1 JULY 2020
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Fisherman’s Cottage is one of several local restaurants that reopened for sit-down service this week. The amended Level 3 regulations for restaurants, which came into effect on Monday, form part of the government’s efforts to reactivate the tourism sector in order to save businesses and jobs. (Read more on P4) Most restaurants will also continue to provide take-out meals for those who prefer to pick up and eat at home. PHOTO: Hedda Mittner
Overstrand cases rising fast Writer De Waal Steyn
A
s the number of Covid-19 infections continues to skyrocket, Zwelihle in Hermanus and Grabouw have been named as two of the most worrisome hotspots in the Overberg district.
the virus. Moving to Level 3 has seen businesses such as restaurants, hair salons and beauty services re-opening and people in the personal care services (formal and informal) are getting back to work, which is great for the community. But we still need to be vigilant as the risk of infection inevitably increases as we resume more activities,” he said.
In an address last week to the Overstrand Council, Mayor Dudley Coetzee said frontline teams from the Department of Health, the municipalities and SAPS are doing their level best in trying to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.
According to him the rapid increase in the number of people testing positive in the Overberg and more specifically the Overstrand, is very concerning. (See Covid dashboard on P 7)
“But this cannot be done without everyone helping in the fight against
“The first deaths due to the pandemic were reported in the Overstrand
on 17 June. Since then two more deaths were reported in our area. Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the deceased,” said Coetzee. By Monday, 1 737 people in the province had lost their lives to the virus. Coetzee urged those over the age of 60 and those with underlying conditions to take extra care. “You are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill or dying. It is therefore important that you take extra precautions and stay at home whenever possible,” he said. The mayor also gave a special word of thanks to all the non-profit organisations providing humanitarian relief
during lockdown. “You are doing amazing work, for no recognition and no reward and we thank you for that.” The last week saw the Western Cape break through the 60 000 infections mark, with more than 1 780 patients in hospital and some 320 in ICU or high care. The Overberg has more than 1 000 infections and the Overstrand more than 550. Wester Cape Premier, Alan Winde said the province currently has 3 760 isolation and quarantine facility beds available, while an additional 4 766 beds will soon be ready. “Our approach to activating these facilities is as follows: patients with
severe symptoms, as well as those at high risk of Covid-19 morbidity and mortality are assessed for their need of hospitalisation. Those who are symptomatic and do not require hospitalisation are offered quarantine (with or without testing). Once the facility is filled, we then move to activate the next facility. The same process is followed for isolation facilities for those confirmed to have Covid-19,” said Winde. He urged residents to make use of these facilities if they are unable to safely quarantine or isolate at home. (Read more on how to self-isolate on P 9) Continues on P 3
Main Road, R43, Sandbaai, Hermanus, 7200
info @shopwhalecoastmall.co.za 021 476 0994
BECAUS E WE CAR E
In the unprecedented times of COVID-19, we have had to adjust our safety protocols to ensure that the safety of our customers and sta� members enjoy precedence and that our community can continue to enjoy the shopping environment, knowing that all the necessary precautions have been taken to ensure their safety.
Precautionary measures taken:
Protocol for COVID-19 cases:
1. COVID -19 information signage placed at all entrances, in restrooms and various other high tra�c areas of the mall 2. Hand sanitising units available at each mall entrance, all restroom facilities and high risk areas, such as lifts 3. Foot tra�c control measures have been implemented at all entrances – only one customer at a time per segment of the revolving doors and no entry allowed at the sliding doors – these serve as exits only 4. Detailed signage has been erected in terms of the wearing of masks: our policy is ‘no mask, no entr y’ – we also do not allow scarves, bu�s, etc. 5. Dedicated cleaning sta� have been allocated to restrooms and high risk areas 6. Sintol 30g is the only chemical allowed on site for the cleaning of all surfaces, high tra�c areas, etc. 7. The mall itself (including all passages, restroom facilities, entrances, lifts, escalators, security control room, cleaning quarters, centre management, etc.) received a precautionar y decontamination and deep clean just over a week ago. We are visited by the local health department on a regular basis. We meet with them and undertake a walk-through to ensure compliance – to date there have been no issues, or arrangements we have had to change.
1. Upon being notified by the tenant, their premises are closed with immediate e�ect and all sta� members on that shift are required to go into isolation 2. The majority of tenants have split sta� shifts, which means that a full set of sta� members who have not been in contact with the contaminated individual will be able to continue working directly after decontamination 3. The a�ected store is required to decontaminate following the listed protocol as per the health department’s regulations. It works side by side with Centre Management to ensure that as little disruption as possible is created 4. The store is only allowed to open again once their cer tificate of decontamination has been issued 5. We have been available to assist each tenant that has gone through this process so far, as it can be quite daunting to those who have not previously experienced it. Centre Management engages in frequent communication and store visits to ensure that the sta� members are in good health and good spirits. We acknowledge that this is a time of uncertainty for our community, but we would like to assure our customers that their safety is at the forefront of our minds and we have implemented appropriate measures to this end.
We would also like to welcome back our beauty tenants and salons, who can now operate again and they are super amped to serve their loyal customers, with all the necessary safety protocols in place.
If the lockdown has left you with a mop of unruly hair, don’t worry! We are pleased to announce that The Barber Shop is open for business again and ready to help our loyal customers, with all hygiene protocols in place. Come and pay us a visit for a professional haircut and friendly service.
Locally-owned and open since 2017, Sorbet Hermanus is excited to welcome you back. With all hygiene measures in place, we continue to passionately serve our guests. Our therapists are ready to assist with Sorbet, Environ, 365 and Dermalogica. Call 028 312 2260 for nails, facials, waxing and so much more!
We are welcoming back our loyal clients for their favourite hair treatments. Following all prescribed safety protocols and armed with our friendly smiles and superb styling skills, we can’t wait to welcome you back to our store again. Call us on 028 312 2981 to book an appointment.
