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				Thursday 20 January 2005



		This site will be updated on 27 January 2005.


	Nuus - News

Sick cub safe
Bure verklap morsers
Geen moeite te groot om water te bespaar
Paarl Post celebrates 100 years
'Waar's ons pos?' vra Paarliete
Dry veld burns
Paarl businessman's mansion auctioned
Nagmerrie-dae met toelaes

	Sick cub safe
	Malané Bosman


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SHE might be cute but don't you mess with Bai. Although she might only be seven weeks old, she knows she is a lion.

Bai ("lion" in Cameroon), was rescued from certain death by Paarl lion park owner, Paul Hart. But it was not all plain sailing.

Bai was born to South African parents in a Cameroon zoo. The keepers decided to hand-raise the litter of three. But when Bai's two brothers died, a British animal welfare organisation stepped in.

Bai developed dietary problems and had a leg injury.



	RECOVERING. Bai, the baby lion from Cameroon, and Shane Hart (6) who lives at the Drakenstein Lion Park, enjoy their play time.

On 20 December the Organisation contacted Paul. Word of mouth has put 31 lions on the waiting list to be cared for at his Drakenstein Lion Park, but little Bai jumped the queue.

Weeks of paperwork preceded Paul's booking of a flight to Cameroon for January 11. But a frustrating sequence of Cameroon flight cancellations meant his amazing race to save Bai's life only really got off the ground on Wednesday last week.

He was at Johannesburg International at 04:00 as instructed, but faced a three-hour delay as the pilot and crew had gone missing.

Eventually Paul flew via Libreville to Gabon, where he discovered his luggage had disappeared.

Not only did he lose his clothes and malaria tablets, but also the special milk, medicine and cat box he had packed for little Bai.

In Cameroon the Wildlife Aid Fund assisted while Paul scurried around with documentation.

After two days of explaining, an official was finally persuaded to stamp his permit. But it took another two days for the official to locate the stamp.

"It was a nightmare," Paul remembers.

When he finally made it to the airport with Bai, Paul had to demonstrate to the Airways' chief that she would not pose a danger.

"Bai needed a seat next to me. She needed to be fed regularly. She would surely have died in the cargo hold," Paul says.

The flight from Doula was to have departed at 20:00, but was postponed to 22:00.

"After we had finally boarded, we had to sit in the aircraft for six hours. There was no air-conditioning and it was an oven at 45 degrees Celcius.

"We were told that a wing on the aircraft was damaged, but we should not worry. She would still fly, although the flight would take ten instead of five hours.

"When a fight broke out in the aircraft, we were allowed to wait in the airport for the next 12 hours - a concrete floor, with a roof over it. But no water, no food."

Paul had baby milk, wet wipes and a box for Bai, but she became more and more restless.

When he eventually made it to Johannesburg on Sunday night, he had missed all connecting flights and had to wait until Monday to fly to Cape Town.

"It had been the classic hurry up and wait, with a final three hour delay at customs.

"We only reached home on Monday afternoon. Bai was very tired, as I was. With her I could not close my eyes for a second," her bodyguard says.

Today, the cuddly queen already reigns supreme in the Harts' household at Klapmuts.

Bai still has to get accustomed to the heat, as she had been reared only indoors. For now, she will spend only short spells in a grass enclosure in the lion park, her future home.

Within days her injured leg has healed. Her upset stomach is settling and she will soon have mince and chicken to supplement her milk diet.

Bai has a new big brother, the Hart's six-year-old son Shane, who feeds her and plays with her.

But at night she sleeps between Paul and his wife Sue, her head on a pillow as befits royalty.

Bure verklap morsers


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GEEN Paarliete is nog beboet oor verbreking van die waterbeperkings nie, maar die Drakenstein Munisipaliteit het sedert Desember reeds 34 waar- skuwings uitgereik.

Die meeste oortreders word glo deur hul eie bure verkla by die Munisi- paliteit.

Volgens 'n munisipale woordvoerder Harold Hendricks is 'n 6% besparing op die waterverbruik vir Paarl/Wellington behaal in Desember verlede jaar, teenoor Desember 2003, al was die afgelope maand warm en baie droog. Die besparing is gelykstaande aan 2,070 swembaddens van gemiddeld 30,000 liter per swembad.

In Desember 2003 het die Paarl 49mm reën gehad teenoor die 23mm in Desember 2004 (12mm op 15 Desember en 11mm op 18 Desember).

Die Wemmershoekdam se watervlak staan tans op 44% teenoor 64% ver- lede jaar hierdie tyd - die laagste wat die watervlak nog in Januarie was.

Niemand in die Paarl se watertoevoer na hul perseel is al afgesny nie, want die waarskuwing is gewoonlik voldoende.

