Young Andrew Birkett was way too fast, finishing the two laps (about 10km) on Friday, 20 September, in an amazing 40min 36sec, a comfortable 90 seconds clear of the chasing pack.
Andrew, now based in London, is the son of Dave and Minky, owners of a house in Cape St Francis, where they spend about half the year.
We were treated to a sunny, calm afternoon for the 4.30 pm start with a slightly choppy, very high tide, making the entry on the slipway tricky, as James and son Josh Moore discovered, damaging their rudder in the process.
There was an excellent turnout, especially considering it was a Friday afternoon, which is not easy for many of our regular PE paddlers.
Evergreen AC Carter finished second, with new local Marc Holtzhausen in third, just behind AC.
Then came Carbonology’s Jason Goedhals and local vet champ Pete King. Behind them was “Q” Rutherford who holds the world record of about 240km on the sea in 24 hours!
First mixed was Kerry Louw and Fabian Smith, and Kirstin Scott was the first lady (as usual!)
Some slackers did only one lap, won by yours truly, but I had to light the fire, so I couldn’t do a second lap! Charl van Wyk, organiser of SA’s biggest surfski race, the Pete Marlin, also only paddled the short course!
We enjoyed a boerie and a beer on the lawn at Grannies afterwards. It was a very lekker evening all around.
Thanks to the St Francis Paddling Club Team Effort
To our ever-present timekeeping/registration team of Mandy McGregor (and usually Anita Dabrowski, but she’s in Oz) and Magda Boshoff (who also does lots of upfront event admin, e.g., ambulance and muni red tape). And our treasurer, Carol Rothero, jumps in to help with lots of other stuff, too.
Marie Louw runs the East Cape Canoe Union and is an amazing resource to us. Our race starter, Dave, who, apart from all his development training over many years, had the bright idea to resuscitate the Friday Bruces Dices in January.
Charlie Jonsson and Jen Vallance always bring good energy. This time, they cheerfully braaied the boeries (and all I could say was that mine wasn’t hot enough). Jen always takes great photos and videos. And Jaco Prins ably stood in for Pete Mitchley as Club Safety Officer (last time I pipped him … this time he not only beat me by a few meters … but he turned around and did another lap!).
Also, Ken McGregor for offering to braai but being beaten to the job by Charlie and Jen. And Greg West had his boat on the water—very nice if there had been a drama. He and Francis Brombacher took some great pics and videos. Sheryl Maskew was our spotter with binoculars from her Tom Brown house.
We look forward to another Pam Golding Bruces Surfski Dice at the next Calamari Festival. In the meantime, we paddle every Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Bruce’s. Would you like to join us?
Kouga Local Municipality (KLM) wishes to thank ALL resident and organization volunteers who have contributed much time and effort following the loss of containers from at least three vessels over the past six weeks due to adverse weather conditions. Beauty products and medication containers, medications, wooden products, furniture, foodstuffs, and tea have formed most of the content washing ashore.
Disaster Status
SAMSA announced that working in collaboration with relevant authorities and the owners of the affected vessels, a monitoring, recovery and clean-up plan had been rolled out across the affected areas. The status of this disaster is still live, and cleanup efforts continue.
In response to the disaster, Kouga coastline is being coordinated through the Sara Baartman District Municipality JOC. SAMSA has appointed two cleanup specialist companies, SpillTech and Xtreme Projects (KLM area) to lead the clean – up efforts.
KLM has been putting cleanup teams in the worst affected areas and a beach clean-up was arranged on 21 September 2024 and several debris were collected. As of 26 September 2024, Xtreme Projects has 25 fieldworkers doing cleanups in St Francis, Cape St Francis, Gamtoos and Jeffreys Bay areas. They will assess, on a weekly basis, whether to increase or reduce the size of the fieldwork team.
Bag disposal
Residents who are continuing to engage in voluntary cleanups are requested to please dispose of their bags by:
• Delivering them to the Fire Station in St Francis Bay or Jeffreys Bay OR
• Leaving them at the closest official car park, OR
• If they are too heavy to carry out of more remote areas, send a location pin to Extreme fieldwork team on 060 900 5920.