Triage facilities to open in Overstrand soon From P 1 According to Premier Winde, the use of steroids has been approved for use in line with international recommendations. “This will have a positive impact on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with Covid-19. These steroids will be used for ventilated patients and those on high-flow nasal oxygen. “Oxygen has shown to have a significantly positive impact on the clinical outcomes of patients, and we are using oxygen in our facilities to manage ill patients. An oxygen calculator has been developed that facilities can use to monitor their daily oxygen requirements. We have also adopted a predictive model that shows our current average consumption is 12 tons a day and at the peak we will require approximately 40 tons of oxygen daily. We have engaged with suppliers, and we have been assured of this supply.” Further to this, some 24 testing and triage facilities will soon be opened in rural areas of the Western Cape, including Hawston, Kleinmond and Hermanus. “At the moment we have the highest number of Covid-19 hospitalisations to date, and we are anticipating and planning for a further increase in demand in our health services. The additional capacity of the Hospital of Hope at the CTICC has already provided significant support, recording 230
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1 July 2020
admissions by 24 June. A total of 176 people have been discharged from this field hospital. “Our health care system planning and provisioning is guided by modelling, which is done in conjunction with the National Covid-19 Epi Model consortium, which is the same model used by the National Government. As a responsible government, we are preparing for a range of possible scenarios as guided by these models, including those which anticipate limited mitigation of the epidemic. We believe it would be irresponsible to plan for an optimistic scenario, and then not be able to provide services to those who need it,” said Winde. He added that modelling is never perfect and that it is based on several assumptions on how the virus might spread through our communities, and who might get infected. “We currently cannot be certain whether we have started approaching our peak or whether it has been pushed out, and we are therefore undertaking an additional calibration of the model, using the latest data and trends. We will make this new calibration public as soon as it is completed.” The Western Cape is also making sure it is adequately prepared to manage increased fatalities. A temporary facility for this purpose is being constructed at Tygerberg Hospital and is due for completion by the first week of July.
Council appoints new municipal manager The Municipal Manager of Cape Agulhas Municipality, Dean O’Neill, has been appointed by the Overstrand Municipality (OM) to take over from Coenie Groenewald as the new Municipal Manager for Overstrand on 1 November. Groenewald’s fixedterm contract of employment terminates on 31 October when he reaches retirement age. According to a statement released by the OM, O’Neill has many years’ of experience in local government. “A total of 28 applications (one was late) were received for the position and, after proper screening, three candidates were invited to attend the evaluation and interview sessions for the post. One candidate withdrew from the interview session,” said the OM. The selection panel consisted of Mayor Dudley Coetzee (Chairman), Adv G Mettler (Specialist – Municipal Manager of Stellenbosch Municipality), Cllr Elnora Gillion (OM Deputy Mayor), Mr G Paulse (HoD Provincial Department of Local Government), Cllr Valerie Pungupunge (Observer), Mr R Steele (Facilitator) and Ms Desireé Arrison (Director: Management Services and Secretariat). The Executive Mayor, Dudley Coetzee, has welcomed the appointment and said Coun-
The new municipal manager appointed by Overstrand Municipality, Dean O’Neill will take over from Coenie Groenewald when he retires on 1 November. PHOTO: Gurswin Prins, Cape Agulhas Municipality cil approved the appointment unanimously during a virtual Council meeting on 24 June. “The Council has every confidence in Mr O’Neill’s capabilities and is looking forward to working with him. He is a competent and experienced municipal manager and we are hopeful that he will exercise his duties as the accounting officer with the utmost care and diligence,” the Mayor said.
Offices close due to Coronavirus infections With more employees testing positive for Covid-19, Overstrand Municipality advised on Monday that the Hermanus Traffic Department, situated on the corner of Short and Mussel Streets, will unfortunately remain closed until further notice. It was also confirmed on Monday that another member of Kleinmond SAPS had tested positive for Covid-19 and that the station would be closed for sanitation. Until it reopens, service delivery would continue from the Kleinmond Town Hall. The emergency number to contact is 079 893 9918. Traffic offices in Kleinmond and Gansbaai will be open for certain transactions such as the registration and licensing of a motor vehicle, as well as annual renewals, while the Hermanus office is closed. The traffic offices in Kleinmond and Gansbaai will be
open Monday to Friday from 08:00 – 15:30, with a lunch break between 13:00 – 13:45. Residents have a 90-day grace period from 1 June for documents that expired during the lockdown period from 26 March to 31 May. These include driver’s licences, learner’s licences, temporary permits, professional driving permits (PDPs), roadworthy certificates, and the registering and licensing of a motor vehicle, as well as annual renewals. Remember to take your identity document with you when renewing your motor vehicle licence. If someone else renews your licence on your behalf, you need to ensure that they have a letter of authorisation to do so; a certified copy of your ID and their own ID; the licence disc or the vehicle's registration papers; and the appropriate fees. In the case of a married couple, a spouse doing the transaction can bring their marriage certificate and this will be sufficient proof of permission.
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WHAT'S COOKING
Our restaurants are ready to serve! Writer & Photographer Hedda Mittner
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fter three months of frustration and financial stress for chefs, restaurant and coffee shop owners and their staff, most of our local eateries reopened this week for sit-down service. It won’t be dining out as usual, though, as stringent prevention protocols and guidelines have been implemented to reduce the risk of spreading the Coronavirus.
In line with President Ramaphosa’s announcement that the Alert Level 3 regulations would be amended in an effort to reactivate the tourism sector so that businesses and jobs could be saved, Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane confirmed at a virtual press briefing on Friday afternoon that restaurants, casinos, cinemas and theatres, accredited and licensed accommodation (excluding Airbnb), and conference venues (for business purposes only) would be allowed to reopen on Monday 29 June. However, restaurant customers will not be allowed to enjoy wine with their meal, as alcohol sales remain for off-site consumption only, Kubayi-Ngubane said. This is a heavy blow for many restaurateurs, as the sustainability of their businesses is largely dependent on the income generated by wine sales. When ordering take-out meals, however, customers will be able to order wine along with their food, to be enjoyed at home. Local establishments have been hard at work to put all the necessary protocols in place to welcome patrons back to their favourite eateries. As a community, it is important for all of us to support these businesses and to cooperate with the measures they have implemented to ensure the safety of their staff and customers.
The directions for restaurants, fast-food outlets and coffee shops include keeping a daily record of all delivery agents and employees, who each have to be screened on arrival for shifts and on departing after shifts. The workplace, delivery transport, and containers have to be sanitised regularly and all employees have to be provided with the appropriate PPE, including face masks and hand sanitiser. Customers will be sanitised and a screening questionnaire will be conducted before they can enter the premises. Anyone who is not wearing a cloth mask that covers the nose and mouth will not be allowed and customers have to wear masks at all times except when eating or drinking.
ABOVE: Hope Chigova takes a customer’s temperature as part of the screening process at Char’d before guests are allowed into the premises.
Restaurants have to maintain social distancing by demarcating in a visible way a distance of at least 1.5 metres from the point-of-sale serving counter towards the customer and between queueing customers, while seating capacity has to be spread out to enforce a distance of 1.5 metres between guests. Restaurants are advised to consider a reservation system to manage demand, and to help ensure capacity limits are adhered to.
RIGHT: Fabio Lenci is looking forward to welcoming guests back to Fabio’s Ristorante. Cattle Baron will remain closed for now, but Fabio has turned his other restaurant, Tosca in Aberdeen Street, into an Italian Deli where customers can buy freshly-made pasta, cheeses, charcuterie and pasta sauces.
