NEWS NEWS
Village
The
24 July 2018
Cape Whale Coast
FREE COPY
Independent Newspaper of the Year
PHOTO: MC Botha
Has calm been restored? ■ Police Minister Bheki Cele will visit Hermanus for a
■ Zwelihle Renewal (ZR) leader, Sicelo Gxamesi was
■ A base camp for SAPS situated in Zwelihle will be in full
■ ZR leaders Gcobani Ndzongana and Theron Mqhu are
■ Damage of more than R40 million was done to munici-
■ Police are still searching for the third shotgun that
second time on Tuesday, 24 July.
operation as of Tuesday.
pal infrastructure. This excludes severe damage to several roads and private businesses and properties. ■ More than 75 people have been arrested on various charges and have appeared in court.
released on Sunday after being arrested on Friday.
still in custody.
was stolen after a police officer was seriously injured in an attack with an axe on Thursday night. ■ No official incidents of violence or intimidation have been reported since Sunday.
■ Infrastructure and equipment at Walkerbay Recycling
have been destroyed and no recycling can take place in Hermanus or Kleinmond. Clear recycling bags will not be provided until a short-term solution has been found. ■ Cleanup operations are underway and the Gift of the Givers Foundation started distributing food parcels in Zwelihle on Monday. Read more on P 2, 3, 4 & 5
2
24 July 2018
THE
NEWS
OPINION Matters
How did it all go so wrong? With the Premier of the Western Cape and the Minister of Police throwing their weight behind our local Municipality’s commitment to restoring law and order in Zwelihle, many residents have expressed feelings of relief and hope for the future. Others, however, have cautioned that the social ills and victimisation prevalent in Zwelihle will continue. Conflicting messages were sent out over the weekend, with some defiant members of Zwelihle Renewal (ZR) vowing to continue with the strike and warning Zwelihle residents not to return to work until their leader, Gcobani Ndzangana, has been released. At the same time, MPP Masizole Mnqasela emphasised that we are living in a democracy and informed residents that the police will protect their right to move freely without fear of intimidation, and that anyone who is being victimised should report it to the police. But while the politicians and the police continue to refer to the ZR committee and their supporters as “a handful of thugs”, it is unclear exactly how strong their support base is, whether by choice or through coercion. The question that remains is whether they should summarily be dismissed because they are not the officially elected representatives of their community – or whether they should be recognised as a voice of the community and be brought to the negotiation table instead of being thrown in jail. The fact remains that, however noble ZR’s original intentions of fighting for a better life for their community may have been, it is clear to all that the violence was allowed to escalate to an unacceptable level. Threatening and intimidating their own people, restricting their freedom of movement and right to go to work and school, destroying public buildings, amenities and infrastructure in their own community, are all criminal actions that appear to be not only meaningless but incomprehensible. How could it all have gone so horribly wrong? Hermanus residents who do not live in Zwelihle and have perhaps never even been there, have expressed confusion, sadness, anxiety, concern, frustration and yes, anger. The more important question is, of course, why did this happen? Secretary of the Hermanus CPF, Gerhard Swanepoel, who is also a qualified criminologist and lecturer specialising in victimisation, worked with the leader of Zwelihle Renewal, Gcobani Ndzangana, before his arrest on 11 July, through Gcobani’s community project, Sport against Crime, which hosted a very successful Youth Day celebration in Zwelihle on 16 June, in collaboration with the SAPS and other role players. Note that it was only a month ago – and today Gcobani is incarcerated in Polls-moor prison. “We were just two ordinary people working together to improve the lives of the youth in Zwelihle, our hearts full of hope for a better future for all,” says Gerhard. He experienced Gcobani as an intelligent and considerate person with legitimate concerns. While the initial protests led by Gcobani were peaceful and served to bring the community of Zwelihle’s desperate housing issues to the attention of the authorities, the protest action degenerated into full-scale riots after his arrest on charges of public violence and malicious damage to property, following the destruction of the steel fence erected by the Municipality in Schulphoek Road on the border between Zwelihle and Sandbaai. Suddenly the whole township erupted – and the level of anger and
violence took everyone by surprise. “If you have nothing and suddenly you are offered something, you are going to grab onto it,” says Gerhard. “Imagine that in 24 years of democracy you have gained nothing. You have grown up without a decent education, in a broken home, with no positive role models, surrounded by poverty and criminality. Then someone stands up and fights on your behalf, giving a voice to those who feel they are not seen or heard. You will follow that person because he has given you hope and a sense of belonging.” It is ironic, says Gerhard, that while the rioting broke out in support of Gcobani, neither he nor his supporters have gained anything by it. Instead it has ignited fear and outrage, and brought them face-to-face with the full force of the law, while not only turning large portions of their own community against them but also sowing division among the larger Hermanus community. With everyone airing their views on social media, says Gerhard, generalisations and sweeping, inciting statements are only fueling people’s fear and confusion. “What is sorely lacking in our society, is emotional intelligence – the ability to have empathy and to put ourselves in others’ shoes. We have to move beyond knee-jerk reactions and break the chains of our parents’ way of thinking, as many of us are still battling the old agenda of a previous era. In that sense, black people are not the only ones who have been left behind. “As long as we use the words ‘black’ and ‘white’ when we talk about people, we cannot consider this a democracy. And if you label someone a criminal, that person has little choice but to behave like a criminal. We have to stop labelling and judging people, and making pronouncements about things we know nothing about.” So how do we move forward and how can the healing begin, especially for those innocent victims who got caught in the crossfire? Well, for one thing, almost every citizen of the Overstrand now knows where Zwelihle is, an area that has mostly been ignored and considered by many as a blight on the pristine Hermanus landscape. The people who live here are our neighbours and they are not going to go away, regardless of how many times the sentiment is expressed on social media that “they should go back to the Eastern Cape or wherever they came from”. Empathy, compassion, or even mere acknowledgement of their existence, would be a good starting point. Despite all the wealthy retirees and swallows in Hermanus, not everyone who lives here is privileged and many of us struggle to make a living. The residents of Zwelihle are not the only ones who have needs such as more affordable housing – and we should all work together to transform our town into a better place for all its citizens. If the ZR leadership wants to be part of that process, they will have to get their house in order and take responsibility for the violence, intimidation and destruction instead of pointing fingers at the police. If they want to be recognised as anything other than thugs and terrorists, they will have to ensure that the criminality among their supporters is dealt with so that peace and sanity can prevail. A lot of hard work lies ahead. This is the good NEWS. - Ed
3
24 July 2018
WC Premier Helen Zille with Minister Bheki Cele, senior management members of the SAPS and Overstrand Mayor Dudley Coetzee at the stakeholders’ meeting in the Municipal Auditorium on Friday. PHOTO: Hedda Mittner
‘No community should be a prison’ Hedda Mittner
W
e are here to uphold the law of the state,” roared the Minister of Police, Gen Bheki Cele, who arrived in Hermanus on Friday morning with members of the Ministry of Police in an attempt to curb the escalating riots in Zwelihle. Before addressing a stakeholders meeting in the Municipal Auditorium at 12:00, he gave a brisk pep talk to the police officers lined up outside the municipal buildings, urging them to be tough on crime. “We are here to serve and protect and you must avoid bloodshed,” he said. “But remember also to look after yourselves. What happened last night is not happening again.” Minister Cele was referring to the incident on Thursday evening when a Public Order Police official was attacked with an axe in his vehicle while on patrol in Zwelihle, sustaining serious head injuries. During the meeting the auditorium was filled with Councillors, MP’s, members of the clergy, the CPF and other local stakeholders and the floor was opened for them to give first-hand information to Minister Cele about what is happening on the ground. Herman Breedt, a local pastor who heads up The Mentoring Project said the citizens of Zwelihle’s rights were being violated and that
they no longer had the liberty to go to work and school. He made an appeal to the Minister to protect their rights, to free them from the lockdown and alleviate their suffering. A copy of his letter with 600 signatures supporting its content was handed to the Minister. (Read the letter on P 6.) Marcel Matusik of the Concerned Citizens Forum (CCF) praised the SAPS for their good work but added that there were problems in the municipality’s leadership and policies. “Security and communication are an issue; there is no force or will to restore law and order. The police have been cordoned off in Zwelihle and are hamstrung from doing their job.” Pat Nel spoke up on behalf of tourism, saying that it is the town’s only real industry and without it we have nothing. “Hermanus depends on tourism and tourism depends on law and order,” she said. “We have to be able to ensure the safety of our visitors. When they stop coming, the economy suffers.” A police constable who lives in Zwelihle said she was concerned for the safety of police members in the area. “We want to serve and assist our community but it is not safe for us to go there now; I fear for my life and my colleagues’ lives in Zwelihle.” The Ward 12 Councillor, Vuyani Macotha said peace and dignity had to be restored in Zwelihle. The message that needed to be sent out was that no one is above the law. “Having
people’s movements monitored and restricted is not democracy,” he said. “You cannot force people to take part in protests.” He suggested that another police station be established in Zwelihle after the building had been burnt down. He added that finding solutions will depend on how the Municipality responds to the issues of the Zwelihle community. Simphiwe Tebele, the ANC Chief Whip of Overstrand Municipality also referred to the victimisation of police officers, councillors, municipal employees and other workers who returned home from work to find their belongings torched and their homes vandalised. “The thugs have said they are coming for the police after the councillors. We need barracks in Zwelihle for them. And we must have a SAPS office in Zwelihle, please,” he pleaded. He added that the TRT (Tactical Response Team) was also needed to arrest the troublemakers. “The original intention of the protests was good,” said Simphiwe. “Even the Mayor agreed to address the land issues and they were resolved. There is no reason for rioting now.” The Deputy Mayor of the Overberg District Municipality, Archie Klaas, said he was not speaking in his official capacity but as “a refugee from Zwelihle”, where he had grown up and lived for many years. “My concern is the real issues of the backyard dwellers and the Schulphoek land,” he said. Continues on P 4
4
24 July 2018 PHOTO: MC Botha
Our people need hope for the future From P 3 “We must find solutions to these problems and convey them to the people. Many are not informed of the steps that are being taken to resolve these issues. They don’t understand, for example, that the process of transferring land takes time and that they have to be patient. All the issues contained in the Memorandum of Understanding must be addressed and communicated properly to the people of Zwelihle,” said Archie. Councillor Sindile Ntsabo added that many of the protesters did not understand the judicial process and when he asked them what their reason was for rioting, they replied that it was because the leader of Zwelihle Renewal, Gcobani Ndzangana had been locked up after fighting for them to get the Schulphoek land. They did not think it was fair and that was why they stood by him and wanted him to be released. “They are not educated on the true facts and do not understand the
legal concept of being innocent until proven guilty.” Francis Webster, a Pastor at CRC Church Hermanus, said our problems were far from over as people are going to lose their jobs and businesses are going to close down. “Factions have formed in our community that divide the people into ‘us’ and ‘them’. People should not have to live in fear. They are hurting and suffering, and solutions must be found. Getting back on our feet is going to be a big challenge but we have to give people hope for the future.” Victor Sabbe of the ACDP said this was a complex situation and asked the question: “What is the solution? We can’t just wait for it to ‘blow over’ because it will simply recur and now it’s escalated to a huge humanitarian crisis.” At this point Minister Cele interjected by asking: “So what is your solution?” Herman Breedt’s retort was that de-
fusing the situation was the Minister’s job. “It’s your mandate and your responsibility; not ours,” he said. When Premier Helen Zille spoke, she said the events of Thursday evening had “changed the game fundamentally”. She explained that after the attack on the POP officer and the theft of his firearms, a charge could be laid and a case was opened, allowing the police to conduct a doorto-door search and seizure operation. “Four ringleaders have now been arrested and this intervention has changed everything,” she said. “The situation is much calmer now and the community is relieved.” Zille went on to say that the riots illustrated how only a few individuals can wreak havoc in a community through intimidation. “They inflate their numbers by using coercion to conscript people to join the protests, putting them on the front lines while the leaders command from the back.” The critical thing now, she added, was to gather the evidence needed for court. People are fright-
Minister’s visit to Zwelihle met with mixed response The Minister of Police, Gen Bheki Cele, departed for Zwelihle in a convoy of about 20 different police vehicles after the stakeholders’ meeting in the Municipal Auditorium. At the sports grounds a few thousand residents were waiting for the Minister to address them. SAPS banners were on display while heavily armed police officers were strategically deployed. During the introduction of Western Cape Premier, Helen Zille, who shared the stage with Cele, the crowd started shouting and whistling in protest and gestured for her to be removed. The Premier remained seated, unmoved. Minister Cele spoke in Xhosa throughout and initially elicited an enthusiastic response from the crowd – until
he raised the issue of one of the three fire arms stolen from the police during the previous night’s unrest that had not yet been recovered. He warned the crowd that none of them would sleep that night until the police had recovered the fire arm.
