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10 000 FREE COPIES OF CXPRESS DISTRIBUTED ALONG THE GARDEN ROUTE EVERY WEDNESDAY

Published every Wednesday by CXpress 2006 (Pty) Ltd - PO Box 1449, Plettenberg Bay 6600 - 6 Park Lane, Plettenberg Bay - Tel: 044 533 1004 - Fax: 044 533 0852Email: editor@cxpress.co.za / advertising@cxpress.co.za Web page: www.cxpress.co.za Printed by Group Editors25 June 2014

Winter Winter break!break!

Robberg robbery astoundsRobberg robbery astoundsp3p3

Is this a new pansy record?Is this a new pansy record?p5p5

Surf’s up for students in Vic Bay Surf’s up for students in Vic Bay p16p16

Oliver Fermor and Mayan Gibbs splash into the holidays which, in our paradise, means

they can enjoy the beaches and lagoons even in mid-winter... But there’s a stack of other entertainment offerings, too - turn to

page 11 for Plett Fringe Fest info, with news on other fun events throughout the paper

2 CXPRESS 25 June 2014 News & Views

Choo-Tjoe revival campaign reminds of Knysna’s much-loved Coffee Pots...

CHOO-TJOE PREDECESSOR: The Coffee Pot provided holiday fun for passengers who were treated to leisurely journeys with

beauty spots aplenty along the way; above, Knysna Station was a little corrugated iron building with a pitched roof and lean-tos

on either side, lined with wood on the inside Photos courtesy Millwood House Museum, Knysna, SANParks,

Department of Forestry

IN his Chairman’s Report for the 2014 Annual Gen-

eral Meeting of the Friends, outgoing chairman Fraser Howell asks: “Have we reached the end of the line?”

He continues that reports in the media have stated that it is “all over for the resuscita-tion” of the line between George and Knysna, but that ongoing negotiations are continuing and showing signs of positive progress.

“If the latest attempts at reviving the line become successful, the role of the Friends could change from being a supporting voice on the side-line to becoming a group which is more in-volved in other roles, such as doing volunteer work or

taking on individual heritage renovation projects.”

In closing, Howell thanks all those who have support-ed, and continue to support, the reopening of the George to Knysna line, “specifically the donors, members and committee members for their efforts, commitment and fi-nancial backing over the past three and a half years of the FOCT campaign to revive the historic steam train’s re-turn to Knysna”.

Colin Jenkins is the new chairman – visit www.friends ofthechoo-tjoe.co.za to find out more.

Vjg"Mp{upc"flEqhhgg"Rqv‚Operating between Knysna and Diepwalle, the South

Western Railway Co. Ltd was built over a period of three years from 1904 to 1907 and continued for 42 years, to finally close down on 30 April, 1949.

The railway was built in 1904 by Carl Westveldt, a Swede, and on its comple-tion, Mr H Noren was ap-pointed General Manager.

The company was owned by local businessmen Messrs Thesen, Parkes, Templeman, Morgan, Noble and others, and was formed because the ox-wagons could no longer meet the demand for timber required by the saw-mills.

It functioned until transport by motor-lorries was found to be more satisfactory and economical.

This unique 2-foot narrow gauge railway line trans-ported timber (mostly yel-lowwood) from Diepwalle to Knysna for milling and shipment and was affection-ately known by the people of Knysna as the Coffee Pot. It ran three times a week 22-miles into the forest.

Spark arrestors were fitted on the engine to prevent for-est fires and gave the engines their “coffee pots” - fat, bul-bous fittings over their fun-nels - and 33 trucks carried up to 70 tons of logs.

The route ran from Parkes’ Mill in Knysna to Thesen’s and then to the jetty for load-ing onto ships, with three stops in the forest: Bracken Hill, Parkes Station, and Diep-walle. Knysna Station was a little corrugated iron building with a pitched roof and lean-tos on either side, lined with wood on the inside.

The railway also afforded a wonderful means of enter-taining visitors, and for those who grew up in Knysna - the Coffee Pot was part of the holiday fun.

Passengers were treated to very leisurely journeys, as the train rarely exceeded six miles per hour, and beauty spots would be pointed out to passengers along the way.

However, by 1911, the run-ning costs of the railway were a constant worry to the company’s directors.

There was a general depres-sion in the timber industry, and the distance and costs of transport inhibited local pros-perity. But a sudden wave of optimism came with the dis-covery of lignite deposits.

The Knysna Lignite Syndi-cate was formed and hoped to be able to supply locally mined “brown coal” to fire the boilers of the Coffee Pot’s engines.

Hopes were high, but sadly, the quantity or quality was inadequate, and by mid-1911 the whole venture fell away.

In May 1916, Knysna was flooded after torrential rains

which not only washed away the brand-new concrete brid-ge over Knysna River, but also some of the railway bridges in the forest.

In some places, tons of earth washed away. Filling and repairs were started im-mediately and a mere month later, when the first train was again able to run to Diep-walle, 16,368 tons of mate-rial had been excavated and deposited to replace what had been washed away.

The railway had to be put out of action during repairs,

which meant a further loss of revenue. It was a bad year for the company with World War I and the loss of trade due to the reduction in the number of visiting ships at the port.

Meanwhile, maintenance and general repairs had to continue to keep the railway line in good order.

At last, in 1919, the com-pany made a profit! But un-fortunately, in that same year the government moved the sleeper factory from Knysna to Mossel Bay. This was a real blow, as the railway would be used even less, with many a repercussion to the fragile economy of the town.

Throughout the 1920s and ‘30s, maintenance costs and taxation took their toll and soon another engine had to be bought. SA Railways pro-vided a second-hand engine no longer required on the Umzinto line. It was in good

condition and gave many years of service.

But in 1927 perhaps the most serious blow fell when SAR finally connected Knysna with George by the standard 3-foot 6-inch gauge line and any hopes that they would eventually take over the forest railway were dashed, as all narrow gauge lines were considered to be obsolete.

Revenues from the wharf had also decreased dramati-cally as it became so much cheaper to bring goods to Knysna by train than by sea, and shipping activities at the wharf died down with fewer ships coming into port.

Financial concerns over the company had still not abated. In 1944, a committee from SAR&H came to Knysna to examine and report on the state of the Coffee Pot rail-way with a view to closing it down.

Corrosion was very bad, and broken rails were likely to become a major problem. It had already been stated the line would carry no more passengers.

Although SAR&H recom-mended closing down the railway due to deterioration of the line, they were forced to keep it going at least tem-porarily, because of the short-age of motor transport caused by World War II. It was then decided to have the line re-conditioned with old rails from South West Africa.

In 1946, the re-laying of the railway track was completed with the second-hand rails and pronounced good for an-other 20 years. It was a diffi-cult task and took over a year to complete.

A modest tribute remains, however, in the foot or two of rail set in the pavement on the right hand side of Long Street diagonally opposite Thesen House.

But safer rails were not the answer to the problems of the railway. After the end of the war it was used less and less, as it became uneconomical to rail timber and the forestries, merchants and ship owners used private lorries instead. This meant another drop in company earnings.

The historic decision was taken on 7 November 1947 to liquidate the South West-ern Railway Company and close down the railway by SAR&H, which was sold to a sugar mill in Natal.

