The Rep 22 March 2019

6
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THE REPRESENTATIVE 22 March 2019
EDITORIAL
OPINION
Clarion call
to save our
to w n ’s SPCA
Today we report on the
disturbing story that the
SPCA in Komani might have
to shut its doors because of
financial constraints.
The organisation is so
cash-strapped they cannot
afford basic running costs,
including fuel and animal food.
On its website, the National
Council of SPCAs (NSPCA)
makes it clear that SPCAs are
not government funded and rely
solely on the generosity of the
public for their operation.
According to SPCA’s acting
manager, Nicole Potgieter, the
local SPCA's funder who they
have relied on for a long time,
recently passed away and a
monthly subsidy from the
Enoch Mgijima Local
Municipality has not been
for thcoming.
Potgieter says the last
monthly subsidy from the
municipality was received in
March 2018 and the managers
have been at pains to establish
why the funds stopped coming.
The closure of the SPCA
would be bad news, not only for
Komani but the surrounding
areas as well.
The possible repercussions
for animals are unimaginable.
Potgieter says the
municipality and the
community would feel the
effects as cruelty to animals
cases could spike and they
would now be chasing after
stray animals, if the SPCA
closes.
The NSPCA’s website says for
more than 60 years SPCAs have
been protecting the country’s
animals.
“We prevent cruelty, promote
kindness and alleviate the
suffering of animals.”
Their objective is to serve and
protect all animals, to uplift
their welfare and to ensure that
the protection they have under
South African law is upheld and
respected.
The question is now whether
Komani residents, not only
those who love animals, will let
an organisation whose job is so
important, just cease to exist.
It would be the saddest day
for animals in this town – and
its surrounds.
This publication will continue
to inform members of the
community on new
developments regarding this
unfortunate story and we will
continue to make our own
contribution towards saving the
SPCA.
All in all, the ball is in Komani
residents’ courts to salvage this
crucial organisation.
Different wheat
types healthier
than others
When it comes to wheat, you really
need to know its true nutritional
value. You may be aware that white
and sometimes brown bread is not
worth much to your health
compared with wholewheat bread.
Without wheat it is difficult to
picture the current Western diet.
Wheat is well incorporated into
various Western processed foods
such as
breakfast cereals
and sometimes
sausages and
hamburger
pat ties.
Due to
intensive farming and the
hybridising development, the
grains of wheat have changed from
the bygone days when the Bible
spoke of bread as being the “st a f f
of life”.
There are many varieties of
wheat, including spelt and bulgur
wheat which have more nutrients
and a more digestible form of
gluten. Spelt is versatile – when
fermented it is made into spelt
milk! Spelt flour does not rise as
easily or high as wheat, but the
gluten in wheat is much harder to
d i g e st .
In fact, highly processed wheat
bread consumption has been linked
to constipation and other
bowel-related problems. Modern
wheat has more gluten and far less
vigorous husk surrounding it.
This tough outer nutrient coating
makes it harder to harvest, but
protects the inner grain from pests
and insects. And without this tough
coat of husk, more pesticides are
needed to keep pests at bay.
Anyone with celiac disease
should avoid barley, oats, rye and
all forms of
wheat. And
anyone with
gluten
intolerance
should avoid
wheat, but
sometimes oats and rye are
accepted, as the gluten in these
cereals is in a different form. The
actual cereal grain consists of three
basic parts, known as bran, germ
and endosperm. Endosperm is
mostly starch, while bran is high in
fibre and nutrients.
The germ component has nothing
to do with germs, but is rich in
nutrients. Typically white wheat
flour is mainly crushed endosperm.
Sadly manufacturers now need to
spend more to nutritionally enrich
refined flours to replace what was
lost in processing.
It seems after all the processing
of wheat, food just got poorer in
value to your body but more
expensive for your budget.
LIGHTING IT UP: Top Town resident, Corne Van Der Vyvfer, took this photograph during last week’s storm
FACE 2 FA C E
Q: What do you do?
A: I’m a working student, finishing an
undergrad specialising in economics and
finance at UCT and starting post grad
studies in July. I also work full time for an
NPO in the education sector. Its name is
Emagqabini Education Academy and I am
the programme coordinator.