After his speech Cele engaged in several conversations with irate residents. This group later moved to a little alley between the change rooms of the stadium, where they could listen to one another’s views away from the noise.
Dozens of people loudly expressed their indignation, got up and started to leave the stadium. When Cele went on to say that whether they left or stayed, the people would hear the truth, more and more residents got up and left the stadium in long queues. The Minister, undaunted, continued to speak as police officers armed with shields formed a cordon around the stage to prevent the riotous group from getting too close.
It appeared that, due to the complexity of the issues that were raised, Cele decided to cancel or reschedule some of his appointments this week, in order to return to Zwelihle at 09:00 on Tuesday to engage with the community and attempt to find lasting solutions. The Minister was finally able to leave the stadium with his convoy at 14:30, followed by the remainder of the crowd. – MC Botha
ened to come forward with evidence and it is crucial that they are protected, otherwise the criminals will be let off. We need to follow through.” When Minister Cele finally spoke, he did not mince his words. He said his Ministry was committed to stabilising the area and once that had been achieved they would come back to address the community’s issues and find solutions. “We can’t do that under duress,” he said. “No community is built to be a prison; we have real prisons for that.” The Minister emphasised that the purpose of his trip to Hermanus was to apply the authority of the State – he was not here to listen and talk. He was going to Zwelihle not to ask the people to stop this criminal behaviour but to tell them. He would then return for a proper Imbizo with the residents once the situation had stabilised. Finding solutions for the community’s issues, he added, was the job of the properly elected authorities. “If people want to rule, they
should see that they get elected.” Before wrapping up the meeting to depart for Zwelihle to address the residents at the sports grounds, the Minister cautioned: “We have to take politics out of the situation and see all the people as community members, not party members. There can be no ‘you’ and ‘me’; that only brings trouble. People don’t care about politics right now. They just want peace and security and that is what we need to achieve – we must protect the people. According to our Constitution our role is to prevent and investigate crime and enforce the law of the State. This we must do with a full understanding of human rights. The proper procedures must be followed.” Lastly, Minister Cele praised the local police force for holding out in the face of “intense provocation” and again urged them to ensure their own safety. He said a base camp would be established in Zwelihle for the police to operate from. “If people keep poking their fingers in our eyes we will respond,” he warned.
PHOTO: MC Botha
5
24 July 2018
Hermanus faces new economic landscape Municipality but never get more than empty promises,” he said. Several members agreed that the HBC should be more inclusive, prompting Tania Fourie of The Global Challenge to offer sponsorship of the member-ship fee to any business that would like to join the HBC.
Hedda Mittner
T
he Hermanus Business Chamber needs to adapt to the changing environment in which businesses in our town operate. Not only is the town growing and the number of businesses operating here increasing by the day, but the events of the past few weeks have forever changed the business landscape,” said the newly elected Chair of the Hermanus Business Chamber (HBC), De Waal Steyn, at the AGM held on 19 July at the Windsor Hotel. “The challenges facing our members are becoming more complex and with this in mind, the HBC is positioning itself to assist all our members in navigating these changes and working with all stakeholders to restore our economy to the thriving force it was. The current situation has left many businesses in crisis and a needs analysis done by the chamber shows that staff, stock, transport, and legal and financial advice are what our members need most,” he said. De Waal went on to say that the ripple effect of the situation in Zwelihle will be felt in coming months. “There are huge implications for all residents of Hermanus. The knock-on effect of loss of income and the loss of wages will seriously impact our local economy. Some businesses have already reported losses in excess of 40% compared to last year and are concerned for the future of their business, our town and our region. Mass unemployment due to the continued stay-away will have a social and humanitarian impact on our region.” In a bid to rescue the situation a collective approach is needed, said De Waal. “It is our vision to create an association to represent Hermanus businesses, social groupings, civil society and community stakeholders. The election of a strong management committee enables us to work with all stakeholders to promote the interest of business. A strong membership base will also give us an authoritative voice to hold the authorities accountable.
The meeting ended on a positive note with all concurring that the business community will continue to spread the word that Hermanus has not closed down, that the many attractions of our town are still accessible to visitors and that we are open for business. In a press release following the AGM, it was confirmed that the HBC membership also made the following resolutions with regards to the current issues facing Hermanus: The newly elected Executive Committee of the Hermanus Business Chamber: Alta Pretorius (secretary), Hamish Hofmeyr (vice-chair), Heinrich Gillen (treasurer) and De Waal Steyn (chair). PHOTO: Hedda Mittner Apart from the new Chairperson, Hamish Hofmeyr was elected as Vicechair, Heinrich Gillen as Treasurer and Alta Pretorius as Secretary at the AGM. The elected members of the Manage-ment Committee are: Anneke Otto, Frieda Lloyd, Gideon Serfontein, Gilbert Munchanyare, Jana Smith, Joke Gonggrijp, Lincoln Johnson, Margaret Motsoene, Marietjie Dalbock, Michelle Botha and Wihan Jansen van Rensburg. “It is not business as usual and we need to accept that. In our diversity there is strength and the voices of our members are important in mandating the Chamber in plotting its course. We have already started with several initiatives to assist our members. These include the needs analysis assisting with a volunteer and skills database, a tourist information hotline, and service excellence training in conjunction with the Western Cape Government.” When De Waal opened the floor to the more than 100 members who attended the meeting, several gave their input on the way forward. Architect Les Abbott said the chamber had to look at the bigger picture, otherwise riots will happen again further down the line.
“The current unrest developed as a result of land issues and the lack of affordable housing and employment opportunities,” he said. “One of the difficulties is that there is nowhere in the greater Overstrand area where any large manufacturing or commercial business can establish themselves.” Les went on to say that the zoning map of the area needs to change in order to allow for these types of developments, but that the Town Planning Department has in the past not been favourable to addressing these issues. “Which is why I believe that the robust intervention of the Business Chamber at both a political (Mayor) and municipal (Municipal Manager) level is necessary to force the issues and see that these things are achieved in the medium term.” The team from Harcourts agreed that zoning for integrated areas and affordable housing developments were sorely needed in Hermanus. Following a plea from De Waal to the HBC members to have empathy with their employees who were prevented from coming to work due to intimidation, Harcourts Principal Jana Smith pledged her support and said they would take back their workers
and pay them if they can. “We need to send out a message of solidarity with our workers in Zwelihle,” she said. Gideon Serfontein, the owner of Ocean Basket, said the payment of employees was not only a legal issue but a moral one, and also urged members to show goodwill towards their employees. William Ntebe of the Youth Café in Zwelihle said the lack of communication and understanding between the different communities in Hermanus is driving the racial and social divide. “The way we relate to each other is historically expressed in the employer/employee relationship,” he said. “That has to change if we want to have a future together. We have to change the way of thinking that is driving our behaviour and rather see our employees as partners in our businesses.” Lincoln Johnson of El Al Funeral Services said the perception out there was that ‘White Hermanus’ only looks after itself, and that business people from Zwelihle, Mount Pleasant and Hawston needed more opportunities. “We’ve had many meetings with the
1. The Chamber supports the intervention of the Police Minister and the peaceful resolution of the crisis. 2. The membership will, where possible, ensure that employees who were prevented from going to work by situations beyond their control, be reemployed and assisted in reintegrating into the economy of Hermanus. 3. Businesses who have the financial capability and are willing to do so, will assist their staff on an ad-hoc basis by paying all or part of the lost wages to those workers who were prevented from coming to work. The decision to pay wages will be left to the discretion of the individual business owners. 4. Business owners who are willing and able, will assist employees in replacing their houses and belongings where these were lost due to the riots. 5. The Business Chamber will assist in creating mental health facilities to assist children who were affected by the violence. Learners who were forced to miss school will be assisted to catch up on the work that they have missed. 6. Trauma counselling will also be made available to all members of society. Businesses that would like to become part of the Chamber can contact Alta Pretorius at ceo@hermanuschamber.co.za
6
24 July 2018
Let’s Talk
THE
NEWS
Overstrand - become meaningful or risk being meaningless….
Send your letters to dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za
The events of the past weeks have only served to reinforce the fact that if the Overstrand is to survive and prosper, renewed focus and energy must be showered on growing tourism in the municipality.
Restoring human rights of Zwelihle residents The situation in Zwelihle, Hermanus, South Africa has reached a humanitarian crisis. The very basic rights of individuals, families and children are infringed upon by a minority of rogue, self-appointed community leaders who hold a whole constituency of over 12 000 people hostage. A humanitarian crisis (or "humanitarian disaster") is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well-being of a community or large group of people. It may be an internal or external conflict and usually occurs throughout a large land area. Local, national and international responses are necessary in such events. [Wikipedia] Our local authorities have made a tremendous effort to contain and manage the unrest and have made the relevant arrests for various criminal activities, but have made little or no effort for a humanitarian response in order to ensure that the following human rights of the people of Zwelihle are enjoyed and protected:
• • •
worship The liberty to live in a safe and secure environment The liberty to send their children to school The liberty to access basic services without intimidation.
The following statement by our Overstrand Municipality has been made, but the relevant and appropriate action to uphold it is lacking. “The Constitution upholds the notion that everybody has the right to freedom and security of the person. The safety of persons and property is therefore vitally important to the physical and emotional well-being of people and businesses. Without the respect of person and property, it would be impossible for people to live peacefully, without fear of attack and for businesses to flourish.” SEP- Overstrand This is a simple appeal for urgency! Herman Breedt Local Resident, Zwelihle Stakeholder, Civic Engager, Pastor
Right to equality Right to freedom and security Right to personal privacy Right to freedom of association Right to education Right to human dignity.
Revd Canon Adrian Knight, Rector of St Peter’s Church in Hermanus, St Patrick’s Church in Mount Pleasant, and All Saints Church in Zwelihle, responded to the above open letter as follows:
People in Zwelihle are locked in a social hostage situation and the “wait and see” strategy that authorities have taken is not relieving the pain and suffering of over 12 000 people who should have: • The liberty to be employed • The liberty to report criminal activities • The liberty to congregate and
Yet again, I find myself at odds with the views expressed by some of my colleagues in the pastoral fraternity. Firstly the police should be praised for the restraint and valour they have shown in containing the unrest – often at great personal risk, working long hours in the cold and dark. They have had the option of using live ammu-
• • • • • •
nition but have used considerable discretion in refraining from doing so. The army, on the other hand, has no training in combating civil unrest. They are trained to obey orders; not to use discretion. To call them in is just the sort of kneejerk reaction that will lead to an escalation of the situation. Leave the job to the people who are trained to handle it and have shown their competence in doing so. It is tragic what is happening to the people living in Zwelihle and the suffering they are undergoing. But every day that passes reduces the support that Zwelihle Renewal has in the community and strengthens the voice of the credible leaders of the Zwelihle community. It grieves me to note that in all the official communications there has been no acknowledgement by the town councillors of their complicity in the tragic events of the last week, including their lack of foresight in town planning that has led to the awful over-crowding in Zwelihle and the openly provocative act of erecting a second fence separating Zwelihle from Sandbaai. Their excuses of protecting the children from the traffic, preventing dumping and providing recreational facilities are obviously, to any rationally thinking person, just a smoke screen to cover the fact that they wanted to reduce access to Sandbaai for the people of Zwelihle. How they could have been blind to the fact that this act would cause dissension among the people of Zwelihle completely eludes me.