The official closing date was fixed for 30 April 1949, and it was Tom Botha who drove the last train on the line. It was a sad day for the people of Knysna to have to bid farewell forever to their unique and beloved lit-tle Coffee Pot railway, and Knysna certainly lost one of its quaint old characters.ß"Jkuvqtkcp"Octictgv"Rctmgu"ku" vjg" cwvjqt" qh" Vanishing Knysna." coqpi" ocp{" qvjgt"rwdnkecvkqpu."cpf" vgcogf"wr"ykvj" Xkem{" Yknnkcou" vq" eq/cwvjqt" Wandering through historical Knysna0"Xkukv"yyy0mp{upcyqqfyqtmgtu0eq0|c1ctvkengu1mp{upcu/eqhhgg/rqv"hqt"oqtg"kphq"cpf"kocigu0

The fact that we haven’t received a newsletter from Friends of the Choo-Tjoe of late was noted this month, and urged CXPRESS to review the last such comms in April, which reports on FOLA’s third AGM - and it also reminded of an old Knysna train story, as researched and compiled by MARGARET PARKES and VICKY WILLIAMS

Our 10 000 free copies are distributed every Wednesday to a multitude of outlets along the Garden Route, with emphasis on Knysna and

Plett and drop-off s at *Sedgefi eld Tourism *Caltex StarMart in Wilderness *Lynn Schroeder, Build It and other select outlets in George *Storms River

Village and Bridge in Tsitsikamma - phone 044 533 1004 (o/h) with distribution queries.

If you’ve missed out on a hard copy, read the electronic version online at www.cxpress.co.za

News & Views 25 June 2014 CXPRESS 3

Bitou man arrested for most bizarre burglary

ALERT Plettenberg Bay residents and dedicated

security and police offic-ers managed to stop alleged burglars in their tracks after they cleared out a homeown-er’s luxury home of about R800,000 worth of furniture, appliances and fixtures.

Not only were the alleged culprits caught, but about 90% of the stolen items were recovered.

“I am overwhelmed by the spirit of this community as well as the dedication of Plett police and security compa-nies,” said homeowner Chris von Ulmenstein.

The eight-bedroom home in Boston Light Street, which used to be a guesthouse until about two years ago, was tar-geted by a group of burglars who cleared out the entire house - from furniture and household appliances to gey-sers, lights and even wiring.

Some of the only remaining items, two toilets, were being carried out by two suspects last Wednesday when local builder Johan Kruger and estate agent Susan Theron caught them red-handed.

“I was busy driving to Plett from Cape Town where I live to sort a few things out at the house, which is currently in the market, when I received a phone call from Susan about someone who wanted to rent the property,” Von Ulmen-stein said.

Before hanging up, Theron told her one of the home’s side-doors had been broken.

About an hour later, Theron and Kruger - who is inter-ested in renting the house - decided to go view the home. When they arrived, a white bakkie turned into the drive-way in front of them. Two men got out and started car-rying the toilets out.

When Kruger asked what they were doing, they said they had been instructed by a New Horizons resident called “Nolan”, who was ap-parently doing refurbishment work “for the owner’s Jewish husband, Kevin”, to load the items.

To page 7

NOTHING LEFT: Plett builder Johan Kruger and estate

agent Susan Theron, at right, caught

burglars red-handed when arriving to

view the home with an eye to renting

Photos: Ewald Stander

BACK TO MINE: Two truckloads of stolen furniture and appliances were recovered in New

YOLANDÉ STANDER reports on a Plett burglary of mammoth

Horizons and returned to the homeowner - Photo: Chris von Ulmenstein

proportions, but with a surprisingly happy ending

Read CXPRESS online @ www.cxpress.co.za

4 CXPRESS 25 June 2014 News & Views

Join hands with all of Plett, not just Ward 2, to counter harbour proposalSOMETIMES, when

you’re a lonely researcher fiddling about on the Internet for want of something better to do on a rainy Sunday, you find the funniest things.

Firstly, I had heard through the Plettenberg Bay grape-vine that the ‘small’ boat har-bour fiasco was “not over” and had “Chinese backing”. But I prefer forensic evi-

dence to hearsay, so I thought I’d “follow the money”, as the Plettenberg Bay Com-munity Environment Forum recently suggested.

The Forum correctly identi-fied Western Cape Marina Investments (Pty) Ltd as the proponent, with directors Peter Ahern in Joburg, “and one Gerald Zadikoff, who is based in Miami, Florida, and

is CEO of GM Selby Inc.”. An international consult-

ing engineering firm, Selby advertises on its website as follows:

‘Plettenberg Bay, South Af-rica - Marina design for fish-ing and recreational vessels, all marina facilities includ-ing dry storage warehouses, fuelling station, shops, and restaurants.

‘The marina is a part of a major waterfront develop-ment that includes residen-tial, commercial, and retail space. Project’s infrastruc-ture includes river-dredging and training and a double-lock system for water con-trol.’ - (www.gmselby.com/marinaprojects.php).

Selby’s headquarters are listed as in 7408 SW 48th Street, Miami, but also in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and Kigoma, Tanzania.

Much more fascinating, however, are the directors of the now-defunct GM Selby (Africa), which was regis-tered coincidentally in 1998 (1998/015784//07) and dis-solved on October 24 last year.

These errant directors in-cluded one Fariborz Akhlaghi Ghaffarokh, who is described

in one directors’ listing as a “Lecturer Consultant”, resid-ing at 31 Kilmardinny Cres-cent, Bearsden in Glasgow, and later - according to a Muscat intelligence blog - tied up with the Blue City 1 development in Oman, along with AAJ Holdings of Bahrain and Anees Issa from Oman.

The Muscat-based reporter writes that “the all-important independent director is Wil-lem Martinus de Roo” and suggests that both Akhlaghi and De Roo may be on an In-terpol watch list.

In November 2011, more-over, Akhlaghi turns up in Iran as a “professor” at the Second International Forum on Pub-lic-Private Partnership.

“Fari Akhlaghi is an experi-enced international expert in procurement and delivery of Large and Complex projects, including those that adopt PPP structures...

“He has held several senior academic positions in univer-sities in England, Scotland, Ireland, and South Africa and is a regular speaker at inter-national events.”

It seems likely, then, that the money leads more to the Middle East than China.

Whatever the final answer may be, the “thousands” of local opponents to Plett’s harbour project need to be reasonably clear about an al-ternative development plan.

If no such plan is mediated by the Save the Plett Alliance and Community Environ-ment Forum, as the law itself requires, then we may look forward to more social anger from the under-waged major-ity, and more dubious com-promises with unscrupulous “developers”.

Now consider the results of the national elections in each of the municipal wards in Bitou, and especially those of KwaNokuthula.

If no long-term, viable so-cial contract is offered to the poorest of Plett’s community, the very people who oppose the harbour development may find themselves in the same position as they were in 1998, when the deal was struck in the first place.

We therefore must continue not only to challenge corrupt and unsustainable develop-ments in Ward 2 alone, but also join hands with our fel-low citizens in the townships to deliver socially just and sustainable projects.

Mike Kantey

Taxi murder update

ZANEMALI Laho, 31, who is being

accused of murdering Tom Queba, appeared in George Magistrates’ court on Friday June 20, and the case was post-poned until July 4, during which time the accused will remain in custody.

