by SFT | Oct 30, 2023 | Wildside TIMES
We are proud to announce that we are in the midst of the production of Wildside TIMES issue 7. We are planning a bumper issue over the holiday season.
Looking Back
This issue will be looking back at some of the incredible events that we have had in St Francis Bay. These, include the PGA Golf Tournament at The Links. the Adventure Racing World Champs. Also, the Rip Curl GromSearch at Seals as well as the Seal Point Pro JQS surfing event.
We will also be featuring the winner of the St Francis Today writing competition, as promised.
If we have missed any events that you would like to be covered, please send us an email at news@stfrancistoday.com
Looking Forward
With Wildside TIMES Magazine Issue 7, we would also like to cover all events that will be happening over the festive season, so please send us an email at news@stfrancistoday.com to make sure that your event or happening is covered.
The Wildside TIMES Magazine is a labour of love, but we do enjoy it so much. So any input or anything that you think would be cool to be covered in the magazine, please let us know. There are a few interviews and some funny stories. If you have an idea or an article, please feel free to submit it to us or pitch an idea to us. We are open to anything.
The Magazine For You
The response from the advertisers to Wildside TIMES Magazine Issue 7 has been very encouraging thus far. If you’d like our advertising rates or any other information on the magazine, please reach out to us as well. There are about six weeks left before we are in the midst of the glorious time that is summer and the silly season. So if you want to chill out and enjoy the sunsets or hit it big at a place like Billys Beach, this magazine is for you.
Remember that we will also have a fully tweaked online version of the magazine as well. The previous issue of the magazine can be read online here https://issuu.com/wildsidetimes
The editor
by SFT | Oct 30, 2023 | Notes From The Editor
Over the last few weeks, you would have noticed slightly less output from St Francis Today. This is why it has happened.
What we did was we took a cross-section of our readers and spoke to them about the regular SFT serving, what they thought was needed, and what could be improved.
Too Much News
Albeit a small sub-section of our readers, there was an underlying thread that there was too much news being distributed that was available elsewhere. Most people have some online news service anyway.
So we recognised that more local news was what was most important and more focus on local people and less on Zumas’ endless disgraceful displays, less international news and less on global TikTok trends, etc. Some of our fresh local news articles include Opening of the Shipwreck Display, Declaration of Kouga Local Municipality as a Local State of Disaster, The Cape St Francis Resort – going the extra, adventurous mile. Also St Francis Links Gold News: Santa Says, The Power of Compounding, R200 million to repair the roads within Kouga has been approved and Death In The Morning, Seal Attack In the Afternoon.
TikTokTrends
So, St Francis Today is only coming out twice a week now (this might change again in the future), and the local articles are more frequent and in-depth. The idea is that readers can access the articles over a more extended period. Hopefully you, the readers, will refer back to them, if they are interesting enough, over a day or two.
So far, it is working, with fewer reads overall, as the output has been cut down, but with way more readers than ever on a single article. The articles are being read for longer, with people spending more time on the site than ever before. More of the other pages (puzzle page, etc) being accessed than before.
Further Input Please
We would love some further input. Feel free to hit SFT up at news@stfrancistoday.com to let us know what you think and how we can further improve the site. We are looking for helpful advice, so it won’t be beneficial to be uncouth or vulgar. If you want to do that, then you would instead hit that place called Facebook and the bravery of being out of range.
For those who have given your feedback already, thank you very much.
The Editor
by SFT | Oct 30, 2023 | Photo Of The Day
Justine Dupont of France was the top winner last night at the Big Wave Challenge awards presentation, picking up trophies for Biggest Wave, Ride or the Year and Surfer of the Year in the women’s categories. Driving her victories was a wave she rode at the Cortes Bank, a rogue seamount 100 miles off the California coast last January while filming for the HBO Documentary Series 100 Foot Wave. The wave was estimated at 75 feet on the face and will be in contention for a Guinness World Record.
by SFT | Oct 30, 2023 | St Francis
Photo © @gumbotcamera
ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING – 27 OCTOBER 2023
The following decision was approved by Council at an Ordinary Council Meeting on 27 October 2023.
ITEM NO. 23/010/CSS23
Classification of Local State of Disaster for Kouga Local Municipality
The submission of an application to Sarah Baartman District Municipality (SBDM), dated 3 October 2023, for the declaration of Kouga Local Municipality as a Local State of Disaster in relation to the high sea storm damages to coastal infrastructure was approved.
It was, furthermore, approved that the (SBDM) forward this resolution to the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) to escalate the declaration to the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC).
During September 2023 the Kouga Municipal coastal area experienced storms and high sea surges, which resulted in damage to infrastructure – amounting to close to R20 million. More surges were experienced from 23 to 27 September 2023.
Being classified as a Local State of Disaster, will enable the municipality to apply for the necessary grand funding to address the damage caused to municipal infrastructure. Grand funding is required due to the limited budgetary resources available to address the consequential damages.
by SFT | Oct 30, 2023 | St Francis
ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING – 27 OCTOBER 2023
The following decision was approved by Council at an Ordinary Council Meeting on 27 October 2023.
ITEM NO. 23/010/FED17
Incurring long term debt in terms of Section 17, 19 and 46 of the MFMA
The initiation of formal processes of sourcing external loan funding with immediate effect, in line with Section 17, 19 and 46 of the MFMA, for an amount of R200 million to repair the roads within Kouga was approved.
The roads within Kouga are in a poor state and require urgent repairs and maintenance to rehabilitate it to an acceptable condition. The roads have, furthermore, deteriorated over the past months due to the heavy, yet welcome, rain.
Based on a road maintenance plan, the municipality needs R348 million to successfully rehabilitate roads across the region (this amount was determined in May 2020).
To date, the municipality has utilised funds from the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) to repair roads, but due to the magnitude of the problem the annual MIG funding will not be ale to accommodate the required work in the short term.
Therefore, the municipality will now apply for a loan of R200 million to assist in the rehabilitation of several critical roads in the Kouga region.
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