Volgens beperkings in Drakenstein Munisipaliteit se area kan tuinsproeiers wel gebruik word en motors mag met tuinslange gewas word. Munisipale besproeiing is verminder.

Vir enige klagtes rondom beperkings kontak Hanré Blignaut, Harold Hendricks of André Kowalewski by 807-4715.

Geen moeite te groot om water te bespaar


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Jill Nicholas

AS sommige mense die ekstra myl kan gaan om water te bespaar, hoekom is daar nog steeds mense wat kla oor waterbeperkings?

Dit is die mening van Lorene van Schalkwyk van Victoriastraat 8, Paarl, wat groot moeite doen om die‚ kosbare bron te bespaar.

Die Wemmershoekdam is tans op sy laagste vlak nog in Januariemaand en streng waterbeperkings geld tans in die Drakensteingebied. Maar Van Schalkwyk doen meer as haar deel.

Voor in die tuin is 'n groot vlekvrye staaltenk, wat omtrent 1000l water kan hou. Haar man wat by 'n staalonderneming werk, het die tenk vir haar ge- maak.

'n Ou visdam dien as opvangplek vir die stort- en badwater, wat na die tenk gepomp word om die voortuin nat te lei.

Die afvalwater uit die wasmasjien word weer opgevang in 'n tweede tenk en gebruik vir die agtertuin.

In die agterplaas is ook 'n groot reënwatertenk waarmee nog 'n deel van die tuin natgelei word en die swembad hervul word. Boonop word die swembad bedek om verdamping te verhoed.

Volgens Lorene het sy met die aankondiging van waterbeperkings besef dat sy drastiese stappe sou moes doen om haar tuin te red in die warm somer.

"Dit is ook my plig om by die waterbeperkings te hou - en wie het nou lus vir boetes en sulke goed?

"Toe dog ek maar - daar is 'n watertekort, kom ons doen iets daaraan," sê Lorene.

Maar sy is nie al een wat moeite doen om water te bespaar nie - sommige mense het heeltemal opgehou om hul grasperke nat te lei.

Tydens 'n opname onder inwoners is bevind dat baie mense die spoelwater van hul wasgoed opvang in dromme en met emmers en gieters uitskep om tuine nat te lei.

Feitlik almal wat ondervra is hou streng by die waterbeperkings en gebruik emmers om hul motors te was.

Een inwoner van Noorder-Paarl plaas bakke water by die aflooppype van die dak om reënwater te vang, sodra die weer toetrek. Met dié water word die tuin later in die week natgelei.

En as die blomme se koppe hang die res van die week kyk hulle maar weg - dis alles vir 'n goeie doel.

* Some local residents are going to great lengths to conserve water.

Paarl Post celebrates 100 years


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ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD - that is the milestone the Paarl Post celebrated on Friday.

Paarl Post was first published on 14 January 1905 as successor to the rebel newspaper Die Afrikaanse Patriot, the first Afrikaans newspaper in South Africa.

It published local news and advertisements in English and Dutch.

In 1923 the publisher of Paarl Post, DF du Toit & Co, changed hands and was renamed the Paarl Printing Company.

In 1938 the Retief family purchased it, and since the eighties, the company has grown exponentially.

Today Paarl Post is part of the Boland Koerante Group, consisting of 14 community newspapers within the Media 24 stable. The Retief family retains management control.

Paarl Post currently sells more than 16 600 copies every week in the Paarl Valley.

'Waar's ons pos?' vra Paarliete


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WERKERS by die posagentskap in Suider-Paarl was vandeesweek toege- gooi onder die pos, terwyl inwoners van die omgewing luidkeels wonder "waar's ons pos?".

Die probleem is veroorsaak deur die verskuiwing van posbusse van die Laborie winkelsentrum na 'n "adresbus" - die poskantoor se tydelike struk- tuur vir posbusse - verlede week.

Die verskuiwing is genoodsaak deur verbouings by die sentrum. Die pos vir gehuurde posbusse het begin ophoop by die agentskap in die Laborie Friendly, omdat die "Adresbus" nog nie voltooi was nie.Volgens Laborie Friendly se bestuurder, Willem de Jager, kan die agentskap nie aanspreeklik gehou word vir die probleem nie.

Die posagentskap se werkers het aanvanklik die pos agter die toonbank gesorteer en aan posbushuurders uitgedeel, maar uiteindelik is hulle oor- stroom deur pos.

Hulle word oorval deur ontstoke posbushuurders wat hul pos soek. Werkers sou Maandag die slotte op die deure van die adresbus aanbring, maar dit is nie betyds afgelewer nie. En die pos het bly ophoop.

"Mense bied aan om sommer self hul posstukke te soek, maar mag volgens die Poskantoorwet nie toegang hê tot die pos nie," sê 'n radelose De Jager. Die slotte is uiteindelik gister aangebring, waarna die pos gesorteer sou word.

