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eMAGAZINE | MAY 2016
eMAGAZINE | MAY 2016
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This eMagazine is produced especially for residents of De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate to provide updates and useful information. It is produced by Glovent Media, a division of GLOvent Solutions, on behalf of the Homeowners Association of De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate. Although every effort is taken to ensure accuracy of content, De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate HOA and/or the Publisher, cannot be held liable for any inaccurate information, and may not agree with all opinions expressed in this publication.
Disclaimer: This emagazine is produced especially for residents of Zambezi Country Estate to provide updates and useful information. It is produced by GLOVent Media, a division of GLOVent Solutions, on behalf of the homeowners’ association (HOA) of Zambezi Country Estate. Although every effort is taken to ensure accuracy of content, the HOA and/or the publisher, cannot be held liable for any inaccurate information, and may not agree with all opinions expressed in this publication.
A division of GLOVent Solutions | www.glovent.co.za | E-mail: [email protected]
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CONTENTS
Important Telephone Numbers 03 From The Estate Manager’s Desk 04 From The Finance Desk 05A Friendly Request 06Burn Green. Burn Smart. 07House Numbering 08Safety Awareness At Home 11Wearing Two Hats 14Ornamental Grasses 18ClickOn Communications 21
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Important Telephone NumbersOFFICE HOURSMonday to Thursday 07:30 - 16:30 | Friday 07:30 - 15:00
SECURITY MANAGER: FIDELITY GUARDSCorné Meyer 083 407 7806 | Fidelity Security Night andWeekend Duty Managers 083 407 7651
ESTATE MANAGER: THEUNS SNYMANEstate manager’s office 012 548 4388/7487/7689/7577
BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE MANAGERJohan le Roux 071 670 1050 | Office 012 548 4388
MAINTENANCE SUPERVISORAndré Vorster 071 670 1051
ADMIN / FINANCE MANAGERMarita du Toit 012 548 4388
THE GARDEN GROUPOffice 012 804 1807 | Owner: Adriaan du Toit 083 229 1207Site manager: Johan van Zyl 079 152 5788
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From The
Estate Manager’s Desk
Can you feel it? Winter is definitely creeping up our sleeves but we are still fortunate for the nice weather in Pretoria, however get your duvets out in the meantime and gather the wood for the fireplace. Management of the HOA invited all the owners and residents of the Estate to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) that took place on Thursday 10th March 2016. A Total of 77 residents attended the meeting. The formal agenda was tabled at the meeting and various topics were discussed and finalised. Audited Financial Statements for the year 2015 as well as the proposed Budged for the year ending 30 June 2017 were accepted. Congratulations to the existing Directors that were re-elected as well as the new Directors elected for the next term and we trust that they will add value to the existing discipline and stability of the Board of Directors. Private time is sacrificed by these members and we thank each Director who is willing to
serve on the Board. The Portfolios allocated are as follows;- Chairperson: Richard Ledwaba- Security: Joe Pretorius- Infrastructure and Maintenance: Robbie Odendaal- Administration: Sandra Eloff- Building and related activities: Johan Richards- Legal Compliance and Corporate Governance: Kgopotso Thema- Finance: Derick Smith
A special word of appreciation to the outgoing Chairperson, Johan van
Niekerk who led the board with good discipline, expertise and stability
during the past two years. Your vision and input added great value to the
credibility of the Board of Directors in their strategic decisions.
Enjoy the last part of autumn,
Regards,
Theuns Snyman EstateManager
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To All The ResidentsThe year is well underway and we thank all our
residents for their continued support. We also
want to remind our residents to please make sure
that levies are paid to Trafalgar Management. If
residents need any assistance, please come and
visit us at the HOA Office where we can provide
you with all the necessary information. You are
also welcome to contact us on 012 548 4388.
From The Finance Desk
Please do not pay your levies to First Property Trust or Infinitum. Our managing agent is Trafalgar and their bank details are as follows:
Account name: Trafalgar Bank: Standard Bank Branch code: 020909 Account number: 270739335 Reference: 938D (your stand number)
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A Friendly RequestA friendly request to all our residents and children to take note of our rabbit and duck families in the Estate. They can normally be found wandering around in the public parking area and surrounding street with their offspring. Sometimes they even rest casually on residents’ grass lawns. Please slow down when driving to avoid hurting them and appeal to the children not to chase or hit them with sticks and stones when they see them. They are here for everyone to enjoy.