Earlier this month, George police announced that a substantial amount was being offered as re-ward for information that may lead to the arrest of suspects after Queba - the chief negotiator in the George Integrated Pub-lic Transport Network - was found with a bul-let wound to the head on the side of the N2 around 9am on May 25.

Thembalethu detectives investigating the murder of the 47-year-old Queba arrested Laho at his home in the early morning hours of June 18.

He appeared for the first time in the George Mag-istrates’ court on Friday June 20.

If you know more about the murder, please phone the investigating officer, W/O Neville Olckers, on 044 802 1600.

News & Views 25 June 2014 CXPRESS 5

Plethora of pansies brings joy to Cape Town visitors

LOCAL TREASURE: Udo Martin

and the multitude of pansies harvested by him and

partner Heide on

Keurbooms Beach in a couple of days last week - the 15 biggest shells will

be donated to a Bitou

charity

COOL Capetonian Udo Martin popped in at the

CXPRESS office on Fri-day morning with a story to share. Well, you could call him a bit of a show-off, if you like, taking into account that many natives and visi-tors comb Plett’s beaches for their very own specimen of the iconic pansy shell, with no significant luck.

Because this is what Udo came to report: “We are regu-lar visitors to Plett and sur-rounds, and love long beach walks. In fact, we’ve been coming to your neck of the woods for four decades-plus.

“So on Tuesday June 17, we decided to tackle the 90-min-ute walk to Keurbooms River mouth from our holiday spot at The Dunes, leaving an hour before low tide. We found eight pansies on the river flats,

and two returning in the surf. “The next day we decided

to do it again. Another cou-ple ahead of us found a per-fectly intact Argonaut shell. However, they missed three pansies at the river mouth and, when returning the same way, another two washed up in front of us... Then three, then another two, etc...

“In 20 minutes, we picked up 20 large pansy shells. And we believe in the saying that goes ‘if you are given a pan-sy, you will have joy of your past and a future filled with promise’.

“Never in many past visits have we found more than about five pansies in a week. But this time we found 10 in a day, and 23 the next. Is this a record?”

The environmentally-aware visitors were a little concern-

ed that their collection of that many pansies transgressed some local regulations, so visited CapeNature to declare their find, but were advised that no permit was required.

“We were also told that many dead cormorants have been found on the beaches of late, and legions of washed-up jellyfish, which apparent-ly results from a drop in wa-ter temperature,” said Udo.

And in order to give back some of the treasure harvested off Keurbooms Beach, the couple decided to donate the 15 largestw pansies to a local charitable cause, “as suggest-ed by our long-standing friend Barnie Barnard, who runs the info kiosk at The Market Square’s Mugg & Bean”.

Phone Barnie on 044 533 3219 or 082 744 1884 to find out more.

FEEEED MEEEE!

The foreign penguin

found his digs at

Tenikwa quite

perfect, being

treated for minor injuries and fed

with care, and he

even took a swim on day

two of his visit

Rockhopping onto Robberg and into rehabJARED Harding, cura-

tor at Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in The Crags, contacted CXPRESS on June 16 to tell of a rather exotic visitor who rocked up at their door.

The Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) ar-rived at Tenikwa just the pre-vious day and, says Jared, “this is the first time, to my knowledge, that a Rockhop-per has stranded in Plett”.

“This fellow must have come a very long way, be-cause the closest colony is Marion Island, which is about 2,000km away!”

The penguin was found near Robberg Peninsula and res-cued by a family visiting Plett for the long weekend. Fortu-nately, apart from a few minor

injuries, his overall condition was not severe at all.

“Rockhopper Penguins do not normally wash up in this area as they occur in the sub-Antarctic waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as around the southern coasts of South America,” explains Jared.

“So finding this bird in South Africa at all is extremely un-usual, and it’s quite amazing how the little fellow has land-ed up on our doorstep.

“There are loads of possible explanations for this occur-rence, one being that recent weather conditions in the south have been severe, and so he was blown and washed our way with the strong currents.

“He might even have been caught in fishing nets and

then thrown overboard when the fishing trawlers came into South African waters, as there are minor injuries to his flippers that could have been caused by these nets. But I guess we’ll never know.”

At the time of writing, Jared said that the Rockhopper’s prognosis was looking good, as he went for a swim on day two of his Tenikwa stay.

“We have been extremely busy for the past two weeks, as the weather along our coastline has not been very pleasant and we have admit-ted several cormorants and Rock Doves, three African Penguins, one caracal and one Sub-Antarctic Fur Seal.”

Never a dull moment in the rehab business! Visit www.tenikwa.com to find out more.

6 CXPRESS 25 June 2014 News & Views

Discover one of Tsitsikamma’s best-kept secrets

CLEAR AND COOL: Apart from hiking, kloofi ng and abseiling, the pristine Palmiet River offers Takamma visitors the lure of tubing and trout fi shing

THERE’S a hidden val-ley about 70km from

both Plettenberg Bay and Knysna, which seems to be better known abroad then lo-cally. It’s called Takamma, meaning ‘mountain water’ and named after the crystal clean water flowing out of the mountain fountains.

A recent article by Chtk/ecp"Uvqt{"Dqqm holds: “One could say that Plettenberg Bay is to this country what Cannes is to France - a life-style destination as much as anything else. But as so often happens, it’s across the road and up in the interior that the real destination gems are waiting to be found.

“And that’s pretty much where we found it. Takamma

is profoundly contrasting and one of my top South African finds of the last five years.”

Myrtle Ryan, travel writer for various newspapers, re-ferred to Takamma as “a hid-den kingdom in the forest, a slice of mountain splendour which locals claim is one of the last true bits of wilderness that remains in the country”.

“Takamma is a tiny king-dom of fynbos, guarded by the ramparts of the beauti-ful purple-blue Tsitsikamma Mountains. If remoteness, peace, birdsong, a backdrop of mountains, the distant murmur of a river, gentle days and silent nights appeal, this is the place for you.”

Takamma’s anonymity may be due to the fact that it is

only accessible with an off-road vehicle. But take note that there is a collection point half an hour away where you can be picked up in a Land Rover for a fee.

Activities include hik-ing, kloofing and abseiling, as well as tubing and trout fishing in the Palmiet River. Significantly, the Eden to Addo mega-hike traverses the property (visit www.edentoaddo.co.za and you’ll know why that counts in Takamma’s favour...).

If you’re curious about the treasures to be discovered in this spectacular Fynbos Pro-tected Area these holidays, visit www.takamma.com or phone 072 581 0838 for more information.

Charley Brown

News & Views 25 June 2014 CXPRESS 7

Dream it, believe it, achieve it!

WORLD OF SOUND: Shanice Davids and audiologist Michelle Ash, who helped realising this Grade 11 learner’s dream of

hearing, loud and clear

AT Born in Africa, we believe that dreams

can come true. As an NGO that provides educational and social support to disad-vantaged children in Bitou schools, we have first-hand experience of how important it is for children to be able to hope and dream.

Through our Dream in Af-rica programme, we make two dreams come true every month, selected from our Dream Board that features dreams of the more than 350 children in our programme.

