Woensdag, 20 Mei 2026 |Tel: 021 910 6500 |e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za |Website: www.tygerburger.co.za



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Woensdag, 20 Mei 2026 |Tel: 021 910 6500 |e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za |Website: www.tygerburger.co.za



DESIREERORKE
DESIREE.RORKE@TYGERBURGER.CO.ZA
Inthe shadow of apandemic that broughtthe world to its knees,agroup of Rastafarian men from the community of ScottsvilleinKraaifontein madeaquiet decision. Instead of watching adumping
ground fester ontheirdoorstep, they would transformitinto something thatfeeds people. Thatdecisiongave birth to KOSGardens, athriving community-operated food garden
that has sinceyieldedmultiple harvests, inspired neighbouring communities, andearned the attention of renowned national humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers.
"The majorityofthe men involvedwere, and many still remain, unemployed," says one of thefounding voices Adriaan Speelman. "For them, the garden was never just about growing vegetables. It was equally about cultivating dignity."
TOPAGE4





Geordin Hill-Lewis, executive mayor of CapeTown, who wasrecently elected as leaderofthe Democratic Alliance (DA), gave apositive message about the future of Cape Townata public meeting in the Durbanville town hall last Thursday.
Themeeting, organised by the Tygerberg 3Constituencyofthe Democratic Alliance, was attended by afull hall. TheTygerberg 3constituencyincludes wards 2, 3, 21, 70 and 103 of the City of Cape Town.
“What we’ve tried to achieve in Cape Town these last four to five years, we’d like to continue to do in the future. We wanttogive you the peaceofmind that no matter what would happen in the future in South Africa andinCape Town, Cape Town will be prepared and ready to continuetobesuccessful and be agood and nice place to live in and to raise our families
“When we came outofcovid, the City had averytough timewith homeless encampments thathad popped up all over thecity, includinghere in Durbanville. The City had tried to remove those homelessencampments and was finding it incredibly difficult. We had aseries of courtcaselosses where we felt that we just couldn’t get ahead. We could feel as Capetoniansthatthere was immense stress on ourcity’s infrastructure.
“The sewersystem was not so much an issue here, but if you go to poorer parts of thecity where enormous numbers of people have moved overthe years, you will seethatour sewersystem is absolutely creakingand it was even worse five years ago.
“All of ourmajor sewer plants in the city were over capacity, and our pipes were in poor form. Also thefreshwater pipe systemwas under pressure, with lots of waterbursts. Eventhoughthe City had been investingininfrastructuresteadily over time, we have notbeen doing that at apace that kept up with the growth of our city,” he said.
“Sowhile we couldsee it was not like what we were seeing in Johannesburg, Durban or Tshwaneorelsewhere where things were actually starting to collapse, I felt very strongly thatunless we changed thedirection, we were on adangerous path
“The truth is that if you look at what has happened in those other cities, there’s averysimple reason for it. It’snot just bad luck,it’sa deliberate decision. It was based on poor political leadership over many years thathas resulted in those citiesbeing where they are, because instead of investing in the basic things that makecities work or not work, thosecitiesspent all their money on more salaries, biggerstaff, lots of social programmes and consumption spending. Infrastructure hasgonedown, and the result is clear to see,”hesaid.
“We arecurrently replacing more than fourtimesthe totalnumber of pipes of all theother seven major cities in the country combined—including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Ekurhuleni, Durban, Port Elizabeth,EastLondon and Bloemfontein.
“I would like to replacemuch more becauseour numberofpipe bursts is not yetwherewewantittobe. It breaks my heartand frustrates me immensely when Ivisit poorercommunities in Cape Town and Istill see people living with daily sewer overflows,because the pipes were built for10000 people andnow thereare 50 000 people living in that area. We have to go and upgrade those pipe systems and pump stations, althoughitisalong and slowjourney.
“We havetobeclear in our political
GeordinHill-Lewis

