The Village NEWS 08 April - 15 April 2020

8 APRIL 2020

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All hands on deck to fight virus Writer De Waal Steyn

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estern Cape Premier, Alan Winde has called on the national government to take a “common-sense approach” to the rules and regulations during the lockdown period. This follows a lot of debate online about how regulations, especially relating to what you can buy at the shops, are being interpreted. The issues at hand have been complex for decision-makers, as “evidence-based” statements made confidently one day, turned out to be less clear or even incorrect the next.

As news portal Daily Maverick stated: “This is not due to poor decision-making, but reflects the rapid influx of new and changing information. What usually takes years, is happening in days. Some of the sweeping interventions implemented in South Africa seemed unthinkable just weeks before. Closing borders, restricting movement, closing schools and businesses and physical distancing have all been instituted based on expert opinion, learning from other countries, or rapidly-developed scientific models.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caught the world and South Africa off guard.

What started out as a seemingly mild disease in a distant land has become a formidable threat to our country’s health system, our economy, our society and indeed, every South African.

As the pandemic has exponentially changed gears, opinions and evidence about the disease and how to control it have shifted too,” according to the report.

Winde said he wants to clearly state that “all of us have one clear objective in mind – and one only: to stop the spread of COVID-19, and to collec-

tively help save lives. We know that the regulations were created for this reason. And any clarifications or updates to them – which, considering how quickly we moved into lockdown is entirely normal – need to be done with that ultimate aim in mind.”

PHOTO: Taylum Meyer

According to Winde, when he participated in the first virtual meeting of the Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) on Saturday, 4 April, he used the opportunity to request a common-sense approach that would allow, for example, equipment needed for e-learning for students to be procured during the lockdown. Ensuring that learning continues for our children is a top priority of the Western Cape Government.

“There are many more issues and we have officially sent a list of those that require clarification to Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and we are looking forward to further discussions to provide the clarity so many residents are requesting.

“I also used the opportunity to raise concerns regarding incidents of police brutality. These incidents must be condemned, and we urge all those with complaints to please report these to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) as soon as possible,” he said.

Co-chaired by Deputy President

A tired Warrant Officer Tshazibana about to finish his 12-hour shift in Hermanus on Sunday. Overstrand Municipality’s Traffic Department, Law Enforcement and other private security companies have been patrolling the Overstrand 24 hours a day to make sure that people are adhering to the lockdown regulations. According to Tshazibana, residents’ compliance with the rules has improved since the start of the lockdown.

David Mabuza, the PPC is composed of ministers, premiers of all provinces and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). On Saturday the PCC received a report from the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) covering, amongst other issues, adherence to the national lockdown regulations, ongoing contact tracing, accommodation requirements, including identified quarantine sites, and the roll-out of the mass community testing programme.

To date, 5 400 field workers have been trained and have already been deployed to various areas across the country, whilst thousands more

are still to undergo training. Priority districts and 993 wards have been identified, composed of the most vulnerable and at-risk communities, as well as areas with high rates of infection. Provinces are working with the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) to identify testing sites which will include both fixed and mobile test facilities.

“Through the COVID-19 Data Management Centre, government is receiving early warning of potential clusters of infections and thus deploying pre-emptive targeted testing in identified areas. It further receives daily estimates on infections, assesses local healthcare capacity and the effi-

cacy of the lockdown,” the presidency said in a statement.

“The PCC further considered the security of supply of essential medical supplies, including regulations that have been established to restrict exports of essential medical goods.

Government is ramping up efforts to build up local manufacturing capacity and assessing the capacity of State-Owned Entities to produce essential supplies.”

Municipalities also stand ready to assist and, if necessary, hand over some of their facilities for isolation and quarantine purposes.

Continues on P2

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8 April 2020

Happy Easter! Can you find the other 7 bunnies hidden in the newspaper?

More clarity needed From P1

With 50% of the world’s population in some form of lockdown, people all around the globe are turning to The Village NEWS (TVN) online for factual and comprehensive stories about the Overstrand and the Overberg.

Read some of the over 3 000 articles on The Village NEWS website. Check out our Facebook groups and pages. Love Instagram? Follow @thevillagenews. Or join the My Village app (download on Google Play or App Store).

Just have a look at some of the figures from our website (www.thevillagenews.co.za) for March 2020: • 20 904 unique users in March 2020 (+ 24% versus Feb 2020 and +148% versus Mar 2019) • 60% live in the Western Cape • 25% of Western Cape online users live in The Village NEWS newspaper distribution area (+250% versus February 2020 and +150% versus March 2019).

With 5 162 reads of The Village NEWS on this global publication platform in March 2020, a 20% increase from February 2020 and a 50% increase from March 2019, more and more readers are choosing to download the newspaper in a PDF format.

Not only is it convenient to read TVN on ISSUU, but you can also directly click on any advertisement to instantly access further information on the company’s website or Facebook page.

President Ramaphosa has commended national, provincial and local government for the concerted measures to provide relief to the most vulnerable communities, informal sector workers and indigent households during this period.

While appreciating the hardship and inconvenience the national lockdown has caused, the President has reasserted that, across the world, it has been countries that have imposed restrictions on movement and gatherings that have managed to flatten the curve. The President has urged government and society at large to build on the tremendous impetus provided by the need to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic and to rethink how governments, businesses and communities function and relate to one another. “The Coronavirus changes everything,” President Ramaphosa said.

While the country awaits more clarity from the National Command Council, which coordinates the country’s response to the outbreak, the following measures as set to stay in place: Essential services and the sale of essential goods There has been some confusion about what stores are able to remain open to provide essential goods. The following list has been compiled in alignment with SAPS Western Cape: • Grocery stores, including large retail chains as well as smaller corner grocery stores, fruit and veg shops, butchers and convenience stores at filling stations remain open.

• Pet and veterinary stores are permitted to stay open. They may only sell animal food and animal medicines.

• Health shops that sell food, hygiene products and/or cleaning products are permitted to stay open, but may only sell essential goods.

• Cellphone shops are NOT allowed to be open. They would only be allowed to sell airtime, and this can be bought at any grocery

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083 700 3319 theagency@thevillagenews.co.za

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store, spaza shop or online.

Money-lending businesses are not permitted to be open.

Cigarettes may still be sold during the lockdown, but only together with essential goods (at the time of going to press).

Businesses can deliver essential goods to people’s homes, but they can't deliver hot meals or any non-essential goods.

NatJOINTS spokesperson, Brig Vish Naidoo, said SAPS will continue to act on all complaints received as no one has special permission to act in a manner that is contrary to the regulations governing the lockdown period.

Anyone who may have complaints or information relating to non-adherence to the Disaster Management Regulations can get in touch with law enforcement officials by contacting the SAPS Crime Stop number 086 00 10111 or submitting tip-offs anonymously on the MySAPSApp which is available for download on Android and iPhones.

CIPC certificates It is important to inform businesses in the Western Cape that if they provide an essential service it is NOT a legal requirement to obtain a Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) certificate in order to operate.

The CIPC certificate, which can be obtained from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition on the bizportal.gov.za website, is not compulsory and is not a requirement of the lockdown regulations. If your business continues to operate during the lockdown and is not providing an essential service, you are committing a criminal offence, unless staff can work from home during the lockdown. Law enforcement will close your business and may even arrest you, regardless of whether you have the CIPC certificate or not.

UIF fast-tracked The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has

taken steps to fast-track the processing of existing benefits to workers. They have also announced possible financial assistance to employer(s) that have had to enforce lockdown. As such, the UIF will help affected workers through existing benefits including illness, reduced work time, unemployment and Coronavirus Temporary Employer / Employee Relief Scheme (COVID19TERS) benefits. The Department of Employment and Labour has provided an easy step-by-step guide for employers wishing to make use of this opportunity. For more information, email: covid19ters@labour.gov.za No licence worries Don’t worry if your car or driver’s licence is due to expire during lockdown. All licences, including drivers’ and learners’ licences, car licence disks, roadworthy certificates, temporary permits and professional driving permits will be extended until after the lockdown period. You’ll have a 30-day grace period after lockdown to renew expired licences.

