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LAVENDER HILL
Teachers share wisdom RACINE EDWARDES RACINE.EDWARDES@MEDIA24.COM @RAEEDWARDES
L
evana Primary School has bid a fond farewell to three of their teachers who, between them, have a combined 119 years of teaching experience. Learners who were present at the farewell event held last year on Monday 14 December, agreed they would be missed. Johanna “Joy” Benjamin, who retired as the school’s deputy principal; Fadiah Abbas, who also filled the role of deputy principal during her time at the school; and Fatima Southgate began their teaching journeys at the primary school in Lavender Hill some 40, 42 and 37 years ago, respectively. Over the decades, they have witnessed many changes at the school and in the community. In some instances, they were the pioneers of these changes. “When I started at Levana, it was only an Afrikaans school; but English is my first language and I was only English speaking. So I was one of the people who started the Englishteaching stream, so now we’re a dual-medium school, teaching in English and Afrikaans,” Benjamin recalls. Abbas formed a group which facilitated hikes and excursions for the learners; a plan not only to expose children to new environments and activities, but also to get them out of sometimes toxic home environments. “I did the excursions because of the socio-economic problems the kids face every day – teen pregnancy, drugs, gangsterism – so the excursions showed them that there’s more to life. And you can see it changed the mindsets of some of them,” says Abbas who resides in Ottery. Southgate, a Zeekoevlei resident, engaged drama and dance groups, entering them into showcases such as the annual Metro South Arts Kaleidoscope showcase at the Artscape Theatre to expose their talents to audiences from far and wide. But perhaps it will be her unusual, yet effective start to the day that she will be remembered for most by learners. “Each morning was a different morning in my class because most of the children come from families with social problems and as an educator, I thought, ‘How do I help the kids in my class when they are not focused?’ So every morning, during first period, I listened to
the children because they come to school with stories of daddy hitting mommy or drugs – they come with so many problems on their shoulders. So I listened. And we played music,” explains Southgate. Gangsterism, gun violence and socio-economic problems are some of the main challenges facing learners and staff at schools in Lavender Hill. “After one of the June holidays, when I pulled up at school, a little boy ran up to me and hugged me and said, ‘Teacher, I thought I was never going to see you again.’ And that is one of the things that told me I need to stay all these years,” Benjamin says. “Sometimes a teacher is the only stable part in children’s lives, when parents are working long hours.” Covid-19 added another difficulty to the educational environment. “Watching social media and watching the news – it was scary, and mentally it affects you going into the area, being with the kids. It was a challenging year,” says Abbas. Southgate adds that learners had become used to her hands-on, compassionate approach to teaching. So, she says: “When Covid-19 came, I had to stay home for five months – it was the worst five months of my life. I was so heartsore because I promised my kids – 7A – that come 2020, we would have a red carpet event and that never happened because of restrictions.” She says the widening digital divide contributed to educational inequality. “I had to make use of social media to teach – WhatsApp. It was really difficult for learners because I had to explain difficult ideas and I had to write every step on a page and send them photos. But some of them do not even have their own cellphone.” On the return of teachers and select learners last year, Southgate says it broke her heart not to be able to hug her learners as she had so often done before the pandemic. With their teaching years now behind them, the retired teachers agree that despite the challenges, each of their callings were to help the learners they took responsibility for. “Today I can sit back and say I felt honoured and privileged to teach those kids because I achieved something in life by teaching them. I only think about the kids, and if we can make a difference in only one kid’s life, it’s something,” Abbas says.
From left: Fadiah Abbas, Joy Benjamin and Fatima Southgate at their retirement party held at the end of last year.
