Current Edition >> Archives Section >> Spot Coverage >> February 2005
Die hofsaaksaga wat tans in die Bloemfonteinse streekhof afspeel waarin 'n beweerde dwelmbaas en 'n voormalige student op 47 aanklagte van dwelmhandel en een van rampokkery tereg staan, plaas die kwessie van dwelmhandel en misbruik in die Vrystaat in die kollig soos nog nooit tevore nie.
Volgens Insp. Loraine Kalp, woordvoerder van die SAPD, kan dwelmhandel in Bloemfontein, net soos in ander stede in SA, as 'n toenemende probleem gesien word. Redes wat sy hiervoor aanvoer is dat dwelmhandel hoogs winsgewend is. “Daar is 'n toenemende mark daarvoor en solank die aanvraag daarvoor toeneem, sal dit bly floreer.” Nog 'n probleem wat Kalp uitlig is dat Bloemfontein die middelpunt van alle roetes is. “Die probleem lyk soveel groter in Bloemfontein, omdat die gemeenskap kleiner is as in ander sentra, en dit tref daarom die gemeenskap net harder.”
Die Adjunk-direkteur van die Aurora Alkohol- en Dwelmsentrum, Santie Froneman, sê dat dit moeilik is om te sê hoe groot die dwelmprobleem in Bloemfontein werklik is. Dit is as gevolg van die feit dat meeste mense eers kom hulp vra as hulle deur hul familie of werk gedwing word.
Mariana van Dyk, 'n senior maatskaplike werker by Aurora, sê dat pasiënte met chemiese afhanklikheid weerstand teen behandeling het en daarom moeilik daarvoor aanmeld. Daar was oor die afgelope paar jaar 'n geleidelike toename in jonger pasiënte by die sentrum, die ouderdom van hul jongste pasiënt was 13.
Froneman voel dat portuurgroepdruk, sowel as druk van die samelewing veroorsaak dat tieners hul tot dwelms wend. Van Dyk voeg by dat jongmense verveeld is, opwinding soek en daarom met dwelms eksperimenteer. Volgens Froneman is dwelms in Bloemfontein geredelik beskikbaar. “Dis nie net by nagklubs wat tieners toegang tot dwelms verkry nie, maar ook by restaurante en petrolstasies.”
Eloise Botha, die bestuurder van 'n gewilde kuierplek in Bloemfontein, Mystic Boer, sê dat hulle permanent mense op die vloer het om besoekers dop te hou. “As iemand vir ons lyk of hy op dwelms is, vra ons hulle om die plek te verlaat.” Sy voeg by dat dit sleg is vir besigheid om met dwelms betrap te word en dat hulle daarom streng maatreëls toepas om dit te verhoed.
Kalp sê dat die SAPD dwelmhandel as 'n prioriteitsmisdaad beskou. “Sodra inligting ontvang word, hoe gering dit ook al mag voorkom, word dit opgevolg en ondersoek ingestel.” Daar is talle vervolgingsgeoriënteerde projekte om die probleem hok te slaan, wat intensiewe dekkings en misdaadintelligensie-operasies insluit.
Wat die betrokkenheid van die Vrystaat sakesektor betref, doen Kalp 'n beroep op die sakegemeenskap om betrokke te raak deur aan projekte deel te neem, soos bv. uitstallings. Froneman meen dat die sakesektor betrokke kan raak deur vir hul werkers inligting oor dwelms te gee, asook om hul werkers se behandeling te borg. Werkgewers kan te enige tyd vir Aurora nooi om met hul werkers te kom praat. Die nommer is 051-447 4111.
Indien lesers van die Vrystaat Sake Bulletin kommentaar wil lewer op dwelmhandel, al dan nie, in Bloemfontein, Welkom en op die Vrystaatse platteland, kan dit gerig word by tel. (051) 430 5445, faks (051) 430 7562 of epos news@bulletinonline.co.za.
Reports of problems with water in Free State towns have surfaced time and again for the past few months. Complaints include a shortage of water and water pollution. Fingers have been pointed at municipalities for bad management and for big debts as well as putting too much pressure on existing infrastructure.
According to an employee at an institution involved with water quality in the Free State, who preferred to stay anonymous, possible reasons for the problems in the Free State are developments which took place too quickly, and the essential infrastructure couldn't keep up. “There is never enough money and people who work with the water systems aren't properly trained. Water and sewage management just isn't a priority to most municipalities, so money doesn't get spend on it. If long-term planning isn't done, we are going to sit with the same problem every year.” , he says.
In response to allegations made against his municipality, Khogane Madiba, the Communication and Marketing Manager of the Moqhaka Municipality, stated that the municipality went to sit down to solve the problem as soon as it arose. “If it hasn't rained enough in two to three months, the Kroonstad region will be declared a disaster area." Madiba warned that the municipality is looking at launching a fine system for people not complying with the water restrictions.
According to Dr. Johan van der Merwe, Deputy Director Water Quality of the Department of Water Affairs in the Free State region, the Free State is the only province where the government really knows what is going on with the province's water. “We are the only department who took the initiative to contact the WNNR to perform tests on the water.”
Van der Merwe stated that there are only four towns in the province that experienced problems with water quality. These are Jagersfontein, Dealesville, Boshoff and Hertzogville. Solutions to these towns' problems have already been found.
Van der Merwe appealed to people to be realistic. “Just like other businesses, there are stuff that can go wrong, but we do take action to solve the problems.”
Information on the water quality in the Free State will be published quarterly on the Department's website, so that people can monitor the situation in the province, Van der Merwe said.
As for the drought in the Free State, the chairman of Grain SA, Bully Bothma, said that the government must stop using crisis management in the drought situation, but should rather look at long-term solutions.
