Die Kwêvoël, Thabazimbi

THABAZIMBI – Menige huishoudings was op Saterdag oggend 5 September in rep en roer om hul opgewonde kroos betyds by hul groot atletiekdag te kry. Die kleuters van 5 van die plaaslike kleuterskole het aan ‘n verskeidenheid items deelgeneem. Elke skool het die geleentheid gekry om voor die paviljoene te paradeer en hul kreet so hard as moontlik te skree. Die kleuters is in ouderdomsgroepies ingedeel en daarna het die groot pret begin.
Eerste aan die beurt was ‘n swart motorfietsresies en elke kleuter het vir die vale gery sodra die daar gesê is ry! Volgende op die lys was die hindernis item waar verskillende aktiwiteite vir die verskillende ouderdomsgroepe uitgewerk is sodat dit darem nie te moeilik was vir hulle nie. Die vyf-jariges moes paddaspring en daar is ‘n hele paar lang spronge beleef. Hardloop was laaste op die lys en party ouers het selfs langs die baan gedraf om te dien as motivering vir die kleintjies wat so rondkyk of sy maatjie langs hom is.
Elke kleuter wat aan al die items deelgeneem het, het op die podium geklim om soos ‘n wafferse wenner ‘n medalje te ontvang. Deurentyd was daar heerlike eetgoed, veral die tuisgebakte doughnuts, en koeldrank te koop. Die verrassing van die dag was toe daar ‘n spesiale wedloop was vir ma’s, pa’s en selfs een vir die juffouens wat mens opnuut laat terugverlang het na die sorgelose dae van kindwees.
Hierdie baie suksesvolle dag wat deur ouer sowel as kleuter geniet is, is deur Martie du Plooy van Smartbrain gereël en daar word uitgesien na volgende jaar.

Ysterberg Primary School competed against Thabazimbi Primary School in a cricket match on Saturday 5 September. The O/9 winning team posted a score of 68 runs and 5 wickets. They beat Thabazimbi Primary School, whose final score was 54 runs for 9 wickets. On the photo front ltr: Thapelo Nguni, Nenga Thapes, Malema Given, and Moseki Tshiamo. Back ltr: Dlamini Katlego, Sedie Rapula, Katlege Sebele, Matjia Tumelo and Coach Mrs D Mbewe.

THABAZIMBI – Die dames van Limpopo het verlede Saterdag van vroeg af hulle liga-kompetisie op Thabazimbi Gholfklub se baan gespeel. Die middag is die gebruiklike Slagspel ook gespeel.
In die A-poel is daar teen Mogol en Koro Creek gespeel en is Thabazimbi tans in die tweede plek. In die B-poel is daar teen Naboomspruit en Potgietersrus gespeel en daar is hulle in die derde plek. Die middag se slagspel is gewen deur Esmé Behrens (68), Jakkie van der Wateren (69),  Willem du Plessis en Billy Pring (72).
Saterdag 12 September is dit Vlagspel. Die speler wat die vlaggie die verste kan plant na die baansyfer plus sy voorgee gespeel is, is die wenner. Op 17  September speel die manne weer liga op Brits en tuis is dit IPS. Dan kom die groot ding op Vrydag en Saterdag 25 en 26 September as die Bielie van die Bosveld gespeel gaan word. Die hele Gauteng Noord Senior span gaan heel waarskynlik ook aan die kompetisie kom deelneem.
Onthou ook elke Woensdag is dit die baie populêre Pick n Pay Sonsakker en die Jolee gelukkige trekking wat gespeel word.
Al die lede het teen die tyd seker al hulle jaargeld rekeninge gekry en hopelik betaal. Onthou dat as u teen die einde van Oktober nog nie wakker geskrik het nie u voorgeekaart geblokkeer (Hot Card) gaan word.
Eddie Williams is nog steeds in die hospitaal en ons  verneem dat alhoewel hy ernstig is, daar tog ‘n verbetering in sy toestand is. Daan Lottering word ook Donderdag in Pretoria opgeneem vir ‘n operasie.

