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www.thevillagenews.co.za
19 June 2019
PHOTO: Wise Photographics
LET’S TALK
Where did all the festivalgoers go? If I didn’t know that there was a festival in Hermanus over the past 11 days I certainly would never have guessed it. There were no signs, no flags, no posters – absolutely nothing to indicate that there was in actual fact a tremendous line-up of events taking place. How visitors managed to find their way to all the different venues remains a mystery to me. The festival seems to take place in a cocoon of its own without involving the rest of the town. I never noticed more people in town or an increase in traffic, not even over the weekends. Where did all the festivalgoers go? Why were they not strolling around, browsing our beautiful little shops and galleries, or enjoying our fabulous restaurants and coffee shops? I was so embarrassed when I encouraged friends of ours to visit over the long weekend – after all, there is a festival going on! Big was our disappointment when on Saturday afternoon we decided to visit some galleries and found several had closed their doors for the day. We then sat down at a popular venue to have a bite
to eat and drink, which was lovely but the place was almost empty and the atmosphere was all but festive. The same thing happened that evening when our friends wanted to meet up after a concert they had booked tickets for. It was only 9pm but Hermanus resembled a ghost town and the restaurants were either closed or deserted and on the verge of closing. At least we managed to get a table and were served some dinner, but our friends were perplexed to find a town that dead on a Saturday night. The last thing they wanted to do before returning home on Sunday was to visit a particular wine estate that had a special exhibition. All the way up the valley we went, only to end up in front of a closed door. And yes, I know it was a Sunday, but it was also a long weekend and, dare I say it again, there was supposed to be a festival going on? Can someone please remind the rest of town to come to the party, even if it is only once a year? Disgruntled FynArts supporter
Friendly stop-and-go Drowning out the frustration of the stop-andgo road station delays along the R43, is a collective cheer at the phenomenal road upgrade well underway on this busy thoroughfare. The road works site office in Stanford holds the blueprint of this massive undertaking, a project manned by scores of engineers, heavy road equipment drivers, tree fellers, clearing teams and marshals. All day and all night the stop-and-go marshals work long, thankless shifts to best ensure safe passage for drivers. Despite weather extremes and countless hours on their feet, a greeting is invariably met with a smile, a thumbs up or a
wave. If traffic conditions allow for a safe pull-off or slow down, let’s give these teams our support with a cup of coffee or cooldrink, a sandwich, some sweets and definitely a thank you and smile for doing a good job.
Light up your future Writer Taylum Meyer On Sunday June 16, the Zwelihle Youth Café hosted a Youth Day celebration called ILLUMINATE: Light up your future at the RDP centre in Zwelihle. The celebrations ran from 14:00 – 20:00 and were opened with speeches by Overberg Deputy Mayor Archie Klaas (below) and other community leaders. Those attending were entertained by a number of activities and performances such as dancing, open mic, face painting, craft workshops and a small market. When the sun set, all the youngsters joined a march through Zwelihle with lanterns and candles to remember the youth that were killed in the Soweto Uprising of 16 June 1976. Protests started in African schools in 1975 after
This picturesque journey has long been blighted by arrogant road hogs, whose accelerator pressure reflects their level of selfishness and stupidity. Let’s recognise them for who and what they are and give kudos instead to those who are working flat out to make this passage safer for us all.
Healthy and robust debate is 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. Send your letters to letters@thevillagenews.co.za
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On their way they were met by heavily-armed police who fired teargas and then live ammunition at the demonstrating students. The aftermath of that day had serious consequences for the Apartheid Government as images of police firing on peaceful protesters exposed their brutality. Youth Day is a day in which we as South Africans honour the youths that were killed by police in Soweto on 16 June 1976. Although the exact number is still disputed, at least 176 youngsters lost their lives and over 1 000 were injured. “Once we forget what happened in the past, we run the risk of repeating the same mistakes again and again. Even today, good education is not accessible to all our children. Future presidents, climate activists, researchers and teachers could be among the children who surround us. We can never underestimate the importance of education and on 16 June we come together to remember Youth Day, so that it may pave the way for a fairer education system,” said William Ntebe of the Zwelihle Youth Café.
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Afrikaans was made compulsory as a medium of instruction, alongside English, in secondary schools by the Bantu Education Department. A year later, the uprising that began in Soweto spread nation-wide and the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) and the South African Students Organisation (SASO) were formed. On 16 June 1976, against the government’s instruction, between 3 000 and 10 000 students mobilised by SASO marched peacefully to join a rally at Orlando Stadium.
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