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Paarl Post
Menings Opinion
31 January, 2013
Much help in the face of disaster It was almost as if time stood still in Paarl this week when the town was once again engulfed in a thick cloud of smoke and ash. This is nothing new, as annually at least one of the Boland mountains are ravished by fires. Yes, our natural habitat, being mostly fynbos, has to burn every few years to regenerate itself. This is the cycle of nature and before people drove around in cars flicking cigarette stubs out of car windows, nature saw to it that mountains burned. But then there was less or no farming activity on the foothills of the mountains. So when the fire was at it’s peak on Monday and Tuesday, a hive of activity took place with neighbour helping neighbour to protect their properties against the flames. Unfortunately two families living on a farm were not so lucky to have their valuables saved. But in general, the properties of many families were saved due to the selfless efforts of neighbours, friends and ordinary concerned citizens. And already local farmers are assisting the two families who lost everything. Unfortunately, far too often, this type of good-willed neighbourly kindness only takes place in the face of a disaster. Just think how many crises can be averted on a daily basis if the community stood together and assisted their neighbours.
‘I too once had a dream . . .’ Time to think of the poor employers in these days of unrelenting strikes. Why must they always be punished for trying to bring about a better life for all? Could someone with some common sense buy the strike instigators each an I-pad? It has been found to work wonders with folk, including chimps, who have run out of things to amuse them – even a mirror to flatter their image might work. But, will that feed the hungry women and children, not merely the seasonal labourers, but the permanent farm workers and all those in the Western Cape who depend on that invaluable influx of foreign exchange each year? Many years ago, like Martin Luther King, I too had a dream. It may have been at the first ANC congress I covered as a cub reporter or it could have been later at Kliptown when the Freedom Charter was formulated and someone walked off with my press release. It might even have been when old Dr Moroka, former chairman of the ANC, in his old Packard, was showing me his efforts at upliftment. It certainly was when I personally met Martin Luther King in Ghana and when Chief Albert Luthuli told me of his plea for a fresh deal with no violence. No one was prepared to listen! Not even to Braam Fischer in Bloemfontein where he showed this reporter sweets, inscribed with “Peace”, allegedly handed out to Russian children. My dream indeed was of a peaceful, prosperous, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa where merit and productivity would always outweigh ethnicity. All this came to an abrupt end when Walter Sisulu introduced
me to the then “young Turks” led by a junior Nelson Mandela. They were tired of talking and of non-violence. Many years later he was feted internationally precisely for reaching out to minorities in forgiveness. And now? No one, but no one, believes that a seasonal worker can feed his family on R70 a day when he is only employed for say three months of the year. He must consider this before he applies for the job. This is a free democratic country where no one is obliged to work for anyone, even if he pays a living wage. The labourer is always worthy of his hire but he cannot blackmail employers to hire him or pay him more than they can afford. Clearly, we need a new approach to agriculture. It is not just another industry or welfare organisation but it has always been abused as the last refuge or reservoir for the unemployed, unskilled or incompetent. Maybe under a new dispensation for agriculture, someone will think of providing the same support as enjoyed by municipalities for housing, clinics, schools, water and electricity, plus the reticulation that has to go with it. The farmer, as always, will have to be town clerk, chief health inspector, engineer and social worker. Small thanks for that. The Kwazulu-Natal farmers once suggested printing positive messages about farmers on the back of air tickets. Or, throwing the occasional braai for housewives or communal breakfasts to persuade the “volk daar buite” that they are nice guys after all, not only when climate, markets and the seven deadly plagues give them a break! Ask Porchia Adams of KaapAgri who works so hard to keep everyone happy!
Wellington die morsigste dorp van die jaar Ek glo baie mense sal saamstem dat Wellington ’n prys moet kry as dorp van die jaar. Die morsigste dorp van die jaar. Mense kan nie meer hul kinders neem na openbare parke nie. Oral lê mense rond op komberse (definitief nie besig om piekniek te hou nie) en jy vind rommel, kondome en menslike-afval wat oral rondlê. Is die gebruik van alkohol in die openbaar en vir kinders onder 18jarige ouderdom gewettig in Wellington? Ons moet dan asseblief as inwoners van Wellington daaroor ingelig word. Jong mense en kinders sit in parke en suip en die feit dat die polisie geensins optree teenoor sulke persone nie, skep seker maar die indruk dat dit so gedoen moet word. Die parkeerarea langs Laerskool Hugo Rust word byvoorbeeld
as suipplek gebruik, waar rommel gestrooi word en musiek tot diep in die nag hard blêr. Langs die meubelwinkel Full House, sit en kuier mense naweke op die sypaadjies. Moenie eens praat van diegene wat hulself om elke hoek en draai ontlas nie. Wellington se munisipale swembad word ook as suipplek gebruik. Op Saterdae staan daar tot ses busse met CA-registrasienommers en
taxi’s om nie eens te praat van die hope motors van ander dorpe nie. Hoekom wonder mense nog waarom daar mense verdrink. Busse parkeer langs die muurbalklub en dan sit die mense openlik en suip langs die busse. Wil iemand vir my vertel Wellington se polisie het almal oogprobleme of dra oogklappe dat hulle niks van daardie onheilighede raaksien nie? Wellington is ook deurtrek met straatvrouens wat deur bekende mans opgetel word. Meneer weet jou vrou waar jy is? Waar is ons polisie as ons hulle nodig het? Ons het julle nie net nodig vir inbrake en huismoles nie. Julle kan ook help om van Wellington ’n skoner dorp te maak deur vir mense te vra om by hul huise te gaan suip.