Q: Why did you enter the competition?
A: I found the topic genuinely interesting.
Bitcoin has been a talking point for a long
time and last year it was in the media
frequently. I was also involved in some
Bitcoin trading when its value was
appreciating at an extraordinary rate.
Many were saying it’s a bubble similar to
the one that caused the 2008 crash so an
essay topic that gave me the chance to
investigate that was very appealing to me.
I also needed the prize money. The post
grad programme I want to do does not
have any bursary funding and costs
R70,024 this year. So the prize money
(R60,000) would cover most of it and I
would save up the remaining R10,000 and
pay it myself
Q: Was it your first time in parliament
and how was it attending the budget
s p e e c h?
A: Yes. It was a great experience seeing
so many ministers and parliament
members in person.
Q: Was it a good speech?
A: It was okay. Like I said, we are
generally going in the right direction.
Q: What would you like to see the
government do after the elections?
YOUR VOICE
SEAN
FERGUSON
South African political parties
had until Wednesday last
week to submit their lists of
candidates for the upcoming
national elections. The Rep’s
news editor Luvuyo Mjekula
and intern Ntsikelelo Qoyo
asked Komani residents what
qualities party candidates
should possess and why.
Sean Ferguson from
Queen’s Drive
I am looking for integrity,
honesty and a sense of where
they come from, a sense of
the people they represent. It
would be nice to have
... vox pops on the street
What do you think about ...
ZHANE
BARNARD
properly educated people. I
want them to be able to
implement change in our very
corrupt government.
Zhane Barnard from Top
To w n
They should be honest,
loyal to what they are saying
and not be corrupt. Because
they make empty promises…
we are going to build you a
house or renovate it.
They must be different from
the other leaders we have.
Zola Henene from Lady
Fr e r e
We expect patriots, people
with CALEB QOYO winner of the Old Mutual
national essay competition for undergraduates.
A: First corruption – let the multiple
inquiries into state capture and corruption
take their course and afterwards act on the
information that surfaces as a result,
dismissing those implicated.
Secondly restore fiscal credibility.
ZOLA
HENENE
SIRNIDHI
M A L AVA L LY
who are trustworthy, who
have the development of the
people of South Africa at
heart and not selfish and
corrupt people.
We have seen how corrupt
people have pulled the
country down and the
president is pulling out all the
stops to fight that corruption.
Sirnidhi Malavally Magaraj
from Top Town
Whoever comes to power
just must not forget the
fundamentals – of the people,
for the people, by the people.
If any of these things fail it is
no longer called a democracy
We have been experiencing low
economic growth coupled with high
national debt. These two things, considered
separately, are manageable but at the
same time are a cause of genuine concern
to me. Government knows this and we are
moving in the right direction of reducing
expenditure and addressing the critical
state of our SOEs. I still think more could
be done.
Q: Which person has had the most
impact on your life? Why?
A: Many people have shaped me. In my
personal life my parents, family and friends
have influenced me.
Q: Favourite place in South Africa?
A: In Mowbray, Cape Town, there is a
restaurant called Jerry’s. That is my
favourite place at the moment. Apart from
the Eastern Cape and Western Cape I
h av e n ’t travelled much.
Q: What do you do for fun?
A: Hang out with friends and after a long
day I enjoy reading Calvin and Hobbs
books. I have a collection of them. I also
sketch and paint using water colours.
Q: Favourite book?
A: It’s a tie between Development as
Fr e e d o m by Amartya Sen and Why Minsky
Mat ters by L. Randall Wray.
Q: Who do you look up to?
A: Academically, Hyman Minsky, Amartya
Sen, J.M Keyns, Steve Keen and Karl
Polanyi have shaped me. Leaders like
Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr and
Mohamed Ali are people I drew inspiration
from.
MARCELLE
G R E Y V E N ST E I N
but an autocracy.
There is a lot to be done for
the upliftment of the people,
the poor are getting poorer
the rich, richer.
They must focus on health,
electricity, education and
sanitation. All of them are
different in their own way. You
just have to choose who is
the least devil.
Marcelle Greyvenstein from
Top Town
I’m very excited. I just hope
they make the correct
decisions, the right decisions
for all of us. I want everyone
to be happy.