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Advancements in hearth technology have produced a variety of green
options that allow you to burn cleaner and more efficiently than ever
before without sacrificing aesthetics. Here is some useful information to
help you understand the different criteria to qualify as a “green” hearth
product:
• Fireplaces that conform to local requirements would be considered to
be contributing to the overall “green” rating of the home.
• Fireplaces are to have good combustion venting.
• The intent is to “minimize the leakage of combustion gases into the
occupied space of the home.”
BURN GREEN. BURN SMART.From the Building Development & Aesthetical Environment ManagerJohan le Roux...
Smart Tips:
• Keeping your chimney clean provides a good draft, reducing the
likelihood for dangerous gases to build up inside the home during
fireplace operation.
• Keeping the fireplace damper closed when the fireplace is not in use
prevents up to 8% of heated air from going up the chimney
• Properly dried hardwoods-hickory, oak, maple, or ash-are the most
efficient fuel for a wood-burning stove or fireplace.
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Part 2 of 2
House NumberingAddresses may also correlate with a street-numbering system. Thus, in Cleveland, Ohio, the former Central YMCA has an address of 2200 Prospect Avenue, and it sits at the corner of Prospect Avenue and 22nd Street. Along the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys, house numbers indicate their distance from Mile Marker 0 in Key West. The mileage is found by dividing the house number by 1000 (for example, 77220 Overseas Highway is 77.2 miles from Mile Marker 0). Buildings in many rural areas in the United States used to lack these kind of addresses. Instead, an old rural address might have been simply “Rural Route 3, Box 15.” However, the adoption of 9-1-1 emergency systems has required the adoption of street names and house numbers in rural areas, typically numbering 1000 for each mile from the nearest town centre or radiating from a certain zero-point at the corner or centre of a county. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California lacks any house numbering whatsoever. Houses are referred to, instead, as (for example) “Junipero 3 SW of 10th”, meaning “The third house on the west side of Junipero, south of 10th”. Block numbers are a system of assigning numbers based on distance rather than strictly sequentially. Typically,
each block is assigned 100 numbers, such that the building numbers on that block vary only in the last two digits. For example, in Washington, D.C., the block of 7th Street, N.W., between D and E streets, N.W., is designated as the 400 block, meaning that building numbers on that block are in the range from 400 to 499 inclusive. It is common to indicate block numbers on street signs. Often, when numbered streets are used, the address numbers on perpendicular streets will use the number of the lower-numbered cross street as the “hundreds” portion of the number for each block. Some localities, such as the Borough of Queens in New York City, used a block numbering system in which a hyphen separates the hundreds digit from the tens digit. The USPS demanded the “dash” as a redundancy check to ensure addresses in Queens County could not be confused with Brooklyn or the other boroughs. Although residents still use this address format, for some years now USPS carriers have been returning and rejecting mail with the dash in the address. This is left to carrier discretion, and officially the dash is not to be used. For example, a building number that might elsewhere be written 16709 is instead
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written 167-09. In most cases, the first number refers to the street, avenue, drive, etc. where the numbering begins. For example, 99-40 63rd Road is numbered because the starting point was 99th Street. Likewise, an address on a perpendicular block would have its number starting with 63-XX. In Queens (unlike other areas, such as Los Angeles, where one may see numbers such as 16700 Sunset Blvd.) rarely is the 00 number used to refer to an address, but rather the numbering starts at -01 or -02 depending on the side of the block. On “short” avenue blocks, where there is often only one building between the two cross-streets, the USPS also often hands out different numbers as another redundancy check against wrong addresses. So one building might be “76-15” and on the next block “77-18” even though logically the numbers would be “76-01” and “77-01” because each was the first and only building on that block side. A piece of mail that was misaddressed “76-18” could then be pulled by the carrier, to see if it belonged to “76-15” or “77-18”, a typo being obvious. In South Africa house numbering contains of the street name, the street number as well as the stand number. Each house in a suburb street has its own numbering sequince that sometimes creates serious confusions.
For this reason the latest bylaws of some municipalities and modern trends are that the stand number appears as a large number on top of a board or steel plate, with the street number and street name in smaller lettering and numbering. Different local governmental structures use different indicators as requirements, some use the street name and number whilst others only use the stand number on their systems. The appearance of the stand number as well as the street number and name prevents confusion and contributes to clear identification of a house. The enlightment of such numbering board by night by means of a LED light system at the back of the board, has a further benefit to identify a house in the evening. No size or structural requirements regarding such numbering board exists, for it is left to the aesthetical discretion of the owner himself. The only prescribed requirement is that the stand number must be the larger version and the street name and number must be the smaller version on the board. Whether the number and name indicatiors are arranged horizontal or vertical or on an angle it doesn’t matter, as long as the basic requirements of the larger and smaller versions are followed. An example of such house numbering board is indicated below.
