GREAT KEI
Tatler We know where you live.
GONUBIE
HOGSBACK
by Aly Verbaan
D
riving around the streets of Cwili in the early hours of Sunday morning with no headlights on, a Cwili woman in a blue double-cab bakkie ran over a man lying in the road. Police have indicated that the man, and possibly the woman also, were drunk at the time of the accident — at around 02:00.
The woman did not stop to see what she had hit and was arrested later that morning, at approximately 09:00 by Kei Mouth SAPS.
The man, who has not yet been named as his family must first be notified, sustained fatal injuries to his head, and died in the ambulance en route to hospital in East London.
The driver spent Sunday and Monday night behind bars, and appeared in court on Tuesday on charges of culpable homicide. She has not yet been asked to plead.
The suspect was released on bail until her next court appearance.
Aside from this incident, no other occurrences out of the ordinary were reported by police this month.
Says Captain Riaan Mare of Kei Mouth SAPS, “There were some common assaults and a few incidents of housebreaking and petty theft of the type the area is usually subjected to.
No other incidents were reported at the time of going to print.
HAGA HAGA
MORGAN BAY
KEI MOUTH
KOMGA
HOTEL HATRICK!
VIP WISDOM
ENDANGERED
Wild Coast wins, wins, wins!
Prof Jonathan Jansen‘s advice to the youth
Kei Mouth cranes under threat
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Cwili man dies in hit-and-run
CINTSA
FREE
October 2017
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Kei dolerite mining outrage DEVELOPER HAS ‘BIG PLANS FOR KEI MOUTH’, BUT REFUSES TO DIVULGE ANY DETAILS
A
asked what any connections to the municipality had to do with the mine. “Everyone knows me in Kei Mouth, including Loyiso. Why is that a problem? It is not a municipal decision.”
by Aly Verbaan
proposed dolerite mine has raised the concern and ire of Kei Mouth and Morgan Bay residents, business people and holiday homeowners, who fear the 5ha excavation will irreparably damage the area’s mainstay of tourism and environmental interests. The land proposed for the mine belongs to the Great Kei Municipality and is currently listed as “commonage”. It incorporates farms 102 and 106. It is unclear why this particular piece of land, which is located in a Critical Biodiversity Area 1 (CBA1), has been selected. According to engineering geologist Matthew Jones of MSJ Geotechnical Consulting Services in East London, dolerite is to be found “pretty much all over that area. An alternative site could definitely be found”. Jones added: “There are also existing dolerite quarries nearby that could be mined, meaning that there is no need to damage the commonage as well.” The mine would operate for a period of up to five years, and involve drilling, blasting, excavation and crushing of rock and dolerite for up to eight months of the year. While the developer and municipality sees the operation as a possibility for job creation to the tune of some 60 positions, Andrew Peters, manager of Independent Crushers CC in East London, an expert in this field, predicts a maximum of 10 jobs, half of which would have to be outsourced as semi-skilled labour that is
GREAT DEBATE Some see the mine as an employment opportunity, while others fear for the environment. Photo: supplied not found in the local community. The loss of employment in the tourism, property and environmental sector is, however, expected to be substantial. Lolo and Lolo Development Services CC is applying as the developer and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is to be conducted by Stellenryck Environmental Solutions, headed up by Johannes Van As of Port Elizabeth. At the time of closure for comments and objections from interested and affected parties (IAPs), some 339 people registered with Stellenryk. This list was made available last week. Lolo and Lolo’s sole member, Foster Sikolobo of Kei Mouth, was apparently
unaware of these objections, and asked the Great Kei Tatler (GKT) “what the big hullaballoo is about”. He added that he had “several big projects” he intended to develop in Kei Mouth, but refused to specify any details, other than tarring a road that leads to his parents’ house. Sikolobo confirmed that the dolerite would be used for these various projects, and said that it was not financially viable to mine elsewhere. Asked to confirm or deny his friendship with Great Kei Municipality Mayor Loyiso Tshetsha, Sikolobo became defensive, even though the mayor himself has publicly confirmed this relationship between them. Sikolobo
Fill up with Confidence at Express Meises Halt; Express Crossways; Chintsa and Kei Mouth
It is in fact a provincial matter and the decision rests with the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR). Van As said the application had been lodged and the scoping report finalised. The EIA had actually also been done several years ago for Sikolobo, but he had not gone ahead with the mine at that time due to financial reasons. Amendments are to be made, according to Van As, taking into account the 339 IAPs who registered this time. “The IAPs are not a problem — it just means it will take longer to process,” he added.
The IAPs are for the most part homeowners, business-owners and ratepayers, and governmental departments. Very few members of the Cwili and Igxhara townships registered, and some say this was due to intimidation tactics. The GKT spoke to a number of such people, all of whom said they knew about the application but were not prepared to talk about it.
A Kei Mouth home- and businessowner, whose name is being withheld by the GKT, had attempted to put up posters in the townships that read: Stop the Dolerite Mine, but said she was stopped by a clerk from the Kei Mouth SAPS and told it “would not be safe” for her to do so. She told the GKT that she “very definitely” took this to be a threat. But Sikolobo was outraged when questioned about any reluctance in the townships to be involved. “Why do people not phone me directly, instead of talking to you or Mr Van As? You phoned me, they can phone me too. I won’t hold a grudge against anyone who doesn’t support the mine.”
The area’s prolific birdlife will suffer irremediable damage, according to environmental scientist CV Vermeulen, director of the consultancy company Environmental Management Group. Concerns range from noise, dust, damaging the protected environment, disturbing wildlife, particularly the endangered breeding pair of grey crowned cranes, water sources, and, should the mine go ahead, proper rehabilitation of the site afterwards.
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OCTOBER 2017
IN YOUR OPINION This page is to be for your letters and feedback. We value your opinions and will make every effort to publish all letters received. Email yours to us at aly@thegreatkeitatler.co.za. We will also publish your best photos from your area and choose a winner every month.
Commonage needs proper plan to benefit all
The Great Kei Tatler is a free community paper covering Gonubie to Komga to Hogsback, including those hardto-reach places. We are an allinclusive paper that includes hard news, columns, letters, commentary, socials, event listings and more.
It’s been a few months since Kei Mouth and Morgan Bay residents learned of plans to open up a hard rock dolerite quarry on the municipally owned commonage between our two villages. The outcry has been vociferous from those for and against, with many voicing strong opinions about how this “common land” should be utilised. Some see the quarry as an opportunity for job creation, both directly and indirectly, citing the many projects for which the stone could be used, such as road upgrades, construction of a new beach hotel, and the proposed hotel in the Cape Morgan Nature Reserve. Some worry about the noise and dust aspects, heavy water usage, rehabilitation and the impact on tourism — our greatest job creator — to name but a few. They argue that other proven sites nearby would be much better alternatives and that the land could be put to better use by the creation of a reserve with a bush lodge.
To start with, our print run is 3000 copies, printed by Paarl Coldset in Port Elizabeth. It is full-colour CMYK, offering advertising spaces of all sizes at very reasonable prices, as can be verified by a comparison with other community newspapers. Furthermore, The Great Kei Tatler is the only formal, tabloid-size community newspaper in the area. Please feel free to contact us with any queries you may have.
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OCTOBER WINNER! This magnificent photo taken by Gareth Yearsley at Kei Mouth truly takes the cake. Fortunately Gareth will be getting more than cake — The Green Lantern has awarded him a prize of dinner on the house! Send your best pictures to aly@thegreatkeitatler.co.za and stand to win a fab prize if you win. Photo by Gareth Yearsley
This is not the first time that residents have been up in arms about the use of this land — one need only look back to the disastrous property deal which occurred in the 2000s, as a result of Great Kei Municipality issuing tenders to more than one applicant for the same stretch of land. Being involved in tourism, I would love to see improved infrastructure
and the construction of a hotel or two. Kei Mouth lost a great asset 10 years ago, when the Beach Hotel was demolished and residents blocked its reconstruction. Not only has this resulted in a tourism downturn, but many Cwili residents feel aggrieved over the loss of their hotel jobs, and they worry now that we will block the quarry too.
Perhaps now is the time for representatives of our communities to sit down with GKM to plan the future development of this area, so that the commonage can be used in a way that is beneficial to all. Indeed, this is exactly what was done in 2008 — a Spatial Development Plan was created with input from GKM, Kei Mouth residents and ratepayers and Cwili community representatives. Areas were demarcated for the expansion of Cwili and Kei Mouth, a site for a larger dam was found, a business district at the entrance to Kei Mouth and a new hotel site on the Cwili river were all proposed. The plan was unfortunately never implemented, because locals believed GKM too incompetent to be trusted with it, but perhaps now that we have a mayor from our own community it’s time to give it another try. If we don’t, then who knows what GKM may decide to do with the land in future?
— Gareth Yearsley Kei Mouth
Duane Botha 063 743 9463 BEACH ART Volunteers and interns are given the opportunity to join these programmes which offer life-changing experiences, which contribute to the growth and forward movement of a developing country, offer personal skills development and the opportunity to be a part of a very special community. Photo by Volunteer Africa 32° South
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OCTOBER 2017
3
NEWS
Score: It’s a hat trick for Wild Coast hotels! by Brittany Straton
T
he Wild Coast has been representing during tourism awards season! Congratulations to winners Trennerys Hotel, Miarestate Hotel & Spa, and Crawfords Beach Hotel. Well done to these establishment for helping put the Wild Coast on the map.
LOCAL HERO Howard Champ was the only person on a busy road to stop and help a damsel in distress.
Howard — What a Champ!
Sanlam Top Destination Awards picked this trio to take the accolades in various division: Trennery’s Hotel came out tops for the best ungraded in the Hotel category; Crawfords Beach Lodge for winning best 4-Star under the Country House category at the prestigious Sanlam Top Destination Awards. Miarestate Hotel & Spa topped the Lilizela Tourism Awards, winning two awards on the night. They came out tops in Service Excellence and Visitor Experience in the Eastern Cape.
