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2010 and BibberChill

BibberChill 2010, scheduled for Saturday, 12 June, will again be formally opened by Smithfield’s famous Ou Grietjie cannon.
The Boer War relic has been brought out of retirement each year to mark the BibberChill. Festival committee members are hard at work to ensure that this year’s event will be the best ever.
Full details of all attractions are expected within the next few weeks.

Hoop vir Ekonomiese Ontwikkeling

Die onlangse kongres te Philippolis oor die ekonomiese ontwikkeling van die suid-Vrystaat kan baie beteken vir Smithfield.

Die Groter Philippolis Sakekamer het ’n aantal afgevaardiges van nabygeleë dorpe genooi om die Suid-Vrystaatse Streekskongres van die Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut (AHI) by te woon. Die geleentheid is by die Karoo Instituut in Philippolis gehou.

Die doel van die kongres was “om die werkswyse vir gesprekvoering en onderhandeling met die Plaaslike, Provinsiale en Nasionale Regering, asook moontlike knelpunte op sakevlak, te identifiseer en ook behulpsaam te wees met die stigting van Sakeforums”. Die hoofspreker was prof Stef Coetzee.

Wat dit daarop neerkom is die uitbouing van die ekonomie van ons plattelandse dorpe.  Elke dorp is kans gegee om klagtes i.v.m. dienslewering te lig. Daarna was daar ’n          *
*   verbod geplaas op verdere klagtes. Die idee is dat elke dorpie sy eie Sakekamer moet stig wat dan ook met die munisipaliteite in verbinding sal tree om hulle diens te verbeter.

Samewerking is die wagwoord en daar word verwag dat die sakekamers in streeks-verband sal saamwerk om die ekonomie van die streek ook uit te bou. Besighede is swaar getref deur die verhoogde belasting en baie van hulle breek net gelyk. Daar is ook van die groot maatskappye wat nie meer in die platteland wil aflewer nie omdat hulle vragmotors beskadig word deur die slegte paaie.

‘n Ander belangrike punt was dat almal in die area moet saamstaan. Binnekort sal die boere ook belasting aan die munisipaliteite moet betaal, maar hulle moet die dorpe onder-steun om sake weer aan die gang te kry. Die AHI kan hulp bied met arbeidsprobleme asook op verskeie ander gebiede.

Die AHI het ’n draaistrategie vir die land se ekonomie wat teen 2014 afgehandel moet wees. Die privaatsektor het ’n deurslaggewende rol om te speel in die uitbouing van die ekonomie. Dit kan nie oorgelaat word aan die regering nie, veral nie op plaaslike vlak.

Daar sal binnekort in Smithfield ’n vergadering gereël word oor die aangeleentheid.

Unfinished Houses – New Hope For Owners

Having emphasised the appalling state of some of the RDP houses in Greenfields,  Smiffie has been assured that work is due to start on completing the 50 RDP houses which were left in an unfinished condition.

Perhaps the Municipality will also take the opportunity of investigating complaints about some RDP houses having been allocated to people who have simply treated them as income earners by renting them out to the less fortunate.

Meanwhile, newly appointed Town Planner for the Mohokare Municipality, Emmerentia Meades, has been on a fact-finding visit to towns for which she will be responsible, to get to know the problems she faces.

In Smithfield with her recently  were (from left) Municipal officials: Sedi Ndara, (Debtor Clerk in the Smithfield Office), Malcolm de Jager (Environmental Health Practitioner a.k.a. Health Inspector), and Vuyisile Gaba (Housing Clerk).

Artists Colony B and B

Action Taken Against Local Man

by Carmel Rickard

After a three year struggle, Smithfield resident Stan Winer has won a victory over municipal indolence, ignorance and a
couldn’t-care-less attitude. And his victory could prove very useful for others faced with unhelpful officials in Smithfield as well as the rest of Xhariep district.

Winer has been complaining about his Smithfield neighbour who was running a backyard business that caused constant noise and dirt. In Winer’s view the business should not have been allowed in a residential area as it amounted to industrial use of the land.

“The noise of the bulldozers was the worst,” he told Smiffie.

