NEIGHBOURLY NOTES

SANRAL’S roadworks on the R72 are certainly taking time to complete and causing some consternation from drivers. But it’s not just road users who are affected by the mess the roadworks are causing. People living on Becker and George streets must have been quite shocked to find they could no longer access Southwell Road but had to rather go to the other end of their roads and navigate their way back onto the main road. Worse still, the rains that have fallen recently have carried stones and clay down many of the driveways along the road and a big clean-up job will be required when the road is finally completed. AS winter approaches, and the nights become cooler and the mornings darker, we still know there are likely to be a few days left of hot weather in our near future, but only to lull us into a false sense of security before the bitter cold arrives to our shores. The good news is that the province is receiving rainfall to help fill up the dams. How much and whether it will be enough is anyone’s guess, and the weather services tend to get progressively less accurate when predicting weather patterns more than a day or two in advance. THE front page story in today’s paper is alarming in that the trap in which the puppy was found is obviously intended for a far bigger animal. It was also disturbing that the trap was laid very close to a residential complex where many of the residents own pets. Worse still, what would have happened if a small child had stumbled into the trap? It is understood that some of our people are hungry and attempt to trap duiker and other small animals for food, but traps and snares are illegal and must not be used. The pain and suffering of animals caught in snares and traps is unimaginable, but pet owners would be absolutely devastated, and Peanut the puppy must have been crying for his mom to come and fetch him and be totally confused as to what was happening. This is cruelty to animals in an extreme sense and it can only be hoped that, when the perpetrator of the crime is found that SAPS and the Ndlambe Municipality will throw the book at him or her. IN regional news, the DA has been sending out a petition to help defend Athol Trollip’s position as mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality after EFF commander in chief Julius Malema said he would not vote with the DA as punishment for the party’s stance on expropriation of land without compensation, which the DA is against. Malema’s EFF played kingmaker when Trollip was first elected mayor as neither the DA or ANC had a clear majority in the metro, but have now decided to turn coat on their earlier deal with the DA and show everyone who’s boss. But this is just an example of how the political system works (or doesn’t), and Malema may well find himself in a similar position to Trollip one day. His racist rants on Twitter (“I want the white man out”, and “I have no sympathy for whites”) should be taken up with the Human Rights Commission, yet those words are small fry in comparison to him saying recently “we must slit the throat of whiteness”. If you intend to get rid of Trollip then do it because he is doing a bad job in serving the people, not because you are flexing your racist muscles. IT is still a mess at the social services ministry and still no clear statement as to what is going to happen on April 1 when millions await their social grants. According to reports, former minister of social development Bathabile Dlamini has been evasive, obstructive and arrogant in her answering parliament regarding the Cash Paymaster Services illegal tender award and the ability of the Department of Social Services and the South African Post Office to take over grant payments. New minister to the post, Susan Shabangu, who swapped position with Dlamini who is now minister of women, children and people with disabilities, has a mammoth job on her hands to fix the problem her predecessor was unable to. However, the ministry of women, children and people with disabilities is probably one of the cabinet posts that will become defunct when President Cyril Ramaphosa shakes up parliament. Many believe that Dlamini losing her job couldn’t happen to a better person. We’ll wait and see. GREETINGS and good wishes to everyone celebrating a birthday next week, especially Merle Thorp, Marilyn Charter, Mark Kieck, Lauren Botha, Lynn Manning, Jeanette Botha, Mervyn Kanes, Adele Steck, Hannah Beukes, Amillia Snyman, Susan Hunt, Rocky Pang, Nadine Vertue, Belinda Nel, Bronwyn Norman, Brendan Samuel, Aimee Roesstorff, Walter Probart, Sallie Bryant, Jan Scholtz, Jarryd King, Jean Pierre Hunke, Julie Davidson, Babette Vermaak, Cherie Antrobus, Jaden McKinnon, Ethan Tulk, Janay Clayton, Paula Stander, Lindi Dickie, Michelle Henn, Wendy Lenard, Nicole Muller, Mike Brown, John Dell, Hannie de Flamingh, Wilf Slade, Theo Botha, Mary Hobbs, Jean Thomas, Rosalie Hare, Bettie Hodges, Richard Pullen, Sandra Catherine and Denise Clayton. EVERY success for many more years to all businesses and organisations on another anniversary. Best wishes to The Kenton Workshop and the 108th anniversary of the Full Gospel Churches of SA. THE rand has grown a little weaker against other currencies this week. Yet the news of expropriation of land without compensation hasn’t had any major impact on investors at the moment. Perhaps it will in time but, at the time of going to press, the rand was trading at R11.95/$ (R12.61), R16.74/£ (R15.71) and R14.67/ (R13.61). Commodities were trading with gold at $1 311.61 per fine ounce ($1 245.64), Platinum is at $956.40 per ounce ($975.00) and Brent Crude Oil at $67.42 per barrel ($50.23). SPECIAL thoughts and prayers are with all those folk who are not well, who are having or have already had tests, operations and treatments. to Roy Potter, Andrew de Vries, Dot Fetherstonhaugh, Emilene Bruwer, Jenny Groenewald and Mark Price. BEST wishes for many more and congratulations to the following couples on their upcoming wedding anniversaries – Clifford and Candy Dell, Craig and Melissa Keevers, Mark and Marizka Burgess. RADABA is back. That’s all I have to say. THOUGHT for the week: “For a gallant spirit there can never be defeat”. BEST regards as always, The Team