Seen and heard

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The story of Hagar is extraordinary.

An Egyptian slave girl to the increasingly wealthy Abram and Sarai, Hagar was probably forced to leave her country, her people and her beliefs. Hagar was most likely not her real name and, since it means ‘foreigner’, ‘flight’ or ‘forsaken’, probably generic.

The relationship between Sarai and Hagar was strained. Hagar was property and she was treated as such. She was ‘given’ to Abram when Sarai thought she could not bear her husband a son. Sarai was stunningly beautiful and rich while Hagar was invisible unless she was wanted. So, when Hagar fell pregnant with Abram’s child, she retaliated with her only ammunition: taunting Sarai for being barren.

Abram had probably been spectator to this rivalry for at least ten years and had grown weary of the drama. So, when Sarai came crying over Hagar’s abuse, Abram’s exasperated response was, ‘She’s your slave, you deal with it.’ Sarai treats her so badly that Hagar eventually runs away.

Here’s where it gets really interesting. Hagar becomes the first recorded person in the Bible to encounter an angel, and her experience is so restorative that she personalises God with the name ‘El Roi’, ‘the God who sees me’.

How extraordinary that God would be so interested in someone so lowly as a slave, someone who had probably worshiped idols before she presumably converted to her masters’ faith.

What made Hagar so special that God would personally intervene? How did He instal in her such identity that she would not only return to an abusive situation but submit to Sarai’s authority?

I believe it was about the boy growing inside her and who his father was. In addition to the love we know He has for all people, God was interested in Hagar because her son Ishmael was part of a Plan so big and intricate that no one would understand its significance for hundreds of years.

That day in the wilderness on the road to Shur, the angel told Hagar to call her son ‘Ishmael’, which means ‘God hears’ and that her descendants would be more than she could count. It gave her so much hope that she courageously stepped into a promise, holding on to a faith that had not originally even been hers.

Some years later Hagar would find herself back in the wilderness because of a fallout with Sarah, this time because Ishmael had made fun of Sarah’s son Isaac. While God allowed Hagar to be sent away this time, he was still the God who saw her, the One who heard her son’s cries. He was still El Roi, the One who saw Hagar and Who knew the unique role she still had to play in raising, guiding and marrying off Abraham’s son. So, again the angel speaks to her and reiterates the promise of a great nation of descendants (Genesis 21:18) and again she takes hold of a promise she may have stopped believing in.

Interestingly, God also comforts Abraham at this time by confirming that both sons were covered under the covenant promise of father of nations: “Do not be upset over the boy … for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted, but I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.” (Genesis 21: 12,13)

The Bible says God was with Ishmael as he grew up in the wilderness, that he became a skilful archer and that Hagar arranged for him to be married to a woman from her homeland Egypt. Today, Ishmael is widely considered the traditional ancestor of the Arab people, which incorporates many nations over large and prosperous territory.

So, what would have been Hagar’s fate if she had not been given to Abram? If she had remained the invisible slave or never even been taken into slavery? If she was spared the sexual encounters with an 85-year-old man, would she have become the mother of one of the richest and most influential people groups? When she saw her son flourish under the generational blessing of foreigners, would she have wanted it any other way?

Many of us have horrifying stories we choose not to remember or retell. We find it hard to see the sense and are angry at the injustice. Some of us may have walked far enough down the road to see the bigger picture and, while we don’t want to relive the trauma, some of it might at least make more sense.

The crux of the matter is, as God’s children we are part of a Plan so much greater than what we can imagine and there is a good chance that the ultimate fulfilling of some promises will play out long after we have departed from this earth.

It requires great faith to understand that our roles in eternity supersede our lives on earth, and it takes great maturity to accept that we may never know in our natural lives why things did not turn out the way we had anticipated.

Hagar’s story has many lessons, but two things stand out for me now. Hagar was seen and heard by God because she carried Abraham’s child, who in turn directly linked her to a holy covenant. Through Jesus, as children of God, we stand in covenant relationship with the Father and thus have access to God’s eyes and ears – not just when we are desperate, but in our everyday existence. He loved Hagar and he loves us.

Secondly, her decision to hold on to the promise enabled Hagar to not only look beyond her circumstances, but to endure it. Her ultimate reward was seeing her son flourish under God’s protection, come into his own and get married. We too will be supported, promoted and celebrated when we choose to believe in God’s promises and obey His commands.

May you too experience El Roi in the most restorative way. May you hold on to His hope. May the promises of our good God come to fruition in your life soon.

The story of Hagar and the covenant promise is relayed in Genesis 16, 17 and 21 of the Christian Bible.

Author: Athane Scholtz© originally written for A Vivid Life Christian Blog | Suria Scholtz

Discernment for discontent

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I have learnt to pay attention to discontent.

I don’t mean moodiness, or heaviness or the general out-of-peace-ness of a few bad days.

For me, discontent is usually the beginning of change. Typically, three to five years into a job, life situation or location, a shift starts happening inside me. Things that weren’t an issue before start irritating me, people and attitudes begin working on my nerves, and potential for me to advance and grow hits a ceiling.

When it starts happening, being the good, godly girl I am, I ask God to give me peace, to help me identify and deal with whatever issue inside me is causing such dissatisfaction and to help me get over myself.

But sometimes the feeling stays, and more things start messing with my head, more things test my patience, and then the wheels start coming off. Things break, people lose their cool and nothing goes according to plan.

Instead of assuming that it is always the devil trying to get a foothold, I have come to recognise discontent as one of the ways in which God speaks to me.
It usually means it is time for me to move on, to leave the comfort zone and have a little more faith. When I get it right, I lay the discontent at His feet, pray for wisdom and guidance, and open my heart and mind to the possibilities.

But I am not an adrenaline junky and, while I am not afraid of change, I usually err on the side of caution. So, sometimes I keep ignoring discontent or I learn to live with it – especially if the change would significantly affect the lives of my family.

