Edition / Uitgawe 2 10 May 2013
An artist impression ofthe Biomass ‘Off Grid’operation PowerPlant being builtat Miracle Timber in Sabie.The plant will be 100% self-sufficient and is a “green”project. The plant willgenerate 400 kW. A muchbigger power plant isscheduled for Graskop.Read the article onpage 4.
TTuurrnniinngg wwaassttee ttoo ppoowweerr
Hostel cooking
for masses – 3
Alan grateful
for his life – 1 0
Sabie Country Club
needs your help – 1 2
Local is
lekker – 1 4
Edition / Uitgawe 2 10 May 2013
An artist impression ofthe Biomass ‘Off Grid’operation PowerPlant being builtat Miracle Timber in Sabie.The plant will be 100% self-sufficient and is a “green”project. The plant willgenerate 400 kW. A muchbigger power plant isscheduled for Graskop.Read the article onpage 4.
TTuurrnniinngg wwaassttee ttoo ppoowweerr
Hostel cooking
for masses – 3
Alan grateful
for his life – 1 0
Sabie Country Club
needs your help – 1 2
Local is
lekker – 1 4
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From the editorIt is with a humble and gratefulheart that I am writing this let-ter to you. Firstly I would like tothank God for the ability to beable to do this newspaper. WhenGPS News hit the streets ofGraskop, Pilgrims and Sabie forthe first time on 25 April, our ex-pectations were high, but whathappened blew our minds. Agenuine thank you from me and
my team to all the communitiesfor each sms, e-mail, facebookmessage, telephone call and evenflowers that we received. Wewere astounded at your reactionas every single moment of hardwork was worth it. We have setour standard now and we will doour utmost to provide our com-munities with positive and truth-ful reporting.
Briewe / Letters
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FFoorrwwaarrdd yyoouurrggoooodd nneewwss oorriinntteerreessttiinnggssttoorriieess ttoo
eeddiittoorr@@ggppssnneewwss..ccoo..zzaa oorr ccaallll uussoonn 001133 776644 33112277
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Department impressesWe as South Africans very oftenenter a Government building withan expectance of little or badservice delivery. Yet, I want to givepraise where it is due.When I lost my identity doc-
ument recently, I went to the Sa-bie Department of Home Affairs. I
was greatly surprised by the neatand tidy appearance of thepremises. I still thought how niceit is to come into a building and tosee it in such an orderly condition.That was nothing thoughcompared to the service I receivedfrom the team. Their demeanourwas court-eous, friendly and theyknew what they were doing.
In future I will certainly nottravel to Nelspruit to conductbusiness at the Department ofHome Affairs, but support thebranch in my own town.Thank you and well done to our
Sabie Home Affairs team! Yourservice was far above average.
New fruit market
Chris Colverd, Sabie
Congratulations to whoever hasfinally put in the proposal, thatwas mooted at the SCCT meeting
about five years ago, to build thehawkers a covered market fromwhich to conduct their business.Well done to York Timbers, Sasolas well as the Chamber of Com-merce and Miracle Foundation forhelping to make this happen.Sabie’s focal point, Market
Square, is now neat and tidy and aplace to be proud of. Now for thosepotholes…?
Enjoy the little thingsin life, for someday youwill realize they were
the big things.
Please feel free to send us tipsfor articles, photos of special oc-casions and good positive day today news that you want to sharewith others in our communities.This is after all your newspaperas much as it is ours.To my staff and consultants -
a hearty thank you, you are thebest.• Please forward your com-
ments on any of the articles inthis edition to [email protected], connect with us on Face-book, or SMS 079 529 0256.
