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Poultry problems

Fri, 3 Feb, 2012

A letter to Grocott’s from “Sleepless” asks if poultry may be kept in Grahamstown West. I had the same problem some years ago, in a leafy suburb. It was really stressful, this cock crowing at dawn and onwards.

When the owners were eventually persuaded to consider the neighbours, they took the bird elsewhere. Then a contingent of adults, i.e the parents and grown children came to tell me that their pet had died in the new situation. I just looked at them.

Is Grocott’s going to find out what steps Sleepless can lawfully take?

Chicken Soup

Thanks from Grahamstown Feeding Association

Fri, 3 Feb, 2012

Newcomers to town might be interested to know that there are quite a few feeding schemes in our area, and the GFA (Grahamstown Feeding Association) is one of them. It’s an NGO which runs three soup kitchens each weekday where soup/ milk and bread, at times with peanut butter, are distributed.

Last year GFA was able to feed 55 982 adults and 5 873 children – making a total of 61 854 meals – in addition to which over 570 food parcels were given out.

Each year local businesses, and other benefactors, (listed below), give generously, in cash and kind.

We are grateful to Grocott’s Mail for the opportunity to acknowledge the marvellous support that GFA received last year, from the following:

Rhodes University staff – our primary funder, without whose help we couldn’t carry on; The Community of the Resurrection – for all kinds of crucial support; The Municipality – for the use of the City Hall kitchen; Wylie’s Dairy – for thousands of litres of milk; Phoenix Roller Mills – for help with food parcels; Pick n Pay – for bread at reduced cost; Oatlands Bakery – for free bread; His Majesty’s Fruit & Veg – for free  vegetables; Prof & Mrs  Midgeley – for large consignments of soup powder, Videotronic, the Mustard Seed, and the library – for stocking/ selling food vouchers.

Thank you, too, to all Grahamstonians not mentioned here, who have contributed to helping those who suffer from hunger in our community.

Joan Kaye, Chairperson

(Please phone 046 622 9717 for more information).

Keep those tyres rolling

Fri, 3 Feb, 2012

Keep those tyres rolling

Christina Scott’s Thursday 9pm English radio programme was called Science Matters. Since Christina’s death, the name has changed.

On 26 January 2012 Janne spoke of recycling tyres. The first step is to salvage the steel threads, which constitute about 16% of the tyre. The rubber then gets cut into small pieces... then I lost the details... I thought they were burnt to make electricity.

I scribbled down Janne's phone number 083 251 4325 to fill in the necessary dots.

I checked the phone number of Janne, who had been on radio. Yes, I had it right, but Janne told me very pleasantly to check out the website of Redisa. Then I saw an article about this in Grocott’s on Friday 27 Jan 2012, on Page 22.

How’s that for timing?

No Car

Bird killings – pellet guns in the Kingswood area

Fri, 3 Feb, 2012

Bird killings – pellet guns in the Kingswood area

Within just a few days I found six dead birds of different species in my garden. I asked Martin Villet, Professor of Zoology and Entomology at Rhodes University, to examine them. Prof Villet could identify when they had been killed and confirmed that they were all shot with a pellet gun.

Two baby birds in my neighbour’s garden were stranded, as their parents had been shot, and last year a domestic cat in the Kingswood area was also shot with a pellet gun.

Why would any decent human being enjoy such senseless killing just for sport?

While one does not need a license for a pellet gun, owners can still be charged for firing such a weapon in a built-up area or a public place without good reason. Further, it is illegal to use a pellet gun to damage property or abuse an animal. The senseless shooting of a domestic cat and birds in a suburb is animal abuse and illegal. This should be stopped.

Prof Ruth Simbao

Treat people decently, guys!

Tue, 31 Jan, 2012

It was with great consternation that I heard this story recently. There are a couple of home owners having cottages built at Somerset Place since early last year. What I find appalling is the shoddy, rude and disrespectful manner in which the owners are treated by the contractors. There have been numerable
delays and excuses, but nobody takes the time or effort to inform the owners as to why.

There’s builder’s rubble littering the gardens and there has been no attempt to remove it. Some people are living on a building dump site. I might tell you these very same contractors are in church every week – how hypocritical! I wonder which God they are praying to, because the God I know would not treat people in such a despicable manner.

It all boils down to the way men treat women. They have no shame, but they (contractors) must remember they have wives, mothers and daughters and some day someone will hand out the same treatment to them.

Catch a wake-up guys. Do the ethical thing.

It’s the same with the Bishop of Grahamstown – embarking on a multi-million Rand building project that will only ever be used maybe three times a year. The fact that the building will need maintenance and care at a cost has not been considered?

Men and their egos. They need to ask themselves “What would Jesus do?”

Concerned citizen

No voices to add?

Tue, 31 Jan, 2012

A rather serious accident occurred on Monday 16 January 2012 at the intersection of Bathurst and Beaufort Streets. I had heard about it in Grocott’s, but I found the article in edition 20/1/2012 very quiet. Were there no bystanders, eye witnesses to interview?