When I get it wrong, or I am a bit slow in catching on, I believe God sometimes lets my situation become intolerable – so the decision to break away will override my instinct to hold onto something that is no longer good for me and my people.

In my experience, what lies on the other side of discontent is better, the next step. And once I have taken that first step – whether it be handing in my resignation, putting my house on the market or cutting ties with toxic relationships – the discontent fades and a fresh seed germinates.

While it has happened that something falls into place immediately, mostly there is a time of waiting. For me it is seldom long, but it is scary, and it usually goes with lots of declarations and reminders on my part of God’s Word and promises for my life (Psalm 145:13). It always requires a step of faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) and a redeclaration of my belief that He has got this.
I have also learnt to recognise the time between the ‘activating decision’ and the new season, as connection time with God and to get my business in order. To sort out my personal administration and do stuff I would not have time for in my new season – such as volunteering my time at a non-profit organisation.

And then, as the changeover moves into the new season I can look back in relief and appreciation that God had steered me throughout (Romans 8:28). My part was to be willing and open, to not just hang around and do nothing in the waiting and to express my belief that He will come through for me, as He always has.

So, if you start feeling discontent creeping its way beyond life’s ordinary niggles, pay attention. Ask God to give you discernment for your discontent, so you will lean into His direction and not just float around in an increasing state of bitterness and anger. If it’s just you having a moment, ask Him to give you peace with where you are at, and commit to excellence because the quality of your work is a testimony (Colossians 3:23).

If it’s more than that, ask God to show you the next step, affirm to Him your desire to seek His kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), and ask Him for several confirmations from different sources. Once the confirmations start coming, and they will if it is from Him, start moving – because a ship in motion is easier to steer and God will direct you (Psalm 37:23-24; Proverbs 16:9).

Unless it is a Damascus or a “Follow Me”-Jesus-type moment, your first step of faith will probably be quite manageable – like updating your CV or getting your house ready to put on the market (Luke 16:10).

It might take a while for all of it to fall into place, and your attitude and trust may be tested, but it will not be in vain. Being in the place where God wants you, even if it is in the waiting, is the only right place for you to be.

AMEN

This column, written by ATHANE SCHOLTZ©, first appeared in A Vivid Life blog by Suria Scholtz.

Water ways, water wise

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In an all-year rainfall area where lush vegetation and water sources abound, it is hard to imagine that the southern Cape had seen two major droughts in seven years and that more is to come. Local authorities have heeded the warning signs and continue to address bigger-picture issues in one of the fastest growing regions in the country.

Water management in the Garden Route District is complex. The area incorporates seven municipalities with very diverse rainfall patterns, resources and infrastructure. From all-wet rainforests, oceans and misty lakes south of the Outeniqua mountains to the semi-desert Little Karoo and proper desert Great Karoo, water management requires a multi-faceted approach, interagency participation and open-minded managers.

Fortunately for us, the region’s first major water crisis in 2009/10 activated emergency legislation and funding that kick-started an ongoing, integrated approach that continues to this day.

Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Disaster Management head Gerhard Otto says that except for a dry spell in the 1920s when the area was scarcely populated, the sea side of the district hadn’t experienced drought before 2009/10. “Climate change and weather phenomena like El Niño had significant impacts on coastal regions. Two years before we had severe flooding and multiple above-average rainfall events, and here we were dealing with the real threat of whole towns running out of water.

“In addition, population growth has soared since the early 2000s and was expected to continue indefinitely. Not only would more water be consumed, but more bulk infrastructure and storage facilities would be required,” says Gerhard.

That first drought lasted nearly two years and peaked with the Garden Route Dam outside George at 16,9% capacity and the Karatara River above Sedgefield running dry.

The region was declared a disaster area, which triggered national emergency funding for boreholes, laying of additional pipelines, a water reclamation plant in George and desalination plants in Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, Sedgefield and Mossel Bay.

The measures kept the region going until the drought finally lifted, but meteorological reports predicted indefinite cyclical patterns of drought, floods and other weather phenomena.

Since then, the district has been working with all municipalities, relevant government departments, NGOs, landowners and advisers to systematically address potable water supply for the entire district as an ongoing project.

“Disaster Management is about preparing for the worst-case scenario, so we tackle water supply from as many angles as possible and we never let up. Every drop really does count and every action towards conservation matters. It is every citizen’s responsibility to respect water for the scarce resource it is, always, not just when there is a drought.

“Our local municipalities have been excellent in addressing water-related issues – from multi-layered water restrictions and water awareness campaigns to securing national Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funding for bulk infrastructure development and upgrades.”

The largest municipality, George, has been leading the way in a multi-faceted approach.

Among its greatest recent victories are the raising of the Garden Route Dam spillway and dam wall to secure an additional 25% capacity, and the installation of solar power at water pumping stations to curb effects of loadshedding.

The city has a leaks reduction programme and a rapid response team for pipe bursts. It was the first to amend building regulations for the compulsory installation of rainwater tanks for new developments which reduced usage from 38Kl per day to 25Ml per day within a few years. Only now, more than a decade later, has population growth caught up to the old consumption figures and this time there are sufficient measures in place to address the bigger picture. George Municipality has also successfully petitioned for additional finance from National Treasury to address pressing infrastructure requirements to support massive population growth and related development.

Knysna sources water directly from the Knysna River estuary.

There is concern for towns such as Plettenberg Bay, Knysna and Sedgefield because water is drawn from rivers. If drought sets in, rivers will eventually run too low for water extraction. While emergency wells and desalination are in place, it is not a sustainable long-term solution and some serious money and buy-in from national government might be required to address these fast-growing towns. It is the only area in the district where the building of a dam for the use of both municipalities may be viable, and studies into these possibilities have recently started.

