16 September 2020
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 0852 Email: editor@cxpress.co.za / advertising@cxpress.co.za Web page: www.cxpress.co.za Printed by Group Editors
Friends for life
Photo: Sandi Smith
Bentley - an adopted cross between a Spaniel, a Labrador, and a Collie - spent the first six months of his life in a kennel and struggled to get used to sounds, but since being part of a Plett family with two dogs and two kids he has come into his own, displaying a lovable nature and all the great characteristics of the mix of breeds in his blood. He adores his new friends, Alex and Addison Smith, and even enjoys watching TV with his family. Turn to page 6 if you wish to offer a forever home to one of the many unwanted pets up for adoption in Plett and Knysna.
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CXPRESS
NEWS & VIEWS
16 September 2020
Returning to top Rotary spot: altruistic Ate Bos looks forward to a year of ameliorating lives
CHARITY IN MOTION: During last week’s gathering at Peppermill Café, Rotarians celebrated the inauguration of their leaders for the year ahead and witnessed the practical impact made by a Covid-19 feeding scheme initiated by president Ate Bos, fourth from left; Anns president Beryl Winter is pictured sixth from left
LETT resident Ate Bos was last week inaugurated as Plettenberg Bay Rotary Club president for the year 2020 to 2021. Along with wife Adje, the couple Bos is well-known in local charitable circles - especially given their community involvement in The Crags for many years now. Ate, who has been Plett Ro-
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tary Club president for two consecutive terms before from 2014 until 2016 - is excited to take over the reins once more and continue uplifting his community, which to him is truly second nature. He had initiated a disaster management feeding project at the beginning of lockdown in March this year already, and
raised more than R400,000 abroad to assist with feeding the needy in his midst. The project has also been helping to put food on the tables of households as far-flung as Nature’s Valley and Covie. Rotary stalwart Beryl Winter was inaugurated as Rotary Anns president, and during the happy ceremony pledged her support
HELPING THE NEEDY HIS SECOND NATURE: Ate Bos was selected as Plett Rotary president and looks forward to use the club as vehicle for his many charitable endeavours - Photo: Leigh Dunn
to Ate and his initiatives. Plett’s Rotarians officially congratulated and celebrated Ate’s inauguration at their very first meeting held in six months, i.e. since before the start of the national lockdown. The gathering was hosted by the popular Peppermill Café in The Crags on Tuesday September 8.
Plett members of Team SA shine at virtual karate competition OCKDOWN created an opportunity for local karateka to participate in a form of competition already in use around the globe: online karate tournaments. Instead of being physically present at a venue, participants capture their karate or kobudo katas on video and upload it to the tournament site. A panel of judges then score each entry and award the top three places. These virtual tournaments give participants a chance to compete with people from all over the world without incurring travel expenses. Says Roberto Boni, father to Plett world champ Galliano,
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10, and 16-year-old fellow fighter Aligi: “In May, I met Maltese national Chris Galea, who heads up the Mediterranean Karate Alliance. “For the first time ever, the MKA would host a World Online Karate Championships to be broadcast live from Malta on September 5 and 6, with judges from around the globe adjudicating in real-time.” Team SA comprised 66 members from all over the country. The opening ceremony on Saturday preceded the close scrutiny of entries from 40 countries, with tough competition in all divisions - most of which featured up to 25 participants.
Plett entered nine competitors: Joshua Mills, Blake Taylor, Cameron Frew, David Cable, Aligi and Galliano Boni, Joshua Hodgskin, Elijah Moodley, and Lojza Pisonic. Apart from Galliano’s stellar performance landing him nine golds and a silver medal, firsttime competitor Joshua Mills, 9, wowed his peers, sensei Elrie Bosman, and proud parents Hardy and Alda, by bringing home a bronze. Fellow firsttimer Elijah was placed eighth out of 20 participants. Lojza and Aligi braved an extremely tough 25-strong blackbelt category to place sixth and 12th respectively. Lojza had the
misfortune of being disqualified in the Long Weapons class due to a technical mishap: the wrong video was loaded so could not be scored - most unfortunate, as his performance was sure to secure a medal. Cameron and Blake paced sixth and 10th (out of 16 competitors), with Joshua Hodgskin ninth and David 12th (out of 19 competitors). South Africa won the most golds and finished fourth overall with a total of 11 gold, three silver, and seven bronze medals - an incredible accomplishment, in which Plett’s talented contingent of karateka played no small part.