“Whatwe’vetriedtoachieveinCape Townthese lastfourtofiveyears,we’dliketo continuetodointhefuture”
-Geordin Hill-Lewis
leadership that we will never allow the failure that has happened in other cities to happen here. We will start to take firm action to address the urban decay issues that weresetting in in the city after covid. And we have set about doing that in a focused, disciplined way. We have nearly tripled our capital investments since four years ago, and we have put it into all the things that really matter to make the city work. We are not thereyet, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel when our three major upgrade projects that arestill under construction, are completed. When thoseare all completed, we will actually be back where we have spare capacity for Cape Town’sfuture growth.
“The number of sewer spills and blockages in our city is down 30% from four years ago and the number of freshwater pipe bursts in our city is down 25% in the same period,” he said.
“We saw that the city could not continue to feel the pressure it was feeling unless we did something to help with traffic and congestion. Because the trainsystem doesn’t function and is not controlled by us, we put ahuge investment into public transport, and we looked at the most pressurised routeinthe whole city, which is the M2
“We started implementing the N2 Cape Flats MyCiTiexpansion, which is avery large public transport investment. When it is finished sometime in the middle of next year we’ll see 300 buses running all day long along that corridor —all the way down through Philippi, Gugulethu, Hanover Park, Mitchells Plainand ending in Khayelitsha. It will make amajor difference to commuter transport,” he said.
“What has happened as Cape Townhas continued to succeed and as other cities have continued to deteriorate, is we have had massive semigration. If you thought semigration was strong before covid, we have data that shows 100 000 families not people, but families —have moved from Gauteng to Cape Town in the last four years —mostly to Somerset West, Durbanville, the Atlantic Seaboardand Table View.
“We know why they are coming; they also want to live in acitythat works, that offers agood future for theirchildren. What that means is that we’ve had more pressure on our roads, more pressure on our infrastructure, more pressureonour schools. Ourschools are bursting at the seams. And of course, more pressure on our house prices,” he said.



DESIRÉERORKE
DESIREE.RORKE@TYGERBURGER.CO.ZA
The body of apuppy, killedbythe cold. Ahomeless mansurrendering his only companion so the dog could live. Two mother dogs and their litter huddled inside aleaking kennel with nowhere left to go,and twolittle pigs trying to escape the cold. This is whatlast week’s relentless winter storm did to animalsinCape Town.
On hand were the Cape of GoodHope SPCA whobythe end of Tuesday had rescued nearly 100 animals from flooding and cold conditions as the storm continued to batterthe city.
Over the two days, emergency teams from the SPCA remained inundated with distress callsfromacross the metropole, as inspectors worked aroundthe clock in dangerous conditions, according to spokespersonBelinda Abraham.
She says rescue teams were deployed to some of the hardest hit areas, where flooded roads, gale force winds, andrising water levels left animals exposed,trapped, displaced, or without shelter.
“We witnessed immense animal suffering caused by prolonged exposure to cold, flooding, hunger, and inadequate shelter,” she told TygerBurger last week.
In one heartbreaking incident in Manenberg, inspectorsdiscovered two motherdogs and their puppies huddled inside aricketykennel leaking rainwater from multiplepoints. One puppy had already succumbed to exposure by the time help arrived. The two mothersand the remaining eight puppies were brought to the SPCA for urgent care and warmth “This storm was unforgiving for animals living outdoors,” Abraham said. “For many of them, there is nowheredry to escape to. No warmth. No protectionfrom the wind or rain.”
Several dogs were rescued after being found chained outside in flooded yards or roaming through waterlogged streets in search of shelter. Horses have also been secured and returned safely to theirstalls as conditions worsened on Mondaynight.
“Amongthe admissions were twosmall pigs rescuedfrom the severe weather conditions.Afterarriving cold andsoaked, staff watchedthem burrow happily into afresh pile of warm wood shavings, providingone of the few light-hearted moments during an otherwise emotionally exhausting rescue operation,” she said.
DUCKSSWIMACROSSTHESTREET
An unexpectedmoment brieflybrought rescue operations to astandstill when an SPCA emergencyvehicle was forced to stop, not for arescue or obstruction, butto allow agroup of ducks calmlyswimming across aflooded roadway to pass safely “Even in the middle of disaster, animals remind us of theirremarkable spirit,” Abraham added. “Those small moments matter because they keepexhausted teams going.”
In another emotional encounter, a homeless man made thepainful decision to surrender hisbeloved dog into the SPCA’s care rather than watch him continue to shiver in the inclement conditions.
“That iswhat real lovelookslike,” Abrahamsaid.“He chose heartbreak for himself so that his dog could have warmth, safety, and achance ata better future.”
Working in lockstep with the City of Cape Town’s Joint Operations Centre, the SPCA had been able to cutthrough the



