Thursday: 29 May  2003

This site will be updated on: 5 June 2003 at 17:00

 Letters - Briewe

• Excellent timing by municipality to start digging
• Apartheid crime pays once again
• Kort vonnis vir aanvaller 'n groot skok
• Godsdiensonderrig is nodig in ons skole
• Dankie aan die straatveërs
• Niks het verander sedert 1996 nie
• Editorial: Comedy of errors?

I WISH to congratulate the Drakenstein Municipality on their excellent timing by waiting till the winter and rainy weather starts, to dig a trench on the west side of the already notorious Parys road.

Not only is the road more dangerous then ever before, due to lack of adequate warning signs, but also, the excavated soil covers almost half of the Paarl-bound lane.

One can just wonder how work of this nature is planned.

The Drakenstein Municipality also needs to be acknowledged with their "excellent planning" on the following;

* To take action and relocate the families living in unhealthy conditions opposite the Huguenot railway station.

* Their perception that people east of the Berg River don't have cars .

During the week all the traffic officers are doing duty in central Paarl.

However, during holidays, the motorists east of the river are targeted with speed traps and pulled over every morning.

* For not painting the traffic lines on the road to ensure the safety of the motorists and passengers especially during the coming winter.

* To wait until all the businesses in the CBD have moved or closed down due to the informal vendors doing business right in front of their display windows that prevent clients from looking at the products on display.

* For chopping down only one tree to clean up and promote the town during the recent world cup tournament.

* The parking of about 6 to 10 municipal trucks, vans and tractors both side of Jan van Riebeeck road during peak hour every morning with municipal workers dodging between the cars to get to the shops.

I am sure that the Drakenstein Municipality is very hard at work addressing the above issues, which are only a few of a very long list.

But until then, I suggest we all just sit back and blame it on apartheid.

Concerned

THE Paarl Post has afforded the white NG Kerk Paarlvallei glowing adoration for their selfless act of magnanimity for returning our beloved Church of St Stephen.

But nothing has been said of the absolute gluttony and greed of the white NG Kerk and how it has in fact benefited twice at our cost and misery.

In 1978 the NG Kerk "bought" our Church at R20 000 three months after our eviction. As congregation we received a mere R50 000.

Our "compensation" was so generous that we had to use an additional R225 000 to build a new church.

If  one was to estimate the market price of our Church at R50 000 the NG Kerk gained the financial benefit for having paid a mere 40% for our land.

Over 25 years we suffered the financial loss that we would have earned from an investment of R225 000 whilst the NG Kerk benefited from their financial gain.

We are not even trying to quantify our loss from having been brutally chased out of town.

But note, the NG Kerk's criminal acts of collusion not only paid them then, it pays them again. We guess that an estimate of the market value of our Church in today's terms would be R1,2 million.

In terms of the SA Constitution the government is obliged to take the "history of the acquisition" of the land into account when determining the payment of fair compensation to an owner.

This means that the compensation that the Church should have received should have been R1.2 million minus the 60% discount for which they received the stolen goods.

But, instead of being paid R560 000, the NG Kerk scores 30% on the deal by receiving R780 000.

 If the financial benefit they received over 25 years is factored in, they should have received much less.

The white NG Kerk has therefore received at least an additional R220 000 of taxpayers' money from the Department of Land Affairs as a reward for the theft that they committed.

The Paarlberg NG Church should humble themselves and confess their sins.

No, Paarlberg NG Church and the Department of Land Affairs! This land claim can never be an act of reconciliation.

No, the past has not been set right when other people gain from our forefathers' blood, sweat and tears.

These people that call themselves Christians, should be ashamed of perpetrating another Apartheid Crime against us.

The Department of Land Affairs should seriously reconsider their decision because we are not convinced that our taxes, which we work hard for, have been wisely spent.

Although we have democracy, Apartheid criminals still benefit from their crimes. Shame on you.

Chantel, Lloyd and others

Then R100 000 was added by the Comission to help Paarlberg congregation with temporary arrangements for a hall. The total amount of R780 000 is certainly not enough to finance the construction of a new church hall.

EK woon die afgelope drie jaar in die VSA. Ons lees gereeld die Paarl Post en is baie dankbaar vir die pragtige koerant op die Internet.

