This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane and Education MEC Fundile Gade will officially launch the Eastern Cape Aviation School on Friday at 43 Air School in Port Alfred This historic launch marks a significant milestone in the province's education sector as it introduces the three-stream model pilot program The Eastern Cape Aviation School aims to establish a High School for Aerospace Science a new public education model focused on science The initiative stems from a Memorandum of Understanding between 43 Air School and the Eastern Cape Department of Education It will also see the introduction of aero-maritime studies at Port Alfred High School The provincial government has partnered with industry experts to provide focused learning in specialized occupational fields Bhisho spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie says the program will begin with Grade 10 learners selected from across the province It will equip them with skills for South Africa’s growing economy “This groundbreaking initiative demonstrates the provincial government's commitment to providing innovative education and training opportunities ultimately developing future leaders in all sectors of society,” Rantjie concluded an exclusive podcast on the life of Vicki Terblanche Dive into the expansive world of motoring with Naresh Maharaj Join Mark Marshall as he shares his extraordinary encounters with everything from bees to reptiles i South Africa (15 April 2025) — A Friday morning dip and dive at Port Alfred’s East Beach quickly turned into something more dire after two Kowie Granny Grommets found themselves caught up in a rip current It’s believed that the female Kowie Granny Grommet (the Granny Grommets are a fun-loving community in which more mature folk partake in surfing activities) had ended up in the rip current first while she was bodyboarding As for the 67-year-old man who was pulled out to sea alongside her he’d initially gone out with good intentions to rescue his bodyboarding pal (something you should never do without a pink rescue buoy handy or without experience) eyewitnesses became concerned that there was a drowning in progress leading a fellow Granny Grommet to alert the NSRI Port Alfred and its corresponding duty crew to help The NSRI’s station 11 rescue base quickly fell into form and immediately launched their rescue craft whilst rescue swimmers made their way to East Beach with haste and could see the pair caught up in the surf zone as the rip currents pulled them out to sea the NSRI crew pulled both parties out of their plight in record speed bringing them back to shore to medically assess them While everyone breathed a big sigh of relief to see the duo find their land legs again the NSRI made sure to let the larger group of Grommets know that they were actually at a part of the beach where rip currents are prevalent The Grommets group made a small move to a safer spot and continued their activities As shared by the NSRI: “Take note from looking at the beach of the direction that the current is pulling you think of it like a river and remember to get out of a river you would swim to the river bank This means that in a rip current you should swim at 90 degrees to the direction that you are being pulled and then use the waves to help you get back to the beach.”—NSRI Ashleigh Nefdt is a writer for Good Things Guy Ashleigh's favourite stories have always seen the hidden hero (without the cape) come to the rescue her labour of love is finding those everyday heroes and spotlighting their spark - especially those empowering women sustainability shakers and creatives with hearts of gold she's dedicated to her canvas or appreciating Mother Nature Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a85abd3efa747508bb5050bafc62300a" );document.getElementById("d2d9e305b5").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment Would you like to receive truly phenomenal inspirational and good thing stories right to your inbox Then subscribe to our weekly GoodThingsGuy newsletter today I accept GTG’s Privacy Policy GoodThingsGuy is the home of everything good and those are the things that really matter We believe that there is good news all around us and over 1 million readers a month agree with us GoodThingsGuy was officially launched on the 1 August 2015 in order to only promote good news inspirational stories and promote only positive multi-platform media company that distills unique content across multiple media platforms We consider individual and corporate contributions through the website or mail us directly here. Your GPS did not respond. Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again. On Friday, 6 December, The SA Police Services, Police K9 Search and Rescue (Police divers and a Police K9 team), assisted by Ndlambe Municipal Environmental officers, Ndlambe Beach authorities and Ndlambe lifeguards, continued in ongoing search efforts for a missing teenager, who had gone missing in the surf zone at East Beach on Thursday. We’re proud to announce that our newly rebuilt NSRI Station 21 in St Francis Bay is now officially open. To mark this milestone, we held a blessing ceremony for two new state-of-the-art rescue vessels: the Spirit of St Francis III ... Gqeberha — The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) today officially celebrated the blessing of its latest state-of-the-art Offshore Rescue Craft (ORC), Bay Guardian, at a ceremony held at the PE Deep Sea Angling Club building, adjacent to NSRI’s Gqeberha Sea ... Subscribe today for information about NSRI rescues, news and appeals and a Grade 10 pupil at Fish Hoek High School won the Premier under-16 division at Rip Curl GromSearch at Port Alfred with Stubbs first out of the blocks with a good 6.5 on the scoreboard He managed to hold onto the lead until the final siren despite a fierce counter-attack from fellow Western Province surfer The Surfing South Africa specialty event brings top surfers around the country to compete for the prestigious cup Van Greunen dominated through the heats and put on a clinical performance in the final.  TOP OF THE WORLD: Kai Stubbs from Scarborough on his way to winning the Premier under-16 division at Rip Curl GromSearch after winning the Ripcurl Cup presented by the Royal St Andrews Hotel in Port Alfred takes a win at the Ripcurl Cup presented by the Royal St Andrews Hotel in Port Alfred A Surfing South Africa specialty event which brings top surfers around the country to compete for the prestigious Cup She dominated through the heats and put on a clinical performance in the final Health care first for Port Alfred Talk of the Town is the weekly newspaper of record for the community of Ndlambe and serves readers in and around Port Alfred NSRI Port Alfred responded to reports of a capsized boat in the Kowie River Mouth were rescued by Good Samaritan Kye McGregor NSRI Port Alfred duty crew were activated following multiple eyewitness reports of a boat capsized in the Kowie River Mouth Our NSRI duty crew responded to our NSRI Port Alfred station 11 rescue base where the NSRI rescue craft Lotto Challenger was launched NSRI rescue swimmers responded to the shoreline at East Pier On arrival on the scene we found the 2 adult male casualties being assisted out of the water by local Good Samaritan Kye McGregor who had waded into the water to assist them to get up onto East Pier It appears that their 14 foot fishing ski-boat capsized in the 2 to 3 meter sea swells as they were exiting the Kowie River Mouth to go to sea NSRI rescue swimmers and NSRI medics medically assessed the 2 men who were found to not be injured NSRI crew on our NSRI rescue craft established a towline to their capsized boat that we then towed to a sand bank nearby to our NSRI rescue base where the casualty boat was righted We towed their boat to a slipway where we assisted the 2 men to recover their boat NSRI commend the eyewitnesses for swiftly raising the alarm and we commend Kye McGregor for his assistance helping them out of the water 7 survival immersion suits found adrift near False Bay beaches We’re proud to announce that our newly rebuilt NSRI Station 21 in St Francis Bay is now officially open we held a blessing ceremony for two new state-of-the-art rescue vessels: the Spirit of St Francis III .. Gqeberha — The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) today officially celebrated the blessing of its latest state-of-the-art Offshore Rescue Craft (ORC) at a ceremony held at the PE Deep Sea Angling Club building Subscribe today for information about NSRI rescues The National Sea Rescue Institute commended a teen surfer from Port Alfred who rescued a family of three who got into difficulty at East Beach on Saturday Deputy station commander Gerrit Cloete said their duty crew was alerted to a drowning in progress where a brother and sister got caught in a rip current