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2 NEWS
PEOPLE'S POST Tuesday, 12 January 2021
Second wave of virus pandemic ‘nearing its peak in Cape’ NETTALIE VILJOEN The Western Cape may be nearing the peak of the second wave of Covid-19 infections, although it is still too early to be certain, the provincial government said last week. In a statement released following a press conference held on Tuesday 5 January, premier Alan Winde said it was promising to note a significant decrease in the Western sub-district within the Cape metro, which had shown a 35% drop in cases. “This district was one of the first to experience the second wave, and it might be an early sign that the area has reached its peak. “This would then point to a similar trend emerging in other sub-districts soon,” the statement read. However, he continued that while all subdistricts in the Cape metro had not shown increases, extreme caution had to be taken in drawing early conclusions at this stage, “given the change in testing criteria in the metro specifically”. “We will be closely watching the city of Cape Town over the next week to determine if the trend continues,” Winde said. The provincial government confirmed that the Garden Route district had passed its peak and was on a sustained downward trajectory. Winde said this district, which was the first
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to experience the major surge in cases, associated with the new variant in this second wave, was experiencing a decline in both cases and hospitalisations. “The critical care capacity in the Garden Route district, however, remains under pressure, and there was a week-on-week increase in deaths in this district,” he said. According to Winde, except for the West Coast district which remained on an upward trajectory (although slower), all rural districts were showing signs of stabilisation. “We are waiting to see whether the slower relay of data over public holidays is the reason for this and whether the pattern holds in the week ahead,” he added. Dr Richard Friedland, chief executive officer of Netcare, said its hospitals in the Western Cape had also started to reflect a plateau in the number of patient admissions. Netcare also stated that it had recorded a decrease in hospitalisations in the Eastern Cape for the fourth week running. However, the private hospital group was readying itself for a Covid-19 surge in Gauteng. “In Gauteng, we are, as expected, already experiencing an alarming rise in admissions of Covid-19 patients across all our facilities and this is expected to rapidly worsen over the next two weeks,” Friedland cautioned. Mediclinic confirmed that in December it noted a strong, sustained and sudden increase in the number of Covid-19 patients
presenting for care with numbers rising dramatically across the Western Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Namibia. “Demand seems to have stabilised in the Garden Route,” Dr Gerrit de Villiers, chief clinical officer: Mediclinic Southern Africa, said. While these early signs of possible stabilisation in the Western Cape are heartening, Winde said the healthcare system remained under extreme pressure “as this new, more transmissible variant has resulted in significantly more hospitalisations than was experienced in the first wave”. Dr Friedland confirmed this, saying that in the Western Cape the number of patients admitted to Netcare hospitals far exceeded that which was experienced in the first wave of the pandemic. De Villiers said this was also the case at Western Cape Mediclinic hospitals. “We have exceeded 800 admitted patients at the end of December in our Western Cape hospitals from less than 100 in November,” he said. A week ago, the Western Cape had 3 290 Covid-19 patients in its acute hospitals, 2 052 in public hospitals and 1 238 in private hospitals. Normally, Mediclinic has an ICU/High Care bed capacity of roughly 1 000 beds with 850 available ventilators in the Western Cape. “Currently, with our second surge of Covid, we are seeing occupancies of general beds between 60% and 90% with significant vol-
umes of patients in emergency centres. “ICU beds and ventilators have experienced the biggest strain with some hospitals’ ICU beds and ventilators fully occupied,” De Villiers said. Dr Friedland said it was expected for the demand to continue in the Western Cape for the next two weeks at least. He said Netcare has urgently recalled all frontline staff from leave. Dr De Villiers noted that Mediclinic too has asked staff to come back earlier from leave where appropriate. “As part of Mediclinic’s measures to increase capacity and resources, we have had to take the difficult decision to appeal to our nursing staff individually to reconsider taking extended periods of leave during this time in the interest of serving a community in need,” Dr De Villiers added. To meet the increased need in the public sector, Winde said more beds had been made available for Covid-19 patients. Across the Western Cape, the public sector capacity has 7 537 acute beds, excluding specialised beds at psychiatric hospitals, TB hospitals, Red Cross Hospital and the Mowbray Maternity Clinic. This also includes general and critical care beds for Covid-19 patients. “This additional capacity is helping relieve some pressure, but our platform remains under pressure, especially in the critical care wards. “We are also experiencing significantly more deaths in the second wave than we did in the first wave,” Winde said.