House N
umbering cont.
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STAND NUMBER - Large
STREET NUMBER & NAME - Smaller
STAND NUMBER - Large
STREET NUMBER & NAME - Smaller
Examples of house numbering that appears world-wide in other countries.
House N
umbering cont.
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SAFETY AWARENESS AT HOME
FENCES/WALLSA high fence around the house with lockable gates, is much safer than a high wall due to the advantage of the improved visibility it provides. The primary aim of the fence is to make access/intrusion difficult and to allow dogs to move freely around the house. Ensure that your gates are locked at all times and that the keys cannot be reached easily and are not lying around uncontrolled. Security gates with sturdy locks in front of each outer door as well as burglar proofing covering all windows, are recommended.
The following devices prevent easy access:• Window bars• Security doors• Security gates• Additional locking devices on doors• Strengthening of doors• Peepholes in the doors• Safety chains to doors• Intercom system between the home and gate, front door or garage
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ALARM SYSTEMSAn alarm system, preferably connected to an armed response company, can act as an effective deterrent. A few switches/panic buttons in different rooms of the house should preferably be installed. An alarm must also have the capability to warn the occupants of any intrusion into the house.
Examples of alarm systems:o Mechanical and/or electrical (purchased types)o Improvised systems Security Lights
SECURITY LIGHTSSecurity lights on the outside of the house improve the physical protection of a house. The lights must be directed away from the house and must allow the occupants to use the windows without being observed from outside. Be aware of possible shadows and blind spots.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS Ensure that all doors are locked at all times, and that windows are closed when you are not at home. Large dogs serve as a deterrent. At least one dog should be trained to sleep inside the house. If you leave your residence, inform the security/ neighbours of your intended destination, time you expect to return. Ensure that tools such as axes, spades, picks, ladders etc., which can be used in an attack, are locked away when you aren’t using them..
VARY YOUR DAILY ROUTINEGet into the habit of not immediately falling asleep after switching off the lights. Remain awake for a while. You should not be visible in the bedroom from the outside when you are asleep. Always keep a torch nearby at night and when you use it, ensure that you do not give away your position.
Safety Awareness at H
ome cont.
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If you are unsure about the security status of your home after returning from work/a visit eg., your dogs do not come to the gate, do not enter your home. Contact the security to assist you in securing your home. Identify relatively safe places of refuge, ie. bathroom, toilet or storeroom. Involve employees as they are part of the family/team. Employees must be involved in maintaining security on an equal footing. Report suspicious behaviour and information to the security. Clear the areas around the gates of bushes and other hiding places. Take photographs of all employees. It could be to your advantage to identify them, if required. Remunerate your employees when useful information is provided that contribute to the prevention of crime. Do not employ casual workers without a reference. Keep copies of all your employees - Identity Documents (IDs). Ensure that you have a good relationship with your neighbours / security so that you will be in a good position to support and help each other.
ACCESS AND KEY CONTROLDo not allow strangers on your premises or in your house without properly identifying the person, especially at night. Implement proper key control measures. Identify keys by means of codes instead of indicating in writing
on labels to which gate/door access can be gained. Keys to the safe must be kept on the person. Never hide any keys in traditional places, such as in pot plants or under doormats. Keys in the keyhole on the inside of the front or back door should be turned to avoid easy removal. Never allow strangers to handle keys or look at key numbers. Change locks when keys are lost. Insert barring devices in door locks. Remove keys from doors when leaving.
COMMUNICATIONThere should be two systems for alternative back up:o Telephoneo Cellular phoneHave the telephone installed where it is easily accessible from anywhere in the house. Inform your children not to give an indication that adult supervision is not available when they answer the phone.
Please ensure that you have the correct telephone number of the security on your phone and against the fridge.Duty Manager 083 407 7651
Safety Awareness at H
ome cont.
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WEARING TWO HATS Can Create a Conflict of Safety Interest
The current economic environment is creating a variety of challenges for people wearing two hats in the construction industry. Some of those challenges are obvious. For example, competing on public works and other projects where bidding is required is forcing contractors to sharpen their pencils like never before. The only way to land a project is to trim every possible cost to the bone. Every aspect of project management and construction cost is under the microscope.
