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www.thevillagenews.co.za
23 December 2020
Overview of the year JANUARY A black spitting cobra (Naja nigricinta woodi) was the last thing a family in Sandbaai expected to find in their home in the early hours of the morning. The snake, approximately 1.6m in length, was first thought to be a ring-necked spitting cobra (rinkhals) as black spitting cobras are not found in the Overberg. The only plausible explanation was that the snake had hitched a ride with a family member who visited Sandbaai from the Cederberg, by slithering into her car or luggage. Luckily, the man who found the cobra behind his bar fridge was wearing reading glasses that protected his eyes from the snake’s cytotoxic venom when it spat at him.
The matric class of 2019 made history when the Minister of Basic Education announced on 7 January that the national pass rate had exceeded 80% for the first time since 1994. Overstrand schools celebrated their results, with Hermanus High achieving a 99.4% pass rate, Gansbaai Academia 89.4%, Qhayiya Secondary 84.7% (a massive improvement on the previous year’s 73%) and Hawston Secondary 80% (also up from the previous year’s disappointing 65%). Northcliff House College and Curro Hermanus each had a 100% pass rate.
FEBRUARY Three Special Rating Areas (SRAs) are on the cards for the Overstrand after Hermanus secured the required number of votes to start with the application process to the municipality for the establishment of a Hermanus SRA. A majority of yes votes had already been secured for the establishment of SRAs in Onrus-Vermont and Kleinmond. Price drops in the open market for recyclable materials compelled Walker Bay Recycling to close its doors. The new owner had taken over the business after the original recycling facility was burnt down during the 2018 riots. The municipality confirmed that plans were moving forward for the construction of a new Material Recycling Facility (MRF), which would be completed in the new year. As the 2020 harvest season got underway,
the pioneering wine farm in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Hamilton Russell Vineyards, celebrated its 40th harvest. The history of this world-renowned wine estate dates back to 1975 when Johannesburg businessman, Tim Hamilton Russell bought the 170ha property with the aim of producing South Africa’s top cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines.
2020
by Pres Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday evening 23 March in an attempt to slow down the infection rate of Covid-19. The next day, stores in the Overstrand were filled with shoppers trying to stock up on last-minute essentials. At the time, only 544 people had been infected with the Coronavirus in South Africa, with four confirmed cases reported in the Overberg.
APRIL
Two Orcas named Port and Starboard are believed to be behind the carcass of a bronze whaler shark that washed up on Grotto Beach. Port and Starboard made international headlines in May 2017 when they were linked to the killing of several great whites, as well as sevengill sharks in South Africa. However, it was the first time that the Orca pair had predated on a bronze whaler shark. The 3-metre long female was torn open, with both its heart and liver removed. This orca behaviour was linked to the change in certain shark species’ distributions, as they avoided their traditional aggregation sites for extended time periods. Human Wildlife Solutions, appointed by the municipality in November 2019 to manage the Voëlklip and Pringle Bay baboon troops, reported having their hands full in dealing with rogue baboons that had been moving in and out of the urban environment for years without management, which made the implementation of the ‘virtual fence’ more difficult. Their rangers were making use of paintball guns to keep the troop together and out of residential areas, which caused some controversy among conservation groups and concerned residents.
The hard lockdown took effect at midnight on 26 March and was intended to be in force until midnight on 16 April, but was extended by two weeks until the end of April. With the lockdown’s disastrous impact on the local economy, the Overberg community rallied to assist those who could not afford to buy food or did not have adequate shelter. Municipal councillors and the organisers of local NGOs and soup kitchens were inundated with offers of help, including food and financial donations. Several local initiatives also got to work making face masks for essential workers and members of the public.
MAY The lockdown restrictions were eased from Alert Level 5 to Level 4 on 1 May. While the controversial bans on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes remained in place, certain businesses were permitted to resume trading and restaurants could offer take-out delivery service. However, the wine, tourism and hospitality industries, crucial to the local economy of the Overstrand, remained firmly in lockdown and were struggling to stay afloat. By 18 May, more than 70% of the country’s Covid-19 cases were in the Western Cape, where 9 927 infections out of a national total of 15 500 were recorded. The number of infections in the Overberg district stood at 53, of which 24 were reported in the Overstrand.
JUNE MARCH A state of disaster was declared on 15 March and life as we knew it came to a standstill when a 21-day national lockdown was ordered
Pres Cyril Ramaphosa announced on 24 May that the whole country would be moving to Alert Level 3 of the lockdown on 1 June. Preparation was also underway for schools to reopen in phases from 1 June, starting with the return of Gr 12 and Gr 7 pupils.