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EDITOR: Thulani Magazi Tel: 021 910 6500 / 6530 Email: Thulani@media24.com
Lessons from past year
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here is no doubt that 2020 will go down as one of the most challenging, unpredictable and unprecedented years of modern history. With the global pandemic ravaging the world, it will be something we can speak of with next and next generations, as the survivors of the Spanish Flu had relayed their tales. While 2020 has now ended, there may also be some positives to take from lessons learnt. Why? Because we survived it; but it is just as important to remember the more than 30 000 people who did not. In conversation and through posts on social media leading up to the festive season, it was evident that the world had relaxed, that there had been a few moments of hope, especially that 2021 would wash away the horrific and disturbing reality of 2020, but even those hopes were dashed. For many, they went into the new year mourning, others spent the first few moments of a new year and a brand new decade in a hospital bed, fighting for their lives. Nothing could have prepared us for how different it would all be. I remember the entry into 2020. How – as with every year – it was filled with now un-
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fulfilled promises of completing and achieving; and then reflecting on the entry into this year, realising how much we have all endured. Gone were the loud parties and cheers at midnight. The sounds of clinking glasses. No fireworks, no hugs and no promises. Instead replaced with lit candles, grape juice (thanks to the liquor ban) and quiet evenings with close family – at least this was the reality for many. So, for those who had hoped and proclaimed that this year would be different, it certainly was for many. What I took away from surviving the year was a deeper connection with God, the power of prayer and how important it is to have a good support structure. The importance of looking after your mental health and appreciation of loved ones while they are around and just how privileged we are to even just be able to breathe. The year 2020 also taught me that I needed to slow down, look after myself, live a healthier lifestyle and not to procrastinate. This was especially difficult for me, as I would often make long lists of projects and never get around to them. But, most importantly, it taught me that your next breath is not guaranteed. Road ac-
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cidents, murders and now Covid-19; there are so many ways that your life could be cut short and I knew that if I had died tomorrow, I would not be content with the way I had been living. We take way too many things for granted, without even realising it. All that aside, the biggest lesson we all can take from 2020, is the knowledge of how to prevent this new year becoming a repeat of the death, sorrow and battles fought in 2020. I know we are all tired of the same old story: “mask up, sanitise and social distancing” and that as social beings it is important to be around others, but if we all try a little bit harder now, we can move on and recover from this disaster a little quicker. I can’t recall a time when I read so many “Rest in peace” statuses on social media, or knew so many close to me who have battled just to breathe. Let us not wait until it affects our homes to do something. Having someone admitted to hospital with no contact is difficult, especially over the festive season – trust me, I know. And if we don’t all take this seriously, 2021 will be even more devastating and no one wants that. - Samantha Lee-Jacobs
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NEWS 3
PEOPLE'S POST Tuesday, 12 January 2021
LAVENDER HILL
Starting from scratch RACINE EDWARDES racine.edwardes@media24.com
W
hat began as a devastating turn of events for a local pet owner has turned into an outreach initiative that is helping hundreds of others. Nazrudeen Adams, founder of Youth Pet Care in Lavender Hill, says: “Before I started Youth Pet Care, I had 11 puppies and all of them had parvo. The SPCA said it was going to cost R22 000 to treat them, but I was unemployed so I couldn’t afford it.” Adams was forced to surrender the dogs as he could not treat them at home or afford the SPCA’s treatment. This sparked an idea for him to assist fellow pet owners in Lavender Hill by providing certain services they may not have access to or are unable to afford. The initiative got off the ground at the end of October last year. Endorsed by the Guardians of the National Treasure, the community
upliftment organisation provided the pet care group with tick and flea dip in a show of their support. With a short shadowing period at the SPCA Cape of Good Hope under his belt, Adams began with giving dips. Now the group, which consists of six people, offers more services. “We go around removing ticks, dipping the dogs and after we give the dog their dip, we also give the owners a bag of dog food. We work with Rescue Obsessed (a Western Cape group focused on animal assistance) and they can help with dogs. Now we are looking at kennels, and providing kennels and beds for dogs.” When People’s Post spoke to Adams on Friday 8 January, he was preparing for a community dip where he would be dipping his beloved boerboel and pit bull, and encouraging residents to bring their dogs. “Dipping is important because dogs can die from tick bite sickness.”
For the future, he says the group has big dreams for the wellness of the local pets and pets further afield in the Cape Town metro. “Our vision is to have a pet clinic where the dog can come for treatment of worms and get vaccinated. “The need in Lavender Hill is big, but the need in other communities is bigger. In the morning, I walk my dogs to Capricorn and sometimes I go to Philippi and I see the dogs that need help there.” On Saturday 16 January, the group will host another free community dip and all residents are welcome. The group is also appealing to any animal lovers who may be able to help with a monetary donation for supplies or a donation of items such as kennels, pet beds, tick and flea dip or any other animal products. V For more information, visit the Youth Pet Care Facebook page or call Adams on 071 896 9178.
Youth Pet Care and Guardians of the National Treasure collect food donations for dogs in under-resourced areas.