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But trimming costs so dramatically can have unintended consequences. Project safety is one area that often suffers. Companies that have long included safety professionals on their sites are now asking Contract managers and foremen to wear two hats, taking on the role of the safety expert along with their normal supervisory tasks. It’s not an illegal approach. After all, safety staffing clauses in most construction contracts require that the contractors have employees who have completed Occupational Health and Safety training on the jobsite while work is in progress. In healthier times, the companies wouldn’t hesitate to hire a safety professional, but with money tight, many think, “Why pay for an extra person when our Contracts manager or foreman has sufficient training , and he’s already onsite?” Forgoing a safety professional allows the company to reduce the bid. Suppose that bid is successful, and the company lands the much-needed project. Things go well initially, but weather begins to get in the way of progress. After a few months, the project is far behind schedule, and the company is under pressure to get back on track. Crews begin to work double shifts and weekends, racking up 16 hours a day, seven days a week. Fatter pay checks limit any complaining. With manpower stretched so thin, something has to give. Basic safety issues start to be neglected, because the supervisors are too busy to focus on them, or too shorthanded to spare workers to do things
Wearing Tw
o Hats cont.
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usually reports to a corporate safety director, not a project manager or operations manager. After all, his or her sole responsibility is to ensure the safety of the company’s workers and any subcontractors on the site. In addition, safety professionals are not driven by project schedules. Their goal is to see that the project will be completed without incidents or injury and that all of their men and women will go home to their families every night. Safety professionals can even improve productivity on a jobsite. Studies have repeatedly shown that workers who feel safer have higher levels of morale and productivity. Safety professionals may also know of safer methods or additional equipment that would allow employees to perform their tasks more quickly without sacrificing safety. Cutting costs by cutting out safety staff may seem to make financial sense, but one injury or even a fatality could end up costing an employer far more than the safety professional’s time. As the old saying goes, it might be penny-wise, but it’s definitely pound-foolish.
210 Amarand Ave Regus Business CentreEmail: [email protected] | www.sitesafety.co.za
the right way. Facing the looming deadline, the Contracts manager and foreman are willing to overlook safety factors, because they’re more concerned with saving time. They may even look the other way as workers undertake tasks that are nothing short of dangerous. Enter the conflict of interest. The Contracts manager and foreman have been charged with the responsibility of getting the job done safely. But now they’re also expected to get it done quickly, no matter what the cost. They understand the dangers involved, but can they afford to slow things down and miss the deadlines just to ensure that the site meets every safety requirement? If they prevent a worker from doing something hazardous, and that leads to a delay, will they create problems for themselves? And, worst of all, what will happen if there’s a serious injury or fatality on the site? Putting supervisory personnel in that kind of conflict is inherently unfair and probably unethical. Reducing the emphasis on safety while putting workers in the stressful environment of being expected to do more in less time may increase the potential for injury and downtime, which will ultimately cut into the contractor’s profitability. Some companies include the safety professional in the costs for a project, but that’s actually a shortsighted approach. In reality, safety professionals should be viewed as part of a company’s annual overhead budget, rather than being factored into project cost. That way, safety needs won’t be eliminated in an effort to win a bid. Why? Consider the reporting relationship. A safety advisor
Wearing Tw
o Hats cont.
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Ornamental Grasses Pa
rt 2
A clump is the growth habit of a very large number of grass species. Planting masses of these grasses effectively fill space at ground level and the flowers give them their unique character.
Carex varieties are good evergreen clump grasses and should be planted close enough to allow complete soil cover as mature plants, without overcrowding. The plants prefer moist soil conditions and in Gauteng area will even benefit from afternoon shade. Little maintenance is needed and damaged leaves can be removed individually. Combing out loose foliage is easily done by hand. Do not cut back to soil level without reason as these plants are slow growers and will take some time to regrow new leaves. Clump division can be done in summer when plants grow vigorously.
Ornamental grass is versatile and can be used either as a specimen plant or in mass planting. The contrast with other foliage is striking. The plants add colour to a garden that is not static and often changes with the seasons. It is successfully used to soften hard landscaping elements. Butterflies and birds are attracted to the garden. Grass leaves as well as the flowers and seeds are a food source.
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Ornamental Grass cont.