It’s important that the real cost of the cleanup is computed, which should include the accounting of the community effort that has been taking place.
To assist with this, all volunteers are requested to send a Whatsapp to the Xtreme reporting person on 079 104 8585 outlining:
• The number of bags collected
• Description of collection area
• Description of the contents.
The public is urged not to consume these items under any circumstances as they may pose serious health risks.
Members of the public can also report sightings to KLM Call centre or any slicks on the surface of the water should immediately be reported to the Xtreme fieldwork team on 060 900 5920.
KLM would like to thank you for your vigilance and help towards reducing the impact of this disaster on our coastal assets.
Following the adoption of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Budget Process Plan by the Kouga Municipality Council, the municipality has now embarked on the third review of its five-year IDP for 2022/2027 and the Medium-Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF) Budget.
As part of this process, the municipality is required to engage with stakeholders to review the IDP for 2025/2026 and the MTREF budget allocations for the 2025/2026 to 2027/2028 period.
Communities Invited To Help Review Integrated Development Plan
This participatory process is mandated by Section 16(1) of the Local Government Municipal Systems Act, No 32 of 2000.
The outcome of the consultative and interactive processes in the municipality’s wards with communities, public representatives and various stakeholders is valuable and will contribute towards the achievement of the overall municipality’s objectives. It is within this background that the municipality invites all residents, community entities, organisations, and interested parties to actively participate in the engagement sessions.
Public consultative meetings will be held from 01 October 2024 to 28 October 2024 at venues across Kouga to provide residents with progress on the IDP implementation and all other development initiatives that is happening within their wards.
HUMANSDORP – The much-anticipated upgrade of the Gill Marcus Water Treatment Works (WTW) in Humansdorp has recently been completed, marking a major milestone in Kouga Municipality’s efforts to ensure sustainable access to clean water.
The project, valued at nearly R5 million, introduced advanced borehole water treatment capabilities to the facility, a necessary enhancement due to the growing demand for drinkable water in the Gill Marcus area. This includes Kruisfontein, 7de Laan, Maak `n Las, Donkerhoek, Mooi Uitsig, Hopeville, Ext 391, Arcadia, Moerasrivier, Graslaagte, and Vaaldam, communities that were previously last in line to receive water from the current reticulation system.
“This upgrade is a significant achievement for our municipality,” said Kouga Executive Mayor, Hattingh Bornman. “We are now able to meet the increased demand for water while ensuring that our water supply system is sustainable and capable of handling future growth.”
The project, which spanned 2.5 months, also focused on diversifying water sources to enhance long-term sustainability. The existing Gill Marcus WTW was originally designed with a capacity of 1 Ml/day for treating surface water. The improved facility can now manage a combined flow of surface and borehole water, reaching up to 3.5 Ml/day.
“By modernising this essential infrastructure, we have taken an important step towards securing reliable access to clean, safe water for our communities,” added Bornman.
Scope of work
The scope of work involved extensive design, construction, and installation efforts.
Key elements included the replacement and installation of mechanical and electrical equipment, new treatment and control systems, and the renovation of existing structures.
Disused equipment was removed, and the old reservoir was repaired and upgraded to align with modern water treatment standards.
“This project will have a lasting positive impact on the lives of our residents,” said Bornman. “We are proud of the progress made and remain committed to delivering sustainable solutions that meet the needs of our communities.”
The 28th edition of the Sea Harvest SA Junior Surfing Championships, presented by SMTH Shapes and supported by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and Ocean Freedom, was completed at Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay in good surf conditions on Sunday, September 29th.
After five days of beautiful waves and intense competition, the East London-based Buffalo City Surfriders took the coveted Freedom Cup from Cape Town Surfriders, last year’s winners. The Freedom Cup is awarded to the team accumulating the highest points across all divisions at the five-day tournament. Buffalo City finished with 41040 points, and Cape Town Surfriders came with 40930 points, as close as it gets. Ethekwini scored 39055 points and came third, while Cape Winelands were fourth with 37832 points.
