Talk 12 May 2022

2 Advertising & Newsdesk: (046) 624-4356 Find us on Facebook 12 May 2022 TALK OF THE TOW N
Paying tribute
to firefighters
Makana ceremony part of international day
STEVEN LANG
Makana Municipality
c e l e b ra t e d
International
Firefighters Day with an outdoor
ceremony to pay tribute to the
local fire department last
We d n e s d ay.
Sirens blaring from behind
City Hall in Makhanda signalled
that the fire brigade was about
to arrive.
Uniformed firefighters,
police officers and municipal
officials sat on lines of chairs in
the road in front of City Hall.
The ceremony began soon
after the still new firefighting
truck and smaller bakkie pulled
into Church Square.
William Welkom, manager
of Makana Fire Services,
explained that May 4 had been
designated as International
Firefighters Day to
commemorate the death of five
men in a bush fire in Victoria,
Australia, in 1999.
The international
community then agreed to
honour not only the Australian
firefighters, but all firefighters
around the world who had
fallen in the line of duty.
Welkom, himself a veteran
of 36 years in the service, told
the gathering that being a
firefighter was one of the most
difficult jobs in the world
because they had to go against
the normal human instinct to
run away from danger.
A firefighter had to run
towards life-threatening fires to
protect others.
Makana executive m ayo r,
Yandiswa Vara, addressing the
gathering on the fire-bakkie’s
megaphone, appealed to road
users to understand the difficult
circumstances that fire fighters
worked under.
She said they sometimes had
to drive over the speed limit to
get to a fire, and other drivers
should be considerate to them
as they risked their lives for their
fellow citizens. Vara said she
could not imagine how difficult
it must be for the families of
firefighters who watched their
loved ones leave for work every
day not knowing if they would
come back alive.
Welkom told Talk of the
Town there had not been many
fires in the past few months in
Makana due to the recent rains.
He expected to face more in
the near future as the region’s
fire season from June to October
a p p r o a ch e d .
He said his department had
to be prepared for shack and
veld fires in Makana.
Sipho Klaas, a platoon
commander in the Amathole
District Municipality, based in
Peddie, came to join in the
ceremony and show solidarity
with local firefighters.
SHOWING
R E S P E C T:
Platoon
commanders,
G e o rg e
Mankayi, left,
from the
Makana fire
department,
and Sipho
Klaas, from
Amathole
District
M u n i c i p a l i t y.
Klaas is based
in Peddie and
came to
Makana to
show solidarity
with his fellow
f i re f i g h t e r s
Picture: STEVEN
LANG
He said most of the fires he
had to contend with in his area
were motor vehicles that caught
fire in accidents on the N2
h i g h way.
Inquiry ongoing
into dog attack
TK MTIKI
The HeraldLIVE recently
reported on a dog attack in
Kenton-on-Sea on April 30, in
which Khayalethu Bulo’s life
was cut short.
Eastern Cape provincial
spokesperson Warrant Officer
Majola Nkohli this week
confirmed to Talk of the Town
that an inquest docket had been
opened and that an
investigation was under way.
HeraldLIVE cited Agri
Eastern Cape CEO Brent
McNamara, who blamed failure
to enforce municipal bylaws,
specifically those that deal with
indiscriminate dog breeding
and unsecured dogs wandering
around.
A court judgment in
November 2021 ordered that
the municipality must enforce
the Ndlambe public nuisance
and keeping of animal bylaws.
In response, Ndlambe said
while nothing in that judgment
related to dog breeding and the
enforcement of the bylaw
against illegal dog breeding and
dog fighting, the municipality
took the implementation of its
bylaws seriously and
endeavoured to ensure its
residents were protected.
Through spokesperson Cecil
Mbolekwa, Ndlambe
municipality said: “Th e
breeding and control of dogs is
extremely difficult to enforce
due to the illegal nature of the
act and Ndlambe Municipality
relies on its residents to report
all illegal dog breeding and dog
fighting as soon as they become
aware of it.”
What do Ndlambe’s by-laws say
about keeping domestic animals?
Many Ndlambe residents keep
pets in their homes - but not all
pet owners are aware of their
rights and responsibilities. For
reference, TotT includes some
excerpts from Chapter 3 of
Ndlambe Municipality’s by-law
on ‘Prevention of public
nuisance and keeping of
animals’.
● Part 1 – General Provisions
relating to dogs, cats and pets
14. Number of dogs and cats
(1) Subject to the provisions of
section 15, no person may,
without the permission of the
municipality, keep on any
premises –
(a) more than two dogs; and
(b) more than two cats…
(3) A restriction imposed under
section 17 on the number of
animals that may be kept on
premises does not apply for a
period of 10 weeks after the birth
of a litter from an animal kept in
terms of a permit.
15. Breeders of dogs and cats
(1) A breeder of dogs or cats who
wishes to keep more than two
dogs or cats who wishes to keep
more than two cats must obtain
permission from the
municipality…
16. Breeders of pets
(1) A person who breeds pets must
obtain the approval of the
municipality…
19. Dogs or cats in public places
(1) The owner or keeper of a dog
or cat may not bring or allow it in
a street or public place unless the
dog is on a leash or the cat is
under physical control.
(2) Except in the event of a blind
person being lead by a guide dog,
a person in charge of a dog in a
street or public place, must
remove any faeces left by the dog
by wrapping it in paper or plastic
and disposing of it in a receptacle
provided for litter or refuse.
