“Dit is die maand Oktober, die mooiste mooiste maand.” 

This is a line from a poem I learnt at school and it always comes to mind at this time of the year.

Since I last wrote so much has happened on one hand, and nothing has happened on the other. By the former, I mean the wonderful efforts by community members in improving our environment and by the latter, the efforts by GKM to come to the party. 

My most recent communication was on  September 30. I sent a letter to the Office of the Premier, as well as ADM and COGTA, listing our frustrations which show that the officials running GKM are either incompetent and or disinterested. I asked for assistance in holding these officials accountable for their failure to do their jobs. 

I have, to date,  had no acknowledgement of receipt of this letter, let alone any satisfactory  reply. 

We are also waiting for results from our consultant, who has apparently made some headway. He has yet to provide us with something concrete. Still,  the legal route that the rest of the “Collective” chose to follow has also not produced the desired result, so we will continue to wait.

At times it is hard to keep a sense of humour and I often wonder why I am not just at home baking cookies. Like Waldo, I feel a bit lost.

30 September Letter

Correspondence with GKM

The main subjects:

I remain positive

Friends of iCwili Kei

This group of volunteers continue to work with KMRRA to clear public spaces of overgrown bush. Thanks to the community for their support in making sure the volunteers get some refreshment at the end of the morning. 

We have also had donations for equipment and fuel costs and now, thanks to a further donation from Kei Revival group, we have started a weekly workday, cutting grass and improving roads.

Nature Nerds

Kei Mouth Fire Fighting Project

Whilst this started as a KMRRA initiative, working with KWAG, we do not have the resources to run it and hence, it will be now be managed by KWAG. We will continue to support them, particularly with any negotiations with GKM or ADM.

All in all this project has been a great success and from 27 July 2021 to 4 September 2021 they have:

Bowls Club & Country Club

These clubs do a lot to bring a bit of fun to the local residents by offering entertainment such as Evening bowls, and Sing-a-long evenings. Local business also sponsors these events. There is always something fun to do in Kei Mouth

NSRI

Monica Maroun, has been hard at work getting NSRI Station 47 established in Kei Mouth. Thanks to Billy Lawrence and Whispering waves, NSRI now have a temporary home at Whispering Waves including use of their pool for training of lifeguards.

NSRI are aiming to have local, trained lifeguards who have a good knowledge of our local conditions on Morgan Bay and Kei Mouth beaches from 15th Dec 2020 to 9^th Jan 2021.

This means that the lifeguards must be paid equivalent to what they could earn in East London and other areas.  The difference we have to make up is approximately R50 000. If anyone wishes to donate directly to this cause please contact Monica.  Use this link for more information:

You can also use the following QR codes for Snapscan or Zapper.

1. Download the app. SnapScan is available for free on iOS and Android. …
2. Sign up & load cards. You’ll need a South African sim and an ecommerce enabled debit or credit card to set up the app.
3. Create a pin. Create a pin to authenticate payments for added security.
4. Use the app to pay wherever you see a SnapCode displayed.
5. Just scan the code, enter the amount and make your payment in a snap.

Click for more info

TW Student Project

The TW Students are learning the value of recycling, turning waste into something beautiful, useful or fun. Some of their work is on display and For Sale at The Handy House. They also do a great job keeping our recycling depot tidy. They are also involved in other aspects of community and recently assisted with International Beach Clean-up Day.  

International Beach Clean-up Day 18 September

This year’s International Beach Clean-up Day was a joint effort with Our WESSA Green Coast and The Sustainable Seas Trust. The preparations for clean up day started on Thursday & Friday, 16 & 17 September with TW Students joining Sustainable Seas Trust staff at iCwili Primary School to teach the children about recycling. They spent 3 hours at the school on each day. The day started with a presentation, followed by classroom activities and a colouring competition.

On Saturday 18 September, we had 76 Cwili learners join us, along with a few adult volunteers, Sustainable Seas Trust Staff and TW Students. The day was a great success with a total of 328 Kg of rubbish collected. A Grade 3 group collected the most with 6 bags weighing a total of 55Kg.

A Big Thank You once again to all who supported this day with prizes, hot dogs and fruit for the helpers. They were most appreciative.

Working with GKM

Revenue Department

This seems to be the only department in GKM where things are happening. Well done to Mr Lwana, the CFO, for trying to sort out the mess he inherited. 

The department have made several trips to our local offices, where they have assisted ratepayers with account queries. It is a slow process, as this information still has to be captured by Sebata, and sometimes the updates fall through the cracks. The CFO has also offered a COVID relief initiative which has helped several ratepayers in this difficult time.

KMRRA attended a meeting in Khomga on 7 October, to meet the newly contracted professional valuer, Mark Lindstrom. He has been tasked with dealing with the objections and omissions to the General Valuation Roll as well as the Supplementary valuation Roll 1. He is currently drafting SV 2 . This should be completed in January 2022,  and therefore,  CFO will be in a position to assess the rate in rand that will be applied in the next financial year for his draft budget in March. We will be sending out an additional letter in this regard.

Transfer Station & Recycling Depot

We have been offered a generous donation from Edge to Edge to fence of the transfer station.  After several messages and emails, we finally met with Mr Mnkile on 5 October, to ask for permission to go ahead. I am still waiting for his response. Meanwhile the transfer station continues to be a health hazard and a disgrace.

Again, we are awaiting permission from GKM to build a neat structure on Municipal ground to house the recycling until it is transported to East London. All materials and labour costs will be covered by donations. Yet, GKM cannot seem to make a decision and give us a green light….

Caravan Park

In June we were informed that the caravan park would be leased. In my ward committee meeting last week, Councillor Kantshashe confirmed this. However, in the meeting with Mr Mnkile, he informed me that he had been instructed to cut the grass and to get the park ready for the holidays. Sadly, it would appear that GKM will fail the community yet again and the caravan park will remain empty.

Ward Committee Meeting

On Wednesday, 6 October, we held our final meeting of the current committee. After the local elections, a new committee will be formed. While the meetings have not had the effect that they should have, ie, addressing the needs of the community with the councillor who then holds the municipality accountable, they are valuable as a source of information and understanding of what is happening in different areas of our ward. 

When the time comes to form a new committee, if anyone would like to serve on the new committee, please contact us. The job entails writing a monthly report and attending a monthly meeting where issues are raised and discussed with the councillor. We will hold a public meeting where the candidates will be elected as soon as the new councillor advises us.

What’s on

There is always a lot happeining in Kei Mouth, Morgan Bay and surrounds.

We would love to know what’s happening and keep the community and those visiting Kei Mouth Up to Date. To this end we have added the functionality of Community Events to Kei Country.

If you have an event that you would like to showcase on Kei Country- all you need to do is:

1. Go To Submit an event
2. Register to Create an account on www.keicountry.com
3. Fill in the form
4. We will check that all is good and publish the event
5. Once published anyone going to kei country will see the event on the calendar as below.
6. If you need help Whatsapp / Call Monica for a step-by-step lesson – 074 042 2996

Kobtober

With Kobtober in full swing it has been great to hear of reports of some nice Kob being caught in the Kei River and nearby surf, on both bait and artificial lures.

Along with the kob many other species, both freshwater and salt, also become more hungry as summer reveals itself.

As Kei Country comes into it’s own as an angler’s paradise, please remember to consider the future by limiting your catch and taking no more than you need, while treating the environment with respect.

For an ethical shore-based guided fishing tour contact Great Kei Adventures.

For an ethical off-shore based guided fishing trip contact Wild Coast Fishing Charters.