Rowers teiken Klein - Letaba Herald

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PAGE 4 LETABA HERALD - Friday 22 May 2009 NEWS Welcome to Tzaneen PACKING all their belongings, the children, granny, and the four dogs, and leaving Tilburg, Holland to immigrate to South Africa is no small task, but that’s exactly what the van Brunschot family did in just six months. Thomas and Marian van Brunschot own two security firms in Holland, one specialising in general security, and the other supplying bodyguards. Between them they have more than 20 years experience in all aspects of security. Their work led them all over the globe, and often put them in perilous circumstances. As a result of their work, Thomas and Marian spent very little time with their three children. They didn’t like their country anymore, and were taxed more than half their salaries. It was time for a change. The couple put their heads together, and decided on three possibilities for their new home: Alaska, Australia and South Africa. South Africa won the contest, being "a very beautiful and interesting country", as Thomas put it, and one close to the family’s heart. They wanted to create something for themselves, and quite liked the idea of farming and entering the tourism market. They felt that South Africa was the best place to do so. The farming and tourism sectors would also offer Thomas and Marian much more time to spend with their children. Once that decision was made, the van Brunschots had to choose a town or city. Limpopo was their only choice of province, as they believe it to be the most beautiful in the c o u n t r y. Their research led them to four possibilities: Orighstad, Thabazimbi, Phalaborwa and Tzaneen. The family took on a different method of research, and decided to stay a while in each town in order to get the feel of it. Orighstad was too cold, Phalaborwa too hot and Thabazimbi too far from anything. Tzaneen wasn’t too hot, too cold, too wet or too dry - it was perfect for the van Brunschots. They bought the 28ha farm, Hasivona, just outside Tzaneen, and moved in at the beginning of April. The farm offers many possibilities in the farming and tourism sectors, and boasts an amazing view of Tzaneen at night. Ten hectares of the farm will be identified for farming purposes, and the rest of the farm already has some infrastructure in place for turning it into a tourist attraction. One large rondavel was already built on the farm, kick-starting the family’s plans for their Africa Mountain Lodge. (They have already received their first booking for June). There are more rondavels to come, and two bush camps as well. There is also a large structure on the farm that will be converted into a conference centre, with overnight facilities on the second floor. The rooms can also be booked for bed and breakfast. The conference centre will be built with weddings, birthdays and year-end functions also in mind, as the couple is planning on incorporating a large kitchen into the plans. The ideal country and town was chosen, and the business plans on track. Now the children needed a school. Petronella (11), Carolina (10) and Adriaan (9) had no English influence back in Holland, thus Tzaneen Primary was the best choice for them. Petronella and Adriaan adapted quickly, and Thomas admits, caught on to Afrikaans much faster than him. With broken English and Afrikaans, Thomas and Marian explains that Carolina had difficulty adapting at first, and often longed for Holland. As she steadily caught on to Afrikaans, her disposition changed and she soon started enjoying the country just as much as the rest of her family. Granny on the other hand still misses Holland and her sisters she left behind. She remains positive though, and finds comfort in a good cuddle with the dogs. It is very important for Thomas and Marian to have their entire family fit into South Africa. They do not want to be just another immigrated family, but want to adopt everything there is to adopt of South Africa and become entirely integrated with the country and its people. Back in Holland, they were warned about South Africa’s violence, but the couple refused to believe without witnessing first. They decided to walk to Nkowankowa to test fate. They arrived home safe, and their positive view of South Africa was boosted even more by their "very, very, very nice neighbour". The couple was also very impressed with the friendliness of people in the same business as them. Asking for advise is not a problem here, whereas in Holland any business is a cutthroat business. Asking advice from a competitor is unheard of. One of the things the van Brunschots love most about South Africa is the way the country allows people to think for themselves. They say that, in Holland, everything is TRAVELLING almost 9 000km from Holland, called by the beauty and possibilities of South Africa, the van Brunschot family chose Tzaneen in all the world to base their family in. Front: Granny and one of the four dogs that emigrated with them from Holland. Middle: Petronella, Carolina and Adriaan, all attending Tzaneen Primary. Back: Thomas and Marian van Brunschot. controlled from birth to death, and people never even get the opportunity to figure out life for themselves. Even the people of Holland were impressed with the family’s move, and the Dutch television programme, "Ons Vertrek", followed the family around South Africa, documenting their alternative method of relocation. The crew of this programme watched by 16 million viewers, will return again in July to follow up on the family’s progress and ability to adapt. Surely the crew will return to a family well adapted and accepted by the Tzaneen c o m m u n i t y. Dept stops merger THE Limpopo education department has put the merging of schools with less than 50 learners on hold until proper consultation with all stakeholders. This follows an outcry from teacher unions in the province, who accused the department of excluding them from decisions that affect some of their members. Last year, former education MEC, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, published the names of 224 schools in the province that were supposed to be merged, bringing the number to 77. Provincial education Spokesman, Ndo Mangala, said the process has temporarily been placed on hold while discussions with the unions continue. "We will resume the process as soon as we have reached an agreement with the unions on certain issues of concern," he said. However, Mangala said some parents have already moved their children from the affected schools to those that will benefit from this programme. He explained that the schools mostly affected by the process are those which were previously known as farm schools. He added that learners living far from their new schools will be provided with scholar transport by the department. The provincial Secretary for the South African Teachers Union (SADTU), George Mdumela, said they are not against the merging of the schools, but that the department had failed to organise proper consultations with them before decisions were made on the m a t t e r. In October last year, many parents whose children attend farm schools in Mopani, expressed concern on the process, saying it was done with no consideration of their children. Some parents claim their children will have to leave school once the department starts with the merger.