Hennie Pauw

THABAZIMBI – During the last TFPA (Thabazimbi Fire Protection Association) meeting on 2 September delegates of the district’s Road and Transport Division were berated for not clearing road shoulders and therefore contravening the act on veld fires and contributing to fire hazards.
Within less than a week after this meeting a huge veld fire started, presumably because a road shoulder was burnt in the Rooiberg area. The fire started on the farm Renosterkloof and by Wednesday more than 10 000 ha had burnt down in the Elandsberg Nature Reserve.
Apparently at a previous TFPA meeting two months ago, Beauty Madala, head of Roads and Transport in Modimolle undertook to investigate the possibility of registering farm owners adjacent roads as service providers in order for each land owner to be able to clear the road shoulder in front of his own land and be refunded.
In order to register as service provider it must be determined what type of services can provided, what equipment the service provider has available and the available manpower. There is also a matter of being BEE compliant before registration can take place.
Apparently the Dept of Roads and Transport does provide for the clearing of roads in its budget, but the problem lies in getting the job done, either by Dept of Roads and Transport or by contractors. A further danger exists that budgetary allocation for this service will be stopped if not used after a couple of years.
At the previous TFPA meeting Madala agreed to find out what procedures could be followed (and which could sidelined) to make it possible for farmers to clear the road shoulders running through or past their farms in order to help minimize the fire hazard.
Another solution was presented by Philip Nel of Rooiberg, who is in the process of helping the ANC Youth League in Rooiberg to establish a CC, register as a service provider and do this kind of work. It would also aid in creating jobs and alleviate the scourge of unemployment.
However, the wheels of the state have been turning slowly and at the latest TFPA meeting in September no progress has been made in this regard. The result is that in the middle of the fire season dense vegetation growing on the road shoulder provides the perfect fuel to carry forward veld fires.
The possibility was even mentioned that a charge is laid by the Fire Protection Association against the Dept of Roads and Transport for not adhering to the local guideline of clearing fire breaks of at least 2m wide on property boundaries.

Vir menige Bosveld-oord inwoner, is nog ‘n luukse, naamlik die onafhanklikheid om self na die Thabazimbi Sakesentrum te stap ook nou iets van die verlede nadat die bruggie oor die spruit wat ‘n gerieflike kortpad dorp toe gebied het, se uitloop langs ‘n ry sakepersele toegebou is. Die inwoners van Bosveld-oord word nou genoodsaak om met Steenbokstraat af te stap, in Elandstraat in en daarna links te draai in Vanderbijlstraat, amper ‘n kilometer verder as wat dit normaalweg sou wees. Enigiemand of besigheidsinstansie wie die senior burgers kan uithelp met ‘n vervoersisteem, sal ‘n groot verskil in hul lewens maak.

Die wedvlug vanaf Strydenburg wat op 5 September gevlieg is, is deur M&M Hokke gewen.
Die wenspoed vir die wedvlug was 1057.4734 mpm. Nick Geldenhuys was tweede en is dan ook die wenner van die 2 jaaroud kampioenskap.
Volledige uitslae is as volg:
M&M Hokke B: 1,4,10
M&M Hokke A: 3,5,8,13,15,16,22,24
N Geldenhuys: 2,12,19,21,23
Johan Alers: 6,7,9,11,14
Grobler Hokke: 17,18,20
Pieta Hokke: 25.

Mr Jan Viljoen, Chairperson of TAU SA North, expressed the hope that the strong words in the Budget Circular no 49 issued on 29 June 2009 by the National Treasury will be implemented and assists local communities to hold municipal managers accountable in a court of law.
Ms Roné Hennop, chairperson of the Provincial Local Government Committee said that the budget circular has strong words and a stern warning to the Accounting Officers (municipal managers) of municipalities. The circular referred to section 65(2)(f) of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) which states that “the accounting officer of a municipality must … take all reasonable steps to ensure that the municipality complies with its tax, levy, duty, pension, medical aid, audit fees and other statutory commitments.” The circular continues “it is imperative that the accounting officer take steps to ensure that the municipality concerned honour its obligations for payment of audit fees and other financial commitments, when such payments are due.”
Under section 173(1) of the MFMA the accounting officer is guilty of an offence if that accounting officers ‘deliberately or in a grossly negligent way, contravenes or fails to comply with a provision of section 65(2)(f).” Me Hennop warns all municipal managers that criminal charges against them is a reality and they should take their responsibility very seriously – they are being paid very well and must now live up to the expectations.
The circular further stated that “The failure of municipalities to meet their commitments to the Auditor-General is a serious or persistent breach of the measures established in terms of section 216(1) of the Constitution. On request from the Auditor-General, the National Treasury in terms of section 38 of the MFMA, will consider instructing departments responsible for the transfer of funds to withhold such transfer for the amount deemed by the Auditor-General to be owed to them by the municipality.”
Hennop said that sometimes bitter medicine is the best medicine. Therefore, communities are requested to assist municipalities by strong measures such as the establishment of Rate Payers Associations and pay monies due into a trust account. Further, communities must embark on orderly and lawful mass action to put pressure on fat cat municipal officials who do not perform.
She said that for more than 10 years local communities waited patiently for fat cat political appointed municipal managers to get their act together. It is now time to investigate the possibility of criminal proceedings against municipal managers as accounting officers. She said the MFMA provides for such action and it is not only National Treasury or the Auditor-General that can take this serious, but long overdue, action.
Viljoen said the gross negligence, corruption and destruction of rural towns must stop. Local communities deserve to live in a decent way – they are paying for it. He urged local communities to use all legal ways to force non-performing political appointed municipal managers out of their fat cat cosy non-performing positions.