during the turn of high tide was exiting the water when he saw the two being swept out to sea and launched his surfboard to go to their assistance Cloete said the children’s 42-year-old mother also launched into the water to assist He said the incident was posted on a social media site and a friend of an NSRI crew member who happened to see the post alerted the NSRI Cloete said they activated their rescue swimmers and rescue craft 11 Alpha at around 10:40 am while the Gardmed ambulance service responded they found all three casualties on the beach The mother was taken to hospital for further treatment and later discharged while the brother and sister were not injured launched his board and went to the assistance of the siblings he also took the mom onto his board and managed to get all three safely ashore “Jason has been commended for his efforts that saved three lives,” Cloete said The sky’s the limit for selected learners after the official launch of a groundbreaking  R70-million aviation school studies programme launched by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane at Port Alfred’s 43 Air School on Friday January 17 a partnership between the provincial education department provincial government and Port Alfred High sees 50 learners in total – 25 Grade 10s and 25 from the matric class of 2024 – hand-picked to pursue aviation studies The post-matric pupils who were selected from 12 districts will receive training through 43 Air School as early as this year giving them a head start on obtaining a commercial pilot’s licence The basis for their selection included their maths and science results The second programme sees 25 Grade 10 pupils from 12 districts attend Port Alfred High School to receive tuition in aviation studies in addition to the standard curriculum They will attend 43 Air School to receive tuition in aviation studies on selected afternoons High-powered dignitaries attending the launch event in the 43 Air School hall included Mabuyane national and provincial education officials and business stakeholders The pupils who have been propelled into the aviation spotlight admitted they were both excited and nervous at the same time Alphendale High’s Hlumelo Kanzi from the matric class of 2024 said she thought it was touch and go whether she would be selected for the programme and had to pinch herself that she had finally made it “It’s really unbelievable; the tests (to qualify) were tricky but here I am today and I am very excited about that I do love flying actually as I have always been interested in aircraft and always been a dream of mine “I am so excited … looking forward to it … I am so ready for this opportunity My family is so proud; because they always knew I was interested in aviation and have been supportive of me,” said Kanzi who attained six distinctions in the 2024 matric exams He admitted at that moment his feelings were still mixed “I feel so stressed and excited at the same time; I don’t know how to explain it I can’t believe it that I will be training here at the Air School; I am really elated actually.” “Thoughts of being in aviation has always been a part of me since a young age… aircrafts and the entire engineering space … I have always been in love with it so when the opportunity came to join the air school I did not hesitate,” said Bauer who came brought his son all the way from Lusikisiki to support him “We’ve always supported him (Brendon) 100% … and this initiative is a great opportunity for the learners; we weren’t expecting so much.” The Grade 10 learners who will be attending Port Alfred High will be exposed to aviation studies through a study curriculum run by 43 Air School said she was feeling “wonderful” because the future was filled with opportunity “This journey is about discovering new things … becoming a better person  than I am so right now this is the start of that change.” Mbande said she would definitely pursue a career as a pilot and what she liked most about flying was “the thrill of actually being in the air” accompanied by provincial education MEC Fundile Gade and 43 Air School CEO Mabuyane expressed surprise at the number of students from other countries pursuing aviation studies at the school THis prompted him to say that he would like to see more young people “from our region” being exposed to aviation The department of basic education targeted previously disadvantaged learners to pursue aviation studies one of the questions that the many members of the media asked Mabuyane was whether he was concerned that the initiative might be viewed in some quarters as benefiting a privileged few “This is groundbreaking indeed; this part of our skills revolution for the Eastern Cape … we need to develop our young people,” was Mabuyane’s reply who are competent and can do the work in a developing world It is quite heartwarming because these youngsters would never have thought they would get this opportunity today to study aviation.” Mabuyane said as provincial government they would like to develop the initiative further in conjunction with the education department to the point that the focus was not only honed in on aviation per se “Our intention is to go bigger … to diversify and not only focus on pure aviation because the value chain is important So we would like to see them being trained in engineering skills (aeronautical engineering) Currently here (at 43 Air School) they are doing it on a limited scale We have told them (stakeholders) that we would like to grow and develop the initiative further and branch it out in to engineering to give young people an opportunity in that sector also,” said Mabuyane There are close to 200,000 learners who are going to battle to find space at universities this year … so there is huge competition therefore we should focus on growth frontiers that can develop skills “There are about 45,000 matrics who passed with a bachelors . I can tell you in the whole country there are close to 200,000 learners who are going to battle to find space at universities this year … so there is huge competition therefore we should focus on growth frontiers that can develop skills,” he added Education MEC Gade said he was a “happy” political head and described the initiative as a groundbreaking moment for the region and South Africa “Providing a gateway for the community we serve as lawmakers and regulators makes me happy You can’t only have (potential) pilots coming from across the globe (to study) without using your own capacity as provincial government “We are paying R1.4m per kid (bursary) as government so that we can have authority over the process.” The provincial education’s department’s concept document outlines the strategic objective of implementing an aviation curriculum in the province acting chief director for curriculum in the Eastern Cape and project leader says among the objectives are diversification of the curriculum to afford learners more opportunities needed in a developing world to address the skills mismatch between education and the labour market and to reduce the number of people in the NEET category and thereby reduce levels of unemployment “Phase 2 of the implementation is construction of a new school which will be situated adjacent to 43 Air School This facility will serve as the primary site for the full-scale aviation school with hostel facilities to accommodate learners from Port Alfred The school will supply the theoretical part of training and the air school the practical aspect and specialised training,” she said After the pilot project and completion of construction phase 3 (post-2025) will focus on the long-term sustainability of the programme This will involve expanding enrolment and continuously enhancing the curriculum to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of the school and relevance to market demands We have a long-term plan to build a full aero-maritime school here The school’s CEO Niemann said the process had been “long” to get to the official launch but felt “good” about the milestone achievement “I feel good … it’s  been a long process to get to this point and there have been severe challenges; it’s a programme that can be disruptive to our (current) operations if not managed correctly because we are a full school and a busy school but we decided to go that route to reach out to the local community and get the kids involved Niemann’s 43 Air School focuses on training pilots for commercial airliners or any feeder or private airliners with the qualifications obtained He says if growth leans towards expanding aviation studies as well as engineering studies they would have to boost infrastructure build “We have a long-term plan to build a full aero-maritime school here and partnering with the department of education but for the interim till we get there Port Alfred High has offered to start the programme What is every evident is that our