Permits for staff to travel to work If a business provides essential services, it must provide staff with a permit, in writing, on the prescribed form, which gives them permission to leave their home and travel to work. Staff must carry this permit with them whenever they travel, together with a recent ID, so that they can show enforcement officers who may stop them while they are travelling.

More details on lockdown regulations, the financial relief currently available to businesses, and the answers to many other Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for businesses can be found on: • www.supportbusiness.co.za • www.westerncape.gov.za/coronavirus Any businesses needing assistance can email their questions to supportbusiness@ wesgro.co.za.

Should you get tested for COVID-19?

There are criteria as to who should, and who should not be tested. That is because, in a global pandemic such as this, key diagnostic tools such as the Covid-19 test kits are in very limited supply.

Compared to February 2020, The Village NEWS Facebook groups and pages doubled their growth in March 2020, despite the fact that 50% of The Village NEWS’ core readership already belongs to a TVN group. In March 2020, posts on TVN groups and pages reached over 300 000 people.

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For this reason, an assessment preceding testing is important as it will ensure that patients receive the most appropriate treatment and that those in the greatest need are prioritised.

It will also reduce the pressure on our hospitals and pathology labs.

If you are experiencing symptoms and have reason to suspect that you may have been in contact with someone who is infected, there are four courses of action you could take: • Contact your GP and complete a telephonic assessment.

• Contact the COVID-19 risk-assessment team at Mediclinic Hermanus on 028 313 0168 / 082 785 5917 / 083 377 7843. You can also call the Mediclinic COVID-19 Hotline num-

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ber on 0860 24 00 24.

Contact your local hospital or clinic: Hermanus Provincial Hospital 028 312 1166 / 028 313 5200; CDC Clinic, Zwelihle 028 313 5700; Hawston Clinic 028 315 2063; Kleinmond Clinic 028 271 5807; Stanford Clinic 028 341 0945; Gansbaai Kliniek 028 384 1917.

Complete an online assessment. Mediclinic has an online personal risk assessment tool at https://www.mediclinic.co.za/en/corporate/corona-virus/covid-19-risk-assessmenttool.html. Fill in the fields and find out in a minute whether a test is necessary.

Hermanus Provincial Hospital and most clinics in the Overberg will conduct testing for free with results available in 72 hours. Where a test is required, a decision will then be made on whether to admit the patient or send them home for self-isolation until the results of the test are known. Please adhere to all medical advice presented by the team during the time of the assessment.

COVID-19 testing at Mediclinic Hermanus Dr Sicker of the Mediclinic Hermanus has advised that the Emergency Centre is open from Monday to Sunday, 09:00 – 16.00. If you have been advised that you need to be tested, your ID number, telephone number, email address and medical aid details will be required.

Do not enter the facility. Do park your vehicle at casualty and call either 028 313 0168, 082 785 5917 or 083 377 7843. Indicate that you wish to be tested for COVID-19. You will be met by medical staff at your vehicle to complete documentation prior to testing.

The testing procedure itself takes around 5 minutes and test samples are delivered to Pathcare for processing. Results are available between 24 – 48 hrs. You will be contacted via WhatsApp (or email /telephonically if you prefer) with your test result. The cost of the test and screening procedure is covered by medical aid (PMB condition).

8 April 2020

Feeding our hopes for the future Writer Elaine Davie

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haphama is a small unregistered ECD centre in Zwelihle, one of approximately 40 in the township. It offers 20 children of some of the poorest shack dwellers in the area high quality care and education at a fee that covers little more than the healthy food the children eat each day.

Their programme is supervised by the Enlighten Education Trust.

When lockdown was imposed, Phaphama, too, was forced to close its doors and the children had to stay at home, where many of the parents were either already unemployed or had been retrenched due to the state of disaster. Mabel Saul, one of Enlighten’s ECD facilitators, who had originally established the centre in her late mother’s house, was worried sick about whether the children were getting enough to eat at home. She approached Magriet Peter, Enlighten’s Trust Manager for advice.

The upshot was that the Board of the NGO approved the disbursement of R4 000 to purchase food for the children. “Magriet sent a taxi to fetch my daughter, Bianca, who is the principal, and me,” relates Mabel, “and we were able to buy enough food to feed each child for at least a week. We packed it into separate food parcels after first sanitising everything and then Bianca drew up a schedule and phoned each of the parents to come separately to fetch their pack.

“You can’t imagine how excited they were. One of them was in tears. She told us that she had used the last food in her house that morning and had no money to buy any more.” Mabel says the ECD centres that are the most adversely affected are the unregistered ones. “Those that are registered continue to receive their subsidies from the Department of Social Development, but there’s no safety net for the rest, so I’m very worried about the children from those 39 other centres,” she sighs.

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3 SRAs gear up

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espite the restraints imposed by the nationwide lockdown, a lot of work is being done behind the scenes to ensure that the three Special Rating Areas (SRAs) recently approved by the Overstrand Municipality will be up and running by the end of July, when the first additional levy will be payable.

The three SRAs that were approved are Kleinmond, Hermanus and Onrus-Vermont. The Kleinmond SRA (KSRA) will include all properties in the area within the boundaries of Kleinmond, stretching from the eastern boundary of Heuningkloof to the western boundary of Palmiet, including the informal settlement. The southern boundary is the coastline and the northern boundary the mountain.

“But I want to express the Phaphama parents’ deepest gratitude to the Board of Enlighten Education Trust. They can be assured that they have made a huge difference to the lives of those 20 little children.”

Since speaking to Mabel, we have been informed

by Magriet Peter that she has received a further anonymous donation of R50 000 to meet the feeding needs of 240 children from some of the other unregistered ECD centres, not only in Zwelihle, but also in Mount Pleasant and Hawston, and perhaps even elsewhere in the Overstrand. She says she would welcome any other contributions members of the public would like to make, either in cash or in kind. She can be reached on 082 4395860.

From a press release issued on Sunday by the Western Cape Government, we have also learnt of an additional allocation for the purchase of food for children from registered ECD centres throughout the Western Cape, as well as for those school children who were beneficiaries of the school feeding scheme.

ABOVE: The sky’s the limit for this Phaphama child before the pandemic.

PHOTO: Enlighten Education Trust LEFT: A father and his Phaphama toddler come to collect her food pack which will last about a week.

PHOTO: Mabel Saul

The Hermanus SRA (HSRA) will include all properties in the area within the boundaries of 17th Avenue, Voëlklip in the east up to Swartdam Road in the west, with Still Street as the southern border and Fernkloof Nature Reserve as the northern border.

Suburbs included in the HSRA are Westcliff, Westdene, Industria, Northcliff, the Central Business District (CBD), Eastcliff, Hermanus Heights, Fernkloof, Kwaaiwater and Voëlklip.

The Onrus-Vermont Special Rating Area (OVSRA) includes all areas in Ward 13 (Onrus, Onrus North, Berghof and Vermont).

According to OVSRA chair Abner Inghels, the committee is awaiting the end of the lockdown so that a public meeting can be hosted where the committee members will be elected for the non-profit organisation that will run the SRA. He said the proposed first phase will entail purchasing and installing CCTV cameras and implementing patrolling services. “The monitoring of water testing at the Onrus Estuary, cleaning and maintenance of green belts in respect of litter, building rubble and invasive alien vegetation, maintenance and upgrading of the coastal path area, municipal parks and public spaces, the possible pick-up of household refuse during peak season when needed, and extra lifeguards at the lagoon/beach during specially identified periods will also be looked at.”

Michael Farr, Chair of the HSRA Steering Committee, said they are awaiting a shortlist of items that still need to be approved. “We are expecting the munic-

ipality to shortly approve the memorandum of incorporation, allowing Hermanus Public Protection to be appointed as the management body. The same goes for the financial agreement that will stipulate the amount to be levied every month from property owners.

“The other processes we are busy concluding are the requests for proposals on the delivery of crime prevention and safety services, as well as for top-up cleaning services. The post for a fulltime manager for HPP is also being advertised.