chaos, gettingtothe right places faster anddeployingresourceswhere theywere needed most.
“Our liaison within the JointOperations Centre hasbeeninvaluable,” Abraham said. “It allowed us to respond faster, prioritisethe mostseverely affected areas first,and coordinate ourresources efficiently.”
The organisationalso acknowledged the Law Enforcement Animal Control Auxiliary Unit, whose boots-on-the-ground support hadprovencritical as rescue demands continued to intensify.
“No animal should be left outside without proper shelter in storms likethis. Bring animals indoors wherever possible Raise kennels off floodedground. Replace wet bedding immediately. Ensureanimals have protection from windand rain.These arenot small comforts during astormlike this.They are lifesavinginterventions.”
Residents can report animals in distress or request evacuation assistance24hours aday: . Telephone: 021700 4158/021 7004159 . WhatsApp: 021700 4140

The garden simultaneouslyfunctions as ameans for themembers to cultivate nutritious andorganic food for their families, an aspect particularly meaningfultothe groupasRastafarians, for whom aconnectiontothe earth and clean, natural livingiscentral to their faith and way of life
"The areastraddlingPeerless ParkWest and Scottsville, where the majority of residents are Coloured andAfrikaansspeaking, is no stranger to hardship," says Speelman. "Like many surrounding neighbourhoods in Kraaifontein, it contendswith persistently high unemployment rates andthe social pressures that come with it.But KOS Gardens did notsidestep these realities. It stepped directly into them," he says, notingthatthe road to the first harvest was neither quicknor easy.
Members began by cleaning the site and at firstplantedsucculentsinthe sandysoil before approaching theirward councillor, who connected them with the City of Cape Town's parks department that has apolicy in placetoempower communities to cultivate food gardens on public openspaces.
Through that engagement, thegroup was allocated amore fertile, workable piece of land nearby, where funding from local government helped erect aperimeter fence. By 2021, theground was prepared and thefirst plants went in.
"The harvests thatfollowed have been asource of joy, but the journey was not withoutits trials. Water, or rather, the lack of it, proved to be the garden's most persistent adversary," says Speelman.
"For atime, theCity of Cape Town suppliedawater tankthatwas filled weekly, andlater the Department of Agriculture assistedwith the installation of awellpoint, providing the garden with amore reliable water source."
Last week,under the symbolictheme "Freedom of Resilience",KOS Gardens heldalandmark celebration that drew children, seniors, andcommunity
members from across the area.
Thetheme was chosen to honor the project's ability to adapt, endure, and flourish in the face of adversity.
Thehighlight of the day was a significant handover of resources by Gift of the Givers, the renowned SouthAfrican humanitarian organisation that had heard of the garden's water struggles and answered the call.
Among the implementsdonated were large water tanks, spades, two weed eaters, and numerous seedlings of various vegetable types, planted on the day by community members young and old.
Those helping to press seedlings into the soil included children from two day cares in Peerless ParkWest, learners from Petunia Primary School, members of the Scottsville/PeerlessPark Seniors Club, and the Scottsville FitnessClub.
Gift of the Giversrounded off the celebration by treating everyone to a fragrant, home-style Akni and gift bags filled with beauty products, agesturethat matched the sentiment of the day.
Theimpact of KOS Gardens has not been contained within itsfences. Thenearby Belmont Parkcommunity, itself grappling with vandalism, illegal dumping, and illegal land occupation, took notice and approached KOS Gardens members, asking for guidance on how to starta similar initiative in theirarea.
"This was exactly the kind of effect we had hoped for," says Speelman. "What we're trying to demonstrate with this project is also how we as citizens need to take ownership and play apart in bringing the change that we need and want to see."
"Thegarden's development has been lengthy and challenging. However, we have remained dedicated to seeing the project through, in the hope that our commitment would serve as an inspiration for others in our community to undertake similar initiatives,"says Speelman.
On theevidence of what KOS Gardens has already achieved, the harvest is only beginning.