NEWS & VIEWS
16 September 2020
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CXPRESS
Suspected child porn supporter caught on camera abusing elderly victims of dementia 36-year-old man appeared in the Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court on September 10 for a formal bail application after he was arrested last week on multiple charges of sexual assault and the possession of child pornography, which was found on his cellphone. On August 31, Da Gamaskop police was called to attend to a complaint of indecent exposure at a facility in Mossel Bay that cares for elderly dementia and Alzheimer sufferers. An initial investigation revealed that the suspect - an employee at the facility - exposed himself to a 79-year-old complainant who is confined to her bed. It is alleged that the incident occurred in the early hours of August 29. All rooms are equipped with CCTV cameras and while conducting further investigations, police members witnessed footage indicating that another lady, aged 96, had been sexually violated by the suspect. Subsequent to this discov-
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ery, the suspect was arrested and his cellphone confiscated. When investigators found child pornography on the phone, it was sent for forensic analysis. The man was charged with multiple counts including rape, sexual exposure, and the possession of child pornography. He made a first brief court appearance on September 2, when he was remanded and the case postponed to last Thursday for a formal bail application. Provincial police management condemned these acts against the most vulnerable members of society - our aged mothers entirely dependent on our care - in the strongest possible terms, according to South Cape SAPS spokesman captain Malcolm Pojie. “These acts are especially monstrous as they came to light on the periphery of a month during which we celebrated and commemorated our women. The team once again committed themselves and the SAPS as a whole to go that extra mile
to secure the safety of our women and children alike. “All members of the public are urged to root out these sexual predators without fear or favour.
Therefore the investigating officer attached to the Mossel Bay Family violence, Child protection and Sexual offences (FCS) unit represented us in opposing bail during the sus-
pect’s court appearance.� • In his update to CXPRESS on Monday, Pojie confirmed that the matter had been postponed to September 21 for legal representation to be finalised by the accused before the commencement of the formal bail application.
Ramaphosa urges the public to give full support to the media RESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to support the media industry. In a statement broadcast by the SABC on Monday, he said the work of the media was essential to the country’s democratic order. “In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa says it plays a watchdog role and exercises its civic duty in supporting national efforts to contain the coronavirus. He says the media has done this under extremely trying conditions, often with limited resources,� according to the statement. The president also lamented the economic impact that the
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Covid-19 pandemic has had on the media sector and urged South Africans to give their full support to the media by paying for content, supporting crowd-funded journalism, paying their SABC licence fees, or simply buying a newspaper. While he said government would continue to extend its advertising spend to publications and broadcasters, he also appealed to the private sector to extend its support through advertising. “Ramaphosa has called on donor organisations to collaborate in supporting public interest journalism ventures,� the statement concluded.
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CXPRESS
INTERVAL
16 September 2020
After lockdown... Where’s your husband?
The poodle’s problem poodle and a collie are walking together when the poodle suddenly unloads his frustrations on his friend. “My life is a mess,” he says. “My owner is mean, my girlfriend ran away
with a schnauzer, and I’m as jittery as a cat.” “Why don’t you go see a psychiatrist?” suggests the collie. “I can’t,” says the poodle. “I’m not allowed on the couch.”