The final process will be the election of a new board of directors for HPP during June,” said Farr. It is expected that HPP will take over as the management body on 1 July 2020.

According to the management committee of the KSRA, the proposed first phase will focus on the purchase and installation of CCTV cameras. The aim is to install a total of 42 cameras in the first five years.

The benefits of an SRA include: Providing support to Overstrand Municipality Traffic and Law Enforcement Services (especially after hours and considering the challenge to provide officials 24/7 in all residential areas); • Monitoring and early reporting of signs of degeneration and decay in public areas; • Enabling the community to share in the benefits of a safe, healthy and clean environment for living, working and recreation; • Equitable sharing of the costs of SRA operations by all rateable property owners who contribute according to the rand valuation of their properties; • Encouraging tourism as a key economic activity of the area, as visitors will feel safer and therefore be more inclined to invest in the towns and their environment; • Creating a safer, cleaner and healthier environment, which will contribute indirectly towards an increase in the value of properties; • Enabling Law Enforcement to respond and apprehend lawbreakers more quickly and effectively, since camera film footage will be available as evidence in a court of law.

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For more information, you can email the OVSRA steering committee at onrus.vermont.sra@gmail.com, or visit www.kleinmondsra.co.za or www.hermanussra.co.za

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8 April 2020

Zwelihle’s Pied Piper of dogs ing her this refuge. Even though her money has run out, she continues to feed and care for the dogs, visiting Dubai twice a day, thanks to the food provided by HAWS and other generous donors such as Ebervet.

Writer & Photographer Hedda Mittner

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he moment they see her, the dogs’ faces light up and they come rushing towards her, tails wagging, jostling for her attention.

She knows each one by name, she knows their different quirks and personalities, their health issues and particular needs. When they get too rowdy, a few stern commands are all it takes for them to calm down. “We have a guest here today, so I want you to be on your best behaviour,” she tells them.

I have accompanied Yvonne Wurster from Germany, who now lives in Zwelihle, on one of her daily excursions to the informal settlement known as ‘Dubai’, to feed the animals that live there. Yvonne, known as “the animal whisperer” since childhood, cares for up to 50 dogs and about a dozen cats that all depend on this heroic woman’s efforts for their survival and wellbeing. We met only days before the start of the national lockdown, which has not made her task any easier.

Working in collaboration with the Hermanus Animal Welfare Society (HAWS), Yvonne collects up to 100 kg of pet food every month and distributes it in areas where it is safe to say no white woman has gone before – let alone set up home. (It is right here in Dubai that she’d been living since she arrived in Hermanus 18 months ago, until moving away last month.)

She not only feeds the dogs and cats twice a day, she also trains them, washes them, administers treatment for ticks, fleas, lice and worms, and assists HAWS by identifying animals that need to be sterilised, and referring sick or injured animals to the clinic for treatment. She is also on a mission to teach pet owners in the township, especially children, how to take proper care of their pets.

Yvonne has worked with animals for 35 years. Growing up in Germany, where her father was a dog trainer at a US Army base in Karlsruhe, Yvonne always had a natural affinity with animals, and especially dogs.

As an animal behaviourist, she has successfully rehabilitated traumatised dogs and managed to train and rehome countless neglected

Has she ever regretted her decision to sacrifice everything for these animals? I ask her. “It has not been easy,” she admits, “but I am dedicated to this path as I know the animals depend on me. Knowing what a difference I am making is its own reward.”

The dogs in Dubai are always overjoyed to see Yvonne when she arrives on her daily visits. When she leaves, her friend Bob has to distract them so that they don’t follow her and run after her car. and abused dogs. She was involved with rescue centres in Germany and the UK, where she lived for several years, while also working as a private trainer.

She eventually settled in Nigeria with her daughter, where she trained dogs for the Nigerian army and police.

Living on a large property outside the capital city, Lagos, she also ran her own private security firm, with 28 dogs that she trained herself, many of them rescued from the streets. “I also rescued chickens, cats, monkeys, parrots, antelope… I had a whole zoo!” she laughs.

When her daughter died suddenly in a car accident in Nigeria, Yvonne was devastated. She returned to Germany but, after 12 years in Africa, she found it difficult to readjust. “I had no family left and I withdrew from the world. The only ‘family’ I had were my animals.” During this time Yvonne befriended a Rastafarian called Bob Kune via Facebook. He told Yvonne about the housing problems in his home town of Hermanus and the plight of the many homeless dogs in Zwelihle.

“He made me aware of the tremendous need here in the townships and I wanted to do something to help,” says Yvonne. In a bold move, she sold everything she had and travelled to Hermanus in October 2018. “Bob came to fetch me at the airport and I was introduced to his family.

Although the living conditions in the township are very bad, especially in the new informal settlements, I was

warmly welcomed and never felt unsafe,” says Yvonne.

She put up her own shack in Dubai, in an area known as the Rastafarian camp, where Bob also lives. “I lived there just as everyone around me was living, and I became part of the community. The only difference was that I had a car, and was able to install a water tank, solar power and a small generator,” she says. “It’s not an easy life, being surrounded by poverty, depression, drugs and alcohol abuse, and I was glad to help out in small ways. For example, over weekends I would treat the children to a movie and a warm meal. Their love and gratitude more than made up for the lack of home comforts I had been used to before.”

Most of all, though, Yvonne’s new life revolved around the animals. “It was quite a challenge,” she says. “When I first started caring for the dogs, most of them did not have owners and were running wild. As I bonded with them, some of the more aggressive dogs became very territorial and protective of me, which created a potentially dangerous situation. It is important that the pack is balanced, which is why I had to make the painful decision to move away from there and also had to relocate some of the dogs.”

Yvonne has now moved her shack to the backyard of the house of Bob’s family in Zwelihle. The space is so small that she had to reduce the size of her shack to fit onto the erf, but she is grateful to the family for offer-

But surely there must be some things from her old life that she misses, I insist. Yvonne has to think long and hard, but eventually she says: “When you work with animals, you have to be centred, you have to feel calm and peaceful in order to have control.

That is difficult to achieve when you are living in crowded conditions with high noise levels. So yes, if there is anything I do miss it is privacy and some me-time, where I can just be quiet and meditate…

“And a long, warm bubble bath!” she adds with a big laugh.

Yvonne is offering her services as a professional dog trainer / behaviourist and can help with basic training, puppy training, recall training, the introduction of a new pet, or any behavioural problems such as aggression or disobedience. “Whatever the problem or the age of your pet, it is never too late,” she says. “Your pet deserves to live a full and happy life.” Yvonne can be contacted on 061 437 5079.

Support Overstrand’s animal welfare societies • The kennel and cattery staff, as well as the veterinarian and clinic staff of the Hermanus Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) continue to work during the lockdown as essential workers. They are doing their best to continue caring for animals in need by distributing food in underprivileged communities, and by treating, feeding and exercising those in the kennels and cattery during this difficult time. Although the kennels are closed for the public during the lockdown, the clinic is open for emergencies. 4 Steenbras St, Hermanus Industria. Call 028 312 1281 or 072 360 0102. Financial contributions and donations of dog food are always warmly welcomed.

Bank details: Hermanus Animal Welfare Society, Standard Bank, Acc no. 082 263 310, Branch code 050312.

• Kleinmond Animal Welfare (KAWS) is also appealing to the community for assistance in feeding the animals in underprivileged areas, where many pet owners are not able to work during the lockdown and cannot afford to buy food for their animals. Donations of pet food can be put in the KAWS food bin at the entrance to Kleinmond Spar for collection and distribution by KAWS staff members. Banking details for financial contributions: Kleinmond Animal Welfare Society, FNB Hermanus, Acc no. 626 896 36458, Branch code 200412, REF: Community feeding. Corner of Protea and Main Rd, Kleinmond. Call 028 271 5004.

• BARC Gansbaai Animal Welfare: Plot 210, Voortrekker St, Gansbaai.

Contact Nols on 083 742 3903.

Bank details: Nedbank Gansbaai, Acc no. 1498103006, Branch code 198765.