facility is way too small for what’s needed;  we will need at least three of four schools in the Eastern Cape like this in time to come if we want to develop the programme further.” There were multiple incidents across the country between the period of Thursday 28 November and Tuesday 3 December including responses to a distress signal NSRI Simonstown duty crew were activated to assist CMR (Cape Medical Response) responding to Glencairn Beach tidal pool where CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) efforts were reportedly in progress on a 9 year old male who we believe had been rescued from the tidal pool following a drowning accident additional NSRI Simonstown crew were dispatched and WC Government Health EMS Metro Control were alerted reportedly on a small local school excursion to the beach had reportedly been rescued by members of the group from the tidal pool water who we believe may be part of the NGO accompanying the children and the school had conducted CPR on one of the children and a pulse and spontaneous breathing had been restored but the child was in a critical condition The second child was in a stable condition taken into the care of CMR paramedics CMR paramedics assisted the 2 doctors with medical treatment to the children The EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter was activated by EMS Metro Control NSRI Simonstown crew assisted on the scene including establishing a landing zone for the EMS/AMS Skymed helicopter The 9 year old child was airlifted to hospital aboard the EMS/AMS Skymed helicopter in the care of paramedics in a critical condition The second child was transported to hospital by CMR ambulance in a serious but stable condition including the involvement of a local school We believe that the 9 year old child remains in a critical condition in the care of doctors and nurses in hospital but is believed to be stable Thoughts are with the family of the child in this difficult time NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were activated following reports from Port Elizabeth International Airport ATC (Air Traffic Control) of pilots on a commercial regional aircraft reporting to have witnessed 2 red distress flares offshore in Algoa Bay An additional call was received by a local resident eyewitness reporting the sighting of the 2 red distress flares The NSRI rescue craft Rescue 6 and Rescue 6 Alpha were launched TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control were notified and Telkom Maritime Radio Services broadcast an all ships alert for that area for vessels to keep a sharp lookout Using advanced search technology an extensive grid pattern search area was established in cooperation with NSRI EOC (EmergencyOperations Centre) and NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers - an extensive search operation was commenced Despite the extensive sea and shoreline search that continued into the morning no signs of any vessels or persons in any distress were found NSRI and authorities are continuing to monitor but there remain no reports of anyone missing or overdue and the red distress flare activation remains a mystery NSRI Wilderness duty crew and Herolds Bay NSRI lifeguards were alerted following a request for assistance from a local lady reporting her brother to be on the coastal trail reporting that their Border Collie dog had fallen from a cliff and was stranded below the cliff about 50 to 70 meters down the cliff to the waters edge and they were unable to reach the dog below the steep cliffs The NSRI JetRib rescue craft Vee’s Rescuer was launched while our NSRI rescue vehicle and Herolds Bay NSRI lifeguards and a friend of theirs It was initially suspected that the dog may be in the water arrived on the scene where they determined that the dog had fallen off the cliff while playing with birds Vee’s Rescuer had arrived on the scene and remained offshore beyond the breakers while the 3 Herolds Bay NSRI lifeguards and their friend negotiated steep cliffs to reach the dog on the rocks on the waters edge finding the dog appearing to be bruised and shaken but otherwise okay were able to recover and secure the dog into a towel and climb up the cliffs back to the cliff path trail with the dog in their care increasing in urgency to escape the fading light they got the dog safely up the cliff and reunited the dog with the owner and accompanied them back to Herolds Bay Local resident Kobus Groenewald confirmed that “Lulu” and they monitored Lulu during the night for any signs and symptoms that may require a Vet’s care On Wednesday morning Lulu was seen to by a local Vet and confirmed to be uninjured and in good health Herolds Bay NSRI lifeguards and their friend said: NSRI Port Alfred attended to 3 incidents in the past days NSRI Port Alfred were alerted to a local around the world male solo sailor reporting steering failure to his 6 meter sailing yacht and on Friday afternoon NSRI launched to investigate but sea conditions in the Kowie River Mouth were not conducive to tow the sailing yacht through the river mouth NSRI Port Alfred launched rescue craft and towed the yacht safely to the small boat harbour where the yacht was moored without incident and repairs will be affected by the sailor NSRI Port Alfred launched rescue craft up the Kowie River to assist a turtle reported by bystanders to be appearing to be injured and in distress was recovered by NSRI Port Alfred rescue swimmers and brought to the NSRI Port Alfred station 11 rescue base aboard the NSRI rescue craft The turtle was transported to Bay World in Gqeberha for further care and NSRI is informed that the turtle will be transported to the V&A Aquarium for further medical care and rehabilitation NSRI Port Alfred duty crew were activated following reports from the Ndlambe Municipal beach manager of a drowning in progress at West Beach The beach manager had thrown the NSRI pink rescue buoy towards a local 20 year old male who was in difficulty in the surf but the pink rescue buoy had not reached the man who was in distress NSRI Port Alfred prepared to launch rescue craft and NSRI rescue swimmers responded directly to the scene who was nearby at the time and noticed the man in distress grabbed the NSRI pink rescue buoy and with his body boarding flippers on he launched into the water to assist the man Edward reached the casualty in the mid surf break where using the NSRI pink rescue buoy to aid the casualty to stay afloat he towed the casualty through the breakers safely to the beach following a medical assessment to the casualty and he was advised to keep a watch for non-fatal drowning symptoms who assisted in a similar case in 2022 at Kelly’s Beach for which he received an NSRI award is commended for saving the man's life.This is the 201st successful NSRI pink rescue buoy rescue no harm has come to any bystander using a pink rescue buoy to save a life since the inception of the NSRI pink rescue buoy program in 2017 UPDATE: A teenager is missing at East Beach citizen groups collaborate with SAPS in impressive operation Four suspected hijackers were arrested in Ndlambe on Thursday March 6 in a well coordinated operation involving the police and private security companies from Alexandria as well as Kenton-based neighbourhood watch group were pursued and caught on the R72 near the Boknes turnoff and in Dickerson Street Night Watch and Kenton community policing forum (CPF) chairperson Ferenc Toth said a Bolo (“be on the lookout”) alert had been posted on the Ndlambe Rapid Response group at 4.24pm on Thursday March 6 about a vehicle hijacked in Gqeberha “There were two vehicles being chased at high speed by the VCIU [Vehicle Crime Investigating Unit] of Mount Road Police Station “The alert stated that the vehicles were exiting Alexandria and heading towards Kenton-on-Sea.” Hi Tec Security Coastal and Night Watch were activated “VCIU SAPS managed to apprehend the suspects in the rental vehicle between Whitney Farm and Boknes turn off Hi Tec Security Coastal went and assisted VCIU at the take-down,” Toth said The car registration plates of the hijacked vehicle had been changed and that vehicle continued to speed eastwards on the R72 towards Port Alfred SAPS Port Alfred Commercial Crime Investigation Unit “Night Watch members with the use of the NAVIC camera network started searching for the vehicle in question,” Toth said The hijacked vehicle with the changed registration plates was soon spotted passing through Kenton-on-Sea “All this information was passed on to the various security agencies Makhanda Crime Prevention Unit and K9 Makhanda were blocking off the escape routes,” Toth said The vehicle was spotted parked in front of a takeaway outlet at a filling station on the R72 It was chased by three teams as it sped off into Lambert Street and was successfully pulled over in Dickerson Street “SAPS Port Alfred Crime Investigation Unit