One dream that we managed to realise this year so far is

that of Shanice Davids - a Grade 11 student and Born in Africa participant.

Shanice has been suffering ear problems and tinnitus from a very young age, impairing her hearing and making her school life par-ticularly challenging at times. Her dream was to receive a hearing aid.

The BIA team called on the expertise of audiologist Michelle Ash, and Shanice’s hearing has improved sub-stantially since taking own-ership of her state of the art hearing aid.

The excitement she exuded

when the apparatus was fit-ted and programmed was infectious and we at BIA are thrilled that her school career ahead has been made so much easier.

We thank Gerry Brink for doing the initial test, and Dr Young for carrying out further diagnosis, and are indebted to Luciano San-filippo and Geertrui de Smet for their sponsorship.

Have a look at our Facebook page, BornInAfrica Vzw for more information on dreams that have come true.

Among them features a flying dream, which resulted

in eight BIA girls treated to a microlight flight.

A guitar dream saw to it that a group of young musicians in our care received their own guitars and lessons, while another group of girls in our programme received cooking lessons, because it was their dream to be able to cook for their families.

Contact us if you would like to help make a dream come true! Visit www.borninafrica.org for more information.

Born in Africa (BIA) director ISABELLE DE SMUL BRINK shares this story of a dream of hearing that came true recently

STOLEN ART:

Some of the

recovered stolen goods

included paintings adorning the walls of a New Horizons

home - Photo:

Chris von Ulmenstein

From page 3“I haven’t been married for

35 years and I’ve never had a Jewish husband,” Von Ul-menstein said.

After phoning Von Ulmen-stein to verify the suspects’ story and finding out that it was not the case, Theron and Kruger contacted local se-curity companies and police who arrived within minutes.

When they entered the house they found that it was completely empty. The list of stolen goods included every-thing from beds, mattresses, televisions, air-conditioners, cupboards, couches, a stove, fridges, tables, even baths, glass shower panels, lights, and geysers.

All the doors had also been

taken out and there were signs that the thieves were in the process of remov-ing the door frames. Most of the items had been neatly removed except the geyser, which they accessed by rip-ping out part of the ceiling.

The two men caught at the house informed police where “Nolan” lived and when they arrived at his three-bedroom home, they found the bulk of Von Ulmenstein’s furniture.

“My artwork was even displayed on his walls. We found out that he had been selling the furniture and oth-er items to the surrounding community.”

He was arrested and appear-ed in the local Magistrates Court on Thursday.

After identifying Von Ul-menstein’s furniture and appliances, Kruger hired a truck and moved the items to a secure location. “We actually removed two truck-loads,” Kruger said.

He added that since the ar-rest, several residents who bought some of the stolen goods had come forward to return the items.

A woman from Kranshoek also informed police that she had been to Von Ulmen-stein’s house to look at a 12-seater breakfast table she was interested in buying - an indication that some of the appliances and furniture had been sold from her home.

Von Ulmenstein said she suspected the thieves had cleared the house over an ex-tended period.

“Because the house has not been occupied for some time, the garden had overgrown. They even cut away the over-growth for easier access to the driveway.”

Von Ulmenstein not only thanked the caring Pletten-berg Bay community for their role in apprehending the suspects and recovering her household goods, but also Constables Clue Barnard and Edwin Smith, who had been instrumental in the success.

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Most bizarre burglary... (cont.)

8 CXPRESS 25 June 2014 Business

Check out the bright new Andrews & Co offi ces!

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words and, from left, Maureen Booysen, Denolene Solemans and Beulah Zana couldn’t look happier to be settled into the new Andrews & Co premises. Says Jeremy Andrews: ‘After 20 years in

the same spot, it’s really great to be in fresh new offi ces - if not really new to us, as we are now occupying the space previously serving as CXPRESS premises! But they are freshly painted and decorated, and all of us are excited

about taking the next step in providing clients with an even more comprehensive and professional compliance and business strategy service at affordable rates. We really

hope that clients and friends will pop in to say hi and see our new premises - you are welcome any time. So, far from

retiring, I am all fi red-up to keep the practice growing. With the support of my well-trained staff, I believe we can achieve great things together. Here’s looking forward to seeing you!’ (See the advert below for contact details.)

Part I: Investment Tools - The Endowment PolicyIN this series, I examine

some of the fundamentals of various investment tools, or “wrappers” as they are cal-led in the industry.

I have come across many retirees who have invested in endowment policies based on the sales pitch that on matu-rity their income is tax-free. Investors are unaware of the tax structure that exists with-in the endowment.

Firstly, when you pay mon-ies into an endowment, you use so-called after-tax mon-ey, i.e. you have already paid tax on these earnings. (Other wrappers have tax exemp-tions, which do not apply to an endowment.)

These policies normally have a minimum five-year period before maturing, although some may be extended.

The greatest disadvantage - if an advantage for some - is that endowment policies do in fact pay tax. In the case of an endowment policy held by an individual, the tax rate is 30%.

This tax is levied on any in-terest or rental income. There is no initial tax exemption for individuals. Dividend income is taxed at the normal 15%.

Capital gains are taxed at an effective 10% instead of the maximum 13% which is normal in the hands of an individual. The initial capital gains exemption that exists

for individuals does not ap-ply to the endowment policy.

So, obviously the advan-tage of an endowment policy is for those fortunate retirees who pay tax at 40% - and there are not too many of those!

Many retirees were sold en-dowments many years ago when the investment industry was indubitably under-reg-ulated. Some endowments may be linked to other poli-cies, and may incur unfortu-nate penalties if prematurely matured or cashed.

It is clear that, for a retiree who pays tax at a rate lower than 30% (which tends to be the majority), an endowment

will not be a suitable invest-ment product.

Retirees holding an endow-ment should talk to their in-vestment advisor and investi-gate any alternative.

At the same time, those younger investors who are busy earning a living, educat-ing their children, and worry about their own retirement plans, should apply careful thought when offered an en-dowment policy.Ocneqno"jcu"dggp"kp"vjg"kpxguvogpv"kpfwuvt{"hqt"qxgt"62"{gctu0"Jg"jcu"ytkvvgp"vjku"eqnwop"kp"EZRTGUU"hqt"vjg"ncuv"38"{gctu"cpf"ku"c"urgekcnkuv"kp"ocpcikpi"

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Investor Focus Malcolm Stewart – Investment manager at Michaelides Parker Wealth Knysna & Plett

Kick those bad spending habitsBAD spending habits can

easily lead to a big finan-cial hole if you don’t look out for them carefully.

Head of Consumer Educa-tion at FNB Eunice Sibiya addresses some of the worst spending habits causing the most financial headaches.

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“How often do you decide to pop into a mall or shop dur-ing your lunch hour or on the weekend without intend-ing on buying anything, and come away with armfuls of new clothes, shoes or even a nice cake from a bakery?” asks Sibiya.

It is these quick trips to stores that are the major un-doing for many people.

Even if you go with the best intentions, such as going to pay your store card, you are often led astray and end up buying something.

The best thing to do is to avoid going to the shops in the first place.

“Unless there is a very spe-cific thing that you need and it is written down, don’t ven-ture into a store,” says Sibiya.