Firing surf, strongly buffed by the southwesterly, was the scene for the Final Day of the Sea Harvest SA Junior Champs presented by SMTH Shapes. After five days of excellent waves, fierce competition, camaraderie and friendships, the tournament culminated in a series of final heats and champions crowned.
U12 Boys
With just ten seconds to go, Slayde Shooter picked up a good-looking wave in the U12 Boys final, and hooked it for a big hit to go from third place to first and became the U12 Boys SA Champion. Cody Painter came in second, with Levi Vosloo and Marcello Zedde in third and fourth.
“I just caught the wave at the end, and I knew I needed to go big on the last turn,” said a verystoked Shooter.
U14 Girls
The U14 Girls heat was a similar buzzer-beater situation, with Leah Lepront chasing a small score in the final minutes. A bigger set came through, and the surfers were out of position, but Lepront picked it up on the inside to slam a final move on her backhand, get the required score and become the U14 Girls Champion. Jasmine Venter was the runner-up, with Camilla Heuer third and Lila Aszalos fourth.
Despite a fierce attack from Carl Wiersma, Ben Esterhuyse owned the U14 Boys final and went back-to-back to be crowned the U14 Boys Champion for the second year in a row. Wiersma was second, Owen Heny was third, and Callum Loftus was fourth.
“I’m a bit blown away,” said a stoked Esterhuyse. “I wasn’t in a flow state in the earlier heats, and I reset and found a rhythm in the final.”
U16 Girls
Smooth and powerful surfing from Remi Fourie saw her climb into the lead earlier in the U16 Girls final. She remained there for the entire heat and was crowned the SA Champ, with Emily Jenkinson in second, Taylor Emslie in third and Maxine Kauffman in fourth.
“I’m just so grateful for the support and for everyone who believes in me,” said Fourie.
U16 Boys
Rory Dace carved his way through the U16 Boys final and emerged victorious despite a flurry of waves in the last few minutes. Tristan Gaylard-Ralfe was the runner-up, with Massimo Bienz in third and Kieran Murphy fourth.
U18 Girls
The U18 Girls saw Sarah Scott on top of her game in her last event as a junior. She was the defending champion and claimed the double, with Anastasia Venter in second. Tyra Von Mollendorf and Zia Hendricks filled the minor positions.
The waves were pumping for the U18 Boys final, with everyone getting their fair share of set waves, with the high tide causing the swell to push nicely. The surfers were going hard, but at the final buzzer of the contest, it was all about Simon Winter, our new U18 Boys SA Champion.
“This is what I’ve been working on the whole year, so this is something special, ” said a stoked Winter. “It couldn’t have gone a better way for me.”
Surprise Maphumulo was in second, with Kai Hall third and Levi Epenetos fourth.
U18 Girls – 1. Sarah Scott (CTS), 2. Anastasia Venter CW), 3. Tyra Von Mollendorf (CW), 4. Zia Hendricks (BC).
U18 Boys – 1. Simon Winter (CTS), 2. Surprise Maphumulo (ESA), 3. Kai Hall (ESA), 4. Levi Epenetos (CW).
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The 28th edition of the Sea Harvest South African Junior Championships involved 180 girls and boys from eight districts.
SMTH Shapes, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Ocean Freedom, Kouga Local Municipality and True Technologies support this event.
Images from the entire five-day contest are available for download on GOOGLE DRIVE – please credit @kodymcgregor
This year, those fans and family members could watch the event on the SuperSport Schools Live Stream. Register HEREor download the SuperSport Schools app. All the heats from the contest can be found on Playback.
Liveheats provided up to the second heat scores daily of the Sea Harvest SA Junior Championships presented by SMTH Shapes here: LIVEHEATS. All the heat results are available here.
Updates, photos and videos are available on the Surfing SA Facebook Page and the Instagram profile @surfing_south_africa_media.
The Sea Harvest SA Surfing Championships presented by SMTH Shapes, is a premier Surfing South Africa tournament.
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