and K9 and VCIU Gqeberha “This was a great collaboration of all resources and security agencies to apprehend all the suspects and find the hijacked vehicle Sophisticated plant currently being trialed A sophisticated water treatment plant that will add 2.4 megalitres to Port Alfred’s stressed water supply will be fully operational by the end of February Councillors and media had a first-hand look at the town’s new water and waste water infrastructure and a status update during an oversight visit by MPL Retief Odendaal DA EC Spokesperson for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) was accompanied by Ndlambe Municipality’s DA caucus The group visited two sites on Tuesday January 28: the R16-million sewage pump station in Wharf Street and the R14m water treatment plant in Nemato On hand to provide expert information were Ndlambe Municipality’s water treatment manager and Johan Muller of Sizwe Amanzi which installed the new water filtration plant Sanyamandwe took questions at the new sewage pump station Sanyamandwe told the group the new structure built by LRC Civils was part of Ndlambe’s sewage treatment master plan and that the newly built Wharf Street structure was a critical part of it He said 32% of Port Alfred residents were connected to the main sewer line while the rest were still reliant on septic tanks or conservancy tanks “We are slowly but surely wanting to remove smaller pump stations from the system so that everyone is fully integrated with the new network We have had for too long a fragmented network with a number of sewage pump stations What we are doing is to eliminate all of that and replace it with a gravity-fed system,” he said he said Nemato was fully reticulated in terms of sewerage disposal and some pump stations had already been eliminated there He said the notorious Wharf Street pump station next to Putt Bridge would also be removed from the system when the main sewage pump station is up and running “We need to increase that percentage (32%) so we have more [sewage] flow coming through … we want enough sewage going through our waste water treatment works to be able to  feed our waste water reclamation plant,” said Sanyamandwe Ward 10 councillor Nadine Haynes reminded the group that the main contractor had taken took over the project from a company that had gone in to liquidation Sanyamandwe said a sub-contractor was due to be appointed to complete the installation of electrical panels as LRC was responsible only for the build of the project Odendaal was interested to know the duration of the contract the cost and the output of the treatment works once all the components were installed “We currently get 1.5ML to 2ML … but we can make it to 5ML “It is a multi-year project costing R16m and there are seven phases … and we are busy with phase 3 We are 85% done and the scheduled completion date is the  end of March.”  Ward 6 councillor Edward Walker questioned the contingency plans for power outages “There are three pumps and the backflow gets pumped into a tank which holds 3ML or 4ML and when the power [returns it will flow out,” said Scoccia Haynes asked about ongoing maintenance of the pumps “We have a lot of problems with our pump stations both on the water provision and [wastewater treatment] side,” Haynes said “Every time the Wharf Street pump station trips Sanyamandwe said there should be a tender in place in the next few months specifically for that He said the municipality was currently compiling [a service agreement] for the maintenance of the new sewage pump station Next was a visit to the new R14m  water filtration plant in Solomon Mahlangu Road A Sizwe Amanzi project team installed the water filtration plant is supervising the team managing the plant’s trial run operations fully fenced in and built into an enclosed steel shed is currently being trialled on a limited scale It is scheduled to start full operation by the end of February Port Alfred required 8-9ML of water per day and the current plant would add another 2.4ML to the existing supply Muller said the water filtration plant had a 10-year lifespan but that ongoing maintenance would be crucial “The technology is there and it’s proven itself because we have used it in many other locations,” Muller said Muller said the official handover to the municipality would take place next week “We will still be on site and educate other operators and run it concurrently with existing systems We (Sizwe Amanzi) can’t just walk away once it’s up and running: there is an ‘integrity period’ of two or three months and we have to show there have been no deviations…”   The system can be monitored and operated remotely “During my holiday I managed it remotely using my laptop via a HMI (Human Machine Interface),” Muller said The interface had made it possible for him to check both pressure and flow Odendaal gave Ndlambe Municipality the thumbs up for its efforts to have an effective water and sewage treatment operation in place who led the oversight visit at the invitation of the DA’s Ndlambe caucus said the municipality must be given credit for having made great strides since the drought a few years ago The DA MPL said the visit was important to check up on progress and development around water issues and to see where help could be rendered through feedback to Cogta “I think that Ndlambe is one of the better run municipalities in the Eastern Cape,” Odendaal said But insofar as what we see with many of the other municipalities that are ailing and failing you guys are moving in the right direction.”  Hospital-at-Home comes to Port Alfred A sombre mood prevails over the SA Schools Boat Races taking place on the Kowie River after the South African Police Service confirmed that emergency services had recovered the body of 16-year-old Lindokuhle Mbombo who is believed to have drowned at East Beach on Thursday afternoon “His body was found on Friday December 6 2024 around 2.15pm about 3km away from where he disappeared,” said SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli Police have opened an inquest docket for further investigation Lindokuhle who is a team rower from Soweto participating in the SA Schools Boat Races currently under way in Port Alfred is believed to have joined teammates for a swim at East Beach on Thursday afternoon The three teammates with Lindokuhle said when they emerged from the ocean police divers with assistance from the NSRI local emergency services and other relevant stakeholders began a search operation up until sunset (on Thursday),” Nkohli said the search resumed and the body was located in the afternoon “The formal identification of Lindokuhle has been concluded.” The tragedy occurred outside of the rowing programme “We are being guided by the SAPS and NSRI and relevant emergency services concerning the incident.” A source who coaches one of the Eastern Cape rowing teams and who is close to the family told Talk of the Town that Lindokuhle’s parents had already arrived in the town following the tragedy The source said though it was too late to save the life of Lindokuhle they believed information sessions in respect of rules to follow when swimming in the area should be conducted with the young rowers when they arrive Rowing South Africa (RowSA) said they were deepy saddened the death of Lindokuhle in what authorities believed was a tragic accidental drowning “Our hearts are broken by the loss of such a promising young talent,” the organisation said “We extend our deepest condolences and prayers to his loved ones RowSA had representatives on-site in Port Alfred “to provide support and trauma counselling to Lindokuhle’s family friends and others affected by this devastating event” the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and all others involved in the search efforts “We ask for understanding and privacy for the familyu and rowing community as they grieve this immense loss.” RowSA said that if members of the public would like to support the family during this difficult time they could donate to: Y Ntsala Capitec Bank 1272677662 Talk of the Town understands that Lindokuhle’s team withdrew from the event after the incident and that some of the rowers in other teams have opted to wear black armbands in their honour of Lindokuhle and his teammates Last weekend an alert member of the public who was relaxing at Guido’s restaurant across tat West Beach rescued a 20-year-old man who got in to difficulties at West Beach used an NSRI Pink Rescue Buoy to tow the exhausted swimmer through the rough sea safely on to the beach Police are on the scene of an assault and an apparent kidnapping attempt in a suburb on Port Alfred’s West Bank South African Police Spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy said a business owner was assaulted this evening by a group of armed suspects who tried to forcefully push him into his car “It is further alleged