Welcome to our final News Letter of 2019
From the Editors desk

It’s that time of year again, and I just can’t wait to be involved and to be part of the larger picture that is Bushman’s at Christmas. On the surface Bushman’s appears as serene as a swan on the river, but as we all know that swan is paddling like crazy below the surface in order to keep going and it’s the same here in Bushman’s.

It’s a coming together of people who really care about our community, people who give up their own time all year round to keep this beautiful area of Bushman’s Village and Riversbend in the condition that you will see during your holidays.

We also believe in community spirit and we aim to involve as many residents as possible in achieving a feeling of welcome to all our holiday makers this festive season. We look forward to your arrival with anticipation.

We will be having our Christmas Market on the 16th of December at the Old Bushman’s Town Hall starting at 8am until 2pm. There will be many stall holders selling all sorts of products, as well as live music, hot food, boerewors rolls, vetkoek, pancakes, cool drinks and more. So, start your holiday off with a visit to the Christmas Market and maybe pick up a late Christmas present or two.

You will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets for our Community Raffle which has some wonderful prizes, the first prize, generously donated by Sibuya Tented Camps, being a day trip to Sibuya Game Reserve for two adults, taking you on a river cruise on the Kareiga River to Sibuya game reserve. A sumptuous lunch at the day centre, a three-hour game drive, and all local refreshments throughout the day, and a return trip back down the Kareiga River to Kenton. This prize is valued at R3,276.(subject to conditions). And from an unbiased and personal viewpoint I can honestly say that this is a wonderful reserve which I have been to several times and will do so again.

Editor

From the Chair

THANKS

One of our members, Jurgen Potgieter, has offered to host our website at no cost to BRRAG. This results in a monthly saving of R 100 for us. Jurgen has already taken over the hosting function and we are indebted to him for this kind financial assistance. Give that man a Bells!!! Thank you so much Jurgen.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

We require the services of members on our committee. We are extremely short staffed, and the average age is 70!! If it was not for Ference, the average would be well over 70. We call on members to come forward and assist us with our planning and attending to our projects. BRRAG plays an important role in keeping our Villages pristine and nudging the municipality towards some service delivery. It is in the interests of our investments to maintain an active involvement in our Village affairs. Please raise your hand…

NIGHT WATCH GROUP

Our night watch group under guidance of Ference Toth has been very active and has had big successes in conjunction with HiTec and the SAPS. Please support them. All amounts received into the BRRAG account marked night watch are ring fenced for this group of dedicated people. We have already been able to assist with the acquisition of equipment such as torches, bullet proof vests and radios. They need fuel and more items of equipment. Please keep up the support.

DROUGHT…

All of us should now be well aware that the entire country is in a drought. News articles and TV interviews abound with these reports – one claiming that the country is experiencing its worst drought in 1000 years. Ndlambe is no different. The Municipality has adopted a resolution that Ndlambe be declared a disaster drought-stricken area. This, obviously, to obtain assistance from other governmental structures. And then on the 24th of October 2019 the Premier of the Province of the Eastern Cape, declared a Provincial state of disaster in the Province of the Eastern Cape due to the drought which has affected the Province.

But the fact remains, we will all be in a drought-stricken area during the upcoming holidays. We call upon members and residents to assist with the conservation of water and assist with increasing the water supply that is available. Conservation can be attained by simply using water wisely and sparingly. Additional supply can be attained by homeowners installing tanks to gather rainwater and so to reduce the pressure on available resources. The cry is out there…PLEASE HELP save water whilst having a wonderful holiday time.

Please be reminded of the municipal water restrictions in place – see the article on our website.

To report the location of any municipal leaks by SMS or WhatsApp to Mike White at 082 457 8408.

If visitors are experiencing water supply problems in their rented houses where they are unfamiliar with some of the very strange plumbing arrangements that exist in Bushman’s they should follow the procedure below:

  1. Do you have no water or is the pressure simply low?
  2. Please check with your neighbour if he experiences the same problem. If answer is yes report by SMS or WhatsApp to 082 457 8408 and the Municipality’s task team will be alerted to the problem.
  3. If your neighbour has water then the problem is somewhere on your property. Make sure the tap at the municipal water meter in the street is open. This tap is just behind the meter and is often buried in sand.
  4. Check if you have water from the garden tap closest to the municipal meter. If yes, you probably have another isolation valve in the pipeline leading to your house – make sure it is open.
  5. Check if your municipal water meter is running. If it is running but there is no water / low pressure in the house, then you have a leak on your property and will be billed for the wasted water. Phone a local plumber and get the leak fixed as soon as possible.
  6. Do you draw water from your rainwater tanks? If so – check your rainwater supply pump and the configuration of your taps switching from rainwater supply to the municipal water supply
  7. Is air coming out of your taps? If answer is yes report by SMS or WhatsApp to 082 457 8408 and the Municipality’s task team will be alerted to the problem.

BRRAG TRAILER PARKING

We need to park our trailer somewhere. Has any member spare space for us to park the BRRAG trailer when not in use? Please remember that the trailer is available for members to remove green refuse to the industrial area at R 150 per day. Send us an email and we will respond. bushmansratepayers@gmail.com

DECEMBER SECURITY MEASURES

Thanks so much to each of you who came to the party to assist with the holiday security guards. They make a tremendous difference every year to keep our crime levels low. This year, the guards have a clocking system where they clock in at set times and are monitored from the 24-hour control room. If you see any malingering or any matter that you believe should be attended to as far as guarding is concerned, please give us an email at the BRRAG email address (above) and we will attempt to address the problem. Each guard will have a name plate or number displayed so that you can identify him. If you have not made a financial contribution to this important and worthy project yet, it is not too late.

