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Edition 15 | Thursday, 30 January 2014Tel: 083 774 2383

Born to be wild

DISTRIBUTION AREAS: Acornhoek, Bushbuckridge, Graskop, Hazyview, Hoedspruit, Phalaborwa, Pilgrims Rest, Sabie & White River. Published bi-weekly.

Public asked to support RangersThe South African National Parks last week appealed to the South Af-rican public to support efforts by Rangers to stop the massacre of our natural heritage by poachers, who are promised wealth by syndicates. This year alone, 46 rhino carcases have been discovered in the Kruger National Park which is bearing the brunt of the carnage. Six were from last year and 40 in January 2014.

The past weekend alone saw four armed contacts with Rangers that re-sulted in the death of seven suspected

poachers. Rangers confiscated four hunting rifles, ammunition, poaching equipment and a pair of horns. The death of the seven suspects brings to 11 the number of poachers killed in con-tacts with our Rangers Corp and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members in the KNP in January 2014. During these incidences two suspected poachers were arrested and eight firearms recovered. These armed contacts take place during the night and present a high level of risk to members of the KNP Rangers Corp. Read More on page 4

The debate rages onThe outcomes of lifting a ban on rhino horn trade are uncertain, while a num-ber of factors could increase poaching levels should the ban be lifted. This

is according to a recent report, titled Horn of Contention: A review of lit-erature on the economics of trade in rhino horn, which was prepared for the International Fund for Animal Wel-fare (IFAW) by Economists at Large.

According to the report, formal peer-reviewed economic studies indicate that legalising trade in wildlife goods such as rhino horn could have ambigu-ous effects on demand and supply. Fur-thermore, certain factors could actually result in increased levels of poaching. Read more on page 3

Olifants pollutionThe South African National Parks says it remains concerned over water pollution threats from the Bosveld Phosphate operation near Phalaborwa. This follows unauthorised discharge of polluted water from the fertilizer pro-duction plant into the Selati River between 3o December 2013 and 5 January 2014. Read more on page 3

Cooperative Governance and Tradi-tional Affairs Minister Lechesa Tsenoli believes government has finally found a working solution to restore non-functioning municipalities and get rid of corrupt and errant managers in lo-cal government. The answer, he says, is found in the new regulations that aim to help with the implementation of the Municipal Systems Amend-ment Act. Speaking to SAnews in an interview last week, Tsenoli said gone are the days when an official would

“run away” from a corruption case by resigning from a municipality, only to join another one a few months later.

According to the regulations, munici-palities are required to keep records of dismissed employees or those who leave before their disciplinary hearing

is completed.The new regulations also set mini-mum levels of skills, expertise and qualifications for senior managers,

while pay will be capped by the Minis-ter in future. Those found guilty of fi-nancial misconduct will be prevented from taking up local government jobs

for 10 years, while those found guilty of other offences will be kept at bay for between two and five years. “People are going to be properly screened to

make sure that they do not carry any history of mis-conduct from elsewhere and that they do not have convictions for fraud etc. We are going to be tough. We call it the eye of the needle.”

The regulations will also ensure that when people are employed, they will be leaders of integrity and will be able to run mu-

nicipalities with honour, Tsenoli said. “We want to make sure that the salaries they earn do not surpass that of the President, because it has been estab-lished that some municipal managers are earning way too much. Without entering into the bargaining arena, a cap will be put on the remu-neration in line with the economic situation of the country. We under-took that this strategy would be put in place and acted upon. This is one area of the law where we are interven-ing practically. It is a crucial way to guide weaker municipalities that are not able to properly manage human resources, finance and so on,” said Tsenoli - SAnews

‘Eye of the needle’ to address municipal woes

Lightning shapes mountains pg 2

2 The Bushveld Times THURSDAY, 30 JANUARY 2014

Andri GodrichPeter CumberlegeKaren TilneyKos CoronaiosChris MartinMike v/d bergElizabeth CombrinkAndries v/d WaltPeter BurroughesLittle Marketting Comp.Printers

EditorBusinessLifestyleAstronomyPhotographyHorticulturalistLife StyleMotoringMotoringGraphic DesignPaarl Media

DISTRIBUTION AREASAcornhoek, Bushbuckridge, Graskop,

Sabie, Hazyview, White River, Phalaborwa, Pilgrims Rest, Hoedspruit

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Editor: Andri GodrichTel: 083 774 2383Email: andri@bushveldtimes.co.zaAdvertising: info@bushveldtimes.co.zaWebsite: www.bushveldtimes.co.za

HELP US GET IT RIGHTThe Bushveld Times is committed to

bringing you news you can trust. If you spot mistakes in our stories, please

point them out to us.

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GET IN TOUCH WITH US: Contact 083 774 2383 or email: info@bushveldtimes.co.za

DTI launches permanent SA showroom in Atlanta

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe launched a permanent South African showroom in one of the largest perma-nent wholesale trade centres in Atlanta, USA earlier this month. According to Thabethe, the showroom will serve as a platform to market South African prod-ucts, especially home decor and textiles.

”We are inspired by the cultural diver-

sity of these products as well as the prestigious quality that we believe will certainly resonate well with the American and other international consumers. Our focus is now on the creation of more value-added prod-ucts and to improve competitive-ness in the industry,” said Thabethe.

She added that she was highly im-pressed by the talent and skills that

South African women possess in de-signing and crafting fashionable prod-ucts which promote the South African culture and heritage, and appeal to both local and international markets.

The South African ambassador to the USA, Mr Ebrahim Rasool, said that he was thrilled by the initiative taken by the Department of Trade and Industry in seeing to it that the project came to

fruition. “Small to me-dium South African producers have been granted an opportu-nity to showcase their products in an incred-ibly great market and this can only help cre-ate jobs back home,” said Rasool. Deputy Minister Thabethe of-ficially declared the showroom in Atlanta opened in the pres-ence of Georgia State Senator, Ms Donzella James and Vice Mayor, City of College Park,

Mr Joe Carn together with Consul General, Mr George Monyemangene.

Enquiries:

Sidwell Medupe, Departmental SpokespersonTel: 012 394 1650Cell: 079 492 1774E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za

HOW TO CONTACT US

And herewith the first edi-tion of the Bushveld Times for 2014...

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventu-ally learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so bet-ter things can fall together.”

- Marilyn Monroe

A warm welcome to all our new contributors in this edition and to the ones that will follow in the editions to come.

‘On this new year my resolu-tions include, to face chal-lenges with courage and confidence, to spread love and affection to our dear and nears, to lead a life of success and victory and to pray to God for all those blessings.’ - M Bowe

The Independent Electoral Commis-sion (IEC) and the Department of International Relations and Coop-eration (Dirco) have announced their collaboration to register South Afri-cans living outside of the coun-try as voters for the first time. This follows the presidential assent to the Electoral Amend-ment Act No 18 of 2013 and the publication of amendments to the Regulations on the Reg-istration of Voters late last year.

