Overstrand’s Junior Town Council was taken on the first leg of their annual orientation tour of municipal infrastructure and facilities on Tuesday, 16 April 2013. Sites in the vicinity of Hermanus were visited during the afternoon so that they could gain knowledge about municipal service delivery from the officials in charge.A view like this must be captured. Marihé Erasmus takes a photo of Helene Segal, Junior Council mentor, and Joudin Rooi from Gansbaai.

The second leg scheduled for Tuesday, 7 May 2013, will cover the Gansbaai area.
The group of  35 junior councillors who attend Hermanus High, Qhayiya Secondary (Zwelihle), Hawston Secondary, Gansbaai Academia, Curro Private School and North Cliff House College, first visited the Solid Waste Transfer Station, the Material Recovery Facility and Walker Bay Recycling, where they were briefed by Mr Johan van Taak, Manager of Solid Waste Management Planning at the Municipality.

At the Zwelihle Taxi Hub development they were met by Mr Xolile Kosi, Economic Development Manager, who spoke to them about municipal initiatives to promote entrepreneurship and to create job opportunities. From there they walked along the development corridor of Zwelihle and at the Zwelihle Industrial Centre, still under construction, some of them enjoyed cooked mealies straight from the grid from a group ladies working next to the site.

Unlike the previous year, there were no unpleasant smells at the waste water treatment plant, but the sludge pressing machine which had been installed as part of the plant’s upgra-ding stole the show. Deputy Director for Water, Mr Hanré Blignaut, and Goosen le Roux, Principal Technician, could not answer fast enough to field all the questions about modern technology!  Construction work at the Preekstoel Water Treatment Plant, which is being upgraded from a 24 megalitre per day plant to one that can produce 38 megaliter per day in a chemical as well as a biofiltration plant, prevented the group from walking around.  However, the briefing by Mr Izak Heneke,  superintendent of plant in Hermanus, in the control room from where all reservoirs and pipelines in the Hermanus area can be monitored, kept them spellbound.

The tour closed with briefings at a brilliant viewing spot from Rotary Drive where Mr Dennis Hendriks, Senior Manager of Engineering Services, explained the current and future road projects in Hermanus, and Ms Suné Greeff, Tourism Ma-nager, told them what is being done to attract more tourists to the Cape Whale Coast and to encourage a longer visit.

The young leaders then enjoyed a walk along the cliffs against a very fresh North-Westerly wind. The first winter raindrops came down while the tour bus slowly wheeled down along Rotary Way.

The group was accompanied by Ms Unity Mtomile, from the Enlighten Education Trust who manages the Junior Town Council, Mr Lusapwe Calata (Qhayiya mentor) and Ms Helene Segal (Gansbaai Academia mentor), Mr Fanie Krige, Communication Manager, and Ms Noluthando Zweni, Communication Officer.                                     
Fanie Krige