Disregarding residents’ interests
Council meetings are few and far between, even more so during the past 18 months of various states of lockdown. And being able to report on them is more difficult, because they have all been virtual,...
View ArticleConsent always required
Back in 1995 I joined thousands of other young South Africans in taking advantage of the new Commonwealth visa to be able to spend a working holiday in the United Kingdom. We worked an assortment of...
View ArticleWarning signage needed
Most local residents know Centenary Park to be a hazardous place to venture, because it is remote and favoured by criminals who lurk in the bushes waiting to prey on people. There have been numerous...
View ArticleWater, politics, mindsets
Readers of last week’s Talk of the Town will have noticed that Ndlambe Municipality placed several large advertisements in the newspaper that serve as a promotion of its work, rather than the usual...
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Considering Ndlambe’s polling
The local government election results in Ndlambe reflect the national trends. The ANC made considerable losses, the DA lost a bit of support but consolidated it elsewhere, and the EFF made gains....
View ArticleCourt order needs teeth
There is now another court order against Ndlambe Municipality for its neglect of the stray cattle issue and its mismanagement of commonages. But will it make any difference? Residents who follow the...
View ArticleFinance portfolio albatross
The politics of majoritarian triumphalism were evident at the inauguration of the new Ndlambe council on Tuesday November 23. Despite the platitudes of service delivery over politics by new council...
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One good cop
On a drive along Beach Road late on Sunday morning [November 28], I chanced upon a police van heading towards West Beach. Local police have not earned a good reputation when it comes to addressing the...
View ArticlePA police, please do your job
When Dave Young called me last Thursday evening, describing his futile attempts to contact the Port Alfred police station, I felt just as helpless. Long-time locals will remember Young as a community...
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Disabled parking abuse
In the January 6 edition we included readers’ comments about their experiences on the road over the festive season. There was a mix of responses, with some saying they had only had pleasant experiences...
View ArticleSecond chances
It’s sad when an owner can no longer keep a pet and it has to be rehomed. Often pets are cruelly abandoned and left to fend for themselves on the streets, but sometimes an owner through circumstance...
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Yet more water loss
Though most residents have been getting at least a semi-constant supply of municipal water since the good rainfall in the catchment area in December made the Kowie River flow strongly over the Waters...
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Doing the right thing for once
It’s rare that I am able to commend the municipality for something, but this week I want to give a special tip of the hat to community protection services deputy director Fanie Fouche. Yet more...
View ArticleFrom dikkop to thick-knee and plover to lapwing
Kleinemonde musings by ASH COLLEN On first arriving in our village, a rambler and keen observer soon learns the difference between a honeysuckle and a honey-sucker; not only by the imagined smell...
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Another heritage loss
Some of the saddest local news we heard on Monday February 7 was about Centenary Hall in Bathurst being gutted by fire, which started at about 4am. Ndlambe Municipality said the burglar alarm had been...
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Cattle and contempt
Once again, it appears as though Ndlambe Municipality is waiting until the last minute before it addresses the ongoing problem of overgrazed commonages and straying livestock. There have been several...
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To help or not to help: a tricky question
By PASHA ALDEN Travelling on life’s interesting journey while living with blindness, I encounter all kinds of questions – not to mention strange situations. At times I feel as if a book is long...
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The story of assistance dogs
By PASHA ALDEN Helen Keller said: “One never knows what miracles may be wrought.” This is surely true when sharing life with these incredibly kind and taciturn friends, without whom many people with...
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Making the most of local expertise
[pullquote]Out of every four children born in Ndlambe municipality, one will experience hunger, cold, poor health, an unsafe environment and lack of access to most social, health and educational...
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Counting the cost of carbon
Should countries and people harmed by climate change be compensated? Poorer counties are spearheading a movement to make the world’s most affluent countries pay reparations to the Global South for...
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