The Chief Engineer of the “Bo-Oranje” catchment-area of the Department of Water Affairs, Dries Visser, says that the Department will look at the water situation at the end of April to decide on whether water restrictions should be put in place for the rest of the province.
Die Kersseisoen word gekenmerk deur hoë verkoopsyfers vir verskeie sektore, aangesien baie mense met vakansie gaan of hul Kersinkopies gaan doen. Die Vrystaat Sake Bulletin het gaan vasstel of dit in Bloemfontein ook die geval was.
Volgens Danie de Goede, algemene bestuurder van Mimosa Mall, het die inkopiesentrum 'n algemene groei van 18% op Desember 2003 se syfers getoon.
Die bestuurder van 'n landswye kleinhandelaar het aangedui dat hulle verkope oor die kerstydperk “absoluut silly” was, met rekordsyfers wat behaal is oor Kersfees. Moontlike redes wat hy vir hierdie syfers aangedui het is dat mense meer kontant tot hulle beskikking het as gevolg van laer rentekoerse. “Mense het hulle skuld afbetaal en kon daarom meer koop.”
'n Direkteur van Kloppers, mnr. Dirk Klopper, het aangedui dat hulle verkope oor die tydperk met 20% gestyg het. Volgens hom het goedkoper pryse van veral elektroniese ware gesorg dat mense meer inkopies doen. Hy stem saam dat daar 'n positiewe gevoel in die handelsektor is as gevolg van die laer rentekoerse.
'n Landswye kruidenierswinkel het ook 'n 20% groeisyfer getoon, danksy “'n groter reeks produkte”, volgens die bestuurder.
Mense in Bloemfontein het dus meer gekoop, maar hoe het Bloemfontein toerismebestemming oor die Kerstydperk gevaar?
'n Werknemer by die Shell Pit-Stop Garage het aangedui dat besigheid daar effens gedaal het. Moontlike redes wat hy hiervoor aangetoon het is dat die tolhekke op die N1 vir baie mense te duur geword het en verkies hulle eerder die N3 met KwaZulu-Natal as eindbestemming. Verder het vlugkostes ook baie gedaal, wat veroorsaak dat minder mense per motor van Johannesburg tot Kaapstad reis.
“Daar is baie onbenutte potensiaal by die garages op die N1 rondom Bloemfontein. Mangaung Toerisme kan die garages as vertoonvenster gebruik om mense te lok om eerder in Bloemfontein te oornag as op Colesberg.”
Die Direkteur van Bloem Engen 1 Stop, Sampie Pienaar, het egter aangedui dat sy diensstasie besiger was as vorige jare. Hy is van mening dat mense meer geld het om te spandeer, as gevolg van prysverlagings.
Wanneer dit egter by gastehuise in Bloemfontein kom, blyk dit dat meeste maar 'n stil Kersseisoen beleef het. Baie van die gastehuise was gesluit en die wat wel oop was het 'n relatiewe stil Kersfees gehad. Slegs een gastehuis buite Bloemfontein het aangedui dat hulle 99% vol was oor die hele Desember tot in middel Januarie.
Ook restaurante het gemengde reaksies getoon. Baie het verkies om oor die Kerstyd toe te maak, terwyl ander stil was. Een landswye gesinseetplek het egter aangetoon dat hulle 'n 26% groeisyfer op ander jare gehad het.
Municipal commonages in the Free State (vacant land adjacent to towns and in possession of municipalities) have the potential to be a powerful source of economic development in the Free State. However, problems with management as well as lack of training for users prevent commonages from reaching their full development potential.
Municipal commonages are mainly utilized for grazing purposes for stock. Since 1994, commonages have by and large been made available to emerging farmers and other small-scale local rural economic projects.
The Free State Business Bulletin has conducted a preliminary investigation into the measure of development taking place through municipal commonages in the province and has found that especially managerial problems often bedevil commonages reaching their full potential as a source of economic development.
According to a report by Mr. Jeff Zingel, chief research manager and acting director of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in Bloemfontein, overgrazing, poor environmental management, infrastructure maintenance and the high levels of demand for commonage cause ever-increasing pressure on the commonage land.
Further challenges mentioned in a report by Mr. Ntobeko Buso, also from the HSRC, are lack of support from various relevant government bodies, lack of qualified personnel at municipalities to administer and manage commonage usage and also a chronic lack of funds. In his report, Zingel adds that it is no surprise that commonage management has been problematic in many municipalities. “Not only is agriculture a new competency for municipalities, but pro-poor commonage use has placed additional burdens on municipalities' already constrained management capacity. The challenge to manage commonage effectively should be seen as one of a range of new developmental mandates which municipalities are expected to handle,” the report states.
The solution offered in both reports is that a proper support system for municipalities be developed. These should include at least seven national departments and at least three provincial departments. It would therefore seem that drastic change is of the essence. In a proposal submitted to the Department of Land Affairs in March last year it is stated that improved resource management systems for sustained livelihoods in the commonage are to be developed wherever opportunities for the development of farmers are to be created. Enhanced integration and capacity building at local government level has been identified as another priority.
As a result the Department of Land Affairs is planning a three-year Development Programme into Commonage Development and Land Redistribution for Development, to be funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). In terms of this the idea with the CIDA support is that Canada would play a significant role in supporting the SA Government in the significant improvement of commonage land management systems. With a view to this, pilot projects are to be initiated this year in the Free State and in the Eastern Cape. The outcome of these two pilot projects is being awaited with high expectations.
If readers of the Free State Business Bulletin involved with municipal commonages in the province would like to enlighten other readers about the factual situation of commonages, they are welcome to address such letters to the Editor, PO Box 290, Bloemfontein, 9300, or fax to (051) 430 7562.
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