Yvonne in front of the shack where she now lives in Zwelihle, after more than a year in the informal settlement of Dubai.

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No normal Easter

By John de Gruchy

of hope had dawned, not just for the followers of Jesus but for the world.

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e won’t forget this Easter in a hurry. No crowded church services, no singing of triumphant hymns, few family gatherings, and no one searching for Easter eggs.

The restaurants are empty, the coastal path closed, tourists absent, only police patrolling the streets, medics tending the sick, scientists searching for cures, shop assistants selling essentials, and politicians making decisions they do not want to make. How can we celebrate when everything we normally do at Easter is forbidden by law and presidential decree?

But maybe this Easter is more like the first Easter than we think. There was nothing normal about that first day of the week when a few anxious women in Jesus’ inner circle went to the tomb to anoint his body with oil.

Jerusalem, despite being crowded for the Passover, was in virtual lockdown following the crucifixion of three rebels for sedition. There were Roman soldiers everywhere, even guarding the tomb. But the women found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.

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8 April 2020

Explain it as you will, believe, doubt or scorn, the event clothed in mystery, would soon change the course of history. Roman emperors re-wrote the calendar, dividing it between before and after this event, much as we will speak in years to come about the time before and after the pandemic.

But whereas this epidemic is spreading disruption, fear and death, the message of the first responders to the risen Christ was that love had triumphed over evil, that the weakness of the cross had confounded the power of despots, and that a new day

In a world scarred by poverty, injustice, abuse, war, plagues and fake news, Easter speaks of the rebirth of life after the horror of death, the rekindling of hope in the midst of pessimism fueled by fear, and the possibility of building communities bound together by love made evident through acts of selfless kindness, courage and compassion. We don’t need all the trappings of a “normal” Easter to help us get the good news message. “Normal” Easters too often cloud our vision, preventing us from grasping the awesome truth that Christ is risen amid a chaotic world and despite the power of evil.

If this pandemic does nothing else, may it focus our minds on how we live, what really matters, and the kind of world we should be working for.

For Easter is not primarily a religious festival, it is the beginning of a world-changing, hopeful movement of justice, peace, human redemption and the renewal of creation. The truth is, Easter was never meant to be what we think of as normal. How could it possibly be when you remember how it all began.

Online Easter services and click on the YouTube icon.

• Rain Church: Livestream at 10:00 on Friday (communion service) and Sunday via Facebook at RainChurchHermanus.

• AGS Hermanus: Stream at 09:00 on Friday and Sunday via Facebook at AGSHermanus and YouTube (Visit The annual Passion Play at the agshermanus.co.za and click you the Old Harbour in Hermanus is also a YouTube icon). long-standing tradition which will • Shofar Hermanus: Livestream not be taking place this year because of the Coronavirus pandemic. at 09:30 on Friday and Sunday on Facebook at ShofarHermanus or visit shofaronline.org and search for This is especially hard to bear in a Hermanus by clicking on the ‘Visit a time when we are more in need of Church’ link. solace and hope than ever before.

• Every Nation Church: Recordings However, while church doors are closed, this does not mean residents of the services will be posted on Facebook at Every Nation Church need to miss out on the traditional Hermanus.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday • Our Lady of Light Catholic services. Almost all local churches Church Hermanus: Videos of will be broadcasting their services services are uploaded daily on Facevia their websites, Facebook pages book at Our Lady of Light Catholic or on YouTube.

Church Hermanus.

For those wanting to watch the vari- • CRC Hermanus: Livestreaming Friday at 09:00 on Facebook at CRC ous services, here are the details: Hermanus and on crc.org.za. On Sunday services will be livestreamed • NG Kerk Hermanus: Livestream on Facebook at 08:30, 10:30 and at 09:30 on Friday and Sunday. The 18:00. services can be followed at avlme• United Church: Videos of services dia.co.za/hermanusngk • NG Kerk Onrus:Streaming at 08:30 will be posted on Friday and Sunday on Friday (communion service) and on Facebook at United Church Hermanus and on uchermanus.com Sunday. Visit ngkonrusrivier.co.za Christian worshippers all over the world will be unable to come together as communities of faith this weekend to celebrate Easter, a time when church pews are usually overflowing.

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FROM THE EDITOR

continuously informed is no mean feat.

Adapt or die the new normal The next edition of The Village NEWS will be available on 15 April 2020. The NEWS can be found at over 300 distribution points in the Overberg.

028 312 2234

6 Royal Street, Hermanus

De Waal Steyn

PUBLISHING EDITOR dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za

In recorded history no single event has had a greater impact on the world in such a short space of time as the COVID-19 pandemic. A short few weeks ago the terms social distancing, lockdown and self-isolation were scarcely part of our vocabulary.

While planning for 2020, the idea of a national state of disaster did not feature in anyone’s plans –and much less so an Easter holiday with not a tourist in sight or an Easter weekend with church doors closed.

As time passes, we all need to adapt

CONTENT EDITOR hedda@thevillagenews.co.za

ONLINE EDITOR

raphael@thevillagenews.co.za

Elaine Davie SUB-EDITOR & JOURNALIST elaine@thevillagenews.co.za

Taylum Meyer PHOTOGRAPHER & PRODUCTION MANAGER taylum@thevillagenews.co.za

Alta Pretorius MARKETING MANAGER alta@thevillagenews.co.za

Charé van der Walt MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE chare@thevillagenews.co.za

Tania Hamman

As a business that is solely dependent on advertising income, the sudden closure of hundreds of businesses within our distribution area has had a detrimental impact on our business. We have to adapt

our business plan and offerings, sometimes daily, to keep up with the ever-changing environment.

But we took a firm decision: we might have to wear masks, but we will not be silent. As publishing editor, I am self-isolating due to a suppressed immune system and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We have closed our office and all our staff are diligently working from home.

We thank our loyal clients and readers for their support and understanding, which enables us to continue with our work.

Publishing a newspaper and keeping more than 40 000 online users

This is the good NEWS – De Waal Steyn

Pie-charts, weird words and drooping thumbs

Hedda Mittner

Raphael da Silva

to a constantly changing environment. It is no different for The Village NEWS. As a critical source of information for our community, we have not only had to adapt to the new rules regulating our daily lives, but we’ve also had to adjust our newspaper and our online news channels.

But for as long as it is possible for us to continue with our work, we will bring you credible and interesting news on every platform at our disposal. As you might have noticed, our newspapers have fewer pages than normal due to the decline in advertising, and we took the decision to print on cheaper newsprint paper for the time being. This is done to save every cent possible and to carry this saving through to our customers.

By Murray Stewart murray.stewart49@gmail.com

D

iscover the amazing sensation of being in the spotlight, of becoming the life and soul on social networks like Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp, for example.

Cheer them up with some interesting and unknown facts that will elevate their moods from morbid boredom to ‘for facts sake – I didn’t know that.’

Works every time.

Calendars and things The seven-day week, which is now standard throughout the world, seems to have originated 4 000 years ago with the Babylonian hierarchy, who named the days in accordance with the seven known planets at the time. Back then I’m sure most people were relieved that they’d only reached as far as Uranus.

Over the centuries, various countries have tried to change the calendar week, but were always defeated by the force of habit. In 1792 France introduced a ten-day week to dovetail into their new decimal system for measurement and currency.

It was a cock-up and Napoleon soon gave it the thumbs-down. Russian efforts to create a five-day week in 1929, and remodelling it to a six-dayer in 1932, also failed dismally. ‘Cos why? you may enquire eloquently.

Well, people simply ignored them.

Dividing the day into 24 hours is another man-made notion. The Sumerians initially sliced their pie/clock into six: Three day-time slices of 4 hours each, and three for night-time. The Babylonians later sliced it from 6 to 12 segments for more accuracy, and later still the Egyptians created the 24 slices per day system to conduct and coordinate their priestly ceremonies more efficiently.

So much for weeks, days and hours, because months are equally fraught with folly. The reason why some have more days than others can be blamed squarely on Julius Caesar. It was decided that those months paying homage to someone, or with some special religious significance would get 31 days and bugger the rest. So, among others, January, March and July got the nod, seeing Jules himself chose the names, as did his successor Augustus.

