Gang still terrorizes Tzaneen

■ Joe Dreyer

Despite the implementation of various street patrol teams in residential areas of Tzaneen, there seems to be no stopping the mysterious gang that has been targeting and vandalizing infrastructure in certain parts of the town.

This week the as yet unidentified gang vandalized a mini-sub in Protea Street during the 21:00 to 01:30 loadshedding slot in area 12 near Van Velden hospital. This caused the entire area to be left in darkness with the GTM stating that they were working on the problem but could not offer an estimated time when the power in that area would be restored. The following evening on Thursday (yesterday) the gang vandalized another mini-sub, this time in area 14 which resulted in the same consequences.

The DA Ward Councillor for the area however stated that she could not confirm whether the vandalism was the same gang that was targeting the fire hydrants and mini-subs in the area, as there were no witnesses in the latest incidents. construction and thank you in advance for your cooperation,” Ramopai added.

When asked whether the new patrol teams which were launched in Talana two weeks ago had made any impact on the crime in the area, the councillor stated that they had not yet been implemented as they would first be attending a workshop along with the patrol team established in Flora Park on Wednesday evening. She did however view the establishment of these teams as a success.

There is really no clarity at the moment as to what the plan is to combat the gang of vandals who are said to be driving a green Fiat Uno and are believed to be residing in a house in the vicinity of Flora Park.

Further to this, Ramopai said that the DWS was encouraging the implementation of NEM:BA Regulations relating to alien invasive species like carper and bass.

“Catch and release is being discouraged in all inland dams where these fish have been introduced so we all need to take a decisive decision regarding the catch and release especially during competitions,” he said. “These fish are a big draw card for fishermen at our dam so the approach to this regulation needs to be cautious, while engagements with different fishing clubs are underway, we will be discouraging the release back into the water of weak or struggling fish. These fish end up dead in the water thereby polluting the dam. We therefore will set up a point where such can be dropped off and will be donated to the needy if the club has no plans for them.”

Bulletin has learnt that the facilities will be rented by Artorius Leisure for an amount of R51 742 per year and the agreement between Artorius Leisure and the Department of Water Services is for a period of nine years and 11 months.

The lease entitles the lessee to use the property for recreational purposes that may include horseback riding, cycling, boating, and access to the dam for swimming, rowing, canoeing, fishing. water skiing and any other water sports as zoned for Tzaneen dam.

For any further inquiries, the public can contact Thabo Ramopai via email at thaboar@gmail.com or telephonically on 076 209 8476 or 071 508 5024 or 076 970 1100.

■ Joe Dreyer

Be a book they want to judge

You can tell a lot about the character of a person by the people they surround themselves with. Equally, one can tell a lot about a person’s motives by paying close attention to the manner they conduct themselves when nobody else is around.

It sounds cliched, true, but someone once told me that clichés are cliched because they are usually true. If you surround yourself with drunkards, even though you may not drink a drop yourself, people will judge you as a drunkard, hang around with weirdos and you will be considered weird.

The opposite rings true as well. Hang around with the successful, well mannered morally upright and you too will be judged accordingly. It is never a good idea to adopt the credo “let them talk” when you are attempting to build a career on the perceptions of those people.

Nowhere have I seen a more clear cut example than this past week at Stanford Lake College during our time working there. Every one of the pupils of every one of the attending schools oozed an air of success and confidence apparent by their willingness to help and their absolutely spotless manners. Spending a day among the many parents, pupils and staff there, almost left me with no option but to feel confident and driven myself. It was automatic.

The people I mingled with this week, may or may not be truly content with themselves and may or may not be as truly confident as they appear, but nobody will ever know, and everybody around them will contract their confident positive fever. I must say that I did not mind the infection, and I hope that technology never becomes the vaccine that cures us of it. If you chose to surround yourself with the unambitious who feed off your energy, you will soon be left void of any yourself. Choose your circle wisely or it will be chosen for you.

Katknypery en beurtkrag knoei saam

■ Ben Theunissen

Elke hond kry sy dag. So sê hulle. Of dit nou waar is al dan nie, hulle sê so. Katte is weer geneig om in die donker geleenthede te skep. Dit weet die meeste van ons.

Dit is nie wat hulle sê nie. In hierdie dae waarin ons leef, het die katte ‘n groot voordeel aangesien daar met beurtkrag baie meer geleenthede geskep word. Die meeste katte word in die donker geknyp. So, die katte en die knypers is heel gelukkig met die toedrag van sake.

Weyers is toe van mening dat die knyp van ‘n kat in die donker, ernstige nadelige gevolge kan hê. ‘n Kat is geniepsig en kan skrik wanneer dit geknyp word...in die donker. Jy kan vir ‘n geruime tyd letsels dra van die geknypery.

As daar nie krag is nie, is dit die kat se beurt.

André de Ruyter, die ex-baas van ‘excom’, het daarop gesinspeel dat daar ‘n ‘sindi-kat’ bedrywig is wat megasakke vol note per maand uit ‘excom’ se kasregisters verwyder, en dit sonder toestemming, wat bevestig dat die ‘sindi-kat’ elke maand toeslaan...dus ‘die kat kom weer’..om ‘n randjie of wat af te knyp van die inkomste van ‘Goliat’ die kragreus. Hy wou egter nie die name bekend maak van al die betrokkenes nie, want ‘watts in a name’?

Dawid sê toe dat sy vrou glad nie van katte hou nie, veral nie die wat in die donker geknyp wil word. Daar is ook voordele vir die knypers en die katte in hierdie tye van beurtkrag. Jy kan eerstens die skedule volg en jou knyp beplan en in groot geboue waar nie ‘n kragopwekker beskikbaar is nie, kom daar ook meer donker tye voor.

‘n Gevolg van die knypery in die donker is natuurlik dat die ander helfte van die kat wat geknyp word, skielik ongenooid sy verskyning kan maak en jou katswink moker. Meerkatte hou ook minder daarvan om geknyp te word en is nie so geredelik beskikbaar in die donker nie.

So van katswink gepraat…meer ernstige gevolge kan intree, indien jy gevang word waar jy die kat knyp. Dit kan veroorsaak dat jy jou einde gaan ontmoet...soos ‘n jagter wat bokveld toe is, ‘n bakker steek lepel in die dak, ‘n bankklerk verwissel die tydelike met die ewige, ‘n melkboer skop die emmer, ‘n predikant leef tot sovêr, ‘n rower gaan daarmee heen en ‘n begrafnisondernemer sien sy eie gat.