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HHeeaalltthhyy ccooookkiinngg ffoorr tthhee mmaasssseessGPS News heard that there are alot of our readers interested in or-dering food from the Sybrand vanNiekerk hostel and don’t knowhow to go about it. We investigatedand would like to report back.It is as simple as collecting an
application form at the hostel kit-chen, complete all the required de-tail and attach a copy of your IDdocument. After authorisation ofyour “account” by the Head Mat-ron you start by dropping off someempty containers the next morn-ing at the kitchen and collect yourfirst delicious and healthy meal atlunch time.The following were on the menu
with our visit on the 30th April:Beef stroganoff, rice, fresh beans(cooked in the traditional way withpotatoes and onions) and sweetcarrots.The head matron, Annette Ab-
botte, gave us some very interest-ing statistics. For the above menuan astronomical 65kg goulashwere prepared and cooked, 18 kgrice, 43 kg beans and 26 kg car-rots. On a daily basis the kitchenstaff prepares a whopping 400 plus
meals for hostel dwellers as wellas for private clients. Amazinglyenough, although it is such a vastquantity, it still tasted deliciouslyhome cooked.There are 4 matrons, 2 cooks
and 8 assistants working togetheras a team to offer the best for theircustomers. Wednesday is puddingextra day and Fridays it is take-
away day. An example of a Fridaymenu is a huge homemade vetkoekwith a fresh mince patty, bacon,cheese and garnishing - called aSpietkop. Rather don’t ask why itis called that, you won’t get theanswer.The food is ready for collection
from Monday to Friday at 12h30.VOILÀ - No more shopping for
groceries and no more slaving overthe pots and pans - let alonecleaning them. If you have notbeen convinced by now to gethostel food… Enjoy cooking!For those that still do not know,
the hostel prepares delicious plat-ters, salt and sweet, at extremelyaffordable prices. Just pick up thephone and make the call.
Head matron Annette Abbott and her co-workers at Sybrand van Niekerk hostel are willing and ableto cook delicious food for you.
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His dream sparks power
Wayne Clarke (49), Man-aging director of SherpaTrade and Invest 76
(Pty) Ltd, is a man with vision anddreams.The father of two boys is married
to Karen and the family resides inSabie. He studied Forestry andworked in Swaziland, Tzaneen,George as well as in Mocambique.In the era when Global took overMondi, his position became re-dundant. Whilst working in theforestry sector, he realised the vastamount of waste in plantation andsaw mill waste at the mills. Theystarted a business where bri-quettes were manufactured fromsawdust and sold to a Belgiumcompany that used them to createheat and power. The EU now useswood pellets to generate heat andpower. Clarke worked at the Den-mark and Sweden pellet factoriesto gain practical experience ofmanagement and production. Aftera while he question himself, ifEurope can produce electricityfrom waste, why not South Africa?His dream of producing powerstarted.Clark said: “Our company was
initially rooted in the Forestry andrelated Industries, but initiativesdrawn from the excess waste foundin these Industries saw it to growinto the fields of Sawdust Bri-quette Manufacturing and laterinto Biomass Gasification PowerGeneration in order to utilise thediscarded saw mill waste to its fullpotential. This is done through awide range of innovative greenbiomass technologies and compet-ent project management, whichincludes the designing, construc-tion, installation and commission-ing of wood briquettes, woodpellets and the construction andrunning of Biomass Power Plants.”Gasification Technology is an
age old technology dating back toWorld War 2and simply means theprocess of converting solid matterinto usable gas. Biomass Gasifica-tion Technology uses plant andwaste material (Biomass) to con-vert it from a solid form to a gas.This converted gas is then used topower a gas combustion engine,which in turn drives a generator toproduce electricity.Sherpa Trade and Invest 76
(Pty) Ltd is divided into threemain areas of Biomass Divisions,namely
1. ‘On Grid’ operation PowerPlants2. ‘Off Grid’ operation Power
Plants3. Biomass Briquettes and Pellet
Plants‘On Grid’ operation Power Plants
form the main division of theirbusiness and translates to the pro-duction of energy through a Bio-mass Power Plant, which will beconnected to the Eskom (NationalSouth African Electricity Supplier)electricity Grid (thus ‘On Grid’) tosupplement Eskom’s power supplyto far reaching areas.