No buffets are permitted and menus must be replaced with non-touch options or sanitised after each use. Tables have to be sanitised before and after each guest use and where possible, for instance while taking orders, waiting staff must stand at least a metre from tables. Minister Kubayi-Ngubane encouraged South Africans to go out and support businesses like restaurants, but to do so responsibly. "We are taking it one step at a time. I understand the importance of opening up the tourism sector again, but we are not blind to the challenges we face. There is an aggressive pandemic and we need to find a point where we can flatten the curve of infections," she said.
BELOW: Rasi, the barista at Grove’s Café, has become well-known during the lockdown for his delicious take-away cappuccinos. Both Grove’s Café and Fusion reopened for sit-down service this week.
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1 July 2020
We are brewing soup, my brew! Writer Raphael da Silva
O
ver 3 000 soup meals were distributed to community kitchens in the Overstrand last Wednesday after The Brewery, Hemel-en-Aarde Hermanus repurposed its equipment to “brew” soup instead of beer. “This was a trial brew to see how the process would go. With very little changes, we were able to easily produce the first batch of soup. We are now confident that we have the ability to make enough soup daily to feed those in need in the entire Overberg,” said Marc de Maudave Bestel, co-owner of The Brewery. Working in partnership with local and provincial governments, established NGOs and local leaders who identify hunger hotspots, the Brewers Soup Collective, a non-profit organisation, has grown to include ten craft breweries.
The aim of the Collective is to create a win-win situation. With the COVID-19 restrictions that are still in place, craft brewers across the country are in real danger of having to close down. By producing soup to fill hungry bellies, in partnership with bakeries who supply bread, the craft brewing industry is able to receive a contribution towards staff salaries while recouping their soup input costs of energy and water. “Breweries are going to go out of business. Their primary aim is to produce beer for on-site consumption and they can’t do this now,” said Marc. “So this is a way to do good and to keep our teams busy, while trying to keep the craft brewing industry afloat until we can brew beer again. We are hoping that the provincial government will come forward and support us.” In the meantime, the Collective is relying on cash donations, volunteers and donations of vegetables from
ABOVE: From left are Rob Munro, director of the Brewers Soup Collective, Sakkie Franken, mayor of the Overberg District Municipality, Masizole Mnqasela, Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, Marc de Maudave Bestel, co-owner of The Brewery and Belle McLeod, head chef at The Brewery. CIRCLE: Masizole celebrated this community initiative with a glass of beer and a cup of soup. PHOTOS: Supplied by The Brewery farmers or supermarkets, as well as bread donations from bakeries. With the cash, pallets of vegetables are sourced directly from the market at the best daily rates. At each brewery, teams of dedicated volunteers prepare the vegetables in multiple daily shifts. Product development is ongoing, overseen by qualified nutritionists, head chefs and the craft brewers. An average craft brewery is capable of producing 10 000 portions of nutritious soup per day. The first pilot was first initiated in Cape Town at Woodstock Brewery on 24 April. Over an initial nine-week period, 235 000 litres of soup, equiva-
lent to 700 000 meals, were produced. Blue Ribbon has also provided 35 000 loaves of bread. Western Cape provincial speaker, Masizole Mnqasela and Sakkie Franken, mayor of the Overberg District Municipality, along with Overstrand ward councillors were at The Brewery last week to watch the soup brewing process and to assist with the distribution.
The ten members of the Brewers Soup Collective are Woodstock Brewery, Drifter Brewing Co, Long Beach Brewery, Bing’s Bru, Lakeside Brewing Co (all in Cape Town), Fraser’s Folly (Elim), Old Potter’s Brewhouse (Greyton), Stellenbosch Brewing Co (Stellenbosch), Richmond Hill Brewing Co (PE) and The Brewery Hemel-en-Aarde (Hermanus). All craft brewers nationwide are welcome to join the collective.
“We appreciate and welcome this great initiative in the Overstrand Municipality and the community of the Overberg District as a whole. Thank you to the entire brewery collective for remembering the less fortunate,” said Masizole.
Donations within South Africa can be made to The Brewers Soup Collective, Nedbank Account: 1203378432, Branch Code: 104309. Outside of South Africa, donations can be made to the Brewers Soup Collective on GoFundMe (gofundme.com/).
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FROM THE EDITOR
Do not be a Covid-iot – be safe Slowly but surely small aspects of normalcy are returning to our daily lives as more and more businesses are opening their doors and some semblance of economic activity is returning to our towns.
The next edition of The Village NEWS will be available on 8 July 2020. The NEWS can be found at over 300 distribution points in the Overberg.
At the same time, however, the rate of infections in all our towns is climbing fast.
De Waal Steyn PUBLISHING EDITOR
It is obvious that there is a correlation between more activity and increased infections. While we need people to spend money at our businesses, we need the infection rate to be under control at the same time. This almost
E: dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za T: 083 700 3319
Hedda Mittner
E: hedda@thevillagenews.co.za T: 083 645 3928
Raphael da Silva
E: raphael@thevillagenews.co.za T: 074 125 5854
Elaine Davie 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 E: nickey@thevillagenews.co.za T: 079 408 7722
invisible enemy that can and will be conquered, depending on how seriously we take our responsibility to help curb the spread of this insidious virus.
The answer to that question is straight-forward. We need to bring the pandemic under control before we can stabilise the economy. We cannot risk undoing the hard work we have put in over the past three months.
The most effective defences we can employ against the virus are the simplest. Wear your mask when you leave your home, maintain social distancing, sanitise your hands regularly and stay home as much as possible (do not shop if you don’t have to).
We are at war against the Coronavirus and there is no denying that we need to act like it. We are fighting an
We are all sacrificing so much. We have lost businesses, we have lost jobs, we have lost lives. We owe it to
ourselves and to those around us to be more vigilant than ever, to rather err on the side of caution when it comes to practicing social distancing, wearing masks, and washing and sanitising our hands, our workplaces and homes. We need to build a reputation as a destination that is safe to visit. To do this, we need to show that we are taking the virus seriously and that we have the capacity to manage it. The future is in our hands. Let’s not waste this opportunity. This is the good NEWS – Ed.
Dubious deliveries, weird word-play and dicey devices
CONTENT EDITOR
ONLINE EDITOR
seems like an impossible task. Which begs the question: which is more important – bringing our economy back from the brink or decreasing the infection rate?
By Murray Stewart murray.stewart49@gmail.com
loose with her vowels, she launched off pompously: “Well, factually...” “Whaaat?” exploded the dagger-starer. “How do you know my name’s Julie?”