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You need to dig a little
The last gentleman, growing in confidence steps up to the tee, really feeling pride in his son’s accomplishments: “Those are nothing to scoff at, no doubt. Believe it or not though, my son is doing even better! “He’s a top ranked national realtor and had such a profitable year that he up and bought this girl he’s been dating an entire freaking house!” He drives his shot almost to the hole and all three walk down to meet the friend that lost his ball in the trees. The first guy chips his ball out as they arrive at the green. As he walks up, the last guy shouts to him: “What about you? You didn’t say anything before your shot... don’t you have something to share about your son?” The man bashfully dips his head a little and replies: “I don’t understand my son. I love him and I’m happy he’s happy. He’s a cross-dresser and works as a male escort...” They all get quiet for a moment before he continues: “He must be good though - just this year his top clients have bought him a Ferrari, a small yacht, and a new house!”
E C A C K L B I A DOP T E S L E N T I S S U O S AU C H E D N I DU S T P A E E L E D P HOT I M P A L A C
I didn’t see him
OUR older gentlemen are out golfing, sharing tales about their lives and eventually the topic of their children’s professional success is brought up. The first guy steps up, hurriedly takes his shot, wiffs the ball off into the woods, and starts walking to find his ball without saying a word. The second man steps up to take his shot and confidently reports: “My son is doing pretty well. He’s just been promoted to manager of the car dealership he works at. “In fact, he’s doing so well he gave the last lady he was seeing a brand new sports car.” Then he takes a swing and drives the ball down towards the green, and steps aside. The third guy steps up and can’t help but escalate with praise for his own son: “That’s pretty impressive, but my boy is also doing great. He’s a chip off the old block. “He’s a broker for luxury yachts, and really has a knack for it. He’s doing so well that the last woman he was dating, he up and just gave her a freaking boat!” He takes his shot and moves to stand next to the other guy.
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In the garden
The proud golfers
C U T T H O U O U T T E R R O D T ORME S E D E B D A E X T O L A U A R E F I N M T C E L Y S E
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ON THE SOAPBOX
16 September 2020
Letters to the Editor
Email: editor@cxpress.co.za - Fax: 044 533 0852 - PO Box 1449, Plett 6600
Constructive suggestions for the continued care of South Africa’s foremost estuary The response by SANParks after my previous letters [read the most recent of these on page 7 of the August 26 edition at www.cxpress.co.za] was to thank the writer for pointing out all the missing buoys and marker poles in Knysna Estuary - written proof of the fact that their rangers were not doing routine estuary patrols for over 10 months. I have pointed out this lack of attention to safety in our estuary over years and copied in SANParks with photographic evidence of unreadable information on important signage. Obviously, it’s not possible to take photos of missing channel markers, etc. On that subject: SANParks wrote on September 9, 2019, saying they would attend to these issues prior to the Christmas influx. One excuse was that they were still finalising with SAMSA (South African Marine Safety Association) for the design of appropriate signage. We would have thought by now this info was old hat. Anyway, nothing has yet been done and some inevitable consequences have transpired. A visiting catamaran came in recently and, due to the fact that the first three channel marker buoys are missing, they grounded on the pansy bank opposite Featherbed. Luckily it was daylight in a flat calm sea with an incoming tide. If it had been a mono-hulled yacht at night in heavy seas with an outgoing tide, it could have been a real problem. I found the Ashmead channel marker pole, which had gone missing, halfway up the channel on a mud bank and immediately sent SANParks a photo. By the time of writing, it had still has not been replaced. In its place is a broken off barnacled stump that a friend of mine hit with his boat, causing R35,000 worth of damage. If a skier had fallen off and hit this stump, it could have been extremely messy. This begs the question: Has SANParks the right to fine or prosecute anyone here, if they themselves cannot ensure the basic safety of Knysna Estuary users? These are not high-cost issues. Let’s move forward instead of always bringing up things that should have been nailed years ago. What about using a drone with a cam-
tected area notice, and for not being in possession of a vessel permit.
