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www.thevillagenews.co.za
30 October 2019
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. Send your letters to letters@thevillagenews.co.za
LET’S TALK
Proposed SRA levy for OnrusUse De Mond site for Vermont ‘hugely unfair’ In response to the letter from ‘I love Onrus’ (Let us all help to make Onrus great again, The Village NEWS 16 October 2019) I would make the following comments: The writer laments the decline of the neighbourhood from what it was like two decades ago and goes on to motivate support for the proposed Special Ratings Area (SRA). I have been closely associated with Onrus for over 60 years and whilst I agree that we have become more isolated by boundary walls, I do not agree that Onrus is no longer a friendly, quiet and safe environment where children are able to ride bicycles to the beach and go swimming, unsupervised by parents, as alluded to in the letter. Onrus is indeed still a friendly, quiet and generally safe environment where one still sees children on bicycles and skateboards or walking to the
beach and elsewhere, unsupervised by parents or adults, and where many individual women and older couples walk alone along the seafront.
tial SRA – and was this change perhaps motivated by anyone on the SRA committee? The writer also makes light of the R30 per month that it would cost. This is misleading and incorrect as it is not a fixed cost that would be payable, but would be determined by the municipal valuation of each property.
The neighbourhood is clean and tidy due to the service provided by the Overstrand Municipality, the many proud residents who spontaneously pick up litter as well as an informal group who currently clean up the coastal path area. 'I love Onrus' was astonished by the negative comments from attendees at a recent SRA public meeting and “could not help wondering why they were so resistant and downright distrustful.” Has this sentiment perhaps something to do with the recent change and approval by the Overstrand Municipality on 29 May 2019 in allowing SRA applicants to only need a 50% plus 1 vote (down from the previous 60% plus 1) in favour, to approve a residen-
Properties valued between R1 million and R6 million would range from R22 to R175 per month, as presented at the SRA meeting. This unfortunate requirement by the Overstrand Municipality to charge cents to the rand on property valuations is hugely unfair and discriminatory against higher priced properties, of which there are many, being a seafront residential area because the service delivered by the SRA would be the same, irrespective of the monthly payments. ALSO love Onrus
Why pay for parking in CBD? The letter, Please, make us feel welcome in the CBD, refers. The writer states that the entrance to town leaves much to be desired and I think we all feel that way. The biggest gripe I have and what makes me feel unwelcome is wherever you stop you are hassled by parking attendants. What if we can keep it the way it is at the moment without any parking attendants? If that is the case, it would be such a pleasure to go into the CBD.
It can cost a bit to visit the CBD because you have to pay wherever you stop. Just calculate for yourself what you would pay after a few stops. If I must pay to park in the CBD I would rather go to the mall and pay nothing. I have unsuccessfully tried to send this email to the municipality, maybe The NEWS can help. Sandra Solomon The NEWS forwarded the letter to the municipality and they answered as follows: Parking in Hermanus is levied to
encourage vehicle turnover in the CBD and to discourage people from parking for longer periods, denying daily shoppers space to park their cars. In addition, free parking is available at Hoy's Koppie (opposite Checkers), on the grounds of the NG Church and at Gearing’s Point. Remember, parking fees levied by shopping centres such as Woolworths and Checkers on their own private land are determined by the operators of those centres. These parking areas are not municipal property.
donated to Sparklekids. Not only did they cut their fees to the bone but they also went out of their way to ensure that the transaction between South Africa and Europe proceeded as
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FIBRE
It was a majestic morning on Mosselberg that inspired me to write this letter. As I sat up there and pondered the world below, my eyes fell on the piece of open land that was once the De Mond caravan park. I thought about its position at the mouth of the Klein River estuary and the memories I had of going there straight after matric back in 1981, when it was just an ordinary, very simple and beautiful camping and caravan site under milkwoods and next to the serene estuary. This piece of land which, if I am not mistaken, belongs to the Overstrand Municipality, has recently been earmarked for another development, set to tick many legislative and environmental boxes but with the sole outcome of benefiting a few people financially and materially.
smoothly, efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Thank you for making this happen! Theo Krynauw
The site sits at the confluence of nu-
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from R495.00
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Now live in areas: Berg-en-See | Hemel-en-Aarde Estate | Hermanus Heights
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www.hermanusfibre.co.za
I spend a fair amount of time walking in the mountains above Hermanus and surrounds and am always awestruck by the vistas that appear from every vantage point that one reaches at any given time on the ridges and peaks around this beautiful part of the world.
As I pondered this seemingly inevitable outcome, another idea came to me which inspired me to write this letter. What if this site could somehow become the site of an internationally acclaimed ecological, environmental and technologically-centred University, drawing all kinds of national and international students and researchers, experts in their fields from all over the world?
Thank you to Steyn Wilson On behalf of Sparklekids, I’d like to thank Lourina and Marica of Steyn Wilson Inc. Attorneys from the bottom of my heart for their generous support in the transfer of the property recently
development of a university
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merous ecosystems, from the ocean and coastal dunes, to rivers, estuaries and mountains with their related botanical plant kingdoms. Not only this, but it is situated in a town which is struggling with implementing the infrastructure for human expansion. There could be innovative, cutting-edge architectural and town planning faculties which provide ideas for new sustainable industries, providing work for what is eventually going to become another city outside of Cape Town. The permutations are too many to list in this letter. In this very unsettling time with all the global issues regarding our survival as a species, is it not time to grasp more and more that the legacies we leave future generations need to be driven by the inclusion of all, including the very planet we call home? Imagine being on Mosselberg in 50 or even 100 years’ time and looking down on a vibrant, cutting-edge institution, the most southerly university on the African continent and one at the coal face of environmental research and innovation, feeding into the vibrancy of the city and its surrounding towns, instead of just another development seemingly only benefiting a few. This would be a lasting legacy for Hermanus and the entire Overberg region and one I am sure Mother Earth would be grateful for! Barry Coombe, Hermanus
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