In the past, citizens could only vote

if they had registered in South Africa.In terms of the amended regulations, South Africans living outside of the country who wish to vote in next

year’s national election are required to register in person either in South

Africa or at one of South Africa’s 124 embassies, high commissions or consulates-general located in 108 countries. These South Africans need to be in possession of a valid South

African identity document (either a green bar-coded South Afri-can ID book, a new smart-card ID or a valid temporary identity certificate) and a valid South Af-rican passport to register. South African citizens living outside of the country and who are already registered as voters in South

Africa do not need to register again.Applications for registration are open with immediate effect and take place during normal office hours of the various missions until 7 February

Provision has also been made for two special registration weekends toaccommodate South Africans living abroad who are unable to register at their nearest South African for-eign mission during normal working hours. The registration weekends will be held on 18 and 19 January, and on 25 and 26 January - SAnews

‘Applications for regis-tration are open until the

7th of February’

SA expats can register to vote abroad

Photo: Deputy Minister Thabethe cuts the ribbon to open the permanent SA showroom in Atlanta as officials from the Department of Trade and Industry and the SA embassy in the USA look on

From the desk of the Editor

Hidden away in a corner of the Khamogelo Centre and certainly one of the best kept secrets in Hoedspruit has to be the small but intimate bookshop “Books and By-gones”. The relaxed and friendly atmosphere allows one to browse the second hand books, join the book exchange, peruse the local arts and crafts and sniff the magic fragrance of the many incense and oils.

Pegi Mc Cartney, the owner of the shop, describes “Books and By-gones” as the perfect place to find that last minute present or to while away a little spare time. Described

by one customer as a “Book Café” you can easily persuade Pegi to brew a quick cup of coffee or, with a little extra encouragement, she might even be swayed into consid-ering something a little stronger. To add to the enjoyment, Pegi is plan-ning on a regular wine and wisdom event in the near future.

As Pegi says, she has many a reg-ular customer to thank for her suc-cess, but she loves nothing more than to introduce her enchanting shop to passers-by and newcom-ers to Hoedspruit. Pegi can be contacted on 0847463649.

B OO K S & B Y G O N E S

The best kept secret in Hoedspruit

Weekly Poll Results

Who do you think has the best chance of winning the dakar?44 % Giniel de Villiers28 % Nasser al-Attiyah28 % Carlos Sainz0 %Stephane Peterhansel

THURSDAY, 30 JANUARY 2014 The Bushveld Times 3Visit our Facebook page onwww.facebook.com/TheBushveldTimes

Follow us on Twitter on@Bushveld_Times

Lightning shapes mountains

Lifeline for Pilgrims Rest business owners

Scientists at Wits University in Jo-hannesburg have made a “shocking” discovery – lightning rather than ice or heat is the main force shatter-ing rocks on Drakensberg summits. National Geographic reports on re-search published in the journal Geo-morphology on 1 January 2014. The evidence gathered by geomorpholo-gist Stefan Grab and geologist Jasper Knight has apparently changed their own conventional notions about the forces that shape mountain peaks. For their research, the pair surveyed almost half a kilometre of the Drak-ensberg in Lesotho, where they found 90 sites where lightning strikes had blasted apart the basalt rock face, the website reports. While frost alters the shape of rocks over thousands of years, lightning - at temperatures of up to almost 30 000°C - can shatter

rocks in milliseconds, the research-ers say. Lightning “basically causes a bomb to explode on the rock surface”, Knight told National Geographic.

The fact that a lightning strike will par-tially melt basalt in an instant meant the researchers were able to develop a diagnostic “tool kit” to distinguish the sites of lightning strikes from other rock fragments affected by heat or ice. Lightning is “part of the much bigger jigsaw,” a puzzle piece that had been

“passed over by geoscientists for de-cades”, Grab is quoted as saying. The two researchers told National Geo-graphic that further exploration would reveal other examples of mountain ranges shaped in large part by lightning

- especially in warmer regions of Aus-tralia, Africa, and Asia that were most-ly passed over by the Ice Age - SAinfo

Answers to Brain Teaser on page 7

1. Tuberculosis2. Diamonds3. Parsley4. To cook 5. Starfish6. Dog7. Dew8. Voting - elections9. Hands10. False teeth11. Mona Lisa12. Dr No13. Bishop14. Polaroid15. Hippopotumus

Business owners will rely on the pub-lic protector’s scathing report on the Mpumalanga municipality of Pilgrim’s Rest to back their claims that they were wrongfully served eviction notices in June 2012 to make way for people who were il-legally given shop leas-es. Shop owners who were illegally evicted by the Department of Public Works have some certainty follow-ing findings that the de-partment acted illegally.

Lawyers for the business owners, responding to the findings by Thuli Madonsela, said that the report re-leased last month is likely to form the basis of their action to rescind the eviction notices. Madonsela found that the tender process was

“characterised by gross irregularities and maladministration” and recommended that the new shop leases be cancelled.Attorney Pieter Steenkamp said that “We are waiting for the final legal opinion from

our senior counsel on this new approach.”

In July 2012, the Pretoria High Court granted an interim interdict stopping the evictions pending the main court applica-

tion. But Steenkamp said the legal team had been unable to proceed as the pro-vincial public works department did not hand over, as per the court order, all

the relevant ten-der documents.

The business owners’ legal action has been dragging on for more than a year. The provincial department of

public works, which owns the build-ings in the town, has yet to respond to Madonsela’s findings. Spokesman Du-misani Malamule said the department was studying the report - The Times

Weekly PollDo you believe the new regula-tions concerning municipalities will have an ef-fect (see page

1) 1.Yes2. No

Mpumalanga’s most improved no-fee school went from a matric pass rate of below 20% to 100% in the space of one year. Mathuk-wane Secondary School in Casteel near Bushbuckridge achieved a mere 19.4% matric pass in 2012. “I am very happy for the drastic improvement. We are aim-ing for the better quality this year and hoping to increase the number of the admission to bachelor degrees,” school principal Farris Si-

wela told African Eye News Service. Siwela attributed the school’s suc-cess to teamwork involving provin-

cial education officials, teachers, pu-pils and parents. He said the school addressed a shortage of chairs

and desks to ensure that pupils study in a comfortable environment.

“Pupils were encouraged to do their work both in the class-room and at home while the teachers were closely monitor-ing everything. We are happy with the progress and we can still do better this year,” he said. Thabang Malele, 19,

is one pupil whose marks were high enough to make him eligible to apply for a Bachelor’s Degree.

“We did not have enough study ma-terials so our teachers had to out-source them from a neighbouring school. We did not have everything but our attitude and hard work paid off,” said Malele. He said pupils at-tended a one-month camp at the school to ensure they studied and interacted with the teachers. Malele said although he passed very well, he did not apply to university. His dream is to pursue a career in traffic management – SAnews

Bushbuckridge boast most improved school

‘We are happy with the progress and we can still do

better this year’

Selati & Olifants Rivers remain major concern

Continued from page 1. The incident resulted in immediate acute toxic-ity, resulting in a many fish being killed. The Department of Water Af-fairs, Department of Environmental Affairs and SANParks are continuing to work closely on both the opera-tional responses and the investiga-tion associated with this incident. Senior representatives from the DWA’s Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Directorates and SAN-Parks met with the Board of Direc-tors of Bosveld Phosphate last week.