STRANDED: The Ashmead channel marker pole was found halfway up the channel on a mud bank
era attached? They could sit on their pier and check out all the known hotspots at known times (e.g. spring low tide). This would save hugely on labour costs and serve as a big deterrent, especially to regular offenders. Arland Reid, Knysna Park manager for Knysna Megan Taplin explains six key areas mentioned by Arland Read and others who have raised concerns about the management of South Africa’s number one estuary in terms of biodiversity significance. Patrols and law enforcement • There are 10 rangers and additional environmental monitors who work in small groups (due to Covid-19 protocols) to monitor and police activity on the estuary to ensure regulations are observed. This includes both day and night patrols by foot, vehicle and on vessels. There are also night patrols on ranger schedules. • During the 2019/20 financial year, 823 patrols were conducted; over 4,000 inspections of fishermen and bait collectors were done, and in excess of 500 vessels received primary inspections during December and January. A total of 112 fines were issued and three arrests made. Equipment and bait confiscated due to illegal harvesting included fishing rods and reels, bait pumps, garden forks, gaffs, nets, traps, etc. • Selling and buying of illegally collected bait and fish are fined under the Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA) 18 of 1998, up to a value of R2,500. • Regulations are a national competency and only enforced by a local office in Knysna. • Vessel permit sales have increased year on year. • SANParks officials in
Garden Route National Park report law enforcement via the National Environmental Crime and Enforcement Register (NECER) and these statistics result in an increase in the number of fines issued. Zonation • Knysna Estuary is zoned according to a sensitivity analysis informed by research conducted over the years to determine which areas of the estuary are most sensitive to disturbance. Special management areas are then zoned, allowing certain activities in certain areas of the estuary. • The zonation has recently changed with the review of the Park Management Plan (PMP). The new PMP was signed off in February 2020 and zonation will be implemented specifically for new no-wake and no-ski zones. This has been delayed by the Covid-19 lockdown but will be implemented as soon as funds are available. • There are already (with the existing zonation) slow-speed zones in the estuary, as well as a designated skiing area. Speed • According to SAMSA regulations, ‘safe speed’ is applicable when travelling on inland waters without any specified knots or kilometres. • Vessels are permitted to travel at speed when it is safe to do so in the deep main channel of the estuary. Due to its depth, it is not considered sensitive to disturbance. • There is also a designated ski zone where vessels may engage in water and jet-skiing. • Rangers do follow vessels when seen travelling at high speed in areas not zoned for such and can request vessels to leave the water or be fined R500 for not adhering to a pro-
Training • Training is ongoing and done through external and in-house trainers to ensure staff are equipped to enforce the law. • Rangers are designated as environmental management inspectors and peace officers, which enable them to fulfil lawenforcement functions. Over the years, many rangers and other staff have engaged in a variety of skills development and compliance training. Constructive suggestions We have a very capable and enthusiastic group of volunteers called the SANParks Honorary Rangers. They welcome any new members who would like to constructively contribute to conservation projects, some of which include litter clean ups, fundraising to procure compliance and enforcement, front-desk duties, and others. Honorary Rangers assist with visible policing (not enforcing the law) as well as a critical function of education when on patrol in the estuary and forest. It would be highly appreciated if committed conservationists and those who love Knysna Estuary and have access to their own vessels could join their ranks. Tackling pollution • SANParks chairs the Knysna Authorities Pollution committee comprising of Knysna Municipality, Eden District Municipality, and the Breede-Overberg Catchment Management Agency. The main aim of the committee is to mitigate and reduce pollution impacting the estuary. The committee tackles all pollution issues ranging from solid waste (a competency of the municipality and all Knysna residents) to waterborne waste, as well as sedimentation that washes down the catchments from urban activities such as vegetation clearing and bank stabilisation. SANParks has teams from the Working for the Coast Programme who join municipal teams to clean up areas around the estuary. We appreciate your enthusiasm and concern for nature and look forward to hearing from you - email GardenRoute. NationalPark@sanparks. org with your comments.
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CXPRESS
16 September 2020
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Paws
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