Die jongste plekspesifieke
drama van die Hertzog-pryswenner Nicola Hanekom is Donderdag 14 Mei metvier Kannas bekroon Uitnemendheid by die KKNK, wat vanjaar van 28 Maarttot 4 April op Oudtshoornaangebied is, word jaarliksmet Kannas beloon.
Hanekom, vanBloubergstrand, se Diegebed van ’n halfmens wat by die KKNK gedebuteer het, is met pryse bekroon vir beste debuutwerk: toneel, beste aanbieding: toneel, beste ontwerp en/of tegniese bydrae vir Hanekom en Elana-Marié
Snyman se tegniese versorging en Brendon Daniels as beste manlike speler in 'n ondersteunende rol.
BESTEVROULIKEHOOFSPELER
Atropa: Die wraak van vrede, 'n drama deur Tom Lanoye wat in Afrikaans by dieKKNK gedebuteer het, is mettwee Kannas bekroon. Lanoye, van Kaapstad, het 'n Kanna vir uitnemende literêre bydrae vir sy vertaling van die teks ontvang, en Anna-Mart van der Merwe,

van die Breërviervallei, 'n Kanna vir beste vroulike speler in 'n hoofrol.
Andrew Buckland is bekroon as beste manlikespeler in ’n hoofrol vir syspel in TheFool’s Guide Daneelvan der Walt is bekroon as beste vroulike speler in ’n ondersteunende rol vir haar spel in ge-gebergtes
Marthinus Bassonontvang die Kanna vir beste regie vir Boklied.Garage Dance Ensemble seplekspesifieke dansteaterproduksie GAT is bekroon as beste ensemble.
BESTEDEBUUTWERK
Amanda StrydomenJe-Ani Swiegelaarse Tillie/Mathilda is bekroon as beste debuutwerk: musiek, terwyl Anna Davel en The Melisizwe Plaatjie Collective die Kannavir besteaanbieding: kontemporêremusiek ontvang het. DanieMaraisse Ek is nie Danie ontvangdie Kannavir besteaanbieding:Musiekteater. Bestevan alletye metAné Koegelenberg en Christie van Niekerk is bekroon as beste aanbieding: komedie. Badtyd metEldon vander Merwe het die Kanna vir beste aanbieding: Blitsteater –’naanbod van kort teaterstukke van20minute elk –ontvang.
PLEK /PLACE: ’n Geografiese of emosionele ruimte deur kurator Liza Grobler,isbekroon as beste aanbieding: visuelekuns.
Zip ZapCircus se MOYAisdeur die kinderpaneel aangewys as beste aanbieding: kindervermaak en HeinrichWentzel is bekroon as beste opkomende kunstenaar of nuwelingvir sy spel in Akrasia
Hans van derVeen ontvang die spesiale Kannavir diens aan die KKNK, met die spesiale Kannapaneel-prys wat aan die tegniese personeel vir hul uitsonderlike oorkoepelende versorgingengehalte- tegniese diens by die 30ste KKNK toegeken is. Ingrid Blumer ontvangdie Kanna vir uitsonderlike tegniese diens aan die KKNK. Elke wenner het’nspesiale kunswerk deur Chris Buchner van Calitzdorp ontvang Vanjaar se glansgeleentheid is by Leopard’s Leap in Franschhoek aangebied. Nina Swart was die aanbieder, met vermaak deur die Papier Family Band.
BORGE
Die30ste KKNK is geborg deur Absa, met ondersteuning van die Het Jan Marais Nationale Fonds, NATi, Checkers, Netwerk24, kykNET, ATKV, Oudtshoornmunisipaliteit en die Wes-Kaapse regering.
Kanna-pryse is geborg deur Absa, die Het Jan Marais NationaleFonds,NATi, Checkers,
ATKV, Wes-Kaapse regering, Castle Lager, Dotsure, Glenwood Travel, Rauten Trust,Ton &Anet Vosloo, Crispin &Lisa Sonn, Franklin &Joan Sonn, asook Wicus Pretorius. Dieonafhanklike Kannapaneel vir KKNK 2026 was Naudévan derMerwe (sameroeper), Nolan Africa, Amelda Brand, Felicia Lesch, WayneMuller, Ilza Roggeband, Tracey Saunders en Fahiem Stellenboom. Op die kinderpaneel was 25 kinders tussen6en13jaar vanuit die breëOudtshoorn-gemeenskap. DieKannapaneel is ondersteun
deur Haddad Viljoen, Marguerite Robinson en Diane de Beer, wat die Kanna vir beste bydrae tot visuele kuns beoordeel het. Die proses van nominasies en wenners is oorsien deur die ouditeursfirma Acker &Malony. Volgende jaar vind die KKNK op Oudtshoorn plaas van Dinsdag 23 tot Saterdag 27 Maart. Programaansoeke vir dié fees kan vanaf 1Junie by kknk.co.za ingedien word. . Besoek kknk.co.zaofkontak dieKKNK by 044 2038600of info@kknk.co.zaof065 285 2337 (Whatsapp) vir meer inligting.

