– A visit to Kouga Local Municipality’s Humansdorp Traffic Department begins with more than just a warm welcome – it starts with a smile and a helping hand from the ever-friendly security guard.
Known for his cheerful attitude and genuine willingness to assist, he goes above and beyond to guide residents, making sure no one feels lost or uncertain. His presence turns a routine visit into a pleasant experience.
Jonathan Jantjies not only greets everyone with respect by name – but also takes a moment to congratulate those who have successfully passed their learner’s or driving tests.
As a child, he dreamt of following in his uncle’s footsteps to become a police officer and serve the people of South Africa. However, life took a few unexpected turns. From his hometown of Kareedouw, he moved to Vereeniging to live with his aunt, completing his school career.
Unexpected Turns
Later, he relocated to Cape Town, where he trained in security alongside his uncle, an army veteran, and worked at The Bay Hotel.
“From there, we travelled to Namibia to work in a diamond mine. It was an incredible experience,” said Jantjies.
In 2014, Jantjies launched his own security company, working in Hankey until he joined Kouga Local Municipality in 2019.
Since then, he has remained at the Humansdorp Traffic Department – a role that brings him great joy.
“I truly enjoy working with people, and it brings me joy to see them leave with a smile after our interaction,” he said. “I understand that public institutions are not always people’s favourite places to visit, so I make it my mission to ensure their experience is as smooth, welcoming, and positive as possible from the moment they arrive,” said Jantjies who has honed his expertise over the years.
Vision and Resilience
“If you have vision, resilience, and the ability to work well with people, you can go far in life.”
For the father of four, his family is his greatest motivation.
“When I wake up in the morning, I pray. And when I return home, I thank God for carrying me through another day so I can take care of my family,” he said.
Long Term Coastal Protection Scheme to Rebuild Beaches, Safeguard Properties, and Secure the Local Economy
St Francis Bay, Eastern Cape: A significant step forward in safeguarding the coastline and rejuvenating the iconic beaches of St Francis Bay is set to begin with the launch of the Long Term Coastal Protection Scheme (LTCPS). This large-scale infrastructure initiative, spearheaded by the St Francis Property Owners Non-Profit Company (SFPO NPC), will commence construction shortly and will transform the region’s vulnerable shoreline over the coming years.
What Is the LTCPS?
The LTCPS is an integrated coastal engineering project that will see the phased construction of several strategically placed rock groynes along the shoreline between the Kromme River mouth and Main Beach.
Complementing this will be a comprehensive beach nourishment program involving the dredging and pumping of sand from the Kromme River as well as the transport of sand from the Sand River delta by truck to replenish the eroded beachfront.
This dual approach, groyne construction combined with sand nourishment, aims to restore the beaches, ensure long-term coastal stability, and provide enhanced recreational and economic opportunities for the local community.
Why Now?
For decades, the beaches of St Francis Bay have suffered a net loss of sand because of reduced input of wind-driven sand following the stabilisation of the dune system between Grannies Pool and the Port St Francis Harbour. At present, during high tides, many areas of coastline have no visible beach. This erosion has placed both the ‘spit’ protecting the canals and ocean-fronting properties at serious risk of wave damage, prompting urgent intervention.
The LTCPS is designed to re-establish and maintain the beachfront, protecting key infrastructure, homes, and natural habitats while simultaneously enhancing beach access for residents and visitors. Revitalised beaches are expected to stimulate tourism, job creation, and local economic development, particularly within the ocean economy.
Project Timeline and Logistics
The first construction phase will begin with the installation of three rock groynes, a process expected to take approximately 13,5 months. During this time:
A rock laydown area will be established next to the St Francis Municipal Depot.
Rock will be trucked from this point to the designated groyne construction sites along the coastline as required.
Simultaneously, sand will be dredged and then piped from the Kromme River as well as transported by truck from the Sand River delta to various drop-off points along the beach.
Preferred Rock Delivery Routes
The deliveries from the commercial quarry will be via the R330, along the municipal servitude that runs parallel to Lyme Road North onto the laydown area adjacent to the St Francis Municipal Depot. The alternative route is via Lyme Road North and left onto St Francis Drive to the laydown area.
Laydown Area To The First and Second Groyne (Project Area 1)
Rock Delivery Route 1.
