everyone will have to sign a register and no groups will be permitted. Volunteers must bring their own masks. Coffee, tea and sandwiches will be served after the clean-up.

Help be part of the solution to plastic pollution! Join the clean-up in the New Harbour on Saturday 11 July at 10:00! See https://www.facebook.com/ events/191263718931555

Majestic Cruising crew member Esau Mapindu and skipper Glynn Channer hauling out plastic during a routine daily clean-up in the New Harbour, Hermanus.

PHOTO: Supplied by Majestic Cruising

8 July 2020

13

www.thevillagenews.co.za

8 July 2020

MY ENVIRONMENT

The super Sour Fig to the rescue

By Anina Lee

I

vividly remember running barefoot through the sandy dune-veld of Klein Brakrivier as a child and landing up in a patch of duwweltjies.

It hurt like crazy, especially at the beginning of the summer holidays when my feet were still soft from city life. You can’t go forward, nor backward – either way it’s strewn with the devil’s thorn.

I’m of course referring to the vicious thorns of Tribulus terrestris, known in Afrikaans as duwweltjie, derived from the word duiweltjie, meaning ‘little devil’. And they really hurt like the devil. The thorns on the seed are arranged to point in three directions, so whichever side they land up on, there is always one needle-sharp thorn sticking straight up – into an unwary foot. This is of course the plant’s seed dispersal mechanism – stick into anything that passes by like feet or fur – and get carried somewhere else to grow a new colony.

Fortunately, even we stadsjapies knew that you could soothe all manner of assaults to the skin – thorns, bluebottle stings, sunburn, mosquito bites – with an application of juice from the leaves of the Suurvy or Sour Fig, growing right there on the sandy flats or on dunes.

The name of this Carpobrotus species refers to its edible fruits (the Greek words karpos meaning fruit and brota meaning edible).

There are two species of Carpobrotus that grow predominantly in the south-western Cape. Carpobrotus edulis has yellow daisy-like flowers (or sometimes pink) and Carpobrotus acinaciformis bright magenta pink flowers.

The fruits of both species are delicious to eat. Wait until the fruit turns deep yellow or brown, then bite off the bottom (stem end) of the fruit and suck out the seeds, which are embedded in a sour gelatinous pulp.

This pulp is also very popular boiled with sugar to make a jam. So popular are these fruits that there is widespread poaching of it on private land in the Western Cape.

Is Sour Fig an acquired taste, nurtured from childhood, or does anything gathered from the veld taste good?

This may account for the recent popularity of veldkos forage and cuisine – maybe an example of our hankering to reconnect with nature.

Traditional uses Undoubtedly though, the medicinal uses of the Sour Fig plant are the most important of all – a wonderful legacy from the Khoi people, who called the plant ghaukum. As far back as the mid-17th century, when records first started, the Khoi were already using ghaukum for healing wounds.

Still today a pulp or juice from the leaves is applied to wounds, burns, open sores and skin conditions like eczema and athlete’s foot. It is also a very effective treatment for bluebottle stings and insect bites. I have first-hand experience of how the juice of many of our succulents like Carpobrotus, Bulbine or Cotyledon can instantaneously soothe a burn or a wasp sting.

PHOTO: GRID-Arendal

PHOTO: Kombula Nursery

The Suurvy or Sour Fig (Carpobrotus species) grows on sandy flats or on dunes. Its juice has antiseptic properties that make it one of those miracle ‘rescue remedies’ freely available from nature. Carpobrotus edulis (left) and Carpobrotus acinaciformis (right) grow predominantly in the south-western Cape.

The highly astringent leaf juice has been shown scientifically to have antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. It is effective on wounds and burns in the absence of mainstream medicines because it acts as a vasoconstrictor, which reduces fluid loss and enhances tissue regeneration.

In the Cape, small quantities of fresh juice are frequently used for babies suffering from nappy rash or mouth thrush.