Aristida Junciformis (indigenous) grows to 1m in summer with light purple flower plumes. This grass is successfully used in mass planting, but being a deciduous plant, more useful in background planting or between evergreen plants. Moist soil is required until established and thereafter the plants will be able to withstand dry spells. Pennisetum setaceum “rubrum” loses its purple leave colour in winter and is usually treated as deciduous. Regular irrigation is needed. Melinus nerviglomis (indigenous) has shiny
pink inflorescences fading to white. These provide nesting material for birds and the plants will flower throughout summer. The mature grass grows to 30cm in summer, is deciduous and grows well from seed. It needs moist soil until established, but plants will survive with irregular irrigation. Untidy growth need to be cleared with deciduous grasses. Cut the old plant material down to soil level as soon as new growth shows in early spring. This would also be the best time for clump division.
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Ornamental Grass cont.
Bamboo, usually graceful and tall is the opposite of clump grasses. Single plants can be used as a focal point, or screen for privacy and smaller varieties planted in groups supply texture and depth in garden design.The invasive growth habit of some varieties can be curbed by planting in pots. Frequent watering is vital. Especially during hot and dry weather.Lack of water is the main limiting factor in growing bamboo in containers and the plants will benefit from cool and shady conditions.Little maintenance is required and removing old canes can improve the appearance. Subdividing the rhizomes is easy and usually done in summer. Horse tail bamboo (Equisetum hyemale) grows to 1m, will be deciduous in cold areas and look exquisite in containers.
Gaint bamboo (Phyllostachus pubescens) can grow to a height of 28m and is tolerant to cold. Although spectacular, this plant is not suitable for suburban gardens, due to its size and extensive rhizome root system.
GARDEN KNOW HOWFew ornamental grasses will tolerate arid conditions. They have different water requirements to succulents. Choose species for your garden carefully to prevent disappointment.
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VISITOR ACCESS SYSTEM QUICK GUIDEZambezi Country Estate Visitor Panel Numbers: 079 082 7402 Main Gate | 079 081 5788 Gate 2Communication with the system is only possible if your phone number is listed on the Estate database.
WHEN YOUR VISITOR ARRIVES AT THE GATE:
Step 1: Your visitor must furnish the guard with your stand number for effective access to the Estate, should your visitor provide alternate information the access process will take longer and cause delays at the gate.
Step 2: A call will be placed by the guard to your phone announcing your visitor.
Step 3: Press 9 on your phone to grant access for your visitor, an “access granted” voice will be heard and your visitor is granted access. If you do not want to grant access to the visitor press ### on your phone and an “access denied” voice will be heard.
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Step 4: You will receive an SMS reply from the visitor panel containing the Access code.
Forward the SMS to your visitor/s who in turn communicateS the code to the Guard at the visitors entrance lane to access the Estate. Access codes will only work for the number of times they were requested and will au-tomatically expire within 48 hours from time of issue.
WHEN YOUR VISITOR EXITS THE ESTATEOnce you have granted access to your visitor by pressing 9 on your phone your visitor will receive a printed slip containing a one-time PIN for use at the entrance and the exit. The PIN number must be presented by the visitor (on the keypad) to enter and exit the Estate. The expiry date and time of the PIN is indicated on the slip. Should your visitor arrive at the exit gate with an expired PIN number, the guard will contact your stand as per the entry process described above to activate a new exit slip.
Visitors to the Estate will only be granted access on condition that the driver of the vehicle is in possession of a valid driver’s license.
PRE-CLEARANCE OF VISITORS VIA SMSThis Feature is only available via cell phone
Step 1: Ensure that your cellular number is loaded on the Estate database, if it is not listed the SMS features of the system will not be available to you.
Step 2: Decide on how many visitors you would like to pre-clear for the day.
Step 3: Should you require 3 visitors to have pre-clearance access codes, SMS C 3 to the visitor panel at the number listed above.
ClickOn Com
munications cont.
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WHEN YOUR VISITOR EXITS THE ESTATEAn extended pre-clearance access code can be requested in instances where the resident requires an access code to work multiple times for an extended period. As per step 3 of pre-clearance codes, simply add the start and end date to the SMS code request. The format is as follows:
c xx yymmdd yymmdd (note the spaces between the various fields)
c = code commandxx = number of times the code must workyy = year i.e. 16 (2016)mm = month i.e. 01 to 12dd = day
Example: You require an access code to be valid from the 25th December 2014 to the 28th December 2014 and you require the code to work 3 times for the period, send the following sms:
c 3 141225 141228
Please note that start and end dates may not exceed 30 days!
ClickOn Com
munications cont.
The Application is designed to, amongst others, improve management efficiency and ensure an effective and easy to use communication channel between residents and Estate administration.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE
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