22 July 2020 by CXpress

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

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Photo: Esther de Villiers

22 July 2020

No bums on seats...

Julius Duma - arguably Plett’s most legendary pizza master, and the man overseeing many of the famous dishes created by owner Chris Fermor and his staff at The Table - was caught in the act of preparing for today’s reopening of this popular local restaurant. Turn to page 3 to read about a protest organised by SA’s culinary industry, who collectively invites president Cyril Ramaphosa to settle down for a chat at one of the ‘million empty seats’ resulting from the national lockdown halting this trade in its tracks.

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NEWS & VIEWS

22 July 2020

These two trends threaten our region’s biodiversity EW developments and over-population combine to put local biodiversity at great risk, according to Cobus Meiring of the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI). “A glaring example is that populations of Cape dassie have disappeared from Wilderness as a result of the loss of their habitat and along with them, the very rare and endangered Black eagles that preyed upon them.” Meiring claims disappearing habitat is directly responsible for the loss of biodiversity in super-sensitive ecosystems, and it is continuing unabated as new land for development is cleared all around the Southern Cape. “Not so long ago, the sleepy town of Wilderness had a healthy population of Cape dassie living along the railway line on the way to Victoria Bay,

and they were often found in the Milkwood trees in gardens along the beach,” he explains. “However, in the decade following the rebuilding of the N2 and subsequent destruction of the unique habitat supporting their survival, numbers sharply declined and they eventually disappeared altogether, along with the presence of Black eagles,” says Meiring. “In recent times, Wilderness and surrounds have developed to such an extent that the coastline and much of the surrounding hills have become veritable urban suburbs.” He says although concerned citizens have formed conservation bodies to create green belts and eradicate invasive alien plants on their land, new development cannot be curtailed. “The effect is visible, with

large tracts of montane forests constantly cleared for wall-towall dwellings, gardens, firebreaks, and entry roads. “Several special species like the Knysna loerie, warbler and woodpecker; the forest canary and many others are near-endemic to the area. The dwarf chameleon along with tree and ghost frogs are strictly endemic but stand a very real chance of not making it through the next few years, because of destruction of the natural habitat sustaining them,” warns Meiring. “We can’t stem the tide of human influx and development, but we do need more wild spaces and corridors for plant and animal migration between the ocean and the mountains, as well as an increase in official and unofficial conservation areas.” According to Meiring, private

landowners hold the key to nature’s survival. The role of local conservation bodies is vital, not only in preserving existing ecosystems, but in creating even more space for the survival of habitat and wild spaces. A total of 75 landowners in five Southern Cape river systems, including the Kaaimans and Touw, are working with the SCLI to clear invasive alien plants. These landowners have already cleared many hectares in an effort to regain habitat to support critically endangered biodiversity, enabling the river systems to act as wild corridors. “Ultimately, knowledge and awareness, coupled with physical intervention, will enable one of the African continent’s most spectacular regions to retain what remains of its unique biodiversity,” Meiring concludes.

Travel bug has not stopped biting majority of South Africans N a July 17 post, IOL News reported on a recent survey conducted by the Flight Centre Travel Group, which showed that South Africans were now ready to travel again. Flight Centre conducted the survey through its newsletter and Facebook page, with 7,546 respondents taking part. Around 43% of the respondents lived in Gauteng, followed by 23% in Cape Town and 18% in KwaZulu-Natal. The survey found that 86% of respondents would consider travelling to a perceived safe destination in 2020/21. International travel versus local travel was neck and neck, with 43% of South Africans saying that they would be comfortable travelling internationally. Only 13% of participants were unsure if they would travel in 2020 or 2021, while just 1% said they would consider the circumstances first before setting off. The overall consensus seems that many South Africans do

not mind travelling, with 35% of respondents indicating they would like to hit the road as soon as possible once lockdown restrictions were lifted. Around 25% reported that they would travel within one to three months, 21% within four to six months, and 15% within seven to 12 months. SA travellers, well accustomed

fect outbound travel. “Over the next two years we’re expecting a focus on domestic travel - South Africa for South Africans. We have a beautiful country to explore and can reignite that love by spending our hard-earned rands locally,” he said. Stark said 73% of respondents reported that they would