In particular, concerted effort needs to be focused on attracting people from Cape Town and the rest of the Western Cape who make up the largest number of visitors to our beautiful part of the world. Tourism is the key economic driver of the Overstrand economy, according to the Overstrand Municipality’s Integrated Development Plan. This was why I was incredibly disappointed and frustrated to read the Tourism Marketing Strategy 2018 – 2022 that was published last month by the Municipality. (http://www.whalecoast.info/wpcontent/uploads/2018/06/TourismStrategy-2018_1.pdf) Readers can form their own opinions about the document, but my analysis of the strategy is that it lacks vision, is not progressive, is very much “same old, same old” and does not provide a compelling road map for future growth. Attending tourism trade shows, producing more pamphlets, maps and branded trinkets, and organising media junkets are not going to increase visitor numbers in a world where every other district, region and country are doing exactly the same thing. A couple of examples of the issues that I have with the strategy: 1. It has no KPIs (Key Productivity Indicators) to measure success. There is no use in doing the things outlined in the strategy if no targets have been set in terms of increased visitors and bed nights or new jobs created, for example. One can’t just spend money and see what happens. 2. There is no mention in the strategy of specific measures, benchmarks or targets to include, incubate or advertise activities or businesses from the former townships. The website www.whalecoast.info only suggests a 5-day itinerary to visit Zwelihle with Thoza Tours to sample umqombothi. This website is being used as one of the main tools of the marketing strategy and it should
Weather forecast for the next week & De Bos Dam level
www.yr.no
be more inclusive. 3. Branding the Overstrand as the Cape Whale Coast is wrong as it fails to highlight all the other activities. According to the Overstrand strategy document, the “logo is a visual statement about Cape Whale Coast’s identity which communicates our philosophy... Our icon represents a whale tail, as our area is known for its many whale-watching opportunities, the red represents our wine valleys (pinot noir) while the green represents all our fynbos, nature reserves and botanical gardens.” While appreciating that creating logos and branding is not easy, I believe that a unique opportunity has been missed. The first rule of Tourism 101 is to differentiate your destination, to focus on what makes you unique. If whales are the only thing that makes the Overstrand unique, then so be it. However, I believe we have failed to sufficiently differentiate ourselves by ignoring our conservation credentials. In short, if this really is the strategy for the key economic driver of the Overstrand economy, then, as a community, we are in serious trouble. Contrast our strategy with that of Copenhagen. They have, in the same number of pages, managed to create a strategy, ‘The End of Tourism As We Know It – Localhood for Everyone’ that is compelling, engaging, clear and EXCITING. (http://localhood.wonderfulcopenhag en.dk/wonderful-copenhagenstrategy-2020.pdf) Wonderful Copenhagen has outlined five strategic coordinates to keep the city on track for growth: 1. Shareability is king 2. Once attracted, twice valued 3. Tomorrow’s business today 4. Co-innovation at heart 5. People-based growth. Interestingly, if I scratch out the word Copenhagen, these could very well be the foundations of an amazing strategy for the Overstrand. We can do much better with the money from our rates and taxes that will be spent on the current strategy. Let’s rip it up and really create a strategy and plan that wins for everyone in the community! Slaavid
Proudly brought to you by: Hermanus
Tuesday 24 July
Wednesday 25 July
Thursday 26 July
Friday 27 July
Saturday 28 July
Sunday 29 July
Monday 30 July
13°C / 18°C
14°C / 16°C
14°C / 20°C
14°C / 15°C
10°C / 16°C
8°C / 15°C
11°C / 16°C
Partly cloudy
Partly cloudy
Clear
Rainy
Partly cloudy
Clear
Rainy
De Bos Dam Level
44.7 %
7
24 July 2018
The Team
Municipality ‘mum’ on causes of riots
6 Royal Street, Hermanus
028 312 2234
I have seen no clear statement from the Overstrand Municipality to the residents of Hermanus (all residents) on the cause of the present unrest. Something has been circulated by the Ward 3 Councillor (thank you, Kari) on initiatives such as food parcels, but these are palliative measures; they are not aimed at resolving the root cause(s) of the disruption to life in Hermanus. If I’m wrong, I offer my apologies, but if I’m correct that there has not been a clear municipal statement, I am forced to guess... and my guess is that the cause of the unrest is largely unkept promises on housing and municipal services. Let me quote a few excerpts from the article from the Cape Messenger which I think will support my theory. I repeat that what follows was written at the end of March, four months ago. Bear that in mind as you read further: As calm returned to Zwelihle in Hermanus, Western Cape MEC of Human Settlements Bonginkosi Madikizela told furious residents he had identified a plot of land to be developed for backyard dwellers. The land, which is in neighbouring Schulphoek, is the subject of bitter controversy in the area. In 2010
(EIGHT YEARS AGO!) land nearby was sold by the Overstrand Municipality to property developers Rabcav. As part of the deal, the developers were to have built housing for tenants in Zwelihle and the nearby township of Mt Pleasant. More than 4 000 houses, shops and community centres were to be handed over to Zwelihle and Mount Pleasant residents as part of the agreement. Bobby von During, the Zwelihle Community Development Trust manager, said that when the land was bought by the development group Rabcav, there was no mention of any provisions for Zwelihle in the contract… None of the municipality’s promises to the residents of Zwelihle came through, he said. ANC member of the Western Cape Legislature Cameron Dugmore said that there had been “a number of particular irregularities in regard to that sale”. Dugmore blamed municipal mismanagement and corruption for the lack of adequate housing for residents of Zwelihle. “There is a lot of public land available,” he said, “but this municipality, for eight years has not acted on the order and I think that that has
contributed to the crisis.” “What we want is to ask some questions directly to the minister,” Von During said. “But the minster only comes now when [protests] happen.” Nothing much has changed – it took the current disturbances to bring Minister Bheki “Rambo” Cele out to Hermanus and what did he achieve? Why did government send trigger-happy Cele; why not send a Minister whose job is to look after the welfare of the masses – such as Minister of Human Settlements Ms Nomaindia Mfeketo or the Minister of Social Development Ms Susan Shabangu? We want a peaceful solution; not another Marikana. A final below-the-belt punch is contained in a sentence close to the end of the article which quotes Von During: “The land is partially occupied by the world’s twelfth largest milkwood forest and before any houses are built, the municipality will probably have to conduct a new environmental impact study, which could take up to three years.” Firstly, imagine living in a Zwelihle shack and being told that trees have priority over your desire for
dignity for you and your family! Secondly, EIGHT years have passed and how far has the Municipality got with an environmental impact study? Only thing that surprises me would be to read that residents have not flattened the milkwoods for firewood! Nevertheless, Von During hoped that the new land allocations would mark a new era of land agreements in Hermanus. “If the municipality keeps their word, I think they will be able to help us. If they don’t, [protests] will happen again and it will be much worse.” Prophetic words!
Publishing Editor De Waal Steyn 083 700 3319 dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za
Content Editor Hedda Mittner 083 645 3928 hedda@thevillagenews.co.za
If this sounds critical of the Overstrand Municipality, it is. I ask the Municipal management to please accept that the absence of a clear statement from them to the residents of Hermanus on the cause of the present unrest understandably encourages one to legitimately draw one’s own conclusions. Please don’t waste time proving me wrong; rather spend time informing the ratepayers (those who keep the Municipality in funds) what you believe to be the root cause(s). Max Leipold
Design and Layout Nickey Jackson 079 408 7722 nickey@thevillagenews.co.za
Office Administrator Tania Hamman admin@thevillagenews.co.za
Does the left knows what the right’s doing? Due to a tragic turn of events, the Ancient Architect of the Universe allowed around nine-tenths of us to be born less capable and talented than the other tenth. It could have been avoided. Way back, in God’s Own Alchemy Lab (GOAL), an experiment with yet another DNA stepladder of life was in progress. They were designing a new hominoid-like species intended for a watery planet somewhere in the Milky Way when things went a bit awry. Whispers through the Winged Angelic Grapevine Society (WAGS), suggested that the Archangel Alchemy (Arch Alch, as he was fondly known), had wafted out for a quick fag when a slight glitch with the faulty Bunsen burner flipped a few steps in the ladder upside-down. Unnoticed, it was left too late to put right. As a result, only around 10% of the people are left- handed. This is unfortunate. Lefties are far better at most things than Righties, and one wonders how better off the world would be if we were all Lefties. Which begs the question: Should angels smoke? In a Yale University survey, nearly 60% of Lefties passed their Driving Licenses first time, and Righties only around 45%. In MENSA, an elite club for the brightest stars in the cerebral firmament, Lefties, who are only 10% of the world’s population, have a 20% stake in the top one hundred propellerheads. I, and the other 90% in the world, think this is grossly unfair and would also love to be the sharpest pencils in the box. Lefties, despite limitations in a Righty-
Marketing Manager Kathy Bentley 083 581 7219 kathy@thevillagenews.co.za
A Far Kraai Murray Stewart thevillagemuze@gmail.com
oriented world, excel more than we do which is downright irritating, but we’d be churlish not to treat them with some deference and respect. They have to contend with Rightyinvented can openers, kitchen knives, scissor-handles and even fly zips. The derogatory dance cliché of ‘two left feet’ is seriously out of step, and who would want a ‘right-hand man’ when a Lefty would be more efficient? Around 40% of seeded tennis players are Lefties, and that comes from a tiny pool of 10% – four times higher than necessary. Long ago in Mesopotamia only lefthanded scribes – the gifted ones were permitted to record history on their papyrus scrolls and parchments, which is why ancient Middle Eastern scripts read from right to left. Shunned Righties, who felt it their right to write anyway, carried on writing in defiance and were banished across the Bosphorus into Europe. Their text, now written from left to right to avoid smudging caught on bigly, and is still used today, although smudging is regarded as old school. Who uses fountain pens anyway? Inside medieval castles, the narrow stone staircases spiral up to the right for defense purposes. Higher up, one
Righty defending with a sword would slash downwards round the curve of the steps, while the attacker’s right sword arm was hampered by the inner wall on his way up. If the attacker was a Lefty it was fair game, but the odds were good with only 10% of the invaders being southpaw. Out of morbid interest, ‘southpaw’ comes from the nickname given to left-handed baseball pitchers. Right-handed beer tankards also originate from those times of King Arthur’s Twelfth Knight. When holding the tankard in the right hand, the clan crest was displayed on the far side, facing your guests across the table. This announced who you were, and also helped if you were bad at remembering names. Anyway, in recognition of Lefties globally, a special day was designated in 1976 to highlight the plight of the blighted 10%. It’s called Left Hander’s Day for some reason, and falls on 13 August annually, when Lefties gather en masse to raise their concerns and needs in this ‘right is right’ world. I wonder if Arch Alch feels a bit guilty and pops in every 13th to keep tabs on that unfortunate Perpetual Inverted Step Tragedy (PIST) back in the lab. And does he still smoke?
Marketing Representative Laetitia Prinsloo 082 738 3765 ads@thevillagenews.co.za Amy Winehouse + Tony Bennett An old crooner from the brat-pack cocktail set was 90 when he duetted with Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga, among other greats, on an album called Duets 2. Voices spanning three generations blend perfectly, so you might check out the whole album. Good old-fashioned schmaltz. In YouTube just type ‘Amy+ Bennett’. – Mik
Journalist Elaine Davie 084 343 7500
Photography & Social Media Taylum Meyer 084 564 0779 taylum@thevillagenews.co.za
WHERE TO FIND US Victor Borge: Audio Punctuation. Victor Borge, a Danish concert pianist, arrived in the USA during WWII to escape Nazi rule, and immediately shot to fame. “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people,” claimed this Clown Prince of Denmark. Some older folks might remember this clip about phonetic punctuation, but for the youngsters, get ready to wet yourselves. In YouTube just type ‘Victor Borge + punctuation’. – Pieter
The Village NEWS is published every week and the next edition will be available on 24 July. The NEWS can be found at over 300 distribution points on the Cape Whale Coast, from Pringle Bay to Gansbaai. Get your FREE copy from major retail stores such as Spar, Checkers and Pick n Pay, and at restaurants, tasting rooms, galleries and shopping centres. Should you wish to receive a copy, call us on 028 312 2234 or 083 228 7523 or pop into our office at 6 Royal Street, Hermanus.