I
f people ask, ‘Where do you find these amazing stories?’ please feel free to mention the column, For Fact’s Sake, but make sure you pronounce it clearly. Incontinent vowels Last week, a bit of a rumpus broke out among contestants during the annual Overstrand Koeksisters by Kerslig Kompetisie held in a huge marquee overlooking the Old Harbour. It all started with the answer to the above question. Pansy Visser, Captain of the Bredasdorp Bakkers was ‘misheard’ when she slightly dramatised the name For Fact’s Sake to her teammates (quite loudly in her quaint platteland accent, apparently), without paying too much attention to her vowel sounds. Suster Julie Joubert from the parish next door was passing by their display table and froze in her tracks. “She shouted the f-word!” yelled the horrified Julie, spinning round and staring daggers at Pansy. Being the Bakkers’ captain though, Pansy wasn’t the type to back down, and still somewhat
Then things got a bit ugly. Curses, koeksisters and crockery flew about as tempers flared, but once the tables were overturned and chairs took to the air, the police had to be called. 720 koeksisters were lost in the fire. So apart from minding your Peas and Queues, please mind your Ays and Yous. But moving on... Palindromes Some people spend their lives pursuing the strangest of topics. Words, from their diverse origins to their continuous evolution, have always interested me, but I wouldn’t spend years researching and fine-tuning just one specific aspect of the subject for fun. Not so with Peter Norvig though... As we know, a palindrome is a word, phrase or number that reads the same backwards – ignoring capitals, spaces, punctuations etc. (from the Greek word meaning ‘back/again run’). Single words are pretty common, like racecar, madam or level. But
intrepid word nerds like our Peter feel compelled to create the longest palindrome their grey-matter and computers can conjure up – not only words, but phrases too. Out of morbid interest, the longest recorded, real, single-word palindrome is the Finnish for a soapstone vendor, and it deserves a plug – all 19 letters of it: saippuakivikauppias. This keeps Pete enthralled for hours. Some better-known phrases are: A man, a plan, a canal – Panama, or Eva, can I stab bats in a cave? And also A Santa lived as a devil at NASA, or maybe sit on a potato pan, Otis. Fascinating stuff nè? As for numbers, the second of February this year was a once-off palindrome: 02/02/2020, but no one was injured. Anyway, Peter isn’t satisfied with only unearthing new palindromes, he creates Apps for the various versions of his Word Palindrome computers, which can store up to 21 000 usable word/combinations. So, thanks to Pete, this is ideal for a rainy Sunday afternoon when you suddenly feel the urge to palin your drome. Can’t wait. Physician, heal thyself Devices of dubious medical worth, and without any real research were
designed to solve all sorts of physical or mental ailments during the last few centuries. The Psycograph for example, which was plonked onto the patient’s head, can only be described as a colander with 32 prong-like sensors sticking in and out of it. By adjusting the prongs, the ‘quack’ could determine the undulation of natural bumps/ grooves on the patient’s cranium, and by calculating their amount and height, he would furnish a comprehensive diagnostic analysis of the patient’s personality – for job applications. Then there’s the ‘therapy chair’. The patient was strapped into an electrically powered dentist’s chair which would judder and shake violently at sporadic intervals. This was claimed to cure constipation. Some USA shoe shops in the 1950s boasted foot X-ray machines which showed shoppers images of their feet inside the shoes for accurate sizing, but all the while leaking serious radiation. They were only banned in the 1970s. More contraptions, similarly weird, are displayed in the Minnesota Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, if you’re passing by.
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TOTAL CASES AS OF 26 JUNE 2020: WORLD: 9 896 947 SOUTH AFRICA: 124 590 WESTERN CAPE: 57 260 (45.95% of cases in SA) OVERBERG: 992
OVERSTRAND BREAKDOWN OF CASES: TOTAL (ACTIVE)
• MT PLEASANT: 51 (37) - 1 death • ONRUS: 21 (5) - 2 deaths • SANDBAAI: 13 (8) • FISHERHAVEN: 3 (3) • STANFORD: 16 (14) • GANSBAAI: 105 (63) - 2 deaths • VERMONT: 3 (0) • HAWSTON: 31 (17) • ZWELIHLE: 232 (123) • HERMANUS: 53 (31) • KLEINMOND: 10 (6) TOTAL: 538 (307) - 5 deaths
LAST WEEK'S TOTAL CASES: WORLD: 9 081 145 SOUTH AFRICA: 97 302 (19th in the world) WESTERN CAPE: 51 351 OVERBERG: 789 OVERSTRAND: 416
(22 JUNE)
OVERSTRAND
LOCKDOWN LEVEL:
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LET'S TALK
Mister Chacma and the pesky Husky We recently witnessed an incident up on Rod’s Hiking Trail above our house while spending the weekend in Betty’s Bay. The entertaining interaction between a wild animal (the often much-maligned chacma baboon) and an ill-disciplined dog was watched for almost an hour through binoculars and captured in about 80 photos taken with a strong lens.
dog was in grave danger, as such a big powerful baboon could easily react in fear or anger and injure (or even savage) the dog. However, both animals appeared to be at relative ease with each other, and the chase almost became a game of seeing just how high the baboon could lead the very dogged husky through the tall fynbos and up the steep gradient.
Initially shouting and barking made us look up onto the trail, where we saw a lone hiker with two large dogs come across an even larger male baboon. The owner was successful in calling the one dog to heel but the other, a husky, paid no attention and continued hot on the heels of the baboon, which left the track and headed up the steep Kogelberg mountainside.
To the baboon it was effortless, and it moved from rock to rock with a short chase in between, when the dog clearly took strain. The baboon would get ahead and sit on a rock, temporarily in peace, before the pesky dog would catch up once again, long pink tongue lolling out, and start harassing the baboon again by barking in its face.
Like the frantic owner, we initially feared the
Only once or twice did the baboon get irritated
Support Sparklekids by sponsoring Sam Sam Zwetsloot, a 17-year-old student at the Rudolf Steiner College in Haarlem in the Netherlands, will be longboarding from Haarlem to Berlin, Germany to raise funds for Sparklekids. Sam will be making a documentary of his epic journey, scheduled for 4 – 15 July, which will also form part of his final-year school project. This young man heard about Sparklekids from his aunt, Dr Kirsten Neke, one of Hermanus Varsity’s programme coordinators. “Apart from our continuous support of all the Sparklekids currently studying all over South Africa, we are sponsoring most of the students starting the new distance learning courses at Hermanus Varsity, so this funding is very much needed,” says Theo Krynauw of Sparklekids, who was one of the three people who dreamed the impossible dream, along
with William Ntebe of the Youth Café in Zwelihle and Emeritus Professor John de Gruchy of the Volmoed Retreat Centre, of establishing our town’s own home-grown varsity. In his quest for sponsorship for this fund-raising mission, Sam has spread the word about the life-changing work undertaken by Sparklekids over the past nine years. His trip will be as “low-budget as possible”, he says, and whatever amount is left over will be donated to Sparklekids. Anyone who would like to support Sam and his Longboarden naar Berlijn project, is welcome to contact him via email: samzwetsloot@outlook.com. Theo Krynauw can also be contacted on 082 654 4924 or theo.sparklekids@gmail.com for more information.