‘OTHER PEOPLE JUST DROVE AROUND ME, BUT NOT HIM’ by Aly Verbaan
I
n an attempt to once again thank a man who came to her aid while she was being attacked, Khwezikazi Mtiki, who is studying analytical chemistry at WSU, posted a message to the Algoa FM news page. It read: “Hello. I got attacked in Beacon Bay today by some guy who pushed me into the street where he continued to attack me and stole my tablet. No cars stopped except for a guy called Howard from a farm in Kei Mouth. I was still traumatised so I didn’t get the chance to thank him. He was listening to Algoa FM in his car. Please help me find him. Me and my parents want to thank him.”
TRENNERY’S HOTEL won Best Ungraded Hotel.
The Sanlam Top Destination Awards has been created as an honorary platform for the hospitality industry to put their best foot forward and to be selected as the national “Top Destination” in their respective categories and star grading. A special shout out goes to establishments who made the finals in the Lilizela Tourism Awards Service Excellence — Kob Inn Beach Resort, Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve, Prana Lodge, and Haga Haga Hotel. Says Leigh Myles, CEO of the The Wild Coast South Africa Holiday Association and the JH Group: “We are the adventure province of South Africa. Our aim is to re-establish the tourism industry along the Wild Coast and to promote the Wild Coast as a sustainable destination for visitors both domestic and international. The association has rapidly grown and is now a fully constituted body that is widely recognised as the official voice for the Wild Coast region. With board representation from both local government and tourism authorities, the association is now recognised as the most powerful private marketing body in the Eastern Cape.”
STREET FIGHTER Khwezikazi Mtiki went to great lengths to find Howard to thank him for helping her when no one else did.
Despite it being the middle of the day, with many people around, no one stopped to help the young lady who was trying to fight off a thief who was after her iPhone. No one, that is, except Howard Champ from Lalapanzi Farm in Kei Mouth. On Friday 15 September at about 13:30, Champ was on his way back from East London, where he had dropped some things off for his son, who is a weekly boarder at Selborne College. As Howard took the offramp from Beacon Bay onto the highway, he noticed what he initially thought was “a domestic”.
CRAWFORDS BEACH LODGE took the best 4-star Country House category.
Says Howard: “There was a lot of traffic, and everyone saw what was happening. I too drove past but kept an eye on the situation in my rear view mirror. The two were tussling, and then fell into the road. It was then that I realised the lady was being robbed because the man had pinned her down and was clearly looking for something.”
Visit: www.jhgroup.co.za
MIARESTATE HOTEL &SPA topped the Lilizela Tourism Awards for Best Service Excellence, and Best Visitor Experience.
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Howard stopped his car, put on his hazards and ran back to help. The assailant fled when he saw Howard, but Howard was more concerned about the welfare of the victim. Khwezi sustained minor injuries to her arms, possibly as a result of falling on the road. She told Howard that the thief had made off with her Tablet, but had been trying to get hold of her iPhone. Howard offered to take her to the police and the hospital, but Khwezi said there was no need. Instead, Howard took her back to the campus, where her mother was waiting for her. She later posted the message in order to find Howard and thank him again. Khwezi added that the irony is she is hoping to pursue a career in criminal forensics — this could be her first practical.
Khwezi told the GK Tatler that she held on to her possessions for dear life, but the assailant was insistent and threw her into the street. She added that some cars even drove around her while she was being attacked, and that she would be “for ever grateful to Howard” for helping her.
Howard says he would have thought twice about stopping had his family been with him in the car. “But as I was alone, I knew I could and should help. The problem with situations like these is that people suspect a trap. It happens all too often. But since it was broad daylight in a busy area, I took my chances. I told her not to let this get to her; she come out of this strong. She is not from a city, so I said she should just be aware in future that these opportunists are always watching for chances. She really doesn’t need to thank me again — she did so profusely when we were driving to WSU. And it’s what any decent person would have done.”
It seems that Howard is a general good samaritan: this is not the first time he has gone out of his way to help someone in distress. Last year, a Kei Mouth man was knocked off his bicycle on the R349 in a drunken hit and run late on a Saturday night. The man was badly injured and Howard took him to the police station, who then called an ambulance. Soon afterwards, Howard noticed a car driving past with only one headlight (the other was found at the scene of the accident) and the SAPS arrested the driver and breathalysed him. The cyclist was found to have sustained serious internal injuries and the case went to court, where Howard testified as a witness.
On another occasion, Howard assisted a motorcyclist who hit a dog on the (in)famous breakfast run from East London to Key Mouth. Howard said it was a miracle the man was uninjured as he had been riding at “close on 200km/hour”.
• The bystander effect, or bystander apathy, is a social psychological phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. The bystander effect is also sometimes called the Genovese syndrome after Kitty Genovese, whose 1964 murder in Queens, New York, sparked social psychologists to study the bystander effect.
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OCTOBER 2017
YOU SAY...
WE asked YOU this: If you were in charge of service delivery in the Great Kei Municipality for a day, what would you tackle first?
Lilhle Mbokazi
Louis van Rensburg
Carmen Oliphant
Colin Louis
Dinwa Thulisa
MORGAN BAY Refuse removal should be the same in black and white areas — especially if you are paying your rates. And of course, employment. The municipality also needs to be proactive re refuse collection, and that will actually create jobs. We need to be notified about what is happening, please give us notice.
KOMGA Corruption with regard to tenders for services is, I think, a bigger problem than any of us know. This concept of ‘baadjies en broekies vir maatjies en boeties’ has never been eradicated. Another issue is infrastructure. Water, electricity and rates must also be measured and dealt with in a more organised manner.
CINTSA Having been an accountant, I can’t help notice that the municipality is seriously underspending on its budget. This is a problem because when the budgets are reviewed, those municipalities that don’t use what is allocated to them for service delivery, will lose their funding to another municipal area.
KEI MOUTH As platoon commander at the KM Fire Station, I would appreciate better road infrastructure, improvement of fire hydrants and more safety equipment. We also need to work on job creation — there are just too many people unemployed. Much better education and schools are desperately needed too.
CWILI The biggest problem for me is the education of our children. They need better schooling, more schooling and, very importantly, structured afternoon recreational activities. Too many of the children are not doing anything in the afternoon and this leaves them to get involved with alcohol and drugs.
Happy Siposo
Nomaphelo Ntshabalala
Siyanda Leve
Tracy Enslie
Anelisa Sakela
CWILI Housing, housing, housing. This is without doubt the biggest problem for the poor in the GKM. Better housing, in some cases, any housing, is needed. If I were in the municipality I would organise RDP housing. Running water and electricity and toilets would also be nice — why are we living like this?
CWILI Sport and recreational facilities would be very nice for adults and for children. That could help with employment problems and give people something healthy and constructive to do with their spare time instead of getting up to no good. It is important to find something you are passionate about.
CWILI There are plenty of basics to be tackled in the townships. Not everyone has water, not everyone has toilets — some people have to use their neighbours’ toilets. Electricity for all is another issue. And the road infrastructure too. Service delivery is too slow and no one know who to contact.
MORGAN BAY The transport infrastructure needs to be looked at and improved. Roads need to be tarred and better maintained. Transport is a big problem here and the roads are dangerous. I really wish the municipality would tar the link road between Kei Mouth and Morgan Bay — that would be a huge benefit.
CWILI The biggest problem in rural areas like ours is employment opportunuties and job creation. Lots of young people can’t get jobs here and they have to move and leave their families. Sometimes they go to the cities and find it is just as bad there, and there is more crime and alcohol and drugs too.
Marlene Bezuidenhout
André Beaukes
Margie Wilmot
Dane Walker
Brittany Straton
I would suggest that the Kei Mouth municipal caravan park be sorted out. It belongs to the GKM but it basically a grazing spot for the cattle. It’s not even busy in December because it’s a derelict dump. It used to really pump in season, but not anymore. No one wants to go there now.
I love Cintsa. The people are so friendly, it’s safe, although I would recommend looking at the road situation, as well as the stray animals in the streets. It’s very dangerous to drive at night. And, not that this is the municipality’s mandate, but a greater diversity of restaurants would be welcome!
As a regular visitor to Cintsa, I personally have nothing to complain about. The beaches are pristine, the town is clean, no problems at all. But I’m sure that people in the township need better service delivery — their roads are more potholes than road, and the housing situation doesn’t look optimal.
I like the rural feel of the Wild Coast, but I do think the roads need work. I am scared of driving my car on them, particularly with the cattle and animals all over the place. Also, another restaurant would be good and more flea-markets for tourists, even out of season. There’s nowhere really to shop for anything.
Komga needs a lot of work. It’s untidy, none of the roads have street signs — people are always getting lost. As a child psychology student, I think the municipality needs to focus on education. Kids shouldn’t necessarily have to go to boarding school or rely on home schooling.
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OCTOBER 2017
5
NEWS
The perplexing problem of salvaging rural municipalities SERVICE DELIVERY AND DEBT COLLECTION GO HAND IN HAND The Auditor-General gave only seven out of 237 municipalities clean audits over the past five years. This is no wonder, says Professor HENDRICK KANYANE, as municipalities in rural areas are not financially viable because their revenue base has been depleted by a culture of nonpayment, corrupt supply chain management, and weak accountability mechanisms.
P
ublic finance is considered the overriding factor in determining the viability of local government. Without sound financial management systems, municipalities will be forced to discontinue their operations. It is imperative that municipal stakeholders, such as municipal officials, mayors, ward councillors, traditional leaders, and interest groups have a sound knowledge of the Municipal Finance Management Act of 2003, as well as other related legislations. Most municipalities are not selfsufficient and many require national government bailout, but this creates a dependency syndrome and a vicious circle. By financial stability we mean the availability and sustainability of revenue sources, underpinned by a three-pronged concept of availability, viability and revenue base. Funds must not only be available, but they must be optimally utilised. This depends on the revenue of the municipality in question. In most instances it is clear that if grants and subsidies were to be deducted from the revenue base, most municipalities would not survive financially. In many instances the revenue is only collected after a long delay, if at all. This in itself is a recipe for debt accumulation, which exposes the municipality to the potential risk of collapsing service delivery. The Local Government Budgets and Expenditure Review states that municipalities should be largely
self-financing. This means that the bulk of their resources should be raised from their own revenue sources, such as taxes and service charges. This principle is an important factor in any local democratic local government system, ensuring that municipalities are responsive to the needs of residents, and that residents take responsibility for paying for such services. However, in South Africa there are two important dimensions to this basic principle. Firstly, there is a structural balance between local revenue sources and the expenditure functions assigned to local government. Secondly, not all municipalities have the same capacity to raise revenues, as levels of poverty vary considerably and are particularly high in rural municipalities such as Kei Mouth. Section 96 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 2000 states that “a municipality, be it rural or urban, must collect all monies that are due and payable to it and for this purpose must adopt, maintain, and implement a credit control and debt collection policy that is consistent with its rates sand tariffs policies”. This view is supported by the Constitution, which states that a municipality must strive, within its financial capacity, to achieve the objective of providing the services to communities in a sustainable manner.
