Thursday 29 April 2004

This site will be updated on 6 May  2004 at 17:30

 Letters - Briewe

• This road to Bain's Kloof is dangerous
• Holding taxi drivers responsible
• Oor wattel en rommel op Bainskloof
• Groot gestemmery, maar misdaad sterk
• Apply in writing for discount
• Taxi was a real shocker
• Hulle respekteer nie beroep
• An abomination
• Pleasant surprise
• Report disturbing
• Pionierswerk in Paarl (Editorial)

This road to Bain's Kloof is dangerous

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I WOULD like to enquire from Boland District council when something is going to be done about the Bain's Kloof Pass Road. I refer to the part between the exit from Wellington up to Antoniesvlei.

Let them first examine the verges and see the growth and the trash on the side of the road.

The "supervisor" just sits in the truck and the crew adopts a slash and leave method with the result, come the rain because the channels on the side of the road are blocked, the water runs across the road causing vehicles to aquaplane.

We visit friends in the Bain's Kloof area over a weekend and the last two weekends have seen two major accidents caused by drunken revellers from Antoniesvlei speeding towards Wellington. Accidents occur regularly.

Does the Road Supervisor clear up the debris after the accidents? No way, the truck is used solely for the carrying of the crew and all their equipment for making breakfast, lunch and numerous tea breaks.

I have three solutions:

1) Widen the road & clear up the verges

2) Ban the numerous buses going to Antoniesvlei

3) Prohibit the consumption of liquor at Antoniesvlei.

Disheartened, Wellington

The Municipal Manager of Drakenstein replies: We cannot prevent persons from leaving the resort under the influence of liquor. However when possible we request that one of the companions should drive the vehicle. If someone is causing problems, a law enforcement official is summoned.

TO all taxi drivers and owners of minibus taxi businesses: you are in business because of the people that need your service. Without them you would not have a business.

Stop trying to fill up an already full trip every time someone gets out of the taxi and making us wait.

Despite numerous pleas from the passengers travelling in your taxi you do what you feel like doing.

Do you realise that passengers need your service because they have jobs to go to and that every time they are late for work they get into trouble?

Besides the trouble they get into, they can also get pay deducted for coming late, warnings for tardiness and even fired.

Is this how you like to treat the people who put food in your stomachs by taking away their chance of having food themselves?

It is just plain greediness.

To the owners - how do you know if they are not pocketing the extra money for themselves?

All you can see is that they have made one trip, but actually they have had two full trips.

This industry needs better policing because it can easily turn out to be a lose-lose situation, and we deserve better service.

Very concerned

ONS onlangse wattelkapnaweek was maar 'n teleurstelling wat opkoms betref. Dit ten spyte van omtrent 30 eposkennisgewings aan lede en "belangstellendes",  en 'n kennisgewing in Paarl Post.  Ons was net twee van Wellington, en drie van Kaapstad en omgewing, en ons het die dag geniet en 'n verskil gemaak. Kyk maar hoe lyk Gawie se Water nou!

Ek ry gereeld die pas uit op naweke. Daar is talle mense van oral, maar veral Wellington en Paarl omgewing (volgens hul registrasienommers) wat hierdie pragtige pas geniet.

Dit jol, hou piekniek, geniet die uitsig en gaan terug na waar hulle ook al vandaan kom: verryk.

Maar wat doen hulle wat hierdie pragtige omgewing geniet om dit in stand te hou? Om die rommelprobleem die hoof te bied? Om te help met die indringer-plantprobleem?

Waar is hulle wanneer ons hul hulp nodig het?

Ek betaal belasting, Meneer! Ons moet werk skep, Meneer! Dis van die antwoorde wat ek kry as ek vra: tel tog asseblief u rommel op en neem dit saam huis toe.

As ons nie ons houding teenoor ons Godgegewe natuurskoon verander nie, kan ons as mensdom maar nou tou opgooi! Indringerplante sal ons fynbos verdring en ons eie vullis sal ons verswelg.

Kom nou mense, kom help maak 'n verskil! Ons kap weer hierdie naweek. Wil u help? Bel my!

Sieg Kröger, voorsitter
Vriende van Bainskloof

DIE grootste gedeelte van die stemmery in die land het gegaan oor werkloosheid en misdaadbekamping.

Groot was my skok toe ek op 15 April die aand van die trein afklim om huis toe te ry en opmerk dat die spasie waar my motor die oggend geparkeer was (teen die stasiegebou tussen al die honderde mense) totaal leeg staan.

Dit is die hoeveelste motordiefstal by Hugenotestasie en genoeg is nou genoeg. Daar is soveel mense werkloos in die land. 

Kan niemand die voortou neem om iemand betroubaar aan te stel om die motors deur die dag te patrolleer wat deur die motoreienaars maandeliks vergoed sal word nie. 

Die veiligheidswagte patrolleer die stasie slegs aan die spoorlyn se kant. Wat help veiligheid op die stasie, maar jou motor is nie veilig nie?

'n Mens leef soos kluisenaars agter tralies in jou eie huis, verseker jou inhoud ten duurste vir die genot van die swendelaars wat ronddrentel op plekke waar hulle nie hoort nie. 

Dit was die derde diefstal op Hugenotestasie in 'n te kort tyd en ek sal dit waardeer indien mense met voorstelle om hierdie probleem hok te slaan my kan skakel by 083-232-7800 sodat ons 'n vinnige oplossing kan kry. 