MEMBER OF
8
24 July 2018
THE
NEWS
Be part of the debate
Let’s Talk
Mail your views and opinions to dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za Follow us on
Is this what Mandela would have wanted of us? So another Mandela Day has passed and a host of individuals or interest groups will have rushed out and knocked off their 67 minutes worth of good deeds for the day, feeling very virtuous about having done their bit for the Madiba legacy. Except, of course, they would not have been able to get into burning and rock-throwing Zwelihle. Pity that! Oh well, maybe next year. On the other hand, some no doubt were thinking, “Serves them right; they’re a violent, treacherous, ungrateful mob who don’t deserve my charity. I’ll never do anything for them again, that’s for sure – not for their little kids, their old people, their disabled, no one.” Never, since we all stood in long queues together to vote in 1994, congratulating ourselves on our smooth transition to democracy and pointing to our model of social cohesion as an example for the world to emulate, has this country been in a worse state of disarray. Of course, at the time, there were many, especially amongst the more conservative members of our society who did not think of Mandela as a saint or a messiah; they were quick to point out his all-too-human frailties, and the odd error in governance was jumped upon with glee by the nay-sayers. Yet now, everyone wants a bit of the Mandela Magic, a piece of what it was like when South Africa was great. Roads, universities, cities have been named after him; he has been memorialised in statues and paintings and bursary funds. Or, if the other shoe fits, he is called a
useless ‘sell-out’. Yet, at the same time, sadly, we as citizens of the so-called Rainbow Nation have wandered way off the Mandela track into the wilderness of hate speech, violent confrontation, land grabs, separation. We have trivialised a life of hard struggle to 67 minutes of hand-outs once a year. Superficial, inflammatory hash tags and sloganeering rule the day and like sheep we are manipulated to follow one angergenerating camp or another. We have become experts at stereotyping and racial profiling; now we are all ‘they’ or ‘those people’; each group claims South Africanness for themselves and labels everyone else ‘colonialists’, ‘African chauvinists’, ‘racists’, or whichever denigrating epithet is current at the time. It seems to me that the most important legacy Mandela was trying to pass on to us was that we are all South Africans, all of us are who we are because of the other. If the country goes down, we all sink together. Consequently, if some sections of the population are hurt and struggling, we need to meet them in their pain – reach out a hand to help them up. Mandela taught us that it is not necessary for us to give up our own identity or our own culture; instead we should proudly own them. But at the same time, we do not need to destroy another person’s cultural or religious heritage. We all have a right to an equal place in the sun in this beautiful country of ours.
One of the things I love about us as a people is that we are great debaters; we will sometimes wrangle a topic to death before we reach consensus. But to argue is not enough. Now, when the country is bleeding, on the brink of a major conflagration, the time for arguing is over; now is the time for doing. And all it takes is a mind-shift. If I reach out a hand of friendship or assistance to you; if I try to gain even a small insight into who you are as a person and what road you have travelled, both your life and my life will be enriched; we will be winners. If I share some of what I have with you and we can build a partnership, we will both be winners. If I look into your eyes and you look into mine and we recognise each other’s humanity, we are both winners. If I do not think of myself as either superior or inferior to you, but as an equal, we are both winners. If I throw a rock at you, or build higher and higher walls around my space, neither of us wins and, in the end, the country goes up in flames, with all of us in it. These are the simple but hard truths Mandela learnt and practised every day until they became a part of who he was. This is the legacy he passed on to us all, but we seem to find it too difficult a road to walk. Instead, we throw rocks and words as hard and sharp as rocks at one another and pretend that our 67 minutes a year is what Mandela would have wanted of us. E deV
We need to create more opportunities My message is to all the community leaders of Zwelihle. I am a 59year-old white male. I had a privileged upbringing during the apartheid era, including a good education and good jobs for many years. I have added value to the businesses I have worked for. I have been committed to my God, my family and to my work and have taken my opportunities. So, my life has been good, but that does not make me a racist. I write this because, for some reason, many seem to think that all white people are racists. Unrest is not confined to Hermanus. Unrest is a problem of the current situation in South Africa, because of unemployment and poverty. Of the children starting out at school only 50% finish matric. Of those enrolling at university only 17% attain their degrees. Why are these opportunities not being taken? Why is unemployment so high in South Africa? Government debt has trippled, starting during the Zuma regime. The production sector in South Africa (job creation) has declined under the Zuma regime. More than 60% of money spent in South Africa is in government departments... again a huge figure that is just robbed from all South Africans. Much of this should rather
have gone to starting new industries to create jobs. I really like Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa and hope he can stamp out corruption and get the tax-payers’ money to go to the right places. As leaders you must get your house in order. Not by burning things down but by building things up. This should start from the top and I hope Ramaphosa can slowly turn that wheel. How can SAB get beer to thousands of shebeens every week when the government can't get books to schools once a year? The chair of a 3 000-strong investment forum I attended earlier this week, was a young black lady called Gugulethu Mfuphi. What a clever and beautiful person. She took her chances and look at her today. Wow! Many of the attendees at the forum were black. Why are they not holding their towns hostage? Because they have taken their chances and are looking to build an economy to create more work opportunities. It’s not a race thing. It is a ruling party thing. You have been robbed, oppressed and disadvantaged by your own corrupt leaders, in the last 10 years especially. I welcome integrated communities, but unfortunately the ruling party is just wasting valuable time. Duncan Napier
Village
EXPLORER The
FOOD • WINE • ART • BOOKS
Celebrate theatre, music, books and art with the Kalfiefees
H
Mark Behr and Soebatsfontein by Annemarie van der Walt, starring the evergreen Sandra Prinsloo.
ermanus is readying itself for the annual Hermanus Times Kalfiefees that will take place from Wednesday 8 August until Sunday 12 August and, once again, promises to bring top Afrikaans theatre productions to Hermanus.
For those who prefer a serious laugh, there are excellent comedies such as Lag ‘n slag with Elsabé Aldrich and Operasie Holm with Marion Holm and Chris Vorster, while everyone’s favourite comedian, Marc Lottering, promises to have his audience in stitches on Saturday 11 August.
The celebrations mark the arrival of the Southern Right Whales that have arrived on their annual migration from the Antarctic to mate and calve in the waters of Walker Bay. The whales are one of the biggest attractions of the festival, along with a full programme of top-notch entertainment for the whole family. Jimmy Hattingh, Chair of the Kalfiefees Organising Committee says, as in previous years, the festival will offer a wide variety of theatre productions, music, an art exhibition and book discussions. “The popular Women’s Day Celebration will also be held on Thursday 9 August at The Classroom, when Jakkie Louw will keep the audience entertained with Eenmiljoenwoorde,” says Jimmy.
Music lovers can look forward to big names such as Coenie de Villiers, Elvis Blue and Danièle Pascal, while the performance by the Stellenbosch University Choir promises to be yet another highlight. On top of this, there are also book reviews and children’s theatre to look forward to. Marc Lottering will tickle your funnybone at this year’s Kalfiefees.
“The discussion programme on 10 August entitled A political overview on the current and future state of affairs in South Africa promises to attract a lot of debate. The programme leader will be Waldimar Pelser, Editor of the Sunday newspaper Rapport.” The festival programme offers something for everyone, says Jimmy. Lovers of serious theatre can look forward to major drama productions such as the highly-acclaimed Die reuk van appels by
Some of the highlights include: For the little ones the talented Storyteam, with Celest Loriston, Marhette van Huysteen and Filicity Tobias, brings to the stage the popular Die Gestewelde Kat and Die Keiser se Nuwe Klere. Teenagers can look forward to a performance by the young rising star, Elandré Schwartz, who sings in both Afrikaans and English. His debut album is titled Kleindorp-dromer.
Coenie de Villiers will be the guest artist at the opening concert.
Marion Holm will be back with Chris Vorster in Operasie Holm.
Elize Cawood and Wilson Dunster’s romantic comedy Mike en Mavis, is bound to leave audiences with a lump in the throat. Mavis is a widow who
locks herself away from life. One day she receives an invitation to a new bioscope showing classical movies. The Owner is Mike Lewis, an eccentric with a romantic soul – and he has his eye on Mavis. Luna Paige will bring to life the romance between Ingrid Jonker and Andre P. Brink in the soulful musical Korreltjie Kantel. Sê my naam soos ’n Starbucks-knaap on 11 August, written by Wessel Pretorius and directed by Gerrit Schoonhoven, brings Je-Ani Swiegelaar to the stage as Annetjie “Vleis” de Vries. Sitting at the airport waiting for her flight to Amsterdam, Annetjie has had enough of her life as the eldest of 13 children, and having to look after all of them because their father is a drunkard who does not care. She wants to turn over a new leaf in Europe. Annetjie will entertain her audience with stories about her best friend Sarel Meintjies, her disastrous matric farewell and the Starbucks waiter that made her heart flutter. The literary discussions, sponsored by Hermanuspietersfontein and Woodenways, will feature Pieter Fourie, Milan Murray and Elsa Winckler.
Don’t miss out on this exceptional festival. For more information, visit www.kalfiefeeshermanus.co.za and be sure to book your tickets via Computicket (0861 915 8000) well in advance.
10
BOOKS
24 July 2018
Penguin
Liveright
Jacana
- goodreads.com
Lapa Uitgewers
Former President Bill Clinton coauthored this spellbinding thriller with bestselling novelist James Patterson. As the novel opens, a threat looms. Enemies are planning an attack of unprecedented scale on America by the hand of the most dangerous cyber terrorist in the world. Uncertainty and fear grip Washington. There are whispers of espionage and a traitor in the cabinet; US President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan himself becomes a suspect, and then goes missing... Isolated amid the crisis, he is convinced that he is the only one who can tackle the threat of the conspiracy, prompting him to shake the Secret Service and slip out of the White House in disguise, with an attractive, Bach-loving assassin hot on his heels.
compiled by Hedda Mittner
Jonathan Cape
Penguin
What’s new in review
The Only Story is narrated by an old man looking back on a relationship he had in the 1960s. First love has lifelong consequences, but as a college boy Paul doesn’t know anything about that. At 19 and home for the summer, he’s proud of the fact that his affair with a 48-yearold married woman flies in the face of social convention. As he grows older, the demands placed on Paul by love become far greater than he could possibly have foreseen. Tender and profound, The Only Story is reminiscent of A Sense of an Ending, which won Barnes the Booker Prize in 2011. It is an achingly beautiful novel by one of fiction’s greatest mappers of the human heart. Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? - goodreads.com
On Tuesday 5 December 2017 the Steinhoff Group was still worth R193 billion. Only 24 hours later more than R117 billion had been wiped out. The Steinhoff empire that grew to an international conglomerate over 50 years, crumbled overnight. Steinhoff’s flamboyant CEO, Markus Jooste, resigned and since then one skeleton after the other have been tumbling out of the closet. What exactly happened? What is Steinhoff, who is Markus Jooste, and what does this all have to do with the so-called Stellenbosch Mafia? How does magnate Christo Wiese fit into the picture and where did all the pensioners’ money go? This exposé, which reads like a financial thriller, is the first complete version of the biggest financial collapse in the history of South Africa. The English translation will be out soon. – lapa.co.za
Paul Theroux’s latest collection of essays leads the reader through a dazzling array of sights, characters, and experiences, as Theroux applies his signature searching curiosity to a life lived as much in reading as on the road. This tourde-force features a varied selection of topics that showcase Theroux’s sheer versatility as a writer. Travel essays take us to Ecuador, Zimbabwe, and Hawaii, to name a few. Gems of literary criticism reveal fascinating depth in the work of Henry David Thoreau, Graham Greene, Joseph Conrad, and Hunter Thompson. And in a series of breathtakingly personal profiles, we take a helicopter ride with Elizabeth Taylor, go surfing with Oliver Sacks, eavesdrop on the day-to-day life of a Manhattan dominatrix, and explore New York with Robin Williams. – amazon.com
The value of this epistolary trove isn’t limited to scholars of the decades-long struggle against apartheid, though Sahm Venter’s diligent collection and annotation is certainly tailored for research purposes. Drawn from Mandela’s letters to family, friends, comrades, admirers, and even his own jailers, this dense and vivid archive goes from his 1962 incarceration on the infamous Robben Island to his 1990 release from Victor Verster Prison. Throughout, his insistence on correct legal procedure and unflinching advocacy for his beliefs demonstrates the conviction that marked Mandela as a leading statesman, even while behind bars. More personal correspondence reveal the high price the South African government exacted from him.