“And if you tend to spend your weekends at malls, try finding another option that is

healthier for your wallet and your family, like a picnic in the park or visiting friends. Try pay for your store card through an electronic trans-fer, which will stop the temp-tation of unplanned buying.”

Qpnkpg"rwtejcuguOnline shopping is becoming very common and does have benefits, such as convenience and sometimes lower prices. But, this convenience can easily lead to overspending, as it is available all the time, and purchasing is so simple.

“The same rule applies to online stores as it does for retail stores,” says Sibiya. “Think before casually pur-chasing online, and unless you have a specific need, don’t browse through online shopping stores aimlessly.”

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“A take-away cappuccino and lunch every day might not seem like a big expense as a once off, costing around R50,” says Sibiya. “But, what is most people’s undoing is in its regularity. These small daily purchases quickly accumulate.”

An average working month has 22 working days, so R50

for each of these days will amount to R1,100 - without you even realising it.

“If you are more careful ab-out spending on the every-day, you will quickly find you have more cash at the end of the month, without ev-en really trying,” says Sibiya.

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Do you know the current interest rate on each of the cards in your wallet? The an-swer is most likely ‘no’.

“If you don’t know how much you are paying to bor-row money, how can you be expected to keep control of it?” asks Sibiya.

She suggests you spend time going through all the debt you have - from store cards, to credit cards, short-term loan repayments, car re-payments or your bond - and find out exactly what you are paying on each loan.

“Once you understand how much your debt is costing you, you can start working towards paying off some of these debts faster. Once one card is paid off, don’t be tempted to spend on it again.”

Nc|{"urgpfkpi"This is one of the biggest un-

doing of over-spenders. “Spending wisely and sav-

ing is not unachievable, but what it does require is time and patience,” says Sibiya. “Most people end up making bad spending choices, just because they haven’t taken the time to consider all the alternatives.”

Almost everything that you spend money on has an alter-native that may be more cost-effective and just as good - from discounts on school fees if you have more than one school-going child, to re-viewing your insurance poli-cies, to common household items purchased on a weekly basis.

“When last did you review your insurance policies or when did you last look at the banking fees you are accru-ing to find out how much that is costing you?” asks Sibiya.

There are many smarter spending alternatives, but it requires time and discipline to go through the different options.

“Lazy spending is one of the worst habits, and if not curbed, may lead to a debt spiral. Instead, be financially smart, take action and start spending sensibly,” conclud-es Sibiya.

25 June 2014 CXPRESS 9Promotion

10 CXPRESS 25 June 2014 Social Scene

People, places & events

MEDALS GAINED IN OSTRICH COUNTRY: We congratulate all Plettenberg Bay Karate

Kyousei students who took part in the SWD competition on June 7 in Oudtshoorn. Their instructor sensei Jonathan and parents are very proud of them for delivering excellent

performances and receiving medals in their age categories. In front from left are Noah

Bosman (1st kata, 2nd kumite), Hylene Cedras (1st kata, 1st kumite), Anastagio

Davids (3rd kata, 1st kumite), and Jayden Wate. In the middle row from left are

Thenique Arnolds (3rd kumite), Hailey Kivetts (3rd kata), Catalin Bosman (1st kumite), Josh

Rossouw, and Jayden Davids (3rd kata). At back from left are Donovan Clark (3rd kata), Duane Clark, Sensei Jonathan (1st kumite), Cole Kivetts (1st kumite), Bryden Plaatjies, and Britney Paulse (1st kumite). At far right is young Kyle McCallum, who took seconds

in kata and kumite - well done!

DIRECTORS UNITE: The crew at Knysna business hub The Director’s Club, housed in the historic but now fashionably renovated Imperial Hotel building

in Main Road, hosted a meet and greet on June 20 with live music, wine and canapés. The well-

attended event saw everyone present in a happy Friday afternoon mood and enjoying the address

of guest speaker Scott Picken from Lemonade Day. ‘The Directors Club is designed for the needs of the

modern executive, offering a private hi-tech work hub with business services at an affordable price,’

says founder Andrew Page Wood. In the pic at right is the marketing team of Di de Villiers and Traci

Page Wood, with Cary Carroll and Heather Smart, far right, enjoying Friday's function. Email di@

thedirectorsclub.co.za or call 084 843 3236 to fi nd out more.

‘LOVELY’ THE PREVAILING SENTIMENT: Peter Laul and Ilya

Gringolts were the stars of the fi fth Knysna-Plett Music Series

concert of the year, held on June 16 at Knysna DRC, when the duo gave a scintillating performance

of three sonatas for piano and violin by Antonin Dvorák,

Ludwig von Beethoven and Richard Strauss. Above, Marie Wagener of Nature’s Valley is

fl anked by Knysna locals Ken & Hannelie Kemp, who described

the concert as ‘absolutely lovely’. - Timothy Twidle

YOUTH ABOVE ALL: Wonderful synergy was achieved between Bitou Municipality and Tshisa Talent Agency, who provided a vast array of local talent for the Youth Day Celebrations at Kurland Village on June 16. From traditional dancing and gospel songs to innovative modern dancers - you name it, Tshisa Talent delivered it! Above, Bitou deputy mayor Adam van Rhyner, left, and his manager Allan Kock show their passion for youth issues like career opportunities and the performing arts. At top left, one of the many youngsters who found the Tshisa artists hugely aspirational - note how the little missy’s sucker mimics the mic in the banner! Visit Tshisa Talent’s Facebook pages and www.tshisatalent.co.za for more infrmation.

25 June 2014 CXPRESS 11Entertainment

TIDE TUNES ON LOOP: Plett artist and muso David Kantey, left, shows off a copy of ‘LifeTides’ with producer Howard Butcher - who says he leaves the album on ‘repeat’ in his car’s CD player

Words & photos: Tim Twidle

It’s Fringe Fest time at The White House

PLETT artist and mu-sician David Kantey

launched his CD NkhgVkfgu at Goose Valley on Friday June 20. Two years in the making, the album is a collection of eight compositions of melo-dious, soothing music com-posed by Kantey.

The music is evocative of the pull and surge of the sea and the ebb and flow of the tides, with titles like Vjg"Fcyp" qh" Vkfgu, Ecno" Yc/vgtu, and Uwtikpi"Wr. Kan-tey masters the guitar, while backing orchestration of strings is provided by com-puter-generated music.

The dining room of Goose Valley Golf Club was filled to overflowing with some 150 people in attendance.

Kantey sketched his long association with music over a period of 40 years and de-scribed how NkhgVkfgu was created, as well as playing a number of tracks from the album, all of which garnered warm applause.

Said Kantey: “The music is classically orientated, con-ceptual in nature and ocean-

ographic in theme. Com-posing the album has been an enchanting progress - it is the first of three, and the next collection will focus on whales and dolphins.”NkhgVkfgu was produced by

Howard Butcher at Peace of Eden Studios in Rheenendal. Visit www.davidkantey.net for more information.

