Thursday: 8 May April 2003

This site will be updated on: 15 May 2003 at 17:00

 Letters - Briewe

• Removal of oak tree was a great shock
• Thanks for that short crime lecture
• What is the value of life after all?
• Rastafarians also have rights of expression
• Is ons reg vir hierdie siekte?
• Dit is die lot van bome en mense
• Oak trees could be dangerous
• Hulle moet boet
• Is jy 'n Schoeman?
• Redaksioneel: Eksperiment wat werk

IT was with a sense of utter disbelief that I looked at the now empty spaces where the two oak trees once stood at the Department of Labour offices in Main Street, Paarl. 

I was stunned to hear that the pharmacist owner of the building had summarily decided to axe a century old tree and another, perfectly healthy, younger oak, because "he had paid a lot of money for the building"!

This is a man who sells nature therapy products from his pharmacy!

He has clearly demonstrated his complete lack of concern for the heritage of Paarl and the preservation of the character of our town.

Part of this character is our oak-lined Main Street which is a blessing in the summer as a refuge for Paarlites and an attraction for tourists alike.

Does he think he has the right to cut down more than a hundred years growth so someone can see his shop?

This type of gross commercialism is the reason our natural environment is under threat.

Our old oak trees are the embodiment of the history of the town, they have stood for over a century and cannot be replaced.

To think they have been destroyed by someone who obviously cannot think clearly is absolutely galling.

I will certainly no longer do business with this person and I hope others care enough to do likewise.

We must protect our heritage.

Shocked

I WOULD like to thank Mr Criscando Retief for his short lesson on psychology in reaction to a letter complaining about the lack of security in Paarl.

May I point out that he insulted a person who was expressing his opinion, justly outraged at such horrific events as murders in the Paarl area.

I seriously doubt that a person that shoots a mother with a child in her arms is hungry.

If you justify crimes such as murder - because of hunger, theft because of thirst, and rape because of a very "basic sexual need" then this country is doomed. 

Undoubtedly poverty should be on any government's agenda.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs  describes a human basic needs for growth: physically (food and water) together with education and a safe, loving environment for his psychological needs, in order to develop a sense of self-worth, so that he can be integrated in a balanced society,

The lack of needs such as hunger and thirst do not contribute necessarily to a criminal mind; it should rather stimulate him to find a job and improve his standard of living, as our charming "Post Scriptum" writer Patrick Luxande so aptly put it in his interesting column.

One has the choice ultimately to choose the road one wants to follow, and one has to be responsible for one's actions.

If you are talking about crime in general, other countries did not have apartheid, yet they have crime.

There are first world countries that have organised crime.

This does not stem from poverty, but from greed and immorality and a very slack government where punishment does not befit the crime.

Our government is also suffering from apathy on policing.

If you want to shift the focus from accusations to solutions, then lets look ahead instead of behind us.

"The Struggle" is not over yet. If we want to live in a peaceful, just society, CRIME is the big issue here - let's not make excuses for it.

Concerned

ANOTHER senseless murder and we all wonder why human life seems to have so little value. We feel powerless in rectifying this malaise in our society. 

But how many of us believe that some lives are more valuable than others and certain life has no value?

 In the agenda for the Drakenstein council's finance committee meeting on 10 April (available to the public in libraries) on page 15, is an unbelievable recommendation.

R3,3 million was allocated in the 2002/2003 budget for the following: Local economic development projects, Youth program, Identify and develop holding area for the homeless, Planning and upgrade of multi-purpose centre and Investigate and upgrade multi-purpose use of existing municipal facilities.

Apparently due to time constraints, it has been recommended that this R3,3 million rand which was allocated for human upliftment projects be redirected to buying refuse bins!

Don't we get it? So long as we, society, send out messages that refuse bins have more value than human lives, we are perpetuating the belief and carry responsibility for the consequences. 

Everything we think, say and do has an effect on the creation of our society, which affects us all. Are we perhaps part of the problem instead of the solution?

   I would really like to know how Council can justify a decision like this when we clearly and urgently need to prioritise alternative options to despair, unemployment and crime.

Bewildered community worker

THE Rastafarian community of Paarl would like to thank the Drakenstein Municipality for co-operation they have given us to hold our annual Easter festival.

Special thanks to all the people who played a role in allowing the festival to take place, especially councillors Bokkie Claasen, Sienah Saaiman and Titus William, and the SAPS for the assistance in keeping criminal activities under control.

We would like to respond to the letter in the Paarl Post on 24 April criticising the festival by pointing out to the ratepayers that this matter was negotiated with the councillors and therefore took place within the framework of our country's constitution. We were just expressing our freedom of expression and religion.

In terms of the problems with toilet facilities mentioned, we made arrangements to hire toilets, but because the Two Oceans Marathon was taking place at the same time, all the toilets had already been booked by the time we secured our venue. However, arrangements had been made with the surrounding community.

This piece of land was a dumping ground, before we took the initiative to develop it into a playground. So why not play a positive role by further developing this place which only has four trees so far.

Ras G van den Berg (chairman) & committee

DIE onlangse uitbreek van die siekte EARS (Ernstige Akute Respiratoriese Sindroom) het my laat nadink oor my eie gesondheid en dié van my mede-Paarliete.

Wat gaan van ons in die Paarl word  as hierdie dodelike siekte ons dorp bereik?