This debut autobiographical novel by Carol Gibbs, a resident of Greyton, is set against the backdrop of Cape Town in the 1940s – a time of innocence, social graces, the Queen’s visit and sports heroes. Meet Colleen, the third-born child of parents who share a chaotic relationship, in a time of religious fervour, baptisms, conversions and Sunday school picnics. Apartheid can’t be escaped and is experienced by the children, who are bemused and confused by the flawed and unjust system. The pages are crowded by a host of odd characters, at once lovable, eccentric and troubled. But not all is rosy in this richly peopled world, and our hearts tear a little as we see the abuse unfold and inflict its damage on this little girl. All Things Bright and Broken is sharp, insightful, and abundant in measured humour. – jacana.co.za
– publishersweekly.com
11
24 July 2018
Meet the Tjieng Tjang Tjerrie of Gansbaai Elaine Davie
J
olyn Phillips grew up in Blompark, Gansbaai with the scent of fynbos in her nose, the sound of the sea in her ears and the salty music of her community’s spoken language on her tongue.
’
It was the whole community of Gansbaai that raised me and it is to them that I constantly return for inspiration
She watched everything, she heard everything, she absorbed everything and when the time was right, the people of her childhood came knocking on her door, grabbing her pencil and writing themselves and their landscape into a wider world through the rhythm and richness of their speech. When Jolyn’s first book, Tjieng Tjang Tjerries and Other Stories first hit the book stores in 2016, she was hailed as an exciting new voice in South African literature, breaking through existing language barriers and allowing her vibrant characters – ordinary fisherfolk, grandmothers, aunties, uncles, pregnant teenagers – to speak for themselves in the cadences of their mother tongue. Although the book is written in English, the characters speak in their own home-grown patois, a spicy mixed masala containing many different language roots. Each of the 13 short stories focuses on an individual or a group of characters with a specific tale to tell. While the stories are liberally leavened with humour, they are linked by an underlying thread of sadness; these characters are all seeking redemption, healing, release from demons. For them, the exuberance of life walks hand-in-hand with death – of dignity, spirit, hope or physical being – yet each one fiercely holds on to the right to choose the path they will travel. Their haunting portraits are painted by Jolyn with a deep sense of compassion, against the light and shadow of their personal landscapes. Poet, Antjie Krog summed up her response to the book when she wrote “An impressive debut that brings across voices never heard before in South African English – not only in rhythm and timbre, but plumbing the unspoken. With such a remarkable ear, Jolyn Phillips is a young writer to watch”. And indeed she has been watched. She is a Mandela Rhodes Scholar and has been recognised with prestigious awards for both her publications. She was shortlisted for the UJ prize for debut creative writing and won the Human and Social Sciences Award for Fiction (single author) for her first book. Her second book, published in 2017, is an Afrikaans poetry anthology, Radbraak and this has won the UJ Debut Prize for Creative Writing. At a recent talk and poetry reading in her home town of Gansbaai, Jolyn emphasised the deep connection she retains with the people of her community; it is where she comes to
’
PHOTO: Brenda Veldtman dream. Despite holding a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from the University of the Western Cape (in English, a language at first so intimidating that it literally left her tonguetied) and is working towards a transdisciplinary PhD which explores the epic in Afrikaans, she never strays too far from her roots. “It was the whole community of Gansbaai that raised me,” she says, “and it is to them that I constantly return for inspiration – especially when my ego is running away with me. I lecture to a class of 169 First Year students at UWC, I have been interviewed on TV and radio and for magazines and newspapers, and have spoken and sung at festivals, but when I come home, I am very soon reminded of who I really am…” She tells of a recent experience in her home town when she encountered one of the anties on the street. “’Hello dinges (whatsisname)’ she said, ‘I hear you’ve written a book now.’ I responded as modestly as possible that, yes, I had. Then she rummaged around in the bodice of her dress and hauled out a R50 note, which she handed to me. Shame, I thought, she probably thinks I need the money, but no… ‘Ag, just go and buy antie a bread please.’ And that put me firmly in my place.” Apart from her writing and her community, Jolyn has two other passions, all interconnected: the Afrikaans language and music. She reads dictionaries and she collects accents like others collect wine. She describes the
language as a lappieskombers (a patchwork quilt), of so many other languages, each with its own history and tradition. Language, she says, is so tied up with identity that they cannot be separated and therefore none of them can possibly be considered better than another. She has no patience with people who, ashamed of their roots, try to adopt some bland form of accent. The title of her poetry anthology Radbraak refers to the mediaeval torture wrack, which literally pulled victims apart, limb from limb. That is what she attempts to do through her poems: break the language open to reveal its very essence. When she wrote Tjieng Tjang Tjerries, she says she was often woken in the middle of the night by one of her characters who wanted to share, confess or dictate some aspect of their story. At the same time, she was being interrupted at the most inopportune moments by a word or a phrase or a rhythm that had to be scribbled down as a poem. Jolyn often talks about her writing in musical terms. She first fell in love with music, and especially jazz and boeremusiek, when she was a pupil at the Emil Weder High School in Genadendal and now she plays and sings whenever she can at Music and Literary Festivals. It felt completely natural, therefore, to set some of her poems to music and to sing them, rather than speak them. It is no surprise that she sees her role models as performers like Koos du Plessis, Laurika Rauch and Amanda Strydom,
for whom the lyric is as important as the music. She worked with Jason Jacobs to create a theatre piece based on some of the stories from Tjieng Tjang Tjerries, adding elements of music, which she wrote, and choreographed movement. It was performed to great acclaim at this year’s Woordfees in Stellenbosch. Having achieved so much in her 28 years and having broken through so many barriers, Jolyn feels she has come to a crossroads. She is wildly excited to be participating in the Festival voor het Afrikaans in Amsterdam in the Netherlands in September, together with some of South Africa’s luminaries in the fields of Afrikaans music, theatre and literature. “And then we’ll see”, she laughs. “I can’t just go on dreaming; I have to have medical aid, too”. To quote from one of her stories, Ouma’s smile is so forever-and-ever. I think everything will turn out for the best soon enough. Whatever direction she takes, it’s bound to be packaged in the words and music that feed her soul. And one thing is for sure, this quiet child of the sea and the fynbos will always remain a Gansbaaier in marrow and bone.
Tjieng Tjang Tjerries is published by Modjadji Books and Radbraak (which is currently sold out) by Human & Rossouw.
14
24 July 2018
5
12
3 US 28 N A 0
5 33
e RM er
HE th
s
ke a T
u
Good Guide
yo
Wednesday 25 July
■ Hermanus Garden Club: The club members will get together for their annual Soup Lunch to enjoy some delicious soups and breads. For more info, contact Sue Parry on 028 314 0072. In the Catholic Church Hall, at 12:00 for 12:30. ■ Hermanus Night Shelter Association AGM: The meeting will include the chairman’s annual report, the election of office bearers, feedback on fundraising efforts and a progress report on the construction of the new night shelter in Mount Pleasant. For more info, contact Ray Hartmann on nightshelterhermanus@gmail .com or 083 731 0678. At the United Church Hall, at 18:00. ■ Christmas in July: Join South Hill Vineyards in the Elgin Valley for a cool taste experience. Enjoy their festive Christmas menu in beautiful surroundings at R250 pp or R350 pp including wine pairing. Reservations essential. Contact 021 844 0888 or info@southhill.co.za. At South Hill Vineyards, at 18:00.
Thursday 26 July ■ Rotary Club of Hermanus: Visitors are welcome at Rotary’s weekly meetings. Contact Frank on 082 870 1187 to confirm your attendance by Tuesday. At Mollergren Park, 236 Main Road, Hermanus, every Thursday at 19.00.
Thursday 26 July & Thursday 2 August ■ Overlocker Workshop: Learn the versatile functions and stitches of your overlocker with Creative Notions while making a beautiful pillow cover. The cost of the two-day workshop is R350, including the pattern and material. For more information or to book, contact Sylvia on 028 312 2182 or hermanus@creativenotions.co.za. Choose between a morning class (09:00 – 12:00) or evening class (18:00 – 21:00) on the two Thursdays. At Creative Notions in Long Street, Hermanus.
Friday 27 July ■ Bhuki Café: Join the Friends of Hermanus Library for tea, coffee and eats for only R20 and help to raise funds for the library. Every Friday from 09:00 – 11:30, at Hermanus Library. ■ Kolwyntjie Teetuin: Everyone in the area is welcome to enjoy a sweet treat and tea or coffee at a nominal fee, and make new friends at the Onrus Care Centre (Dienssentrum). At the Onrus Dutch Reformed Church, every Friday between 09:30 and 11:30. ■ Hermanus Music Society Piano Concert: The young, award-winning South African pianist
Nicholas Haralambous, currently engaged in postgraduate study in the UK, will be performing the famous showpiece for virtuoso pianists, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The approximately hour-long concert will take place at 18.30 in the private cellar at Bouchard Finlayson. Tickets may be obtained from David Rowson on 028 316 2355 or send an email to rowson@telkomsa.net. Wine and canapés will be served from 17:45 and the concert starts at 18:30. At Bouchard Finlayson wine estate in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
whale viewing with fabulous wines and incredible music. This special bed, breakfast and dinner weekend includes: wine tastings from local vineyards, tea and cake on Saturday afternoon, and the weekend highlight – the fantastic Whale Time Serenade on Saturday evening at 19:00. Booking is essential for this calendar favourite. Get all the details and book online at www.dehoopcollection.com or call 021 422 4522. At De Hoop Nature Reserve, from 14:00 on the Friday.
Saturday 28 July ■ Hermanus parkrun: Meet for the weekly 5 km walk or run, come rain or shine. The route is dog friendly and children are most welcome. Set off from the Overstrand Training Institute (OTI) farm on Camphill Road in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, at 08:00.
■ Stargazing: The Southern Cape Astronomy Club’s monthly stargazing evening will coincide with the total lunar eclipse and Mars’ close approach. The moon will enter the Earth’s shadow (umbra) at 20:24, with totality starting at 21:29. The event will be streamed live from the club’s observatory in Pearly Beach. At the same time, the red planet Mars, which is now brighter than the brightest star in the evening sky, Sirius, will even outshine Jupiter as it reaches opposition. On its closest approach to Earth at 57.6 million km away it will appear five times brighter than usual. For more information on this exciting event, contact Kos Coronaios on 079 148 4934. Meet at the Southern Cape Astronomy Centre’s premises in Pearly Beach, at 19:15. ■ Rewind: Join Soul Café every Friday night and relax to the tunes of their resident band as they perform all your favourite hits from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. R50 pp. Call 028 313 2137 to book. At Soul Café, 181 Main Road, Hermanus, at 20:00. ■ Moonwatch: Join the Hermanus Astronomy Centre (HAC) for the Total Lunar Eclipse, commencing at 20:24 with totality at 22:21. The club will be equipped with telescopes and binoculars for public participation. This event is weather dependent, so please consult the website www.hermanusastronomy.co.za on the day after 12:00. HAC secretary Peter Harvey can also be contacted on 081 212 9481 or email petermh@hermanus.co.za. At the Onrus Dutch Reformed Church, at 20:00.