The company has obtained thenecessary Environmental Author-ization, Nersa NEG Licence, Prop-erty Rezoning Certificate andPower Purchase Agreement with aprivate entity and is currently inthe process of negotiating theEskom Distribution and UseAgreement. Their first ‘On Grid’Biomass Power Plant will produce2.4MW electricity and constructionof this Power Plant is scheduled tobegin in July 2013 in Graskop.The plant in Graskop is going to belinked to the Eskom grid and thepower produced will be sold to a
private company in KZN. GPSNews asked Clarke why Graskop,he answered: “Graskop is the cor-rect location for the connectivityon the Eskom grid, and there is asufficient supply and sustainabil-ity of raw material within thatarea.The second division is the "Off
Grid" operation Power Plants.These Power Plants are designedfor individual clients or entitieswho require self-embedded units(self-standing Power plants, notconnected to the Eskom electricityGrid) to assist their current Eskomelectricity supply or for those whorequire complete self-reliant oper-ations.The company is currently in the
final phase of constructing a400kW ‘Off Grid’ Power Plant atMiracle Timber Saw Mill close toSabiehoek in Sabie and this PowerPlant will be operational end ofMay 2013. The sawmill belongs toOckie and Charmain Botha. Thisproject were planned and startedin January 2012 with funding ofIDC (Industrial Development Cor-poration). This project shouldhave been finished a long time ago,but although the contract has beensigned and approved from IDC,they never paid out the money.New investors were sourced andobtained and now it is full steamahead, or should we say full powerahead.Due to the plant being in the
forest, full fire protection systemsare in place, as the risk of fire willrather be from outside and notfrom within the plant. Localpeople will be employed andtrained to run the plant. On Wed-nesday 1st May GPS News visitedthe site because a 13ton generator(the only one of it’s kind in SouthAfrica) had to be moved into thebuilding through the roof by a 100ton crane from Lowveld Cranes.The company had a lot of enquiriesfor “off” grid plants. A major pro-ject is starting in June 2013 for a600kW plant in Hoedspruit, and 2plants in KZN of 800kW. GPSNews asked Clark what drives himto keep on believing in his dreamof generating power, and he saidthat he had his wife’s support andwith hard work and perseveranceit will be a success. He added: “Hewill always remember the peoplethat helped him to make a successof his dream.”
Above: An aeri-al view of thepower plant atMiracle Tim-ber.
Right: WayneClark and theoverseer fromChina respons-ible for the in-stallation ofthe generatorat the MiracleTimbers Plantin Sabie.
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WWhhaatt iiss hhaappppeenniinngg aatt GGhhooeekkss??Shirly Mathebula
Myrecent visit to “GhoeksAfrica” here in Sabiewas a real interesting
experience. Every article is madeby hand and you get that warmand personal feeling of the artist’spassion and love for what they doand create. The personality ofsome artist working there is woveninto their products. These hand-crafted ornaments get sold to na-tional and international curioshops around the world.Meeting the staff and the owners
is another experience by itself.Sarel and Lieze Loots are the own-ers since 2001. Sarel is firstlyknown to our locals as the warmand friendly “kaalvoet-dominee”and then nationally known as“Sarel from Sabie” with his thirdplace in the first ever Master ChefSouth Africa. He was also a parti-cipant in the Afrikaans programKokkedoor on KykNet and theproduct ambassador of the Neo-Flam series of pot and pans ontelevision. (Mmm, agter elke suk-sesvolle man…?)Ghoeks Africa specialises in Fino
clay products such as key holders,fridge magnets, cutlery, pencils,pens, salt and pepper sets, cutlerydecorated with clay and manymore. Each and every item is madeby hand and watching theseartists roll out the clay and soskilfully creating a unique item, isfascinating.Lieze says that when the busi-
ness opened 12 years ago they ob-tained a major contract to exporttheir work to Germany and otherinternational locations. About 70jobs for local people was then cre-ated and everyone was taughtfrom scratch to do handcraft work.