NUUS PCPF grows from strenght to strength Established towards the end of 2007, the Politsi Community Policing Forum (PCPF) has grown from strength to strength. Their most recent meeting, held last Wednesday, proved very productive. The aim of the meeting was to discuss matters of disaster management, security and health services. Many residents, farmers and business owners in the Politsi area, have experienced problems with the service delivery of the police, clinics and hospitals. The forum therefore decided to invite the senior management of these institutions to their meeting to try and resolves some of the concerns raised by the community. No representative of any health organization, clinic or hospital, attended the meeting, despite commitments from all the invited parties, thus no headway was made in that regard. Matters of disaster management and security however were discussed extensively. Both Dave Protter of Northern Security and Neels Engelbrecht, Head of Department of Disaster Management for the Tzaneen municipality, suggested a database be set up of all Politsi residents. This database will serve many purposes: The information gathered for the database will assist police and emergency response units in gaining quick access to property, identify any residence with special training or resources in case of an emergency, and indicate water points and their locations easily accessible is case of fire, to name but a few. Attendees were reminded that the Fire Protection Association work hand-in-hand with Disaster Management, and requested that all farmers join the association. The management of the database is free of charge and changes to any details can be made at any time. The PCPF already has an elementary database, but clearly not as extensive as the one made available to them by Protter. It was suggested that a braai or gathering be arranged for all Politsi residents. This will be a fun event and a surefire way of completing the database, should all attend. The committee is considering this suggestion, and should it be approved, they request all residents planning to attend to bring their entire family. A point reiterated by Protter and Engelbrecht is knowing your neighbour. This gathering will not only serve to gather data, but also to reintroduce neighbours - your closest line of defence when in an emergency. The installation of a radio network was also suggested, considering the fact that cell phone reception is unreliable in the area, and a daily role call over the system can greatly benefit all involved. Residents of George's Valley have already implemented such a system, and the suggestion was positively received. All residents should also initiate a risk assessment programme in preparation of any incident that might occur on their property. Workers should also be asked were they think the risks might lie, as they often access different parts of the property more regularly. Area with easy access to water should be identified, as well as to location of any explosive substances, eg gas bottles. Roads and houses also have to be marked more clearly to enable quicker emergency response time. This matter will however be discussed further with the relevant government department to prevent the removal of these signs by municipal workers. Many representatives of the police department attended the meeting, including Commissioner Phineas Ngobeni. The committee complained to them that charges are never followed up, and that it is difficult to get hold of anyone who can help them in this regard. Commissioner Ngobeni assured his speedy response to any queries, and also guaranteed the assistance of Modjadjiskloof Station Commissioner, Captain Machimana, who was also in attendance. In turn, the representatives of the SAPS invited a representative of the PCPF to join them at the rural safety meetings, where many of their more general questions will be answered. The meeting was concluded in good spirit. The date for the next PCPF meeting is still to be announced. Any person interested in the forum can contact Wynand Espach on 082 929 3346 or Jane Tennant on 082 333 1902. LETABA HERALD - Vrydag 22 Mei 2009 Twelve escape after bombing of ATM TWELVE unknown suspects escaped with an undisclosed amount of money after bombing a Standard Bank Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at Tickyline next to Lenyenye. The ATM was blown up with explosives at around 02:00 on Tuesday morning. It is alleged that a substantial amount of money was loaded in the ATM the previous afternoon. The owner of the premises that house the ATM was called in by the security guard on duty. The owner was shot in the arm and also sustained other injuries. At the time of going to press, no one had been arrested. Constable Mpho Seroto said police investigations continue and anyone with information may contact him on 015 355 8300 or 073 923 0565. PAGE 5 MAAKE police Communications Officer, Constable Mpho Seroto, at the damaged ATM blown up on Tuesday morning.
Page 1 and 2: Vrydag 22 Mei 2009 R3.00 incl. VOLU
Page 3: NUUS Katte vrek in strikke Deur: Be
Page 7 and 8: CALENDER Baie geluk aan Zane Fanie
Page 9 and 10: MAY 2009 PROMOTIONS CAN you believe
Page 11 and 12: HIER demonstreer Calvin Sebopetsa h
Page 13 and 14: LETTERS A FEW DECADES ago, poliomye
Page 15 and 16: BYLAE Prepare for fire season PREPA
Page 17 and 18: F E AT U R E Careers in Agriculture
Page 19 and 20: BYLAE LION John Meades, Treasurer o
Page 21 and 22: F E AT U R E LETABA HERALD - Vrydag
Page 23 and 24: S KO L E N U U S "WE’RE going to
Page 25 and 26: LETABA HERALD - Vrydag 22 Mei 2009
Page 27 and 28: S KO L E N U U S Antjies is bedrywi
Page 29 and 30: S KO L E N U U S Laerskool se sterr
Page 31 and 32: S KO L E N U U S MERENSKY se A en C
Page 33 and 34: SPORT Lé Club lede tem Magoebasklo
Page 35 and 36: LETABA HERALD - Vrydag 22 Mei 2009

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