A number of immediate response actions are being developed and technical task teams have now been established to deal with both short

and longer-term threats and risks. Last week a new spillage which was observed by SANParks per-sonnel drained into the Selati River and the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, accompanied SAN-Parks and DWA CME officials to the spill site. Mabudafhasi said she was committed to ensuring that the matter received high priority. SAN-Parks is, however, concerned that the industry is not adapting fast enough to climate variability in their risk management approaches and that further incidents of this nature may become more frequent. React-ing to the new developments, SAN-Parks’ Dr Stefanie Freitag-Ronald-

son said that sincere commitment needed to be shown by Bosveld Phosphate to address the new spill-age and its effects, as well as to en-sure that no further spillages occur.

The Olifants River is an important river for the economies of South Af-rica and Mozambique and as a result, is highly pressurised. It is also a very important component of the ecosys-tem of the Kruger National Park. In recent years, this river has shown signs of chronic ecological degra-dation, including the disease and death of top aquatic predators such as crocodiles. Three tourist camps in the Kruger National Park, usually supplied with water from the Olifants River, continue to be supplied by safe potable water from nearby boreholes. A detailed monitoring programme has been implemented by SANParks to evaluate the short, medium and long term impact of these spillages on the aquatic ecosystem. – SAnews

Continued from p1. These include that legal trade of rhino horn will not necessarily replace illegal trade; that legal trade could reduce the stigma attached to the con-sumption of rhino horn and therefore increase the mar-ket; and that legal trade could possibly reduce the supply costs of illegal trade.

The report also found literature “overtly pro-trade” was not peer-re-viewed and depended on assump-

tions that are not supported by em-pirical evidence. Furthermore, these studies did not adequately address the concerns raised in the formal

studies. “Economic logic does not sug-gest that a legal trade in rhino horn would necessarily reduce poaching of rhino in Africa,” the report concludes. “We sug-gest further research should be undertaken

before any formal steps are taken to-wards legalising trade in rhino horn.”

- Today’s News Tourism Update

Report high-lights risks of

legalising rhino horn trade

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Advocate Michael Ma-sutha urged pupils in the Limpopo province to consider pursuing ca-reers in mathematics and science to help develop the country. The Depu-ty Minister was visiting the province to promote mathematics and sci-ence. South Africa is under pressure to produce much-needed science and technology skills for research and development purposes and the number of Grade 12 graduates in mathematics and physical science is crucial in achieving this.

The Minister addressed school pu-pils at the Science and Technology centre in Bochum. He said South Africa is a developing country, and for it to be considered developed

it needs you (the learners) to do Maths & Science and become scien-tists and researchers. The Minister added that science and technology education programmes around the country need to be strengthened in areas where they are needed most, so that every SA child can be given the opportunity to participate in the ‘African dream’. He said such pro-grammes will also reverse the situ-ation of poverty, inequality and un-employment. “SA will not win the war against all these adverse conditions if it does not produce more of scien-tists, mathematicians and research-ers. Please prosper in your studies wherever you are, but do come back to develop rural villages like yours,” he said - Department of Science and Technology

Mandla Maseko, a part-time DJ, is preparing to rocket off into space in 2015. Maseko won the global Axe Apollo

Space Academy competition for an hour long sub-orbital trip of 62 miles, or about 100 kilometres. Handpicked for the trip on the Lynx Mark II Spaceship, Maseko is one of only 23 civilians from around the world to win a seat on the space mission. He saw off a million other entrants to emerge victorious.

The son of a toolmaker and a cleaning supervisor, he hails from the dusty Mabopane Township near Pretoria. He will be the first black African, and the only other South African besides billionaire Mark Shuttleworth to have gone into space. “Excitement does not begin to describe how I feel right now,” Maseko told the Pretoria News daily. “If there was a better word than ‘excitement’ I would use it.” He was forced to put his civil engineering studies on hold be-cause he could not pay the fees; now he will get to experience zero gravity and a journey that normally comes with a $100 000 price tag. An extract from original article by SouthAfrica.info

Minister focusses science & research From DJ to astronaut What hapenned on this day...1982 - Richard Skentra writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called “Elk Cloner”1988 - Hansie Cronje gets a pair in 2nd 1st-class game (OFS vs N-TVL)

OK

PANIC!!!!

4 The Bushveld Times THURSDAY, 30 JANUARY 2014

Citrus Black Spot (CBS) is caused by the fungus Guignardia (Phyllost-icta) citricarpa and results in super-ficial blemishes on fruit affecting the cosmetic appeal of the fruit. Within the global trade environment, the in-troduction and spread of plant pests are managed through the applica-tion of phytosanitary measures provided that such measures are scientifically justifiable.

In 1992 the European Economic Community and in 2000 the Eu-ropean Union (EU) implemented phytosanitary measures to pre-vent the entry of CBS infected fruit into their territory. The rele-vant EU import control measures were strengthened in 2012 when the European Commission (EC) an-nounced an intention to institute a five-interception cut off point for CBS on fruit from SA during the 2013 sea-

son. The EU indicated that it would consider instituting stricter import measures which may include a ban of citrus fruit from South Africa once that threshold was reached.Considering the importance of the EU market for SA citrus, the depart-ment, with key industry partners

have strengthened the CBS-risk management system (RMS) which aims to limit the occurrence of CBS in consignments. Throughout the 2013 citrus export season, the de-

partment continuously engaged the relevant EU authorities by sharing information on the implementation of the RMS and submitting information on remedial actions taken where a CBS interception had occurred. De-spite implementing additional risk management measures, South Af-

rica has accumulated 36 intercep-tions of CBS to date on Citrus fruit exported to the EU.

On 29 November 13, the Stand-ing Committee on Plant Health, comprising phytosanitary experts from EU Member States, recom-mended that for the current sea-son, citrus imports from South Africa would be restricted to CBS

free areas. These CBS free areas refer to those areas which South Africa considers to be free from the CBS organism.

We are fortunate to call home an area that is the nature capital of one of the most ecologically diverse and beauti-ful countries on the planet. Yet how often do we find ourselves dreaming about travel to far flung lands full of dramatic wildlife en-counters? Why not set out a plan to learn more about your local area and the pho-tographical opportunities it offers you.

The Blue Canyon Conser-vancy is on our doorstep. Why not de-velop a port-folio of the conservancy that express-es its beauty and majesty throughout the year - the flora and fauna as well as the special people who dedicate their working lives to its sustainability. Something that is more than just a wildlife photographic study, but is the story of a community at large who live and breathe a conservation ethos.

Take time out to enjoy more landscape and macro photography. In doing so it will increase your knowledge and fa-miliarity with the surroundings as well as open up the world we all too often drive by and fail to notice.

Develop new and innovative ways in which to share your work with others.

Stop worrying and longing for the new technology that will inevitably be

launched this year and rather take bet-ter care of your existing kit.

Well, given it’s my first article of the year I want-ed to “go public” with some of the challenges I am setting myself and

in so do-ing will hopefully inspire some of you to do the same. Irrespec-tive of your goals, just hav-ing some-thing

to work to-wards will make you a better pho-tographer. There might be something on my list that you’ve wanted to

do for years, or you might have some ideas of your own that you would like to share with the other readers.