that the suspects fled the scene with the vehicle of the victim and that the vehicle was later found abandoned not far away,” McCarthy said Talk of the Town will report further when more details are available ActionSA calls for the immediate suspension of the principal of Port Alfred High School and the dismissal of the Eastern Cape MEC for Education as the two-year cover-up continues to deny justice to the victim and leaves the school under the ongoing leadership of a predator the Eastern Cape Department of Education continues to take no action following the May 2024 ruling by the Commission for Conciliation engaged in conduct that was “unwelcome and of a sexual nature“ the CCMA also declared that “there was sexual harassment” and ordered a full investigation the Eastern Cape Department of Education has failed to suspend Mr Adams or initiate any necessary disciplinary measures as ordered by the CCMA the urgency for immediate action has never been more urgent The Eastern Cape Department of Education’s blatant failure to prioritise the safety of learners and educators at Port Alfred High School is deeply concerning Despite persistent appeals from the school community the department has allowed the principal to remain in his position reflecting a shocking disregard for accountability and a disturbing abuse of power ActionSA consequently approached the Minister of Basic Education requesting her to intervene and direct the Eastern Cape Department of Education to end its ongoing inaction In what can only be described as an act of defiance the provincial department disregarded the Minister’s appeals for immediate action by acting in defiance of the CCMA’s order and the Minister’s directive the provincial department is protecting a sexual predator and undermining the safety and well-being of both learners and educators ActionSA joins calls for the immediate suspension of the principal pending a full investigation and for the immediate dismissal of Eastern Cape MEC for Education whose inaction has perpetuated an environment where sexual misconduct bears no consequences Excavation at the west end of Putt Bridge in Port Alfred has had business owners despairing about lost trade during their busiest period of the year; and residents coming from miles to marvel at the massive hole What was intended to be a three-day project to re-lay a section of sewerage has turned out much bigger and more complicated has experienced frequent sewage spills over the past few years Talk of the Town reported that prime tenants of the area’s riverfront gem a 2000-metres-square complex that spans numbers 31-37 and is listed for sale at R20.5 million were frustrated and angry at the effect these were having on their operations and they often turn around and go somewhere else: if there isn’t a current sewage spill then it’s piles of paving stones and excavations left uncovered It leaves a very bad impression for visitors,” said one business owner at the time Ndlambe Municipality vowed to pursue a long-term Investigations by Lukhozi Consulting Engineers had found that the spills were mainly caused by fat deposits in the sewerage pipe that reduced its actual diameter (160mm) to around 100mm along with a chemical to dissolve the deposits Further maintenance was scheduled for mid-November In a notice issued to local businesses and dated November 20 the municipal manager explained that because of multiple underground services Maintenance work would start on Wednesday November 27 and end on Saturday November 30 Van der Riet Street will be closed to all traffic,” the notice read “Businesses located on this street are advised to make necessary arrangements as access may be temporarily restricted.” stunned residents and business owners looked aghast at what was already a massive hole and was rapidly getting bigger While business owners appreciated that Ndlambe Municipality and its contractors took the time to brief them and answer questions earlier this week it didn’t allay their concerns about losing trade “It couldn’t have happened at a worse time of the year,” said owner-manager of Kowie Hardware “They have explained to us how it happened – that when they did the exploratory digging they discovered a hornet’s nest of other issues But unfortunately for us and other businesses in the street The contractors were doing their best to move the rubble “We’ve had to create a new entrance – but there’s trucks going back and forth Our deliveries aren’t arriving because the couriers say they don’t know how to get to us; customers have phoned us to ask if we’re open “[Ndlambe’s contractors] have promised to complete the work by the 13th and have cleaned up by the 20th But for 90% of the people in Van der Riet Street the only trade is [for the grocery retail stores] “Maybe the restaurants will get a little bit of business – but no one is buying hardware or furniture in the week between Christmas and New Year,” Gerber said one business owner asked if Van der Riet Street businesses would receive compensation from the municipality for loss of income The answer had been a firm ‘no’,” Gerber said usually buzzing with customers during December “Their trade usually reaches them on foot – but people don’t want to walk through sewage and mud,” Gerber said Talk of the Town was not able to reach the furniture retailer for comment Hannes Motors is closest to the digging and is the most severely affected “[The contractors] are helping by opening the way a bit so we can get in and out But there are customers who didn’t show up and when I phoned and asked them said the issue with the repairs was the timing “This is a job that has been in the making for four years We’ve been told repeatedly it requires a highly experienced engineer But they have started it less than two weeks before tourists arrive and only days before the [schools] boat race there’s a huge pile of sand and no access to Van der Riet Street unless you go around via Campbell Street All the shops around there are tourism-based shops… and this is already starting to affect business We are paying extra for this because of poor planning.” Port Alfred Business Forum chairperson Clinton Millard who also owns Van der Riet Street based business Multi Security “We need the work to be done: we need it to be fixed so we have to try and manage the situation [Infrastructure director] Dr Vithi has gone out of her way to help the businesses through this period “It’s not ideal that it’s happening at this time; but having the right contractors in place and having the municipality engaging with us to try and figure out what the problem is has made it a bit easier.” Lukhozi Consulting Engineers is contracted to carry out the installation of sewerage on Port Alfred’s *East Bank Because the Van der Riet Street sewage spills were thought to be solveable through replacing a relatively short section of pipe they were called away from their core contract to attend what should have been a quick fix But it turned out that fatty deposits constricting flow were not the only issue: the slope for the sewerage line was also incorrect Adding to the chaos they found underground was the bi-daily high tide and also made the excavation bigger than planned The contractors confirmed that they would re-lay the line between the manhole in Main Street and the last manhole in Van der Riet Street; however this section would have to be extended and the connecting point moved further back It’s become a lot bigger than what we anticipated.” the road substructure will be rebuilt in layers: first After that they will start with the fill – two different grades of gravel All of this will need to be compacted before the paving is replaced I don’t foresee the job being finished by the 13th,” Gerber said Mystery still surrounds the origin of more than 5 000 medicine containers that washed up along East Beach in Port Alfred this week which is manufactured in the United States is believed to be Diclofenac 75mg and Glipizide and supposedly came from a shipping container that fell off a ship along the port St In a statement released by the Ndlambe Municipality on Tuesday they confirmed that they had alerted the Sarah Baartman Disaster Management Centre and the Provincial Disaster Management Centre They said they alerted authorities regarding a "concerning incident involving possible shipping containers." Community Protection Services Deputy Director Fanie Fouche said they received a call from the fire station at 07:00 on Tuesday They reported that medical containers were found along East Beach "We immediately activated our Environmental Compliance Unit which spent three hours on the beach collecting bottles of tablets the bakkie is fully loaded with containers,” he said The collected medication has been handed over to Port Alfred Hospital for disposal Fouche emphasized the potential dangers of consuming the medication He urged