‘Ideal local travel destinations include beach holidays, bush breaks, and the Garden Route’ to long-haul flights, do not appear averse to travelling internationally either. The survey data showed that 43% would comfortably set off to an international destination, with 44% voting for travelling within SA. Around 6% said they would like to travel to the Indian Ocean islands. Flight Centre’s Andrew Stark said although many respondents wished to travel internationally, it was likely that restrictions, regulations, and an economic downturn would af-

be comfortable travelling on a flight locally as well as travelling by car (in their vehicle or hired). Ideal local travel destinations or experiences included beach holidays, bush breaks, and the Garden Route. Mountain adventures and exploring a city were also some of the holidays considered. Only 10% opted for a camping holiday. The overwhelming majority of respondents chose a getaway with family and budgetfriendly breaks as ideal local

holiday, with a luxury tour or getaway with friends being close contenders. While the majority of travellers would feel comfortable staying in self-catering accommodation, hotel and lodge stays were not far behind. In terms of intra-provincial travel, 59% of participants said they would travel within their own province; 20% said no, and another 20% said they would if the deal was good enough. The Western Cape is the number one province South Africans want to visit when interprovincial travel is permitted. KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape were other destinations respondents hoped to explore. Around 28% of respondents revealed they’d want to take a holiday of four to five nights, 24% responded seven nights, and 20% hoped for a two to three-night break. Only 13% wanted a weekend away or a stay of longer than seven nights.

Workplace safety - businesses must stay safe to stay open ESTERN Cape Finance and Economic Opportunities minister David Maynier on July 16 released a statement to help businesses with the implementation of regulations and health measures. “We are committed to opening the economy safely in the Western Cape, and so it remains critical that we continue making every effort to implement and enforce the necessary health and safety measures in the workplace to stop the spread of Covid-19,” he said. He emphasised the importance of president Cyril Ramaphosa’s strengthening of regulations on the wearing of masks on Sunday July 12. Businesses are now legally required to ensure that anyone entering their premises must be wearing a mask, and employers are legally obliged to provide employees with a cloth mask or adequate face covering that must be worn while at work. “Our online Covid-19 work-

place safety non-compliance complaints form, which allows customers and employees to notify us of businesses that are not following the necessary health guidelines to stop the spread of Covid-19, has received 1,114 complaints since it was launched, of which 846 (76%) have been resolved. “All workplace safety noncompliance complaints made to the Department of Economic Development and Tourism using the online form are dealt with as a matter of urgency,” said Maynier, adding that in most cases, his department could assist and advise businesses to implement these necessary safety measures. “Where there have been significant violations of the safety measures these are reported to the Department of Employment and Labour with a request for immediate action. If serious enough, this department may order a temporary closure of the business or parts of it.”

Examples of the workplace safety non-compliance complaints submitted include: • Inadequate social distancing, especially in communal areas such as canteens; • Inadequate use of masks by employees and customers; • Inadequate use of hand sanitisation and cleaning facilities; • Infected persons in the workplace due to them showing no C-19 symptoms, inadequate regular screening, or employees not staying home because they fear losing their jobs or wages; • Employers not informing employees when a colleague has tested positive; • Inadequate management of an infected person in the workplace, for example not being isolated immediately or being sent home in public transport; • Not finding and isolating close contacts from work when an employee is infected; • Inadequate cleaning following an infected person being in the workplace with either no cleaning, or not cleaning all

parts of the business where the employee worked; • Inadequate ventilation in the workplace; • Sharing of equipment, work spaces, or food without regular cleaning taking place; • Exposure to infected customers, especially if customers enter a business without wearing a mask; • Little or no communication with employees on workplace health guidelines. Many of these issues can easily be fixed, so visit westerncape. gov.za/coronavirus or email supportbusiness@wesgro.co.za if you have questions about implementing safety guidelines in the workplace. “The Covid-19 pandemic will be with us for some time, so it is important that we all adhere to the simple actions needed to reduce the risk of transmitting or being infected with Covid-19. “Together, we can ensure our loved ones stay safe and our businesses stay open in the Western Cape,” said Maynier.

NEWS & VIEWS

22 July 2020

CXPRESS

Lobese urged to sell new car to feed people of Plett Bitou council is under fire once again, this time for disgraceful expenditure on luxury wheels for the mayor, Peter Lobese, and his wingman - YOLANDÉ STANDER reports

HE approval to spend R700,000 on a three-year lease for a new vehicle for Bitou mayor Peter Lobese, and extending the lease on the deputy mayor’s car, caused outrage in the town and beyond. The move has even sparked a petition, calling on the mayor to obtain a cheaper vehicle and use the rest of the money to feed the thousands of Bitou residents unable to put food on the table as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown. It is not the first time Lobese faces criticism over his car. In 2017, he was in hot water when it came to light that ratepayers were forking out just short of R60,000 per month for his Volvo SUV - this after he had been involved in an

accident in his previous mayoral vehicle, a luxury BMW. Lobese’s new car lease also extends over a three-year period, despite there only being a year left in his term as mayor. “That such items can seriously be approved in these troubled times is startling. Even contemplating it is demonstrating a manifest lack of concern and accountability,” said Plett Ratepayers Association chairman Peter Gaylard. The Association has written to Bitou, calling on council to rescind the decision. The petition, which was started by concerned residents and garnered 240+ signatures by July 21, also criticised the decision and called on the mayor to obtain a

