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www.thevillagenews.co.za
7 October 2020
FROM THE EDITOR
Importance of public participation The next edition of The Village NEWS will be available on 14 October 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
Raphael da Silva ONLINE EDITOR
E: raphael@thevillagenews.co.za T: 074 125 5854
The controversy surrounding the planned new ablution facilities at Onrus beach is a textbook example of the importance of proper public participation. This issue is but one of many examples in the Overstrand of the extent to which residents choose to be part of the planning processes of local government. Other examples that spring to mind include the Fernkloof Management Plan, the safari park near Kleinmond, the De Mond development and the Hermanus Bypass, to name but a few. Residents need to familiarise themselves with the public participation policy of the municipality. It can be found under the Policies tab on www.overstrand. gov.za. One of the cornerstones of this policy
Sugar & Spice
Elaine Davie JOURNALIST E: elaine@thevillagenews.co.za T: 084 343 7500
Taylum Meyer PRODUCTION MANAGER, PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN 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
A
is the Ward Committee system, which has proven to be successful if properly run by the local government, with the buy-in of civil society organisations such as homeowners’ and ratepayers’ associations and business chambers. As a matter of fact, the Western Cape is one of the only places in the country where Ward Committees have proven to be successful. But while this system does work, it also has its shortcomings. Often Joe Soap has very little idea of what is on the agenda at these committee meetings and even less knowledge on what projects are contained in the Independent Development Plans for their suburbs. While it is the task of the committee members to, in turn, inform their constituents as to what is being discussed and planned, the system is not infallible.
And while there are great expectations of the municipality to ensure public participation, there is only that much they can do to inform residents. For this very reason, The Village NEWS has over the years often reported on public participation projects in order to bring it to the attention of residents. It forms part and parcel of our duty to inform our readers. But between the Ward Committees, newspapers, social media and various other means of communication, it often happens that information does not reach those who expect to be informed about certain issues. For this reason we urge our readers to become active citizens and make a point of reading Council and Ward Committee agendas, to interact with the various community pages on
social media and to support their business chambers, homeowners’ and ratepayers’ associations and any other civil society organisation. Make it your business to know what is happening in your town; it is your right and your duty. In the same breath, Ward Councillors and the Municipality must ensure that they are continuously in discussion with their constituents. The importance of newsletters, social media groups and WhatsApp forums cannot be stressed enough. There needs to be continuous and clear communication from the side of local government on all issues that are of concern to residents. Let us talk and listen. This is the good NEWS – Ed
Things I know for sure… but who knows? So here goes: Things I know for sure. I'm not going for the obvious, like SAA is and will remain a dodo. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
By Hélène Truter
long, long time ago when printed magazines were still a thing, Oprah Winfrey used to write a column: . And Oprah is a woman we should listen to. She has enough money to save Eskom, bail out PRASA, pay maintenance for the 15 or so remaining Mrs. Zumas... You get the picture. Recently, I tried to get hold of her. No, not to ask for a loan. I wondered what she would write about the year 2020. Sadly, I couldn't get near her, even though I used my Madiba connection. (Of course I'm connected. I've met Zelda la Grange, hello!) If Oprah can know things, so can I. Why not? We're very similar, except that she's African American and impossibly rich. For the rest... she's practically my sister from another mother.
Let me start in my hometown. One thing I now know for sure… If you want a successful, enjoyable Heritage long weekend, (even mid-pandemic) don’t organise a Whale Festival! It was wonderful to welcome visitors who actually came to see the whales, and support our restaurants and local businesses. I did not miss the traffic jams, or the smell of grilled chicken and booze, and the camping in parking lots. Now that more people may attend social gatherings, why not stock up on essential supplies such as cocktails, chocolate, glitter and host a masked ball? Not only will 2020 be the Year of the Mask, but the other fashion trend, 'Orange is the new black', will soon be adopted by some of our more prominent... what shall we call them... civil servants?
Yes, it will get better. December will be a bumper season. Families will spend more time with each other. For some that is wonderful news; for others, well... maybe social distancing isn't such a bad thing? Any future movies dealing with viruses or pandemics or global disasters will be total box office flops. We have lived it, okay. There goes my potential award-winning Netflix movie. And the follow-up series as well. Not to mention the mask merchandise. April Fool's Day will never be the same again. We didn't even have one this year. Because no one could actually come up with a prank that could compete with the crap we were dealing with. Not even Stephen King can top such a plot. (Just a quick reminder: it will get better. No, I can't promise that. But a girl can hope.) I know for sure... If he's hot, always smells good, leaves you feeling happy and satisfied, he's not your man, he's a pizza. Forgive me, I'm a South African survivor. We get through crises by making bad jokes. If you don't get
that, you are quite possibly a foreigner, maybe even an extremely rich African American talk show host. I know for sure that Mr. Trump will have to do some fancy tapdancing since he tested positive. I know for sure that no one has a damn clue about who's going to win the American election. I know for sure that it will be chaos, no matter what the outcome. I know for sure that journalists and stand-up comedians will have much less to write about should the current cabinet be dissolved. (Again, a girl can only hope). Recently one of our upstanding MPs confidently declared: What's good for the goose, is good for the duck. Hey, I'm not judging, English isn't my first language either and I've come up with a couple of beauties myself. Don't look a gift horse in the face. No one's going to pull the wool over my head. Idioms were clearly not my strong point at school. Who knows, I might even make it to Parliament. Actually no, that will never happen. And that I know for sure.
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