Against the legal background, one needs to take into account that strong municipalities, especially urban ones, have an unfair advantage over rural ones. One of the greatest challenges facing local government is the collection of the revenue for services rendered to various consumers. Contributing factors are inappropriate taxes and tariffs due to unreliable billing systems; waterpipe leakages; illegal electricity connections; high unemployment rates; and ratepayer boycotts aggravated by a culture of non-payment.
debt highlights governance’s problem of paying lip service to creditcontrol policies.
These, combined with other factors such as unreliable postal services; inaccessible payment and enquiry facilities; problems with the justice system; political opportunism; lack of incentives and sanctions to encourage good payment; a volatile economy; and the current world economic fallouts, pose a significant challenge to smaller municipalities.
On the one hand, a culture of non-payment has increased the outstanding debts of municipalities and other public institutions to alarming proportions and has far-reaching ramifications, not only for the municipalities concerned, but for all citizens. This is regarded as serious enough to collapse the most important building blocks of municipalities, which are at the coal face of service delivery.
Approximately two-thirds of all municipalities are under severe financial stress, with one-third financially unviable. The budgeting process is often not properly aligned to integrated development planning and is not always open to community participation. In some cases revenue is overstated, resulting in unrealistic budgets.
On the other hand, the depleted revenue base is not only caused by ratepayers, as municipalities are equally to blame. In most situations, councillors continuously receive complaints from ratepayers that they are presented with bills without any indication of how the municipality has calculated that amount and for which services.
Whereas metropolitan cities may write off bad debt, this is not possible in rural municipalities. The increase in outstanding consumer
Ratepayers’ concern creates a negative attitude about paying for services rendered by the municipality, eroding the trust they should
have in their municipalities. It is worrying that the strategies employed to salvage municipalities are not effective.
The conclusion is that financial viability is directly related to service delivery. If revenue collection is not taken seriously, the accumulating municipal debts will continue to sabotage municipalities’ financial capacity.
Until such time as municipalities are able to raise their own revenues maturely and viably, and that grants drawn from provincial and national spheres of government are understood as complementary stimuli packages, service delivery in rural municipalities will always be inadequate.
This calls for a complete overhaul and reintegration of rural municipalities so they are able to come up with a productive revenue model.
• Professor Kanyane is acting research director in the Democracy, Governance and Service Delivery programme.
‘Minimum wage is a joke on the poor’ by Donald Makhafola
and the astronomical rate PCapeoverty of unemployment in the Eastern is at a record of 27 percent and
is leaving both skilled and unskilled people out in the cold with a lack of income and some living below the poverty line. This makes many people desperate and vulnerable, especially in rural farming communities where domestic workers fall victim to unfair labour practice from unscrupulous employers.
According to new data released by Stats SA, poverty is on the rise in this province. The latest Poverty Trends in South Africa report shows that, despite the general decline in poverty between 2006 and 2011, poverty levels in South Africa rose in 2015. More than half of South Africans were poor according to the Living Standards Measure in 2015, with the poverty headcount increasing to 55,5 percent from an earlier low of 53,2 percent in 2011. The figures are calculated using the upper-bound poverty line (UBPL) of R992 per person per month (pppm) in 2015 prices. This translates into over 30,4 million South Africans living in poverty in 2015. In general, children (aged 17 years and younger), black Africans, women, children, and people from rural areas, especially those living in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, and those with little or no education, are the main victims in the ongoing struggle against poverty.
Carmen Louw, co-director at Women on Farm Projects (WFP) says her organisation recently completed a survey on the working conditions of farm workers in various provinces. The survey found that seven per percent of seasonal women workers are paid less than the minimum wage, and further, 69 percent of seasonal workers are forced to enter vineyards within an hour after pesticides have been sprayed. (According to the law it should be seven days.) She said 73 percent of seasonal workers aren’t given protective clothes although they are exposed to pesticides and they don’t have access to toilet facilities while working. Louw said it was concerning that 62 percent of seasonal workers aren’t paid if they go to the need to take time to go to a clinic. In addition, workers told WFP that their farms have never been inspected by the Department of Labour, and farmers don’t allow trade unions on their farms. Says Louw: ”We use the findings to highlight the poor conditions under which many farm workers still work. We train farm workers on their basic rights and assist where there are violations. We engage with farm owners where there is legislative non-compliance and engage with the Department of Labour (DOL) to ensure they inspect farms and ensure there is compliance. We also lobby government for legislative amendments to address shortcomings in the law.
This is despite government’s introduction of the minimum wage for domestic who work 27 hours a week or less workers from 1 December 2016 to 30 November 2017.
The current minimum wage is adjusted in line with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, which is regulated by the Sectoral Determination Act as follows: R13.53 hourly rate, R360.54 weekly rate, and R1562.21 monthly rate.
The Great Kei Tatler spoke to several people living in Cwili and Diphini townships who were earning the minimum wage said they simply “cannot come out at the end of the month”.
Eunice Ndungwane earns R9/ hour and works a six-day week, eight hours a day. This means she earns R1 944 in a good month. She has a child to support, as well as her elderly and frail parents.
On Workers’ Day next year (1 May), the minimum wage is expected to rise to R20/hour, but this is not necessarily a call for celebration for all. Studies have shown that increasing wages often leads to job losses, particularly in the agricultural sector. A study conducted by Anna Orthofer of the Department of Economics, Stellenbosch University, this is still not a viable living wage, and South Africa remains amongst the top inequality rankings in the world.
6
GUEST COLUMN
OCTOBER 2017
Professor Jonathan Jansen shares some tips with the youth
I
This meant sacrificing short-term pleasures for long-term satisfaction. At first it was hard and then it was something I really looked forward to — studying over weekends, during holidays and, of course, through the night. You are given exactly the same 24 hours like everyone else; how you use it could be the difference between a life of frustration, even poverty, and a life of fulfilment, and much success. This is lesson number two: hard work makes the difference.
was never the smartest child in class. In fact, I often struggled through school because friends and soccer were far more interesting. I used to admire students like Alan Newkirk and Heather Augustine because they were so much smarter than me. I got through high school and joined a line to register at university. I still remember Lewis Jonker, who would become a good friend in later years, asking me how I got into that registration line with such average marks. I failed first year chemistry twice and dropped out of university because my parents did not have money to keep me there. Often I felt overwhelmed with mathematics or physics and wondered whether I would ever pass. That is the truth Today things look very different of course. I have been blessed with many degrees and honoured around the world for my academic work and for my contributions to society. Sometimes I still pinch myself when I realise that despite growing up on the Cape Flats I was able to study at the world’s best universities and even lead a university in South Africa. Often my students would ask me, ‘how did you manage to come out top and what can we learn from you?’ Those are the secrets I want to share with you today. First of all, my feet are solidly on the ground. Nothing I have achieved is my own. Without the help of aunts and uncles, friends and strangers, I would not be here today. I am humbled and grateful for the fact that others brought me here. If my Latin teacher in high school, Mr Galant, had not told me that I had potential, I would not have believed that I could achieve so much If my childhood friend, Archie Dick, had not coaxed in into learning to study throughout the night, I would not have seen the gates of a university. If my uncle had not taken his ‘drop-out’ nephew back to university in his VW Beetle (car), I have no doubt that I would be selling fish or working in a factory somewhere. This is lesson number one: if you are going to get anywhere in life, lean on and learn from the people around you. The second thing I had to learn very quickly is that there is no substitute for hard work. I always felt I had to study harder than the really smart students.
Professor Jonathan Jansen is Senior Professor at the University of the Free State, South Africa Amongst many other things.) In 2016/17 he was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He is currently President of the South African Institute of Race Relations and President of the South African Academy of Science. He started his career as a Biology teacher in the Cape after receiving his science degree from the University of the Western Cape. He obtained a MS degree from Cornell University and a PhD from Stanford. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Vermont and Cleveland State University. In 2013, he was awarded the Education Africa Lifetime Achiever Award in New York, the Spendlove Award from the University of California for his contributions to tolerance, democracy and human rights, and a major book award from the British Academy for the Social Sciences and Humanities for his book, Knowledge in the Blood. His recent books include Leading for Change, As by fire: the end of the South African university: Interracial intimacies on campuses and Song for Sarah. His 2018 books include Inequality in South African schools (with Nic Spaull, publisher Springer), The Politics of Curriculum (editor) and Know that I Know, a book on South African families who were separated by the racial laws of the 1950s.
Of course it was fun to do this with students like Archie Dick who was so much more determined and hardworking than me. Here is lesson number three: make sure that the company you keep is smarter and more ambitious than you. Choose your friends carefully for they can lift you up or hold you back. A high school student once asked me, ‘how do I resist peer pressure?’ My answer was simple: choose the right peers. I had a mother who made me aware of this simple lesson all the time. She would say ‘I don’t want you coming home with every Tom, Dick and Harry!’ At first it sounded like she was a snob but then I realised that she knew her children would only rise as far as their friends would dream and achieve. Finally, I learnt early on that everyone is very good at something. My student Wayde van Niekerk is a good student but he is a brilliant athlete—in fact, he is now the world’s fastest man over 400 metres. Find out what you are really good at and give it everything you have. If you are good in languages and love literature, then read a book every week until it becomes part of you. Write your life story, your own book. Attend workshops on how to write and go to book fairs (there are many in South Africa) to listen to authors read from and talk about their books. Maybe you are a natural athlete, like Wayne; then run 5 miles every day (and later 10 miles per day) until nobody can beat you. In other words, lesson number four is: find your talent and make the most of it. Everyone is very good at something. If you commit to these simple things your entire life can change. Which brings to me final lesson, number 5: you have no idea how good you are until you get there. Go well, be blessed, and keep your feet solidly on the ground.