Curious non-bystander

Ed: I spoke to several bystanders in the immediate vicinity of the accident, but they gave conflicting accounts of what had taken place. At the end of the interviews, I did not know what had really taken place.

Police and traffic officials could not, or would not say anything about the accident.

Mystery of the shirt

Tue, 31 Jan, 2012

On the front page of Grocott’s 17 January 2012 the shoulders of Ayanda Kota’s shirt seem clean. On Page 2, a greater part of the front of the shirt is shown, looking clean.

Did Desiree Schirlinger take a photograph of the bloodstained shirt she writes of, saying Ayanda appeared in court in?

Enquirer


Ed: There is a bloodstain, but it is not clearly visible in the picture that was published.

I admire them

Tue, 31 Jan, 2012

I know a number of excellent police officers of outstandingly good character.

I see and hear their friendly ways at the station. I marvel at them.

Fan of the Force

A tale of honest endeavour and unexpected reward

Tue, 31 Jan, 2012

My family and I lived in the Sabie Area for almost 30 years, the final few years in Sabie itself. Sabie, a small town in the Drakensburg foothills, in the Sabie River Valley! An area of supreme scenic beauty and tourism, hiking and mountain biking etc., that draws many people to the area.

The municipality cared for the town on a daily basis. No rubbish in sight in the early 90s. In the town centre the Anglican church designed by Sir Herbert Baker was built in 1904.

The whole church was surrounded by a large garden! It was well designed and restored in 1995-9.

Unfortunately by 2000 the scene of tranquillity changed. Instead, there was an air of neglect. Rubbish was clearly evident.

There was little or no interest on the part of the municipality to redress the decay and dirt.

The local timber mill closed, throwing hundreds of, mainly Sabie residents, out of work. I was recently told by a friend, who had lived in Sabie for around 35 years, that things had started to improve. If you are thinking the municipality had at long last shouldered its responsibilities, then you are very wrong.

Five unemployed local men – off their own bat – decided to clean up the town centre. Unasked, unpaid, they took up the daily task of cleaning the area.

Some weeks into their task they were approached by a stranger who asked who employed them. They told him their story of their voluntary decision to clean up Sabie centre and the stranger then asked if they would like to work for Eskom.

I’ll bet they couldn’t believe their ears! These men are now employed by Eskom.

The moral of the tale is clear: honest endeavour, determination and a desire to help the community was justly and handsomely rewarded! I like to think there are a number of unemployed people in Grahamstown who may be similarly motivated, but it’s a long shot.

Will a few “unemployed” in Grahamstown step forward and take the same path? I hope so.

Storyteller

A constructive approach to opposition

Tue, 31 Jan, 2012

“Hijacker of the Gravy Train” is quite correct to protest vociferously about the choice of venue for the Municipal Strategic Planning Session. (Shame on Muni for luxury spending, Grocott’s 24 January 2012). The Democratic Alliance is not going to defend that choice as we protested equally vociferously when the decision was first announced. We trust that Mr Matebese as municipal spokesperson will note that in a press release.

However, “Mr Hijacker” asked “What boggles the mind is how Makana councillors can (including Opposition Councillors – Councillor Les Reynolds seems to have given his blessing, judging from his quoted statement in a separate article on Page 9 of your 20 January edition) honestly participate in this shindig and ‘freebie’ when they interact with under-development, unemployment and poverty in their  constituencies and wards on a daily basis?”

That is a good question and Mr Hijacker and all the other members of the public deserve an explanation. Obviously we cannot speak for the ANC, Mind and Cope who were all present.

The Democratic Alliance has always had a constructive approach to opposition, and we do not stay away for the sake of staying away. We attend as many municipal meetings and committees as we possibly can, be they in or out of the Council Chamber, as a means of influencing events and gathering as much information as we can. We have an unblemished record in that regard. It is a pity that the other parties cannot make
the same boast. The event which has to be held, needs the full compliment of councillors and officials to make it worthwhile.

The first attempt to have this session was in Grahamstown, but the organisers could not proceed because the DA caucus was there and hardly anybody else. Understandably, the officials rescheduled the workshop. Perhaps the municipal spokesperson could explain why it had to be held elsewhere.

At the mayoral end of year function for municipal staff we noticed that once again the DA caucus was  there, but apart from the mayor and the speaker, only three or four of the other 20 elected politicians were present.

Regarding the Municipal Strategic Planning Session, as much as we would like the DA voice to be the only  at these events we can understand that this could lead to the Makana Executive having to answer embarrassing questions with the upper echelons of their own political organisation. The fact that the event was held elsewhere was therefore not a surprise.

True to our track record we were determined that our voice would be heard, in decibels greater than our numbers would suggest. Perhaps if the other parties had the same track record the event could have been held in Makana as originally planned.

The planning session involved forward planning for the next five years and for once a full compliment of  officials and politicians, bar one who appeared for the commencement and closure sessions, were present.

Brian Jackson

DA Councillor Ward 8