PHOTOS: powo.science.kew.org

Tribulus terrestris (above) has ‘devil’s thorns’ (duwweltjies) on its seeds that are arranged to point in three directions (circle).

yellow flowers are pollinated by bees and beetles, spreading their bounty to insects as well.

Sour Fig is undoubtedly one of those miracle ‘rescue remedies’ freely available from nature. It can be propagated from cuttings; it will grow in poor sandy soil and needs very little water – it just needs sun for the flowers to open. These beautiful pink and

Carpobrotus has its dark side too – as an alien in foreign lands. For the very reasons that it grows so easily in poor soils with little water, it was imported by other countries to bind sandy soils. We now know, of course, that one should never introduce species from elsewhere, for without their natural enemies they soon become

invasive weeds.

Where the plants encountered Mediterranean-type climate, like the west coasts of Australia and the USA, they took hold and are now a threat to indigenous vegetation. In Australia, Carpobrotus is called Pig Face (you need a lot of imagination to see why); while in California it’s the Ice Plant (from acinaciformis).

Whatever the name, this plant is an indigenous treasure.

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8 July 2020

14

www.thevillagenews.co.za

7 warning signs you shouldn’t ignore By Dr Hilldidge Beer

times causing a cough. Get your pet to the vet.

5. Sleeping a lot, refusing exercise Like humans, many pets suffer arthritis as they age, and it can be extremely painful. Symptoms include becoming less active, licking or biting a limb, limping, irritability, inability to jump onto things or climb into the litter tray.

P

ets are masters at disguising illness. In the wild, this protected them from falling prey to stronger, healthier animals. As pet owners, we need to be aware of this because by the time they yelp or cower in pain, the disease or injury that plagues them is probably already far advanced and could be difficult to treat.

6. Weight loss in cats and weight gain in dogs This is an early indication of thyroid issues; dogs commonly suffer from hypothyroidism and cats from hyperthyroidism, or high hormone levels. Dogs with hypothyroidism become lethargic and put on weight, while cats with hyperthyroidism have excessive energy levels and eat a lot yet lose weight.

Here are 7 important signs that something’s wrong: 1. Drinking excessively Kidney disease is one of the most common illnesses likely to affect our pets yet because symptoms only appear after 75% of kidney function has already been lost, early detection is vital. An increase in thirst may be one of the first signs. Also look out for house-soiling, appetite and weight loss, and bad breath.

Cats with diabetes also tend to drink a lot of water. If diabetes isn’t diagnosed soon enough, a serious condition known as ketoacidosis can develop. See your vet immediately.

are other ailments that might be plaguing your cat. Don’t ignore this behaviour. The sooner you see your vet, the greater the chances of successful treatment.

2. Urinating in inappropriate places Cats don’t do this out of spite or because they’re naughty. Urinating on your bed, in a cupboard or anywhere else inappropriate can be a sign of stress, often experienced in multicat households. You might also notice blood in the urine. Diabetes, kidney failure, and arthritis

3. Dragging hindquarters on the ground This is most commonly associated with worms and even pampered pets get them unless you deworm every three months. Some infestations cause few or no symptoms. EberVet Vetshops have a range of dewormers that last several months, and are effective against the most

common culprits like roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm.

4. Coughing or wheezing This is often an early sign of congestive heart failure. Congestion builds up in the lungs if the left of the heart is failing, filling with fluid the tiny sacs where normally only air should be. This fluid makes exchanging oxygen more difficult. The pet has to take more breaths to absorb the same amount of oxygen. This increases the breathing rate and effort, some-

7. Itchy skin If your dog or cat is constantly licking and biting himself or pulling out his fur, he could be suffering an allergy. Your vet can help you isolate the cause. Flea allergies are very common; only 5% of adult fleas can be seen with the naked eye so your pet may be infested without you even knowing it. Ask your EberVet Vetshop for help with flea preventatives that protect your dog or cat for several months.

If your pets show any of these symptoms, see your vet for a diagnosis. The sooner the ailment is identified, the more successful the treatment. *Veterinarian Dr Hilldidge Beer is CEO of the EberVet Petcare Group, www.ebervet.com

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