The jury is still out on Mossel Bay whose main water supply is the Wolwedans Dam, which was built in the 1980s for PetroSA’s cooling processes. During the first drought, Mossel Bay was at serious risk of running dry as the refinery drew its usual capacity while the town was under severe water restrictions. At the time, an innovative exchange plan in which purified municipal wastewater was channelled to PetroSA in exchange for dam water for the town, was a major breakthrough.

Since then, the gas deposits off the coast of Mossel Bay has diminished and PetroSA’s output has declined. The refinery’s reduced water consumption is currently giving the local municipality some breathing space, but other options are being explored should it become necessary.

Different rules apply across the mountain in Oudtshoorn where most of its water supply is snow within its catchment area. Just 60km from George, the town is becoming an increasingly popular commuter destination and population figures for the area is growing. The Raubenheimer Dam has seldom dropped below alarming levels, but multiple boreholes in the area is currently still sufficient as a back-up.

Great Karoo towns such as Ladysmith has multiple boreholes equipped with solar powered pumps and supply is expected to be sufficient for the foreseeable future.

Borehole outside Calitzdorp. Picture by GRDM

GRDM has for the first time explored artesian water, drilled from giant aquifers below the Klein Karoo, to supply water to the area. At 780 metres the four boreholes outside Dysselsdorp are the deepest in sub-Saharan Africa and requires minimal equipment as the depth creates pressure to rise the water above the surface. Water from this source feeds into the Klein Karoo Rural Water Supply Scheme which supplies rural communities towards Calitzdorp, and has the potential to supply other areas with extended pipelines should it become necessary.

Gerhard says the next move is an elaborate cross-municipality water management plan to connect and integrate resources so towns can help each other out during drought. “GRDM has just commissioned a major viability study to explore all options across the entire district, considering relevant legislation, options on public and private land, as well as all types of water supply including surface water, groundwater, rainwater capture, desalination and reuse.

“International minimum humanitarian standards for water supply are 75 litres per person per day. It is the GRDM’s goal to set up alternative water sources to reach the 75-litre target across all municipalities in its jurisdiction, in addition to existing infrastructure. While there will be many hurdles to cross, including legislative and functional implications, I believe it is possible and it will be lifechanging for the long-term sustainability of the Garden Route,” says Gerhard.

The bigger picture

While urban areas have made strides in water conservation, it remains a mere 15% of water consumption in the region. Agriculture uses 67% of water resources and industry make up most of the rest.

Dr Bianca Currie, chief executive of the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve, says that while much can be done to better manage water use on farmland, the largest single threat for long-term water security in the Outeniqua Strategic Water Source Area is the proliferation of water-thirsty invasive alien vegetation in water catchment areas.

“Eradication is expensive, labour intensive and must be ongoing to make a real difference. To be really effective, eradication should be addressed at the source, which in some cases mean high altitude areas that can only be reached by specialised teams,” says Bianca.

The GR Biosphere Reserve has established working groups to identify priority areas within its jurisdiction and priority projects that would ensure maximum water gain for the economies downstream. In the Western Cape, its first focus will be large scale eradication of invasive alien species in the river system that feeds the Garden Route Dam.

“We are also working towards developing an innovative funding model for Strategic Water Source Areas which involves identifying metrics for monitoring and evaluating water quality and quantity gains which can be used by investors to measure outcomes,” says Bianca.

This story, written by ATHANE SCHOLTZ©, first appeared in SOUTH Magazine, Summer 2023.

Photograph tap and Knysna Lagoon by DESMOND SCHOLTZ LEGACY

What is your story?

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If someone asked you out of the blue, ‘What is your story?’, what would you say?
Would you answer chronologically and begin with your birth, talk about where you were raised?
Would you define yourself according to your career, your qualifications, and achievements?
Or would you adapt your answer based on who was asking?

Do you have a God-story? Is it for Him or against Him?
How high up in your unprepared life story would God make His appearance?

Years ago, I learned how to put my own God-story together so I could tell other people about Jesus. There had to be an introduction before-Christ-sin-story, a ‘how I met Jesus’ story, and a conclusion about how He changed my life thereafter.

But I was nine years old when I accepted Jesus as my Saviour. The most dramatic change in my life after salvation was my mom cutting up our Liewe Heksie-vinyls and the adults no longer drinking wine.

In my early twenties, when I really had to live out my Christianity in the unprotected real world as a newspaper journalist, I wondered how relevant my testimony would be to the people I encountered. What type of credibility would I convey to people for whom things might have gone terribly wrong while my own life had gone relatively smoothly?

The Holy Spirit reminded me that my testimony was that God had fulfilled His promises of a good and prosperous life because I had been obedient and because my parents had raised me in His ways.

But, as for many longtime Christians, my real story is that God was faithful when I was not.

When I got a bit ‘wild’ in my mid-twenties, he protected me despite my stupid mistakes and bad decisions. The lessons made me less judgmental towards others and gave me deep empathy, grace, and compassion for people. He used the failure and shame of a toxic relationship to help me recognise and appreciate the value of the man I eventually married.

God was faithful when the chaos of family life, demanding working circumstances and illness in the family consumed me and days went by that I did not pray or think of Him.

He was faithful when I started to forget His Word, my language got rougher, and the fruits of the Spirit wasn’t so evident in my life.

I once again realised a halfway, lukewarm, grey God-story would benefit nobody. For the half a step I then took in His direction, He erased the rest of the gap between us in an instant.

In recent years I have spent more time in God’s Word than ever before. I went to a lot of trouble to surround myself with solid Christian people, got involved at a church and started investing in people.

So, when the largest storm of my life broke out over my head in 2021, there was peace that transcended understanding.

My person-story and my God-story is more the same story these days, and finally my first instinct is to pray before I think. And all of it is God. Nothing is in my own strength or at all in my control. It is simultaneously terrifying and deeply comforting that even my choice to be close to Him completely lies in His hands.

So, what is your story?
You decide.

God is there anyway to be the focus of your story, but His grace lies in the freedom He gives you to choose Him.