Addressing food shortages With the spotlight being shone on food security – or the lack thereof as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic – the City of Cape Town’s urban management portfolio has launched the Food Gardens Project. Set to commence this month, the project will provide R3 million-worth of products and services to urban farmers. “It will go towards targeted beneficiaries for the use of farming kits that will include seeds, fertiliser, equipment, training and skills development, amongst others,” said the Mayco member for urban management, Grant Twigg. This priority was identified as thousands of locals took up private farming in their backyards during the initial nationwide lockdown last year. “The aim is to involve a few hundred backyard and urban farms in this urban farming project from across the city which comprises all 24 subcouncils,” said Twigg. Each subcouncil was tasked with identifying 30 participants to start up food gardens. Assessments of the gardens took place in December last year. The Food Gardens Project will provide support to new and existing farmers and includes – but is not limited to – backyards, schools, open spaces around City-owned buildings, churches, non-government organisations, clinics and libraries that require no capital costs. “This project is aimed at encouraging households to start their own food production units. Owning your garden offers great potential for improving a household’s food security. This includes direct access to nutritionally rich foods, savings on food bills and fall-back food provision during lean periods,” said Twigg.
PHOTO: YOUTH PET CARE | FACEBOOK
4 NEWS
PEOPLE'S POST Tuesday, 12 January 2021
SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION
Matric results: plan to compensate NETTALIE VILJOEN
W
hether you were one of the brain boxes wanting to count your distinctions or one of the mere mortals hoping and praying for a pass, that agonising wait for the final matric results to be released is a memory shared by many. For the matrics of 2020, the suspense is even more excruciating. Matric results are traditionally released within the first week of January, however, last year the Department of Basic Education announced that the matric class of 2020 would only get their results on Tuesday 23 February. But, besides the added anxiety, how will matrics wanting to start their first year of tertiary education be affected by the delay? According to feedback received from the University of Cape Town (UCT), the impact on their studies will not be too severe. In response to People’s Post queries, UCT explained that applications from prospective first-year students were considered on the basis of their Grade 11 final results and/ or September/trial examination results. These were used by UCT to make early, conditional offers of admission. Firm offers will be made once the matric results are released in February. “Like all universities, the 2021 academic year at UCT has been delayed by a month and is scheduled to commence on (Monday) 15 March,” the feedback issued by UCT’s communication and marketing department read. It went on to say that the delay resulting from the impact of Covid-19 had been taken into consideration during the compilation of the 2021 academic calendar. “The calendar, therefore, will be adjusted accordingly to ensure that the curriculum is completed considering that the academic year is scheduled to commence about a
With later examination dates and the overall impact of Covid-19 on the education sector, matriculants of 2020 will need to wait a little longer for their results. PHOTO: SAMANTHA LEE-JACOBS month later than usual.” Seeing that the wait for matrics to hear if they have been officially accepted at their chosen tertiary institution is also much longer than usual, People’s Post wondered if more than the usual number of matrics might decide to take a gap year or pursue short-course options instead. Could this lead to matrics – once they do receive firm offers from tertiary institutions – preferring to rather postpone their acceptance to next year, and if so, would that be possible? “It is usual for matriculants to opt for various post-matric options, including taking
a gap year. This will be possible for any matriculant this year. “They will, however, need to apply for 2022 admission, or reapply if they had applied for 2021 when applications open later in the year,” UCT said. As 2020 matrics await their fate, UCT is preparing to welcome back returning students and to help first-year students feel at home on campus. “All undergraduate UCT students who are South African residents, and all international students who can return to the country, are expected to be in Cape Town for the start of the academic year on 15
March,” the university said. Students in the faculty of health sciences will need to be on campus earlier. During the first semester of 2021, UCT will offer all undergraduate courses in a physically distanced learning (PDL) mode. According to UCT, this means: . All undergraduate lectures will be offered online, with the exception of courses in the performing and creative arts, architecture and languages. . Faculties will be able to exercise their discretion in offering contact lectures for final-year courses, depending on the capacity of available venues. . The faculty of health sciences will manage its various programmes through a combination of online lectures and PDL in laboratories and on the clinical platform, according to Covid-19 health protocols. . Laboratory and studio work will be organised to offer sessions both in the mornings and the afternoon, to accommodate everyone while allowing for physical distancing. . Face-to-face tutorials will be provided according to faculties’ capabilities and the availability of approved venues. Students will be asked to come to campus on a rotation basis to attend tutorials. . Fieldwork and internships will be accommodated to comply with both the needs of the different programmes and Covid-19 health protocols. UCT said sessions that involved physical contact – whether in a laboratory, studio, tutorial or final-year lecture – would be held under strict health protocols. Students and staff members not wearing masks would not be allowed into venues. “On registration, students will need to sign a commitment of adherence to Covid19 health and safety protocols before being allowed on campus,” UCT said.
