The following press release has been issued by Eskom regarding the recent unplanned outage delays of power supply to customers in Onrus and surrounding areas.

On Saturday, 6 February 2021 and Wednesday, 10 February 2021, electricity supply restoration was delayed to customers in Onrus and affected surrounding areas at the end of the determined period of load shedding.

These delays were caused by planned maintenance work, which had to be completed by Eskom technicians on the Onrus electrical network.

The maintenance work created an abnormal network condition, which was further strained due to cold load problems that resulted in supply only being restored 5.5 hours and 2 hours respectively later than the allowed period of 2.5 hours of load shedding.

The troopship, HMS Birkenhead, sank in the early hours of 26 February 1852. To ensure that even after 169 years the courage of the men that day is not forgotten, a remembrance service is annually held on (25 and) 26 February in various towns around the world.

In Gansbaai, the event usually includes a small remembrance ceremony at sea close to the rock where the Birkenhead was wrecked and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Danger Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse was erected in 1895 in order to warn ships of the dangerous reef, and overlooks the Birkenhead Rock where HMS Birkenhead met her sad fate.

This year the ceremony at the Danger Point Lighthouse could not be held due to Covid-19 restrictions. True to tradition, a boat trip to Birkenhead Rock took place on the morning of 25 February 2021 (as bad weather predicted for the 26th). After a short message and prayer, fynbos and lavender were cast into the sea in remembrance of those who lost their lives.

Tender SC2132/2020: Supply and Delivery of Construction Material for a contract period ending 30 June 2023, was awarded by the Accounting Officer on 18 December 2020 after a recommendation by the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) on a BAC meeting held on Monday, 14 December 2020.

All bidders including the successful and unsuccessful bidders were informed of the final award of the tender on 21 December 2020 but was subjected to a Paragraph 49 objection period of 14 days in terms of the Municipal Supply Chain Management Regulations and a Section 62 appeal period of 21 days in terms of the Municipal Systems Act (MSA) of 21 days.  The objection- and appeal periods lapsed on 04 January 2021 and 11 January 2021 respectively. 

At a virtual Council meeting held on Wednesday, 24 February 2021, Overstrand Executive Mayor Dudley Coetzee, congratulated the Overstrand Matric Learners of 2020 on their achievements, despite the difficult circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Burgemeester Coetzee het die graad 12-leerders, wat uitsonderlik presteer het by hul onderskeie skole, vereer vir hul uitmuntende akademiese prestasies na afloop van die 2020 eksamens.

In sy toespraak het die Burgemeester vir Danie Gouws, van Hoërskool Hermanus, geluk gewens met sy uitstekende wiskunde-uitslae wat hom eerste in die land plaas.  “Ons is trots op jou en dankie dat jy jou skool en die Overstrand se naam hoog hou,” het hy geprys.