Please drop me a line at the Bushveld Times as possibly there will be oppor-tunities for us to get out and about and achieve some of them together? Either way, setting yourself some challenging goals will do wonders for your pho-tography, will set you off capturing images you have long overlooked and will increase the fun you get from your camera work. Stay focussed and enjoy your shutter time.

Challenges for 2014

SA strengthen CBS risk management system

Wild life Photography by Chris Martin

Continued from pg 1. Well over 80% of the incursions are from Mozam-bique. Multiple incursions of up to 15 heavily armed groups operate in the KNP at any given time especially during the full moon period. They op-erate in groups of four to six and are aggressive and engage and shoot at the Rangers on sight, creating a daily life threatening situation. The recent recovery of a handgun at a contact scene suggests elevated levels of ag-gression from the poaching groups.

Despite all of the above, the Officer Commanding of the Rangers Corp, Major General (RET) Johan Jooste is optimistic that his well thought out long term strategy will bear fruits.

“We brought down the level of poach-ing incidents last year to 42.6% from 72.6% the previous year, we have also arrested 123 individuals in connection with poaching activities, it is now up to the prosecuting teams, investiga-tors and the SAPS to conclude what we have started. We would like to ask the public, law enforcement agencies

and our counter-parts in Mozam-bique, to play their part, match the work that is being done by the Rangers and we will reap the rewards and win this war,” con-cluded Jooste.

South Africans must match

Rangers efforts

The South African National Parks has responded to a public outcry on its decision to euthanize an elephant that flipped over a vehicle belonging to a visiting British couple injuring the occupants on 30 December 2013. Speaking from the Kruger National

Park, the Managing Executive of this iconic park, Mr. Abe Sibiya said the incident is as a consequence of parks allowing people to enjoy the natural environment; unfortunately some do so in an irresponsible man-ner. “While it is expected in an envi-

ronment such as the Kruger Na-tional Park that human and animal conflict will always occur, it is also vitally important that members of the public visiting various national parks adhere to the rules.”

According to Sibiya the decision to euthanize the animal was not taken

lightly but based on the information from our well experienced Rangers assessment the animal was likely to attack tourist vehicles in the future.

“It is for this reason that we appeal to our patrons to act in a responsible manner and give such information to us rather than sharing it on social media platforms.” He said to bring closure to the matter; SANParks would need co-operation from the visitors that took the video. “The law stipulates that evidence such as this should be accompanied by a written statement from eyewitnesses as the footage cannot be the only permis-

sible evidence in order to sanction any fine against the alleged perpe-trators.”

“Tourists need to change their be-haviour when on self-game drives…we drive this message in our com-munication at check in points, in our brochures and on the permits. It is all but impossible to have constant policing as the parks resources are already stretched with many op-erations going on at the same time,” concludes Sibiya - South African Na-tional Parks.

SANParks responds to public outrage

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“Love is temporary insanity curable by marriage.”

- Ambrose Bierce

First off, I hope all readers had a wonderful Christmas spent in the company of family and great friends. I wish you all every hap-piness and success as we stride purposefully into 2014. It’s going to be a great year I am sure!! I am writing this piece from my kitchen table in the UK where I manage to steal away to a few times each year. Yes it’s cold and a bit damp, but my heart warms at the prospect of returning home to Hoedspruit in a few weeks’ time.

Much like everyone else, as the clock ticked past midnight some weeks ago, I pondered on the New Year resolutions I should make, but which I knew I would inevita-bly break. I guess breaking those same resolutions has become as much a tradition as making them in the first place. Having said that, I want this year to be different.

Last year was a year of great change for me and life was a bit of a roller coaster ride more especial-ly from a photographic perspective as I began to establish my busi-ness in a new town following my move to Hoedspruit. It’s been too easy to get distracted from the task at hand as I finished off the house, sorted out the office, sneaked off on morning game drives when in fact I should have been concentrat-ing on my photography. 2014, for me at least, needs to be a lot more

focussed. After years of being a photographer, it never ceases to amuse me when I meet new people and they ask what I do for a living. When I say “I’m a wildlife photographer” they kind of give me that look that says “Oh, that’s a nice, but what’s your real job? It is a constant reminder that above all else, photography should be fun.

So now I’m back to thinking about the importance of those “New Year resolutions” and just how formidable a little bit of planning can be when it comes to further-ing our passion for photography. How many of us sit back and think about how best we can lift our pho-tographic creativity to a new level and how many of us are happy to look back at our best images and bask in the reflected glory of days gone by?

The latter is easy enough to do. You just take a trip down memory lane by looking at your Facebook postings from the previous year. However the former requires a bit more foresight and indeed a little honesty on our part. But if in doing so it gives you a more goal orien-tated year that in turn makes you a better photographer ... it’s well worth the extra effort.Chris Martin

Out with the old and in with the new

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

- Dr. Seuss

Your FREE Business Directory Bushveld Classifieds THURSDAY, 30 JANUARY 2014 The Bushveld Times 5

List your Business here for FREE email info@bushveldtimes.co.za

HS: Hoedspruit. PB: Phalaborwa. GK: Graskop. WR: White River. S: Sabie. PR: Pilgrim’s Rest.

HV: Hazyview. L: Lowveld RegionAgricultureLaeveld Trekkers 015 793 1701AccommodationHS: Jolyne B&B 072 197 1759HS: Mica Contractors Accommodation 079 069 7700HS: African Rock Lodge 084 555 4875HS: Wild Fig Furnished Apartments 083 977 9678HS: Wild Fig Unfurnished Apartments 083 977 9678HS: Laerskool Mariepskop 083 231 4778HS: Zandspruit Bush & Aero Estate 083 977 9678ArchitectsHS:ENOMIS DESIGNS 015 793 0009L: ZAS Architectural Designs 072 055 2150BeautyHS: Bliss Hair and Beauty 072 271 4006BrokersMV Brokers 082 851 6743CarwashHS:Kamogelo Carwash 072 775 5827ComputersL:ProgramIT (Sales) 082 979 1615L:GCJ-IT 074 317 4076ChemicalsL: Momar Chemicals 081 567 7460ConstructionL: Zandspruit Construction 082 449 8895L: Savanha Construction 015 793 0009CouriersL: Doulos Couriers 083 355 3426 L: Hoedspruit Couriers 082 566 0889Emergency NumbersHS: Hoedspruit Farm Watch 072 310 0032HS: Hoedspruit Medical Rescue 072 170 0864EntertainmentHS: Starlight DVD 015 793 0248HS: Jessica the Hippo 082 958 7861FashionHS: Sole Comfort 015 001 7089HS: Khaki Fever 015 793 1762HS: Earth Angel 082 533 6541FurnitureHS: Beares 015 793 1918Flight TrainingAirborne African Adventures 078 417 6518Flight Training & Safaris 015 793 0348FloristHarvest Gifts & Groceries 082 817 7461LegalSteyn & Clarke Prokereurs 015 793 0258