Extension date ‘not for expired vehicle registration discs’ Last year, the national government announced an extension for license renewals until Tuesday 31 August this year. This will grant a much-appreciated reprieve for citizens reluctant to enter busy licensing centres for fear of contracting and spreading Covid-19. But the City of Cape Town warns vehicle owners that this extension only applies to driver’s and learner’s license renewals, and not to motor vehicle licensing and renewals. Since June last year, City officials have processed more than one million vehicle licenses. To put that into perspective, in any other year it has taken officials a full 12month period to process 1.3 million vehicle licensing applications. “City staff have done an exceptional job in consistently processing more than double the normal amount of monthly transac-
tions since June this year,” said the City’s Mayco member for finance and executive, deputy mayor Ian Neilson. However, there is still a backlog in processing the 1.3 million registered vehicles in Cape Town due to the national lockdown. Owners are advised to alternatively use the City’s e-Services for applications. “With the recent data indicating a Covid19 resurgence, we encourage customers to please make use of our online service offerings, where possible. It is important to avoid crowded areas and facilities and only visit an office for urgent business,” Neilson said, adding that a turnaround time of three weeks should be factored into customers’ schedules. Adding to the delay, Neilson said, the City also has not been provided with adequate numbers of NaTIS terminals by the Road Traffic Management Corporation,
however: “We have been informed that additional terminals have become available and we hope we will receive these in the not too distant future.” Motorists are reminded of the following National Transport regulations: . Discs that expired on 31 October 2020 should have been renewed by 23 November 2020. . Discs that expired on 30 November 2020 should have been renewed by 22 December 2020. . Discs that expire on 31 December 2020 should be renewed by 22 January 2021. . Motor trade vehicle numbers/trade plates: should have been renewed by 30 November 2020. . Driver’s and learner’s licenses: renew by 31 August 2021 (for licenses that were up for renewal between Thursday 26 March and Thursday 31 December 2020).
V To register for e-Services, visit: https://eservices.capetown.gov.za/irj/portal. For motor vehicle registration and licensing assistance: Vehicle.Licence@capetown.gov.za.
The extension of license renewals applies only to expired learner’s and driver’s licenses and not to vehicle licensing. PHOTO: SAMANTHA LEE-JACOBS
DR E V RAPITI
Follow Dr. E V Rapiti on for more beneficial knowledge and latest information
Diabetes Patients, with the assistance of their healthcare provider, should keep their blood sugar within the correct range to prevent them from getting into comas and to ensure that they do not end up with the complications like kidney failure, failing vision, erectile dysfunctions or amputations of the limbs. Dr Rapiti attributes the growing number of diabetes in South Africa and the rest of the world to spiralling obesity. Rule of Halves 1. Half the people in the world with diabetes are undiagnosed 2. Of the half diagnosed, only half are treated 3. Of the half treated, only half are treated properly. Early introduction of insulin is key The main reason for complications from diabetes, like failing vision, heart attacks, erectile dysfunction and chronic kidney disease is because of poor control of diabetes. One of the main reasons for this poor control is because insulin is introduced way too late. Patients
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are reluctant to go onto insulin out of fear and ignorance. Patients should therefore be properly educated on the benefits of insulin in order to ease the introduction of insulin. Dr Rapiti maintains that many patients end up severe complications because they are introduced to insulin too late. Obesity & Its Statistics 1) Obesity is a serious health issue in South Africa and the rest of the world. The WHO (World Health Organisation) estimates that there are 1 billion overweight people in the world. 2) The diabetes population will double due to obesity in the next 20 years in Sub-Saharan Africa. 3) One in five children is obese in South Africa. 4) More adolescents are being treated for type 2 diabetes, which was mainly an adult disorder. 5) More than 50% of adolescents over the age of 15 are obese. 6) In 2013, a 9 year old boy died of sleep apnoea because of his obesity. 7) Once a person moves from childhood into adolescence carrying excess weight, there is a
70-percent chance of him/her becoming an overweight or obese adult 8) South Africa has the highest number of obese people in Sub-Saharan Africa. 9) Research has shown that the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer; diabetes, osteoarthritis and chronic kidney disease increase when a person's weight-to-height ratio, also called a body mass index, exceeds 23. 10) The waist circumference is a better indicator of one's health than the BMI. The ideal waist circumference is 94cms for males and 88cms for females or, the circumference should be half the person's height. 11) America, where 61% of its population is overweight or obese, realised that their healthcare system is heading for bankruptcy in 30 years by the growing diabetes epidemic and has decided to tackle obesity seriously as obesity is now being regarded as the leading cause of diabetes. 12) Obesity is a treatable disorder. If we do not deal with our country's obesity now then it is quite likely that our health care system will eventually collapse in the next 20 years
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PEOPLE'S POST Tuesday, 12 January 2021