Making matters worse, Big Jules’ calendar – with September (7th month) and October (8th month) – was casually shifted one month later without changing the names, so September is now 8, October is 9 and December is 12! The less said about February the better. These boo-boos are courtesy of Pope Greg who, in 1582, shuffled the months around so much that New Year was no longer on 25 March but 1 January.

Words words words...

Assassin. Sounds Italian/Latin, but no.

Blame it on dagga. For 200 years, a murderous sect of religious fanatics terrorised the Middle East, operating from their base in Alamut, Southern Persia. They killed at random after getting seriously goofed on a dagga concentrate – hashish. The Arabic for hashish-users was hashishin, which, even without a hair lip or cleft palate, became ‘assassin’ over time.

Boudoir. Well-bred young ladies in the Middle Ages who got into a petulant huff because they couldn’t get their own way, were sent to their rooms to get over their sulks. The word comes from the French bouder – to pout.

Ergo the pouting room.

Fees. Thankfully, most of us don’t conform to the original form of fee payments which, before formal currency, was livestock. The old English word for cattle was feoh – not dissimilar to the Germanic/Dutch/Afrikaans derivatives, fooi (fee) or veearts (vet).

Serendipity. This usually means finding one thing while looking for something else and goes way back.

In a 1722 fairy tale, the heroes – three Princes of Serendip (now Sri Lanka) – constantly made fortuitous discoveries by accident. When the work was translated into English the word was coined to describe the Princes’ happy knack.

Thumbs Down This gesture has been corrupted by artists to signify the slaying of a gladiator during combat in Roman times. In reality though, a thumbsdown by the Emperor meant ‘put the sword down’ and don’t kill him. By pointing his thumb at his own chest, the Emperor was indicating ‘stab the bugger’, but a thumbs-down looked more dramatic in paintings, and the gesture still (mistakenly) conveys a negative meaning.

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LET'S TALK 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.

Objections to Hermanus SRA business plan After a process of public engagement, voting and objections, on 25 March, the City Council approved three Special Rating Areas – Hermanus, Onrus/Vermont and Kleinmond. I am a Hermanus property owner and I was one of the few ratepayers who submitted an objection to the Municipality.

I objected because I believe that the process was not legally compliant and that ratepayers were not informed what it is that the increased rates would buy.

I did engage with the HSRA Steering Committee about my concerns but they did not give me any more information on what ratepayers will get for their money. They just said that they will follow a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to appoint service providers. I am concerned that ratepayers still do not know what the HSRA will spend their money on and it looks like the HSRA’s buying process may not be fully transparent and its governance questionable.

Ratepayers should remember that they voted for this and my guess is that the Municipality will take a hands-off approach to governance – they will leave it to ratepayers to manage. The HSRA Steering Committee did not give any explanation for why they did not do all of the things that the law, by-law and regulations require of them.

The municipality was totally silent during the whole process – when I sent my objection they did not engage with me at all.

Hermanus ratepayers do know where their money will go, and the HSRA expects ratepayers to trust that they will benefit. Not being

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8 April 2020

able to trust blindly, I looked into this matter. The HSRA will take R8.3 million of ratepayers’ money in the next year, increasing every year by around half a million for the next five years. This is considerably more than both Onrus/Vermont and Kleinmond SRAs. Per property, Hermanus ratepayers will be paying 3.2 times more that Onrus/ Vermont ratepayers and 3.6 time more than Kleinmond ratepayers.

Now, some people may be inclined to play numbers games and say ‘that is not the right picture, look at the rates on property valuations’.

Well, I did and Hermanus will still be paying around double what other SRAs are asking – no matter how one looks at the numbers.

From their business plan all we know is that the HSRA will do some monitoring, security patrols and cleaning of public spaces. These things are not more expensive in areas with high property values, like Hermanus, compared to Onrus/Vermont and Kleinmond.

To the contrary, I would expect that for similar services, Hermanus (with more expensive properties) would pay less per property that the other locations.

What does Hermanus get for paying so much more than Onrus/ Vermont and Kleinmond? Do we get some sort of VIP service, or what? The answer is we do not know and the HSRA has not told us. The Onrus/Vermont business plan has more details than we got in Hermanus. The Hermanus SRA business plan was a draft and, despite strong objections, it was somehow processed and accepted by the municipality.

André du Toit

Lending a helping hand C

ouncillors of the Overstrand Municipality and members of the community are working handin-hand to help the most vulnerable members of our society during the lockdown, including young children, the elderly, the sick, the homeless and disabled.

While Cllr Christine May has provided shelter for over 40 homeless people in the Moffat Hall, Cllr Jean Orban is coordinating efforts with, amongst others, Deputy Mayor of the Overberg District Municipality, Archie Klaas, William Ntebe and Fikiswa Gxamesi of the RDP Centre in Zwelihle, and Louine le Roux-Boothway of the Overberg Wheelchair Association to feed the needy.

A food bank has been set up at the Shofar Church Hermanus in collaboration with their disaster management arm, Relief.Life and the Red Cross, where donations are sanitised and packaged into weekly packs for four people, costing approximately R350 each.

The food packs are collected and distributed by Overstrand Municipality’s Disaster Management office. In addition, countless local residents such as Natalie Munro, who started the Food4Love project, and local businesses such as Food Lover’s Market and York Cash & Carry are supporting these efforts in various ways, from financial

Deputy Mayor of the Overberg, Archie Klaas (right) picking up a donation of food from Woolworths Hermanus. contributions and the donation of food products, to cooking meals and assisting with deliveries.

Everyone can make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our communities during this challenging time by donating the following, much-needed items: 5kg maize meal, 2kg rice, 2kg samp, 2kg beans. Canned foods: tomato & onion mix (braai relish), baked beans, pilchards.

Any other non-perishable food products are also welcome, as long as they are sealed in their original packaging.

Toiletries: soap bars, toothpaste, toilet paper, female sanitary towels, baby nappies, hand wash/sanitiser. Household goods: heavy-duty black bags, anti-bacterial cleaning products and dishwashing liquid, washing powder (machine and hand-wash), household gloves. If anyone is able to supply homemade cloth masks (non-medical) that would also be hugely appreciated.

Marked trolleys have been

installed at the entrance of the following shops: Pick n Pay (CBD), Checkers (CBD and Whale Coast Mall), Woolworths (CBD and Mall), Food Lover’s Market (Mall), OK Foods (Gateway), OK Mini Market (Onrus and Voëlklip).

Donations of food products can also be dropped off at Shofar Church on weekdays between 10:00 and 12:00.

You can simply drive by and leave the goods on the steps of the church, without any personal contact.

For financial contributions, please make use of the following bank account set up by the Red Cross for Overstrand Disaster Management: Standard Bank, SA Red Cross Local Committee Hermanus, Acc no.

082261938, Branch code 050312. REF: DM Covid-19 To assist the RDP Centre in their efforts to deliver meals to the sick, the elderly, the disabled and the children in Hermanus Child Welfare’s safe houses, contact William Ntebe on 076 969 5839.

For any further information, Cllr Jean Orban can be contacted on 072 955 2986 or via email on jeanorban84@ gmail.com.

– Hedda Mittner

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8 April 2020

Homemade masks get the green light I

Maintaining the mask: You must have at least two cloth masks per person so you will be able to wash one and have a clean one ready for use.

• Wash the mask after use in soap and hot water, rinse thoroughly and, once dry, iron the mask – this is the best means of disinfection!

n an about-face on the issue of using face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western Cape has become the first province to recommend the use of cloth masks for the general public. In a press release dated 2 April, the WC Department of Health stated that, in response to growing evidence, “the wider use of masks are indicated even for people who are not ill, especially if they move around in public”.

•

The important thing to remember is that medical masks and N95 respirators are critically needed by our frontline health care workers, which is why all residents are urged not to obtain these and rather leave them for the doctors and medical staff working in hospitals and clinics to save lives.