My gesteelde motor was 'n 1986 Honda Ballade 150 (khakikleur) met registrasienommer CJ 36781.

PA Braasch

MY husband turned 70 last year in March, so in September he only paid the concession price for his TV licence (R65 instead of R225).

He phoned the SABC in Cape Town to ask if he could pay the concession amount because he was already 70.

Now he has received a letter of demand for the full licence fee and we have had to send numerous faxes to solve the problem.

According to the SABC you have to apply in writing for the concession to be granted, but nowhere on the licence statement is this indicated.

Meanwhile the SABC is paying out huge amounts to the lawyers who send the demand letters to people over 70 who are in "arrears".

Everybody over 70 in the block of flats we live in received a similar letter and are all very upset.

Why does the SABC waste this money on lawyers' fees and letters of demand when all they need to do is programme the computer according to the ID number of the TV viewer for an automatic discount after their 70th birthday?

Maybe they don't want us to know about the discount?

Paarlite

I JUST cannot understand how taxi drivers go on the road knowing that their vehicles are not roadworthy.

The lives of the public mean so very little to them. As long as they get their money, anything goes.

On Thursday morning 22 April I had barely gotten into a taxi in Jan van Riebeeck Drive, Paarl, when it stopped to let two women out in Meaker Street.

As the door was opened, it simply fell off its hinges. We had to sit patiently while the driver struggled for 15 minutes to close the door.

Then the passengers were told that he would not risk losing the door by opening it again. We had to climb over the front seat to get out.

Can you imagine that?

If we are late for work our employers are not interested in the problems we are having with transport.

There must be a body controlling the taxis. So please someone out there, do something. We, the public, keep you on the road.

Lost for words

DAAR is baie goeie onderwysers by ons skole en hulle is trots op hulle werk en ons is trots op hulle dienste. Dankie aan die mense wat hulle beroep respekteer.

Dan is daar mos die vrot appels. Baie van hulle besit aandele in smokkelhuise, hulle drink naweke so dat hulle nie eens weet hulle leerlinge suip saam met hulle nie, want die smokkelhuis het nie 'n ouderdombeperking het nie.

As die skole funksies het, is hulle so getrek dat hulle nie weet wat waar hulle is nie. Dan is hulle taalgebruik so lelik dat jou ore nie meer wil hoor.

Ek wil net sê, mense onthou die kinders kom sê tuis "mnr XYZ het Maandag na drank gestink en ons het niks les ontvang nie, want elke Maandag gaan dit so."

Onthou ons inkomstebelasting betaal julle salaris, so trek op julle sokkies mense, want werk is skaars.

Eye of the Tiger

I REFER to the alleged rape of 13-year-old at the Offices of Department of Social Services and Poverty Alleviation in Paarl. Rape of a defenseless child is an abomination.

To compound the matter, it is even more of an abomination when it is reported to have happened in the building of an institution entrusted with protecting the poor, the vulnerable and those with special needs.

The person arrested at our building is an independent contractor for the Department and is not an employee. The person quoted for a three-month contract to clean the offices of the department

The contractor has access to our building at hours that suit the purpose of the contract. It has become the norm that the conractor cleans our buildings after hours and over weekends.  Our security contractor therefore did not think anything amiss when the contractor entered our premises on Saturday in the afternoon.

Allow me also to express our disgust at the behaviour and actions of any person who would violate defenseless children in any manner whatsoever. The full weight of the law must be brought down on them and the justice system needs to be completely ruthless and merciless with individuals who make themselves guilty of this kind of behavior.

Allow me also to express by heartfelt sympathy to the survivor of the violation and her family.

Garth Morkel (Social Services office manager)

I WAS plesantly surprised when I went to pay my account at the Paarl Civic Centre recently and saw the effort being made to beautify our offices.

I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but I am sure the next time I get there the parking area would have had a face-lift too.

Thank you for the shrubs and trees on the islands in Klein Drakenstein Road.

I know the Municipality has many responsibilities too, but I hope their next project will be to clean up our town and once again make it the Pearl of the Boland.

Thankful ratepayer

I FIND last week's report about the corpse left by the roadside most disturbing.What has happened to the dignity of the dead? Do these funeral undertakers operate without any rules or regulations regarding the transport of bodies?

A Osman

DIE wiele van die Munisipaliteit draai stadig, somtyds tot groot irritasie van Jan Publiek.

Maar, soos burgemeester Herman Bailey gister verduidelik het, is daar dikwels statutêre en ander bepalings wat nagekom moet word en wat buite hulle beheer is.

Hy het by die ondertekening van die kontrak om die Paarl middedorp te herontwikkel, gesê 'n mylpaal is bereik met die ooreenkoms.

Samesprekings tussen die private sektor en die Munisipaliteit het twee jaar geduur en dikwels het dit gelyk asof dit op 'n dooiepunt gaan uitloop.

Tog het die belange van die gemeenskap en die dorp uiteindelik geseëvier en kan daar nou begin word met die heropbou van die sentrale sakekern.

Die ekonomiese agteruitgang en hoë misdaad in dié gebied was die afgelope jare 'n bron van groot kommer vir gemeenskapsleiers en die sakegemeenskap.

Die koördineerder van die projek, Johan Pauw, beskryf dit as pionierswerk wat vir die hele Suid-Afrika kan dien as les.

'n Mens kan maar net sy hoop beaam dat die meeste van die romp-slomp nou afgehandel is en daar nou kommersieel gedink kan word tot voordeel van die Paarl en al sy mense.