From the laydown area onto St Francis Drive, right into Grand Comore, right into Poivre Crescent, then left into Aldabara Run to the parking lot at the end of Aldabara Run. Return along Poivre Crescent and Grand Comore to St. Francis Drive, and return to the laydown area.
Laydown Area To The Third Groyne (Project Area 2)
Rock Delivery Route 2.
From the laydown area onto St Francis Drive, left into Liege Road, right into Guinevere Road to Anne Avenue. Return along Laura Road and Liege Road to St. Francis Drive, and return to the laydown area.
Sand River Delta on Kromme to Main Beach
Sand Delivery Route 1.
From the Sand River Delta along Sunset Drive, right onto St Francis Drive, and left into Liege Road, right into Guinevere Road to Anne Avenue. Return along Laura Road and Liege Road to St. Francis Drive, and return to the laydown area.
Sand Dredging Route
Priority areas for dredging along the Kromme River have been identified. Sand from these areas will be transported by a pipeline along the southern bank of the Kromme River. A pump station will be located at ‘The Pumphouse’ to boost the transport of the sand slurry. The pipeline will be submerged at the Cove and Ski Canal entrances to the canal system, before turning right and running on top of the spit to various discharge points along the coastline.
Overview of Project Areas One and Two
Project Team
The LTCPS brings together leading professionals in engineering, construction, and project management:
WBHO Construction (Wilson Bayley Holmes) has been awarded the contract for the transport of rock and groyne construction.
The Environmental Monitoring Committee, consisting of representatives from the Kouga Municipality, DEDEAT, as well as local organisations, will meet on a regular basis to monitor the environmental aspects of the implementation of the project.
Stay Informed
Further details, updates, and progress reports can be found on the St Francis Property Owners Associationwebsite under the SFPO NPC (SRA) menu.
The Ardernes moved permanently to St Francis in 2005, and since then our business, Pam Golding, has sponsored many sports events, most notably paddling.
We sponsor the Pam Golding King of the Kromme every Easter and the Pam Golding Canals Winter Doubles Challenge every July, and we are approaching forty of these events, besides our involvement with many other paddling events.
Raffy showing his support last year.
Red Tape
But times have changed. Red tape has arrived. Since the early days when we sommer had a race, now we need municipal approval and an ambulance in attendance, and paddlers have to be registered with the national paddling association, recently renamed PaddleSportSA.
We established the St Francis Paddling Club in 2011, prior to that we had a loose arrangement between Pete King and myself and some PE paddlers. So, unfortunately, casual paddlers can’t just enter at the start for insurance indemnity reasons.
More about Saturday’s Race
Saturday’s main race is 20km and there is a shorter 10km race, both starting at 9am at The Cove in Shore Road. The longer one is four 5km laps of the canals and the shorter is two laps. Paddlers can paddle canoes or surfskis, surfskis being way more popular here because they are also seagoing.
The first boat in on Saturday takes home R3000 and the floating trophy, and another R3000 plus plenty of the famous Pam Golding red wine, is up for grabs for both races for the first mixed, first ladies, and first over 65 (yours truly hoping for that prize!). Also non-wine prizes for the first under 18’s.
Singles are very welcome, but prizes are only for doubles.
Prizegiving last year
Lucky Draws
For many years, Carbonology from PE have donated one of their excellent paddles, valued at R3500, as a wonderful lucky draw. And Rack and Paddle, soon opening at Quays, will be providing their usual accessories as further lucky draws.
High Tide
High tide is around 10am on Saturday, so will probably be fully high around 11am in the canals, about the end of the 20km race, so will probably be coming in for virtually the whole race, which is normally the preferred tide for quicker times, but being neap, the tide won’t be too strong.
Last Year’s Start
Venue: The Cove
There was talk of moving it to Charlie’s Landing, but Construction Boss Pete Mitch says there will be too much action there this week, so it’s staying at the Cove, with good public toilets, plenty parking, lots of jetties for access to the water, space for the start, space for braaing, shelter from the east wind (not so much for a westerly)
Let’s hope that the final heats of the JBay Open surfing are not on Saturday morning, otherwise we might not have many paddlers! Or maybe we will, now that Jordy is out! Whether you’re a participant or spectator we look forward to welcoming you to the event this Saturday.
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