It doesn’t matter if you aren’t in a good space in your life, He will take you as you are. It also doesn’t matter if it is going really well with you and you think you don’t need Him, you do.

Don’t wait until you think you can earn His grace or understand His depth. You will never be able to do that on your own.

So just surrender.
God will do the rest.

Athane Scholtz
George, South Africa
Originally published in Afrikaans for A Vivid Life inspirational blog in April 2022
https://avividlife.co.za/wat-is-jou-storie/

Dam overflows first time since spillway raised

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George Municipality and the engineering community this week celebrated the success of the award-winning Garden Route Dam spillway as the dam overflowed for the first time since the spillway and dam wall was raised in 2019/20.

George Municipality Civil Engineering Services Acting Director Lionel Daniels said the heavy rainfall and flash floods that occurred on Monday had understandably overshadowed the dam’s overflowing on the same day (22 November 2021), but it remained a significant milestone in the city’s long-term water security. “There are many reasons we are celebrating this project including an increased capacity of 25% by raising the full supply level of the dam by only 2.5 metres. The ingenious duckbill-shaped spillway design improved the dam’s safety in a practical and cost-effective way that earned the designers, Zutari (formerly Aurecon), a win in the Technical Excellence category at the South African Institute of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Awards in November 2020.

“The design is relatively new in the engineering world, and as far as we know is not being used in this way in South Africa. It was extensively researched and tested at the University of Tshwane and its shape is designed to slow down water flow using basic physics principles. The design is brilliant in its simplicity and it was a real victory to see the dam overflow and the spillway working so effectively,” said Mr Daniels.

The Garden Route Dam, situated just outside the north-east urban edge of George, is the main source of potable water for the city and its capacity had become a concern as the municipal area continued to grow exponentially since the early 2000s.

In addition, the Southern Cape had experienced two major droughts in seven years, which had been unheard of in this prolific all-year rainfall area. The dam recorded its lowest ever level of 16.9% in February 2010 and again dropped to 41,2% in September 2017.

The Garden Route Dam spillway and wall project was completed in January 2020 and increased the dam storage capacity by 25% from 10 million cubic metres to an estimated new capacity of 12,5 million cubic metres.

Project details:
The previous Garden Route spillway was 25m wide, which was extended to 80m by curving the spillway in the upstream direction. The new spillway consists of a reinforced concrete cantilever structure, which is unusual for hydraulic structures of this type, as these are normally self-stable by their mass. To enhance the stability, the structure is provided with rockfill on the upstream side of the wall footing, in addition to rock anchors.

Although the full supply level (FSL) of the dam was raised by 2.5 m, due to the local terrain the tallest portion of the new spillway wall is 4.9 m tall. A total of 1,780 m3 of concrete was used (750 m3 mass concrete, 300 m3 for the walls, 390 m3 for the wall footing, and 340 m3 for the channel).

The main dam wall was also raised by 1.76m to prevent overtopping by placing earth fill on top of the existing embankment. Selected material was placed as follows: general fill (12,500 m3), rip-rap (2,500 m3), filter sand (750 m3), and topsoil (2,050 m3).

Caption
The Garden Route Dam overflowed for the first time since its spillway had been raised in 2019. The award-winning bill-shaped design increased the dam’s overall capacity by 25% by raising the spillway by only 2.5m. Photograph George Municipality.

 

Press release written by ATHANE SCHOLTZ while working as Senior Communications Officer for George Municipality.

40 years at municipality for Adam Appels

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40 years for Adam Appels

Imagine a 20-something housing inspector on a bicycle in the early 1980s, the handlebar of his bike loaded with chains and locks, cycling in a rough neighbourhood on a mission to set tenants out of municipal houses and chain up the doors. Long before the formidable Adam Appels was Senior Manager of the Anti-Land Invasion unit, he was that guy on the bike. In June (2018) he had 40 years’ service in the municipality, most of which was under potentially dangerous circumstances.

“I remember a protest in the 1990s when a black coffin was marched through town bearing my name along with other housing officials, and petrol bombs were thrown at our houses. It got so bad, my family and I was forced to leave town for fear of our safety. When we returned a few days later we weren’t sure if our house was going to be standing.”

Mr Appels was appointed as messenger/cleaner at the George Municipality in 1978 at the age of 17. His manager, the late AB de Swart, recognised his potential and appointed him as a housing inspector five years later.

“When we started, Pierrie Prins and I would cycle to houses where tenants had to be evicted, doors locked and electricity shut down. It was heart wrenching work and people thought I was unfeeling, but it was my job and I was going to do it to the best of my abilities.”

A position as senior housing inspector was offered to both men. “Pierrie declined, he could not bear the emotional burden, but I thought it was an opportunity and I adapted to the circumstances.

“I decided to try and not take my work home, to not let the conflict of the day influence my mood at home. My family was the reason I made it through all the tough times.”

The scariest moment came one day in 1992 when he and two colleagues were cornered at gunpoint in a house in Borchards. “We just ran, jumped out the window and scaled fences until we were out of harm’s way – if we stayed we would have probably been dead anyway, so running was the only option.”

When the Anti-Land Invasion Unit was established, Mr Appels was the obvious choice to head the division and continues to work in the field with his staff. “If my people break down shacks I break down shacks, I don’t think of my myself as higher than them.”

In 2016 Mr Appels had a stroke, and was still in recovery when riots broke out in Thembalethu. He defied medical orders and insisted to be driven to the site to see if his team was doing alright. More recently he and two unit members slept at the Albricks site for two nights to ensure it not be illegally occupied.

“For the first time since the 1990s, the atmosphere feels similarly volatile. I have spent hours talking people down, trying to explain the reasoning behind not allowing people to just occupy land as they please. I have been working with local communities for a long time, and until now those that know me have come up for me during negotiations and protected me – people in Thembalethu call me ‘Apile’ (apple in isiXhosa). It’s all about communication and how you speak to people.”

