New Kouga Area Engineer sets sights on reliable mechanical infrastructure

New Kouga Area Engineer sets sights on reliable mechanical infrastructure

by | Aug 23, 2026 | St Francis

Kouga Local Municipality has welcomed Lunga Mahote as its new Area Engineer: Mechanical, bringing more than 25 years of engineering experience to a position central to the municipality’s efforts to maintain reliable infrastructure and services.

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KOUGA – Kouga Local Municipality has welcomed Lunga Mahote as its new Area Engineer: Mechanical, bringing more than 25 years of engineering experience to a position central to the municipality’s efforts to maintain reliable infrastructure and services.

A qualified Mechanical Engineer, Mahote’s professional career spans more than 25 years in the engineering industry, including over 15 years in Water and Sanitation and more than 10 years in the automotive sector.

His experience covers the design and installation of mechanical systems, project work, professional consulting and maintenance, with a particular focus on reliability and cost-effectiveness.

“I am passionate about public service and making sure municipal infrastructure works for the people,” Mahote says. “I am excited to bring my engineering background and problem-solving approach to Kouga Local Municipality.”

Keeping essential services running

In his new role, Mahote is responsible for ensuring that mechanical assets within his area are functional, safe and properly maintained.

This includes the preventative and corrective maintenance of pumps, vehicles and plant equipment, contractor management, compliance with Supply Chain Management and Occupational Health and Safety requirements, budgeting and planning for upgrades, and working with other municipal departments to minimise downtime.

“Ultimately, it’s about keeping services running for the community,” he says.

For Mahote, preventative maintenance is one of the most important tools available to municipalities.

“Reactive maintenance is three to four times more expensive, and it causes service delivery protests. Preventative maintenance keeps water flowing, sewer pumps running, and vehicles on the road.”

He believes that maintaining infrastructure proactively not only saves public money and extends the lifespan of municipal assets, but also helps protect communities from unnecessary service disruptions.

“If we maintain today, we don’t repair in a crisis tomorrow.”

Combining experience with innovation

Mahote intends to build on the work already being done within Kouga while introducing practical improvements where these can strengthen service delivery.

One of his priorities is to preserve the institutional knowledge of municipal technicians, artisans and operators who have extensive experience with the municipality’s systems.

He also plans to focus on improved asset registers, record-keeping and planned maintenance schedules.

Among the innovations he would like to introduce are digital maintenance tracking, condition monitoring and telemetry systems that can allow certain equipment to be monitored remotely.

He also sees skills development as an important part of building sustainable municipal capacity.

“Upskill artisans and EPWP workers so we have more in-house capacity and reduce reliance on external contractors,” he says.

A team approach to service delivery

Mahote believes effective infrastructure management requires departments to work together.

“Mechanical can’t work if Civil, Electrical, Finance and SCM aren’t aligned. To me it means clear communication, respecting each department’s role, and having one goal: service delivery.”

His approach is guided by three core values: accountability, integrity and service.

During his first year, Mahote hopes to complete a comprehensive audit of mechanical assets, strengthen preventative maintenance and significantly reduce breakdowns while developing strong working relationships across the municipality.

His goal is straightforward: “My goal is to leave the systems in better condition than I found them.”

A message to the Kouga community

Mahote acknowledges the frustration residents experience when essential services are disrupted.

“To the Kouga community: I hear you. I know how frustrating it is when services are down.”

He says his commitment is to improve the reliability of the mechanical systems supporting water, sanitation and other municipal services.

Mahote also appealed to residents to help protect municipal infrastructure by using sewer systems responsibly and educating children about the importance of protecting public infrastructure.

“Do not throw foreign objects on your sewer systems, and educate the young ones at home, in churches, and in schools.”

Residents are urged to report vandalism and theft of municipal infrastructure to Kouga Local Municipality at 042 200 2200.

The R760 000 Question – The Human Side Of Money presented by Client Care

The R760 000 Question – The Human Side Of Money presented by Client Care

by | Aug 23, 2026 | Financial Planning, St Francis

We sat with a new client couple last week, working through their goals for the future. It’s one of my favourite parts of onboarding a new family, unpacking not just where they are today, but where they’d like to be in the future. Holidays, cars, retirement, and, in this case, two children heading off into adulthood.

Their eldest starts university next year. Stellenbosch is calling, and rightly so. We costed tuition, residence and living expenses at R250,000 a year or R1,000,000 over four years. Their younger child has other plans. Port Elizabeth, staying at home, studying locally. That journey came to roughly R240,000 over the same four years.

Both wonderful kids, both wonderful plans. That evening, sitting at home, one figure kept nagging at me; R760,000. The present-day difference, sitting right there between two siblings under the same roof.