Friday 27 – Sunday 29 July ■ Wine, Whales and Music Weekend: Head out to De Hoop Nature Reserve for a spectacular
on 028 312 4979 to book. At Goozi Kitchenshop in Mitchell Street, Hermanus, at 10:00. ■ Gabriëlskloof Che Syrah: Join Gabriëlskloof Estate for a unique wine experience as they showcase an impressive portfolio of Syrah wines in their newly-converted Landscape Cellar. Guests will be welcomed with a tasting of older wines, a few international gems and Gabriëlskloof’s past, current and future offerings. A walkabout through the cellar led by owner Bernard Heyns, cellarmaster Peter-Allan Finlayson and winemaker Donovan Ackermann will be followed by a wholesome feast at Gabriëlskloof Restaurant in front of a crackling fire. The all-inclusive cost is R450 pp and booking is essential. Tickets can be purchased online at www.gabrielskloof.co.za or contact 028 284 9865 or info@gabrielskloof.co.za. At Gabriëlskloof Wine Estate near Botrivier, from 11:00. ■ Lighthouse Dance: Curro Hermanus will host a fundraising event for the Lighthouse Safe House for Children in Mount Pleasant. Guests can look forward to live music, dancing, a cash bar and great food. Tickets are R220 pp and available from Analize on 081 429 2063. At Curro Hermanus School Hall, at 18:00.
■ Hermanus Country Market: This local favourite is closed for the month of July as the traders enjoy their first well-earned break in 12 years. The market will be back on 4 August. ■ Hermanuspietersfontein Food & Wine Market: Where local and international foodies and wine lovers meet. You’ll find “real plates and real cutlery; real cups and real glasses; a real hangout for real people”. In the courtyard of Hermanuspietersfontein wine cellar at The Village, from 09:00 – 13:00. ■ Market in the Garden: Hunt for treasures at this peaceful market set among the shady trees of a beautiful garden. At St Peter’s Church in Main Road, Hermanus, from 09:00 – 13:00. ■ Fioré Country Market: Browse this new country market in Bot River for homemade crafts, books, local treats, fresh fruit and more. Stands are free and in the event of rain the market moves indoors. For enquiries, contact Debbie Randall on 028 284 9220. At Fioré Garden Centre & Coffee Shop, Bot River, from 09:00 – 14:00. ■ Botrivier Hotel Market: For hand-made crafts and tasty treats, come and browse the new weekly market in the hotel garden. New vendors are welcome; contact Erna at ernastark@outlook.com or 028 315 2582 or WhatsApp 076 708 0818 to book your stall. At the Botrivier Hotel, every Saturday, from 10:00 – 14:00. ■ Goozi Arabesque Cooking Demo: Celebrate Lebanese cooking with Eunice Rademeyer. You’ll learn how to create Maqlube, an exotic “upside down” dish made with lamb, aubergine and rice, followed by the most decadent “street-food” dessert, Kunafa bil Jibn. R100 pp. Seating is limited; Call Meagan
■ Christmas in July: Benguela Cove is pulling out the decorations and turning their Moody Lagoon Restaurant into a Christmas wonderland for the day! Dress up in your festive gear and enjoy a delicious Christmas-inspired menu for lunch (12:00 – 15:00) or dinner (18:00 – 21:00). R420 pp for the set menu or R480 pp for the set menu with a glass of bubbly. For bookings, contact 087 357 0637 or send an email to info@benguelacove.co.za. At Benguela Cove, lunch or dinner.
Sunday 29 July ■ Lemm’s Corner Market: This popular Sunday market offers exclusive arts and crafts, and handmade local products. At Fisherman’s Village (between Cattle Baron and Fisherman’s Cottage), from 10:00 – 15:00.
Monday 30 July ■ Volcanic Wonders in Mid-Ocean: Join U3A Overberg for a DVD presentation on Mount Fuji and the Ring of Fire & Galapagos Rift, by Gert Claassen. In the Catholic Church Hall, at 10:00.
Tuesday 31 July ■ Land reform issues in South Africa: U3A Overberg presents a talk by Richard Tate on the controversial issue of Land Reform in South Africa. In the Catholic Church Hall, at 10:00.
15
24 July 2018
T
Celebrating Madiba
he Sumaridge Tasting Room, with its beautiful setting on the edge of a dam and endless views across the vineyards and mountains of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, has hosted many memorable events over the years. As an enthusiastic supporter of the art scene in Hermanus, owners Simon and Holly Bellingham-Turner have also, on several occasions, turned the tasting room into a gallery by exhibiting the work of local artists. On Mandela Day the walls were adorned by artworks done by Madiba himself, on loan from a private collection, along with photographs by his close friend, Jurgen Schadeberg. Guests had
the opportunity to admire these rare works while also making a contribution to local charities. R100 and R200 notes were placed on the floor to cover an area of 8 x 7 feet, the exact size of Mandela’s Robben Island jail cell. As usual, guests were well fed and watered – what better way to celebrate the centenary of Madiba’s birth. From the beginning of August until the end of October Sumaridge will host a new solo exhibition by Elise MacDonald. To coincide with Women’s Day, there will be a private viewing and opening party on Thursday 9 August, from 18:00 – 20:00. If you’d like to attend, RSVP to lorraine@sumaridge.co.za
Cheryl van Niekerk with Robert Johnson of Bona Dea and Ald Nicolette Botha-Guthrie. PHOTOS: Hedda Mittner
Marion da Silva with Charmaine Beukes of White Shark projects.
Holly Bellingham-Turner (seated) with tasting room manager Lorraine Loubser.
16
D
24 July 2018
The largest carnivorous plant in the world grows on our doorstep
id you know that the world’s largest carnivorous plant grows right here in Hermanus? Do you know why cats scratch on trees (and furniture)? Did you know that oystercatchers don’t catch oysters? These, and other interesting topics, will be covered in the Whale Coast Conservation roadshow that will visit 10 schools from Gansbaai to Hawston during August.
Each time the prey moves, the bug retreats, only to probe again and again. With each probe, a tiny amount of venom is injected and soon the insect prey succumbs and dies.
MY NEWS Environment THE
Within half an hour more black bugs would fly from close by and a massive seething scrum would have developed, vying for a place at the carcass, using their hind legs to lash out at rivals that get too close. The fat, red bug larvae creep unseen between the leggy forest, also keen for some of the bounty. Soon the prey is reduced to a dry husk and the bloated bugs slowly disperse.
The expo on ‘Critical Creatures’ is jointly funded by the AVI Community Development Trust, the Hermanus Botanical Society (HBS) and the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Fund in the UK.
NITROGEN FEAST FOR RARE PLANTS…. But before they disperse, they defecate on the leaves of Roridula. The nitrogenrich faeces are fertilizer for Roridula which can absorb the nitrogen straight through its leaves or roots. So Roridula does not need digestive enzymes - it has an army of living organisms to do the job of digestion!
The HBS does a great job in supporting environmental education for young people, as well as maintaining and looking after Fernkloof Nature Reserve so that everyone can enjoy this jewel in Hermanus’ crown – free of charge. The HBS website is full of useful and interesting information about fynbos and the reserve. A fascinating blog, written by Geraldine Gardiner, sheds light on an unusual relationship between a plant and an insect. She writes: Most South Africans don't even realise that carnivorous plants grow in their own country, let alone that the largest carnivorous plant in the world grows on our doorstep. In fact, South Africa has a great diversity of insect-eating plants, mainly belonging to the genus Drosera (commonly called sundews). These plants capture their prey using sticky droplets on their leaves. The leaves of some species curl slowly around the prey, enveloping them and exuding digestive enzymes. The giant of the carnivorous plant world is called Roridula (or vlieëbos in Afrikaans). This plant can get up to two metres tall and its leaves are bedecked in hairs with sticky droplets. The droplets are resinous and extremely sticky. In fact one species of Roridula is even capable of capturing small birds. BUG SCRUM! Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of Roridula is that the plants have no digestive enzymes to digest their prey. This puzzled scientists for
Roridula (or vlieëbos in Afrikaans) is the giant of the carnivorous plant world. It can get up to two metres tall and its leaves are bedecked in hairs with sticky droplets. Small bugs (Pamerideamiridae) live on Roridula in great abundance. 90 years. Initially they believed that Roridula was not a carnivore because it could not digest its prey. They postulated that the droplets were a defence mechanism to stop herbivorous insects from eating them. But in l996, a student, Allan Ellis and his supervisor, Jeremy Midgley took an interest in this plant which captured such an abundance of insects. They noticed that there were small bugs (Pameridea-miridae) which lived on Roridula in great abundance. The bugs hold their bodies away from the traps and, with specially adapted feet, they can run at great speed over what would be a death trap for any other insect. These bugs roam the plants in search of food - insect food. When an insect is found, struggling helplessly against the stickiness, the bugs approach cautiously. A jousting match ensues. The bugs probe with their probosci (long mouthparts) looking for a weak spot in the exoskeleton of the prey.
The plant family to which Roridula belongs is called Roridulaceae and it is a special family because it is only found in the Cape Floristic Region. There are also only two species in this family, one (R. gorgonias) of which occurs in the mountains around Betty's Bay, Hermanus and Caledon, and the other (R. dentata) which occurs in the Ceres mountains, the Kouebokkeveld and the Cedarberg. Both plants occur in isolated populations numbering from a few plants to 2 000 plants. R. gorgonias is a red data book species as it is so uncommon. It is generally found in very moist habitats such as bogs, marshes and on the banks of rivers. AND RARE BUGS… IT’S MUTUAL The bugs which live on Roridula are also very special because they occur nowhere else in the world. Without Roridula plants they would die. The bugs need to eat insects caught by Roridula in order to mature and reproduce. When there are no insects around to eat, they suck sap directly from the Roridula itself. The dependant relationship between bug and plant is called mutualism or symbiosis. In fact, I may add, all life on earth is interdependent – each species relying on a network of other organisms to survive. We interfere in these delicate webs of life at our peril. - Anina Lee, Whale Coast Conservation
17
24 July 2018
Keeping our beaches and oceans clean
A
mong the many events planned in the Overstrand for Mandela Day’s 67 minutes ‘call to action’ on Wednesday 18 July, was the Coastal Clean-up at Grotto Beach with main sponsors, Checkers Hermanus, who supplied T-shirts and snacks for the willing hands. Volunteers as well as 18 members of the Overstrand Environmental Planning division and the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) took part from all areas including Gansbaai, Hermanus, Hawston and Kleinmond. Under the watchful eye of Antonio da Silva-Swart, the ‘ Beach Sheriff’ of the Coastal Clean-up Conservation Trust (CCCT), the volunteers set off in seven groups to collect as much debris as they could find in 67 minutes. Most of the rubbish was found close to the high watermark on the beach. Kim Sharklady and her team from Majestic Cruising were also there to launch her selffunded ‘Plastic Patrol’ boat which is part of a massive conservation effort she has begun in the New Harbour. Two small dinghies will join the main Plastic Patrol boat later this year to allow them to cover an extended area. “These two dinghies create the opportunity and training for two captains,” she said excitedly. Majestic Cruising and Plastic Patrol, under Kim’s leadership, aims to get young ambassadors between the ages of 14 and 16 to form part of a team that will help to clean the New Harbour and look out for entangled animals, as well as clean the surrounding waters of plastics and debris. These young-
sters will also learn about the threat of plastic pollution to our beaches and oceans during their time with Kim and her team. All schools are invited to participate on weekends and holidays to learn about how plastics are harming marine life. The children are also invited to be part of a programme in which they can make bracelets. They will receive R2 per bracelet and these will then be sold to the public to raise funds to finance the project.