Mnr Philippie De Beer voorsitter van die Potgietersrus Distrik Landbou Unie (DLU)  het gesê dat dit krities belangrik is dat grondeienaars by georganiseerde landbou betrokke moet raak veral met brande wat wydverspreid voorkom. Op Sondag 9 Augustus 2009 het ‘n brand op ‘n plaas uitgebreek. Die DLU is genader om te gaan help al was die persoon nie ‘n lid van TLU SA Noord nie. Daar moet nou oorweeg word om die grondeienaars wat nie ‘n lid is nie, te laat betaal vir dienste gelewer. Die persoon was ook nie ‘n lid van enige brandvereniging nie.
Chris Wagner van Warmbad het pas ‘n Brandvoorkomingshandleiding opgestel. Die sektorhandleiding is vir alle lede beskikbaar. Die sektordoelstelling is om alle Grondeienaars binne die Sektorgebied te organiseer in ‘n effektiewe vereniging wat die negatiewe gevolge van veldbrande beperk deur veldbrande te verhoed deur beplanning en voorkomende optrede asook wetstoepassing, waar nodig. Om waar ‘n veldbrand tog wel ontstaan, dit in die kortste moontlike tyd permanent te blus.
Mnr Jan Viljoen, voorsitter van TLU Noord, het georganiseerde landbou aangemoedig om seker te maak dat die korrekte proses in plek is om brande te voorkom en die brande wat wel ontstaan, so gou as moontlik te blus. Hy het weer gewaarsku dat brande nie noodwendig spontaan ontstaan nie en daarom moet die patrollies wat die Plaaswagte ry, ook as deel van voorkoming gesien word.

THABAZIMBI – The Democratic Alliance said in a press release that it is appalled by the recent decision of the Thabazimbi Municipal Council to allow 64 municipal employees to take part in sports activity during 5th – 13th September 2009 in Maputo, Mozambique at a total cost of R25 3000,00 to the taxpayers.
The DA says that as part of their oversight role, they have made a promise to monitor extravagant and wasteful expenditures by the municipality.
Not only does this wasteful expenditure occur when we are in the grips of economic recession but if effectively means that for the period that these municipal employees will be absent, there will be no proper service rendered to the people of Thabazimbi.
This shows how the ruling party pays lip service to the principle of putting the needs of the ordinary citizens first.
To put this in context, taken at the highest estimate of R40 000 to build 1 RDP house, the money used for these municipal employees could be used to build RDP houses for seven families. Alternatively at R300 for one person per household, it could be used to train 843 households in basic food gardens skills and get each of them the seeds to start their own food garden.
The Democratic Alliance will be submitting questions to establish whether it was at all necessary to take the entire team of 64 people to a foreign country when our province has a number of team building venues and sporting facilities.

THABAZIMBI – ‘n Koppie vir Kansa funksie word beplan te Ou Tante Koba-koffiewinkel vir Woensdag 21 Oktober om 10:30, ten bate van Kansa.
Kaartjies teen R60 per persoon is beskikbaar en sluit ‘n praatjie in deur seksuoloog, Tryna Verwey genaamd, “Sit die Hula terug in jou sekslewe”.
‘n Verdere poging om fondse in te samel vir Kansa, behels die uitloot van kaartjies teen R20 ‘n kaartjie vir een van die bekende kunstenaar, Trudie Sawer, se skilderye. Hierdie skildery is by Medhof Apteek te besigtig, waar die kaartjies aangekoop kan word.
Skakel Debbie Viljoen by 079 529 3778 of Lize Momberg by 082 520 8455 vir verdere navrae of vir kaartjie besprekings vir die Koppie vir Kansa funksie, slegs ‘n beperkte aantal kaartjies is beskikbaar.