Before and after

The devastating drought and municipal water restrictions from 2015 caused serious harm to the plant life of our village.

Consequently, at its meeting in January 2020, the Management Committee elected Philip van den Berg (U34) to assemble a team to repair the damage to the public areas. Philip is a widely respected conservationist.

The first phase of the restoration process focussed on the garden in front of the administration building. As the before and after photographs (below) of our front garden show, the success that Philip and his team have achieved in one year, is remarkable.

Before - April 2020

After - January 2021

The final phase of the restoration/beautification process is already underway. Philip and his team are planting a large number of cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) shrubs along the southern and eastern borders of our village. The cape honeysuckle is an evergreen plant that flourishes in warm regions such as ours.

Caoe honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis)

Ons plek, ons trots

Een ding waaroor die meeste inwoners saamstem is dat ons oord baie netjies vertoon.

Drie aspekte is in dié verband van belang.

Eerstens vertroetel inwoners soos Kolie en Monica Ras (foto onder) hulle pragtige tuin reeds 14 jaar lank op eie koste.

Tweedens lewer die 43-jarige Jannie Botha (foto onder), eienaar van Soetdoring Tuindienste, sedert Januarie 2009 ʼn gewaardeerde diens aan ons oord.

Derdens is ons eie interne tuindiens onder leiding van Neels Cornelius (foto onder), altyd hulpvaardig.

Onbesonge staatmakers soos Jannie, Neels en hulle werkers waardeer die vriendelike samewerking wat hulle van ons inwoners ontvang.

 

Recent visitors to our village

PHILIP VAN DEN BERG (U34) writes: Recently quite a number of our residents have been surprised by medium sized dull brown birds visiting gardens in the village. See photograph above.

As a matter of fact, the previous year an adult bird was often seen with chicks in the northern section of the village. See photograph above. 

On occasion residents have also heard their loud raucous calls. See photograph below.

These birds are Natal Spurfowls (Afr. Natalse Fisant), widespread bushveld game birds that prefer denser vegetation such as the vegetation surrounding the village.

As shown in the photograph below, they feed on the ground, and like all members of this family, they like to scratch in leaf litter and loose soil to expose food items. They feed on insects, molluscs, seeds, roots and fruit.

They call at dusk and dawn, often perched on a high branch. See photograph below.

Residents can also hear two other members of this family in the bush around the village - the common Swainson’s Spurfowl and the Crested Francolin. A further member, the Helmeted Guineafowl, can regularly be seen along the western fence of the village.

Ons veiligheid is hul erns

Die Bestuurskomitee het op 1 Januarie 2016 ʼn kontraktuele ooreenkoms met Galven Security gesluit om ’n  sekerheidsdiens aan ons oord te lewer. Sedertdien het hulle ʼn voortreflike bydrae tot ons veiligheid gelewer en daardeur gemoedsrus aan ons inwoners verskaf.

Die veiligheidswagte hieronder is werknemers van Galven Security. Hulle is (van bo tot onder) Frans Matjila, Thomas Chauke, Elias Boshielo and Kenneth Manganyi. Inwoners het groot waardering vir hulle toewyding, hoflikheid en hulpvaardigheid.