The press release also emphasises that wearing a homemade cloth mask does not make you invulnerable and should not be used in isolation, but in addition to the current public health strategies to flatten the curve i.e. staying at home; keeping a two-metre physical distance from others; washing your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds; avoiding touching your face; sanitising surfaces; wide-spread screening and testing, and intensive contact tracing of COVID-19 cases.

A cloth mask is relatively easy and inexpensive to make and can, if used and cleaned appropriately, offer protection by: • Reducing the inhalation of droplets from others • Reducing exposure in overcrowded areas such as taxis, shops or government buildings • Creating awareness around COVID-19 A cloth mask can be used by both the community and non-healthcare workers in situations where there is no physical contact.

This includes: • Travelling to and from work in public transport • Stepping outside the house to go shopping or seek healthcare • In self isolation when contact with others is necessary • Stopping and talking to members of the

Our photographer, Taylum Meyer, wearing one of the locally-made masks.

• •

public (for example, traffic police) Conducting interviews during houseto-house visits (for example, community workers) Cleaning the streets / disposing of domestic rubbish

How to properly use a cloth mask: The usage of any type of mask should be accompanied by strict adherence to the safety guidelines of the WC Department of Health:

• • • • • •

Wash your hands before applying the mask, with the correct side facing your nose and mouth.

Tie the strings or elastic bands behind your head and make sure they fit securely.

Make sure the mask covers both your nose and mouth and fits snugly. Never touch the cloth part of the mask.

Once you have put on the mask, don’t touch your face again or fiddle with the mask until you take it off.

Undo the ties and carefully fold the mask inside out, holding it by the strings/elastic and placing the mask in a container preserved for washing the cloth mask.

Wash your hands thoroughly before doing anything else.

How to make a mask: • A cloth mask can be made in any non- industrial or domestic setup, and is relatively simple to make. There are many videos on YouTube demonstrating a step-by-step guide on how to make a cloth mask with varying designs. A cloth mask typically comprises square pieces of cloth with three pleats that can cover the face from above the nose to below the chin and almost up to the ears.

Suitable materials: • The mask should have an inner and outer surface, each consisting of two layers. If possible, use cloth of two different patterns to distinguish between the inside and outside layers.

• The outer layers should be made of a thickweave cotton such as denim, calico or upholstery fabric that can be easily washed.

• The inner layers can be made of ordinary cotton typically used for linen. If possible, use a laminate breathable layer of non-woven fabric, which is washable at high temperatures, between the two inner cotton layers. (You could use something like a jacket lining.)

• Do not use stretchy material with a loose weave such as light T-shirt material as this won’t offer any protection at all.

Get your homemade mask on The Western Cape Government has called on members of the public, civil society organisations and the textile industry to produce cloth masks in line with these standards and specifications, to be used in compliance with its guidelines by the broader public.

Several locals with sewing machines and the necessary skills are already hard at work to keep us all safe and healthy in this difficult time. So

if you are unable to make your own mask and would like to procure one, or more, for you and your loved ones, here are the details of the people you could order from and the shops that stock homemade cloth masks: Please just note that most of these ladies are working with materials they have at hand (the shops are closed, remember), so orders for specific colours or fabrics may not be an option.

Angela: 083 969 0687 / 062 289 3387 / cuoredaycare@gmail.com. Angela supplies the Hermanus area. She uses various 100% cotton, poly-cotton and Shweshwe fabrics to make her masks, which have two layers (with an opening where you can insert a third layer/filter) and adjustable ties. Three-layer masks can be made on request. She also makes children-sized masks.

Susan: 082 294 3412. Susan works in Sandbaai. She uses 100% cotton fabric to make her two-layer masks. You can buy them from Sandbaai Kafee (opposite Sandbaai Hall).

Amanda: 082 870 6744. Amanda works in Onrus and uses 100% cotton and poly-cotton to make her two-layer masks. WhatsApp her to order.

Vainquer Bags: The Vainquer Bags team supplies Hermanus, Sandbaai and Hawston.

They use 100% cotton, Shweshwe and whatever suitable fabric they can source to make their two-layer masks. You can buy them from Sandbaai Superette, Sweetland Hermanus or from Billy Booysens (065 810 4516) in Hawston.

For every mask the team sells, a percentage is donated to a charitable cause. Visit https:// www.facebook.com/vainquerbags/ for more information.

Cynthia: Cynthia supplies the Hermanus area and uses 100% cotton with pre-washed and ironed Shweshwe to make her three-layer masks. There is also a pocket inside in case you want to add tissues. You can buy them at Green Ways Health Shop (Gateway Centre), Oasis Water, D'lish at CEM Motors (Voëlklip) and C Beyond Health Shop (Eastcliff Village Shopping Centre). - Taylum Meyer & Hedda Mittner

Safely dispose of coronavirus waste The Overstrand Municipality has appealed to residents to be responsible and to adhere to the guidelines before placing waste outside for removal on scheduled days. Remember that the Overstrand Municipality’s Solid Waste Removal personnel are exposed to more than 2 000 bins and bags per day, which is why residents are requested to refrain from providing food and drink to the workers. While the municipality appreciates the public’s good intentions, this only increases their exposure to unnecessary risks.

Everyone will need to do their part in taking precautions and following good hygiene principles to keep our essential workers safe and help reduce the spread of COVID-19. These include the proper handling and storage of domestic waste generated by all residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, as well as those who have been in contact with individuals that are confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19.

•

• •

All waste items (e.g. used tissues, disposable cleaning cloths, gloves, masks, etc.) must be disposed of securely within a black refuse plastic bag, separate from the rest of the household’s refuse.

When full, the bag should then be placed in a second black refuse plastic bag (double bag) and tied to prevent any waste from spilling.

Double-bagged refuse bags must be stored separately for five (5) days in direct sunlight

•

•

•

before being placed outside for collection.

The safest option would be to store bags for an additional week before domestic waste collection is done. This will ensure that the COVID-19 virus is killed.

In the case of wheelie bin removal service, residents are reminded to have all personal hygiene and sanitary products double bagged (placed within two small plastic bags) before placing waste inside a bin.

Examples of personal hygiene and sanitary products are tissues, used gloves /masks, etc.

Residents are requested to please sanitise or wash hands with water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling wheelie bins or black refuse plastic bags. This measure is to protect both the public and the essential refuse removal teams.

Residents are requested to sanitise wheelie

• •

bin handles and wheelie bin covers.

Refrain from approaching refuse removal personnel. Please keep a distance of 1.5m at all times.

Secure the bags to ensure that pets do not have access to the bags and are prevented from tearing the bags or spilling the contents.

Refuse removal will continue as per normal collection schedule for Greater Hermanus and Gansbaai. All transfers stations and drop-off facilities will be closed during lockdown. In the Hangklip-Kleinmond area, refuse will be collected during the lockdown period on the following days: Kleinmond and Rooiels: Mondays Palmiet area and Sunny Seas, Betty's Bay: Tuesdays

Rest of Betty's Bay: Wednesdays Pringle Bay: Thursdays Each household is allowed to place one wheelie bin or four black bags (with the proviso that only one bag may contain garden waste) with domestic refuse on the sidewalk for removal in areas which the municipality has not identified as a problem animal area. Containers must be secured with baboon-proof locking devices in all areas that the municipality has identified as problem animal areas: Kleinmond, Betty’s Bay, Rooiels, Pringle Bay, Onrus, Voëlklip, Fernkloof (including the Golf Estate), Hermanus Heights, Eastcliff and Kwaaiwater. No refuse bags may be left on pavements in baboon problem areas.

Voëlklip Baboon Hotline: 071 588 6540 Pringle Bay Baboon Hotline: 079 431 5956

ESSENTIAL SERVICES – WE ARE OPEN

A R E YO U R E A DY

TO SELL?

You can use our online valuation in combination with our market research, historical data, and regional updates, and using this information we can create a bespoke marketing plan in preparation for the end of the lock down.

For more information please contact: Fine & Country Hermanus +27 (0)21 205 7135 hermanus@fineandcountry.com

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How to grocery shop safely Writer Hedda Mittner

T

hirteen days into the national lockdown, many of us are starting to show symptoms of an ailment not quite as serious as COVID-19 but also starting with a ‘c’ – cabin fever.