SAFETY AND SECURITY
NHWs need permits for curfew patrols N
eighbourhood watches (NHW), accredited with the department of Community Safety may patrol during curfew hours under the set of regulations until Friday 15 January, in line with the National State of Disaster regulations. On Thursday 31 December, Albert Fritz, the minister of community safety, confirmed that, after consultation with the police’s legal services, NHWs can function under level three of the national lockdown, provided all relevant protocols are adhered to. “To do so, NHWs must be issued with permits and carry it on their person at all times whilst performing duties,” Fritz said. Accredited NHWs are urged to enquire with the department’s NHW unit to issue new permits to operate during curfew hours (between 21:00 and 06:00).
Fritz added the previously issued permits are no longer valid. He said it was essential that NHWs continue to patrol during the curfew hours as “we know that these are the times in which crimes such as robberies and burglaries take place”. At the same time, he urged NHW members to protect themselves against infection and transmission of Covid-19. “This includes taking practical steps such as ensuring patrol vehicles do not transport more than the prescribed number of passengers, ensure that patrollers wear masks correctly and sanitise regularly, and maintain a safe social distance while out on patrol,” he said. V For any further questions on whether a NHW structure can operate or on obtaining permits for members of accredited NHW structures, contact the NHW unit by sending an email to Neighbourhood.Watch@westerncape.gov.za.
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Registered neighbourhood watches can patrol during curfew hours.
PHOTO: SAMANTHA LEE-JACOBS
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PEOPLE'S POST Tuesday, 12 January 2021
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PEOPLE'S POST Tuesday, 12 January 2021
COVID-19
Beaches empty over festive break SAMANTHA LEE-JACOBS @Samantha_Lee121
I
t is no secret that the Western Cape has some of the best beaches, with tourists flocking to the Cape over the festive season to take advantage of the good weather and several beautiful beaches for surfing, bathing and sun tanning. But this season was very different. With the second wave hitting the country rapidly, the call from president Cyril Ramaphosa to close the beaches in all hotspots saw the beaches in the province empty, with many adhering to the regulations. This was a unique sight. During the festive season thousands flock to the beaches from as early as 05:00 and stay well into the evening, travelling long distances to enjoy a beach day. This meant no parking and not a patch of sand to lay a towel or blanket on the busiest days. People’s Post spoke to locals on their thoughts especially in light of several days boasting 30 °C weather. Madre Ockhurst says annually her family visits either Blouberg, Fish Hoek or Strand beach for a family day over the festive season. “Even if it is windy, the family knows that we spend the day at the beach. We live near the beach and it is so hot. The water is a tease. So near but so far,” she says. On Sunday 3 January, despite the 31 °C weather in Strand, the beach was completely empty except for an angler or two. The boardwalk, however was dotted with locals just looking at the beach. Paul Fredericks from Eerste River says he visited the beach just to look at the water and enjoy the peacefulness of a beach walk. “I want to put my toes in the sand. It is so tempting, but I know that the regulations are there for a reason,” he says. His wife, Audrey, says they are part of the tradition of beach days and would leave home at 05:00 to be at one of the local beaches on their annual beach day, 26 December. “We could be here at 06:00 and there
would already be a lot of people. We don’t use the beach often, but now that we can’t we miss it even more. Beach day is a tradition and we had to miss it this year,” she says. Another local, Jessica Williams and her boyfriend Brandon Isaacs were walking along the boardwalk. “You never realise how much you miss something until you can’t have it. The beach is a great place to de-stress and the smell is invigorating. The sound is calming and the feeling of the sand leaves you refreshed. We can’t have the sand, but we can still enjoy the rest of the feeling walking on the boardwalk,” she says. Community policing forum (CPF) chair for Strandfontein, Sandy Schuter Flowers says for the most part, the beaches have been quiet. She says annually the CPF forms part of beach safety drives and campaigns because of the large number of people who flock to the beaches. As accredited safety volunteers, the CPF and neighbourhood watch continue to patrol the beach and coastal areas despite restrictions. She confirms that on their patrols there are many who park at the beach and watch the waves while having something to eat. “During the entire festive season in previous years, Strandfontein is frequently visited by thousands, especially on Boxing Day and New Years Eve or the second of Jan, we have a influx of people coming from all over,” she says. “Beach patrols every day is important because when it’s quiet, it’s secluded and it can become an unsafe place. This is especially when you have opportunistic criminals that would turn a simple park-off just to watch the waves, into a hijacking or robbery at gunpoint, leaving victims traumatized. Even though this year was different, we still applied the same patrols as we would have if there were no restrictions.” Fear of fines and even the possibility of arrest has many sticking to restrictions. Police minister Bheki Cele has been seen
The beaches were peaceful and empty despite the 30 °C weather on Sunday 3 January.