Ghoeks currently has a team of 14employees who are extremely pas-sionate about their work.Angel Ndlovu (40) was one of
those very first employees. Shespecialises in crafted warriors thatare placed on pencils, pens andcutlery. “I love what I do and Ihave learned a lot. My employer isvery passionate about the workthat she taught us. We have builta very effective working relation-ship with our co-workers as we areall passionate about art.”Civilised Mbowana (27) says
that working at Ghoeks Africa hashelped him to enhance his artskills and creativity. “When grow-ing up I use to design wire carsand clay cars. My experience inGhoeks Africa has turned me intoa professional artist.”One section of the business is a
museum that contains a collectionof old artefacts, furniture and oth-er materials - even an old rusted
car. Some of the museum pieceshave been donated by Sabie resid-ents. Anyone is welcome to enterthe studio and watch the artists at
work and browse through theitems on display. It really doesbring back some good memories ofyesteryear.
TThhee aarrttiissttss aattGGhhooeekkss,, wwhheerreetthheeyy ccrreeaatteeccuurriiooss oouutt ooffssppeecciiaall ccllaayyffoorr eexxppoorrttiinnggaass wweellll aassllooccaall ssaalleess..
The museum at Ghoeks in Sabie where you can find oldmemorabilia from yesteryear open to the public.
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Nick Theunnissen (eienaarvan NHT Motor & Dieselin Sabie) is die trotse pa
van vyf dogters maar dit is nie dieenigste rede hoekom hy vandag sotrots is nie. Hy is ook die wennervan die Internasionale 2013 SasolRally se S20 klas en die navigatorwas weer eens een van sy dogters,Patricia.Sy oudste, Chantalle, het vanaf
die vroeë ouderdom van 16 saammet haar pa aan wedrenne deel-geneem maar moes as gevolg vanwerksverpligtinge onttrek en dieleisels aan haar jonger suster Pa-tricia oorgee.Nick sê: “Ek is baie trots op my
meisies en ons staan altyd bekendas die “sexy-ste” span. Patricia het‘n kalmte wat min dinge kan ver-
steur. Selfs na ons motor gerol hetin 2011, het sy uit die wrak ge-spring en wou net verder gaan.” Syhet hierdie jaar begin met haarstudie in siviele ingenieurswese envanjaar se Sasol was haar laastegewees. Die studies gaan nouvoorkeur geniet en dit is nou diejongste se beurt om navigator virpappa te wees.Nick se derde dogter Bianca (ook
maar net 16 jaar) gaan nouoorneem en pa Nick se regterhandword.Op GPS Nuus se vraag aan Nick
se vrou, Yvonne, of sy nie angs-bevange is oor haar dogters sorondjaag saam met hul pa nie, hetsy gelag en gesê: “In die begin wasdit verskriklik, maar ek sien mymeisiekinders geniet dit en ek kan
Nick met hulle vertrou.”Nick se pa het hulle van kleins
af na wedrenne geneem en hy wasmaar altyd meganies aangelê. Hyverwys grappenderwys na sy 2013-wenmotor - ’n BMW 320i 2.0 - assy eerste vrou wat die meesteaandag nodig het.Nick sê hy het baie navorsing
gedoen oor motorsportongelukke,en bevind dat daar in die afgelope66 jaar in Suid Afrika net tweepersone dood is as gevolg van “ral-lies”. Hy reken dis ‘n veilige sporten daar is baie streng maatreëlsvoordat ’n mens kan begin deel-
neem. Nick beskryf sy styl van be-stuur as aggressief, maar beheers.Met terugblik stem Yvonne en
Nick saam oor een ding: Hierdiewedren was sy 13e Sasol Rally endit was foutloos gewees. Sy Sasol-wedrenloopbaan oor die afgelope10 jaar lyk as volg: 2 x 1ste, 2 x2de en 1 x 3de.Nick het ernstig opgemerk toe
gevra is wanneer hy dink aan uit-tree:”Ek sal ophou ‘rallies’ jaag asek so oud is dat ek nie meer diepedale kan trap nie en hulle moetmy ronddra en inhelp - dis maar inmy bloed”
TTrroottssee ppaa vvaannSSaabbiiee wweenn SSaassooll
SS2200--kkllaass
Die ander vrou in Nick se lewe.