Repeated complaints to the Mohokare authorities led only to being sent from one official to another and the eventual decision that nothing could be done about it. The matter was then taken up with the Public Protector in Bloemfontein.

In mid-January, quite out of the blue, Winer received notification from the Public Protector’s office that the Xhariep District Municipality had investigated the situation. As a result of its investigation it had been found that the neighbour had contravened the Public Health Regulations Act.

He has now been given 90 days to pack up and move his business out of the residential part of Smithfield.

According to a report by Zingisa Tindleni, Manager: Environmental Health, a routine health inspection was conducted at Winer’s neighbour’s erf on December 3 last year.

During that inspection it was found that the neighbour was in breach of a number of regulations. For example, he had contravened an administrative notice in respect of “Offensive Trades”, by putting up a temporary structure used for storage of industrial equipment. Part of the erf was used for storing such equipment and this could promote “rodent infestation”, said the report.

The report pointed out that anyone wanting to carry out a potentially “offensive trade” first had to apply in writing to Mohokare Municipality, making full disclosure about the nature of the work to be carried on at the site.

The report noted that the storage of industrial equipment in a residential area was not permitted. During the inspection, the complaint about the level of noise was also examined and it was concluded that on these grounds too the business would have to relocate.

If the business is not moved within 90 days, council officials will have the equipment moved, and will then bill the neighbour for the work done.

This case has also brought to light the recent appointment of Tindleni as environmental health manager for the district.

Her appointment, and the evidence of her efficient action indicates that frustrated residents of the district may have found a new ally.

Welcome to the Clinic

Three new appointments have been made at Thembalethu Clinic in Smithfield.

With the departure of physiotherapist, Sanmarie Kriel, left, at the end of her year at the Clinic, her replacement is local girl, Michelle Smith,
daughter of Pieter and Izelle Smith,

Sanmarie Kriel has joined a private practice in Potchefstroom and we wish her well in her career.

The present occupational therapist, Annika Smith, has been joined by Marnie Ingram, who has moved from Van Stadensrus.

Eckart Bekker has moved from his home town of Durbanville in the beautiful Western Cape to our very different but equally beautiful Southern Free State.

He is a young dentist who has opted to do his one year of community service in Smithfield from where he will service the other local towns.

Welcome to all three newcomers.

Bokmakierie Bed & Breakfast

Kids Play Park Planned – Two Young Women Need Your Help

Two young occupational therapists at Smithfield’s Thembalethu Clinic are planning an exciting new feature for the Douglas Street facility.

Annika Smith and Marnie Ingram are determined to build a children’s Play Park in the clinic grounds – but they are going to need the support of local businesses and farmers, as well as the community at large.

They are looking for anything that could be turned into something children could play on, in or around. For example, they need old tractor tyres to surround the sandpit. They are also looking for a large drum which will form part of a game for the kids. Ladders and scrap which could be converted into any form of safe exercise or games are the sort of things they are after.

Anybody willing to help the two young women in their thoroughly worthwhile project should contact Annika on 083 299 9541 or Marnie on 082 887 4377. Or check with the Smiffie – we’ll put you in touch.

Knitting project on the go again

In the local high school hall, Gladys Mapingire and Tsitsi Magogo from Zimbabwe are training a large group of our local women in basic knitting stitches. Each woman has to knit a sampler strip using the different stitches. Once the basic stitches have been mastered, the women will be taught how to shape a garment after which they will progress to actually producing a garment.

An overseas market already exists and once the knitters are proficient, the customers will be asked to submit samples of the designs they require. Gladys and Tsitsi will then design the patterns as required and production will get under way. The knitters will be paid a commission on everything they produce.

This project takes up where Betty West started some years ago left off. Don and Elize West are the driving force behind it.

In amongst all the women sitting and knitting is a surprising sight. Tshabang Lemaoana, left in photo top, is the only male knitter but he is apparently progressing well. Tshabang has also acquired a certificate in basic business skills and hopes to combine this skill that he has acquired with his and some of the women’s knitting skills to eventually create some kind of a co-operative.

Smiffie wishes them every success.