“more reasonably-priced vehicle” and use the rest of the money to feed the people of the town “you serve”. The petition reads, inter alia: “Things are only going to get worse in the next few months - can you really sit back and watch people starve while you drive around in a luxury limousine?” Lobese is urged to review all discretionary and vanity projects as a matter of urgency, and eliminate them where possible. “In this category we include the acquisition of a new mayoral car and salary increases for councillors.” This latest outcry over municipal expenditure comes at a time when revenue has dipped to 50% in May. “We need an austerity budget, not one full of nice-to-haves. Service delivery should be the first and only pri-

ority,” said Gaylard. The municipality did not respond to questions by CXPRESS before deadline. Municipal spokesperson Andile Namntu, however, said that

Request for Quotation (RFQ) Visit Knysna, a strategic unit within Wesgro, wish to enter into Service Level Agreements (SLA) with service providers in the greater Knysna area. The Request For Quotations (RFQ) will be published from 23 – 30 July 2020 as detailed on the National Treasury e-Tender platform http://www.etenders.gov.za for the following services:

‘Dear mister president, please take up a seat at any of our empty tables’ invites restaurant industry HE biggest-ever united protest in the history of South Africa’s restaurant industry is set to take place today, when Garden Route eateries will join hundreds of colleagues countrywide - including coffee shops and takeaway establishments - in the ‘1-Million seats on the streets’ protest against Covid-19 restrictions to trade. The Restaurant Association of SA (Rasa), which initiated the campaign, notified lieutenant general Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi of the SAPS of the planned protest in a letter via its lawyers on July 15. Tables and chairs will be used to block roads outside various restaurants between 12 noon

and 2pm as part of the peaceful protest to highlight the massive impact of C-19 lockdown regulations on the industry. The sector has pretty much been closed from the start of the hard lockdown in late March up to the end of May. Since June it has been operating at limited capacity, with lockdown restrictions not allowing for on-site consumption of alcohol. According to Rasa, up to 70% of jobs may have already been lost in the industry, totalling some 800,000 people. “Due to the continual disregard for the restaurant industry, Rasa members and various establish-

ments will be embarking on a nationwide peaceful demonstration,” said attorney Ashton Naidoo in the letter to Mkhwanazi. “Each owner will move tables and chairs from their empty restaurants into the street in front of their establishment in protest of the current regulations and to highlight the plight of the industry.” He added all had been advised that such groups “must not exceed 15 people, and social distancing protocols will be observed”. Eateries from George to Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna and Plett had confirmed on social media that they would participate in today’s 1-Million Seats’ protest.

Coronavirus: How to shop safely Before shopping, while queueing and entering a store

o RFQ 02-2021 : Travel / reservation services o RFQ 03-2021 : Design, printing & signage services o RFQ 04-2021 : Public Relations type / related services The closing date for submissions is 12h00 on Thursday, 30 July 2020. For further queries, please contact UIF 7JTJU ,OZTOB PGmDF on 044 382 5510

Coronavirus: How to stay safe at till point 1

Avoid shopping if unwell. Ask family or friend to help. Prepare shopping list and only shop when essential. Only buy for 1-2 weeks.

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Cashier to clean hands with hand sanitiser for at least 20 seconds between each customer. Before unpacking trolley, cashier to spray customer’s hands with hand sanitiser. Customer to avoid touching bottle.

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they were not aware of the petition or the ratepayers’ letter. • The petition can be viewed and signed by googling ‘Peter Lobese sell your new car to feed starving people in Plett’.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.westerncape.gov.za

National Hotline: 0800

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Provincial Hotline: 021

928 4102

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.westerncape.gov.za

CXPRESS

INTERVAL

22 July 2020

Pockets full of magic man walks into a bar and asks the bartender: “If I show you a really good trick, will you give me a free drink?” The bartender considers it, then agrees. The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a tiny rat. He reaches into his other pocket and pulls out a tiny piano. The rat stretches, cracks his knuckles, and proceeds to play the Blues. The bartender pours the man a drink on the house as he puts the rat and piano away. After the man finishes his drink, he asks the bartender: “If I show you an even better trick, will you give me free drinks for the rest of the evening?” The bartender agrees, thinking that no trick could possibly be better than the first. The man reaches into his pockets again and pulls out the tiny rat and tiny piano. The rat stretches, cracks his knuckles, and pro-

ceeds to play the Blues. The man reaches into a third pocket and pulls out a small bullfrog, who begins to sing along with the rat’s music. While the man is enjoying his beverages, a stranger confronts him and offers him R10,000 for the bullfrog. “Sorry,” the man replies, “he’s not for sale.” The stranger increases the offer to R20,000 cash upfront. “No,” he insists, “the frog’s not for sale.” The stranger again increases the offer, this time to R30,000 cash. The man finally agrees, and turns the frog over to the stranger in exchange for the money. “Are you insane?” the bartender screams. “That frog could have been worth millions to you, and you let him go for a mere R30,000!” “Don’t worry,” the man answers. “The frog is nothing special. You see, the rat is a ventriloquist.”