Atraffic fine and warrant roadshow is currently underwayatthe Brackenfell Civic Centre on the corner ofOld Paarl Road and Paradys Street
It started last Friday, and will cometo an end this comingFriday 22 May.
The roadshow starts at 08:30 daily; the cut-off time will be determinedby coordinators based on demand.
Those still in the queue at cut-off will receive tickets granting thempriority the followingday.
“The roadshows make the often arduous task of fine and warrant representations acrossdifferent magisterial districts far easier, by offering all services at asingle servicepoint,” says Mayco member
forsafety and security JP Smith.“The roadshows bringservices closer to the public and offeranalternative to the rigidityofthe system that, on anormal day, requires representations to be made at specific courts. We do everything possible to have them as frequently as resources allow. It is quite the logistical exerciseand we thank all staff members and departments who have ahand in whathas become an incredibly popular service,” says Smith. Members of the public can use the roadshowtopay outstanding traffic fines; enquire aboutfines registered in their name; apply for finereductions within the City’sjurisdiction; enquire about and
finalisewarrantsorsummonses; remove administrative marksonthe NaTIS system; enquire aboutmunicipal rates and services accounts; andapply for indigent or pensioner rebates.
Theroadshow brings together the City’s traffic service,revenue department, municipal court representatives and other internal departments at asingle service point, removingthe need to visit multiple magisterial districts. The previous roadshow held in AthloneinMarch drew more than 3600 people and processed fine reductions and warrants to the value of nearly R16 million
. AFrequently Asked Questions documentis availableat: https://bit.ly/4sSQlw9
FCDSkills Centre’s popularpop-up sale fundraiser is back, combining bargain shopping with abigger purpose.
The pop-up sale will be presented from 2 to 5June at the Durbanville Town Hall. Thisbiannual event has become afirm favourite among locals, offering shoppers a chance to find qualityclothing from major retailers at significantly reduced prices, all
whilesupportingameaningful cause, says Jane Gelderman,chief executive officer of FCD Skills Centre.
The salewill be openon2June from 11:00 to 18:00, on 3and 4June from 08:30 to 17:30, and on 5June from 08:30 to 13:30.
The four-day sale raisesfunds for FCD’s sponsored skills programmes thatequip unemployed individuals, especially youth,
to enter the job marketorstartamicro enterprise.
"Every itempurchased directly contributestoempoweringvulnerable communitiesfor sustainableand more securefutures. The event is not only a popular community highlight, but also plays avital role in securing funds for FCD’s mission," says Gelderman.




