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Read more: Latest aerial images of the groynes and the Long Term Coastal Protection Scheme
Retirement might sound fairly straightforward. Finish work, put away the alarm clock and start enjoying all that extra time. In reality, the transition can be considerably more complicated.
Client Care Private Wealth Management is hosting UK retirement specialist and author Dan Haylett at St Francis Links on Friday, 11 September, for a practical conversation about moving from working life into retirement.
Haylett is the author of The Retirement You Didn’t See Coming, a book exploring the human side of retirement and some of the challenges that arrive with one of life’s biggest transitions.
The discussion will look beyond the financial mechanics of retirement and focus on how people actually live once their working years come to an end.
Haylett will explore why the first 10 to 15 years of retirement can be particularly important. He will also discuss the concept of “front-loading” retirement spending, allowing people to make greater use of their money during the years when they have the energy and freedom to enjoy it.
As Haylett puts it, the goal is to retire and “live well – with energy, freedom and purpose – while you can.”
The event takes place in the Sunset Room at the St Francis Links Clubhouse from 9am to 10am and includes breakfast.
Attendance is by RSVP for catering purposes. Those interested can book here – https://clientcare.co.za/events/ or contact Client Care at daniel@clientcare.co.za or call 042 940 0842.
For anyone approaching retirement, already retired, or simply thinking a little further down the road, it promises to be an interesting hour exploring what life after work can actually look like.
Latest aerial images of the groynes and the Long Term Coastal Protection Scheme
microlight gallery © Barry Culligan.
Kouga Local Municipality has announced another round of roadworks and pothole repairs in St Francis Bay this week, with several streets scheduled for attention from Monday, 24 August.
The work forms part of the municipality’s ongoing road maintenance programme and includes pothole patching, vegetation clearing, road refurbishment and resealing.
Pothole repair teams are scheduled to work in five St Francis Bay streets between 24 and 28 August 2026.
These are Tom Brown Boulevard, Sunset Drive, Cinnamon Crescent, Pepper Avenue and Sea Glades Drive.
Residents are asked to take extra care around municipal teams and maintenance vehicles while work is underway.
The municipality has also encouraged residents to continue reporting potholes to the Kouga Municipal Call Centre. Reports can be made via WhatsApp on 081 760 9183 or by calling 042 200 2200.
A separate roadworks programme will run from 24 to 26 August, with work taking place on Tom Brown Boulevard, Padrone Crescent, Cinnamon Street and Coriander Crescent.
The scheduled work includes clearing vegetation and pothole patching, followed by road refurbishment and resealing.
Motorists, residents and taxis are requested to drive cautiously around the construction areas. Temporary road closures may also be required while contractors complete sections of the work.
Residents in affected areas are encouraged to limit unnecessary road use while work is underway, helping the contractors complete the resealing as efficiently and safely as possible.
With several streets receiving attention during the same week, motorists should allow a little extra time when travelling through the affected parts of St Francis Bay.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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