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www.thevillagenews.co.za
24 June 2020
FROM THE EDITOR
Turn adversity into opportunity The next edition of The Village NEWS will be available on 1 July 2020. The NEWS can be found at over 300 distribution points in the Overberg.
De Waal Steyn PUBLISHING EDITOR E: dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za T: 083 700 3319
Hedda Mittner CONTENT EDITOR E: hedda@thevillagenews.co.za T: 083 645 3928
During these trying times there are very few things that go according to plan and this uncertainty leaves us all with a great deal of stress and uneasiness. Many of us are longing for a time when we can safely go about our daily business as normal, but we have to keep in mind that the effects of the pandemic will be with us for a very long time to come. It is predicted that unless an effective vaccine becomes available, we will still need to wear masks for at least another year. This is not a happy prospect, but we have the
now three or four times the normal price, at least some folks are keeping their tills ringing and the home-fires burning. As Shakespeare wrote: Where there’s fire, there’s smokes.
ONLINE EDITOR E: raphael@thevillagenews.co.za T: 074 125 5854
Now, we all know that banning something often creates more demand. Movies and books have glamorised the covert chicanery during America’s Prohibition era of the last century, when alcohol was outlawed. Result? Bootlegging became almost a national sport as hill-billies and city-slickers alike set up moonshine stills and produced hooch which could easily substitute as paint-stripper or aeroplane fuel if packaged differently.
Elaine Davie SUB-EDITOR & JOURNALIST
Taylum Meyer PHOTOGRAPHER & PRODUCTION MANAGER E: taylum@thevillagenews.co.za T: 084 564 0779
Charé van der Walt MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE E: chare@thevillagenews.co.za T: 082 430 1974
Nickey Jackson MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE E: nickey@thevillagenews.co.za T: 079 408 7722
While these steps seem easy and straightforward, they actually become a little more difficult as more businesses reopen and more people are out and about. It almost feels as if the lockdown should have taken place in reverse, with Level 1 adopted in March and Level 5 when the peak is reached.
of losing their livelihoods. At the same time that we need to be more vigilant, we also need to spend more locally to help our businesses survive.
But the rationale of the lockdown was to delay the peak of the pandemic – a point we are now racing towards. So, as more activity is allowed, the more we must be vigilant. The duality of the situation we find ourselves in becomes even more evident when we take into account the harsh economic realities of the pandemic. Revenue has plummeted and difficult decisions will need to be made in the coming weeks and months by many companies.
It is not an easy task to juggle all that is expected of us. But we will keep trying. As President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “Let us put shoulder to the wheel and turn this adversity into opportunity.” We owe it to ourselves and to our neighbours.
It is estimated that 1.6 billion workers worldwide are in danger
This is the good NEWS – Ed
Nicotine dreams are made of this
Raphael da Silva
E: elaine@thevillagenews.co.za T: 084 343 7500
power to help curb the spread of the disease by simply following these simple steps: staying home as much as possible to avoid becoming infected, especially if you fall into one of the risk groups, practising good hygiene and social distancing, wearing a mask and avoiding gatherings.
By Murray Stewart murray.stewart49@gmail.com y the time of going to press, the wise old owl controlling our State of Disaster may still be treating us like naughty Grade 10 school kids for smoking. Well, whether the ban has been lifted or not, let’s pop open the bonnet and find out how the engine keeps running and belching smoke – without petrol, apparently.
The pub/tavern was replaced by the ‘speak-easy’ where this moonshine shone brightly on those behind its locked doors, and as the name implies, tongues loosened and folks still got legless anyway. However, the moon couldn’t have shone without the dubiously-connected cabals controlling these outlets. Like the Mafia for example, with a couple of strategic politicians chucked in as silent partners.
Those with a long-standing affair with Miss Nicky-T may well inhale through the mouth, but pay through the nose to satisfy the temptress. Despite SARS losing billions in sin taxes, and with contraband smokes
Here in South Africa, both Madame Moonshine and Miss Nicky-T were locked up in the same cell for a while. Then, strangely, they released the Madame, not only back into bottle stores but also as take-away from
B
restaurants, which wasn’t allowed before. But there’s talk of locking her up again, though… Meanwhile back at the ranch, the Nicky-T fan club has sprung into action. Covert communications via social media and the good old telephone are established, and haggling between suppliers and distributors is rampant. The end user has no say – they just have to cough en betaal. So, the supply chain is operating smoothly, but where do these illegal smokes come from and who makes them? A bouquet of questionable brands sneak in from neighbouring states, but local production is where things get a bit messy… Among the contraband going up in smoke are never-heard-of-before brands like Premium, Phoenix, Red&Black, F1 and Kings, from various manufacturers like Carnilinx and Amalgamated Tobacco. And here, without mentioning names, the word Zuma pops up, with connections not only to a son of the Nkandla King, but also with the long association between the Minister of Cold Turkey herself and Adriano Mazotti, a self-confessed smoke-smuggler. But that’s another story… Back to the addicts. Non-smokers will be horrified, but here are a few tips
we’ve picked up along the way. Firstly, if desperate, ditch any ideas you had about your dignity – it’s a messy business. Without shame, raid your/ neighbours’ ashtrays and dustbins for stompies. Those last couple of unsmoked centimetres when emptied out, make up a few extra ‘rollers’. Save the filters. Mix this with a packet of pipe tobacco, also outlandishly priced, and some lavender or catnip – for a slight buzz, apparently. The problem is ‘papers’. Manufactured papers fit perfectly into a rolling machine, with a sticky edge to lick your creation tightly closed. But papers are rare as frog feathers, so now what? The dilemma is securing your rollie so it doesn’t unravel like a burst boerewors. Spit only works in cowboy movies. Newspaper is too thick, so in prison we used the phonebook and also had access to another popular book with very fine paper, but moving on… How about Pritt, sticky-tape or super-glue? (Unhealthy?) Or egg-white? (Nutritious?) Envelopes have a sticky strip, and there’s… Oops, gotta go. But how things have changed! Puffing tobacco is illegal now, but growing/smoking cannabis isn’t. Weird. Best not to smoke at all though, nè?
WEEKLY WEATHER & DE BOS DAM LEVELS
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Wed | 24 Jun
Thu | 25 Jun
Fri | 26 Jun
Sat | 27 Jun
Sun | 28 Jun
Mon | 29 Jun
Tue | 30 Jun
8°/17° Clear
12°/19° Some Rain
12°/14° Some Rain
13°/15° Rain
14°/16° Partly Cloudy
13°/17° Partly Cloudy
11°/19° Clear
Ilana van der Merwe GRAPHIC DESIGNER E: ilana@thevillagenews.co.za
ADMIN & FINANCE E: admin@thevillagenews.co.za
De Bos Dam 37.73%
Weekly Rainfall 1mm
Last week 37.62%
Last week 52mm
WEEKLY TIDE TABLES 11 208 audited weekly circulation
HIGH LOW HIGH LOW
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Tides sourced by www.sanho.co.za
06:46 00:38 19:18 12:52
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07:45 01:42 20:20 13:52
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08:53 02:54 21:29 15:01
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10:09 04:09 22:37 16:16
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11:22 05:19 23:42 17:27