In this, Jansen’s most personal and intimate book to date, he contemplates the stereotypes and stigma so readily applied to Cape Flats mothers as bawdy, lusty and gap-toothed – and offers this endearing antidote as a praise song to mothers everywhere who raise families and build communities in difficult places. As a young man, Jansen questioned how mothers managed to raise children in trying circumstances – and then realised that the answer was right in front of him in the form of Sarah Jansen, his own mother. Tracing her early life in Montagu and the consequences of apartheid’s forced removals, Jansen unpacks how strong women managed to
not only keep families together, but raise them with integrity. With his trademark delicacy, humour and frankness, Jansen follows his mother’s life story as a young nurse and mother to five children, and shows how mothers dealt with their pasts, organised their homes, made sense of politics, managed affection, communicated core values – how they led their lives. As a balance to his own recollections, Jansen has called on his sister, Naomi, to offer her own insights and memories, adding special value to this touching personal memoir. Publisher: Bookstorm (August 1, 2017)
OCTOBER 2017
7
NEWS
‘Run After Life’, before it gets you’ EMERGENCY NUMBERS
SOME PEOPLE WAIT TO BE SAVED, BUT PEOPLE LIKE BJORN SAVE THEMSELVES, AND OTHERS BESIDES
GONUBIE SAPS Ambulance NSRI Intercare Clinic
043 740 4040 0860 223 366 082 990 5972 043 711 4432 043 711 4432
CINTSA SAPS Ambulance NSRI Intercare Clinic
043 740 4040 0860 223 366 082 990 5972 043 711 4432 043 711 4432
HAGA HAGA SAPS Ambulance NSRI Intercare
043 740 4040 0860 223 366 082 990 5972 043 711 4432
MORGAN BAY/KEI MOUTH SAPS Ambulance NSRI Intercare Cwili Clinic Soto Clinic
043 740 4040 0860 223 366 082 990 5972 043 711 4432 043 841 1274 043 851 1539
KOMGA SAPS Ambulance NSRI Hospital Cwili Clinic
043 831 1360 043 702 3000 082 990 5972 043 831 1013 043 831 1186
Greater Kei Municipality 17 Main Road Komga 043 831 5700 info@greatkeilm.gov.za
T
here’s a platitude we’re all familiar with. Two, actually: Black men can’t swim and white men can’t dance. Well, best you revise the first of these, because you’re about to meet Bjorn Ntshabalala. Not only can he swim, but he could conceivably save your life one day. After all, as a lifeguard, he’s notched up over 200 ‘saves’ so far.
It seems swimming runs in the family: one of Bjorn’s brothers is a coral diver in Sodwana Bay. His brother is very close to his heart. After their mother died ten years ago Bjorn was left with the responsibility of raising his brother, Masixole, then 13. Although the brothers lived in a township, Bjorn jokes that “we were really raised in a white community here in Kei Mouth. We saw the kids playing rugby, soccer, cricket, going surfing, and, you know, sport is the best alternative to hanging around the streets with nothing to do and no one to guide you. We saw the white kids playing sport, we joined in, and soon we were addicted.” Having been his brother’s mentor and provider for a decade, Bjorn feels now is his time. I’m proud of
Some of SAA’s aircraft that have been leased will return to their owners at the expiry of their lease period. Last month there was some controversy about a newspaper article that reported that the airline was stopping its Eastern Cape routes, but it did issue a statement that “the changes are part of the airline’s implementation of its newly developed five-year corporate plan that seeks to return the company to financial sustainability.
It would be fair to say he is an adrenalin junkie: so much so that his aspiration is to start an adventure company in Kei Mouth and Morgan Bay that offers real opportunities for kids to have fun, safely. He’s an all-round cricketer for his team, a scrum-half, a soccer striker, a rockclimber and an abseiler, and hopes to encourage the youth of today to take the same opportunities should they come their way.
“These things that the black communities never had access to — well they can do them now, but first they must learn to swim,” he laughs.
BJORN TO IT With more than 200 ‘saves’ to his name, Bjorn Ntshabalala is the person you want in the lifeguard’s seat when things get tough in the ocean. Photos by Aly Verbaan
TAKE IT BY BOTH HANDS Bjorn plays sports and does teambuilding with the youth to divert their attention and partake in team building after school. If you can help Bjorn in any way with equipment such as canoes, surfboards, longboards, wetsuits, flippers and the like, please contact the Great Kei Tatler on 060 7000 542, email alyverbaan@icloud.com at THE GREAT KEI TATLER or phone Bjorn on 078 792 66101.
“It’s simply a question of gathering up the courage and taking the plunge. And we are incredibely lucky here that the water is warm, although a bit rough, but at least it isn’t infested with great white sharks!”
Currently he’s working Saturdays at the Yellowwood Forest market, making pizzas and waitering — whatever is required — with the intention of meeting anyone who is amenable to his cause. His company is to be called ‘Run After Life’.
“It’s about finding your passion and following that dream. Life is something you actively reach for, not just something that just passes you by, while you look passively on.”
You too can be a bloody legend DEATHS due to car accidents in particular are highest in the Eastern Cape and KZN at any given time. Many of these are due to both a chronic and acute need for blood donations in this province. Just one unit of blood can save three lives, and, what’s more, donating blood is good for the health of most people.
SAA has issued a statement in relation to network changes it is currently working on implementing, including rescheduling and cutting back of its PE and EL flights.
Provincially, SAA will continue operating to Port Elizabeth and East London, with daily flights reduced from four to two to Port Elizabeth and from three to two to East London.
Bjorn has been a qualified lifesaver since 2002 and belongs to the Coffee Bay Lifesaving Club. He has worked the coast from Wilderness to Port St Johns, and now plans to learn how to surf.
Born in Kei Mouth in 1988, Bjorn is obviously not his given name but, given his early enthusiasm for sport of any kind, including tennis, it was an epithet that stuck. His actual name is Siyabulela, which means “thank you everyone” — perhaps it should be the other way around — there are many who owe him their thanks.
SAA announces EC fight changes
Says SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali: “The changes are to manifest in the form of capacity adjustments in some markets in response to demand levels. In other cases it will be in the form of equipment change where our partners will operate using aircraft with appropriate gauge and this too will be based on demand. We confirm these changes will be introduced in some regional and domestic routes only.”
Masixole and he’s made it now: now I can follow my dreams.
by Aly Verbaan
Give freely. Give often.
Unless you are very underweight, are hypotensive or suffer from a liver disorder, donating blood is healthy. And yet there is still simply not enough to go around when needed, which is every single day. It doesn’t matter what blood group you are — even if you have a common blood group, say A+, it is still is just as indispensable, since more people will need that group. That said, O- is the universal donor, so if that’s you, get to your nearest donor centre for your conscience’s sake.
Silungile Mlambo, national marketing manager for the SANBS, announced last month that blood stocks nationwide are at an all-time low, and that there is not even enough stock to last one day at a time.
It is a fact that nurses and blood technicians are better with needles than any doctor, so you have absolutely nothing to fear. A small prick and it’s done. And then there’s the free juice, car coffee cup and, most usefully, a key ring with your blood type on it, so that one day, should you be the one in need of the precious life juice that is blood, you will be sure to get it faster. So, in fact, by donating blood, you could actually save your own life in the end.
• Beacon Bay Donor Centre: Bonza Bay Rd, East London, 5205, Eastern Cape, South Africa Shop 14H, Beacon Bay Crossing Centre. Visit sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31.
Bring this card with you for a 10% discount.
VIEWS
8
OCTOBER 2017
Communication error — network unavailable
A
s newcomers in the Eastern Cape, we realise we speak under correction at this stage, but there seems to be a serious communication breakdown between a number of parties and communities here. The most worrying is the unresponsiveness of the Great Kei Municipality. As civil servants, one would expect phones to be answered, emails replied to, and responses given to questions posed. Like doctors, medics and journalists, councillors can reasonably be expected to answer their phones no matter the time of day or night. The reality could not be further from such expectation. It is in fact not very clear just who is responsible for what, and the GKM’s website is of little assistance. While staff are listed, their phone numbers are not, nor is it clear which ward relates to which area. Communication sent by this newspaper to the communications manager for the GKM was never answered. Eventually, communication was established with Mayor Loyiso Tshetsha, but this is not ideal as one person at the head of an organisation cannot answer questions at ground level of every department. Furthermore, the connection was only made by a chance mutual Facebook friend, who provided the mayor’s personal number. Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of any functioning municipality, and we request the names and cellphone numbers of all councillors of the Amathole and GKM districts to be either listed on their websites, or provided to this newspaper for publication. In a similar vein, the motto of journalism is audi alteram partem, which is the principle that no person should be judged without a fair hearing in which each party is given the opportunity to respond. Simply put, it means both sides of a story must be heard. This is nigh on impossible if communication channels do not function, and can lead to articles that appear to be biased. Next, on a societal level, dialogue between rich and poor is sadly lacking. One is hesitant to say between “black and white”, but such is the truth. This is no one’s fault in particular — societies everywhere face this conundrum. It is not necessarily racial, but economic. It cannot be expected that “the entire community” come on board in any given situation, when a substantial sector of the community is not being kept in the loop. Similarly, information known to that sector that is not shared is of no use to the larger community. Technology factors in here. We do not all have equal access to internet and wi-fi. Channels of communication in rural areas such as this require groundwork. Meetings need to be scheduled for times and places such that all can attend. Voices need to be heard, with the help of a translator if necessary. In this case, actions speak as loud as words. We need both to unite.
DENIZENS OF THE DEEP A pod of dolphins tuck into dinner at the feeding frenzy of the sardine run up the east coast recently.
W
atch out, watch out Here I come Young and old Brothers and sisters Mothers and fathers Watch out, here I come.
MR POET
I don’t care about colours I never did learn them I don’t care about beauty or ugliness Everyone looks the same to me Watch out, I am here.
Why don’t you know me? Move out of my way before I get you I’m not shy to do it, it’s my job. Have you heard the truest news that I cannot be cured? Watch out, here I come. Don’t laugh at anyone that I might find
Photo by Lesley Rochat
Tomorrow I might knock on your door You might open for me Or your sister and your brother, him too Many, many have opened the door for me I don’t know why you don’t recognise me. Why don’t you see who I am? Why don’t you realise that I am I am the end. I am HIV/ Aids.
