SOUTHBROOM NEWS - NOVEMBER 07

A SOUTHBROOM RATEPAYERS, CONSERVANCY & COMMUNITY POLICING INITIATIVE.

This newsletter is intended for ratepayers & residents of Southbroom, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.  Click Unsubscribe if you do not wish to receive it, or click Subscribe if you did not receive it direct.

>> STONE-THROWING ON COASTAL ROAD

Please be careful when travelling the highway between the Ramsgate and Uvongo (Seaslopes) off-ramps. Reports have it that Margate Panel Beaters alone have attended to 7 cars that have been damaged by stone throwing.

The incidents occur mainly at night or in the early hours of the morning, (between 21h00 and 02h00), and are not always from the overhead bridges but also from the side of the road.

One car had a hole clean through the bonnet even damaging the radiator;  another caused a collision when a trolley filled with stones and rocks was pushed into the road in its path; and, on Saturday night, the culprits made use of huge cement blocks. The debris lay as evidence in the road the following morning.

Investigations are underway and, as of this morning, around 10 cases had been opened by people who had either been injured or affected.

Take care and remember to report crime. SA Police on 10111 or Margate 039-312-2524; Southbroom Sector Policing 039-316-6760; and Ramsgate CPF 073-486-8683.

>> USE IT OR LOSE IT. SOUTHBROOM LIBRARY REPRIEVE.

Hibiscus Coast Municipality is rationalising its library services. They are rolling out Wheelie Book Wagons and Munster, Marina Beach and Marburg libraries will close during February 2008.

Umtentweni ratepayers and residents have managed to save their library. Will the Southbroom community succeed in standing together to do the same?

Per the municipal notice, "Southbroom Library is to commence with a 6 month trial period in an attempt to increase membership and assess the success of introducing Wheelie Book Wagons". Yes, our library will double as the Wheelie Wagon depot but, if membership and book turnover doesn't increase, the traditional library service will cease. Also, there is no guarantee that a Wheelie Book Wagon will be positioned in Southbroom.

Come on Southbroom. Come on our numerous Book Clubs. Use the library and help to keep this valued service in Southbroom. Think of the days to come when you may not be able to drive to Margate library. Assist your fellow ratepayers and residents who are in this predicament already.

>> MAYORAL IMBIZO - TIME TO RAISE YOUR CONCERNS

As part of the Municipal Community Participation Programme, the Mayor, Executive Committee, other Councillors, Municipal Manager and Portfolio Directors will meet with the Ward 1 public at:

10h00 on 9 November 2007 at Brema Community Hall.

This is your opportunity to raise all service delivery and development issues and to ensure that Southbroom gets a share of the action.

Please make an effort to attend and, if you don't know where Brema is, contact Joy Crutchfield on 083-292-7788. If required, Joy will lead a convoy from the Southbroom Bowling Club at 09h30.

>> LIGHT UP AND FIGHT CRIME

The municipality has allocated 4 street lights to Southbroom. They have still to be erected and will hopefully be commissioned in time for the season. This is a drop in the ocean considering our request was for 30.

Our Urban Improvement Precinct has now allocated R100,000 to street lighting (around 20 poles) to illuminate the very dark areas and aid the success of our ongoing fight against crime.

Ratepayers and residents are urged to join forces in hardening the target. Please ensure that the exterior areas of your properties are well lit. More especially, please add good lighting to your entrances and allow it to spill onto the street.

>> STORM SEAS DAMAGE - DISASTER FUNDING

Disaster funding of R65 million has been allocated to the Hibiscus Coast Municipality and makes provision for Southbroom main beach tidal pool, granny's pool ablutions, and the Umkobi lifesaver facility.

The funding will be rolled out over a period of two years commencing December 2007 and we can expect work to commence after the required Environmental Impact Assessments are completed, say, by June 2008.

In the interim, be warned that the main beach tidal pool is not safe. We trust that the municipality will replace the cautionary notices before the season.

Beach Manager Anton Botha has promised that the rubble will be removed from Granny's Pool during November 2007.

>> SIGNAGE SUB-COMMITTEE. KATE ACHIEVES THE UNTHINKABLE.

Southbroom is indebted to Kate Clarence and the Southbroom / Impenjati Tourism Sub-committee. It is thanks to their foresight and sterling efforts that Southbroom has not had to suffer the loud and offensive directional signage that litters other south coast villages.

But, if our current directional signage is to continue, the control and management responsibility now has to be shouldered by Southbroom Ratepayers Association.

We are pleased to advise that Kate has agreed to Chair the newly formed Signage Sub-committee and that she has achieved the unthinkable: her committee will include one representative from each of the resident estate agencies.

Imagine that, Kate got them all into one room and they unanimously agreed to self-regulate estate agents boards. They also generously agreed to each sponsor R1,000 p.a. to keep the litter collection cart trundling our roads and verges. What's more, it will continue under the banner of our Conservancy and Ratepayers Association - no other signage.

Only Pam Golding and Beachcomber failed to attend the inaugural meeting and we hope that they will never-the-less see reason to come on board.

Our sincere thanks go to Kate and to, in alphabetical order, Acutts, Cathy Halliday, Realty 1, Seeff, Seth Estates, Southbroom Elite, Sutherland Properties and Virtual Homes.

Ratepayers and residents will also be pleased to know that the sub-committee voted to limit all advertising in the village and that the municipality has proposed changes to its current signage bylaws. In future, estate agents will only be able to place boards for 'on show', 'sole agency' and 'sold'. The rest of their product offering, like all other businesses, will be confined to their retail outlets and shop windows.