While he has earned respect, his reputation as an ‘evictionist’ is unescapable.  “I would see someone in public and they would confront me for putting their families on the street when they were children.”

His unit also removes homeless people illegally sleeping on private property. “We don’t just chase them away. We see if we can reunite them with their families or get them into a shelter or programme. I’ve often paid out of my own pocket for a bus ticket or a place in a homeless shelter. This is the one aspect of my job where there are sometimes feel-good moments, when someone finds a job, is rehabilitated or goes home. It is great to play a role in drastically changing a life for the better.”

After a predominantly stressful career, Mr Appels thinks it is time to retire soon. “Looking back, I am grateful for the time and energy my former deputy director, Thys de Beer, had invested in me, giving me opportunities and guidance throughout. “Senior administration officer Lecrecia de Wet has been my right hand for 22 years and our Director Protection Services, Steven Erasmus, has shown me what true leadership is. To all the people who have worked with me over the years, thank you so much for your valuable contribution.

“To all staff in the municipality I say: I was an uneducated man when I started here, but I did my best always and was noticed for it. Things don’t just fall in your lap, you must work for it – it took five years for me to get my first promotion, 15 years for the second and nine years until my current position. The municipality is a great place to develop skills, but you must be patient and deserving – you can’t be here six months and start making all kinds of demands. Character and hard work are key.”

*We celebrate Mr Appels’ round number, but he is not the current employee with the most years at the municipality! Sewerage foreman Jusiah Phillips and Protection Services senior clerk Michael Ruiters have both been here 43 years. We hope to have interviews with them in future publications.

 

This article was written by ATHANE SCHOLTZ for Munindaba, George Municipality’s internal newspaper. The paper was started, compiled and edited by Athane as part of her duties as Senior Communications Officer for the municipality. The quarterly 8-pager was printed in colour on newspaper print and distributed to all employees across all divisions.

Athane wrote a series of articles on the municipality’s longest serving staff members for internal channels. If relevantly newsworthy, some stories were turned into press releases.

Ultimate survivors

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Doing business on the Garden Route is not for sissies and few companies outlast the complications of seasonality, high transport costs and other factors that have caused thousands of businesses to fail here in the past. South talks to six local businesses that have managed to keep head above water in the Southern Cape for more than 30 years.

By Yolandé Stander and Athane Scholtz

Robberg Group
Despite serious challenges in the fishing industry, the Robberg Group has grown from a fish shop and butchery in Plettenberg Bay’s Main Street in 1979 to a major wholesale fresh and deli food distributor employing more than 70 people. Founding partner and managing director Malcolm Craig shares how the company deals with the ups and downs.

Tell us about your business journey.
I arrived in Plett 1971, never thinking that my fishing hobby would become my profession. I worked for the Ollemans family at the original butchery and fish shop in Main Road, eventually buying it in 1979.
A partnership with the late Peter Dodds allowed us to expand into fishing, processing, retail and wholesale as well as the export of squid and line caught hake.

The by-catch of our boats as well as the excess products allowed us to extend our distribution area to Knysna, George, Mossel Bay and later Port Elizabeth.

A series of challenges affected fish production, how did you overcome these issues?
Permit allocations in 2000, lack of harbour facilities out of Plettenberg Bay and the world financial collapse in 2008, which resulted in a huge decrease in demand on the export market, eventually rendered the industry unviable.

Robberg had by that time built up an amazing network of relationships in the fishing and frozen food industry, and we diversified into distribution of a wider range of food products.

What would you attribute to your on-going success?
My job has always been to look forward to see the bumps in the road. Some people say I am negative but I believe I am a realist and my decisions affect all my staff and their families, so I would rather be aware of the problems ahead of time to better prepare for them. The advantages of looking ahead for the pitfalls are that you can also look ahead to the opportunities. It is that kind of thinking as well as seizing the opportunities at hand that have led to our success so far. Also, having a partner like Blaine Dodds (many times SA and World Hobie champion), whose tenacity as an athlete is reflected in business – we never consider losing or giving up.

You contribute significantly to the local economy and empower locals, what role does this play in standing the test of time?
Success, to me, is that you are only as good as your team. You need to have strong honest relationships with your staff as well as your trading partners. Although many jobs were lost in Plettenberg Bay due to the demise of fishing operations here, Robberg managed to maintain and even increase the number of jobs in our factory. We currently employ more than 70 people full time and take on extra staff over season.

You’ve survived one of the worst recessions this country has seen, what would you say saved you where others failed?
Budget, budget, budget – you cannot spend money you have not made yet, or don’t have in reserve.
www.robberg.co.za

The Potter
Ceramicist Rudi Botha has turned his passion for clay into a flourishing business with a wide range of functional and decorative products. From his eclectic shop on the N2 at Harkerville he supplies retailers and customers worldwide.

How have you managed to make a sustainable living from a craft for nearly 35 years?
Passion helps a lot when you create something but making a living or doing business requires very hard work, long trading hours and reasonable costing.

How has seasonality affected your business and how did you overcome it?
The first three years after I established The Potter in 1981, I opened doors only during the three busy months of summer, and offered pottery classes to locals three times a day during the rest of the year. The classes were popular as there was very little to do other than swimming, fishing, hiking and dodging elephants on your way to Knysna. As Plettenberg Bay grew in size, seasonality became less of an issue. I took orders during busy times and filled them in the quieter times. During the quiet times we delivered personally, and caught up with advertising and produced for season.

When and why did you start supplying other retail stores?
I started wholesaling soon after I opened to soften the seasonal aspect of doing business in a holiday town. Our products and price structure were well received in the marketplace, and we have been open to different ideas and specific requests from clients. This was before faxes, cell phones and social media, and exposure to our products was either by people visiting our shop or craft markets. We had to supply other outlets to grow.