the public to refrain from opening them or consuming their contents Port Alfred Hospital Pharmacist Robert Smith said he learned about the situation through WhatsApp groups Smith identified the drugs as Diclofenac 75mg and Glipizide which were manufactured in the United States "These medicines were likely shipped to South Africa as part of an import shipment.” warning the public against consuming the medications “It is unknown how long these medicines have been in the sea they must be brought to the hospital for proper disposal "We will seek further guidance from the district and disaster management," he said Mkhululi Ndamase said the shipment was not destined for the Eastern Cape "We suspect that these were from a shipping container that fell off a ship along the port St Residents are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious containers found along the coastline to local authorities immediately The fishermen reported that the man that they had discovered washing up on the beach was suffering injuries and urgent assistance was required They reported that the casualty told them that after falling into the water at West Pier he was swept out through the river mouth and then waves swept him towards the beach where he managed to swim to reach East Pier Beach who had also been washed into the Kowie River NSRI medics and NSRI rescue swimmers responded directly to both East and West Piers An NSRI Port Alfred rescue vehicle was dispatched while additional NSRI crew responded to West Pier to see if they could find the missing fisherman The NSRI Port Alfred rescue craft Lotto Challenger was launched and on arrival on the scene the missing man was almost immediately located caught in amongst rocks along the West Pier's shoreline where waves were battering him in amongst and up against the rocks and the pier wall Meanwhile at East Pier NSRI medics had initiated medical treatment to the man who had swum ashore hypothermia and non-fatal drowning symptoms It was confirmed from that 22 year old that he had been washed out the river mouth before being able to use the wave sets to swim to shore where then the fishermen on East Pier assisted him on the beach while they raised the alarm a local man (who had by now been found by the NSRI crew on the rescue craft below West Pier) At West Pier the NSRI rescue craft reached within 10 meters of the casualty and held position by using full reverse thrust against the strong outgoing tide Despite waves breaking over the rescue vessel an NSRI rescue swimmer was deployed into the water where he secured the casualty who was semi submerged in the water and trapped in amongst and up against rocks and the pier wall Despite challenging conditions with an outgoing tide lowered a rope line to the rescue swimmer and to the casualty The rescue swimmer secured the casualty into a life-jacket and with the rope line secured around him and a rope recovery system rigged on the pier he was initially assisted out from the entrapment (from in amongst the rocks) before being recovered onto the pier wall - using the rope and rig 3 NSRI crew and a bystander (a local car guard) assisted to pull the casualty up onto the pier wall using the rope NSRI had by that stage activated an off-duty Gardmed private ambulance services paramedic who joined NSRI at West Pier where medical treatment on the patient had been commenced by NSRI medics - the patient The NSRI rescue swimmer was recovered onto the rescue craft EC Government Health EMS ambulance services had been activated by NSRI and 2 EMS ambulances responded to both the East Pier and to the West Pier Following both patients being stabilised on the scene they were transported to hospital by EMS ambulances NSRI has determined that after the patients were stabilised at a local hospital they have both been transported by ambulance to hospital in Gqeberha The swift response and effort to rescue the man that was trapped at East Pier is commended A teenager suffers non-fatal drowning symptoms - OUDEKRAAL South Africa (11 February 2025) – A normal day out riding the surf took a quick turn when a local teenager noticed a brother and sister caught in a rip current at East Beach has been lauded for his quick thinking and bravery after rescuing three family members at East Beach on Saturday morning According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) the incident occurred during high tide when a 12-year-old boy and his 19-year-old sister were caught in a strong rip current Their 42-year-old mother then entered the water in an attempt to assist was exiting the water after a surfing session when he noticed the trio struggling “Using his surfboard he went to their assistance loading both casualties onto his surfboard and paddling he also took the mom onboard his surfboard and he managed to get all three of them safely ashore,” said Gerrit Cloete Cloete added that the incident had also been posted to a social media site an NSRI crew member’s friend had seen the post on social media and raised the alarm Rescue swimmers and the NSRI rescue vehicle responded to the scene while the NSRI Port Alfred crew responded to the NSRI Port Alfred station 11 rescue base where they launched the NSRI rescue craft Rescue 11 Alpha all three casualties were found safely on the beach before being assessed by paramedics They also acknowledged the crucial role played by the individual who spotted the social media post and raised the alarm The NSRI urges the public in Port Alfred and surrounding areas to prioritise water safety and to contact them immediately in any water-related emergency The NSRI Port Alfred emergency duty phone number is 082 990 5971 You can also contact the NSRI National Emergency Operations Centre at 087 094 9774 or dial 112 from a cell phone "a2d17fb863629f9c5c5ede8afe9be10d" );document.getElementById("d2d9e305b5").setAttribute( "id" PEARLY BEACH: Jean le Roux, NSRI Hermanus coxswain, said: At 18h07, Thursday, 3 April, NSRI Hermanus, NSRI Agulhas, the SA Police Services and a WC Government Health EMS rescue squad responded to Castle Beach at Pearly Beach following reports of a suspected drowning in progress. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a man, with a bald head or with light hair, suspected to may have been in difficulty or who appeared to be too deep in the water and then they (eyewitnesses reportedly) could no longer see the man. NSRI rescue vehicles from NSRI Hermanus and from NSRI Agulhas, towing NSRI rescue craft, NSRI rescue swimmers, Police and a Metro Rescue squad responded. Police WPDS (Water Policing and Diving Services) were alerted. 2 NSRI rescue craft launched to search in and beyond the surf zone and shoreline search efforts were conducted at Castle Beach and beyond. Eyewitnesses had already left the scene when rescue services arrived. Despite an extensive search no signs of the man suspected to have gone missing in the water was located. There remains no missing persons report opened that may be related to this case. Gansbaai Police Station are monitoring and at this stage there is no new information to go on. Kerryn van der Walt, NSRI Port Alfred duty coxswain, said: At 15h37, Thursday, 3 April, NSRI Port Alfred duty crew were activated by Multi Security following reports from a Multi Security beach marshal of a person in trouble in the water at East Beach, near to the East Beach Pier. The NSRI Port Alfred rescue craft, Rescue 11 Alpha, was launched while the NSRI Port Alfred rescue vehicle, NSRI rescue swimmers and Multi Security responded. On arrival on the scene a 13 year old male was found safely on the beach. He had been surfing when, it appears, he may have collided with East Beach Pier before being assisted from the water by the Multi Security beach marshal and by a bystander Good Samaritan. With only minor scrapes and bruises the teenager was released into the care of his parents, who we believe are both doctors. No other incidents were reported in the area of Port Alfred on Thursday. NSRI are appealing to the maritime community - between Cape Town and Langebaan - to keep a sharp lookout for a man who is missing - last known to be in the water somewhere offshore in the vicinity between Koeberg and Grotto Bay. 48 year old David van der Merwe, a local white male, was reported to be in distress offshore of Melkbosstrand on Wednesday, 2 April, late afternoon. NSRI Melkbosstrand, BBSL (Big Bay Surf Lifeguards), WC Government Health EMS rescue squad drone unit, the SA Police Services, an AGA helicopter (Aerios Global Aviation) dispatched by MRCC - Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, and West Coast coast watchers, conducted extensive search efforts until after midnight but no signs of the missing man were found. NSRI Table Bay, NSRI Yzerfontein, NSRI Mykonos, Police WPDS (Water Policing and Diving Services), Police Sea Borderline Control, CoCT (City of Cape Town) Law Enforcement and DFFE (Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment) are informed. An all ships alert was posted by Telkom Maritime Radio Services. We are appealing to the maritime community along the West Coast to keep a sharp lookout. Thoughts are with the family of the missing man in this difficult time. Kloofing party evacuated from gorge on Kaaimans River Rotary Port Alfred have embarked on an initiative in line with its international controlling body to create awareness of the polio disease that is still afflicting some countries of the world, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Rotary members sold cupcakes at Rosehill Mall, Port Alfred on Wednesday last week, October 24 –  World Polio Day –  to raise funds and create awareness about the disease. Rotary International who began the Polio Awareness project as far back as 1985 and with initial target to raise $120-million to help fight the disease, believes the threat is not yet over.  