Ons mis Suid-Afrika geweldig, maar nie die geweld nie.

Wat 'n skok om dan van slegte nuus te verneem soos die aanval op mev Silvia Smook.

Maar nog groter is die skok om te lees dat 12 jaar gevangenisstraf is al wat die geweldenaar kry. Sulke mense hoort nie buite nie, in Amerika word sulke dinge nie geduld nie.

Ek wil mev Smook en haar gesin sterkte toewens en hoop dat sy gou sal beter word.

Daar is te veel politiek en rassehaat wat net die omgekeerde is van die ou apartheid. Wat 'n jammerte.

Marius Lategan

Mev Smook het nooit herstel na die aanval nie, en is Saterdag oorlede. - Red.

EK beskou myself as uiters bevoorreg om in een van ons land se topskole skool te gaan, in my moedertaal onderrig te word en die vryheid gegun te word om my godsdiens ook daar te beoefen en uit te leef saam met vriende en mede-studente.

Die afgelope tyd was ek egter hewig ontstig wanneer ek orals gelees het van minister Kader Asmal se planne rakende die afskaffing van godsdiensonderrig in ons skole.

Suid-Afrika is 'n demokratiese land (of so word daar beweer), dus het ons almal die reg en keuse om te kan besluit waar en wanneer ons godsdiens wil beoefen. Nou word hierdie reg ons ontneem.

Die Afrikaanse gesegde lui: Buig die boompie terwyl hy nog jonk is. Kinders kweek goeie morele waardes en beginsels aan wanneer hulle jonk is. Is dit tog nie wat godsdiens ons leer nie?

Almal het altyd iets te sê oor die jeug van vandag. Persoonlik dink ek deur godsdiens in skole weg te neem lei ons die jeug van  die wal af reguit in die sloot in.

Ek is seker  ek is net een van die magdom studente wat so sterk voel oor die kwessie.

As dieregering waarlik 'n ordentlike en deeglike besluit wil neem, raai ek hulle aan om eers die jongmense van ons land te raadpleeg. Dit is tog ons wat hieronder gaan ly.

Ontsteld

AAN alle mammies met die oranje oorpakke wat ons strate so mooi skoon vee, wil ek net dankie sê.

Dit is 'n werk wat geen jonger vrou graag sal wil doen nie, maar dié werk word deur gevestigde moeders aangepak.

Kyk maar hoe hulle van straat tot straat gaan. Hulle vee, tel die vullis op en gooi dit in die waentjie.

As ek 'n hoed gedra het, dan het ek dit vir julle elke dag afgehaal.

Ek voel baie trots op julle. Ek sien wat julle doen en sê net dankie.

Raadslid L Darries

HIERMEE wil ek graag vir u so 'n paar jaar terugneem, toe ek my pen op papier neergesit het om my frustrasies leesbaar te maak.

Ek het 'n gediggie geskryf wat op 28 November 1996 in die Paarl Post gepubliseer is.

Ongelukkig kan ek nie 'n woord verander nie. Ek wonder of die stadsbeplanningsdepartement se werkswyse al enigsins verbeter het?

O, Stadsbeplanner!

PAARL: Die dorp was klein, die dorp is mooi met Drakensberge getooi, die stad groei vinnig en hopelik nog steeds volgens plan.

S Frolicks

COMEDIES are always a winner with theatre audiences, and Paarl is no exception to the rule.

'Doller as kop-af', the comedy that is staged by the Old Mill theatre club at present, is playing to capacity audiences.

However, few people realise that in true life the theatre is at present in the midst of a comedy of errors and that the actors' smiles are covering many a tear.

For the past weeks, thieves have been targeting the theatre - vandalising and stealing from cups and saucers to costumes and lights.

As is the case in most community-driven organisations, there is not much capital behind the theatre.

Actors mostly provide their own costumes while sound and other equipment is borrowed from friends, foes and family.

There is no overall insurance to replace these losses - everyone suffers his or her own losses.

This is the dilemma that faces other organisations like the Voortrekkers, the Italian Club and the German Club as well. Churches and schools are also not spared.

Maybe we should appeal to criminals to be more public spirited and not steal from them that don't have - or else the community must be even more on the look-out for evil-minded individuals.

If we don't win this battle, we may lose cultural assets like the Old Mill Theatre which won't be replaced easily.