LOCKDOWN LEVEL:
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COVID-19 DASHBOARD OVERSTRAND
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www.thevillagenews.co.za
2 September 2020
2
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TOTAL CASES AS OF 2 SEPTEMBER:
OVERSTRAND BREAKDOWN OF CASES: TOTAL (ACTIVE)
WORLD: 23 722 981 SOUTH AFRICA: 625 056 WESTERN CAPE: 105 093 (16.82% of cases in SA) OVERBERG: 3 410
• FISHERHAVEN: 14 (0) • GANSBAAI: 284 (5) - 5 deaths • HAWSTON: 119 (3) - 1 death • HERMANUS: 172 (5) - 4 deaths • KLEINMOND: 99 (2) - 2 deaths
• MT PLEASANT: 135 (1) - 2 deaths • ONRUS: 56 (1) - 3 deaths • SANDBAAI: 41 (4) • STANFORD: 101 (11) - 3 deaths • VERMONT: 21 (1) • ZWELIHLE: 557 (7) - 5 deaths
LAST WEEK'S TOTAL CASES:
TOTAL: 1 599 (40) - 25 deaths
WORLD: 23 722 981 SOUTH AFRICA: 609 773 (5th in the world) WESTERN CAPE: 102 615 OVERBERG: 3 328 OVERSTRAND: 1 568
(24 AUG)
LET'S TALK Healthy and robust debate are crucial for democracy. The Village NEWS firmly believes in freedom of the press as well as the right of individuals to freely express themselves, as long as they don’t infringe upon the rights of others. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors therefore do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of The Village NEWS. Letters may be shortened and/or edited for clarity and style. Enjoy our paper. Send your letters to dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za.
Overstrand fire plan urgently needed The vegetation and trees on the greenbelt along Bass Road in Betty’s Bay are now 5 metres high and close to the road. There are many properties with explosive growths of vegetation in the three villages – Betty’s Bay, Pringle Bay and Rooiels – which constitute a very serious fire risk. Fire is endemic. It is also the biggest threat we face. The cost of damages caused by the next big fire will be disastrous. Local authorities and various bodies have devoted much-appreciated effort to organising fire-prevention plans. However, localised fire-fighting groups, fantastic as they are, have limited effect. Only the municipality has the resources and capabilities to extinguish any serious fire. Preparing in advance by supporting the various bodies engaged in preparing fire plans will be an investment yielding supreme returns. Therefore these efforts must receive our full support. Any fire should be reported immediately.
Fire planning presents a serious challenge. Residents should be encouraged specifically to remove excess vegetation and to assist all efforts aimed at limiting fire loss. Many residents are seriously nervous and the existence of a comprehensive fire-fighting plan will go a long way in reassuring the community. The fire plan should have an action checklist, with the primary objective of facilitating a very rapid response to any fire. Many procedures and protocols already exist. However, there is a need to link them all together so as to minimise any delays. In order to streamline the processes involved in extinguishing a blaze as fast as possible and minimising losses, it is essential to prepare an action plan in advance of a crisis. At present there is a sense of insufficient action! It is as if we are simply waiting for the next fire – to be dealt with as it happens. The actions required include effi-
cient communication with residents and access to information, such as which numbers they should call in case of an emergency. This information could be printed and widely distributed through various channels, such as the Betty’s Bay Ratepayers Association or Botanical Society newsletters, local retailers, security companies and other businesses, and public notice boards. Those who have given thought to a fire plan should ensure that residents are able to obtain details, including of their emergency evacuation procedure. Maybe we can learn more by reviewing existing processes that are in place and asking questions such as how many fire engines are available; if there is justification for a dedicated Betty’s Bay fire engine and how it could be funded; if there is scope for mutual co-operation with other bodies regarding fire engines; or if there is any merit in a siren? An instruction guide and a map
could be circulated showing the location of the fire hydrants. Other questions that could be addressed include whether it is practical for residents to connect their own hoses to fire hydrants? Should couplings be available? Should hoses be available? Where? Another important issue is the identification of a command centre, for eg. the Crassula Hall, and the designation of emergency parking areas, for eg. Bass lake, and helicopter landing areas. With regard to fire-fighting capacity, we have to ensure that volunteer firefighters have adequate equipment. How can the volunteers be augmented? Can members of the police be trained as emergency fire fighters? How can we as residents cooperate with the local authorities and provide support for the firefighters? The Fire Department has already identified hotspots. Can residents assist in this regard by reporting
Thank you for supporting food bank Relief.life, a registered NPO and the disaster management arm of Shofar Christian Church, would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who contributed to the food bank over the past five months. With the start of level 2 of the lockdown we have stopped our relief effort but would like to thank everyone involved. The financial donations and food donations placed in designated trolleys at the various shopping centres enabled us to provide more
than 92 tons of food parcels, which amounted to more than 525 000 meals to those in need. In addition, food parcels were also donated and distributed in our community by Siya Kolisi, Bryan Habana and Landrover/ Jaguar. A special thank you goes to Chief Lester Smith and his team from the Overstrand Municipality for their logistical support, and the countless man hours and resources they provided to ensure that food parcels reached the
various communities. Our gratitude also goes to Joan Pillay and Brian Lobb from Disaster Management for going the extra mile and always making a plan; to Councillors Ronald Nut and Lindele Ntsabo for overseeing the transparent distribution of the food parcels; to Angela Heslop from the Red Cross for their financial support; and Ann Wright from the Hermanus Rotary Club for their support and encouragement. We’d also like to extend a very special
thank you to Zelda la Grange for her passion in facilitating and addressing the needs in our community. But most of all, thank you to the Hermanus community who gave so generously in a time of need, not only to us but also to other organisations like food4love, Pear Tree, various churches and other NGOs. We are proud to be part of this community. May God bless you! Andries van der Merwe Relief.life
areas such as the greenbelt between Bass and Reed Roads, the spider gum forest on the R44, and overgrown properties? Guidelines in fuel load reduction (which have already been listed by Tim Attwell) should be made widely available and the municipality must enforce existing regulations regarding overgrown properties. Residents need to be informed about the procedures and how they can obtain assistance from the municipality in transporting cut vegetation to the dump. Basically, we need to prepare, in advance, for the certainty that the next devastating fire event is coming. Everything must run like clockwork. The community must embrace this combined effort in preparing for and fighting the next fire. Collective action is potent. Peter Berrisford Betty’s Bay
Stating the facts The Village NEWS wishes to apologise to Mayor Dudley Coetzee for publishing the wrong date for the closure of comments on the Hermanus Bypass in his reply to a letter on 19 August 2020. Shortly after his reply was sent to us, Coetzee phoned and corrected the date. Unfortunately, the file with the correct date was not saved properly before it was sent on to the production team. We regret the error. - Editor
