Thursday 13 May 2004

This site will be updated on 20 May  2004 at 17:30

Business - Sakenuus

• Shorter queues for drivers' licences
• Werkswinkel vir wynbedryf
• Draft budget, IDP discussed
• Public meeting
• Court case over Paarl brochure

Shorter queues for drivers' licences

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SHORTER queues and clean fingers - that is what applicants for drivers' licences can hope for with the introduction of the revolutionary new one-stop registration system in Paarl last week by the Western Cape Department of Transport.

The new system comprises a compact unit, which offers a one-stop testing service while the applicant is comfortably seated.

The "all in one system" electronically registers the applicant's personal details, vision, fingerprints, picture and signature .

SPEEDY SERVICE. The head of the Drakenstein traffic centre in Paarl, Izak Bosman (right), gives a demonstration on the new one-stop electronic driver's licence registration system launched in Paarl last week. It is expected to reduce queueing time and improve the standard of driver's licence applications.

in less than ten minutes. Digital photographs are taken on the spot.

The main objective of this system is to reduce the number of rejected applications for driving licence cards due to incorrectly captured information.

According to Peter Beets, Director for Roads Infrastructure Administration of the Western Cape, the SyGade system costing R80 000 per unit completely replaces the manual system in use until now.

It checks the quality of biometric images in order to ensure that all images are processed without rejection.

"The Paarl Registering Authority was selected as they are strategically situated between Cape Town and the Boland and have the necessary qualified personnel who can understand and implement the system and facilitate the training of employees," he said.

Beets explained that the pilot project will have a two to three month trial run, after which the system will be deployed to the rest of the Western Cape.

The SyGade system does away with unnecessary paperwork and saves space as print records are no longer stored at each registering facility for a designated number of years

'n WERKSWINKEL met die tema van die "wingerd tot die wynglas" word op 2 Junie vanaf 08:00 tot 17:00 in die Paarl Gholfklubhuis op Boschenmeer Gholflandgoed gehou.

Verskeie sprekers sal gaste toespreek oor 'n wye reeks onderwerpe, onder meer die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf in die 21ste eeu, dienslewering, sosiale uitdagings, handelsmerkstrategieë en brandewyn in die wynbedryf.

Sprekers sluit in dr Johan van Rooyen van die Suid-Afrikaanse Wyn en Brandewyn Maatskappy, Dr Chan Makan, uitvoerende direkteur van ARA, Theo Pegel, wat reeds 25 jaar aktief betrokke is op alle vlakke in die wynbedryf Kobus Smit, reklamekonsultant, Kobus Gelderblom, brandewyndeskundige, en Katinka van Niekerk, bekende voedsel- en wynkonsultant.

Op 'n ligter trant sal daar ook gepraat word oor die verhouding tussen Kaas en Wyn en klerekasbeplanning deur Caroline Roberts (Chata Romano konsultant).

Kostes beloop R550 per persoon en sluit middagete in. Enige surplusfondse word geskenk aan die Christelike Afhanklikheidsdienste.

Vir meer inligting of besprekings, skakel Elma Brand by (021)-863-0397 of faks 863-0070. Die epos is events@definitelydifferent.co.za.

THE draft Drakenstein IDP review report is currently on view at local libraries and will be discussed at a number of public meetings with reference to the municipal budget, starting at 19:00.

An agricultural sector meeting will be held in the Paarl town hall on 20 May at 19:00.

Other meetings in the Paarl area are at Huguenot community hall and Ronwe Primary (13 May), Dalweide Primary and New Orleans Secondary (17 May), Nuwedrift Primary, Simondium Primary and NGK Slot van die Paarl (18 May) and Dundarach Farms (19 May 18:00).

Rural meetings will be on 19 May at Soetendal Primary and E de Waal hall and on 20 May at Sonop Primary and Leliefontein farm hall (Bovlei).

A youth focus group will meet in the Wellington town hall on 18 May at 19:00.

Inputs or comments must be submitted in writing to the IDP Manager, PO Box 1, Paarl 7622 by 15:00 on 19 May.Send email idp@drakenstein.gov.za.

For enquiries, phone 807-6218.

A MEETING to discuss the possible siting of a new water treatment plant and reservoir in the Paarl district is to be held at the Winelands Hotel on Tuesday evening 18 May from 18:00 to 19:30.

The meeting is organised by the Bulk Water Department of the City of Cape Town, which is investigating the appropriate siting of future bulk water supply infrastructure relating to the Berg Water Project.Possible sites are in the vicinity of Klapmuts, Paarl, Franschhoek, Pniel and Durbanville.

THE Paarl Tourism Association is still distributing its new "Passport to Paarl" brochure following the postponement of an application for an urgent interdict by the producer of a similar brochure, who alleges the Paarl brochure is a copy.

The urgent application by Passport Publications, producer of "Passport to the Best of Cape Town", to halt distribution of the Paarl brochure, was opposed by Paarl Tourism and postponed with costs to the applicant.

The matter was postponed to the semi-urgent roll to be heard later this year.

In papers, Passport Publications general manager Kathi Luxton claimed that Paarl Tourism, in co-operation with Paarl Vintners, had copied her company's brochure, imitating it in terms of name, colour, shape, size, placement of advertising and lay-out as well as endorsements.

According to Luxton it appeared as if the designer of the Paarl publication had simply sat down with a copy of the Passport Publications' brochure and copied the ideas, format and layout directly.

When complaints to Cape Town Tourism to remove the brochures had no effect, Luxton approached Paarl Tourism chairman Gerhard Meyer and Paarl Vintners chairperson Gesie Lategan.

Negotiations to reach a licence  agreement failed, after which the company resorted to court action.

In a press report Gerhard Meyer, who resigned as chairman of Paarl Tourism earlier this year, called the demand for more than R100 000 by Passport Publications "extortionist" as there was no copyright linked to the term 'Passport to'.

Meyer denied that the brochure had copied the Cape Town brochure, as its size, layout and indexing could be found in a number of publications. The red colour of the cover was chosen because Paarl Vintners marketed itself as a red wine route.

In a recent Paarl Tourism newsletter, acting chairman Steven von Schlicht reported that the supply of brochures had been practically exhausted and that an exact reprint would not be considered "until the dust of the copycat saga had settled".

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