* A hold-up with the installation of new post boxes has wrought havoc at Paarl South postal agency.

Dry veld burns


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A NUMBER of veld fires have hit the Paarl Valley due to the dryness of the veld.

One of the fires nearly destroyed the "Riverside" restaurant near Bridge House last week. The thatched buildings were saved due to a concerted effort by fire brigades and staff from surrounding businesses.

Firefighters fought the fire, which started in dense bush on Wednesday, for two days in a howling south-easterly gale.

Twelve fire tenders and 40 municipal firemen (Drakenstein and Cape Winelands) battled against the flames, assisted by staff from Cape Conser- vation, traffic officials, workers from the Berg River Dam project, neighbours and volunteers.

In another fire in the Benbernhard smallholding area on Saturday, the animals at the SPCA were threatened and had to be moved.

The flames, allegedly originating in a squatter settlement nearby, were stopped two metres from the cages. All the dogs had to be moved to another section of cages. "It was a close call," said an SPCA spokesman, who also thanked all firefighting staff.

A third fire near Ranzadale in Wellington was extinguished by firemen on Sunday.

Paarl businessman's mansion auctioned


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TWO properties of prominent Paarl businessman Nicky Camara, are being auctioned tomorrow as part of the final liquidation of his businesses.

One of them is his palatial home located in Monte Christo Avenue on the slope of Paarl Mountain, valued at between R10 million and R15 million.

The other is a vacant site in Lady Grey Street, near the junction with Berg River Boulevard, which was the last Victorian building in the street before it burnt down a number of years ago.

Camara's other property in Paarl, the former OK Bazaar building (now Mr Price), was sold on auction in October for R8,35 million to a consortium of local businessmen.

The building was renovated at considerable cost with an additional floor added to incorporate a parking garage, but has stood unfinished for two years after Camara ran out of cash.

Now he is to lose his luxurious residence as well, when it is auctioned at 12:00 tomorrow.

Set on an erf of just under 3000 square metres, the split level mansion includes five bedrooms with balconies, a reception hall and an open plan lounge/dining room with cocktail bar leading to an expansive pool and entertainment area with sweeping views of the valley.

The villa is also fitted with a gym, sauna and jacuzzi, downstairs conference room, housekeeping quarters, garage facilities and three storerooms. This level also features a drop-down multimedia screen with surround sound and video projection system.

"Given the fact that the property is part of a liquidation instruction there is no reserve asking price and we are obliged to knock the property down at the final bid on the day of the auction," said Jonathan Smiedt, CEO of Claremart.

The vacant property in Lady Grey Street will be auctioned at 14:00.

Nagmerrie-dae met toelaes


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BETAALDAE vir toelaes bly nagmerrie-dae vir Paarliete.

"Die Paarl is baie 'sensitief'," meen AllPay se Andries de Jongh.

"En ons sal graag 'n aanvaarbare oplossing vind."

Intussen voel ontvangers van pensioene en toelaes nêrens welkom nie.

AllPay het verlede jaar, ná klagtes oor die vertrapping by die Ontspanningsaal in Du Toitstraat, die uitbetalingspunt na die Posduifklub in die Bergrivier Boulevard, verskuif.

Met die eerste uitbetaling daar, was die gort egter gaar, want slegs die ontvangers van toelaes mag binne die omheining kom - die res, ook die voertuie, moet buite bly.

Familielede en vriende van pensionarisse skuil teen die son op huise se grasperke oorkant die pad terwyl hulle wag. Honde blaf onophoudelik vir die vreemdelinge in die tuine.

Smouse en geldskieters pak die sypaadjies weerskante van die pad vol. Voertuie wat mense aanry om hul toelaes te ontvang, hou op die rooi sperstrepe stil en ontwrig verkeer.

Voetgangers wat die pad oorkruis, is 'n gevaar vir hulself en motoriste.

'n Verkeersbeampte doen diens om verkeer te beheer en smouse kan verwag dat daar deur die nuutgestigte wetstoepassingseenheid van die munisipaliteit, teen hulle opgetree sal word.

"Die uitbetalings was eers in die NP-saal in die middedorp, toe die Ontspanningsaal en nou in die Posduifklub," sê De Jongh.

"Die motors en die informele handelaars kan om veiligheidsredes nie op die terrein toegelaat word nie.

"Daar sal deeglik navorsing gedoen word indien die betaalpunt weer moet skuif."

Daar is nie nou sprake dat die lokaal na die gemeenskapsaal in Huguenot sal skuif nie, het De Jongh gesê.

* Chaos reigns at the new payment point for pensions in Paarl.

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Tel: (021) 871-1170 - e-mail: edit@paarlpost.co.za

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