SONDER OOGKLAPPE WELLINGTON
Waarom is daar nog smouse in Lady Greystraat? Die munisipaliteit onder die ANC het reeds wetgewing aanvaar wat formeel aangeneem is en nou op die wetboek staan, ingevolge waarvan alle informele handelaars vanuit Lady Greystraat na Patriot Plein moet verskuif waar ablusieblokke gebou is. Plekke vir hulle is reeds daar afgemerk en word nie meer gebruik vir parkering nie. Ek dink ander plekke in die Paarl is ook so geoormerk vir hierdie doel. Al wat nou moet gebeur is dat hierdie wet toegepas word. Waarom pas die DA-munisipaliteit nie die wet toe nie? Dit is tog ’n munisipaliteit se plig om wetgewing toe te pas, veral hulle eie wette. Waar-
om versuim hulle hul plig in hierdie verband? Is die DA-munisipaliteit dan bang om die wet toe te pas en hoekom? Is die ANC dan meer vasbeslote om wet en orde in die middedorp te handhaaf as die DA? Die DA-munisipaliteit se wetstoepassers sien elke dag hoe die wet oortree word, maar hulle ignoreer dit eenvoudig. Is dit ’n goeie voorbeeld vir die inwoners van Paarl?
BELASTINGBETALER PAARL
Munisipale woordvoerder, May Caro lissen, reageer: Drakenstein-munisipaliteit het ’n proses gedurende 2010 begin om die informele handelaars
vanuit Lady Greystraat te verwyder. Onderhandelinge het plaasgevind tussen die munisipaliteit en die informele handelaars en ’n ooreenkoms is bereik met hulle om te skuif na Newstraat. Die oorgrote meerderheid van die informele handelaars is hierheen geskuif waar strukture gebou is om hulle te huisves. As deel van die onderhandelinge is ook ooreengekom om ’n beperkte aantal informele handelaars in Lady Greystraat toe te laat om handel te dryf op spesifieke areas waar dit die minste ontwrigting en obstruksie veroorsaak. Ons wetstoepassing monitor die situasie voortdurend.
Flink, vriendelike diens by Paarl Hospitaal Graag wil ek net ons ervaring met jul deel oor ons nuwe Paarl Hospitaal. Op 22 Desember 2012 was my seun in ’n ernstige motorongeluk en hy is per ambulans na Paarl Hospitaal geneem. Hy het ernstige beenfrakture opgedoen en is regtig met soveel professionaliteit en groot deernis versorg. Die hele infrastruk-
tuur van die hospitaal het my stom van verbasing gelaat. Dit is so mooi. En die personeel is regtig uiters professioneel en het hul werk met ’n glimlag verrig. Alhoewel dit Kerstyd was, en hulle sekerlik ook graag by hul families sou wou wees, was hulle op hul poste. Aangesien baie van die personeel met vakansie was, moes die
kernpersoneel ekstra hard werk. Ek dink ons is tog te gretig om gou te kritiseer, maar die dankies is maar skraps. Baie dankie aan almal by Paarl Hospitaal, veral die ongevalle-afdeling en die ortopediese saal. En die mediese span wat die operasie uitgevoer het.
A LE ROUX PAARL
Chaos at cricket a disappointing experience I agree with Ewald Moerman. I also do not have anything good to say about my experience. First of all, this was the first time ever I have been to a live match, so I was so looking forward to it. The embankment ticket at R160 per person was pushing my budget. The toilets were out of order. Then I went to use the portables and a security guard was using it
with the door open. The ladies toilets had run out of toilet paper. Then the drinks were overpriced at R20 for a a beer, plus you had to pay R2 for the plastic cup. And you had to wait for the bar person to pour it for you as you may not step away from the counter with the tin to pour it yourself – resulting in a long wait and queues. Furthermore, we had to pay R30
for the parking on the field, which required some careful driving due to the rocks, debris and rubbish. As Ewald was saying – not up to international standards. All in all, way too many people were allowed on the grass, so we ended up not seeing much. A rather disappointing experience.
MADELEINE ROSSOUW PAARL