by SFT | Apr 19, 2026 | St Francis
photo: Explore Kouga
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Humansdorp is facing a growing concern — and it’s one we can no longer ignore.
Last week, yet another act of sabotage took place near Kruisfontein Primary School. A wire was deliberately thrown across an overhead power line — a dangerous act aimed at damaging essential infrastructure that serves our entire community.
This is not an isolated incident. These acts are increasing. What makes it even more troubling is that those responsible are not outsiders — they are individuals known within our own community. Our own youth are being drawn into activities that harm the very place we all call home.
Despite ongoing efforts and visible presence on the ground, these incidents continue to happen. Infrastructure damage affects everyone — from households to schools, from businesses to essential services. It disrupts daily life and places lives at risk.
Now is the time for the community to stand together.
We cannot allow this behaviour to continue unchecked. If you have information, speak up.
Report those responsible and those who enable or benefit from these acts.
Protecting our community is a shared responsibility.
Let’s choose to build — not destroy. Let’s protect what belongs to all of us.
by SFT | Apr 19, 2026 | Financial Planning, St Francis
Over the years, working with families, you start to notice a pattern. Some money is quietly doing its job, growing, compounding, supporting a life well lived; while other money just sits there, safe, still, unused.
A simple way to think about this is with seeds.
You can plant them in the ground where they’ll face wind, rain, and the odd storm. or you can keep them in a tin on the shelf. In the tin, nothing happens they are protected. They look exactly the same tomorrow as they do today.
The problem is that they also never become anything. In a similar sense, money is no different. Most people’s instinct is to protect what they’ve built and that makes sense, especially when it has been hard-earned.
However, we believe that money isn’t just something to preserve, but rather it is something to use. At its core, money only really has one job, which is to fund your life. To maintain, and ideally improve, your ability to live the way you want over time.
That’s where the real challenge lies.
The world doesn’t stand still. Prices rise, life evolves, and if your money isn’t keeping up(with inflation), it’s quietly going backwards even if the number on the statement never changes. Unfortunately, and dangerously, this is the part many people miss because the real risk isn’t volatility but rather erosion of spending power.
The difference between “dead” and “alive” money.
Some assets, by their nature, are static. Cash feels safe but it slowly loses purchasing power. Gold may shine but it doesn’t produce anything. Fixed income gives certainty but often struggles to keep pace with inflation over longer periods. There’s a place for all of these. But left on their own, they tend to fall behind. They’re the seeds in the tin on the shelf.
Then there are assets that are alive.
These are the ones that do something. They produce, they grow, they adapt. Think about owning great businesses, companies run by people, solving real problems, selling things the world needs. Over time, they generate profits, pay income, and increase in value. Not in a straight line but in a meaningful one and historically, this is what has kept investors ahead of inflation and preserved real wealth over time.
So why we default to safety? If the case for “living” assets is so clear, why do so many people still default to the tin?
Because of how it feels.
Living assets move around, they can be uncomfortable, and at times, they test your patience and your nerve. Dead assets, on the other hand, feel predictable, calm and controlled.However, that calm comes at a cost, one that’s easy to ignore because it happens slowly.
This is where one’s behaviour becomes everything. We are wired to avoid loss, even when that “loss” is invisible and happening in the background.
The quiet trade-off in the end isn’t really about investments, it’s about short-term comfort versus long-term outcome, certainty today versus possibility tomorrow.
The irony is that the habits that helped you build your wealth, such as being careful, disciplined, conservative can, if left unchecked, start to work against you.
Because at some point, money needs to move from being protected to being put to work.
The tin will always feel safer.
But it’s the garden that gives you a future.
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Dirk Groeneveld, Certified Financial Planner
t. 083 261 9287
e. dirk@clientcare.co.za
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Disclaimer:
This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice in any way or form. It is important to consult a financial planner to receive financial advice before acting on any information contained herein. Client Care and PWM and its directors, officers, and employees shall not be responsible and disclaim all liability for any loss, damage (whether direct, indirect, special or consequential) and/or expense of any nature whatsoever, which may be suffered as a result of, or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to the use of, or reliance upon any information contained in this article.
by SFT | Apr 19, 2026 | St Francis
The Kromme Enviro Trust has announced that the much-anticipated Save the Dunes Pentathlon will be postponed to a new date in September.
While there has been strong interest and encouraging support from the community and local businesses, a particularly busy events calendar and the holiday period have meant that many would-be participants are unable to take part on the original date.
Rather than miss out on that broader participation, the decision has been made to shift the event to later in the year, allowing for an even more inclusive, vibrant and well-supported day.
The Pentathlon forms part of the Trust’s ongoing Save Our Dunes campaign, which aims to raise awareness and support for the protection of the Oyster Bay Headland Bypass Dune System, one of the last functioning systems of its kind in South Africa. This unique coastal environment plays a vital role in maintaining shoreline stability, supporting biodiversity, and preserving the natural heritage of the region.
Combining fun, teamwork and a touch of endurance with environmental awareness, the Pentathlon has become a highlight on the local calendar. With the additional planning time, organisers are looking forward to building on last year’s success and creating an even bigger and better event for 2026.
“We’ve had such positive feedback and support already,” said organisers. “Moving the event gives more people the opportunity to be part of it, and allows us to really grow the event into something special.”
The Trust has also expressed its gratitude to local businesses and supporters who have already come on board, reinforcing the strong sense of community behind the initiative.
Participants can now take advantage of the extra time to form teams, plan their strategy and prepare for the challenge ahead.
A new date will be announced in due course.
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