Medical ServicesHS: Marile Landman Oogkundiges 082 803 0369HS: Hypnotherapist 082 683 2835HS: Dr. Gerhardus Venter 072 797 3785HS: Counselling/Functional Therapy 082 787 4471MotorHS: Varta Powerzone Batteries 015 793 2448Training and Skills DevelopmentPB: Training Force Phalaborwa 015 781 6280Under TrainingHS: Studies in Functional Therapy 082 787 4471Plant & Tool HireHS: Thomsons Plant Hire 082 836 5609Pool ServicesHS: Lopes Pools 015 793 0166Masons Pools 072 791 5761Azul Pools 082 765 9163Real EstateHS: Remax 015 793 0108HS: Zandspruit Sales Agency 083 977 9678HS: Kruger 2 Canyon Properties 015 793 0766RestaurantsHS: Safari Club 015 793 1001WR: Brie Street Deli & Bistro 013 750 2026HS: Sleepers Railway Restaurant 015 793 1014HS: Three Bridges Restaurant & Pub 079 912 9416S: Ayesha’s Deli Sabie 083 887 5548ServicesHS: Niche Cleaning Services 073 4732690HS: ‘Greensol Plumbing 015 793 1659 & Air-Conditioning’ L: KST Refrigeration & 083 255 3120AirconditioningHS: H.P.C Termite Specialists 084 321 2912HS: Hoedspruit Feeds 076 556 9280HS: Devine Cleaning Corp 083 774 2383HS: Laundry and Upholstery Cleaning 083 525 9890HS: Brush-Strokes 078 304 2034P.K’s Locksmiths 082 451 4474Extreme Spitbraai 082 451 4474Handyman Solutions 082 448 2211Jeannie C. Photography 082 767 5901GK: Jonkel Carbons 013 767 1820HS: Snyman Voere 087 802 1162HS: Mantis Pest Control 083 938 6158Stationery :)HS: Program IT (Sales) 082 979 1615TravelHS: Century Safari’s 015 793 0259L: Dot Travel 082 501 5225Restaurants

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Down MemoryLane with The Star

An extract from The Star

Eighteen-ninety was a difficult year for The Star. The drought had threat-ened to starve the firm’s boiler of water, which would have meant no news-paper. And no sooner had that crisis been dealt with than the place burnt down. The town had no fire brigade

– something The Star had had a lot to say about in the past and would have even more to say now. The fire was on Sunday May 25. Next day was a bank holiday so Francis Dormer knew he had 24 hours’ grace. He recalled that some months previously the Ar-gus Company had dismissed an offer from the defunct Golden Age to buy its machinery. Suddenly The Star need-ed that machinery. Dormer hatched a plot. He knew that if the Golden Age’s proprietor got to hear of the fire the price of the plant would rocket. Dormer lived on Hospital Hill and one of his neighbours happened to be W Y Campbell, owner of the Golden Age. The two of them often walked together in the early mornings across the veld which stretched for ever to the north.Monday’s dawn saw Dormer hanging about outside his house watching for Campbell. To his relief Campbell did indeed come strolling along with his dog. Dormer fell in beside him and chatted. It became clear that Camp-bell had no idea about the fire. Dor-mer casually asked if he had sold the plant and when Campbell said he had not, Dormer said that maybe the Argus would buy it after all – if the price was right. Campbell, worried that Dormer might change his mind, suggested re-tracing their footsteps. On reaching Campbell’s house, Dormer happily signed a cheque. Next day The Star had a press and was in a position to publish the story of its own destruction.

“Like it was 1887 – 1987”

Valentines crossword

Crossword answersedition 14

Down1. Who was known as the worlds greatest lover (8)2. A place where you might keep your Valentines wine (6)3. A stupid person (4)4. the men from which nation, stripped naked, grabbed dog or goat skin whips, and spanked young maidens (6)6. You need one of these to take your girl out (6)7. Strong feelings of affection (4)8. Fill it with chocolates (3)12. How many times do you fall in love before getting married (7)16. A small piece of tortilla typically topped with cheese (5)17. General character in a movie (5)18. A term of endearment (5)20. The global sales in this industry on valentines day is greater than the gdp of iceland (7)21. This clolour rose means I am hav ing sweet thoughts about you (4)22.Wiil Smith’s proffession (5)24. Strongly wanting to have or do something (5)26. Slang word for yes (3)27. Love is in the ... (3)29. To move by pulling with great effort (3)

day actually refers to (2)

Across1. To make a soft murmuring sound(3)2. Surname of the first man to sell a box of chocolates in the 1800’s (7)5. How many roses do you need to give to someone on valentines day to say I love you (6)9. A piece of publicity (5)10. Love and respect someone deeply (5)11. A poetic term for a valley (4)13. A negative answer (2)14. What do you lose two of on aver age when falling in love (7)15. The goddess of love (5)19. A fabulous person (3)20. The Romans had this feast in honour the goddess of woman and marriage (5)23. Physicians in the 1800’s believed by eating this your pining for lost love would be calmed (9)25. What is the second most popular Valentines gift in America (5)26. If a woman from this country gives a man a hand-made chocolate it is a sign that he is ‘the one’ (5)28. You’re likely to give or receive one on Valentines Day31. Watch KD Lang at this theatre on Valentines Day (12)

Whats up in February

Answers will be provided in Edition 16

6 February - Mercury stationary A three week period in which the plan-et Mercury to appears to be in back-wards motion

Astrologers’ view on Mercu-ry retrogade is a time human be-ings experience many adverse effects, such as memory loss, loss of time, loss of items, loss of virgin-ity and loss of common sense. As for technol-ogy many unex-pected glitches might occur, such as soft-ware crashes and emails getting lost. So perhaps it would be wise to add a reminder on your phone not to forget

Valentines Day.

February 14 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth

from the Sun and will be fully illumi-nated as seen from Earth. This phase oc-curs at 23:53 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native Ameri-can tribes as the Full Snow Moon because the heaviest snows usually fell during this time of the year. Since hunting

is difficult, this moon has also been known by some tribes as the Full Hun-ger Moon.

‘Hang on to valuable things when get-ting rid of unnecessary things’. During the 1500s, most people bathed once a year. Even when they did bathe, the entire family used the same tubful of water. The man of the house bathed first, followed by other males, then females, and finally the babies. You can imagine how thick and cloudy the water became by that time, so the infants’ mothers had to take care not to throw them out with the bathwater when they emptied the tub.

The origin of phrases

‘Dont throw the baby out with the bath water’

Send a maximum of 30 words and we will publish it for FREE

This February is a very favourable month for couples, maybe the most favourable in 2014! Venus, the planet of love and harmony, has resumed its straight movement in Capricorn at the end of January, ending a phase of complications, blocks and inefficiency. Things will clear up and new roads will be taken enthusiastically. Venus can finally offer you her gifts: love, fun,

good mood.

