In celebration of her first year in office, the Executive Mayor Dr Annelie Rabie is to host a festival at the Municipal grounds in Hermanus on Friday, 9 December from 14:00 till 18:00. This is to be followed by her official one-year-in-office address which will be delivered in the Hermanus Auditorium at 18:15.

Dr Rabie has already extended an invitation to all crafters and foodies in the Overstrand municipality to put up stalls free of charge for the day at the venue, and she has also invited all local artists to partake in an “Arts in the Park” exhibition.

The festival is open to all members of the public.

The Kleinmond Estuary is temporarily closed on Monday, 21 November 2022, after a sewage blockage/overflow on the Cnr R44 and Middelrivier in Kleinmond on Friday.

The proximity to the Kleinmond Estuary (near the 2nd footbridge) is a concern.  The distance from the overflow site into the stormwater is about 45m until it enters the Middelrivier which enters the Estuary within about 175m.

Warning signs have been erected upon instruction from Overberg District Municipality (ODM).

The public is warned not to swim in the estuary until further notice.

The sign will be removed once water sample results are found to be within ODM’s recreational water quality standards.

The Great Southern Bioblitz participants in the Overstrand are bursting with pride after winning this year’s Bioblitz challenge by nearly 1 000 observations, with a total of 19 807. Colombia came second with 18 842 observations and Cape Town third with 15 048. Last year – in 2021 - was the first year the Overstrand participated in this challenge, and we came second.

The Great Southern Bioblitz 2022 saw cities and towns throughout the southern hemisphere participating for four days in October to capture diversity in their areas. People were requested to take photographs of every living thing (other than humans and pets) and to upload these to iNaturalist.

For two weeks after these four days, people spent time uploading their observations and trying to assist with identifications. Sharing these observations helps create quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature.

A permit is required to launch a boat from the Kleinmond Slipway.

The slipway fee (permit) for recreational boaters is currently R300 till the end of 2022. With effect from 1 January 2023 the tariff will increase to R400. The commercial season tariff remains R800 (till 30 June 2023).

Permits are available at the launching site office at the Kleinmond Harbour and from the cashiers’ office at the Hangklip-Kleinmond Municipal offices during office hours.

When it comes to staying safe on the water, check the weather forecast early and often before your day out on the sea and always wear a life jacket.

Always be prepared for an emergency and have the NSRI emergency number 112 and 063 699 2765 (Kleinmond NSRI Station 42) programmed into your phone.