IT’S A WEDDING DAY / ONS TROU VANDAG / SIYATSHATA NAMHLANJE! The importance of nature and trees is beautifully

portrayed as the townsfolk prepare for a wedding ceremony with singing, dancing and planting in ‘The Tree Show’ on

Saturday at 3pm, perfect for kids aged six and older – from left are Nkosinathi Xipula, Chrissie Cloete, Mncedisi Ncedani and

Siyabonga Zabo - Photo: Elle Photography 084 368 0182

‘LifeTides’ launched at Goose Valley

TOMORROW is the kick-off of Plett’s sec-

ond annual Fringe Festival, with Dki"Iktnu staged at 8pm and featuring three fabulous-ly talented and totally over-the-top chicks who hold it together when all else fails. It’s hilarious but take note that age is restricted to 12 years and older.

Same time on Friday night June 27, the psychological illusions and mind-magic of Vjkpm"Vykeg will have its au-dience in stitches. Hailed by critics as “mesmerising” and “captivating”, Brendon Peel is sure to live up to expecta-tions (age 10 years+).

The first matinee, on Sat-urday at 3pm, will see Vjg"Vtgg" Ujqy performed by the wildly talented and ngm/mgt local Lunchbox troupe - family theatre at its best!

That evening at 8pm, Oom Schalk Lourens fans need to gather for Oqtg"Jgtocp"Ejctngu"Dquocp"Uvqtkgu.

A" sell-out last year, actor David Muller returns to the

Plett Fringe Festival with enthralling retelling of some of the legendary raconteur’s very best short stories.

Thought-provoking fam-

ily show Ogoqt{ is the sec-ond matinee on Sunday the 29th at 3pm, followed by the masterful one-man comedy Fktv at 8pm (13 years+).

On Monday at 8pm, award-winning cabaret art-ist Godfrey Johnson stages his new comedy cabaret Ot"Lqjpuqp" Rtgugpvu000" with original songs about lovers, coffee, food, gym, fanatics and noses, as well as works by Kurt Weill, Mozart, Tori Amos, The Sex Pistols, and an Elizabethan love song.

Plett Fringe Festival 2014 concludes with [qw" Dgv"[qwt" Nkhg# on Tuesday July 1 at 8pm. A television game show with a bite welcomes a special guest who’s cashed in his chips...

Will he convince the audi-ence that he was a good guy, or will he be stuck in an af-terlife of TV reruns?

Grab festival guides and tickets at The Old House Shop or online at www.plettfringe.co.za or call Ann Fermor on 082 452 8764 and see the advert on page 15 for more information.

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE: From left, Michelle & Simon Ash, Laurian Reid, Candice Ludick and Patrick Reid enjoyed the launch last Friday

Aussie, Cape teams in Knysna Sevens feastKNYSNA looks forward

to welcoming 18 teams from Cape Town, Australia’s Gold Coast and the Route to participate in Sport at Back-ward Point’s third Winter U13 Rugby Sevens Festival this coming Friday and Sat-urday, June 27 & 28.

Local teams from Sunrid-ge, Hornlee, Knysna, Rhee-nendal, and Plett Primary Schools will be among the 18 participating teams dur-

ing this year’s festival.“We are fortunate to have

this event supported by the SWD Eagles,” said Sport at Backward Point co-owner Keith Cretchley. “They have kindly provided a number of referees and coaching clin-ics for our developing play-ers during the event.”

This festival will cater for players of all standards and will be played in two divi-sions, namely A and B.

Gold Coast Australia’s To-woomba Primary, and the Cape’s Rhenish, Sun Valley, Gene Louw and Evertsdal will arrive in Knysna tomor-row, June 26, and join the locals for the start of the fes-tival the following day.

All games will be played on SABP’s Abottsfield sports ground in Rheenendal. For further info email info@sportatbackwardpoint.co.za or call 072 549 1206.

Read CXPRESS online at www.cxpress.co.zaRead CXPRESS online at www.cxpress.co.za

12 CXPRESS 25 June 2014 Interval

The morality of dishonesty

A few years ago, robbers entered a bank in a small

country town. One of them shouted:

“Don’t move! The money be-longs to the bank. Your lives belong to you.”

Immediately all the people in the bank laid on the floor quietly and without panic.Vjku" ku" cp" gzcorng" qh" jqy"vjg" eqttgev" yqtfkpi" qh" c"ugpvgpeg" ecp" ocmg" gxgt{/qpg"ejcpig"vjgkt"xkgy"qh"vjg"yqtnf0"

One woman laid on the floor in a provocative man-ner. The robber approached her saying: “Ma’am, this is a robbery, not an office party. Please behave accordingly.”Vjku" ku" cp" gzcorng" qh" jqy"vq"dgjcxg"rtqhguukqpcnn{."cpf"hqewu"qp"vjg"iqcn0"

While running from the bank, the youngest robber (who had a college degree) said to the oldest robber (who had barely finished elementary school): “Hey, maybe we should count how much we stole?”

The older man replied: “Don’t be stupid. It’s a lot of money so let’s wait for the news on TV to find out how much money was taken from the bank.”

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After the robbery, the man-ager of the bank said to his accountant: “Let’s call the cops and tell them how much has been stolen.”

“Wait,” said the accountant, “before we do that, let’s add the R800,000 we took for ourselves a few months ago and just say that it was stolen as part of today’s robbery.”Vjku"ku"cp"gzcorng"qh"vcmkpi"cfxcpvcig"qh"cp"qrrqtvwpkv{0"

The following day it was reported in the news that the bank was robbed of approxi-mately R3-million.

The robbers counted the money, but they found only R1-million so they started to grumble.

“We risked our lives for R1-million, while the bank’s management stole R2-mil-lion without blinking? May-be it’s better to learn how to work the system, instead of being a simple robber.”Vjku" ku" cp" gzcorng" qh" jqy"mpqyngfig"ecp"dg"oqtg"wug/hwn"vjcp"rqygt0"

Moral: Give someone a gun and he can rob a bank. Give him a bank, and he can rob everyone...

Daar’s net drie dinge in die lewe…

EK het in die parkeerter-rein gestaan toe ‘n vuil,

verwaarloosde man wat be-del by my ‘n paar rand vir aandete kom vra het.

Ek het my beursie uit-gehaal en R20 in die lug opgehou.

“Sê my, as ek hierdie geld vir jou gee, gaan jy wyn daarmee koop in plaas van aandete?”

“Nee,” sê die man, “ek het jare gelede al ophou drink!”

“Goed, sal jy gaan en die geld by ‘n gesellinklub spandeer in plaas van om kos te koop?”

“Nee, ek sal nie my tyd mors met seks nie, ek moet al my tyd gebruik om bloot

aan die lewe te bly.” “Sal jy die geld gebruik

om dam toe te gaan?” “Is jy mal,” sê die man,

“ek vang al vir 20 jaar lank nie meer vis nie.”

“Goed dan, ek gaan nie die geld vir jou gee nie, maar ek en my vrou gaan jou vanaand uitneem vir ete.”

Die boemelaar was waar-lik geskok.

“Sal jou vrou nie woe-dend wees nie? Ek is vuil en ek ruik ook nie te lekker nie.”

“Nee wat, dit is doodreg! Dit is belangrik dat my vrou sien hoe ‘n man lyk nadat hy seks, visvang en brandewyn gelos het.”

I cleaned the attic with the wife the other day.

Now I can’t get the cobwebs out of her hair!

YAWN - an honest opinion openly expressed.

The next time you get a call from a blocked or unknown number...

Answer it and whisper: “It’s done, but there’s blood everywhere!”

