A very big thank you to the local business owners who took the initiative to transform this Norfolk island Pine tree (Araucaria heterophylla) in Swallow Park for the holiday season.

Your time and effort to create these displays for everyone to enjoy is much appreciated.

Human Wildlife Solutions (HWS) was appointed by Overstrand Municipality to assist with baboon management in baboon affected areas, effective from 1 July 2020 until end June 2023 in a phased-in approach. 

The first phase of the programme focused on the Voëlklip troop and taking over the community project in Pringle Bay.

Phase 2 was to add Onrus, Vogelgat and the Betty’s Bay/Kleinmond troop by 1 November 2020. 

Kleinmond only has troops for a few weeks a year.  It is not expected that there will be any baboons in Kleinmond over the festive season, but if they are seen to be crossing the Palmiet Bridge, they can be stopped and directed back as a short-term solution.

As the campaign comes to an end, Overstrand Municipality's Social Department handed out care packs comprised of toiletries for adult victims, disposable nappies and baby formula to SAPS Trauma Rooms in Hermanus, Kleinmond, Stanford and Gansbaai.

According to Ronell Salies, the Overstrand Municipal Thusong Centre Co-ordinator, these are much needed items - "especially over the festive season where we see an increase in abuse against women and children. In support of this initiative we say, “enough is enough”.

On receiving the care pack for victims of abuse serviced by the Hermanus Police Station, Captain Fadila September said, “Thank you so much for this donation.  These items will bring comfort and offer relief to those women and children who unfortunately find themselves in need of our assistance.”

On Friday, 11 December 2020, Overstrand Municipality awarded bursaries to four deserving students within the municipal area who are pursuing their tertiary studies in die 2021 academic year.

The learners are Kyle Philander (Hermanus), Mia Burgess (Gansbaai), Renaldo Dickson (Stanford) and Liam Africa (Hawston).

The aim of this programme is to support students who are performing academically; have a real interest in uplifting and changing the community for the better; and who shows his/her potential but do not have the financial means to study towards a qualification.

Bursaries are awarded within fields relating to local government, in particular the fields of Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain Management, Internal Audit, Risk Management, Economics and Infrastructure.

We wish the students a fruitful year and urge them to take every opportunity offered by the bursary programme and the higher education institutions to better their education.