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.
and lunge at the dog, which would turn tail for a mere moment before turning back to mob the baboon. We were amazed at the dignified tolerance of the baboon, under such intense provocation. However, it often turned its head away, averting its gaze from the husky’s pale eyes, which perhaps made the baboon uncomfortable. Despite the irritating behaviour of the dog, the baboon seemed aware it was all bark and no bite. It made me aware that not all big male baboons live up to their savage reputation, and that we were witnessing something rather remarkable. The dog ended up unhurt after a wonderful adventure and presumably found its way down in the dark and tracked its owner home. Ingrid Weiersbye-Porter
U3A Zoom presentations Exciting news for U3A members is that they will be able to join the ninety-nine club, every week – if they hurry! “As from Monday 6 July we will be going back to our previous meeting time of 10:00, but instead of meeting at the Catholic Church Hall, we will be Zooming from home. The only trouble is that we only have room for the first 99 members that register for the event on each occasion. That is why it is now known as the Ninety-Nine Room Zoom Boom,” says U3A Overberg chairperson, Letitia Snyman. While this week’s meeting on Friday 3 July on CITES and Trade in Endangered Species by Dr John Donaldson will still be held at 12:00, U3A will revert to its usual pre-Covid time of 10:00 from next week. And there is an exciting programme of presentations lined up for the rest of the month:
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Monday 6 July: English Romantic Poets – Letitia Snyman
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Friday 10 July: The Lives of Famous Scientists – Mike Brownlee Monday 13 July: The South African Cape's lost world: reconstructing the extinct landscape submerged by the sea – Dr Hayley Cawthra Friday 17 July: The longitude problem – Johan Retief Monday 20 July: Artistic Senior Citizenship – Dr Caroline van Niekerk Friday 24 July: The Curvaceous Earth – Dr Jenny Morris Monday 27 July: ‘Veld Stories’ about Hominids, Hunter gatherers and Humans – David Bristow Friday 31 July: The wetlands blaze in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – Liezl de Villiers
Please note that you are required to register for each presentation separately via email to Ed Meyer at edsalmeyer@telkomsa.net. If you have not been able to sign up for the Zoom lectures so far, but would now like to, let Ed know if you need help with the technology!
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1 July 2020
7 essentials for a weather-proof winter sheen, and there are several dog deodoriser sprays that keep those horrid ‘wet dog’ smells at bay.
By Dr Hilldidge Beer
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et’s face it, the weather’s been really weird of late. Balmy, sunshiney days followed by steep drops in temperature with rain and snow on the high ground. It not only messes with our heads, it messes with our pets’ health too.
5. Chews Your dog’s probably not getting out as much and a bored dog can be a destructive dog. Stock up on chews that not only keep him entertained for hours but keep his teeth and gums clean too. Avoid giving him bones from the table; these can fracture teeth and lodge in his intestines, necessitating expensive vet visits.
Here are seven important essentials you need to remember to keep your pets healthy when the weather plays foul: 1. Tick & flea control We can’t say it often enough. Ticks and fleas are not summer pests; they hound your pets all year round and when the weather warms slightly, those eggs that have been lying hidden in nooks and crannies in your home hatch in their thousands. Once hatched, they’re virtually impossible to get rid of so protecting your pet with a long-acting parasite control is always your best bet. There are so many to choose from – chews, spot-ons, collars, powders – but whatever you prefer, always choose the best you can afford or you’ll be wasting your money on ineffective products.
6. Jackets & coats
Remember also, that not all products can be used on all pets; ask your EberVet Vetshop for advice on the safest product for your pet. 2. Joint support Pets suffer from arthritis, just as humans do, and when the weather worsens, so does their pain. Pets will rarely cry out (they are masters at hiding pain, especially cats) but watch out for limping, a reluctance to
exercise, a sudden inability to jump onto their usual favourite spot or sleeping more than usual. There are several joint support supplements at EberVet Vetshops that help ease arthritis but if your pet’s discomfort persists, see your vet. Your pet may need a supportive diet too. 3. Warm bedding Ease aching bones by providing your pet with warm, soft bedding and
remember to keep his bed out of drafts and high traffic areas. Elderly pets need quiet areas where they can sleep in peace. 4. Grooming In cold weather we tend not to bath our dogs as often as in summer but there are things you can do to keep him clean. Try dry or foam shampoos and regular brushing. VetsBrands’ Shine & Shed oil gives fur a healthy
Dogs love to walk but not all dogs have fur thick enough to protect them from those icy blasts of sea spray. Whether yours is a Yorkie or a Rottie, your EberVet Vetshop has a wide range of protective gear for all shapes and sizes. 7. Checkups & vaccinations We know how difficult it is to get up and out when the weather’s foul but neglecting your pet’s annual vet check or vaccinations puts him at risk of a host of diseases that cost a fortune to treat. Prevention is always better (and cheaper) than cure.