In 1988, Rotary International and the World Health Organisation launched the Polio Eradication Initiative, covering an estimated 350,000 cases in 125 countries.  Rotary says its total contribution so far to polio eradication across the world exceeds $500m.   “Countries where polio was once eliminated are relaxing their vaccination efforts, mistakenly thinking the threat is over,” says Rotary International’s Maddy Webber who was at the cupcake stand at Rosehill Mall. “But polio is actually only a flight away. This tragic reality has been highlighted again recently in Gaza, where the threat has resurfaced.”  Webber says to understand the polio disease, currently there is a distinction between wild poliovirus (WPV)  and vaccine-derived poliovirus.  Wild poliovirus (WPV) is a naturally occurring strain of poliovirus that can be prevented and eliminated through vaccination.  The vaccine-derived polio occurs when the weakened vaccine virus in the oral polio vaccine mutates in to a stronger, paralysing virus.   WPV is highly infectious and can cause irreversible paralysis.  “Pakistan and Afghanistan are still WPV polio endemic countries,” says Webber.   “And though countries like Egypt, Niger, and Nigera have been declared WPV-free by the World Health Organisation in 2020, they are not free of vaccine-derived polio virus. The same applies to India,” adds Webber.  Rotary Port Alfred’s effort in creating awareness about the disease is part of its international mandate of making it the organisation’s signature cause. Webber says Rotary Port Alfred and its branches across the world remain committed to this cause until polio is eradicated all around the globe.  “For example, while Africa has been declared wild polio-free, the fight is not yet over. Polio still exists in other parts of the world and vigilance is key to ensuring it does not return to the African continent,” says Webber. Talk of the Town is the weekly newspaper of record for the community of Ndlambe and serves readers in and around Port Alfred, Kenton on Sea, Bushman's River Mouth, Alexandria, Kleinemond, and Makhanda. Port Alfred police are investigating a case of attempted kidnapping and theft of motor vehicle after an incident in Falcon Street on Port Alfred’s West Bank. South African Police Service spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy said that reports received were that on Wednesday Dcember 18 around 6.30pm, a 34-year-old business owner arrived at his home, after closing up at his shop. The man is an immigrant from Ethiopia. “He noticed a white Nissan hardbody double cab approaching him from the front. Four (4) male suspects, all armed with hand firearms got out of the Nissan Hardbody and told the complainant to get inside their vehicle,” McCarthy said. When he refused, the four men started to assault him and tried to force him into their vehicle. He resisted until the men eventually released him and fled the scene with his vehicle, a white VW Polo, and the white Nissan Hardbody. The vehicle of the assaulted businessman was later found abandoned on the R72 outside Port Alfred, where it was left after being involved in an accident. “The complainant sustained head injuries and was taken for medical treatment at Port Alfred Hospital,” McCarthy said. “The investigation continues.” CAPE TOWN - The body of a 16-year-old teenager who went missing at Ndlambe Beach in Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, has been found. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said the boy disappeared in the surf zone while swimming with friends at the beach on Thursday. Spokesperson Craig Lambinon said a search by NSRI, alongside lifeguards, police and other emergency services led to the teen’s recovery on Friday. "While formal identification by family is in progress, the body located and recovered is believed to be the missing teenager, age 16, from Soweto, Gauteng. Family are in the care of police, Forensic Pathology Services, Ndlambe Municipal authorities, Chaplain Services and the rowing sports community. Condolences are conveyed to family and friends of the deceased teenager." Lambinon added that the rip current has been the cause of recent fatal drownings over the past few weeks. Sections A seasoned filmmaker with a passion for storytelling Sakhe Jele has made a name for himself in the competitive world of entertainment With a career spanning multiple continents this talented individual has finally found a place to call home – Port Alfred “I’ve always been drawn to the tranquil lifestyle that Port Alfred offers,” Jele reveals I need a peaceful environment to focus on my craft Port Alfred provides the perfect setting for me to work on my scripts Jele’s connection to Port Alfred is more than just aesthetics Having lived in Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha during his younger years he’s always been fascinated by the charm of Port Alfred but Port Alfred has stolen my heart,” he confesses Jele plans to give back to the community through social responsibility initiatives “I’d love to impart my skills to the youth in Port Alfred perhaps through workshops or mentorship programs,” he shares “I’ve done something similar in Los Angeles donating soccer equipment to underprivileged kids in Dutywa I’d be happy to continue this work in Port Alfred.” As he prepares to make the move to Port Alfred he’s excited to start this new chapter of his life “I’m hoping to be in South Africa by May and then I’ll split my time between here and Port Alfred,” he explains Port Alfred will become my main base it’s where I want to settle down and make a real difference.”  Jele hopes to make a lasting impact in his new home A well-known family-run automotive business in the Eastern Cape is spreading its wings with the opening of a Suzuki dealership in Port Alfred Lens Auto from Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) is the owner of Hyundai in the historic town as well as the TyreMart Lens Auto Sales (used cars) and Lens Auto Repairs The business was established over four decades ago in the town known for the famous Rhodes University and the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court it expanded its operations to Port Alfred with another TyreMart and Lens Auto Sales followed in March this year with the opening of a Suzuki dealership in the town about a 40 minute-drive from the main business in Makhanda “We are extremely excited about our new Suzuki franchise and the first three months of doing business have exceeded our expectations by far,” Steven van der Merwe Dealer Principal and a Director of Lens Auto “Our Suzuki showroom is in Port Alfred and the workshop and parts department at our established premises in Makhanda Soon after we acquired the Hyundai franchise in 2007 we began a drop and go for Hyundai customers in Port Alfred to have their vehicles serviced in Makhanda We will follow the same plan now for our new Suzuki customers in Port Alfred with their vehicles being serviced in Makhanda Customers just need to drop their vehicle off at the Port Alfred showroom by 07:30 and we will have them ready for them to collect by 16:45 “In small towns like Makhanda and Port Alfred The reason why we could keep going for over 40 years is the way my dad hard work and assisting people where possible to try and save them money form the foundation he laid taught us the correct way to do things in a proper fashion to keep our customers coming back to us my brother Robert has taken charge of the TyreMart branches,” Steven says Asked about future plans regarding consolidating all the dealership divisions (sales and service) on one premises Steven says the uncertainty about the future of the High Court in Makhanda keeps them from taking a decision at this stage “The High Court in Makhanda might move to Bisho and with Makhanda known and built on the foundations of education and law such a move will have