Schulphoek is the albatross around the Democratic Alliances neck and a stinking can of worms in their hands!

Gone are all the vestiges of the D A 's claim to democracy and good municipal governance in Hermanus, like adherence to transparency and public participation embodied in the Municipal Systems Act. The cloak and dagger, under the counter, wheelings and dealings continue, with the news that Bredell has met again with the Overstrand Mayor and the Zwelithle Trust (the so called representatives of the community) on April 1st, the outcome being, another scandalous delaying tactic - 'waiting for legal opinion'.

Long standing D A supporters in Greater Hermanus are jumping ship!

47 Hectares of registered 'Coluored' public recreational land sold to 'White' developers for R5.2 million

Signage pollution destroys Hermanus heritage

LET PICTURES TELL THE STORY

Hermanus water crisis WHEN WILL DEMAND EXCEED SUPPLY?

Hermanus water crisis created by archaic reasoning and denial underscoring general mismanagement in the D A run Overstrand municipality

Follow the figures in the block.

REASONING:

WHEN YOU SAVE WATER, WE WILL HAVE TO RAISE THE TARRIF, BECAUSE WE NEED THE MONEY TO RUN OUR (BLOATED D A) MUNICIPALITY

Follow the figures

What the Hermanus public think about the water crisis

” What is being done about auto-sprinklers on properties owned by out-of-town folk?”

”What to do with extra money from increased tariffs?”

“Why punish ratepayers when consumption down by 10% through restrictions?”

”How much longer can local businesses go on absorbing ludicrous increases after worst winter in 20 yrs, by OM who don’t care about sustainability of business?”

”How to improve productivity of a bloated OM and reduce costs? “

”The poor ratepayer has to pay for the blunders irrespective of whether the OM was “building monuments for themselves” or other questionable motives”

”Through bad planning and hope that November rain would raise dam levels nothing done to make sure that borehole water could be linked to main supply”

"The fault lies squarely on the past and present management of Hermanus for the uncontrolled and irresponsible property development in the past decades

”More developments which place more and more pressure on our water resources"

”Councillors so out of touch … believing ratepayers have infinite source of money”

”Hopefully the ratepayers will remember this situation when next they vote

Hermanus water supply

Hermanus water supply was a disaster waiting to happen. The council's own sub committee's have been telling them this for years. (see below)

Comment by Audit & Performance Committee in Annual report 2009-2010

Water Management

In recent times, the provision of water has presented a serious threat to the O M & is a potential risk. According to information provided to the Committee, the water reticulation systems in certain areas (Betty’s Bay and Voëlklip) have deteriorated to the extent that water losses of up to 60 % are experienced.

The current water crisis in the Greater Hermanus Area

also indicates that the strategic plan regarding water provision in the Overstrand needs urgent attention by Council and senior management. Particularly in the light of unpredictable weather patterns, the Audit Committee is of the opinion that this matter must be dealt with as a top

priority

Japan could be 'worse than Chernobyl'

"It would be lethal within a fairly short period of time".

Associate Professor Tilman Ruff of Melbourne University says a devastating fire could still engulf the nuclear reactors.

SIGN THE INTERNATIONAL

PETITION TO SAVE

BANTAMSKLIP FROM THIS

MADNESS!

Overstrand councilor and renowned painter unveils a satiric masterpiece

'Kop en Pootjies' is Louis van Heerden's 'court' painting in the El Greco tradition. It is an epitaph filled with municipal intrigue and sculduggery and will delight those who are familiar with this rouge D A run municipality

What does Bantamsklip have in common with Fukushima and Olkiluoto in Finland

Fukushima nuclear precinct in Japan

Olkiluoto nuclear precinct in Finland

WE COULD FIND OURSELVES WITH THREE EPR TYPE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AT BANTAMSKLIP OVER THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS IF THE GOVERNMENT HAS ITS WAY

We would like to quote from the current EIR Draft document: Volume 1. Main Report, concerning the present status of Bantamsklip and the other preferred nuclear sites.

"After due consideration, Eskom decided not to pursue an application for the construction of more than one nuclear power station in this EIA. However, in line with Eskom’s intention to pursue up to 20 000 MW of nuclear power generating capacity, an application for the second nuclear power station may be submitted by Eskom soon after the submission of the Final Environmental Impact Report for Nuclear-1. This application is therefore progressing as per the original application for authorization of a single site."

It should be understood then, that Eskom tried unsuccessfully to apply for approval to build on all three sites, Duynefontein, Bantamsklip and Thyspunt, within one EIA. Now, far from celebrating Bantamsklip’s new ‘least preferred option’ we find the situation far worse than previously expected, and I quote further from the same document;

"Eskom proposes to construct a Nuclear Power Station, referred to as Nuclear-1, consisting of a combination of units with a total capacity 4 000 MW and associated infrastructure for location at one of three potential sites. Similar power stations to Nuclear-1 are proposed for the remaining two sites in the future. The area of the footprint assessed in this EIA makes provision for the potential future expansion of the power station, to allow for a total capacity of approximately 10 000 MW."

So Eskom seeks approval, for a 10.000 MW site (previously 4.000 MW) Now our dilemma, in accessing the impacts, is that the actual plants have not been specified yet, but the output generation has, and given that the latest Areva (the preferred manufacturer's) European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) currently under construction in Finland at OLKILUOTO, has an output of 1.600 MWe

Four EPR's will produce in order of approx. 6.400 MWe of output power, of the 10.000 MW asked for - per site, if they used the latest Avera EPR's. Heaven forbid, trying to generate the full 10.000 MW presently applied for, again, per site.What will the impacts of these proposed nuclear plants (together) be, on the terrestrial and marine environment adjacent to Bantamsklip, from the emmissions and thermal discharges of near boiling water, biocides scouring (chlorine), sediment and spoil transfer, Strontium 90 emissions and sub aquatic noise.

No nuclear at Bantamsklip - International petition launched

*Overstrand Ward 11

The Save Bantamsklip Association in collaboration with Dyer Island Trust and The Shark Conservation Society in the UK have launched a International petition from Kleinbaai, against the siting of a nuclear power station at Bantamsklip. See www.savebantamsklip.org for more details and enrolment.