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How to self-isolate at home
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f you or someone in your household develop flu-like symptoms, a fever or a persistent cough, you should self-isolate and not leave your house for any reason for at least 14 days from the onset of symptoms, until symptom-free and fever-free for 72 hours without the use of fever-lowering medications. If you have received a negative test result for COVID-19 during this period and no other members of your household have developed symptoms, all should be well. However, if you did test positive for COVID-19 and were instructed to self-isolate at home, you could still infect others after you stop feeling sick, so the latest recommendation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is that you remain in self-isolation for another 14 days after symptoms
disappear. All other members of your household must also self-isolate and, if any of them become unwell during the first person’s 14 days of isolation, the same measures will have to be followed for another 14-day period. You have to test negative for COVID-19 twice in a row, 24 hours apart, to confirm that you are no longer contagious before resuming your normal routine. What does self-isolation mean in practical terms? • Stay in a separate room away from other people and pets in the home and remain there as much as you can. Keep the windows open to let in clean, fresh air. • Avoid all contact with other people and pets in your home. When you can’t avoid being around others,
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always cover your nose and mouth with a face mask. Do not leave the house unless it’s to seek medical attention. Call ahead before going to your doctor’s office, clinic or hospital and inform them that you have, or may have COVID-19. Avoid using public transport. If you can, use a separate bathroom to everyone else in the home. If you are sharing a bathroom, you should use your own towels, toothbrush and washcloth, and keep them separate from the rest of the household. Clean and disinfect the toilet and bathroom every time you have finished using them. If you share a kitchen, avoid using it when others are present. Take turns to cook or use the kitchen. Clean the kitchen and disinfect any
L2L supporter wins big An Overstrand resident who supported the fundraising efforts of the Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse (L2L) Ladies Walk for 2020, Esmé Henderson from Vermont, recently won the Lucky Draw at Eastcliff Village Centre. Esmé, who purchased her Lucky Draw vouchers at Eastcliff Kwikspar during early March, had to wait patiently for three months before she could collect her prize from the Big Art Gallery – a Jacques du Plessis painting to the value of R8 000. The nationwide lockdown started just
a few days after the annual L2L Ladies Walk ended on 15 March. Each year female volunteers from around the country and even overseas, register to participate in this life-changing event when the ladies walk 100 km along the shore over four days, to raise funds for worthy charities in the Overstrand. This year the charity of choice was The Butterfly Centre in Stanford and the runner-up charity, Overstrand Hospice. The 2020 L2L ladies raised close to a million rand this year. Jacques du Plessis, a local artist,
graciously offered to again donate artwork to the value of R8 000 for next year’s L2L Ladies Walk. Jacques resides in Kleinbaai and, inspired by the Impressionists, creates typical South African scenes reflecting the beauty of the Western Cape landscape, its towns, harbours, mountains, vineyards and fynbos. Frans Post (owner/manager of the Big Art Gallery), Jacques du Plessis (artist), and winner Esmé Henderson from Vermont. PHOTO: Taylum Meyer
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surfaces you have touched afterwards with household detergent or bleach. Take your meals back to your room to eat. Use separate utensils, glasses, cups, cutlery and crockery to everyone else. If you have a dishwasher, use a 60° cycle to clean and dry your used crockery and cutlery. If you don't have a dishwasher, do your washing up using warm water and your normal washing-up liquid. Dry them thoroughly afterwards using a separate dish cloth. Other people in your household should regularly and thoroughly wash their hands and avoid touching their faces. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until
Sources: medicalnewstoday.com; patient.info; healthline.com
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they feel dry. All high-touch surfaces in your home should be disinfected every day, including phones, remote controls, counters, tabletops, doorknobs, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables. Tissues, disposable cleaning cloths, wipes, masks, gloves and other personal waste should be stored in disposable rubbish bags, placed inside another bag and stored separately for at least five days in direct sunlight before being placed outside for collection. Any dirty laundry should be washed separately at a high temperature (60°), and then tumble-dried or hung outside in the sun to dry before being ironed. - Hedda Mittner
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1 July 2020
Small children bear the brunt of lockdown Writer Elaine Davie
MY VILLAGE Download the My VILLAGE app for the latest Breaking NEWS, community news and events from The Village NEWS, conveniently on your smartphone. Already, in the first week, nearly 300 people all around the world have done so. Download the app from iTunes or Google Play.
Other features of the My VILLAGE app include: • •
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Overberg Marketplace where you can list your business for only R600 a year A handy guide to Historical Overberg, recounting the histories of key towns and villages in the Overberg The Platters Wine Guide, an informative reference to all the wine estates in the Overberg What’s On, your go-to section to find out what is happening in the region All the articles and stories that you have come to expect from The Village NEWS and Village EXPLORER.
Many more features will be introduced in the coming months. Watch out for them. Or use this QR Code to download the app.
T
he profound costs borne by small children and families as a result of the ongoing nationwide lockdown and school closures will be felt for at least the next 10 years.” This is the opinion of Dr Nic Spaull and co-author Dr Servaas van der Berg of The University of Stellenbosch’s Department of Economics. Their research report entitled Counting the Cost: COVID-19 school closures In South Africa and its impact on children, which was issued earlier this month, expresses particular concern for the plight of the youngest of our children, especially those between the ages of 0–6 years. This appears to be one of the most badly bungled of the government’s decisions regarding lockdown management, largely one suspects, because the Minister of Social Development (DSD), Lindiwe Zulu seems to have been missing in action throughout. ECD Centres which fall under this minister’s purview cater for roughly 2.5 million pre-schoolers countrywide, according to Prof Eric Atmore of Cape Town’s Centre for Early Childhood Development. So far, no indication has been given as to when these centres will reopen and in Atmore’s opinion, by the time this happens, between 10 and 15% of them catering for roughly 400 000 of the poorest children will have closed for good, due to lack of funds. Nic Spaull points out that an unintended consequence of reopening the economy while schools and crèches remain closed for most children, has been largely overlooked. He adds: “Our analysis shows that if all employed workers return to work, there would be almost one million children below the age of six who would be left alone in households without an adult caregiver. “While it is true that parents and caretakers would try and make arrangements for members of other households to take care of their children, many caretakers may not have the networks needed and may feel compelled to work to earn an income to support their child(ren). This is all because community-based early childhood development centres and preschools are still not allowed to operate despite the economy re-opening.” Another anomaly defies logic. While it has been announced that Grade R classes attached to government primary schools will be allowed to reopen on 6 July, Grade R classes (also under the control of the Department of Basic Education) that are attached to ECD centres or are run by private NGOs like Child Welfare, are not allowed to do so. They will have to wait until the undefined date when ECD centres open. So while one set of Grade Rs steam ahead to make up for lost time, another set of children of the same age in the same community are deprived of this opportunity.
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As it is, Professor Ursula Hoadley of UCT’s School of Education, makes the point in a recent Daily Maverick article that “These learners are in the most critical (foundation) phase of their schooling, where their entire educational careers rest on mastery of reading and number concepts in these early grades.