With Venus by your side and with Jupiter, the Greater Benefic, locat-ed in Capricorn’s house of couples, in February 2014 you won’t have only one Valentine’s Day, but 28 of them. But perhaps you should read the article below before you get too carried away. eAstrolog.com

Not only one Valentines Day

The total number of rhino poached in South Africa during 2013 in-creased to 1004, as the number of people arrested for rhino poach-ing-related offences climbed to 343. During 2012, 668 rhino were

poached, while 448 were killed in 2011. Since 2008, 2 778 rhino have been poached in South Africa. A to-tal of 37 rhino have been poached since the start of 2014.

During 2013, the Kruger National Park continued to bear the brunt of rhino poaching losing a total of 606 of the iconic animals to poachers. A total of 114 rhino were poached

in Limpopo, 92 in Mpumalanga, 87 in North West and 85 in KwaZulu-Natal. The number of rhino poach-ers arrested during 2013 increased considerably with 343 being ar-rested, 133 of them in the Kruger National Park. In 2012, 267 alleged poachers were arrested. Since the beginning of 2014, 6 alleged poachers have been arrested - SANParks

1004 rhino’s lost in 2013

079 912 9416

14 February3 Course Menu R1892 Course menu R175Includes a glass of Sparkling Wine!

BE M

Y

Valentine

Olifants River Bridge, Mica

6 The Bushveld Times THURSDAY, 30 JANUARY 2014

Originating from Egypt, Dukkah is a dry blend of nuts and spices most commonly used to season flat breads. The best way to enjoy Dukkah is by dip-ping fresh crusty bread into good quality extra-virgin olive oil and then dunking it into the Dukkah mixture. Dukkah can also be used to season roasted vegetables or as a crust for chicken, fish and meat.½ cup (125 ml) raw ha-zelnuts or raw almonds¼ cup (60 ml) raw cashew nuts

Ingredients:¼ cup (60 ml) raw sesame seeds1 tbsp (15 ml) cumin powder or seeds2 tbsp (30 ml) coriander powder or seeds

¼ tsp (1 ml) unrefined salt¼ tsp (1 ml) black pepper

Heat a heavy based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the ground nuts and dry toast them lightly for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir to prevent burn-ing.

Place the toasted nuts in a food processor and process until they resemble coarse crumbs. Place the ground nuts into a large bowl.

Add the sesame seeds to the frying pan and lightly dry toast them for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Stir to prevent burning. Add to the ground nuts.

Place cumin and coriander powder or seeds in a frying pan over a me-

dium heat and dry toast them lightly for 1 to 2 minutes or un-til they release their aromas or the seeds be-gin to pop. The toasted cumin

and co-riander powder can be added to the nut mix-

ture. If you have used seeds, then pound the toasted seeds first in a pestle and mortar or finely grind in a coffee grinder before adding to the nut mixture.

Add the ground spices, salt and pepper to the nut mixture and mix well.

Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 month.

Seeds and nuts

Seeds and nuts are the foods of the future. We humans would not be able to raise new generations with-out the procreative benefits found in the mineral elements, enzymes, vitamins and magnetic qualities of seeds and nuts.

Seeds carry the universal life force. They contain all the nutrients re-quired for health and strength of body. Even although our ancestors used seeds instead of meat for cen-turies, it was not that long ago that we believed that they were merely food for animals and the birds.

The nutritional content of seeds, nuts and grains is altered when they are heated, but the flavour is enhanced. Balance the raw and heated seeds and nuts in your diet. Seeds and nuts are easier to digest and more nutritious raw than toast-ed, but you can occasionally lightly toast them to enhance the flavour.

Only consume unsalted seeds and nuts. All seeds and nuts should be fresh, stored in the fridge or freezer and they must not taste bitter. A bit-ter taste is an indication of rancid-ity, which means the oils have oxi-dised and are detrimental to health. Since nuts and seeds can become rancid and lose their nutrients, it is best to buy them in the shell.

This recipe and nutritional informa-tion appears in Naturally Nutritious Wholefood Cookbook by Heidi du Preez and Karen Werge Tilney, published by Natural Nutrition.

Brain Teaser1. Consumption was the former name of which disease2. Kimberlite contains what precious item3. Which herb did the Romans eat top prevent drunkenness4. What is the original literal meaning of the word bride5. What is the only creature that can turn its stomach inside out6. What type of animal is a Samoyed7. What does a drosomoter measure8. What does a psephologist study9. The guillotine was invented for chopping off what10. What did Spanish scientists fit to cows to increase milk yield11. La Giaconda isbetter known as what

With the scorching summer heat reaching its peak and not-withstanding the plenti-ful rain we have had in the Lowveld over the last few weeks, the survival of your garden may be causing you a little con-cern at the moment. Some of your plants will be flourishing while others may well be struggling. However, don’t let this put you off as all is not lost.

There are many ways to protect and help nurture the strugglers. First and foremost ensure that adequate water reaches the root zones, don’t overdo it but make sure it soaks in well. Try to water your garden early in the morn-ing or late evening as this will reduce wa-ter loss and allow time for the moisture to seep deeper into the soil.

Ground cover is a definite must when looking to help plants establish in hot dry soil. It reduces the temperature and

keeps the soil around the plant moist. Mulch has a similar effect and, in addition, it will reduce the rate of water evaporation in the soil. Another way of dealing with the ex-treme heat is to plant trees. Forrest species won’t like the Lowveld heat while they are young and will tend to grow slowly, so stick to the pio-

neer species or trees that grow in open grassland like Acacia and Rhus.

When it comes to the lawn, make sure you are not using more water than need-ed. Place several empty cans around your

lawn area and after you have watered, measure the amount of water in each can. This not only tells you how much water you are applying, but it also gives you an indication as

to how evenly the water has been spread. Fertilize every 4-6 weeks with a slow-release lawn food.

Stick to in-digenous plants as, for obvious reasons, they love our African sun. Once they are

established they can survive a relatively fierce drought. Consider planting Gaza-nias as they are not only hardy but rep-resent the cheerful sunshine face of our

country. An excellent invest-ment will be clump forming perennials such as ‘Giant Red’ or creeping forms like Gazania rigens, Delosperma and pink Delosperma virens which flow-er almost all year round.

Those indigenous shrubs that are not well known for their drought resistant qualities such as Buchus, are actually extremely tough once established. Good composting, mulching and regular deep watering during the first season or two is often enough to allow the plants to estab-lish and become ‘extremists’ along with the best.

Anisodonteas have been known and loved in South Africa for many years. They are drought hardy and range from the spreading and rounded Anisodontea capensis to the upright and large flow-ered Anisodontea or ‘Elegant Lady’. Their flowers come in all shades of pink often with intricate nectar guide mark-ings. Leonotis leonurus or Wild Dagga is very drought resistant once established. It should be cut back hard after flower-ing and trimmed regularly in summer to ensure lots of flowering stems in autumn and winter.

The Egyptian wayRecipe of the week

Hoedspruit - 015 793 0248

12. What was the first James Bond film? 13. Which chest piece could be a member of the church? 14. What was invented by Dr Edward Land in 1947 15. What animals name trans- lates as water horse

Find the answers on page 3

South Africa is the first, and to date only country to build nu-clear weap-ons and

then voluntarily dismantle its entire nuclear weapons programme.