Antonio da Silva-Swart from Coastal Clean-up Conservation Trust (kneeling in the front row holding up the t-shirt) and Kim Sharklady from Majestic Cruising (kneeling in the front row with the Plastic Patrol sign) and other volunteers at Grotto Beach for one of the Checkers-sponsored Mandela Day clean-ups that took place in nine African countries last week.
From left are Kim Sharklady, Charmaine Gargan and Ryno Bezuidenhout from Majestic Cruising with their new Plastic Patrol boat. PHOTOS: Taylum Meyer
In addition, diving debris bags will be made up and given to all divers using Majestic Cruising and Walker Bay Dive Club to collect plastics at the bottom of our oceans. “You won’t believe how much debris we see when we go out on cruises,” said Kim. “If people just make an effort to walk a little further to a bin to throw something away you will see how much difference it can make,” added Antonio. “Unfortunately, it seems that not enough people care enough to make that effort.” The CCCT aims to inspire people to get involved in voluntary clean-ups along the coastlines of their hometown. You can find them on Facebook as Coastal Clean-up Conservation Trust if you are interested in joining their next clean-up. For more information on the Plastic Patrol, go to www.majesticcruising.co.za – Taylum Meyer
18
S
24 July 2018
World Hepatitis Day
aturday 28 July is World Hepatitis Day, when awareness is raised around the globe of this insidious disease. It is estimated that worldwide, 300 million people are living with viral hepatitis unaware. Hepatitis is a medical term for inflammation of the liver, one of the body’s largest organs. Hepatitis has multiple causes, but the most common are viruses, usually Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B (the most prevalent globally) or Hepatitis C. Less commonly, there are the Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E viruses. Bacterial infection, alcohol, toxins (including drugs) and autoimmune disorders can also lead to hepatitis. Hepatitis A and E are spread via faeces, often in contaminated drinking water, while B, C and D spread via contact with an infected person’s blood or bodily fluids, making unprotected sex a common mechanism for hepatitis transmission. Hepatitis B and D can also be transmitted by infected mothers to their newborns. While some cases of hepatitis may be mild, others can cause irreparable damage to the liver, which may then necessitate a liver transplant. Chronic viral hepatitis can lead to lifethreatening liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. What are its symptoms? Hepatitis symptoms can vary in
THE
NEWS
MY Health
severity depending on the cause of the condition. People with Hepatitis A may be entirely asymptomatic, while it may take weeks or months for other types to show symptoms. The following symptoms and signs should never be ignored: • Jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes) • Fever • Malaise • Abdominal pain • Loss of appetite • Nausea and vomiting • Dark-coloured urine • Bowel movements that are light in colour. How is it diagnosed? Hepatitis diagnosis usually involves a blood test, as well as an assessment of the patient’s symptoms and medical history. The blood test looks either for antigens or antibodies produced by the immune system in response to the virus. Liver enzyme levels will also be tested. In some cases, further imaging tests may be carried out.
What are your treatment options? Hepatitis treatment depends on the type involved and the severity of the condition. Hepatitis A usually resolves itself without any treatment, but can lead to death, albeit rarely. Hepatitis B and C are both treatable with drugs but they don’t always eliminate the virus from the body, meaning that the patient has chronic hepatitis, which requires careful long-term management. Treatment for non-viral hepatitis will depend on addressing the causative problem – for example, flushing any toxins contributing to the condition out of the body. Can it be prevented? The key to viral hepatitis prevention is vaccination. Hepatitis A and B are currently preventable with a vaccine, with the Hepatitis B vaccine falling under the Expanded Programme for Immunisation (EPI) for children in South Africa. This vaccine will also protect you from Hepatitis D.
Because Hepatitis A is generally milder, the vaccine is only given at request or at a doctor’s recommendation. As there are not yet vaccines against Hepatitis C or E, it is important to take measures to ensure your wellbeing, such as only practising safe sex and not sharing personal items that may have come into contact with an infected individual’s blood. Tips to prevent hepatitis Practising good hygiene is one key way to avoid contracting hepatitis A and E. If you’re traveling to a developing country, you should avoid: • local water • ice
• •
raw or undercooked shellfish and oysters raw fruit and vegetables.
Hepatitis B, C, and D are contracted through contaminated blood and can be prevented by: • not sharing drug needles • not sharing razors • not using someone else’s toothbrush • not touching spilled blood. Hepatitis B and C can also be contracted through sexual intercourse and intimate sexual contact. Practising safe sex by using condoms and dental dams can help decrease the risk of infection.
19
24 July 2018
Balance is key, says professor from Mt Pleasant
Y
Dr Zsa-Zsa Boggenpoel, a former resident of Mount Pleasant, became one of the youngest professors at the Stellenbosch University when she delivered her inaugural lecture on 19 July at the Department of Public Law. Her family and friends, and indeed the whole Overstrand, could not be more proud of her. ALEC BASSON chatted to this 33-year-old trailblazer.
ou obtained a PhD at 26, became professor at 32, and, among others, received a rating from the National Research Foundation. Also, you are the incumbent of the SA Research Chair in Property Law. What is your recipe for success? I have really been blessed with a considerable amount of opportunities that came at just the right time. It was just a question of taking those opportunities and making the best of them. I also had an incredible mentor and friend in the first five years of my academic career who guided me with honest and critical advice and looked out for me in instances where I doubted myself – because, believe me, you will doubt yourself. In terms of my own efforts, I have never really been someone to sit and wait for things to happen. I think this can largely be attributed to my upbringing. Being raised by a single mother who was not scared to get her hands dirty to put food on the table, taught me valuable lessons that I think are still reflected in the way I work today. Professors are often seen as old and grey. How do people react when they hear you are a professor? People – especially students and their parents – are mostly shocked and quite surprised when they meet me in person and see that I am a young female professor of colour. Having an outlandish name and surname certainly does not help the cause! What are some of the challenges you face as a young academic? I think one of the biggest challenges that young academics, who have moved up the ranks quite quickly, experience is the pressure of somehow having to live up to the expectations ordinarily associated with academics who have had years of experience. When you’re a young academic, you’re supposed to have a certain level of
Zsa-Zsa Boggenpoel’s whole family attended her inaugural lecture as the youngest professor at Stellenbosch University. From left are: Ashton Boggenpoel, Christine Boggenpoel, Samantha Lukas, Zsa-Zsa Boggenpoel, Jean Temmers (mother), Rosemary Boggenpoel, Rhoda de Lille and Moses Witbooi. Behind Jean Temmers is Blake Boggenpoel, Zsa-Zsa’s proud husband. academic development almost overnight and that can be particularly challenging. Generally speaking, you’re required to focus on undergraduate teaching, postgraduate supervision and your own research career. You’re also required to be conscious of the community around you, so that you can empower and strengthen those who are not as fortunate as you are. It’s a tall order for any academic, but for a young one who is still trying to find his or her feet, it can be extremely daunting. I think it is important to be acutely aware of these challenges so that you can find your place in the institution. If you gaze into your crystal ball, where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?
Not an easy question. In ten years’ time, I hope to be a happy, healthy 43-year-old woman who is content with who she is and what she has, and who maintains an appropriate balance between her spiritual, family and work life. I hope that all the effort and time I plough into those three aspects of my life will bear fruit ten years down the line, so that the next generation (i.e. my children and my students) will be reaping some of the benefits of the labour I put in now. Apart from academic life, what other activities are close to your heart? I believe my biggest activity at the moment is raising my son to be a responsible and compassionate person. My husband and I are very
involved and invested in our son’s development and growth, with the hope that he will grow up to reach his full potential. By far, that consumes most of my time and I am so incredibly proud of that. I love travelling (although I do that less now that I am a mother) and meeting new people. Travelling allows you to meet people with different ideas and from different cultures, and to get away briefly from the madness and chaos of your everyday life. I also love staying active by doing sport, because I believe in taking care of yourself – body, mind and soul. So, I try and do what I can to get out and stay active. What would your message be to young people wanting to pursue an academic career?
I think academic life presents a wonderful opportunity to have a certain level of flexibility to balance work, family and general wellbeing. That is if you’re able to set appropriate boundaries so that these facets of your life do not encroach upon each other. If you’re looking for that type of flexibility where you can decide how and when you’re going to invest your time, academia as a potential career will suit you well. The profession provides a chance to impact on young people’s lives and really empower the next generation to think differently about what South Africa could look like in future. I think the profession offers the intellectual space to engage with important issues and debates that are critical in taking this country forward.
20
T
24 July 2018
Adding a garden cottage to your property
here are many reasons for home owners to decide to build a cottage in the garden, especially in an environment such as the Cape Whale Coast. Many properties in our towns have more than enough space for an additional building. Homeowners might want to accommodate guests, grown children or retired parents, for example. If they are empty-nesters they might want to live in it themselves and rent out their house. They might want space for a studio or a new home-based business. And these days, they may be looking at the cottage itself becoming a business, via Airbnb or similar booking services. A separate cottage or even a granny suite with its own kitchen and bathroom can add considerable value to a house when the time comes to sell it. However, there are some important checks to be made before you call in the builder. You need to make sure, for example, that local authority zoning regulations allow a second dwelling on your stand, and that your plans would not infringe building line or servitude restrictions. Next you should check with a knowledgeable local estate agent whether your proposed addition would be
THE
NEWS
MY Home
cost-effective, in the sense that you would be able to recoup the cost of the build if you were to sell the property. This might not be the case if the value of your existing home is already close to the current market ceiling for your area. Of course, the proposed design and size of your cottage are also major considerations, because a building that spoils the view from your veranda or encroaches on your outdoor entertainment area, for example, could even reduce the attractiveness – and saleability – of your current home. Access should also be a concern, along with security. It is usually better if the cottage has a separate entrance and separate parking, but then you need to make sure that these will not compromise the security of the property as a whole. And, finally, if you do intend to let the cottage either long-term or part-time to travellers and holidaymakers, you should be reasonably sure that it will generate sufficient income to cover any additional income tax you have to pay – and any additional monthly repayment if you take a further advance on your home loan to cover the building costs. Source: realnet.co.za
21
24 July 2018
Robbie and his indigenous country garden Elaine Davie
A
t this time every year a patch of fynbos at the foot of the mountains between Kleinmond and Arabella, almost overnight turns extravagantly and vibrantly pink, as if blushing at being noticed. Magically, the proteas of the area are in flower once again, hundreds upon hundreds of them. What better time, we thought, to visit the man who identifies so strongly with this fascinating plant that one expects him to burst into bloom himself as he talks about his protea family. Can there be anything Robbie Thomas of Betty’s Bay does not know about this species, one wonders. And yet he has only been studying them closely for the past 16 years, since he and his botanical artist wife, Vicki retired to this coastal town at the foot of the Kogelberg, the world capital of the Cape Floral Kingdom. In fact, you could say that Robbie has been dodging his own heritage for most of his life. The son of Margaret Thomas, who was the chief horticulturist at Kirstenbosch for 50 years and founded the Indigenous Bulb-Growers’ Association, he is descended from a long line of botanists, dendrologists and horticulturists who have dug their roots deep into the soil of this country. Yet, to his mother’s chagrin, Robbie showed no real interest in plants. He puts this partially down to the fact that as a very little boy he was expected to lug a watering can almost bigger than himself to water his mother’s vegetable patch, and partially, to his preference for surfing, fishing, diving and hiking. However, once he and Vicki acquired a holiday house in Betty’s Bay and later decided to retire there, he could no longer ignore the abundance of plant life around him and he soon became particularly interested in Proteaceae. Apart from being such an iconic species, he soon discovered how many varieties there were and began to experiment with different ways to propagate the plants, scrounging seeds from neighbours and roadside plants.
