February 2026 Newsletter

Know Your Neighbour: Join BRRAG and Help Keep Our Community Thriving annual subs now due!

Thank you to all our regular supporters for renewing your 2026 membership. Welcome to a few new members – we hope that we will not disappoint you and that you will get value for your membership fees.

BRRAG plays an active role in village life, taking shared responsibility with Ndlambe Municipality for key areas such as water and sanitation, safety and security, infrastructure maintenance, the health of our rivers and beaches, and broader social and environmental concerns. The team works closely with municipal staff to ensure residents’ needs and or concerns are heard and addressed. We do not succeed with everything, but at least we try…

Let’s continue building a community where everyone feels seen, safe, and supported. When you join BRRAG, you’re not just joining a group—you’re investing in the future of our picturesque village. Join by filling in the form on our webpage.

A big thank you to Ndlambe local municipality for the upgrading of Hertzog Street. We think everybody will agree that it is a big improvement. Although it is not a BRRAG initiative, BRRAG members serve on the Hertzog Street steering committee and attended progress meetings together with Ndlambe, the contractor and the consulting engineers.

At the previous steering committee meeting the following matters were agreed upon:

• that the speed humps that were removed during the paving of the road will be reconstructed
• that a pedestrian crossing would be painted near the church
• that the civil engineer , together with the contractor, will see if the drains on the Hertzog Street pavement could be redesigned. As it is at the moment the level of the drain is causing a problem when entering the church premises with bigger vehicles
• proper finishing is needed where the old and new streets meet
• although not part of the original contract, the civil engineer and the contractor will discuss the redesigning of the present drainage system at the Hertzog and Umthati Street crossing. As it is now, it could potentially cause major problem should there be another flood
• that all necessary rehabilitation will be done.

Some of the finishings between old and new streets have been attended to. Except for that, however, all of the other matters are still outstanding. BRRAG will be in contact with Ndlambe to arrange for a steering committee meeting as soon as possible to establish when these will be attended to. Once done, we shall commence nagging for a next road to be attended to…. Thank you to Sarel Marais, Natie Ferreira and Eugene Kriel who represented us on the Hertzog Street steering committee.

The traditional fireworks competition between the two River communities occurred on New Year’s Eve. All had great fun and we hope to obtain a permit again this year and so also keep the festivities within a reasonable time.

The board room is avilable for meetings. It also has a one hour free WiFi.

Boesmansriviermond Town Hall invites you to celebrate your special occasion in our wonderful facilities, tucked away in the heart of our spectacular village.

From weddings, anniversaries, 21st parties to christening celebrations, music events, art exhibitions, wellness weeks, themed dining evenings, craft markets, boardroom meetings and so much more. Catering: Cutlery, crockery and accessories for hire.

Weekly yoga and kickboxing are available.

Take-one-place- one outdoor Library on the veranda and well stocked inside Library – open on Mondays.

We have you covered,while you enjoy your stay in Boesmansriviermond.

The Boesmans Cave area can be utlised for private functions. It is ideal for functions for up to 60 people and provides a bar area, braai area and some tables and chairs.

Bushmans Town Hall – Getting Even Better for Community Use

To enquire about availability and pricing, please contact Sue Muirhead on 084 297 6190.

After the serious fires that we experienced in December and January in the area surrounding Boesmans and Kenton the local and surrounding community members came together to discuss the formation of an association that will work together for firefighting purposes. However, we learnt that neither our Night Watch team nor the Boknes/Cannon Rocks Buurtwag will be joining the new association. Your committee decided to rather plough back and assist our existing NW that is not only involved in security issues but also has a humanitarian and assistance portfolio. Its members are the people on the ground when assistance is called for. We know how effective they were with the fires in December and January. We will keep on supporting our local NW group and allocate any funds that were received to NW for the acquisition of firefighting equipment and protective clothing.

Our fundraising drive is now going to be focused on Fire PPE for our fire fighters and training. The cost to kit a person out is R 3 513.84 + VAT = R4040.91.

We have a goal of proximately R100 000.00. This will enhance our Night Watch team’s capabilities without destroying their own clothing each time.

In addition, we are also keeping our ring-fenced fund to assist with fire-related matters. Contributions to this fund must be marked FIRE, please. During December we were able to assist the firefighters with water, masks, lip balm and other necessities to help them with the task. We have some stock left which is kept at the town hall. We owe a huge thank you to each and every person who donated drinks and other requirements that we collected at the town hall and distributed to the firefighting guys on the ground.

That brings us to Sidney – the volunteer fire fighter who assisted in December and was bitten by a puff adder. Sydney was assisted locally and taken to hospital in Port Elizabeth where he received only the best treatment. Our own Sue Muirhead visited him often and ensured that his needs were attended to. Sidney is spending some time in Boesmansriviermond to recuperate with the assistance of a nurse and a local medical practitioner. He will be undergoing further treatment locally. Our call for financial assistance was well heeded while Gibbon Schickerling ensured R 28 000 on the Backabuddy group.

We were able to cover all Sydney’s medical bills and assist him with his monthly expenses while he was unable to return to work, thanks to the generous contributions received from our community members far and wide, including Kosra, Sibuya, Nature’s Landing, Boknes Cannon Rocks Buurtwag, Boknes Padstal, Chowles Electrical, Whitney Farm, HiTec, Elna Rudman Brokers, BBG’s and from the USA. Obviously, many contributions were from Boesmansrivier, Riversbend and Kenton with the bulk of the receipts being anonymous. Thank you for each contribution. In total, we raised just over R 200 000 to cover his expenses and loss of income.

After paying his expenses and ensuring a monthly income, the balance of the funds has been paid over to Sidney. The BRRAG committee had the pleasure of meeting Sidney at our last meeting and wished him well on his way forward, although we will still see him around for a while. Our sincere thanks go to Sunshine Coast Medical/ Dr Galpin and Associates for the ongoing assistance to Sidney at no cost.

Sidney receiving a wheelchair from Sue Muirhead.

Sunset seen from the Boesmansrivier bridge – photograph Sue Muirhead.

Garbage is collected as follows:
Riversbend – Mondays.
Boesmans Old Village – Tuesdays.
River Road – Wednesdays.