ZBRRA

Sunday, 20th April

Dear member

As we watch the Zimbabwean crises in disbelief, our calm lives in Zinkwazi are relatively unaffected. The cutting season has started, cane ash drifts on the morning breeze, barn swallows gather, and perfect weather inches towards winter.

We have a new logo which emphasizes our identity clearly and symbolizes our associations role in compliance monitoring (the zebra stripes ) and protection of our fantastic coastal environment. (wave ) Our website is under construction and should go live next month. 

Eskom power shedding has settled down into a routine at a suitable time of day for most Zinkwazi households. If you are to be visiting your holiday home please note that this takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 6-8am. In the spirit of co-operation, I am aware that a number of residents are playing the game by tripping the geyser switch for the 12 daylight hours. I wonder if Eskom has noticed our compliance this past month!

Crime has returned to unacceptable levels. Despite patrols on foot by Alpha - day and night - and the vigilance of security companies, we are shocked by the frequency of daytime burglaries and night time robberies. Residents are in a position to do a great deal more to assist in the control of this scourge. A request to register staff through our association fell on deaf ears as did the request to number premises and most importantly to communicate with neighbours. Building contractors have been made aware of the by-laws which state that only one person may overnight on a building site. Despite the gravity of the situation, residents themselves disregard the law and put themselves and neighbours at risk. I attach an updated list of emergency telephone numbers for your convenience. Please print this and have it available near your phone for residents and staff alike.

Some underground water mysteries were solved this month. I understand that Umgeni have been proactive in finding leaks in supply pipes from borehole to reservoirs. The result - an increased volume of water at our disposal. Ilembe meters are under inspection but reticulation is still far from satisfactory.

Low down on Nkwazi drive, a pool of water repeatedly bubbled up at 89 Nkwazi drive, near the road. On draining a nearby storm water soak away, the pool subsided, only to reappear. Arduous debate ensued between Ilembe and the Civils department as to the responsibility for what appeared to be a pipe carrying water/sewage. Both were unanimous that Zinkwazi had no waterborne sewage. As a last resort we traced Harry. It appears that the KDM have no plans of the ‘underworld’ of our village, but Harry’s memory was clear. At a meeting on the side of the road he explained how in the days of the Health Committee two additional boreholes were in use – one on the corner of Seagull and Nkwazi drive, the other further down Nkwazi near Magai. In order to protect the boreholes from pollution, the KDM laid a pipe into which overflow from the individual homes septic tanks was directed and lead to a common soak pit under the pavement at 89 Nkwazi. Over the years this collapsed causing the effluent to emerge in a pool nearby. We have requested KDM to give clear instructions to the effected homeowners on what action they must now take to correct this situation

Approximately 50 residents enjoyed a good social evening at Darnall club on 7th April. Lynne Thompson from WESSA and the ‘Alien Man’, Ted Vickers brought home the need to heed warnings of environmental changes which will effect our water, soil and climate if not controlled. By simply disregarding the proliferation of alien plants in our midst we are destroying the environment. Once more the adage ‘For evil to prevail, good men need do nothing’ is bought to mind. They stressed the fact that Zinkwazi was in a fortunate position, surrounded by sugarcane fields and the sea. Alien invaders within our village (and several samples were on view) once removed, can be easily controlled. Kerry Strode of Claremont nursery (083-6185596 or 032-525-8787) distributed a list of indigenous plants grown at her Salt Rock nursery which substitute for undesirable exotics, and which suit our application along the coast. Interested residents are encouraged to contact Ted Vickers (083-7761671 or 031-5681671) for advice on their properties. A sample of his work, a pilot project funded by our association, is the rehabilitation of the site adjacent to the hotel. We hope the results will encourage Zinkwazi residents to follow suite. Under the vigilant eye of conservationist Mike Butler, Mtunzini has achieved great success In the management of alien plants. Mike has offered Zinkwazi all the help and advice he and the Mtunzini Conservancy can give, allowing us to learn from their many years of experience.

You cannot think of the beach without mention of Frikkie. His wife Claudette has been very ill. Thank you to those of you who responded to the plea for assistance in funds for her medical fees. We sincerely hope that she will soon be returned to good health and her place on the bench at the Ski Boat club.

The slow pace of beach repair has been a great frustration to our community. It has been a blessing to see how the sea has washed a large volume of sand up against the car park, minimizing the gradient of the bank. The car park is still in a state of disrepair but there are promises of imminent action !! My reports of leaking reticulation pipes, malfunctioning lights and refuse on pavement seem to be continuous. All servitudes are now walk-able. A sterling job was done by the KDM Civils department on the devastated servitude 31 Magai. Underground pipes were re-placed and a soak away created at the lower end. Once the neighbour’s dislodged split pole fence is straightened, we can consider this job complete.

The NPA are very compliant and quick to respond to our requests to repair the P403. Freedom explained the delay in filling potholes. The power shedding in Tongaat, where the fill is manufactured, has meant that the hot mix can only be delivered to Darnall late in the afternoon – too late to be applied before knock off time. 

The long weekends at the end of April will see an influx of visitors. We have arranged for a skip to be placed at the soccer field on the corner of Nkwazi and Sandy Cove. If you are unable to put your refuse out on the designated Monday and Thursday for any reason, or you have in excess of the two allowable bags, please move these to the skip. We hope this will alleviate the ongoing mess of shredded bags on pavements. We hope to have recycling containers placed in the same spot before too long.

Funny how the older one gets, the faster time goes and the longer it takes to get tasks completed……and I could add the tougher it seems to make progress. I would like to refer you to a website of ‘good practices’ in living -www.greenworks.co.za. It provides information on what we as individuals can do to make a positive impact on the environment. It also demonstrates that ‘going green’ works. You can save resources and money, while making progressive moves towards a better Zinkwazi.

In ending - a short quote on ‘Progress’ ……. ‘The exchange of one nuisance for another nuisance’ - certainly part of the game in dealing with service delivery!

Good wishes from a Progressive Zinkwazi

Wendy 

Welcome to ZBRRA’s brand new blogging site. This site was developed by the team of 3hm Media Presentations to provide the members of Zinkwazi Beach Ratepayers and Residents Association with a interactive communication tool. We hope you enjoy this site as much as our team enjoyed developing it.