“A further complicating issue is that these children who have received no schooling and no curriculum input in their homes for threeand-a-half months will very likely experience a slump in their learning. We know from research in developed countries that this will affect children living in poor environments more, and especially in mathematics and reading.” She draws the conclusion that on returning to school, most will require a period of revision before moving on to the next phase of learning, particularly with regard to numbers and remedial reading. They will need to ‘learn to read’ before ‘reading to learn.’ So when almost not a day goes by without our hearing of a small child who is missing, or has been raped or killed, most of them from impoverished communities, government officials appear to pay little attention to those who are either locked up in their houses or shacks while parents are at work, or are left to roam around the streets, sometimes under the ‘supervision’ of an older child. Not only are they in harm’s way, but their mental health is also in serious jeopardy; they are being deprived of developmental opportunities, so crucial at this age, and they are missing out on the nutritious meals they would normally be enjoying at their ECD centre. The dangers of infection by COVID-19 which are inevitably raised by government are dealt with at great length by van der Berg and Spaull in their report. Not only are the chances of contracting the virus extremely low in small children, but so is the likelihood of their transmitting it to their teachers. They quote the South African Paediatric Association: “Teachers are not at high risk of being infected by children. Teachers are at a higher risk of contracting the virus from other adults (eg colleagues), at home or in the community (outside school).” When it comes to early childhood mortality, in addition to their own similar findings, they quote Prof David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University, who concluded: “In school kids aged 5–15 it is not only a tiny risk, it’s a tiny proportion of the normal risk.” They add: “He went on to say that the risk was so low that children were more likely to be struck by lightning (a chance of one in 1.7 million) than die of COVID-19 (one in 3.5 million).” But wait. There has, at last, been some sign of life from the DSD, after months of barely a word. Last week a set of regulations arrived for all ECD centres, in preparation for their as yet undetermined opening – 61 pages of them! Betsey Joubert, ECD facilitator for Enlighten Education
Trust in Hermanus has begun to work through this booklet with the principals of some of the approximately 74 registered and unregistered ECD and after-care centres in the Overstrand with which they work. She agrees that a significant number of the small home-based crèches are unlikely to reopen. Most of the parents stopped paying fees during lockdown, with the result that ECD practitioners lost their jobs and where some centres were paying rent for their premises, this was impossible to continue. Greater pressure will undoubtedly be placed on those which have survived and will be asked to take in more children. Listening to the litany of protocols listed by the DSD, is bemusing. They include the following: no group play allowed, no playing in the sandpit, no water play, no soft toys to be used, no sharing of crayons, scissors, paint brushes (each child to have their own set); children may play with blocks, but only one child at a time and the blocks must be sanitised between use; no child may be closer than 1 metre to another (although curiously, no masks are required). Children must be brought to school and collected individually, at allocated times, by a parent. There might be an outside chance that reasonably well-resourced, sizeable centres might be able to manage these requirements, but to expect a small, threadbare community-based educare centre to implement the bulk of them, forget it. At any rate, the next step is for the staff of each centre to work their way through these protocols, make sure they understand them and then complete an online self-assessment form and implementation plan and return them to the Department with endorsement from an independent entity (in this case, Enlighten). It will not be a question of first approved, first to open. By no means. It seems that all of the thousands of registered and unregistered ECD centres countrywide will have to be approved before any are allowed to reopen. The mind boggles as to when (or even if ) this might be. Quoting again from Counting the Cost: “Policy-makers and government leaders have an obligation to weigh up the costs and collateral damage of their policies, particularly for those most vulnerable, such as small children, the elderly and those in poverty. Millions of South African children’s education and mental health have been compromised…”
No indication has yet been given by the Department of Social Development of when ECD centres will be allowed to reopen. According to new protocols issued by the DSD no group activities such as the above will be permitted when preschoolers return to their centres. PHOTOS: Enlighten Education Trust
1 July 2020
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MY HOME
Local really is lekker By Stephen de Stadler Managing Director Fine & Country Hermanus, Arabella and Kleinmond
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nd so back to work we came. Following the pronouncements of the government, the residential real estate industry was allowed back to work under the Level 3 guidelines and did not have to wait for Level 2. Never has being back at work been met with such unbridled joy. Many of us will remember those days when we were still at school, and it felt like the Christmas holidays had just started when the first ‘back to school’ advertisements from the stationery suppliers started airing on radio and television. I used to despise the adverts, because they meant my holiday was coming to an end, and I used to purposefully switch off the radio whenever the familiar jingle started. Forward to the current day. Never have I been as pleased as when it was announced that we could start opening our offices and return to
work. It was not only because I recognised a real need to start earning income again, but more importantly, I realised during this lockdown period how much I enjoyed working in the residential real estate market. I had missed my agents, my administrative staff, my service providers and suppliers, and my clients. I had missed the thrill of closing a transaction, of bringing a buyer to a new lifestyle, of helping a seller to reach a target they had set for themselves. I had missed all the professional interactions that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Lockdown has also made me realise (again) how privileged we are to live and work in this beautiful part of our country. We had to make sure our office was Covid-19 ready. This encompassed the development of a stringent set of rules and the implementation of protocols which aim to ensure that we limit the spread of this Coronavirus. This is incredibly important because, as we all know, we cannot hope to eradicate the virus in the short term, but we can try to slow down the infection rate to ensure that our medical services are able to deal with it. These protocols do add a few more administrative steps to the processes of selling
The views expressed below are those of the writer in his personal capacity and may not necessarily reflect the views of Fine & Country as a national and international brand.
and buying a home, but following the rules is preferable to not being able to sell properties at all. The market reaction to the lifting of the estate agency lockdown has been interesting, to say the least. We saw an immediate increase in viewing activity across a range of properties for sale, however closure of transactions has been slower to materialise. Buyers are anticipating a decrease in selling prices, but sellers are still insisting on pre-lockdown pricing. This is obviously a generalisation, but there can be little doubt that the properties that are selling are correctly priced for the current market. The world post-Covid-19 is also different to what it was before. South Africa has national and regional or local economies. Post-Covid-19 I would like to submit that we need to rebuild our economy from the inside out. Most significant towns within this region are relatively homogenous in terms of being able to provide a full service offering when it comes to transacting real estate. Buyers and sellers should bear in mind that there are economies of scale that arise in transactions where the significant players know one another and understand
the local economy. The importance of using an estate agency that understands the local environment is usually understood, but I am often surprised when other service providers (including Conveyancing Attorneys which are appointed by the sellers) who do not have local representation, are appointed. Please do not for one minute assume that I am saying that a non-local supplier would deliver inferior service in any way, but what I am referring to are the basics of economics. The local supplier who earns income in the local environment is more likely to spend that income in the local market. In other words, when the hospitality industry reopens, who is more likely to be spending money on a meal at your favourite eatery? That service supplier who is based outside Hermanus, Kleinmond or Gansbaai, or that supplier who lives in that town? That is the concept of the local economy. If the local service providers cannot spend in the local environment, your favourite eatery may also not have enough clients, which will mean that you may no longer be able to eat there yourself. My call is thus to support the local economy – wherever that is for you.