The best laid plans... and here we are
S
o, you know how you’re just plodding along, minding your own business, living a quiet life in the backwater of Cape Town that is Fish Hoek, and then suddenly you wake up to find yourself living an even quieter one in Morgan Bay? No?
I’ve heard it said that no good deed goes unpunished, and I think I’ve finally learnt my lesson and it’s this: sometimes there’s a reason a person has to live under a bridge besides plain bad luck. Allow me to explain. In 2015 I took in a family of homeless disaster cases so they could “get back on their feet”. Stupidly, I never did investigate whether they had ever been on their feet in the first place. Within a month they had colonised my home and shredded my nerves with their white trash family feuding, not to mention the complete destruction of my bank balance.
Okay, that’s not quite what happened. But suffice it to say that a year of my life slipped through my fingers while I wasn’t looking, and the journey took a sharp and precipitous offramp to Morgan Bay, via Hogsback. I now find myself owning a home in the Eastern Cape, with no intentions of returning from whence I came. This is a good thing because in Cape Town I was well on my way to committing a grisly murder and I don’t think I’m cut out for life in Pollsmoor. For someone my age I can be pitifully naive: despite all warnings to the contrary, I tend to fall for what are clearly — to anyone else — blatant lies. Add to this the incredibly misguided and simplistic (former) belief that people are generally quite decent, and you have a near-fatal combo.
ALYWAYS
When I could take no more (after 18 months) I begged them to leave, but they were having none of it. Astoundingly, for four people who couldn’t put a matric pass together between all of them, they knew what is laughingly called the law in this country. I’ve been told that the law is an ass, but hadn’t, up until that point, realised what an insult that is to donkeys. According to the PIE Act (Prevention of Illegal Eviction Act 19 of 1998), if you allow someone to stay in your home for two
consecutive nights, you have a new housemate. One who doesn’t pay rent.
After another six months of being held a virtual hostage in my own home, I ran back to mommy and daddy. So there I was, paying rates and taxes on a house I couldn’t live in, while I crammed myself and my dogs into an office that was once my childhood bedroom. Meanwhile, these “victims of the system” lay around my pool, plying themselves with recreational pharmaceuticals while selling off bits and pieces of my furniture and wardrobe to keep up supplies.
It was when I was trolling the internet, comparing the costs of various Cape Town hitmen (remember that Anni Diwani was taken out for less than R10 000) that I realised I had to get out of town, and fast.
That’s the long and the short of how I came to live in Morgan Bay, and I think I might just stay a while, if that’s okay with you. Even though I am now a jaded wreck who places no faith in homo sapiens anymore, Morgan Bay looks like it could be just the spot.
ANIMALS
OCTOBER 2017
Fur flies over Kei Mouth strays by Dane Walker
C ENDANGERED The dolerite mine threatens this pair’s breeding habitat. There are only about 6 500 grey crowned cranes left in South Africa. Photo by Gareth Yearsley
Breeding cranes under threat from mine
M
9
by Billy Mills
organ Bay is blessed with having a breeding pair of grey crowned cranes, which have been resident around the estuarine environment for several years. They tend to breed and make their nests on the islands in the upper reaches of the estuary. However, when the water level rises substantially, predominantly from high surging tides, they move up the eastern slope of the estuary to an area around the small dam. Consequently, they will be negatively influenced by any disturbances, noise and dust that will result from the proposed dolerite mine. They are a firm ornithological favourite with visitors to Morgan Bay, who are attracted to the area by the renowned preponderance of different bird species. The grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird in the crane family called Gruidae, which from the fossil records can be dated back to the Eocene epoch that ended 34 million years ago. It is found in eastern and southern Africa, and is the national bird of Uganda. They may live up to 22 years in the wild or 25 years in captivity. They are associated with a mixture of wetland and open grassland habitats, including flood-plains, marshes, rivers and savannah. They generally prefer to forage in short to medium-height grasslands, but will also enter cultivated land to forage for crops, which has lead to them being poisoned by inhabitants in some areas. This species is not migratory, although it may make variable local and seasonal movements, depending on the abundance and distribution of food, nest-sites and rainfall. They stand at over a metre tall, have a wingspan of 180 to 200 cm and weigh between three and four kg. Their predominantly grey plumage contrasts sharply with black and white wings, which can contain feathers with a range of colours. The head is black with large white cheek patches and has a crown of stiff golden feathers with a bright red gular inflatable pouch that hangs from the throat. The bill is relatively short and dark grey, and they have long black legs for wading through the grasses. The males tend to be marginally larger than the females but are otherwise indistinguishable. They have a booming call, which involves inflation of the red gular sac. It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species. They are
omnivorous and consume a multitude of different food types, including insects, lizards, amphibians, fish, snakes, plants, grasses and seeds. Stamping their feet as they walk, they flush out insects, which are quickly caught and eaten. The birds also associate with grazing herbivores, benefiting from the ability to grab prey items disturbed by cattle and antelopes. Grey crowned cranes are a monogamous species and appear to mate for life. During courtship they perform a characteristic dance in which both birds participate. The display includes various bobbing and bowing actions as well as jumps. Either the male or the female can initiate the dance.
wili dogs hanging around the SaveMor in Kei Mouth in hope of being fed have put the shop’s owners, dog lovers and visitors between a rock and a hard place. The situation has been worsening over the past year and half, and despite many attempts to resolve the issue of starving, and in some cases, very ill dogs begging outside the shop, residents who have given of their time and money towards a solution are on the verge of throwing in the towel. At any given time, at least five dogs can be seen begging and scavenging in the main road outside SaveMor, where they appear to have more chance of finding or being given food than in the township, where they come from. In some instances shoppers actually feed them, but mostly the animals feed off the chicken bones and scraps tossed onto the pavement outside by people buying takeaways and eating them outside. This has led to several problems: it brings more dogs; dogs have been hit by cars; some shoppers are unhappy with dogs outside the shop; on occasion dogs snatch meat from inside the shop; and even dogs that do have owners come to the shop because they are better fed there.
The breeding season peaks between December and February, but depends on the annual rainfall cycle. The nests are constructed along the peripheries of wetlands in dense vegetation about one metre high and consist of uprooted grasses arranged to create a circular platform. The grey crowned crane lays a clutch of two to five off-white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 28 to 31 days. The chicks are precocial and can run as soon as they hatch and after 12 hours are capable of swimming, floating like little cork balls. They will fledge after 56 to 100 days.
Said Lauren Freitag, co-owner of SaveMor, “It may not seem to the average passerby as a problem, but from legal hygienic standards, it’s becoming an issue. And, as an animal lover myself, I hate to see these dogs go hungry, but them scavenging outside is simply not a solution to what is a much bigger dilemma.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2016 Red List, the population level of the grey crowned crane has deteriorated from vulnerable to endangered.
According to Jenny Maitland of Kei Mouth, the situation was far worse two years ago, with more than a dozen dogs with mange, biliary, malnutrition and abuse scavenging outside Savemor. “One of
The survival of the species is largely threatened by loss and degradation of wetlands, the illegal trade of birds and eggs from the wild, increased usage of pesticides, mining, and the reduced practice of leaving fields fallow, all of which has driven an especially rapid decline during the past 45 years. It is estimated that South Africa only has 6 500 grey crowned cranes left in the wild. Birdlife South Africa has also warned that mining activity near sensitive eco-systems is increasingly placing South Africa’s birds under severe threat. Consequently, I would highly recommend that the proposed dolerite open-cast mine should be sited in a much less environmentally sensitive area, especially as there is a huge triangular-shaped area of outcropping dolerite stretching from Morganville for approximately 13km inland that would be more suitable.
“We have had to take dogs to the SPCA in East London after they were run over. We’ve paid out of our own pockets to have some of them sterilised, but it’s just a drop in the ocean.”
CONUNDRUM Hungry scavenging dogs from Cwili are plaguing Kei Mouth’s main road, causing tension between residents. the dogs was in such a bad way that I took it home with me and nursed it back to health. It now has a loving home down the road where it is living the life it deserves,” she added. “Unfortunately, not all the dogs were that lucky — the SPCA had to euthanise some of the worst cases, and there is no end in sight. I’m not in favour of putting animals down, but in some cases there is no option.” Brendon Freitag, also co-owner of SaveMor explained that it is a catch-22 situation for the shop: “If we get tough on the people eating on the pavement outside, it’s bad for our sales. We can’t just chase them away or we lose business.” In order to raise funds for sterilising the dogs, Jenny began an annual dog show for dog owners to bring their mutts and have a bit of fun. She raised enough money to fix more than 60 dogs so far, but this year she says she simply cannot manage a show. Although she has sponsors, including SaveMor, Jenny says she feels she cannot organise a show on her own any longer. Says Jenny: “I must reiterate that we do not feed the dogs, despite rumours that we do. The money is for sterilisation. The problem is that Cwili residents don’t have the means to look after their dogs properly, and actually allow them to breed so that they can sell the puppies to softhearted dog lovers.” In one case, Jenny and Lauren contacted the owner of a dog in need of care, but the man simply replied, “Just shoot it.”
Also caught up in the fray is Kei Mouth resident Sharon Shaw. Sharon has faced criticism for feeding the dogs, but she says it is unfounded. “I don’t feed any dogs near the shop — I do it further down the road and I feed them porridge and pellets. They go to SaveMor for the chicken scraps because they can smell the cooking. I actually try to call them away from the shop, but no matter where they go someone complains.” Sharon recently treated a number of cases of mange with the help of the Vet Junction in Mooiplaas, who supplied the medication gratis. She also gives dog pellets to township children who come to her home and ask her to help care for their dogs. “I can’t find it in my heart to ignore these poor animals, I can’t just watch them starve to death. What is the right thing to do? I don’t have an answer. The municipality doesn’t care. Everyone complains but no one can suggest a solution. There’s no shortage of criticism though. Many other municipalities have bylaws limiting the number of dogs a household may have, but not the Amathole Municipality. Dog licences would be a good idea — if people had to pay for them they wouldn’t be so quick to keep animals — but, let’s face it, who would enforce such a bylaw? The answer is education. I have found an interpreter to accompany me into the townships, but even if we get the message across, it’s going to be very hard to make people take care of their animals when they can’t even afford to take care of their families.”