Today, nearly three decades after

the Cold War ended, there are still 23,000 nuclear warheads in the world. They are held by just nine countries: the US, Russia, Britain, France, China, Israel, India, Paki-stan and North Korea. Since the end of the Cold War, South Af-rica has unilaterally dismantled its nuclear weapons and is the only country to do so.

Proudly South African

Plans are afoot for another regional airline to take to the African skies. While those behind the operation are keeping a low profile and not divulg-ing any details, Tourism Update has discovered that a regional carrier simi-lar to fastjet, called FlyAfrica, is being developed.

Based on information from social net-working site LinkedIn, the CEO of the airline is Godfrey Banga, who, it ap-pears, has no prior experience in the aviation field. He states on his profile that he is “in the process of setting up a passenger and cargo airline to

operate domestic, regional and inter-national routes”. According to Linke-dIn, Adrian Hamilton-Manns is Project Leader of the new airline. Adrian has a wealth of experience in aviation, in-cluding previously holding the position of SAA’s executive vp of commercial.The website, www.flyafrica.com, fea-tures the slogan: “Africa’s Low Fare Airline” and says “The Revolution is Coming!” But apart from various so-cial media accounts there is little more than speculation as to when and if the airline will launch. The airline refused to comment when contacted by Tour-ism Update.

Shh... there is a new airline coming

THURSDAY, 30 JANUARY The Bushveld Times 7

Business and the Law

“Welcome to 2014.” Would you be-lieve that 8,2191% of the year has al-ready come and gone? I don’t know about you, but I get the distinct feel-ing that the older you get the faster the years go by! Talking of 2014, I came up with what I think is quite an imagi-native new year’s resolution this year and, unlike most, I will in all probability be able to stick to it.

Watching all the celebrations going on around me at midnight on the 31st I could not help but wonder why on earth we celebrate the dawning of a new year when we have absolutely no idea what lies ahead, what the year will bring or what is likely to happen to us. Is it just wishful thinking, posi-tive expectations or a great excuse to have a few toots, laugh, dance and kiss anything that moves?

I have decided that it would be far smarter to celebrate the end of the pre-vious year. The great thing about that idea, is that if it was a seriously bad year, you would celebrate its passing and if it was a truly great year, you would celebrate the good fortune. Ei-ther way you have got it right and you can have a great time without an iota of guilt or concern. Perhaps the only negative will be waking up in 2014 with a headache, but then again that would happen no matter which year you were celebrating.OK, back to business and the law. What can we expect in 2014 as far as legislation goes? The good news is that the ruling party will be focussing

on the elections during the first half of 2014 and is therefore unlikely to come up with anything too spectacular. The bad news, bearing in mind that they are under a little pressure from the man in the street, is that they may look to publishing “popular” type laws that they believe will gain a few extra votes or return some of the sceptics to the fold. Hopefully SARS will seize the opportunity and reduce our taxes by 50% – that will increase voter sup-port surely? Either way, not a lot will happen through the first six months of the year with the focus hopefully be-ing on the completion of outstanding legislation from 2013.

Looking through to the end of the year we can certainly expect the

North West, Limpopo, KZN and Mpuma-

langa to tackle their Provincial liquor legislation as they have until early 2015 to get them up and run-

ning. The Employ-ment Tax Incentive

Act came into effect on the 1st January, so keep

a watch out on the SARS website for specific details.

We can also expect amendments to the Basic Conditions of Employ-ment Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Labour Relations Act to take effect and in all probability the publication of the Employment Services Act. I have to believe that the final version of the Tourism Bill will be published this year as they are currently on version 4 of the bill?

Other possibles will be the Land Rights Amendment Bill, the Draft Ex-tension of Security of Tenure Amend-ment Bill, the Women Empower-ment & Gender Equality Bill and of course not forgetting the Licensing of Businesses Bill which hopefully will be substantially amended by the time it is re-published for comment.Have a great 2014 and remember to keep legal. - Peter Cumberlege

2014 is all about the elections

How often don’t we comment about poor, slow or non-existent service? Unfortunately the Consumer Protec-tion Act does not cover non-existent service although it would be quite an interesting read if it did. However it does cover poor performance and the non-completion of any service agreed upon between you and a supplier. When a supplier agrees to provide you

with a particular ser-vice, you have the right to expect that it will be completed timeously and that if for any reason there are unavoidable delays, you will be notified accordingly.

In addition to time-ous service, you also have the right to ex-pect that the service

will be provided in a manner and quality that one is general-ly entitled to expect and that the use, de-livery and or installation of any goods involved will not be defective and, once again, that the goods involved will be of a quality that you would have expected under the circumstanc-es. You are also entitled to expect that any property you may have provided the supplier will be returned in at least

as good a condition as it was when you made it available, unless of course you have agreed anything to the contrary.

If a supplier fails to perform the ser-vice timeously and to the standard ex-plained above, you may either require that he or she remedies any defect in the quality or that he or she refunds a rea-sonable portion of the price paid hav-ing regard to the extent of the failure.

For additional information on your right to demand quality service, get hold of a copy of the Consumer Protec-tion Act on line and refer to section 54.

Please note that the comments and remarks contained in this article must not be acted upon in isolation and must be considered in conjucntion with the actual provision of both the Consumer Protection Act and the Regulations to which they apply.

Peter Cumberlege

Tourist accommodation sales November 2013

Measured in current prices, total in-come for the tourist accommodation industry increased by 10,5% in No-vember 2013 compared with Novem-ber 2012. Income from accommoda-

tion increased by 12,8% year-on-year in November 2013, the result of a 9,3% increase in the number of stay unit nights sold and a 3,2% increase in the average income per stay unit night sold.

In November 2013, the types of ac-commodation that recorded positive year-on-year growth rates in income

from accommodation were guest-houses and guest-farms (26,4%), ho-tels (12,5%) and `other` accommoda-tion (10,4%). The main contributors to the 12,8% year-on-year increase in income from accommodation in No-vember 2013 were hotels (contribut-ing 8,3 percentage points) and `other` accommodation (contributing 2,7 per-centage points). Income from accom-

modation increased by 10,9% in the three months ended November 2013 compared with the three months ended November 2012.

The right to demand quality service

After a brief discussion with Andri (boss and editor), it was decided uni-laterally by her that we would run a series of articles covering operational basics as they apply to small busi-ness. Women’s prerogative I guess and, like a subservient and obedient male, I agreed. Over the year I will chat about many key operational features that most small business owners deal with on a day to day basis. Don’t ex-pect rocket science – what I am going to do is to get you to think about the basics - those vital pillars of a business that, after a period of time, we all tend to forget.

Bearing in mind that 2014 is underway and a new and no doubt challenging

year lies ahead for most small busi-nesses, perhaps a good place to start would be to talk about all those ideas and innovations you came up with during the festive break and intend implementing as soon as you re-open your business. Obviously it is a great idea to improve and grow your busi-ness, however good intentions do not always translate into successful out-comes. As they say in the classics, “the road to hell is often paved with good intentions”.