Ek is baie bekommerd dat ons plaaslike gesondheidsdienste nie voorbereid sal wees as hierdie ramp ons tref nie.

Sal daar genoegsame kwarantyngeriewe in die hospitale wees, sodat hierdie siekte nie dramaties vinnig versprei nie?

Is daar genoeg toerusting in die Paarl om hierdie pasiënte mee te behandel, veral as daar skielik hordes pasiënte gelyktydig opgeneem moet word?

Sal daar genoeg bekwame en opgeleide personeel wees om hierdie siekte teen te stry?

Ek stel voor dat alles (soos bv 'n noodplan) voorlopig gereël moet word, voor dit te laat is. Kan iemand my gerusstel?

Cha-Marie Pienaar

Die publiek het ook 'n verantwoordelikheid in die sin dat hulle dokters in kennis moet stel as hulle 'n gebied besoek het waar die siekte voorkom (bv China, Hong Kong, Kanada).

DIS altyd vreemd dat mense wat bitsige of beledigende briewe skryf, dit gewoonlik onder 'n skuilnaam doen. A, nee, a!

Dankie aan die eienaar wat die lelike ou boom voor die Departement van Arbeid-gebou verwyder het en die mooi en statige ou gebou vir ons ontbloot het.

Ek is ook amper 100 jaar oud, ook al lelik en sal ook een of ander tyd uitgekap moet word. Dit is nou maar van mense en bome.

Wat kliënte betref wat nou kwansuis 'n ander apteker sal soek, wil ek net sê, nee, ons almal weet waar ons al jare lank puik diens kry.

Ek vra net een guns van die eienaar - moet asseblief nie die pragtige gebou rooi of borriegeel verf nie.

Clarina Zondagh

I agree with the views of A Empedocles (who did not use a pseudonym) in his letter "Ek maak beswaar teen die gemene brief" of last week.

Most of us love the big old oak trees of our town, but I daresay we love our lives more.

We have had a couple of wonderfully old and shady trees fall on people's vehicles in the past and they narrowly escaped with their lives.

I and other satisfied customers will continue to purchase from the pharmacy which is to be housed in the historic building where the oaks were removed.

Why? It is a place where all customers are consistently met with warmth, friendliness and helpfulness. The treatment one finds at this store is certainly rare now-a-days.

Let us give the owners of the pharmacy a chance to go about their business. The building they are moving to has an old world beauty of its own which is now clearly visible for the first time.

Andeline Plaatjes

EK kan dit nie glo dat 'n waardige ouer dame, Sheila Stander, in haar eie huis vir haar eie besittings so wreed vermoor is nie (Widow Slain on farm, Paarl Post 30/4).

Die 17/18-jariges wat dit gedoen het, het julle ook 'n ma? Wat gaan hierdie ou dame se kinders Moedersdag doen? Blomme op haar graf sit?

Ek sal dink aan mev Stander se kinders op hierdie dag.

Aan die skuldiges: Gaan julle ook lewenslank plus 40 jaar kry? Ek wag in spanning op julle vonnis.

Ook 'n moeder

DIE geslagsregister van wyle Henri Schoeman "Die Schoeman Geslagsregister", is nou beskikbaar.

Dit sluit in die doopregisters, huweliksregisters, lidmaatskapregisters en sterfregisters - besonderhede van meer as 33 000 persone wat aan een van die vier Schoeman-stamvaders gekoppel kan word.

Die boek van 1261 bladsye in A4-formaat is beskikbaar teen R350 by mev A Schoeman by (012) 567-53322, faks (012) 546-1394 of Bergmanstraat 14, Annlin, Pretoria, 0812. Versekerde posgeld en verpakking beloop 'n verdere R35.

A Schoeman

SPORT word algemeen aanvaar as 'n faktor wat grense tussen gemeenskappe, kulture en volke oorsteek.

Binne skoolverband het sport nog altyd 'n belangrike rol gespeel om 'n gesonde balans tussen intellektuele en liggaamlike ontwikkeling te handhaaf. In Drakenstein is hierdie erkende voordele van sport verder gevoer in 'n unieke program wat die hele gemeenskap baat.

Die Departement van Sport en Rekreasie het, in samewerking met die Paarl Beheerliggaam Vereniging, 'n program van sportassistente by 31 skole in die vallei ingestel.

Wat die projek uniek maak, is dat die assistente gekeur word uit werklose matrikulante. Met die eerste inname is 32 jong mans en vroue gekeur en deeglik opgelei om met die skoliere te werk.

Dié assistente help met afrigting, beplanning en ook sportadministrasie - wat baie druk van reeds oorwerkte onderwysers wegneem.

In baie skole is sportkodes die afgelope jare afgeskaal of selfs gestaak weens 'n gebrek aan afrigters. Liggaamlike opvoeding het ook dikwels in die slag gebly.

Die program het 'n deur vir dié jongmense oopgemaak, terwyl skoolhoofde rapporteer dat die algemene fiksheid van leerders aansienlik verbeter nou dat liggaamlike opvoedingsklasse weer aangebied kan word.

Daar word nou geadverteer vir 'n tweede inname en 'n mens kan maar net vertrou dat die eksperiment hier in Drakenstein só goed sal werk dat dit landswyd uitgebrei kan word.