BRRAG
Standard Bank
Branch Code: 051117, Kenton on Sea
Account Number: 281116393
Reference: Name/address.Guards.
Please send an email notification to bushmansratepayers@gmail.com to help us identify the correct houses that are contributing towards this protection plan.

SECURITY CAMERAS – Ference Toth

There is great news from our camera fund. The new fiber network backbone has been implemented for our area’s camera system that has been plagued with many problems in the past and is now sorted out. Boknes, Cannon Rocks Bushman’s River, Riversbend, Nature’s Landing and Kenton on Sea are all amalgamating into the Hi-Tec operation centre. Artificial intelligence software is on a trial run over the December period and the full implementation of artificial intelligence will happen in the new-year for our existing cameras. This will bring the cost to run the system down and also much easier to manage. Instead of a person trying to monitor 130 cameras at once, the artificial intelligence does all the work for you. So, essentially they will monitor a black screen and only when human anomalies are detected will this raise awareness. Full real time is saved in the background and can easily be accessed for further investigation at a click of a button. (Keeping data costs down).

It is essential that our community of Riversbend and Bushman’s take ownership of our own cameras and put money into this, so that we can be up to speed on our own safety and security in the future. This artificial intelligence is fantastic for perimeter and boundary protection also your property for false alarm detection. Your existing surveillance system can be integrated at very little cost. Artificial intelligence is the new way forward and has already been implemented throughout the country with huge success. The wheel has been invented and let’s get on with it.

It is of utmost importance that we all work together on this project. If our neighbours like Boknes can do it, so can we. This is all due to community commitment as a strong unified front.

NOTICE OF AGM

Please note that our AGM will be at 09h00 on 27 December 2019 in the Old Town Hall. An amendment to the constitution will be proposed to change the financial year-end from November to October as follows:

2.2.7 “financial year” means the period from November in any year to 31 October of the following year;

We need to reduce the rush to complete the AFS before our AGM and the few days during a hectic December are just not enough.

Please make every effort to attend the AGM and support your organisation.

PAYMENTS TO BRRAG

We sometimes struggle to allocate money received into our bank account and propose the following references to be added to your payment ie purpose of payment, house number and Street. Your surname.

December Guards
Guards.xxPark/Surname

Night watch
Nwatch.xxRiver.Surname

Membership Fees
Subs.xxLoerie.Surname

Donations / maintenance assistance
Donation.xxCoetzer.Surname

100 Club
100 Club.xxAvenue.Surname

Camera Fund
Camera.xxKabeljou.Surname

This referencing will also be added to our website for future reference.

BRRAG
Standard Bank
Branch Code: 051117
Kenton on Sea
Account Number: 281116393
Reference: as above.
Please send an email notification to bushmansratepayers@gmail.com to help us identify payments correctly.

Community Fundraising Report

Portfolio – Jack Dell

Our busiest time of the year involves our own fundraising Community Christmas Braai held on the 6th December at the tennis club.
Our fundraising Christmas Craft Market being held on the 16th December at the Old Bushman’s Town Hall.

Our fundraising raffle draw (last chance for a ticket) being held at the ratepayers’ AGM on the 27th December 9am at the Old Bushman’s Town Hall.

Community General Information

For the very first time the NIGHTWATCH security members and their families were able to enjoy an evening braai at the tennis club in Bushman’s Village. Thirty adults as well as eighteen children had a ball enjoying boerewors rolls, chicken satays, a variety of salads and desserts, followed by toasting marshmallows over the braai. (Only the parents drank alcohol, and no children were hurt during the making of this braai. he he). These guys, and girls, who are actively involved in the NIGHTWATCH initiative deserved this down time break to enjoy themselves for a change. It was decided that this braai will now become an annual event in appreciation of their voluntary services to the community.

Roads

Christmas time is a busy time on the roads and that applies to our Village, so please be extra vigilant when driving around and look out for children as well as dogs. Our speed limits are 40 kph and 25 kph in other areas.

Dog owners

Please be considerate to others and pick up after your dogs’ mess, especially on the beaches, and dispose of it at home.

Tail end humor

For the women
Q: Why are there more female archeologists than male archeologists?
A: Because they always want to dig up the past.
The wife crashed the car again today. She told the police that the man she collided with was on his mobile phone and drinking a can of beer! The police said he can do whatever he likes in his own living room.

For the men
Man: It’s not about how many times you fall, it’s about how many times you get back up. Cop: That’s how sobriety tests work sir.

For the older generation
The benefits of a good vocabulary!
I recently called on an old engineering friend of mine and asked him what he was up to these days. He replied that he was working on “Aqua thermal treatment of ceramics, aluminium and steel under a constrained environment “. I was impressed until, upon further enquiry, I learned that he was washing dishes with hot water under his wife’s supervision.

The Very Last Word
Barman says to Van der Merwe “ Your glass is empty, fancy another one ?”
Looking puzzled Van der Merwe says “Why the heck would I want two empty glasses?”

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

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