One of the mistakes we often make, more especially as a new year gets un-derway, is to believe that we have to make changes. However this may not necessarily be true. What we tend to do is look at making changes because it is what we want to do rather than what the clients may expect or have asked for. “If it aint broke don’t fix it” Many a time I hear an owner say-ing things such as “I must repaint the bedrooms” or “I want to redo the menu completely” or “I need to redesign the floor lay-out” or “I need to move the stock around” or “I need to expand the seating area” etc. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten, all this will do is sat-isfy your needs and desires but it will not necessarily improve the customer experience nor the profitability of the business.

My suggestion is that on reopening, continue with all that you were doing

back in December. Don’t start rein-venting the wheel the moment you step back into the business. Get everything up and running – focus on income and expenditure control and continue to maintain the products and or services at the level expected of you by your clients. Only when everything is back to normal should you think about set-ting some time aside to consider the ideas and innovations you thought about during the break.

Every time I come up with a new idea for my business, I have learned to ask myself two simple but key questions. Firstly, can I afford to make the chang-es and secondly will the changes result in increased revenue and or reduced operating expenditure? If the answer is no to either of them, then QED, that idea gets shelved. If the answer is yes to both, all I then do is ensure that the increase in revenue or reduction in ex-penditure will far out way the cost of implementing the change in the first place. At this stage it is important not to fool yourself. As soon as you hear yourself saying that I will cut back on this or that or I will save on this or that, you are probably headed down the wrong road. Any change you intend making is best funded out of surplus moneys and not money that would bet-ter have been spent elsewhere.

Well, that’s it for this week. Like I said earlier, certainly not rocket science,

‘Road to hell is paved with good intentions’

Economics in brief

8 The Bushveld Times THURSDAY, 30 JANUARY 2014

The South African Motor-sport Club, organisers of the annual Sasol Rally in Mpumalanga, obtained all the necessary per-missions to run a tarmac Hill Climb on the Long Tom pass from Sabie in Mpumalanga and is sanctioned by Motorsport South Africa.

The intention is to turn it into a prestigious annual event on the South African Motorsport calen-dar. The first event took place this past weekend and certainly tested all the logistics of Road Closures, safety and spectating opportunities. Final results:Longtom Hill Climb final run 1 Danie Stassen 02:56.1 2 Werner Koekemoer 03:07.1 3 Jose Ferreira 03:21.7 4 Anton Wannenburg 03:46.5

An exciting year of rally action lies ahead for the Volkswagen Sasolracing rally team. The 2014 national season starts in March with the first round taking place in KwaZulu-Natal.

“The Volkswagen Sasolracing team is pas-sionate about competition,” says Mike Rowe, head of Volkswagen Motorsport. “The only constant is change and this is especially true in the field of motorsport. Over the years events have changed, rules have changed, cars have changed and we’ve seen a few changes when it comes to team mem-bers.”

“The end of the 2013 season saw us bid farewell to Hergen Fekken, Enzo Kuun and Douglas Judd, team stalwarts of many years. Hergen, Enzo and Douglas have been valuable members of the team during their years of competition and each will move on to different challenges in the new year. Pierre Arries has a non-competition role within the team for this season.”

“Currently we are evaluating our options with

regard to the driver line-up for 2014,” says Rowe. “We expect to make an announce-ment by mid-February for the Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo S2000s. What I can con-firm at this stage is the inclusion of a number of exciting, young privateer teams who will be competing on the national stage in Volk-swagen Polo rally cars.”

The newcomers will be led by Thilo Himmel and Armand du Toit who will tackle the S2000 Challenge category. In the S1600 class Pau-

lus Franken, Marco Himmel, Chad van Beurden and AC Potgieter, along with each of their navi-gators will keep this category highly com-petitive in the 2014 season.

“Supporting Thilo and the other young teams is another step in accelerating the process of identifying new rally talent in South Africa,” says Rowe. “There is a need to increase the available motorsport talent and encourage and develop the next generation of stars.”

Volkswagen Sasolracing rings the changes for 2014 national rally season

Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz (Toyo-ta Imperial Hilux) won the 13th and final stage of the 2014 Dakar Rally in South America last Saturday. They were officially classified as fourth overall at the finish in the Chilean port city of Valparaiso after a marathon race through Argentina and Chile that started in Rosario on January 5 and covered a total dis-tance of some 9 500 kilometres.

The 2009 champions won the T1.1 class for petrol-powered 4x4 improved cross country vehicles for the third year in suc-cession after their third and second place finishes in 2012 and 2013 in proudly

South African Hilux 4x4s.

Team-mates Leeroy Poulter and Rob Howie completed Poulter’s first Dakar Rally in a creditable 33rd place overall.

Four other Hilux 4x4s with South African pedigrees finished in the top 25. The Belgian

Overdrive Team’s Marek.

“It’s always good to finish this race. It’s the longest and toughest motor race in the world, and this year’s version was the hardest we have experienced in South America so far,” said De Villiers.

A good finish to the longest and toughest

GWM/Haval’s impressive run of top 10 Dakar finishes continued when Frenchman Christian Lavieille, driving the number 315 Haval H8, achieved eighth place overall in the 2014 event. Lavieille, in his first outing with the GWM/Haval team, impressed with his consistency and speed. The latest suc-cess follows Carlos Sousa’s sixth places in the 2012 and 2013 Dakar races.Following the race, GWM/Haval’s team managers expressed satisfaction with the

result and lauded Lavie-ille for his performance after finishing the final stage with the sixth fast-

est time. In fact, such was Lavieille’s pace in the stage that he only lost out on jumping to seventh by less than two minutes! Of course, the team’s hopes for an even better finish were dashed early when race leader and surprise first stage winner, Sousa, was forced to retire following turbo troubles during stage 2. Nevertheless, in the process the team had earned its first stage win, and the first ever by a Chinese manu-facturer

Top 10 finish for GMW/Haval

Lucio Alvarez and Ronnie Graue finished the Ford Ranger’s Dakar Rally debut in 22nd position after safely completing the short final speed test in Chile.The Argentine duo celebrat-ed with their entire Team Ford Racing squad in Val-paraiso after completing the world’s toughest motorsport event, covering 14 days and more than 9 300 km (includ-ing over 5 200 km of special stages) through Argentina

and Chile.They com-pleted the final 535 km stage, of which 157 km were competi-tive on dirt

roads, in 11th place. They posted a string of top 10 stage times to battle back up the order after small but time consuming problems early in the event dropped them to 129th, ultimately proving that the Ford had the pace to be competitive.More than half the 147 start-ers failed to complete this year’s gruelling Dakar Ral-ly, which journeyed north through Argentina before crossing the Andes moun-

tains and heading south along Chile’s coast.Temperatures of 45°C com-bined with rock-strewn dirt tracks, heavily rutted dry river beds and soft power-sapping sand dunes placed huge strains on man and machine. But Alvarez’s Ranger proved its strength and reliability by completing the route with nothing more than minor issues. The car was prepared and run by South Africa’s Neil Woolridge Motorsport while the complex logistics opera-tion was handled by Germa-ny’s South Racing. Team-mates Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst re-tired their similar Ranger in the second stage after a heavy roll.

Solid finish for Ford

Sabie Long Tom Hill Climb