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Working from home? Make the Whale Coast your new ‘office’
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move to the countryside or a coastal village was the stuff of dreams for many city dwellers – or maybe a longterm retirement plan. However, the Covid-19 lockdown has shown that working from home is not only possible but also convenient, and for some, there’s no longer a need to live in the city to be close to the office. “The towns of the Cape Whale Coast, from Rooiels to Hermanus (all between 60 and 90 minutes from central Cape Town), offer an ideal opportunity if you are now working from home, no longer need to travel to work every day, or are considering a change in lifestyle for you and your family,” says Annien Borg, Pam Golding Properties regional head of the Boland and Overberg. Savills’ recent Residential Sentiment Survey of several international countries shows that 86% of respondents expect to continue working from home post Covid-19. Similar trends are likely in South Africa, says Borg, where rising fuel costs have already made lengthy commutes unappealing. Buyers’ needs have also changed since the pandemic, notes Savills. Green space in its various forms was marked as a priority for most, while 61% of respondents said there would be an increased demand for homes in outlying areas. An American study shows that 39% of urban Americans are considering moving out of the city, with significant migrations to the smaller towns outside New York and San Francisco already evident. Borg says the Cape Whale Coast would be ideal for a similar migration in South Africa. “Quality of life has become increasingly important to local homeowners, as so many contemplate working from home, and the Whale Coast offers the coastal lifestyle, and array of amenities, that would make this choice more appealing,” she says. Rooiels, Pringle Bay, Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond have morphed from holiday and weekend destinations into popular places to live permanently, says Nicola Lloyd, Pam Golding Properties area principal for these areas.
Entry level properties are available from R300 000 (for a vacant stand) and from R900 000 for starter homes, increasing in price to between R5 million and R11 million for seafront properties. It’s possible to buy a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a garage on at least 600m2 of land for between R1.2 million and R1.8 million. Larger three- or four-bedroom homes on 1 000m2 or more of land are available for between R2.5 million and R4 million. Hermanus and Onrus are easily accessed from Cape Town on the N2 freeway and offer quality educational, medical, sporting and retail facilities. Spectacular mountains, sea, whales and wine routes are signature features of these areas. A wider range of properties is available, with one-bedroom apartments available for less than R1 million, and luxury seafront properties for R15 million. Borg says security estates offer plenty of recreational areas for families to enjoy within walking distance of their front doors. Sea Farm Private Nature Reserve outside Pringle Bay, Arabella Country Estate, Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate, Hemel-en-Aarde Estate and Fernkloof Golf Estate offer higher-end options, while the sectional title estates in Onrus and Sandbaai are excellent value for money. “No matter what stage of life you’re in, no matter what your property needs are, and no matter what environment you are looking for, consider the Whale Coast and come and see us,” says Borg. “It’s the ideal time to consider making one of these towns your home.” - Pam Golding Properties Hermanus, Onrus, Kleinmond, Betty's Bay and Pringle Bay www.pamgolding.co.za
1 July 2020
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1 July 2020
MY ENVIRONMENT
Face mites – we all have them! By Anina Lee
affecting the lids and lashes. Demodex folliculorum mites are wormlike, with eight stumpy legs; they are microscopic in size, measuring about 0.3 millimetres in length. They live near the roots of facial hair follicles, hidden away inside your pores.
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ace mites live in your pores, eat your grease and crawl on your face while you sleep. That’s right – they crawl out of your pores at night and party on your face. And you don’t even know it. You probably have a few dozen tiny arachnids on the shafts of hair on your face, quietly gorging themselves on your natural oils. There are two species of face mite called Demodex. They have eight legs, so they belong to the class Arachnida. They live within the hair follicles on human skin, feeding on face oils and dead skin cells. These mites tend to be most prevalent around the eyes,
There they have easy access to your sebum — the waxy oil your face secretes to keep hydrated. Sebum is produced by glands inside your pores, near the bottom of your hair follicles. Demodex mites love this greasy meal. They burrow face-first into your pores, gorge on your face oil and then at night, when you're asleep, they crawl out on your face to mate. That's right — there's a nightly mite party on your face, and you're not invited. You are but a sleeping partner. The entire lifecycle of Demodex. folliculorum lasts only 14–16 days. Adult mites copulate at the top of the hair follicle, near the skin surface. Eggs are deposited in the sebaceous (oil) gland inside the hair follicle. The heartshaped egg hatches into a six-legged larva. It takes seven days for the larva to develop into a mature 8-legged adult, which lives for only 4–6 days. Demodex mites pose no known threats to humans – that is unless they over-proliferate. Most people live peacefully with their face mites until old age. Just think, in your lifetime, your nose could serve as the family home to hundreds of generations of grease-swilling, nocturnal-partying arachnids. However, you probably won't ever
have to clean up after your Demodex houseguests. Face mites have no anus, instead storing their poop in their bodies for the full duration of their brief lives. Now that's just good manners. Michelle Trautwein, an evolutionary biologist at the California Academy of Sciences, thinks they're “actually pretty adorable." She believes the mites could help answer questions about human migrations through history, perhaps more than genetics or archaeology alone could because of how they're shared among humans.
ABOVE: Demodex folliculorum mites (above, much magnified) are worm-like, with eight stumpy legs and measure about 0.3 millimetres in length. They live near the roots of facial hair follicles, hidden away inside your pores. BELOW: Demodex folliculorum mite on the skin.
Mites are mostly shared between members of the same nuclear family. Because of that tight bond, the mites can be a pretty good measure of where people came from. The researchers collected mites from the faces of about 70 people with different origins, most of them now living in the US, and sequenced the mites' mitochondrial DNA. They found that people from different continents harbour different varieties of mites on their faces. Even generations after a family leaves one geographic region for another, their descendants can retain those original mite populations. "Basically, as all humans evolved in Africa, our mites evolved with us," says Trautwein. "And as mite populations became isolated they evolved into their own lineages, just like humans did." Think of them not as parasites, but as family heirlooms, your own special heritage. Friends forever.
RIGHT: This micrograph shows three Demodex folliculorum diving into a follicle next to a hair.
CIRCLE: Only a biologist would describe these microscopic arachnids as “actually pretty adorable”!
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R 1 940 000 FINE & COUNTRY FEATURE HERMANUS, WESTERN CAPE
Home is the place of hope, love and dreams This lovely three bedroom family home is nestled in the sought after Avenues Estate. The spacious open-plan lounge, dining room and kitchen with high trusses share a combustion stove for nestling during the cold Cape winters. The front door leads out onto a covered veranda inviting you to enjoy a glass of wine or superb cup of tea. The braai room has a built-in braai and leads out to an enclosed back garden with mountain view. The main en-suite bedroom is bright and spacious with a full bathroom. The other two bedrooms share a guest bathroom. WEB: 1541728 Stephen de Stadler 082 441 0120 Hermanus Office 16 Hope Street, Cnr Dirkie Uys, Hermanus, 7200 +27 (0)21 205 7135 hermanus@fineandcountry.com
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