a severe impact in the town which forces us to be cautious about immediate expansions plans “The motor industry is already going through deep waters so to speak and for us here in Makhanda the possible move of the court to another town will have a severe impact on business That is why we are thankful and excited to have the opportunity to open Suzuki in Port Alfred,” he tells us Steven says that above and beyond the established relationship with customers in both towns and other surrounding areas We are privileged to have a great team and we are constantly looking at ways to improve their circumstances and further their training “Another important relationship is between us and the two OEMs whose products we sell We are truly impressed with the way Suzuki and Hyundai have engaged with us and particularly with how our relationship with Suzuki South Africa kicked off I feel that we are good ambassadors of the brands based on our track record – and while Suzuki is still new we have been Hyundai Dealer of the Year twice before (2015 & 2022) and runner-up at last year’s awards,” Steven tells Dealerfloor Steven says although it is still too early to say if the third generation of Van der Merwe’s will follow in his and his father’s footsteps we certainly hope at least one of them will Steven himself spent four years working at a Land Rover dealership and 10 years at a Mercedes-Benz dealer both in London in the United Kingdom before returning to South Africa in 2012 “I hope that we will have more certainty regarding our High Court in the near future and a stable political landscape going forward all being factors that influence business conditions we are super excited about Suzuki opening in Port Alfred as their vehicles are coming in at the right price point for our market and have a great value-for-money offering along with a very good reputation for reliability and excellent fuel consumption “Suzuki backs their product with a 5-year/200 000 km warranty on all their passenger vehicles they are going to make serious inroads in this part of the world,” Steven concludes Well-known South African racing driver and competitor at the annual Simola Hillclimb died this weekend when his Lotus left the road Mitsubishi Motors South Africa was presented with the Top Performer award in the After-sales – Customer Experience category at the brand’s recent annual global after-sales business excellence awards ceremony in Thailand The South African new-vehicle market showed its resilience yet again during April this year with an 11.9% increase compared to the same month last year This is notwithstanding the number of public holidays that manifested in long weekends with school holidays in between The transition from a career in the OEM environment to the business at dealership level was like chalk and cheese Audi Centre Sandton was named 2024 Dealer of the Year while Hatfield Motor Group walked away with the coveted 2024 Dealer Group of the Year prize during Audi South Africa’s annual Vorsprung Awards For a dealership to make an 180-degree U-turn within two years and then went on to win the overall Volkswagen Dealer of the Year award This dealer-focussed innovation is made possible with the support and endorsement of Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance All content copyright of Panthera Media Pty Ltd 2020 We use cookies to personalise content and ads and to analyse our traffic and improve our service You consent to cookies if you continue to use our website Annual Pineapple tournament features 28 teams With just over two weeks to go before Port Alfred’s institution that is Pineapple Cricket Week hits off on Saturday March 8 preparations are on track for the 121st hosting of the historic tournament Pineapple Cricket’s incoming committee president says all fields to be used for the annual festival of cricket are in good nick for the tournament fields where pitches have been vandalised such as the Hilpert Fields will be fixed up in time for the tournament The venues that will see 28 teams involved in over 50 fixtures in a week of exciting cricket are Port Alfred High School A & B fields PAHS hosts the A & B division finals on Saturday March 15 Amm who has an acute knowledge of turf wickets and pitches “All the fields have been cut and levelled and they are certainly looking in fantastic condition we will cut them twice so they can look well-manicured; so we are very excited about that side of it.”     Amm says the fixture schedules and participating teams have all been finalised Jeffrey’s Bay Cricket Club and Standard CC from Cradock there’s always a waiting list of teams wanting to play at Pineapple and the list just gets bigger and bigger each year “We are going to be playing four sections this year on a strength v strength basis; it’s always competitive and we know it (tournament) will be played in a great spirit.”  The Monday of each Pineapple week as tradition dictates throws up a legends game where all the big names of yesteryear grace the fields of the Port Alfred Country Club in an East Legends v West Legends fixture  “We’ve got two legends teams probably over-50s managed by Walter Biggs and Justin Stirk … we are playing from 10am at the Port Alfred Country Club At 3pm we will be having a lunch where AD Birrell (former Ireland and Sunrisers EC coach) will be our guest speaker.”  On Friday March 14 Pineapple Cricket Week hosts a lunch for the sponsors at Port Alfred CC “We’ll watch some cricket too in between … it’s an opportunity for sponsors stakeholders and friends to get real value through interacting with each other and to ensure support of the cricket is a benefit and not just a donation,” he added Rosehill SuperSpar and Kowie Toyota Port Alfred are the main sponsors of Pineapple Cricket Week and Amm is thankful for their ongoing commitment and other smaller sponsors who have come on board to give their support to the spectacle   Pineapple Cricket Week is an organisational feat with all role-players from the committee to club administrators and sponsors having to work together to ensure its success Amm says this collaboration has once again been of the usual high standard Everyone has been so committed to assist and committed to making it a great spectacle It’s been a great pleasure being a part of it and everyone has collaborated beautifully Amm who still plays in Salem’s 2nd league side has  been associated with the game for many decades – from administrator to pitch management and now in his new role of committee president “It’s been intimidating at times but having Dave Duncan (former president) who has stayed on as part of the committee and Megan McCallum (marketing/PR) have been an absolute game-changer “So what we’ll do is to make sure that with the next incoming chairperson that the outgoing person will stay on to assist the new incumbent so it doesn’t become too intimidating in the beginning without Dave and Megan and the rest of the committee together with the few co-opted members … everyone is hands-on.”  Amm says the plan is to further develop Pineapple Cricket locally and in other regions of Ndlambe “The more we can develop our facilities in Port Alfred the more teams we can invite but we are not only going to develop facilities here; we’ve got plans to branch out in to Kenton-on-Sea and Makhanda to help develop community cricket in those areas.”  Amm is high in his praise of Cricket South Africa who over the years have dug deep in to coffers to develop and support Pineapple Cricket Week “The Pineapple Cricket community are extremely grateful for the generous support of Cricket SA who have put in really a lot of money to assist with the tournament …  it’s great that our Mother Body is interested in what we are doing to develop cricket in our communities.”  A man arrested following a fatal shooting in Station Hill on Sunday was due to appear in court on Tuesday 28 January South African Police Service spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy said The incident occurred around 5pm on Sunday January 26 Port Alfred police are investigating a case of murder “Members attended to a shooting complaint at Fern Street Port Alfred on Sunday 26 January at about 5pm,” McCarthy said members found a 39-year-old man lying in front of his residence declared dead on the scene by emergency medical services.” It was alleged that around 4.50pm on Saunday a 47-year-old man came to the residence of the deceased took out a firearm and fired a shot at a shack in the back yard “It is further alleged that the deceased The 47-year-old suspect fired a shot directly at the deceased that hit him in the chest.” “Police arrested the suspect on the scene and recovered a fire arm with ammunition found on the scene The… suspect is due to appear before the Port ALfred Magistrate’s Court [Tuesday] The motive had not yet been established and formed part of the investigation