PHOTO:
SAMANTHA LEE-JACOBS
at beaches all over the Western Cape in what has been dubbed “a single-minded obsession” with enforcing the restrictions, by provincial minister for community safety Albert Fritz. The heavy-handed approach has seen arrests of bathers, surfers and fines issued. “The Western Cape government believes that the rule of law in South Africa must always be upheld, and the regulations must be enforced even if we disagree with them,” says Fritz, calling on Cele to fight crime as passionately as he is about “arresting sur-
fers”. “Of course, all regulations need to be enforced until otherwise struck down by a court of law, but it would do the national minster well to broaden his focus from beaches and also zone-in on the violent crime that many of our communities currently experience,” says Fritz. The beaches are closed under lockdown level three restrictions which were implemented between Tuesday 29 December and Friday 15 January. The amended restrictions are set to be reviewed before this date.
New music a ‘dream come true’ for Tye Local R&B singing superstar Tye Platinum has realised his life-long dream of releasing his very own debut music single. After working both behind the scenes writing for other musicians, as well as performing in various local music groups for the past 10 years, he has released “That’s Why I Love You” on all major digital platforms. Tye (35), who rose to fame as a finalist on The Voice SA in 2019, says his love for R&B, funk and soul is what inspired him to get back into the studio last year. “The song was inspired by the need to get back to love, back to the basics of a wholesome loving human experience. With this offering I’ve gone back to my R&B roots, but
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this time I’m working with a bigger group of experts in the genre including an R&B producer from the 90’s,” he says. For Tye, releasing “That’s Why I Love You” is one of his dearest accomplishments to date, after having initially only focused on songwriting and producing for other top local artists. “For a bit I was mainly working behind the scenes composing TV jingles and writing for other artists. At the same time I was working on finding a sound that I resonated with. I didn’t just want to make music for the sake of making it, but believe me the call to release music and connect with people through it was ringing loudly. And I have finally an-
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swered that call,” he shares. His self-titled album, Tye Platinum, is due for release in February. “My team and I are working on the debut album and we are putting all the tracks together right now. This album is almost 10 years in the making and the opportunity to complete it gives me goose bumps; and to collaborate with creatives that understand and compliment my vision is really what dreams are made of.” He adds: “Fans can expect an album you will be able to enjoy from the first minute to the very last: break up to make up songs, songs that give you hope and inspire and spark conversation.
