TOTT 21 March 2019

6 Talk of the Town ADVERTISING / NEWSDESK: (046) 624 4356 Find us on Facebook
March 21, 2019
OPINION
Fighting
fire with
a slow
response
Ndlambe fire department has received
flak before for slow response times
to a fire that had been reported to
them.
One of these was the Kenton bakery fire
in June 2018 where the community came
together to fight the blaze, while they were
waiting for the fire department to arrive.
The fire truck was apparently stuck at a
stop-go on the R72 before it could even
leave Port Alfred. This was before the new
emergency services response centre at
Bushman’s River was finally ready, with its
own fire tenders to respond to
emergencies on the west side of Ndlambe.
On another occasion in 2018, the fire
tender took an hour to arrive at a fire at an
RDP house in Thornhill, which is just down
the drag from the Port Alfred fire station
on the R67!
If it wasn’t for community members
coming together to fight the fire and
rescue the man inside the house, it might
have been much worse. They fetched
buckets of water and extinguished the
blaze before the fire truck arrived. As it is,
the man lost all his possessions to the
flames, but the structure was saved.
The criticism levelled at the fire
department may have been warranted, but
we must take into account other factors
which also enter the equation, especially
in the fire that claimed a life at Little Lilly
this week.
A response time of an hour to reach a
fire at Little Lilly is unacceptable on the
face of it. Although the fire engine getting
there sooner would not have saved the life
of the person who died – she had already
suffered burns – there was an imminent
danger of the fire spreading to adjoining
apar tments.
But Ndlambe fire department offered
reasons for the delays which should be
taken into consideration.
First, they said they were told the
location of the fire was Flame Lilly, another
apartment complex, although
neighbouring Little Lilly. If they
approached Flame Lilly from West Beach
Drive, it is possible they would have seen
no sign of the fire as Flame Lilly is a huge
building and obstructs views.
Then, after getting the right address, the
department reported their Dennis fire
truck had fuel system problems, so they
proceeded to the scene with just their
smaller fire response vehicle and used a
nearby hydrant to douse the blaze.
This is a more worrying factor, as it
reveals a problem surfaced only when the
Dennis was being used. It should have
been picked up in regular maintenance.
We hope the fire department sorts these
issues out.
–Jon Houzet
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Tide Guide
Kind courtesy-SA Navy
HIGH
1636 0421
1711 0456
1743 0530
1815 0602
1847 0634
1918 0705
1955 0739
2059 0822
L OW
1034 2248
1109 2322
1143 2355
1215 ----
1247 0027
1319 0057
1354 0129
1448 0207
VISUALISING IN PRAYER: The ladies from St James Catholic Church in Port Alfred recently presented a service for residents of Damant Lodge, marking
the World Women’s Day of Prayer. The theme this year focused on the simple, hardworking life of the women of Croatia. The ladies were appropriately
dressed, to honour the women of Croatia. From left are Anne Hagle, Mariella de Koning, Sylvia Warren and Maureen Smith
HAVE YOUR S AY
Letters to PO Box 2871, Port Alfred - or e-mail to houzetj@tisoblackstar.co.za
This is an open forum for readers to express their opinions. However, the publishers reserve the right to shorten letters. Those printed are not necessarily the views of Talk of the Town. Although noms de plume may be used,
letters must be signed and have an authentic contactable address & telephone number. Talk of the Town reserves the right to not publish letters. Please limit letters to 250 words or less.
Many know
where the
druglords are
By all accounts, according
to the crime briefs in Talk
of the Town and reports on
WhatsApp groups, crime
appears to be on the
increase in Port Alfred and
surrounding areas.
No doubt, a small
portion of the crime is
related to poverty and
desperate folk are forced
to steal. However, I would
suggest that the majority
of crime committed is
drug-related. As per crime
briefs in Talk of the Town
on February 28 it is
obvious that the most
sought-after items are cell
phones, laptops, jewellery
and cash. Theft of copper
piping appears to be on
the up. All these
above-mentioned items
can be easily disposed of
for purpose of buying
drugs. What really is of
major concern to me – and
many like-minded people
in Port Alfred and
surrounding areas – is that
we citizens know who the
druglords are. Where they
live and their modus
operandi are all
well-known to the ordinary
citizens of this town.
We citizens are reluctant
to offer the above
information to the relevant
officials in authority
because it is alleged that
some of these officials
might be on the druglords’
payroll – and are in
cahoots with them.
Getting rid of the
druglords will definitely
have an impact on
reducing crime in this
area. Why must the
majority of citizens, who
are law-abiding, be forced
to live like prisoners in
their homes?
In conclusion, it would
be appreciated if, via Talk
of the Town, we could get
an official response from
the relevant officials, as to
whether any arrests of
drug-dealers have been
made. If not, why not,
because like I have
mentioned, many citizens
know who the druglords
are and where they
operate from. Surely this
should be common
knowledge to SAPS?.
I certainly will not be
holding my breath waiting
for a response.
ANONYMOUS
Emergency numbers
Port Alfred hospital – (046) 604-4000
Police station – (046) 604-2001/2
Multi-Security – (046) 624-2508
Chubb Security – (046) 624-4810
Sky Alarms – (046) 624-2806
NSRI – 082-990-5971
Electricity (a/h) - (046) 624-1111
EMS (Emergency Medical Services) – 10177
Gardmed –082-759-2134
Holistic EMS – 063-460-0042
Fire Department – (046) 624-1111
Snakes alive! Thanks to
Richard for saving day
SNAKE HANDLER: Richard Mavikane from Ndlambe Nature
Conservation successfully retrieved a puffadder from a
Port Alfred resident’s garden
A big thank you to
Richard Mavikane from
Ndlambe Nature
Conservation for his
dedication and
professional service
when I found a rather
large puffadder in our
front garden recently.
He came over and
secured the little (?)
guy and all went well.
The snake is safe, and
so are we!
Another big thanks to
Michelle from Sky
Alarms for giving me
Richard's cellphone
n u m b e r.
After several
unsuccessful phone
calls trying to find a
professional snake
catcher, I phoned Sky
Alarms and Michelle
could help me.
It would help a lot of
people if the names and
telephone numbers of
the snake catchers of
nature conservation
could be included in the
emergency numbers in
TotT, especially where
there is any danger to
the snakes or the
members and pets of
the household.
Too many snakes are
killed because people
do not know how to
handle the situation.
ANNETJIE ROGERS
Licensing a total nightmare
It is not difficult to work out
why there are so many
complaints around the lack of
service from the staff at the
licensing department in Port
Alfred.
One has only to visit the
office on any day to experience
the overcrowding. You will see
20 to 30 people crammed into
a space of not more than 25m²,
standing for one hour or more
waiting to be attended to.
There will be no staff
member ever to answer queries
or assist in any way.
There are no designated
areas informing the public
where to queue.
Under these intolerable and
unhygienic conditions it is no
wonder the public complain.
I cannot believe that any
councillor has ever experienced
the shocking conditions
existing there.
If nobody else, then the DA
should fight hard to radically
improve the situation at this
depar tment.
It must be housed in a much
larger premises and the three
sections – driver’s licences,
learner’s licences and motor
vehicle licences – must be
separated for better efficiency.
Here’s hoping that something
will be done and the matter will
not be discussed at length and
left on the back burner.
CON VAN HASSELT