What would you say is the key to your success for so long?
One of the factors was being married to a wonderful friend, Ilza, who carried all the aches and pains of creating and selling. Another aspect was keeping an open mind to create what the public asked for and to keep on learning, as well as hard – very hard – work. Since 1996, The Potter has been open for business seven days a week. When you only have a seasonal market it is no use to complain about bad business if you go fishing or relax on the beach with your potential clients – it was always very tempting to be swept up in the holiday mood.

How important has your location next to the N2 been for business?
After successfully trading in the old Keurboomstrand Post Office for several years from 1981, the new national road was built and it by-passed us. Although The Potter was were already established, the effect on our trade made us realise just how important location and visibility was. That is why in 1996 we chose our current location.

Do you follow trends when you produce your goods or do you stick to a tried and tested formula? How important is following this decision business-wise?
I do look at market trends and constantly renew the product range. Market trends will reflect on your sales and that gives you a clear indication. We, however, also still produce products I started making 35 years ago but sometimes it’s just a matter of evolving them as the market shifts. The bottom line is to look and learn.
www.thepotter.co.za

Pembreys
Few business achievements are as admirable as managing a restaurant on the Garden Route for nearly 40 years. Viv and Peter Vadas, the owners of Pembreys outside Knysna, are legends in a region where the hospitality industry is the first to fail when the going gets tough.

What is the secret of your longevity?
Peter, a qualified chef, and I have been in this business, first at Lake Pleasant Hotel and then Pembreys, since 1977 and we have seen so many restaurants try to copy new or other successful businesses. Rather, serve what you are familiar and comfortable with and soon the business will even out. There is a place for all types of eateries.

You have made it through two recessions when luxuries like dining out were being discarded. How did you survive in the most difficult of times?
It was tough but staying true to ourselves and being confident that we had a niche market that would support us, pulled us through.

How have rising food costs affected your business and how did you counter that?
We cannot deny that profits have decreased significantly, but we can’t just push up our prices every time there is a rise in costs. We just work harder to compensate.

What are the most important business lessons you have learned?
Every customer is important. So often a young person will come in and tell us they remembered eating at Pembreys as a small child. Plus, the locals are more important than tourists because they support us year round and recommend us wherever they go.

To what degree is your business affected by seasonality and how do you overcome it?
Seasonality affects us less now than 30 years ago, when visitors came only between November and January, as season now extends from about October to around May. During the quiet months we pay special attention to guests and do not become complacent.

Do you develop your menu to keep up with trends or have you stuck to a tried and tested formula? How important is this in running a successful restaurant?
We do move with the times and supplies have improved so much on the Garden Route to facilitate this, but our returning customers usually come back for a particular dish so we have to keep the popular dishes as the backbone of the menu. We have become known for making all our own ice creams, pastas, desserts and soup, in fact everything on the premises, and Peter and I will not open the restaurant if we cannot be at work ourselves.
http://pembreys.co.za

Fechters
Established in Knysna in 1936 when indigenous timber production was booming, Fechters furniture manufacturers had to reinvent themselves many times over to survive the significant changes in their industry. Head of operations Morné Smith tells of their journey.

How has Fechters grown into the company it is today?
Established by George Fechter when Knysna was the hub of woodworking and production of fine furniture, the company grew to become known countrywide for quality indigenous solid wood furniture. During a decline in demand for traditional indigenous wood furniture in the early 1990’s, Fechters branched out into the manufacturing of patio furniture. Towards the mid-nineties, we established a good export market for outdoor furniture, which served us well until the onset of the global economic crisis in 2008.

With the rapid demise of the export market, and a local economic recession looming, the business went through a major strategic restructure. Our focus shifted back to the local market and increasing retail sales through our Knysna store. We also diversified our product range further by manufacturing a range of upholstered furniture. This strategy paid off and we have been experiencing constant growth since 2011.

How important is the Fechters brand reputation for producing quality products and how does that relate to surviving in business?
It is very important. As a local manufacturer, we experience fierce competition from imported products and in many cases cannot compete on price. Our niche is to focus on the higher end of the market, where quality is a higher priority than just price. However, we still strive to provide our customers with well-made, value-for-money products.

How important is it to keep up with trends?
The South African furniture market was seen for many years as being of more conservative taste, but with a bigger exposure to overseas trends via the Internet, South African buyers have become more trend and design conscious. We study the overseas trends regularly, and find that they are filtering into the South African market much quicker these days. Our traditional range of furniture does not enjoy the appeal of years ago, and our product ranges are now mostly contemporary.

The local timber industry has taken several knocks over the years, how has this affected business and how did you overcome these challenges?
One of our biggest challenges was the fact that indigenous timber was no longer as freely available on auction as it used to be. There was also a steep increase in price. Our strategy was to reduce our dependency on only local timbers and to work with imported alternatives. Unfortunately the weak rand is not doing us any favours at the moment.

What do you believe have been the key factors to Fechters’ success?
Strategic change in tough economic conditions; understanding the market and adapting to changing trends; a well-established brand that is known for quality products and finally excellent customer and after-sales service have all played a role.

Do you believe it is better to have a specialised range and focus on core products or to be “a Jack of all trades”?
Focus is quite important, and something that we spent a lot of time on. As part of our restructuring, we took a critical look at everything we were producing and made a decision to specialise in the product ranges that were profitable instead of producing anything that came our way.
044 382 7294 www.fechters.co.za

Mungo

Master weaver Stuart Holding and wife Janet have been part of the Garden Route craft revolution since the 1970s and are best known as the creative minds behind Old Nick Village outside Plettenberg Bay. In 1998 Stuart founded the now internationally recognised textile design company Mungo. His daughter Tessa, who heads marketing at Mungo, gives some insight into the company’s success.

How important is top quality, ethical production to business success?
People are increasingly looking for ethically produced products. With a strained economy customers are looking to spend their money better and are tired of inferior quality. Often times they don’t have the choice or it is more convenient to stop at a chain store to purchase homeware, but we have found an increasing awareness and people are looking for quality goods versus cheaper imports.