We are staying put, as we know we must, taking our dogs for walkies up and down the garden path, jogging on the spot or doing aerobic exercises in the lounge, and spending an inordinate amount of time in the kitchen, because doing nothing apparently makes one hungry all the time.

It’s no wonder we think of going to the grocery store as a welcome respite from confinement, and a rare opportunity to get out of the house.

Whilst doing our shopping it is even possible to imagine that life is still carrying on as normal. It would be a mistake, however, to fool yourself into thinking that popping into a store does not carry risks. It does.

While health experts rate the risk of transmission through food and food packaging as relatively low, the bigger concern is person-to-person transmission in a space where you will come into contact with several people, without knowing who might be carrying the virus.

The golden rule is to go out as infrequently as possible and, when you absolutely have to go shopping for essentials, do it as efficiently as possible. Now is not the time to be dilly dallying about what you need, meandering up and down the aisles or catching up with the chatty neighbour you might bump into.

Here are some handy tips: Plan ahead Don't wait until your kitchen cupboards and refrigerator are empty.

This will allow you some flexibility, so if the store is crowded, you can turn away and come back another time.

If stock is running low (e.g., no more bread), you won't have to panic – you can try again another day.

Make a clear list Scrutinise your supplies and draw up a meal plan, prioritising items that will keep well and provide healthy and hearty options. When you’re in the store, only touch the items you’ve decided to buy (hopefully, others will do the same).

Keep hand sanitiser in your car This will remind you to sanitise your hands before you drive off and as soon as you get back in the car.

Take your own disinfecting wipes Wipe down all high-touch objects in the store such as the trolley and basket handles and fridge door handles. If you need to use an ATM or

card machine, wipe down the touch screen and buttons with your disinfecting wipes.

Leave your handbag and phone at home Only take your card (in a ziplock bag), shopping list and shopping bag(s).

This way there will be fewer items to sanitise when you get home.

Wear a mask The Department of Health has now confirmed that wearing a cloth face mask can help to protect you from the transmission of respiratory droplets. Read more about the correct usage of masks on P 8.

Practice social distancing Keep a distance of at least 1.5 metres from others at all times. If customers are crowding, especially in the check-out line, you can bring this to the attention of the shop manager or simply leave and return to do your shopping at another time when the shop is less busy.

shoes and shopping bags outside.

Wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds and wipe down your car keys, your glasses, bank card and any other personal items you may have touched.

Unpacking your groceries Disinfect the surface where you’ll be unpacking your groceries. Bring them inside and dispose of plastic or paper shopping bags or, if you are using reusable cloth bags, remember to launder them well every time after you’ve used them, and let them air-dry.

Raw produce While cooking does kill the virus, any fresh produce that is eaten raw needs to be carefully washed with water (and a small amount of organic or natural soap, if you have). For firm produce, you can also use a clean vegetable brush.

Online shopping You could also try shopping online from retailers such as Pick n Pay, Checkers or Woolworths, but residents are reporting that available delivery slots often entail a long waiting period and the essentials you need may be out of stock.

Should you sanitise all packaging?

Health experts seem to be in agreement that there is no firm evidence of COVOID-19 being transmitted through food or food packaging.

However, if you prefer to err on the side of caution, use disinfectant wipes or a spray bottle with disinfectant to sanitise all the tins, jars, bottles, boxes, milk cartons, plastic containers etc. (including frozen foods).

Returning to your home When you get home, leave your

You could also remove any exterior boxes that may have been touched

by someone else in the store, such as biscuit or cereal boxes, and just keep the interior bag. These and other snacks such as chips or pretzels could also be decanted into reusable containers, and the exterior packaging discarded.

After you’ve sanitised everything, pack your cleaned and dried groceries into the cupboard and again disinfect the surface you’ve been working on.

Another suggestion I came across was to simply leave non-perishable goods in your car for a few days and wait for the virus to die out on its own before bringing them into the house.

Wash your hands frequently The one thing that all health experts are in agreement on is the fact that you should wash your hands – often.

Do it the minute you return home from the shops and in between performing the various tasks above.

Have a shower After your shopping trip, and with the groceries safely packed away, you are now ready to strip off and have a relaxing shower. Following all these precautions is a stressful business, which is exactly why you don’t want to be doing this every other day.

Plan carefully so that you don’t have to go out more than once a week.

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8 April 2020

LOCKDOWN RECIPES FROM APPETITE KNIGHT

E

veryone loves the wholesome plant-based foods and baked treats of Emilia Knight, owner of The Gallery Café & Deli. When she had to close her doors, along with all our local restaurants and coffee shops, Emilia started sharing recipes and live-streaming cooking demos on her Facebook page, ‘Clean Eating Recipes from Appetite Knight’.

For those of you who prefer to avoid the shops (as we all should!) but are running out of ideas, more healthy budget meals made with basic ingredients are just a click away.

If you let Emilia know what ingredients you have available, she’ll even do her best to come up with a delicious recipe for you.

Granadilla sorbet

It’s the season and passion fruit is widely available now. When life hands you granadillas, make sorbet! (Emilia did a live-stream demo of this recipe last week on her Facebook page.) The passion fruit sorbet is super easy and definitely one to keep the kids busy.

Just give them a helping hand with the syrup. So here it is, beautifully smooth sorbet that can also be made with many different fruits:

transfer it straight to the freezer.

Check in on your mixture in an hour’s time. Loosen any crystallisation with a fork, breaking up the hard bits and stirring through to combine. This you might have to do a few times. Allow to set.

Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving. Being water-based, sorbet can be quite hard and this will make it much easier to scoop.

In addition, I also made a coconut cream ice-cream. Here’s how: • Heat 85ml of the sugar syrup above to 110° C using a sugar thermometer.

• Whisk 3 egg yolks until light and creamy.

• Now is the time to gently trickle the hot syrup into the egg mixture. It’s important to keep whisking, so use a handheld electric whisk or see it as a biceps workout.

• Once you’ve added all the syrup, continue to whisk until the mixture becomes like a mousse. It will hold itself well and you should be able to draw a figure of 8 with the mixture without it disappearing quickly back into the mixture.

• Now you can add one can of coconut cream and a drop of vanilla paste.

• Combine well and either use ice cream machine or straight to freezer. Remember to keep stirring mixture while in freezer to avoid crystallisation.

Enjoy the two types together or play around with them on their own.

Homemade pizza

Firstly, make a sugar syrup.

• 500 ml water • 675 g granulated sugar • Bring to a simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.

NOTE: You might not need all the syrup now, so keep any leftovers in the fridge for more uses later on. It will not perish.

Secondly, prepare the granadillas by separating the seeds. Scoop the flesh into a sieve and allow the liquid to drain into a clean bowl. Aggregate the pulp to remove as much liquid as possible. Reserve the seeds.

Measure your juice and then add the exact same amount of millimetres sugar syrup to your juice.

Combine well before adding a third of the reserved seeds. Stir.

This is where you can either use an ice cream machine or more simply, spoon it directly into a plastic tub and

divide dough into naartjie-sized balls.

Roll out. I like a thin crust, so rolled it out to approximately 3mm thick.

Make sure you use plenty of flour to stop it from sticking to the surface.

Bake at 230°C on pizza stone or baking tray for 5 – 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with tomato sauce, cheese and any other favourite toppings.

Pop back into oven and bake until cheese has melted and the toppings are cooked.

Kale & Chickpea salad

Ingredients • 500g cake flour • 10 g fresh yeast (or 7g instant dried, made up as on packet) • ½ tsp sugar • 320 ml warm water • 1 tsp salt Combine ingredients and mix until you have a smooth dough. Place dough into a well-oiled bowl. Cover and rest for 4 hours. Knock back and

This recipe serves 6 – 8 people at approximately R20 per serving.