There is something almost theatricalabout the weather in Cape Town. It doesn’t simply change —itperforms, complete with dramatic lighting, sound effects, and just enough chaos to make everyone briefly question their life choices.
For 48 hours, the city is pushed through an entire weathersystem with verylittle warning.
Gale-force winds arrive first, pushing rain sideways across roads and turning visibility intoagrey blur.Then come the floods, the icy bite in the air, andthe constant roar of wind that makes even solid buildings feel slightly less confident than usual. And then there are the trees. Not just swaying —but uprooted. Entire trees are tornout by their roots, collapsing across roads and open spaces like nature briefly losing an argument with gravity People don’t talk about “badweather”so much as they talkabout getting through it —waiting for the next gust, the next downpour, the next reminder that the storm is still very much in charge. Then, just as suddenly as it arrived,it stops performing.
The wind drops itsintensity. The rain slows. Apatch of blue appears in the sky like someone testing the lighting system And then, almost without ceremony,the storm is gone. And this is where things get truly CapeTown. Because Cape Town has avery specific post-storm personality: complete denial.
Within hours, the same city thatwas dealingwith uprooted trees,flooded roads andflying debris begins behaving as if nothing remotely dramaticjust happened
As if the previous 48 hours were just a slightly intense dream everyone agreed not to talk about. It is almostimpressive The storm doesn’t fade away —itgets socially ignored. One moment residents are navigating blocked roads and dodging fallen branches. The next, they are discussing weekend plans infull sunlight, with the confidenceofpeople who did not just survive what can only be describedas nature’s aggressive reminder. Lion's Head suddenly becomes apopular suggestion again, as if it wasn’tjust partially hidden behind horizontal rain a day earlier.The coastline follows the same pattern. Beaches refill quickly, even if the sand is still damp and the oceanhasn’t fullyrecovered from itsown moodswing Jackets disappear. Sunglasses return. Iced drinks are ordered with surprising optimism.
Coffee shops reopen their outdoorseating like nothinghappened. Conversations shift from “Did you see that tree comedown”? to “Whatabeautiful day forawalk”. Andthat is the most Cape Town thing of all —not the storm itself, but the speed at which it is mentally deleted.
And yet, within aday or two, it is treated as adistant inconvenience —something that almost happened in another version of the city. Almost like it triedtodo serious damage… and the city politely decided not to remember it thatway
That is thestrange rhythmoflife in Cape Town:extreme weather followed immediately by extreme optimism No slow recovery. No lingering drama. Just areboot. And by Wednesday morning, the same people who were dodging uprooted trees and sandbagging their driveways were posting sunrise selfies from Bloubergstrand beach, acting like the last 48 hours didn’t try to kill us —just briefly interruptedthe weather forecast.
-KAILINDANIELS

NEWERA FORSANAVY: Captain ZaneleMadibamade history at NavalBaseSimon’sTownasthe firstwoman to command aValourClass Frigateduring theSAS AmatolaChangeofCommand Parade on Thursday14May.The ceremonymarked the transferofleadership of SASAmatolaand SASKINGShakaZulu,attended by senior navalofficialsand defencerepresentatives.Madiba’sappointmentwas hailed as amajor milestone in thetransformation of the South African Navy.Pictured theSA Navy sailors saluting their Outgoing OfficerCommanding of SASAmatola,Captain Dieter Jones,asasign of respect during theceremony



















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