OUT & ABOUT
10
OCTOBER 2017
GREEN LANTERN KEI MOUTH 1st ANNIVERSARY!
Friday, September 1 was a day of celebration for the Hoffman family and The Green Lantern Restaurant, Kei Mouth, as they celebrated their first anniversary. Said owner Tracey Joffe Hoffman: “What a journey! What a ride! We would like to thank everyone who have joined us on our adventure. The support, love and understanding has been overwhelming and we thank you all for never giving up on us. To our amazing staff : Words cannot express the thanks we have in our hearts for all your hard work and loyalty. To the family who have supported and stood by our side through thick and thin, thank you just doesn’t seem enough, but thank you anyway! To our kids who have been right by our side through the ups and downs, we love you and thank you. Tonight we celebrate with the beautiful Kerry Hiles and raise a glass to many more years to come.” Photos by Duane Botha
Kei Mouth beautician Megan McArthur, the Hoffman’s daughter, showing her flair.
Cook extraodinaire for The great Lantern, Ntombizakhe Standatu from the Kei Mouth Location.
Singer and bassist Kerry Hiles from East London provided the musical entertainment.
Barman and waiter Chris Coetzee from Kei Mouth was kept on his toes during the revelery..
Tracey Joffe Hoffman delivers her heartfelt thank yous to family, friends and staff.
MORGAN BAY RATEPAYERS’ ASSOCIATION MEET AND GREET Friday, September 1 was an evening of meeting and greeting newbies to Morgan Bay. Food and drink were plentiful as folk got to know each other, and old friends reunited. Photos by Aly Verbaan
Singer and conservationist Kathy Raven and Belinda Johannessen, coowner of the Bushpig.
Andrea Viviers (formerly of JHB) and Sue Warren-Smith of the Morgan Bay Hotel looking glam!
Well-known Morgan Bay and Kei Mouth estate agent Charles Ramsay enjoys a snack and a beer with Ncamile Solora, who has just retired and moved here from the West Rand in Gauteng.
Klaus Schobel from Morgan Bay, who co-owns the Pancake Pan in Kei Mouth.
JIKELEZA FESTIVAL
The weekend of September 2 and 3 saw some 4 000 people come from near and far to watch bands, dancing, hit the shopping stalls, take helicopter flips over the bay and even spot some wild animals at the Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve in Chintsa West on the Jikeleza Wild Coast. The weather couldn’t have cooperated better and the beer flowed like water. Photos by Aly Verbaan
Aphiwe Xhala and Zola Yonke from Port Elizabeth enjoy a private joke amidst the festivities.
Pilot Noel Greyling of Westline took Duane Botha for the flip of a lifetime in the Robinson R44.
Marcelle Ritchie (Free State), Tarryn Hill, Jarred Norman and Candice Weskamp from EL and puppy Milly.
Nkosinthi and Lerato Sam with baby Litarhu from Cape Town stayed right until the very end.
Jason Gladwin, the 23-year-old musician from EL, is making waves in the South African music industry.
Mama Tofu, who passed away last year, used to be the star attraction of Ngxingxolo village. Her team of cultural dancers and musicians carry on her legacy and presented an afternoon of demonstration, sound and local cuisine that delighted visitors. It’s a great way of learning Xhosa history and customs.
Phumeza Skoti, CEO of the Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Council enjoys the music and dance.
The views from Westline Group helicopter were phenomenal and there were queues waiting for their flip.
11
OUT & ABOUT
OCTOBER 2017
BUSHPIG EVENTS BAR SPRING FESTIVAL
Saturday, September 23 at the Bushpig Events Bar in Kei Mouth was a festive affair, kicking off at lunchtime and ending after midnight. With musicians Kathy Raven and Ettienne Smook, not to mention those wicked brandy and Coke specials, the venue was packed. Photos by Duane Botha
Jonathan Cox, Jeanette Jacobs, Sheena Els, Dieter Osterloh, and Jannie and Kerryn Prinsloo of East London get into the swing of things.
Socialites Belinda Johannessen, co-owner of the Bushpig, with friend, singer/songwriter Kathy Raven and Tracy Enslie.
Musician Ettienne Smook of Smook Stoic, as well as a philosophy PhD student and lecturer at University of Fort Hare (and also a member of MENSA!) opened the vibes on guitar and vocals.
Ettienne eyes those brandy-and-cokes with René Lombard from Grahamstown.
Expert horseriders from Wildcoast Horseriding Adventures Tertia van Zyl and Caty Greve, and Lia and Gawie Liebenberg from the Northern Cape.
AGTERPLAAS HERITAGE DAY BRAAI
Monday, September 25 saw a gathering of true, home-grown Keimouthers gathering at Die Agterplaas, just outside the town for a monumental braai en slaai, reis en vleis Heritage Day celebration. A casual gathering spot and farm restaurant, it was bring-and-braai, or buy a packet or have it cooked for you by owners Tines Mare and Sanet Lombard. Photos by Aly Verbaan
Wendy and Bramley Futter get stuck into the bones and beer in a civilised fashion.
Brothers Riaan and Tines Mare with their mom, “Kleinie” Mare.
Lozette Mare and Sanet Lombard sharing some girly hugs.
Caitlin Flanagan from Mthatha and Dawie Bouwer from Benoni speaking sign language.
Braaimaster Phillp Osterloh and Agterplaas co-owner Tines Mare, with Faron and Debrah-Lee Lord kick off the cooking.
To advertise in The Great Kei Tatler, contact Duane on 063 743 9463, or email him at ads@thegreatkeitatler.co.za
Chris Coetzee, Craig Whitfield, Craig Ahlers and Debrah-Lee “Muppet” Lord enjoy sundowners against a spectacular evening sky.
ADVERTORIAL
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70 Years of Sun, Surf and Sand 70 years of fun and sun, surf and sand A
OCTOBER 2017
Jeff came to work full-time in 1962, by which stage the boarding house had been transformed into a worked 25 room,hard, three-storey hotel. couple even during He assisted with repairs and maintenance, building work, guest tough economic times in the Eightactivities and helping in theies, pub. It was during rates this time that he when interest climbed to got engaged to Sue and theyalmost were married in 1964. Richard was 25 percent, such that they born the following year, with Sarah-Jane not far wereAndrew able toand acquire the land on which The Tides and Annex now behind.
short 45-minute drive from East London, in the small seaside village of Morgan Bay, is one of South Africa’s favourite family hotels. This doyen of the Wild Coast sits proud on the beachfront, at the foot of a mile-long beach, between the magnificent Morgan Bay Cliffs and Cape Morgan Nature Reserve.
stand, as well as the Top Shop and
Ivan retired in 1974, after many years hard work, and handed land at the of entrance to the village for over the reins to Jeff and Sue. This gift—came at a price, was for they hotel staff this township later were obliged to build him anamed home, iGxara pay offand his debts and provide its administration and servicing taken over by the him with a pension. However the youngwas couple worked hard, even during tough economicGreat timesKei inMunicipality. the Eighties, when interest rates climbed to almost 25%, such that they were able to acquire Once Richard hadas well completed the land on which The Tides and Annex now stand, as the his military he hotel decided Top Shop and land at the entrance to theservice, village for staff to travel overseas and study at hotel this township was later named iGxara and its administration and school. When he returned, he marservicing was taken over byried the Great JackieKei in Municipality. 1993 and the couple
Boasting 34 comfortable rooms, as well as a wedding and conference venue, beauty spa, beach boutique and an à la carte restaurant and pub, started working besideheJeff and Sue. Once Richard had completed his military service, decided to short has 45-minute Ivan immediately set about modernizing the boarding house and theA hotel come adrive longfrom way East fromLondon, in the small seaside With their new ideas, the hotel went travel overseas and study at hotel school. When he returned, he of beginnings. Morgan Bay, Its sitsstory one ofbeSouth Africa's favourite family turning it into a Hotel, which he did single-handedly with itsvillage humble from a one-star establishment to a married Jackie in 1993 and the couple started working beside Jeff hotels. of the Wildan Coast proudchewed on the beachfront, by the cows unskilled because local labour and a Jeep. Keep in mind that in those days gan withThis Ivandoyen Warren-Smith, en- sitsbeen three-star one, and in 2006 Jeff and and Sue. With their new ideas, the hotel went from a 1 Star liked their saltiness. gineer with the SAAFbetween in they at thewho foot served of a mile-long beach, the magnificent Morgan there was no running water and electricity only arrived in Morgan Sue officially handed over the reins establishment to a 3 Star establishment, and in Jeff and World War II,and firstCape in Eastand Nature North Reserve. Bay Cliffs Morgan Bay in 1975. Luckily his experiences during World War II had and ownership of2006 the hotel toSue the Ivan immediately set about mod- him for creating facilities out of Spartan terrain. Africa, and later in Italy. It was in officially handed over the reins and ownership of the hotel to the prepared energetic couple with their children, Boasting 34 comfortable rooms, as well as a wedding and conferItaly that he became friendly with ernising the boarding house and energetic couple with their children, Dylan Michael, Michael, Dylan and Cate.and Cate. ence venue, beauty spa, beach an alaitcarte turning intorestaurant a hotel, using unAmericans, who convinced himboutique that, and Tarring of the main road linking Morgan Bay to the N2 highway and pub,the thehotel hotel business has comewas a long from humble beginnings. local labour and a Jeep. Keep post-war, theway skilled Tarring of the main road linking was completed in 2006 andMorgan has been a major in drawing in mind that in those days there was best business to be in. On his return Bay to thefactor N2 highway was Its story began with Ivan Warren-Smith, an engineer who served to South Africa he heard of a 12 bed- no running water, and electricity tourists to the area, such thatcompleted Richard andinJackie decided to build 2006 and has been with the SAAF in the Second World War, first in East and North room boarding house for sale in a only arrived in Morgan Bay in 1975. 