Ingredients • 1 can diced tomatoes with chilli • 1 can kidney/butter/cannellini/ painted lady beans • 1 tsp smoked paprika & a pinch of salt • 1 egg and a sprinkle of grated cheese (optional)

Ingredients • 1 bag macaroni pasta • 1 head of cauliflower • 1 bunch of fresh kale • 100 g butter • 3 heaped dessert spoons flour or corn flour • 750 ml full-cream milk • Salt and pepper • 1 ½ cups grated strong cheddar

Empty the diced tomatoes and any beans (you can even use baked beans if that is all you have) into a pot. On a medium heat, bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce to lowest heat.

Season with salt and add a generous helping of smoked paprika.

Spoon hot beans on top of toast. Add some smashed or sliced avocado and a squeeze of lemon juice. If you fancy it, top it off with grated cheese and/ or a poached egg. Yum!

Kale is one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world. So good for you, yet so underrated. If you have any at hand, try this delicious salad. Simple, quick and addictive. Here’s how: Ingredients • A bunch of fresh kale • 1 tin chickpeas • Olive oil • Lemon juice • Smoked paprika & salt • Rosa tomatoes and feta cheese (optional) Remove hard spine from each kale leaf. Rinse and dry using a salad spinner, or rolling it up in a dishcloth and giving it a little twist/squeeze.

Using your hands, massage kale with a little oil and lemon juice. This will soften the kale, also making it more digestible. (I used some leftover avocado mash from that morning to massage it.)

When we can’t have our favourite pizza, we make our own. Homemade dough topped with three cheeses and other favourites. Our pizza stone did us proud. The taste is authentic and delicious!

So easy to make and ready in 10 minutes. Here’s how:

Drain a tin of chickpeas. Pan-fry in a little oil. Add salt and smoked paprika to taste. Sprinkle chickpeas over kale. I added mini Rosa tomatoes and a little feta. You could also add roasted seeds to give it a nice crunch.

Enjoy!

Smokey beans and avo

Easy flapjacks with everyday ingredients

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender and drain. Reuse pot for steaming cauliflower.

Prepare cauliflower by washing and cutting into small florets. Place in colander. Wash Kale and remove hard spine by tearing leaves away from it.

To steam the cauliflower, add 2 cups of boiling water to the pot. Rest colander over the pot and cover with the lid to briefly steam it.

Be careful not to overcook the cauliflower; you want it to be cooked but firm. Remove from heat.

Combine cooked pasta, steamed cauliflower and raw kale. Spoon the mixture into a large ovenproof dish and level out the top.

The kids will love making these delicious flapjacks! Here’s how:

To make the sauce: Melt butter over medium/low heat.

Add the flour and, using a whisk, mix to form a smooth paste. Add milk a little bit at a time and make sure to combine well.

Ingredients • 270 g cake/plain flour • 260 ml milk • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 1 heaped tsp baking powder • ½ tsp salt

Continue until you have used all the milk. The roux (white sauce) will start to thicken. Keep mixing to avoid lumps. Add ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese and stir until it has melted.

Combine all the ingredients and continue to mix until it becomes a smooth paste. (Don’t worry if it seems lumpy to start with, it will become nice and smooth).

Pour cheese sauce over pasta, ensuring you cover all the sides and corners. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the top, spreading it out evenly. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown on top.

Heat a non-stick pan on a medium heat. Drizzle a teeny weeny bit of oil.

Drop approximately 4 spoons of mixture evenly apart. Cook for a minute and flip. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Serve with whatever you fancy – dairy or nut butter, your favourite jam, honey or syrup.

Mac and cheese – always a family favourite During this challenging time, we will be counting our pennies, while ensuring that we maintain a nutritious and balanced diet.

Kale is nutrient dense, packed with Vitamin C and powerful antioxidants.

NOTES: Using a mature cheddar will give you more flavour and you will require less cheese. This dish is suitable for home freezing and you can substitute any veggies you have available, such as spinach, peppers, courgettes, carrots or broccoli.

14 12

www.thevillagenews.co.za

8 April 2020

MY SPORT

Pandemic causes major financial losses to sporting bodies PHOTO: iol.co.za By Tony O'Hagan

The English Premier League, one of the world's most watched competitions, formulated a plan focused on completing the season, even if it meant playing matches to empty stadiums. This was an effort to protect its £29 billion domestic and international broadcasting rights.

S

porting events across all codes have been cancelled or suspended due to the novel coronavirus outbreak around the globe – and South Africa is no exception. All sporting associations have been negatively affected and the financial implications could be devastating.

The biggest sports news of the year is undoubtedly the recent announcement that the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, due to have kicked off in July, has been postponed until 2021. This is a huge financial blow to the host country, which is estimated to have spent more than $12 billion on the event. The Olympics have only been cancelled three times before, in 1916, 1940 and 1944, during the first and second world wars.

The three major sports in South Africa – soccer, rugby and cricket – could also suffer from cancellations or postponements, although cricket will probably be less affected than soccer and rugby because the season is already over. In a recent interview with Craig Ray of Daily Maverick, acting CEO of Cricket SA, Jacques Faul said: “If it lasts 60 days then it will have almost no impact because we have just gone into our off-season anyway.” He indicated that if it went on longer, however, the picture would be different. “If we don’t play the three matches against India in August

Apart from the Olympic Games, these Include all American traditional sports, Formula 1, Six Nations and European football, to name but a few.

Louis Schreuder of the Cell C Sharks during the team’s winning Super Rugby game against the Highlanders in Dunedin last month. then we will lose R150 million from international broadcast fees.”

All three of South Africa’s major sports are heavily reliant on the hundreds of millions of Rand earned annually through broadcast rights sold to SuperSport for the domestic and international competitions that South African teams are involved in.

games are suffering the same fate.

The payment of broadcast rights by SuperSport is a major contribution to the financial coffers of these national bodies, but the gate monies, sponsorships and sale of replica merchandise provide an additional financial benefit to these unions.

“Soccer and rugby could be the big losers,” writes Ray. “The Premier League (PSL) is currently in a five-year R2.5 billion deal with SuperSport.

Technically, rugby and soccer are in breach of contracts because they are not producing content for the pay channel to broadcast.”

These are losses that the unions need to bear, while still having to pay contracted players, plus the upkeep of the grounds and allied expenses.

At the time of these suspensions, local teams Kaizer Chiefs in the Absa Premiership and the Sharks in Super Rugby headed their respective standings and could lose the potential prize money on offer in these competitions.

Matches applying to both these sporting codes have been suspended, Super Rugby “for the foreseeable future”, while PSL and African Cup

Globally, the situation is similar to that in South Africa, with several big events on the sporting calendar falling victim to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plan fell apart after Arsenal manager, Mike Arteta and Chelsea player, Callum Hudson Odoi announced they had tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the team members having to self-isolate. In response, the English Premier League suspended the season, following similar suspensions in Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga.

The English Premier League faces similar problems to those encountered in South Africa, namely the ongoing fixed costs of running a club. The 20 Premier League clubs could face a shortfall of £750 million in television match day sponsorships. The collective wage bill of these 20 clubs is £2.9 billion, representDaniel Akpeyi is congratulated by his teammates after Kaizer Chiefs won their Absa PSL match against Orlando Pirates on 29 February. Kaizer Chiefs will not be awarded the PSL title unless the season can be completed.

PHOTO: guardian.ng

ing around 59% of normal revenue.

In an effort to reduce expenses, it has been proposed that players take a pay cut of 25% which the Professional Football Association (PFA), a trade body for players, is resisting. Manchester United goalkeeper, David de Gea, earns a wage of £375 000 a week and Arsenal midfielder, Marsut Ozil, earns £350 000 a week, both excluding personal sponsorships.

A pay cut of 25% would reduce their weekly earnings to around £270 000 per week – the equivalent of roughly R6 million per week. Not bad for a pay cut!

The impact of COVID-19 in the sporting arena could have unprecedented consequences for the industry – and it is the smaller clubs that will battle to survive, in much the same way as it’s the small enterprises in the business world that will be hardest hit.

We can only hope and pray that this disastrous pandemic will pass sooner rather than later.

8 April 2020

www.thevillagenews.co.za

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