● Part 2 – Specific provisions
relating to dogs
20. Control of dogs
(1) No person who owns or keeps
a dog may –
(a) permit a bitch on heat to be in
a street or public place without
supervision;
(b) urge a dog to attack, worry or
frighten any person or animal
unless in self-defence;
(c) keep a dog if the premises is
not adequately fenced to keep
such dog inside when it is not on a
leash; or
(d) permit a dog –
(i) to trespass on private property;
(ii) to constitute a hazard to traffic
using any public road;
(iii) to constitute source of danger
or injury to a person outside the
premises on which such dog is
kept; or
(iv) to be a source of danger to
employees of the municipality
entering such premises for the
purpose of carrying out their
duties.
A notice to the effect that a dog is
kept must be displayed in a
conspicuous place.
(e) keep any dog which interferes
materially with the comfort,
convenience, peace or quiet of
neighbours by–
(i) barking, yelping, howling or
wh i n i n g ;
(ii) charging any vehicles, animals,
poultry, pigeons or persons
outside any premises where it is
kept; or (iii) by behaving in any
other manner.
Boiling water
thrown at child
TK MTIKI
Police arrested a 31-year-old
woman last Wednesday after
she allegedly burnt her fiveyear-old
daughter and two
police officers with boiling
wa t e r.
Police spokesperson Warrant
Officer Majola Nkohli said
when police arrived at the
Kwanoqubela, Alexandria
home, the mother threw boiling
water at her five-year-old
daughter, burning her and the
two police officers.
The woman was arrested
and was due to appear in the
Alexandria magistrate’s court
last Friday on a charge of assault
with intent to cause grievous
bodily harm (three counts).
In a second incident last
Wednesday, at about 7pm,
police were summoned to a
complaint of assault at Kloof
Street, Alexandria, where three
children were allegedly
assaulted by their mother.
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29 Miles St, Port Alfred
PO Box 2871, Port Alfred, 6170
046 624 4356 / Fax: 046 624 2293
Chiara Carter, chiarac@dispatch.co.za
Sue Maclennan,maclennans@talkofthetown.co.za
Anneli Hanstein, hansteina@arena.africa
Chris van Heerden, vanheerdenc@arena.africa
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On Sunday May 1 at 4.30pm,
Multi Security caught a suspect
on a premises in Colgate Road,
Port Alfred.
On May 1, armed response
attended to a break-in at
Willows Caravan Park, Albany
Road.
On Monday May 2 at 7am, a
client reported a suspect on a
premises in Hill Ditch Road,
Bathurst.
On May 2 at 1.50am, armed
response attended to a panic
signal, where unwanted
persons were on site.
On May 2 at 10.56am, a client
reported a theft on site in
Wiersma Road and armed
24 Hours: 046 624 2508
Office Hours: (046) 624 3708
TREES AND SHRUBS MAY GIVE YOUR HOUSE CURB APPEAL BUT THEY ALSO GIVE
BURGLARS A HANDY PLACE TO HIDE. TRIM DOWN TREES AND PLANTS CLOSE TO
YOUR HOME THAT COULD BE USED FOR COVER OR OPT FOR FLOWER BEDS INSTEAD.
M U LT I S ECU R I T YCRIME REPORT
response attended to it.
On May 2 at 12.30pm, armed
response attended to an
attempted break-in in
Campbell Street. A neighbour
reported noises on site and
armed response found only a
bag with cable and copper
pipes on site. A suspect was
caught and handed to SAPS.
On Tuesday May 3 at 2.20am,
armed response attended to a
Deep Alert signal and patrolled
the area in Wharf Street. At
9.50am, armed response
attended and reported theft on
site in Albany Road. A suspect
was caught and handed over to
the SAPS.
On May 3 at 2.53pm, a client
requested assistance as their
dog had fallen down the ravine
near their premises in Preston
Lane. Multi staff attended and
Fire Control and SPCA were
informed. Multi staff r e t r i e ve d
the dog from the ravine and
reunited it with its owner.
On May 3 at 10.22pm, wh i l e
patrolling the area, armed
response noticed a gate motor
being stolen in Bathurst Street.
On Wednesday May 4, Multi
Security received a report of
clothes found with blood stains
in Brighton Road. Armed
response and SAPS attended.
At 2.40pm on Thursday May 5,
armed response attended to a
break-in in Bathurst Nautilus
Road.
On May 5, a client reported a
suspicious vehicle in St
Andrew's Road. Armed
response attended.
On May 5 at 4.30pm, a client
reported a shoplifter on site in
Main Street and armed
response and SAPS attended.
On May 5, armed response
attended to an alarm signal and
reported theft on site in
Causeway Road.
On May 5, a client (not a Multi
client) requested assistance and
armed response and SAPS
attended to Swan Lane.
On Friday May 6, armed
response attended to an alarm
signal and reported a break-in
in Albany Road.
On May 6 at 4.15pm, armed
response attended to an alarm
signal and reported an
attempted break-in in West
Beach Drive.
On May 6 at 8.37pm, a client
reported water leaking on site,
where taps had been stolen.
Armed response patrolled in
the Brighton Road area.
On May 6, a client reported a
suspect on a premises in Alfred
Road. Armed response
patrolled the area.
On Saturday May 7, armed
response attended to an alarm
and reported an attempted
break-in in Galpin Close.
On May 7, a client reported an
unwanted person on site in
Bathurst Street. Armed
response attended.
On Sunday May 8 at 5pm,
armed response attended to an
alarm signal and reported a
theft in Strand Street to SAPS.
On May 8 at 5.25pm, a client
reported a person trying to
break into vehicles in North
Street. Armed response and
SAPS attended.
On May 8 at 1.36am, armed
response attended to an alarm
signal and reported vehicles
broken into in Bathurst Street.