Let me be clear, there’s no right or wrong answer here. Every child is different, and I’m not suggesting a Stellenbosch education isn’t worth it. What I am asking is whether parents always think decisions this expensive through as deeply as they should. In my experience, often they don’t. The decision gets made with love and good intention, and once it’s made, the die is cast, quietly shaping financial decisions for years to come.

The R760 000 Question

If both children had studied locally, the family would have saved somewhere around R500,000. That could go a long way toward housing deposits one day, a wedding or two, or the overseas trip this couple has been quietly putting off while they “get the kids sorted.” It’s not that spending on Stellenbosch is wrong, it’s that the alternative is rarely given equal airtime in the conversation.

My generation is more generous toward our children than the ones before us, and mostly that’s a beautiful thing. But generosity without reflection can quietly erode our own dreams such as an earlier retirement, a long-planned trip, the freedom to slow down sooner. Is it always the smart thing to do? Is it always appreciated the way we imagine? And could it be placing pressure on the goals we’ve been quietly working toward ourselves?

The R760 000 Question

This is why our onboarding process spends so much time helping clients think about their future selves, not just today’s wants. It can feel like it takes the spontaneity out of decisions. But it makes for far wiser family choices.

So, here’s the real question. Would you rather sit with a tough, well-considered decision today, or leave your future self to live with the consequences of one that was never quite thought through?

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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.

Donations Appeal For Hilda’s Soup Kitchen Sea Vista – by Richard Arderne

Donations Appeal For Hilda’s Soup Kitchen Sea Vista – by Richard Arderne

by | Aug 23, 2026 | St Francis

“You might know that we have had an appeal for ingredients for Hilda’s Soup Kitchen in Sea Vista, with a trolley at the Spar entrance.
Please listen to Hilda tell you in two minutes about her soup kitchen, feeding 60 hungry children three days a week for the last 22 years.
Please consider helping her .. and if the trolley is no longer at the Spar, please drop off at our office, or we will collect from you.”
Richard Arderne. 
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SUPERSPAR Village Square Beyond the Game – From the Braai to Bigger Dreams

SUPERSPAR Village Square Beyond the Game – From the Braai to Bigger Dreams

by | Aug 23, 2026 | St Francis

SUPERSPAR Village Square Beyond the Game gets off to a sell-out start as the St Francis community rallies behind young local athletes.

A SELL-OUT START

There was more than boerewors on the braai at Village Square on Saturday, 1 August. There was energy, teamwork and a community getting behind young people who are working towards bigger sporting opportunities.

The first SUPERSPAR Village Square Beyond the Game sold out, giving the new monthly initiative an encouraging start and showing just how strongly St Francis Bay supports its own.

Young players worked together to prepare and sell boerewors rolls, welcome customers and manage the stand. For the participants, it was not simply a fundraiser. It was their first practical lesson in running a small business.

SUPPORT THAT BUILDS SKILLS

SUPERSPAR Village Square developed Beyond the Game after receiving requests from young sportsmen and women who needed help with travel, equipment, trials, tournaments and other opportunities that could further their sporting careers.

Instead of responding with once-off donations, the programme gives participants a platform to raise funds themselves while learning useful skills along the way.

From customer service and teamwork to stock control, budgeting, marketing and personal responsibility, every event is designed to teach lessons that will remain valuable long after the final whistle.

A COMMUNITY EFFORT

Village Square provides the trading space, SUPERSPAR Village Square supplied tables, aprons, hair nets and stock. The young participants, supported St Francis United Football Club coaches helped run the stand.

St Francis United Football Club manages the programme with SUPERSPAR Village Square, including participant selection, staffing, financial administration and the allocation of funds. All profit is used for approved sporting opportunities.

The launch event was a reminder that community support does not always need to arrive as a large sponsorship. Sometimes it starts with buying a boerewors roll, stopping for a conversation and showing a young athlete that their goals matter.

OPEN TO EVERY SPORT

Although St Francis United Football Club manages the programme, Beyond the Game is not limited to football. Young people from any recognised sporting code may be considered.

Support may be directed towards provincial or national representation, academy and trial opportunities, sporting tours, coaching development, equipment, travel or other opportunities that contribute to an athlete’s development.

Applications and recommendations may come directly from families, coaches, the wider community or through SUPERSPAR Village Square. Matt Davis makes the final selection based on the opportunity and the support required.

FIRST SATURDAY SUPPORT

SUPERSPAR Beyond the Game will return to Village Square on the first Saturday of every month, excluding January, from 10am to 1pm. A special event will also take place on Heritage Day, 24 September.

The next monthly event is planned for Saturday, 5 September 2026. Community members are encouraged to stop by, meet the participating athletes and support them as they work towards their next opportunity.

The launch may have sold out, but this is only the beginning.

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