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AA rriigghhtt RRooyyaall ccuulliinnaarryy eexxppeerriieenncceeIsabel Jacobs
Danny and I have been residents of Pil-grim’s Rest for the past five years, andwe have been frequent guests to the
historic Royal Hotel, in good times and in bad.Our support to the Royal Hotel has never beena question of principle, but rather that of meet-ing the friendly staff and enjoy the food,presented by various Chefs over the years.And now, in comes this short, young
girl….the newly appointed Executive Chef,Leanne Harrison. And she brings with her atotal new approach to food, a total new menuand a right real new culinary experience! Lee isa qualified Pattiserrie Chef, who studiedmainly in Cape Town under Harold Bres-selmight, and in Gauteng under Martinus Fer-reira. She also ran a new division of P & PGourmet in Pretoria. She is a all rounder chef,specialising in advanced pastry- pattiserrie.So treat your Mom on Mother’s Day to the
delectable dishes on offer: Be it the tasty CanCan bobotie samoosa, homemade comfort foodwith apple chutney, or grilled trout stuffed withpine apple and Danish feta cheese.If you rather prefer a meaty dish, try the
Poverty Creek Springbok Carpaccio, (a sugarcured springbok loin) served over aromatic bedof green beans enhanced with a lemon balsamicreduction. Or maybe your taste buds are ready
for the Lamb Alluvial Curry, which is a study ofspice combinations with northern Indian curryserved with traditional sambals and a pom-padon.
Phone the Royal Hotel on 013 768 1100 andreserve your table, either for Mother’s Day oron any other day!Come on, treat your taste buds to a feast!
Isabel and Danny Jacobsat Royal Hotel.
Royal Hotel Executive Chef Leanne Harrison and kitchen staff.
Will it help if we put this sign on the Long Tom Pass?
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Why celebrate Mother’s Day…?Shirly Mathebula
Every year on the secondSunday of May marks avery significant day. It is
called international Mother’sDay. It is celebrated in differentways to honour mothers, mother-hood and the positive influence ofmother’s in society.What is the origin and history
of this day?The first official Mother’s day
was established by Anna ReevesJarvis from West Virginia, USA– back in 1914. After her motherdied she campaigned for the cre-ation of an official Mother’s Dayin remembrance of her motherand to honour her life, love and
sacrifice. Over the years the cel-ebration of this day gained mo-mentum throughout the world.We are familiar with the mod-
ern celebration of Mother’s Dayas we buy gifts and offer specialattention to mother’s and those
who play a motherly role in ourlives. Too often there are thosewho are not so keen to the idea ofcelebrating this day and say it isa money making racket. In othersituations we find it hard to cel-ebrate the day after losing a
DDoo yyoouu cceelleebbrraattee MMootthheerr’’ss DDaayy?? HHooww aanndd wwhhyy??
Hennie Jordaan (64): Ons gesin vier Moedersdag – myvrou Anne-marie bekend vir haar heerlike gebak in en omSabie, het tog vir my kinders gegee. Ons twee dogters komspesiaal deur vir die dag en ons las almal ’n geldjie enbederf haar dan met ’n spesiale parfuum waarvan sy hou.
Melanie Els (20): My ma bly in Tzaneen. Ek is vreesliklief vir haar en ek is dankbaar vir ’n spesiale dag soosMoedersdag. Ek stuur gewoonlik vir haar blomme. Sy ismy rolmodel en beste maatjie.
Chandre Grobler (22): Ons vier vir seker Moedersdag. Ekwoon nog by my ouers en probeer my ma op dié spesialedag bederf. Dis nooit dieselfde nie. Ek wil hê sy moet weetsy is my alles en baie kosbaar. Baie dankie dat Ma so ’ngoeie voorbeeld is vir my. Vir my, die beste ma ooit.