Then he went on a week-long course on plant propagation at Elsenburg, which clinched it for him. He turned half his property – 1 500 m² – into an unlandscaped protea garden filled with every sub-species he could lay his hands on and began propagating new plants from them. He used a variety of methods, including grafting them on to root stock from hardy hybrid plants. Although the genera Proteaceae are found in other countries around the world, including Australia (the largest number), New Zealand and South America, Southern Africa is home to 360 species, of which 330 are to be found in the Cape Floral Kingdom, including Leucospermum (pincushion), Mimetes (pagodas), Leucadendron (cone bushes), Diastella (Southern silkypuffs), Serruria (spiderheads) and Orothamus (Marsh rose). And of course, the Protea. The Protea species alone is so diverse that it boggles the mind and includes such unexpected phenomena as dwarf species (including a dwarf King Protea) and groundcovers. As Robbie himself says: “These plants hold an endless fascination. When you think you know everything, you know nothing! They are sometimes found in the most inhospitable places: mountain peaks and droughtwracked semi-deserts, but the point is they have taken millions of years to adapt perfectly to these environments.” Given their hardiness, it is a real tragedy when one of them becomes extinct and that is exactly what happened to Mimetes Stokoei. After 50 years had passed with no sightings, CapeNature contacted Robbie out of the blue. A huge fire had ravaged sections of the Kogelberg and suddenly, 37 of them had popped out of the ground again. Robbie was called in as a matter of urgency to propagate more, so that they could be kept in a kind of ‘captive environment’ (his garden), in case they disappeared again in the wild. Now a large cluster of them is happily thriving there. This is no longer a hobby for Robbie;
it is a full-time occupation, a passion, one might say. He has created a propagation shed with just the right climate conditions where he grows thousands of little plants and experiments with different soil conditions and nutrients. Cuttings from rare plants are grafted onto hardier root stock, and carefully nurtured until they can flourish on their own. Half of his garage has also been converted into a laboratory where he carries out more experiments, especially with respect to diseases which might afflict the plants. And all this is done for love! Although he supplies botanical gardens like Kirstenbosch, Harold Porter and Fernkloof with plants to augment their collections, no money changes hands. From time to time, he also supplies commercial farmers with stock. Most of the plants he grows are not suitable for the cut flower market, because the stems are not long enough. They can, however, be sold as pot plants and there are now far more species growing in people’s gardens than was ever thought possible. Indeed, one of Robbie’s goals is to propagate more protea groundcovers, about which very little is known in the commercial world, and to see them distributed just as widely in private gardens as the more common species are. In the meantime, despite his disclaimer, he continues to accumulate a huge body of knowledge about the species as a whole and has begun to look at ways to collate and chronicle his findings. He has also contributed a chapter on grafting to the Kirstenbosch publication, Grow Proteas. Robbie Thomas is a man on a mission to honour and safeguard an important component of our national heritage. He is happy that he has provided strong enough root stock for his youngest daughter, Georgina, who studied Conservation Ecology and is working with her husband on the rehabilitation of damaged fynbos, to continue the family’s long history of dedicated commitment to the welfare and survival of our very special plant species.
ABOVE: Robbie Thomas in his potting shed. RIGHT: The beautiful Orothamnus zeyheri (Moss Rose). BELOW: Mimetes Stokoei was thought to be extinct until plants started reappearing in the Kogelberg after a huge fire.
22
T
24 July 2018
SA Tennis back on the international stage
hanks to stellar performances at Wimbledon by Kevin Anderson in the men's singles, and Raven Klaasen in the men's doubles, South African tennis received a welcome shot in the arm.
Offside Tony O’Hagan
While Klaasen has been a regular member of our Davis Cup team, Anderson was unavailable for selection in recent years. Reasons for this could include busy tournament schedules, rankings, monetary considerations or maybe an ambition to represent the USA, where he resides as a permanent resident. However, the latter reason was blown away when he stated his intention of playing under the South African flag until the end of his playing career. Just imagine, Anderson, now ranked No. 5 in the World, spearheading our singles and Klaasen, Wimbledon doubles finalist, at the forefront of the doubles. We could quickly rise from Euro/ African Group and join the elite group of 16 teams in the World Group of the Davis Cup, a trophy we won in 1974. This would add further impetus to the game of tennis in South Africa and provide an inspiration to our upcom-
ing junior players. Once upon a time, South Africa was a nation rich in tennis players, the likes of Cliff Drysdale (ranked at No. 4 and US Open finalist), Johan Kriek (twice Australian Open winner) and Kevin Curren (Wimbledon and Australian finalist). These guys beat the best on a given day and it was the best of times for SA Tennis. These were heroes our youngsters aspired to and who were at the helm of our Davis Cup exploits. On their heels came the "Super Squads", wolf pack teams of the country's elite players who were sent on missions to conquer the tennis world. Soon we had 14 players ranked in the World's top 100. In their footsteps came players like Wayne Ferreira who achieved a World ranking of no. 6.
Raven Klaasen in action on the court.
Many of these players had the benefits of a vibrant SA Open tournament, the year-end coastal Sugar Circuit and Challenger events. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints and a dearth of sponsors, these fell away. This did not deter Kevin Anderson, who started playing tennis at the age
of six and many hours of Swingball in the garden with his brother, Greg. Father, Mike was the coach and built a tennis wall on the property against which thousands of balls were hit to hone early skills. Encouragement from his school, St Stithians in Johannesburg, led to further success and an opportunity to attend the University of Illinois in America. In 2016, he co-founded a tennis instructional and lifestyle website titled Realife Tennis which offers instruction and access to life on the professional tennis circuit. We now have a new set of heroes in the tennis world and it would be a great boon for tennis if we had both these gladiators representing the Rainbow Nation in the Davis Cup. Federer played when Switzerland won the Cup, likewise Djokovic in Serbia's success and Murray when Great Britain was victorious. One of Kevin Anderson’s favourite bands is Dire Straits and he loves playing the guitar so we will have to try and “hit the right chord” and entice him back for Davis Cup duty!
23
24 July 2018
G
Chipping in to keep golf course on a par
reetings once again all. Wow, what can I say, our poor town is suffering. We have all been talking about and watching the reports about the trouble and problems in Zwelihle, and all I can say is I am heartbroken about what I am hearing. I truly pray that the unrest will end soon. Thanks to all the members of law and order who have been tirelessly working to control the situation and to the members of the media who have kept us informed. As a community member in a situation such as this it is extremely frightening to hear the noises, bangs and shouts coming from Zwe; let’s hope that by the time this goes to print the situation is resolved. Many thanks to our staff for picking up the slack and pulling together over this difficult time. We have had everyone chipping in and making the course and clubhouse presentable and functioning.
The Putting Pirate
Scores at a glance
Julian Shaw
qualifying schools all around the globe these days. This year we have 12 South Africans in the field which is fantastic! A position in our shop Just a note to anyone looking for a job: I have a position of shop assistant available and would love to fill it with someone who is keen and able to fit in with lots of people. Please mail your CV to me at golf@hermanus.co.za Final giggle This one has to go down in the annals of history as a “maybe hole-inone”. One of our members, John Simpson, was playing one of our
short holes late one evening. He hits his ball towards the green but as it’s getting dark he loses sight of it. Getting to the green he doesn’t see it but his partner sees a ball in the bunker. John looks at it and sees it is a Srixon, his ball type, and proceeds to play the ball onto the green and next to the hole. As he putts the ball up to the hole he notices a ball in the hole, another Srixon ball. As he cannot identify his ball he gets a “Maybe a hole-in-one” certificate! Tough luck, John, but thanks for sharing!
SATURDAY ALL TOGETHER 14 JULY Alliance Stableford 121 players Winners: Peter Cawdry, Rob George, Paul Vorster and Greg Donald - 93 points Runners up: Theuns Geldenhuys, Tony de Beer, Hennie Theron, Gert Keuler - 91 points Three 2 clubs Ball pool paid to 90 Attendance draw was sponsored by Lew Geffen Sotheby’s (fellow member John Quincey) and was won by David Boers. Congratulations. LADIES 17 JULY Betterball Stableford 30 players Winners: Kim Davies and Pauline Metcalf - 43 points C/I Runners up: Martie de Wet and Janet Swarts - 43 points C/O WEDNESDAY MEN’S 18 JULY Betterball Stableford 101 players Winners: Dave Shutte and Brian James - 47 points Runners up: Johan van Vuuren and Richard Franck - 46 points C/I Ball pool pays to 43 One 2 club
The Open By the time you read this week’s Village NEWS you may well know who the new Open Champion is. As I am writing this I am salivating at the very prospect of watching the Open and following shot by shot, especially on Sunday, with a braai and my son, Gordon glued to the screen! The Open is the oldest of the four golf majors, having first been played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. In fact the first field had just eight golfers, all professionals, and they played three rounds of the 12- hole Prestwick Golf course in one day. Willie Park Sr won on 174, beating the legendary Old Tom Morris by 2 strokes. Since then things have changed, with millions of pounds in prize money and
Our greens superintendents Malcolm Bromley and Mark Pnematicatos top dressing the greens.
Two of our members, Lynne Behagg and Ilze Pieters-Cloete helping out behind the counter with chef Tullishe le Roux of the clubhouse restaurant.
24
THE
NEWS
24 July 2018
MY Sport
Lionel scores a national try
H
ermanus High School is very proud of one of its first team rugby players, Lionel April. After this year's Craven Week, he was selected to play for SA Rugby's National Schools’ team. This team will play in August against Wales (10 Aug), France (14 Aug) and England (18 Aug).
The Overberg region of the Boland Grand Challenge is hotting up as teams commence the second half of the season. After the first round of fixtures, Hawston are once again at the helm. Their motto of "ons skrik vir niks" is evident in the results and the team is favoured to progress to the final play-off stages.
Lionel is a particularly talented rugby player who, with his exceptional sportsmanship and team spirit, has made an impression on the rugby field since Grade 8 in Hermanus High School. He has been a key player in the U19A rugby team over the past two years and is the flyhalf (number 10) of the team, as well as one of the top-scoring players in each match. This year he was also the vice-captain of the team.
Due to the early season droughts, resulting in a late kick-off to the rugby competitions, only one team from the Overberg division will qualify for the play-offs. In the past, two teams from each of the six regions were able to contest the final knock-out stages.
Lionel has represented the following teams over the last 5 years: 2014 - 2018: played for his age group’s A-team each year. 2016: Boland U16 Grant Khomo XV (SARU Youth Week, Paarl). 2017: Boland U18 Academic Team (SARU Youth Week, Johannesburg. Lionel was also named as the Man of the Match for one of the games). 2018: Boland Invitation Team to the Wildeklawer Rugby Week in Kimberley. 2018: Boland U18 Craven Week Team (SARU Youth Week, Paarl. Lionel was named this year's Man of the Match after the game against the Blue Bulls, as well as the ‘Hero of the Day’ on the third day, as the best player overall).
After the first round of the competition, the log for the Overberg region of the Boland Grand Challenge is as follows: Hawston, Bredasdorp, Safcol (Grabouw), Gansbaai, Botrivier, Caledon, Grabouw, Atlantics (Hermanus) and Genadendal. A betting man would not go against Hawston coming out tops again. – Tony O’Hagan
Sign up for Corporate Netball Challenge Hermanus Netball Club will host their 2018 Corporate Challenge on Thursday, 9 August at Hermanus Primary School. Individuals and businesses are invited to leave their current stressful situation behind and participate in a day of fun, laughter and teambuilding.
Lionel also takes part in Sevens Rugby. He was selected for the Boland U17 Sevens Rugby Team in September 2017. This team participated in the South African Sevens Rugby Championships in Kimberley during October. They placed third at this tournament and then participated in the International Assupol Sevens tournament in Stellenbosch at the end of October and won the cup finals. Lionel also participates in athletics and represents the school at the Interschool Athletics Meeting and also the South Boland team.
Boland Grand Challenge Rugby enters second round
The Corporate Challenge promises to be an event where everyone can engage in a social game of netball between rivals, friends and colleagues. As 9 August is Women’s Day, the club will also be celebrating their members for being their support base and inspiration.
Hermanus High School learner Lionel April, who was selected to play for SA Rugby's National Schools’ team that will be competing in England, Wales and France in August.
Hermanus Netball Club thanks all their sponsors in advance for their kind assistance towards this fundraiser. Anyone who wants to take up the challenge can request an entry form from hermanusnetball@gmail.com