Then hang up.

25 June 2014 CXPRESS 13Home & Health

HEALTH & WELLBEING HUB: Zoi Kazakos, left, runs the splendid spa at Conrad Pezula Resort in Knysna, which

boasts an indoor heated pool among many other facilities, and offers a multitude of treatments to die for

The Market, where everyone deserves a second chance

DIED and gone to heav-en. That’s the first

thought that crossed my mind after having laid down my weary bones on the mas-sage bed that was to be my base for the next 90 minutes or so, ensconced in the com-fort of Conrad Pezula Resort & Spa’s inner sanctum, and at the mercy of a veritable angel.

And this was no speaking-in-tongues kind of scary-winged thing: massage ther-apist Elandi addressed me in perfect Afrikaans, as did her colleague Isabel my lucky partner, when two Saturdays ago we were guests of the universe-renowned facility at Conrad Pezula Resort & Spa in Knysna.

Yes, you read it right: “uni-verse”. Because we’ve not proven the existence of ex-tra-terrestrial life beyond a doubt, and what this Nirvana of bodily treatments has to offer is surely not surpassed by any such facility on the planet.

The prevailing sentiment of “world-class” kicks in from the moment one enters the high-ceilinged realm of Pezula Spa - part of the main hotel located just east of Knysna’s Eastern Head and thus affording a 360-degree view that includes the Indian

Ocean, estuary and town, and all the way to Knysna River.

A guided tour of the im-pressive facility preceded our couple’s full-body mas-sage, and with time to kill in preparation, we hogged the sauna and steam room for good-health’s sake.

After relishing a carrot cocktail in our threads-du-jour of fluffy gowns and comfy slippers next to the in-door heated pool, we moved along to the massage section to choose our favourite from seven scented oil candles.

We both loved the yellow candle best, which contains mimosa and cedar-wood es-sential oils and relates to the solar plexus chakra, situated below the ribs and affecting

the liver, spleen, stomach and small intestine.

Explained Isabel: “On the psycho-spiritual level, yel-low relates to self-worth - how we feel about ourselves and how we feel others per-ceive us.

“This is the area of the per-sonality, the ego, the intel-lect and self-confidence.”

Armed with that informa-tion, we settled in for their signature spa treatment, our every muscle about to be soothed by the hands of two extremely able therapists.

And once one emerges from the massage room, feel-ing relaxed beyond words, there’s another treat in store in the form of a leisurely lie-down on waterbeds with light sprouts of H2O direct-

ed at varying angles gently concluding the session.

Bright sunshine greeted us as we made our way to Café Z, where refreshing cock-tails were complemented by a delightfully light snack of bruschetta topped with Marco’s handmade mozza-rella, wild rocket from Con-rad Pezula Resort & Spa’s own garden, pine nuts, and a Sicilian-style sweet and sour vegetable relish called ecrqpcvc.

The hotel and spa welcome visitors these holidays, so don’t miss out on this op-portunity to feel and taste heaven, without necessar-ily having to join the choir invisible. Visit www.conrad hotels.com/pezula or phone +27 44 302 3333 to book.

CXPRESS reporter

Bodily bliss awaits at award-winning Pezula Spa

Second Chances at The Market in Plett’s Main Street is a lovely little destination store full of quaint surprises, antiques and collectibles as well as great quality vintage and second-hand clothing... at brilliant prices. Lou Bredenhann, left, is on hand to point you in the right direction and is open daily (weather permitting) except for Sundays, so pop by and buy your Second Chances, ‘coz y’all deserve one. And remember to bring along all your unwanted, good second-hand goods to sell at The Market on Saturday June 28. It only costs R100 per table or 10% of your sales - call Janine on 044 533 2805 from 8am to noon on weekdays for more information or to book your spot. Oh, and if you’ve clothes or other items that need mending, and that you love way too much to sell or bin, come to The Market and ask Mechelle to alter or fi x ‘em. You can also call her on 079 715 3543 to make an appointment.

PawsPawsPawsPawsP l e t t A n i m a l W e l f a r e S e r v i c e

14 CXPRESS 25 June 2014 Classifieds

25 June 2014 CXPRESS 15On the Soapbox

Letters to the Editor Email: editor@cxpress.co.za - Fax: 044 533 0852 - PO Box 1449, Plett 6600

Nightmare on the PE Express...

I have started writing Pkijv/octg" qp" vjg" RG" Gzrtguu. If anyone wants a role, please call my agent. The play starts with a light-hearted adver-tisement headlined: AFTER 10 YEARS OF DEVORCE.

It tells the story of a woman who laments: “Due to jeal-ousy my husband’s family hated me. In fact he later di-vorced me too and left the kids with me to suffer.”

She was saved by Sonia “who performed speical-prayers for me”. The story has a happy ending: “... my husband was back home, masking for forgiveness.”

We then move on to the sto-ry of the GR"Mkpiu"Eqpfkvkqp"eqcej who is “the first cover of the new fitness magazine Vjg"Dqz"Uqwvj"Chtkec.

These okes “forge overal fitness through... body-weight exercises, running,

rowing, and jump-roping”. They even have a “Bespoke

Media MD, Seraj Toefy”. One of these okes “said to

to keep people health they needed to eat meat and veg-etables... ” Watch this space.

There is also a scene star-ring “Cape Town comedy legends David Isaacs and Os-car Petersen”.

I am still trying to find out what they have done to be rated as legends, which is a word that refers to Bill Cosby and Sammy Davis Jr.

*[qw‚xg" iwguugf" kv<"Igtjctf"htqypu" wrqp" /" vq" wug" cp" gz/vtgog" gwrjgokuo" /" v{rqu"cpf"qvjgt"itcoocvkecn"dwp/ingu"kp"vjg"rtkpvgf"ogfkc0"Uq"yg‚tg" incf." kh" pqv" uwtrtkugf."vq" cppqwpeg" vjcv" jg" jcup‚v"gxgt" hgnv" kpurktgf" vq" ytkvg"uetkrvu"d{"cp{vjkpi"rkemgf"wr"kp"EZRTGUU000"⁄"Gfu0+

So what’s the state of the fracking nation?We congratulate you, Mr Pre-sident, on your recognition that South Africa’s energy sector needs a “radical trans-formation”. We would agree that the dependency on fossil fuels as the primary source of energy is not sustainable and has a negative impact on the environment.

However, we note with con-cern your hailing of shale gas mining as a “game changer”.

The fact that companies like Shell are prevented from

drilling for shale gas in their own country points to the fact that the “good environmental laws” of South Africa are clearly not strict enough and will not be able to protect our precious natural resources, in particular water.

Past experience demon-strates that it is the right of investors and developers to accumulate profits, which are protected above all else.

The failure to speak of meaningful consultation

with the people of the Karoo - whose lives will be most impacted upon - is indicative of the manner in which deci-sions around development are taken.

We are surprised that the government has not learnt from the E-Tolling debacle; should fracking go ahead without listening to the de-velopmental vision of local people, conflict will most certainly follow.

We welcome the suggestion that government is to explore opportunities for renewable energy that will foster rural development.

If transformation and sus-tainable rural development are to be realised, local people - who are the most vulnerable to the social and environmen-tal impact of mining - must be part of development.