Roxanne Luthuli (22): I feel honored to celebrate Mother’sDay because I’m a mother and when my child calls memom I feel adored. It’s a special day for us mothers. Athome we usually do a small function; we buy a cake andexchange gifts.
Glen Lishaba (22): I celebrate Mother’s Day but in my ownway. Every Mother’s Day I spoil my mother with breakfastin bed. Throughout the day I treat her majestically andassist her with everything. If I was earning enough moneyI would have loved to take her out to a restaurant andmake her day even more special. Even women who play amotherly role in our lives deserve to be honoured on thisday.
Sizakele Lekhuleni (23): Yes, It’s a special day for allmothers. I cook special traditional food at home and latergo to church for a Mother’s Day function. Lekhulenishared a poem: “A mother is special in every way; shebrings love and happiness in our times of trouble, alwaysthere to bring us hope and joy with her loving care. So,Mother, thank you for all you’ve done; you will always bespecial. Happy Mother’s Day.”
Justice Mabuza (27): Yes, I do celebrate Mother’s Day. Ihave a wife at home and I appreciate her for being a goodmother and a good role model to my daughter. It alwaysmakes me proud to spend time with her on mother’s dayand do something special for her to make her feel appreci-ated and special.
mother, but still we continue tovalue this day in remembrance ofall the beautiful things ourmothers did in our lives.On the 12th of May we mark
yet another Mother’s Day celeb-ration. Mothers who carried usthrough labour and delivered usto the world, Mothers who nur-tured us from young, gave us un-conditional love, tender and care.GPS carried out a survey in the
three towns Graskop, Pilgrim’sRest and Sabie to find out theviews from community membersabout the commemoration ofMother’s Day.The question was: “Do you cel-
ebrate Mother’s Day? How andwhy?”
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Are you joking? You can win R100!
GPS News is proud to announce the launch of our captioncompetition. The photo used every week, as well as the pricemoney are sponsored by Chris Colverd. Chris is the owner ofWayferers Guest House in Sabie and is passionate aboutphotography. The winner will be announced in the next issueand will win R100 cash. A different photo will be used ineach issue. Come one readers, join in let us know what youthink is this zebra saying? SMS your answer to 079 529 0256.
Happy to be aliveAlan McKenzie (40), a Durban em-ployee of Environmental VisionSolutions (Pty) Ltd. is very grate-ful to be alive today.McKenzie was recently on his
way from EVS’ Sabie branch to theone in Warburton when he noticedsomeone at their camera towersituated close to Barberton. Hewent to investigate and upon con-frontation, the man pulled a gunon him.McKenzie says: “I saw him
reaching for the gun and had tomake a flight or fight decision. Irushed at him and during this hemanaged to get a shot at me butmissed. Fortunately the gunjammed so he could not shoot asecond time. I then wrestled himto the ground and during this a
second guy grabbed me. I had tofight them both for the gun. It sohappened that the second guy gotto the gun first but a blessing forme - he ran away with it.”While Alan was focussing on the
second guy the first one also ranaway.McKenzie suffered no serious in-
juries and on the question fromGPS News whether he thought itwas a good idea to fight rather toflee in such a situation, he said: “Ithink I made the right decision asI feel he would certainly have shotme in my back. I am very gratefulto God to be alive and that I cannow go home to my wife and chil-dren.”No arrests have been made to
date.
AlanMcKenzie
Woodlands dare to go bare
Shirly Mathebula
‘Barefoot Day’ was celebratedfor the first time at WoodlandsSchool on Thursday, 25 April.TOMS International barefootday is celebrated every year tobring attention to the needs ofchildren that cannot affordshoes.The learners and staff of
Woodlands school in Sabiespent the whole day barefoot incommemoration to this worthycause. The day raised an oppor-tunity for the learners and edu-cators to donate shoes andclothing items for different
charities around Sabie.The event brought a warm
nurturing feeling amongst theWoodland’s learners as they ac-knowledge that there are chil-dren not so fortunate to haveeven the most basic essentialslike shoes. Michelle Strydom, ateacher and organiser of theday, said the turnout exceededher expectations. She said theschool managed to collect about100 pairs of shoes that will bedonated to under privilegedchildren who are in need. Stry-dom expressed her gratitude bythanking the learners andteachers for their participation.