Greater than its parts... E had just moved and after a tiring day of putting our new home in order, my wife and I realised we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I telephoned a nearby restaurant to order a pizza. The young woman

who answered the phone asked if I wanted a small, medium, or large pizza. I asked how many pieces were in a medium, and a muffled discussion followed. Then she replied: “The chef says ‘as many as you want’.”

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L E U B B Y E R W I S H C I A R S N K T R E R A T E W D L Y

E A T I NG A P P C C L E N T H E MA I N D N C N T C H E R E E R A G S H E U U E N T S ME A E E I N F U R I L U U A S E L E S S

L I N E D E A L I O B L C E

F I N G E R S T A L L

ON THE SOAPBOX

22 July 2020

Letters to the Editor

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

CXPRESS crosswords educational and fun Dear editors, thank you most sincerely for your interesting crossword. It is entertaining and informative, while covering a wide variety of subjects. Is the compiler local? South African? A lot of time must be spent on the questions and one can see the compiler covers a very wide field, which makes solving them both entertaining and educational. I’m keen to introduce other crossword solvers to them.

Due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations, I am unable to collect CXPRESS as easily as I did before. I Googled your July 8 edition and found the crossword, but was unable to enlarge and isolate it in order to print it out. Would you be able to email it to me? Eleanora Fraser, Knysna CXPRESS managing editor Lezanne Watson responded: Dear Eleanora, due to

the virus, our advertising has dried up to such an extent that we can only afford to print every second edition. The July 15 edition was printed and distributed in Plett and Knysna at the big supermarkets and several other outlets, but please visit www.cxpress. co.za where each week’s paper is posted. Our genius designer, Sandi Smith, sources these crosswords from all over the globe and then

takes the time to format them in order to adhere to CXPRESS standards. With our online editions, the crossword and Sudoku can become a bit of a problem, so I understand your frustration. Therefore, I laid out the crosswords on an A4, ready for you to print and enjoy. (Should there be any readers out there who would like to receive the crosswords by email, please send a request to editor@ cxpress.co.za - Eds.)

Mandela Month appeal from Plett Animal Welfare Plett Animal Welfare Service (PAWS) is disappointed that the special Mandela Day service to our community and their animals has been curtailed by Covid-19. The pandemic has brought hardship to most people, who are now struggling more than ever to feed their pets. We have been trying to feed as many hungry animals as possible, but we are failing to keep up, as the need continues to grow. We have had to cancel all our regular fundraising events and activities for the year and are now facing, along with so many deserving causes, a

difficult future. As in the past, we paid tribute to Nelson Mandela on his birthday on Saturday July 18 by serving our community. His compassion, for humans and animals alike, continues to inspire us all and we hope that our contribution will go some way towards alleviating the desperate need out there. We are appealing to you for donations of food and financial contributions to allow us to continue feeding those animals most in need in Plettenberg Bay. ANY contributions will be most gratefully received.

MADIBA’S BEST FRIEND: This picture of Nelson Mandela and his beloved dog Gompo, a Rhodesian ridgeback, was taken at his home - today the Mandela House Museum - at 8115 Vilakazi Street in Orlando West, Soweto

Pet food can be left in PAWS baskets at Pick n Pay, Beacon Island KwikSpar, and Checkers in Beacon Way. Alternatively, please contact me on 073 645 9476 for delivery or collection. Financial contributions can be made to: Plett Animal Welfare Service, ABSA account 909 301 9538 (branch code 632005) - please provide your name and email as reference so that we can thank you. We would be grateful if you could consider forwarding this appeal to your contacts. Marsja Hall-Green obo PAWS, Plett

Spirit of Madiba pervades New Horizons on Mandela Day Thanks to the Bitou Covid-19 Disaster Management team, the volunteer ladies of Plettenberg Bay Dinner Club, and members of the South African National Tuberculosis Association in cooperation with New Horizons community development officer Hilda Plaatjies, we were able to bless and treat multitudes of local children at the New Horizons Sports Grounds on Saturday July 18, which is annually celebrated as Mandela Day.

CHEERS TO THAT! These youngsters were some of the children treated to a Madiba Day full of fun and refreshments and useful information, thanks to the efforts of various local volunteers and generous donors

Children attached to the six local registered soup kitchens joined children from the streets and from Masizame Drop-in Shelter to attend this special event. Each child received gift packs, Covid-19 awareness activity books, and pamphlets to take home or to share with their guardians and peers. A huge thank you to everyone involved and especially to our volunteers and donors. Leigh Dunn, obo of Rotary Plett

CXPRESS

Handyman on call - 082 492 4417 / 072 724 6590

22 July 2020

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