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JET DARK FLIES TO VICTORY AT KENILWORTH: With Covid-19 protocols and restrictions limiting the number of people allowed at a venue, the organisers of premier horse racing event, the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate had decided to continue the event without any crowds this year. Pictured is Jet Dark ridden to victory by Grant van Niekerk at the Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday 9 January. PHOTO: CHASE LIEBENBERG
Netball activity stops immediately S
ince the start of 2021, South Africa has seen a resurgence in Covid-19 cases, more people seem to be contracting the virus and a lot more seem to be losing their lives in this pandemic. Cases have been increasing daily and now these mere “numbers” are in fact the people we all know and are connected to. Netball South Africa president Cecilia Molokwane and her executive committee have taken a unanimous decision to suspend all planned netball activities until further notice with immediate effect from Friday 8 January. In all, the u.21 training camp which was scheduled for Monday 11 January to Friday 15 January, the SPAR Challenge in Cape Town between Wednesday 20 January and Wednesday 27 January 2021 as well as the men’s national championships have all been put on ice. “As the country continues to see Covid-19 numbers rising, it is very scary seeing what
is going on around us. We see numbers rising and these numbers are names of people that we know. As an executive, it was very important for us to take a decision to postpone all our planned activities until further notice. We will continue to take the lead from government and consult all relevant stakeholders as we take all the much needed steps to ensure that we protect lives,” said Molokwane. She adds that she, along with Netball South Africa’s events team, will continue to be in consultation with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture as well as the Department of Health and will monitor the situation with the view of taking the best decision for the sport. “I think it is also important that we take this time and continue to use this moment to educate our people about the importance of adhering to health regulations and protocols around Covid-19,” concluded Molokwane.
Netball South Africa has taken the decision to halt all activity amid the rise in Covid-19 cases across the country in recent weeks.
Club rugby holds out for glimmer of hope in the current year Western Province Club Rugby hopes 2021 will provide the opportunity to kickstart the amateur game. Manager of WP Amateur Rugby Danny Jones also extended his well wishes for the new year, while reflecting on the year that was. “(The year) 2020 has certainly been a challenging year for WP Club Rugby, but even though it has been a difficult year particularly with no fixtures, the year has been full of highlights as we saw our clubs step up to the plate,” he said, adding that by March last year just over 1 600 matches were scheduled for the season. “We started the year in anticipation of a fantastic season ahead with many clubs playing pre-season friendlies early in 2020. At the time we envisaged an exciting year ahead for club rugby as we could see the standard of rugby across all the leagues and divisions had kept improving. (The previous year), 2019 had been an exciting year for WP Club Rugby as we saw several clubs go toe-to-toe with very small margins and it was clear our clubs were ready to build on this,” said Jones. He had hoped, that on the back of steady improvement in the standard of rugby, not just
on the field, further developments could take shape with the introduction of additional technology in amateur structures, but it was not to be. “Sadly the season ahead never materialised as Covid-19 dealt a devastating blow to club rugby. The impact was severe not only from a fixture point of view but also to all the periphery benefits the game of rugby brings to our rugby community,” Jones explained. “Covid-19 not only impacted our fixtures but also the micro economy of club rugby. Clubs lost gate-takings, kiosk sales, player and coaching fees and membership subs among the many other benefits physical events bring to a club rugby structure. For many communities who depend on their local rugby club, the loss of regular club rugby activities has been severe,” he adds. However, Jones lauded clubs for keeping “the spirit of club rugby” alive. “It was evident early in lockdown that our club structures were no strangers to challenges and were naturally geared to use their organised club rugby structures to support their players and the communities they serve. “Witnessing our club structures galvanise
their management and players into support units which stretched far beyond the eighty minutes between the white lines was heartwarming. Using the leadership skills of club rugby we saw our clubs move into action without hesitation to support their players and their local communities in need,” explained Jones. Many clubs started outreach projects which included feeding schemes and fundraising. Clubs reached out to local sponsors, past players and in many cases their personal funds to support their members and families during very difficult times. “We knew the loss of physical social interaction had a tremendous impact on our members as we witnessed the joy from our members to see each other face to face when we had our first group engagement which saw just over 80 clubs arrive at Newlands to collect more than one thousand food parcels courtesy of our partnership with NGO United Way,” he says. These parcels would each feed a family of six for a month. While on-field action was limited to inter-provincial contests, WP Rugby maintained its coaching support systems, us-
ing the digital space by implementing online coaching and education workshops including coaching; referee; and media, marketing and sponsorship workshops, which will see the establishment of a high performance coaching programme which is exclusively for women later this year. “As we now reflect on 2020, we note the terrible impact Covid-19 has had on our members, but we also note the strength of WP Club Rugby and the wonderful gift our clubs bring to society through the world of rugby as they deliver strength, hope and opportunity to their members and the communities they serve. There is no doubt that our clubs are ready to tackle 2021 whatever the challenges might be.” Jones reminds members that the virus is spreading, and to therefore take every precaution during the second wave. He adds: “We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those that have lost someone of late. We trust you will draw strength from your family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time and know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.”