Mungo has the rare ability to create fabrics from inception of design to final product. What are the benefits of doing this?
We can control the whole process; make sure each step is done to our standards and quality. There is transparency in the production chain, which is important when producing an ethical product. We can also, to some degree, control the costs – although production costs are high in South Africa – as there are no third party buying, selling or importing costs that add to the end price.

Mungo has grown from only a few products made at Old Nick Village to a larger mill, more than 60 different products and retail stores in Plett and Cape Town, as well as international distribution via e-commerce. How has branching out impacted on the company’s success?
Mungo has gained traction around South Africa and there is a definite market in the bigger city centres for what we are producing. We also don’t have to just rely on holiday trade and can have more consistent and sustainable year-round turnover. Mungo is a little off the beaten track in the Garden Route but e-commerce has opened avenues for worldwide export. As a lot of overseas tourists come through the area and visit the shop and museum, we are able to service these clients once they have gone home. It has opened up our market although a challenge is the taxes, duties and shipping costs.

How did you survive the 2008 recession?
Our success is due to hard work, not compromising, believing in what we do and offering a unique product and experience to our customers.

Has product refinement played a role in growing the business?
Stuart Holding has worked mainly from his passion to create textiles. He does not necessarily focus on a specific product or demand, but more on how the cloth will look and feel and what makes it unique. This shines through in our product. Our range started out with quite a classical and European feel, and we are slowly adding a more ethnic branch to it. This may open our export market a little more, although we will not divert far from what has made Mungo what it is.
044 533 1395 www.mungo.co.za

CG Terblanche and Sons
The late Christiaan Gerber Terblanche started his lumber transporting business with one truck in 1959. Fifty-six years later his wife Marie and five sons – Anton, Christo, Marius, Deon and Stephan – continue a legacy that employs more than 130 people.
CG Terblanche and Sons operates as a closed corporation with business including timber harvesting and transport, mixed farming and a general dealer in Elandskraal outside Sedgefield.

What do you think is the key to your on-going success?
We are proud of our good service and all the brothers remain active and visible throughout the business. Two of us still drive trucks, and all of us are hands-on and involved in the nitty gritty of everyday operations. We have gathered around us a good and loyal team of workers, many of whom have been with us for more than 20 years. We work very hard, and expect our employees to do the same.

How has the business survived two recessions and a two-year drought?
We worked very hard at remaining competitive in the market. For instance, we have our own workshop that services 22 trucks weekly and excellent relationships with long-time suppliers of spares and support technicians. We have also invested in specialised machinery to ensure more efficient harvesting. Until 2006 we were also dairy farmers, but we realised we were not large enough to supply sustainably, and the effort that went in did not justify the return per litre. The drought was the final straw – we reduced our stock and moved our business from large-scale dairy to small-scale meat production.

While it looks like the matter will be resolved in the long-term, government instructions to withdraw forestry operations in the Western Cape is having a direct impact on your business. How are you planning to deal with its implications?
As in the past when things got tough, we will look for new opportunities and diversify.

What are the greatest challenges in your business?
Labour issues and related administration is very time-consuming and complicated. There are many safety concerns linked to harvesting trees, transport and farming, and all our workers are extensively trained to ensure minimum risk and injury. The increasing cost of diesel is also always a factor, and filters down to almost every aspect of our business.

How does a family business with so many members involved operate without major fall-outs?
Each of the brothers is assigned a different aspect of the business and assumes full responsibility for his part. We actually get on very well, respect each other, and while we sometimes disagree, we always keep in mind that it is about CG Terblanche and Sons.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Being able to work outdoors in beautiful natural surroundings. Knowing that while every day has its challenges, as long as everyone is happy, things will work out for the best.

Caption
CG Terblanche and sons, from left to right Deon, Stephan,
Christo, Marius and Anton. Picture by DESMOND SCHOLTZ LEGACY

This article was envisioned, commissioned, edited and contributed  towards editorially by Athane Scholtz© and first appeared in SOUTH Magazine Summer 2015.

Athane was editor of SOUTH Magazine from January 2014-February 2017.

Classic Tsitsikamma

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While the stormy seas and deep-green forests of the Tsitsikamma National Park have not changed much in its 50-year* existence, nearly everything else has evolved for the betterment of man and the environment – far beyond the park’s official boundaries.

Tsitsikamma is an assault to the senses, in the most pleasant of ways. The crushing seas are loud; the herbaceous fragrance of fynbos mingles with fresh, salty sea breeze; the horizon stretches forever. Every now and then a whale pops out just behind the breakers. In the forest, everything is green, fine and pretty; it smells of wet leaves and soil and dew.

South is here to celebrate with South AfricanNational Parks (SANParks) as the jewel in its impressive crown turns 50*.

Proclaimed in 1964, Tsitsikamma is the oldest marine national park in Africa and has the largest single no-take area in South Africa.

Originally called the Tsitsikamma Coastal and Forest National Parks, it initially comprised a long narrow coastal strip between two rivers called Groot (great). Over the years it has been extended with acquisition and long-term lease agreements, and now covers an area of 63 422 ha, including 34 300 ha that is a Marine Protected Area (MPA). It straddles the border between the Western and Eastern Cape.

In 2009 the park was amalgamated with other conservation spaces in the region and is now referred to as the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park. The Tsitsikamma of today incorporates four sectors that include land from just east of Keurboomstrand, around Nature’s Valley Village, to Groot River (east) in the Eastern Cape. Inland it stretches deep into the Tsitsikamma Mountains, where the Soetkraal section extends along the length of the 40km mountain range, covering 24 392 ha of mostly untouched territory from behind Plettenberg Bay to just outside Kareedouw.