This development should challenge the impact of pov-erty and food insecurity, ef-fect greater control over land

and natural resources, and re-sult in food and energy sov-ereignty.

History has shown - and, indeed, Marikana confirms - that the extractive mining in-dustry maintains patterns of accumulation at the expense of the working class and of the environment.

Mr President, we call upon you to say NO to shale gas mining. We call upon you to listen to the voice of local people. We call upon you to foster rural development that will revive and transform the rural areas.

Cpignc"Eqpyc{"/"qp"dgjcnh"qh"vjg"UC"Eqcnkvkqp"

Cickpuv"Htcemkpi<"vjg"Uqwvjgtp"Ecrg"Ncpf"

Eqookvvgg."itqwpfYqtm."UCHEGK."Gctvjnkhg"Chtkec"*Ecrg"Vqyp+."UC"Ecvjqnke"

Dkujqru‚"Eqphgtgpeg"Lwuvkeg"("Rgceg"Eqookuukqp."cpf"vjg"Mctqq"cpvk/htcemkpi"

vcum"vgcou"*Egpvtcn"Mctqq"("Gcuvgtp"Ecrg+

Meet Patrick aka ‘Mister Clean’

Alison Bryant of the Clean Plett Campaign sent this photo of right-hand man Patrick Windvogel, and wrote: ‘You will see

him slogging his way around Plett on many a day. Patrick was a godsend to our Clean Plett Campaign, even though he is not a fi xed employee, as we are not a registered organisation. We manage to pay him daily via donations from the public. Patrick

is extremely proud of his achievements, and is friendly and willing to graft hard. He is able to outwork anyone employed by Bitou as cleaning staff, who are probably paid double his wage and do less than he does. In his own words, he does what 10

of them do in three weeks, in one day! CPC has been operating since February this year, and are sustained by a few local

residents who got together to make our town a place that we can be proud of, by trying to keep it pristine at all times.’ Watch

this space for a full feature on rubbish and recycling in Plett, incorporating the CPC and Patrick’s invaluable contribution, in

a near-future edition of CXPRESS.

Port Elizabeth-based CXPRESS reader - and we should really add ‘proof-reader, editor, and journalist extraordinaire’! - GERHARD BURGER entertained us with this Soapbox-worthy rant...

16 CXPRESS 25 June 2014 Sport & Adventure

Don’t have a boat? Catch a fi sh anyway!SAYS Barry Woods of

Plettenberg Bay Ski Boat Association: “We’re often asked what people do who want to fish in our competi-tions but, for whatever rea-son, don’t own a boat.

“Well that’s easy - we will find a spot for you. So come and join us at Plett Ski Boat Club’s Winter Biggest Edi-bles fishing competition on Saturday July 5!”

The Club is putting up the cash prize for biggest edible fish hooked overall, as well as an array of other prizes from generous sponsors, which include Cadac, Penny-pinchers, Plett Sports, and SAASA, to name a few.

The R150 entry fee per an-gler secures your spot and, as always, includes a braai pack for each angler.

“The Club puts on a super braai and we really encour-age non-fishing folk to come and join us for that. The braai packs are delicious and Bob makes scrumptious salads to compliment them.”

A skippers briefing will take place upstairs at the Club at 6pm on Friday July 4, and the fishing committee will be on hand to take entries and go over the rules.

This winter the size of your catch comes into play, as it will be closely regulated.

The format for the day is as follows: lines in at 6am, lines up at 3pm, and weigh-in at 4pm, followed by the prizegiving and braai. If it is raining on the day, the com-petition will take place on the 6th - same times apply.

“Plett Ski Boat Club is very excited to announce that we start with league fishing in August, so keep an eye on the press and check out www.plettskiboatclub.co.za for more details,” says Barry.

“Why not upload your fishy

photographs with the species and weight of your catch to our photo gallery? We don’t mind whether or not your fish was caught here in the Bay or anywhere else in the world - we would like the pictures all the same. After all, it’s proof of the one that didn’t get away.”

If you do not have a boat but would love to join com-petitions or the league, please call Barry on 083 310 2122 or Etienne van Rensburg on 083 384 7469 and book your spot today.

You do not need to be a member of the Club to join either event.Ugg"vjg"cfxgtv"qp"vjku"rcig"hqt"oqtg"kphqtocvkqp0

Student surfers converge on Vic Bay ‘till Friday

TOP surfing students from South African ter-

tiary institutions have been heading to the iconic Victo-ria Bay on the outskirts of George to compete in the annual University Sport of South Africa (USSA) Surf-ing Championships.

The event, sanctioned by Surfing SA, is hosted and organised by Nelson Man-dela Metropolitan Uni-versity (NMMU) George Campus and takes place from today ‘till June 27.

With opening heats scheduled for today and tomorrow, the last round of heats and all-important finals take place on Fri-day. Round one will see men and ladies compete to secure their spots in the quarter finals, as well as the repo-charge round for men.

June 26 has been set aside for the men’s third round, ladies’ second round, and ladies’ quarter finals. Af-ter Friday’s semi-finals and finals, winners will be announced after the final heats of the day.

“The USSA tournament is a highlight on any insti-tution’s calendar. It is an excellent opportunity to es-tablish and foster relation-ships within the university fraternity, while at the same time contributing to the growth of sport, especially

surfing in South Africa,” said NMMU George sport manager Hugo Loubser.

The tertiary institutions taking to the water in search of victory in this year’s US-SA Surfing Championships are NMMU Port Elizabeth and George, the University of Cape Town, Cape Pen-insula University of Tech-nology, the University of Stellenbosch, and Varsity College from Durban.

Students representing NMMU George are Ruben Lammers, Juan Reynierse, Kelly Olivier, Chris Elliot, Jaco van der Westhuizen, Ruan van der Westhui-zen, Erin Slattery, and last year’s individual ladies cat-egory winner Roxy Giles.

As per USSA Surfing Champs custom, five tro-phies will be awarded in three categories, namely best individual men’s and ladies’ performance, best team performance for men’s and ladies’ teams, and the trophy for the best univer-sity, where the men’s and ladies’ scores are combined.

Loubser further expressed his sincere appreciation to George Municipality for the use of Vic Bay and to the Southern Cape Board Riders Association, which has once again agreed to provide logistic support for the event.

HOME-BREAK ADVANTAGE: See last year’s Individual Ladies winner, NMMU George wave-rider Roxy Giles, in

action at Vic Bay from today onwards

Saturday is Tour de Plett day!TREAT yourself to a

spectacular ride thro-ugh pristine indigenous forests, the stunning Petrus se Brand, and previously uncharted forest and farm tracks. To crown it all, you will pedal home amid the giraffe, eland, wildebeest and antelope of the mag-nificent Buffalo Hills Game Reserve.

The Tour de Plett MTB Marathon 2014 has it all, and this mountain biker’s

dream race kicks off at Wit-tedrift High School on Sat-urday June 28 from 7:30 onwards, with 85km, 55km & 20km route options (late entries at start until 6:30).

Visit www.tourdeplett.co.za/tourdeplett2014en-teronline.html if you have not signed up yet.

The racing fun finishes at Plettenberg Bay’s Central Beach, with refreshments available at the hospitality village.