'The Tides', a multipurpose spa, restaurant, beach boutique, a major factor in drawing tourists Africa, and village later in Italy. was in ItalyLuckily that hehis became friendlyduring World experiences tiny seaside calledIt Morgan conference and wedding venue next door. Construction was to the area, such that Richard and with who that IIpost-war, the hotel had prepared him for creating Bay. HeAmericans soon made theconvinced trip to thehim War completed in late 2011 and has beendecided a key factor in drawing morea Jackie to build The Tides, business the best business to be in.facilities On his out return to Southterrain. of spartan coast and was immediately fell in love spa, restaurant, beach and more guests to this littlemultipurpose piece of paradise. Africa heard of community a 12 bedroomconboarding house for sale in a tiny with the he place. The boutique, conference and wedding Construction under way in 1947 Jeff would entertain guests dur- NOW AND THEN Above: The landmark Morgan Bay Hotel as it is today; sisted then of about 10Morgan to 15 holiday seaside village called Bay. Withbelow: this young, driven andvenue very capable couple, and their loyal construction next door. Construction was them cottages and two boarding houses ing school holidays by taking underway in 1947. team at the helm, the hotel is destined for even greater heights and completed in late 2011 and has been Jeff would entertain guests during school holidays, by taking He soon made the trip down to the coast and immediately fell in — in those days, people retired to on picnics, teaching them to wateryou can rest assured that itawill handedmore downand to keycontinue elementtoin be drawing on picnics, teaching them to water-ski, guiding them on love with the place.houses The community then of about ski, guiding themtenonto hikesthem along hotels or boarding in whichconsisted to keep visitors returning year after with Andrew and not far of Warren-Smiths manySarah-Jane more generations more guests to come. this little piece of hikes along the coastline and taking them on Jeep rides to Double fifteen holiday cottages and two boarding houses in those days, the coastline, and taking them on year, and this slowly built up their behind. they spent their twilight years. paradise. for beadsasand Chinaand fromfriendly, the wreck of a 16th people retired to hotels or boarding houses which they spent Jeepinrides to Double MouthMouth to lookto look 043 841 1062 | info@morganbayhotel.co.za reputation a warm Century Portuguese trading vessel. For youngsters, the sand their Ivan twilight bought years. the boarding house for beads and china from the wreck family oriented hotel. In 1965, there was a rush towww.morganbayhotel.co.za upWith this young, driven and very dunes were popular and many a search party was called outthe to hotel so it could become tradand, with his wife Eileen, son Jeff and of a 16th-century Portuguese grade capable couple and their loyal team Ivan bought the boarding house and together with his wife, findsand someone who missing, only full-time to have a in sheepish daughter Derry, the family moved ing vessel. For youngsters, the Jeff was came to work the young 67th South African hotel to at the helm, the hotel is destined for son in Jeff andof daughter, familywere moved down toand couple popular many return a 1962, toEileen, the coast June 1946. ItDerry, was thedunes stage the boarding achieve one-star grading. from by the which direction of the dunes. even greater heights, and you can coast in Juneback of 1946. was all very primitive back called then: out to find search party was allthe very primitive then: Itbattery house had been transformed into a rest assured that it will continue to kept busy all the timehotel. through constantIvan need retired to battery no running water, hot water produced an open someone whoinwas missing,The onlyfamily to were lights, nolights, running water, hot water 25-room, three-storey He aasin 1974, after many be handed down to many more genchange programme in order to keep cauldroninwith a firecauldron underneath. roamed freely in the couple have a sheepish young re-and update produced an open withCows sisted the withentertainment repairs and maintenance, years of hard work, and handed erations of Warren-Smiths to come. in returning to Morgs year after and the withreins to Jeff and Sue. This fromguests the direction dunes.interested (not much different today!) turn and hotel who leftof thevisitors a village fire underneath. Cows from roamed building work, guest activities andyear,over freely the towels villageoutside (not much difall these activities builtIt up hotel at a price, for they were helpingthey in slowly the pub. wasa family-oriented during gift came their in beach at night sometimes found that they had Thetheir family were kept busywith duea to 043 841 1062 ferent today!) and hotel gueststhey liked this for time that he engaged to obliged to build him a home, pay reputation warmth and got friendliness. beenfrom chewed by the cows because saltiness. info@morganbayhotel.co.za who left their beach towels outside a constant need to change and up- Sue, and they were married in 1964. off his debts and provide him with www.morganbayhotel.co.za at night sometimes found they had date the entertainment programme Richard was born the following year, a pension. However, the young
THE DECK RESTAURANT & BAR @ MORGAN BAY HOTEL foodandbev@morganbayhotel.co.za | 043 8411 062
Spring Specials
Sunday Specials
AVAILABLE UNTIL 30 NOVEMBER 2017
SUNDAY, 1st OCTOBER Delicious tender Lamb Shank served with creamy mashed potato & seasonal vegetables – R105
BURGER MONDAY Buy one burger and get the cheapest one free! Regret no take-aways. PIZZA WEDNESDAY Buy two pizzas for only R109! FISHY FRIDAY Our famous golden fried fish and chips served with a glass of House Wine or a Flying Fish beer - Only R75! BAR SPECIALS JW Red Single – R15, Double Klipdrift Brandy & Coke – R35 Double Red Heart Rum & Coke – R40 Double Mainstay Cane & Coke – R30 Hunters Gold Cider – R18 Brutal Fruit Cooler – R12.50
SUNDAY, 8th OCTOBER Succulent roast pork belly served with mashed potato, broccoli bake and carrot batons – R89 SUNDAY, 15th OCTOBER Tender, rich and juicy Oxtail served with basmati rice and seasonal vegetables – R99 SUNDAY, 22nd OCTOBER Chicken and mushroom pot pie served with sweetcorn and crunchy coleslaw – R79 SUNDAY, 29th OCTOBER Crumbed pork chop served with mashed potato, baked pumpkin & creamed spinach pots – R85 SUNDAY, 5th NOVEMBER Pan grilled Sole Meunieure served with seasonal vegetables & potato wedges - R105 SUNDAY, 12th NOVEMBER Filet Mignon topped with a Peppercorn (Au Poivre) Sauce and haystack onions served with seasonal vegetables and crunchy smashed potatoes – R109 SUNDAY, 19th NOVEMBER Decadent Seafood Salad with prawns, shrimp, line fish & crab sticks in a spicy Marie Rose sauce, served with toasted pita bread – R69 SUNDAY, 26th NOVEMBER Soft flour tortilla filled with grilled chicken in a sweet and tangy curry dressing with salad green, served with hand cut fries – R65
ACOMMODATION
OCTOBER 2017
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Hogsback — a year-round attraction Fantasia and The Lantern — the spot if you find yourself in the mountains of Hogsback
H
The fairy folk of Hogsback are supremely amenable, and one finds one embroiled in hour-long conversations of a surreal nature — this is a different life for sure. We spent hours drinking and talking, and boy, could I fill the gossip pages of a newspaper, if there were any...
by Aly Verbaan
ogsback, you say. In winter. Well yes, no fine. I am not one to back down from a challenge. At the same time, I do need my creature comforts, so I booked into the luxurious Lantern — on the Fantasia Estate — where I would be assured of a fireplace and an electric blanket. Priorities are priorities, after all.
By the time I snuggled into The Lantern, electric blanket and all, my mind was more than ready for sleep. It came quickly, I’m glad to say. With all that luxury, how could it not? I woke to make myself a glorious omelette — the perfect cure for the obligatory hangover — and then settled in for a good read of the plentiful and choice local history books provided.
It was August and snow started falling as I drove into the village. It turned out to be the most snow there for some years, so I was very privileged. But, make no mistake, it was cold. Cold to the bones, the joints. Bring your anorak, gloves, scarves, boots, socks, you name it.
Thereafter, I took a leisurely stroll (depending on how fit you are, of course) to the waterfalls on the premises, and was well impressed by the wildlife and waterlife I came across. I spent several hours down there with my camera. I have no doubt I’ll be back to The Lantern, and in the meantime I have my photos to look at and the entire history of the area to read up on.
Hogsback is an anomaly of nature: You drive through the hellhole that is Alice, and it is dry as a nomad’s sole, and then, low and behold, you ascend into Hogsback and it is a monkey’s paradise. Trees, tendrils, monkeys’ rope and forests abound. It couldn’t be more different from the surrounding towns. I eagerly checked into the Lantern, which has, I might add, underfloor heating and two fireplaces—one upstairs and one down. You won’t be chilly unless you go outside.
UNIQUE The five-star, two-storey Lantern is an architectural marvel. Come snow or shine, Hogsback has something for everyone. Ryan and Sue-Ellen Arnott will be your obliging hosts and guides.
Which you will have to: The waterfalls are numerous and spectacular, the mountains — or Hogs — are stupendous, and the people are just, well, weird. I fitted in perfectly. The Lantern was my haven. Whenever I needed to retreat to read a book and get warm, it was my go-to-place. It has a microwave, and all the kitchen equipment your heart could desire, all set in a unique round structure.
Sweating around the firepit, trying to remember who was vegetarian (you’ll meet a lot of them in Hogsback), I sent everyone down to the river on the Fantasia Estate — a ten-minute meander through the forest — to cool off.
The Lantern was once upon a reservoir that was converted into an upmarket, spectacular self catering/honeymoon suite, giving its distinctive round shape. The Lantern is probably the most unique house in Hogsback and was the brainchild of Richard “The Original” Stratford and even boasts a rooftop garden. The Lantern, as I said, is equipped with all the kitchen utensils one could wish for, but I opted for the Happy Hogs, or the Happy Ho’s, as they’re colloquially known, where I indulged in quite possibly the best oxtail I have ever savoured, and I have been to Spain, let me tell you.
As it happens, I also stayed in The Lantern in summer last year, and things were a little different. It was 38 degrees, and people were out in their droves. The horses weren’t wearing their jerseys, of course, and neither was anyone else. There were markets and braais going on at every venue, and I invited some odd Hogsback folk I met back to The Lantern for a barbecue of our own.
There are so many activities in Hogsback that you won’t be short of adventure. Besides the waterfalls, there is the famous Arboretum, rockclimbing, horseriding, quadbiking, abseiling, 4x4ing, markets, a chocolaterie, plus a number of top-class, if quirky restaurants and pubs.
Phone Anzel on 083 293 6187 to book. R1 500/night
[Word of advice: If you have any special culinary requirements or desires and you want to stay in and cook, bring these with you from home. There is but one supermarket in Hogsback, which is adequate, but basic, and closes at 18:00, and at 14:00 on Sundays.]
