Thursday 18 December 2003

This site will be updated on 15 January  2004 at 17:00

Business - Sakenuus

• 'n Droom vir Daljosafat
• BEE training initiative for SA wine Industry
• Plaisir de Merle 10 years
• Trust aids local schools

hektaar van die eienaars, die SA Erfenis Stigting. Die huise op die drie plase word deur die vereniging self verhuur.

Danie verbou reeds pruime op 20 hektaar uitstekende vrugtegrond, asook lusern. Volgens hom is daar nog 20 hektaar van die heel beste wingerdgrond.

Vroeër vanjaar het 'n afvaardiging uit Mbekweni hom genader. Hulle wou grond aankoop vir 'n projek waarby mense wat HIV-positief is, hul eie groente kon verbou en dalk later wyer kan bemark.

Die projek sal befonds word deur World Vision. Malan het met die goedkeuring van die Stigting drie hektaar aan hulle beskikbaar gestel.

Daar is 'n genoeg water beskikbaar uit 'n dam, met pompe en bestaande hoofwaterlyne. Hulle hoef net die water te koppel, en dan kan hulle boer, sê Danie.

Daar word nou samesprekings gehou met World Vision vir die aankoop van tonnels en skaduhuise. Elke "kleinboer" sal dan 'n eie akkertjie kan bewerk.

Dit was so met die geselsery dat Danie verder begin dink het.

"Die plase moet vir die nageslag bewaar word en ek sien net een manier om dit te doen: 'n nuwe entiteit en 'n gesamentlike projek," sê hy.

"Die plase lê tussen woonbuurte met ontsettende armoede en werkloosheid. Hoekom nie die mense van die omgewing betrek deur al die plaasgrond te ontwikkel en so werk te skep nie?"

Danie onderhandel nou met die Stigting om sy huurtermyn, wat in 2011 verstrek, verleng te kry.

Die grond is ideaal vir vars groente en vrugte, sê hy.

Dit kan vir eie gebruik gekweek word en met die regte bestuur kan die topkwaliteit groente, vrugte en wyn uitgevoer word.

FOLLOWING hot on the heels of its highly publicised two day BEE Consultative Conference held recently in Cape Town, the South African Wine Industry Trust (SAWIT) hosted an event in Stellenbosch in celebration of the Burgundy Farm Worker Exchange programme which is now in its third year.

The educational programme was initiated on behalf of the South African Foreign Office in Paris and the prefecture of Dijon in Burgundy and is being administrated by SAWIT and the wine school in Beaune (CFPPA).

It aims to develop human resources to ensure the global competitiveness of the SA wine industry.

Ten historically disadvantaged candidates are selected annually from local wine farms by SAWIT to spend two months in Burgundy, France not only on the basis of their current level of skills, but also on their aptitude.

During their stay, candidates spend four weeks at a government-sponsored specialist wine school in Beaune (CFPPA) before being placed on wine farms in the area to gain practical experience in harvesting and winemaking.

Says Marthinus Saunderson, general manager of SAWIT, "The programme has been designed to expose the participants not only to classical Old World winemaking styles and techniques, but also to provide them with the opportunity to discover more about the theory of oenology and viticulture.

"Its aim therefore, is to assist the students in augmenting their winemaking skills and to strengthen the expertise of SA's future winemakers."

The celebration included the presentation of certificates to the 2003 participants (eight male and two female students) who left for France on 31 August this year and who only recently returned home, as well as an announcement about a change to the programme next year.

Ten students are to be selected from the pool of 30 to take part on a higher level in 2004 on the basis of achievement.

The dinner was attended by the students, representatives from the Beaune Wine School in France, French Consul Bruno Clerc and various wine producers.

THE 1993 Plaisir de Merle Cabernet Sauvignon has been released to mark the tenth birthday of this winery in Simondium.

This maiden vintage wine was one of two wines released a year after the cellar's formal opening on 1 December 1993 - exactly three centuries to the day when the first title deed was granted to French Huguenot Charles Marais by governor Simon van der Stel.

The farm was named after Marias's home town, Le Plessis-Marly in France.

Cellarmaster Niel Bester says the wine has come into its own after a decade's ageing, exhibiting a seamless integration of succulent red berry flavours, velvety tannins and wood vanillins.

A member of the prestigious new Simonsberg ward (Paarl Origin), Plaisir de Merle rubs shoulders with illustrious neighbours Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons, Vrede & Lust, Glen Carlou and Klein Simonsvlei (Niel Joubert).

THE Franschhoek Belgian Development Trust is continuing its involvement in education of the disadvantaged community and has extended this to include the provision of crèches and Educare Centres.   

Two such centres have been built and equipped, namely Kabouterland Crèche and Khanyisa Educare Centre. 

The Mayor of Stellenbosch opened the Khanyisa Educare Centre run by Rosi Caleni on 22 November.

Thirteen teachers are being trained in Educare, five for the crèches and eight for other early learning centres. This training will be completed by the end of the year 2004.

Not only do the centres create employment opportunities for mothers to become additional breadwinners, but they also provide the correct nutrition for the children by way of diets prepared by Groote Schuur and the Medical Research Council. 

In addition a local volunteer doctor examines and checks all children in the crèches every month.

It is hoped to eventually extend Kabouterland Crèche so that there will be facilities to accommodate 300 children.

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