It is the third most visited section of national park in the country, after Kruger and Table Mountain, hosting 200 000 visitors a year. It is also home to one of the most famous hiking trails in the world, the five-day 42km Otter Trail, which has just seen a major upgrade and re-launch.

While Tsitsikamma is a must-visit tourist destination, park manager Lesley Ann Meyer says its mandate remains conservation first, and plays an essential role in the protection of land and sea. “Except for the rest camps at Storms River and Nature’s Valley (De Vasselot), the park is mostly pristine. Twelve rivers run through it; one more forms a border.

“The MPA conserves 11 percent of the Warm Temperate South Coast rocky shoreline and shelters large populations of reef fish that are very sensitive to commercial exploitation.

“There are 211 seaweed species in the park – the greatest number recorded along any stretch of the country’s coastline and equivalent to 25 percent of the seaweed flora of South Africa,” says Lesley.

Tsitsikamma also guards significant stands (29km²) of Afromontane forest, the vegetation type covering the smallest area in southern Africa. Terrestrial flora comprise at least 523 recorded species without counting hundreds of new species of Tsitsikamma Mountain Fynbos that continues to be discovered in the Soetkraal area.

Animals abound, including leopard, caracul, rare blue duiker, bushbuck and Cape clawless otters.

Three species of dolphin frequent the area, and southern right whales are seen in winter and spring.

“The discovery of new and even Jurassic invertebrate species in the Salt River has been well-published, and research and conservation efforts are on-going,” says Lesley Ann.

As the largest employer in the area, the park also has an important role to play in supporting its surrounding community, a task that has gained momentum since the 1990s. “Educational programmes for school children, in association with the Nature’s Valley Trust, continue. We made great efforts to record the history and heritage of the area and its people, and continue to employ and contract locals in an effort to reduce poverty.

“But operating and maintaining such an important park requires tourism to supplement its state-allocated funds and has as a result systematically developed its tourism offering to ensure sustainability,” says Lesley Ann.

The rest camps offer two very different experiences. Set right on the rocks of raging seas, Storms River is in-your-face wildness with a reputation for living up to its name. Many an unprepared camper has had his tent flattened by wicked winds. Once, a freak wave crushed a sliding door of a holiday flat – several metres above its usual breaking point. While the roaring is ever-present, the log homes scattered along the winding coast are amazingly soundproof and cosy. A wide deck encircles the restaurant, offering unsurpassed views. A tiny man-made beach entertains children and foreigners, the only ones generally willing to brave the chilly sea.

De Vasselot rest camp in Nature’s Valley is a magical forest wonderland with campsites in the shadows of age-old yellowwoods and a tangle of indigenous vegetation. Set along the banks of the Groot River (west) and sheltered from the elements by vegetated hills, it is one of Tsitsikamma’s best-kept secrets.

Birds, animals and bugs are prolific. At night it is pitch dark and quiet except for owls calling their mates. A sand dune protects the Nature’s Valley estuary from raging seas and provides
safe swimming for children. Often an uncanny silence hangs over the shimmering lagoon and laughing voices travel far across its waters.

The Tsitsikamma of the 1960s
While the park now attracts thousands, some 50 years ago the only visitors were forestry communities from Goesa and Bloubos who used the narrow grassland as additional feeding
for their cattle.

Just ahead of its proclamation, the park’s first CEO, Dr Robbie Robinson, was among the first to arrive. Several locals were employed to start work on the Storms River rest camp, among them 17-year-old Popo Scott, who acted as foreman and eventually worked for the park for 43 years. Dr Robinson also stayed until retirement.

South paid Oom Popo, 66, who still lives in Storms River Village, a visit. He has many stories to tell; like the one about Dr Robbie’s semi-tame otter that required a special permit so it could travel with him in a basket to Pretoria on business, the leopard that fell from the cliff at Storms River mouth and the whale that came in too shallow to give birth.

He also remembers a very sad fishing trip in which friends drowned. “The boat was a small thing with just one engine, but we all knew the sea so well… I nearly went with them that day… It happened within sight of the camp, and shook us all to the core.”

Dr Robbie laid out the rest camp, which initially comprised 10 accommodation units. The first day visitors paid five cents to enter.

Work on the Otter Trail, which was loosely based on the old fishermen’s trails along the coastline, started in 1967 and was designed by Dr Robbie from scratch. “He would walk ahead of us, marking the way with tiny scraps of fabric. During the week the team would sleep wherever we were working, go home on a Saturday afternoon, and return on Monday. It was hard work but a good life, with fish fresh from the sea every day and meals around the fire. The worst thing was the puff adders that came looking for a warm spot to sleep… not a pleasant feeling waking up with a snake in your bed,” Oom Popo laughs.

Another world-renowned icon – the dramatic suspension bridge across the 69-metre Storms River mouth that hangs only seven metres above the water – was built in 1969. Exposure to the elements eventually took its toll, and the bridge had to be rebuilt in 2006. Its success prompted the commission of another two suspension structures in 2009, which run along the rocky western cliffs inside the river mouth opening.

The walk to the bridges is decked out all the way from the restaurant and is relatively easy. The trail is mostly through indigenous forest with large overhanging trees and glimpses of the sea below. Dassies (rock hyrax) bake in the sun on rocky outcrops, their intense stares charming yet slightly unnerving.

It’s been a long time since I’ve visited Storms River, and it’s time to go. I’d forgotten how it pulls at my soul and instantly revives. The next visit will definitely be sooner.

Tsitsikamma at a glance
Size: 63 422 ha, 80km of coastline
Marine protected area: 34 300 ha
Highest point: 1 675m above sea level
(Soetkraal)
Deepest point: 80m at 5.6km off-shore

 

*This article, written by ATHANE SCHOLTZ©, first appeared in SOUTH Magazine Spring 2014 at which time the park celebrated its 50th birthday. Obviously, it is now more than 60 years old!

Photographs by DESMOND SCHOLTZ LEGACY