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DIARY
Crossways CINTSA WEST Greensleeves Children’s Trust in Beacon Bay was founded to provide for the care and nurture of abandoned, abused or orphaned children. The R30 p/p entrance fee will go to this home. There will be a lucky draw, and rugby fans can watch the game beforehand on the bigscreen at 17:00. 19:00 - 22:00
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MARKET AT TEA IN THE TREES CINTSA WEST
Telephone: 043 734 3904 Mobile: 072 611 2367 Email: teainthetrees@gmail.com Website: http://www.teainthetrees.com
MORGAN BAY
MORGAN BAY
From 09:00
From 09:00
Phone: 043 841 1598 Cell: +27 (0)84 852 2601 Email: info@yellowwoodforest.co.za http://www.yellowwoodforest.co.za
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THE VENUE, HEMINGWAYS
EMERALD VALE BEER & TAPAS EVENING @ OPPIE PLAAS HAGA HAGA
SA v BANGLADESH
Formal dress. Buffet dinner. MC: Michael Mol
BUFFALO PARK 14:00 - 23:00
R4 800/table of 10 or R500/person
www.facebook.com/ events/217817265414289 or http://tigercricket.com.bd/
27 13 20 18:00
18:00
071 866 3006 awards@dispatch.co.za http://www.facebook.com/dispatchdd
FRIDAY
FRIDAY
Telephone: 083 703 1711 Email: ernatal@mweb.co.za Website: www.oppieplaas-haga.co.za
GONU-BEER FESTIVAL THISTLEWOODS
SATURDAY
GONE TO THE DOGS
YELLOWWOOD FOREST MARKET MORGAN BAY From 09:00
Market day is every Saturday. Stock up on fresh produce and home bakes. There’s also a small touch farm and a magical playground with a tree house, trampoline and slides to keep the kids busy so come hungry and make yourself at home. Phone: 043 841 1598 Cell: +27 (0)84 852 2601 Email: info@yellowwoodforest.co.za Website: www.yellowwoodforest.co.za
GONUBIE
Fundraiser at the C CLUB
From 17:00
562 HERON LOOP, CINTSA EAST
2 Riverside Road,Gonubie
An event to raise funds for WCCVC Chintsa Dogs so that we can continue to help local and rural Wild Coast communities with the health care of their animals. Enjoy music, a raffle, drinks with friends, and good food. Entry R50 payable at door. Children under 12 free. Raffle drawn at 20:30.
Phone: 078 053 8449 Website: www.facebook.com/ events/1718320038181690
18:00 Phone: 043 738 5226 Booking Website: www.facebook.com/ chintsaliving Website: www.thecclub.co.za
KLEINE ZALZE WINE TASTING & 4-COURSE DINNER @ OPPIE PLAAS HAGA HAGA 18:00 Telephone: 083 703 1711 Email: ernatal@mweb.co.za Website: www.oppieplaas-haga.co.za
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YELLOWWOOD FOREST MARKET MORGAN BAY From 09:00
SATURDAY
7
YELLOWWOOD FOREST MARKET
THURSDAY
Tea in the Trees is a quirky home produce market in Cintsa. Characterised by tea cups hanging in the trees, market goers will soon find themselves immersed in this foodie wonderland. It offers all sorts of quality art and craft items, big breakfasts, tasty cakes, as well as a jungle gym, forest walk, and activities for the kids. From 09:00
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YELLOWWOOD FOREST MARKET
TUESDAY
Mobile: 079 507 7706
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SUNDAY
JIKELEZA PUB
FRIDAY
SUNDAY
GREENSLEEVES CHILDREN’S TRUST FUNDRAISER
OCTOBER
SATURDAY
1
What’’s happening?
SATURDAY
OCTOBER
OCTOBER 2017
OCTOBER 2017
DRIVE
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Can I drive your car? A considerably brighter future for electric cars and the planet ECONOMIES AND CONSUMERS MAY STAND TO BENEFIT SUBSTANTIALLY
t’s not a question of if, but when, and the answer is sooner than you think!
If, indeed, age does have a dawn, then it has happened for the electric vehicle and the sunrise that follows is spreading rapidly across the globe. While petrolheads are finding the idea of giving up their spewing, snarling beasts for quiet, optimumefficiency electricity a gut-wrenching experience, the idea of fully automated cars and battery power is being embraced by the younger entrants to the market. These are the same people who would probably welcome having a cell phone implanted in their brains. For the African continent, the switch will likely happen a lot faster in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Rwanda, simply because they have not had the same level of exposure to the current, modern fueldriven vehicles available to South Africans. Thus, the process of phasing out that technology and replacing it with emission-free electric vehicles or, at least, hybrid ones, will be that much easier — and local automakers have already started to ramp up their interests in countries north of our borders. Currently there are about 300 electric cars traversing our the streets — and yes, they are largely confined to the city, as battery capacity is still quite limiting and
by Duane Botha
On a wing and a prayer with SAA
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by Colin Windell
I
Duane’s World
there are only about 40 charging stations, which are all located in major metropolitan areas. Although the takeup of electric vehicles has been slow in South African, Nissan’s managing director Mike Whitfield says he believes the expanding network of charging stations being established jointly by Nissan and BMW will increase sales of these vehicles in the future. The government does actually have a plan — rather grandiosely known as the Strategy for Policy Direction Promoting Green Transport Technologies in South Africa (Better known as the green transport strategy). It has been devised by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the goal is three million electric cars on our roads by 2050. Not an unachievable goal if government can untangle its own massively complicated and tangled web of legislation; even the DTI admits “eight departments and utilities are doing their own thing, resulting in ‘misalignment’ and ‘policy fragmentation’.” Those petrolheads mentioned earlier are still crying into their beers over the fact that Formula 1 racing has stepped away from the
“purist”, to being far more about fuel efficiency, hybrid power and lower emissions — yet, in the recent Belgian Grand Prix at The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the fastest-ever lap of the circuit was achieved. There is also a much less publicised single-seater race series for purely electric cars. These Formula E cars look very much like any Formula 1 car and are extremely quick. In their first season of racing, the pit stop was not just a change of tyres, but also a complete change of car because the battery could not last a full race. Now, in season two, the cars run a full event — and that is technology in action as well as an idea of how fast it is progressing.
opefully what happened to me last month was the first and only of my initiation rites into the Wild Coast.
me at King Shaka International. His Durban Indi accent lifted my mood considerably, and I was in hysterics by the time we got to the dealership.
On my regular drive from Morgan Bay to Tracey’s pizza takeaway at the Green Lantern in Kei Mouth, a herd of cattle ambushed me. In addition, I was blinded by the brights of an oncoming taxi, and had no time to even see the cows lolling about in the middle of the R349 in the dark, let alone brake or swerve to avoid them.
Now I don’t mean to brag here, but I know a thing or two about cars (which is why the girlfriend sent me to check it out instead of her — girls and cars, you know?
Result: two dead cows — one over the roof and one under the car, and one seriously written off Corolla Quest. It’s still standing opposite my house, in case anyone was wondering. Incidentally, I have my girlfriend to thank for my life, since she always insists on seatbelts. The outcome would have been decidedly worse otherwise. By the time the cops arrived on scene within 10 minutes and moved the cow carcasses to the side of the road, the locals had already started to devour them, apart from the heads.
In road terms, the current BMW i8 is a great example — albeit expensive — of the potential of the small combustion engine (1,5-litres) and battery power, while the BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf are current-state electric.
Long story short: we found a bakkie (more suitable to these so-called roads) than a low-slung sedan, but naturally there was a hitch. A longdistance one. I tracked down a deal on OLX that looked promising and summarily found myself en route to Durban to collect it.
South Africa has yet to experience the Tesla, the brainchild of South African-born Elon Musk, which is continuing to innovate — but, what is certain — is the spark is there and coming to a showroom near you.
I flew SAA — not to put too fine a point on it — but it was a nightmare. Well, what can you expect from our national carrier? It was late (goes without saying), but Dan from Rally Motors was waiting patiently for
It’s a red Mitsubishi Triton 2,5DiD club cab, with diff-lock and the promise of trouble-free 140 000km on the clock. Goes like a dream. Until I met my nightmare in Idutya,who puled me over and demanded to see my licence, whereupon he decided I didn’t look like the photo on my ID and demanded a spot fine of R700 right there and then.
“Listen brother, I tuned him, “I don’t pay fines on the side of the road”, to which he replied, “Then we must go to the municipality” (in Idutya!) to verify my existence and licence.
“Sure brother,” I said, “Hop in, let’s go right now.” And he did. The traffic was, well, you know, Eastern Cape traffic, and I was trying hard not to grind my teeth like I was about to blow a gasket.
While we were driving, the cop says, “Hey bra, I like this music that you are playing, what must I do to take it?” (It was on a cheap flash drive.) Says the cop: “Give me this music and we won’t go to the municipality, so I did. Hey, before you judge me, this was Friday afternoon mid-traffic jam/pile-up — you would have done the same. Next thing he’d hopped out and I was on my way. Thank heavens for corruptible cops. They have their uses on occasion.
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Sport
OCTOBER 2017
SPORT
PANCAKE PAN KEI MOUTH
Please send us your sport fixtures, photos, winners and events for out sports page to aly@thegreatkeitatler.co.za
To pre-order call 079 060 2951 0r 072 764 0294
Eastern Cape big rollers compete for coveted title Despite inclement weather, Saturday and Sunday 23 and 24 September saw a massive turnout of bowling teams from all over the Eastern Cape, from Port Alfred to Queenstown to Kowie and more, competing in the Kei Mouth annual spring tournament. Steve Minaar from Port Alfred Bowls Club took the title. Photos by Duane Botha
Tossie Brill of Old Boys, East London.
Jurie van der Vyver of Cathcart.
Melinda Gouws of the Queenstown Bowling Club.
Neil Brill of Old Boys.
Porky Scheepers of Queenstown.
Anne Henn of Cambridge Bowling Club.
Heritage Walk draws crowds for CANSA fundraiser This year’s Heritage Day Walk on Sunday, 24 September was a marvellous success, with crowds of walkers and strollers joining the 5km walk from the Kei Mouth Ferry to Trennery’s for a boerie roll and refreshments. Tickets were R50 pp and all proceeds went to CANSA. Photos by Brendin Hoffman
45 Main Street, Kei Mouth
Tel/Fax: 043 841 1244
keibreeze@keimouth.co.za