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Woonhuis te huur3 slaapkamer, 2 badkamers,dubbelmotorhuis. Hoë omheiningmet alarm – R4 200 p.m. W & Luitgesluit.Kontak Kobus Kieser: 083 251 41 46
Aqua Aerobic classesWinter and summer.Mondat – Friday.Only a few spots available.Call : Valerie 083 565 9458Or Marietj ie 081 494 3352
Smalls
From left: Piet van Zyl (Chief Executive Officer, York Timbers),Solly Selekane (Unit Manager, Thaba Chweu Municipality),Michael Ncongwane (Executive Mayor of Thaba Chweu Munici-pality), Johan Malabela (Principal, Memezile High School), AlanCameron (Managing Director, Sasol Oil) and Mark Matthee(Principal, Graskop Primary).
Chance nowto get
vaccinated
The National Department ofHealth is planning to carry out twoimmunization rounds during2013. The first round will coverpolio and measles and runs from29 April until 17 May. The secondround will cover only polio and willrun from 17 to 28 June.What causes polio? It is a highly
contagious virus specific tohumans. The virus usually entersthe environment by the feces ofsomeone who is infected. In areaswith poor sanitation the viruseasily spreads through the fecal-oral route or via contaminatedwater or food. In addition, directcontact with a person infected withthe virus can cause polio.As with many other infectious
diseases, polio victims tend to besome of the most vulnerablemembers of the population. Thisincludes the very young, pregnantwomen and those with immunesystems that are substantiallyweakened by other medicalconditions. Anyone who has notbeen immunized against polio willespecially be susceptible tocontracting this very dangerousdisease.Additional risk factors for polio
include traveling to places wherepolio is endemic or widespread,living with someone infected withpolio, working in a laboratory oreven having your tonsils removed.Measles? Anyone can contract
this virus if they have not beenvaccinated or had it before. It isvery common in children agedbetween one and four. Initialsymptoms include fever, red eyesand sensitivity to light, grayishwhite spots in the mouth andthroat as well as cold-likesymptoms. The measles rashtypically appears after two to fourdays.All the clinics in and around the
GPS News distribution area arecurrently busy with this campaign.Please ensure that your childreceive their vaccinations.
SabieCountryClubupgrade
Sasol, York invest in communitiesShirly Mathebula
Community developmentplans are set to improve inGraskop and Sabie. In ap-
preciation for hosting the SasolRally for 22 years in Mpumalanga,Sasol Oil in partnership with YorkTimbers, served a commitment toinvest in three community uplift-ment projects to the value of R600000.These projects will be for the
renovation of 11 classrooms, fourablution facilities, administrationoffices and a kitchen at GraskopPrimary School. The classrooms atMemezile High School will be fur-nished with 200 new desks andchairs. The other major projectwas the stalls erected for the ve-getable vendors at the Sabie mar-ket square (as reported in GPSNews of 26 April).Mr. Alan Cameron, Managing
Director of Sasol Oil, said: “Thisinvestment by Sasol is our contri-bution toward education which is akey factor for economic growth.The wellbeing of the communityand job creation in theMpumalanga region is a majorpriority. Furthermore, the com-munity welcomes us each year forthe Sasol Rally and this is our wayto give back to them.”Piet van Zyl, Chief Executive
Officer from York Timbers said,
“York Timbers is a significant em-ployer in Mpumalanga and be-lieves it has a duty to contributemeaningfully to the well-being ofSouth Africans. These three pro-jects will make a difference in thecommunity we operate in. We fullysupport Sasol in their initiatives.”Students at Memezile high
School will be learning underproper conditions as the class-rooms will be replaced with dur-able chairs and desks.The renovation project at
Since being taken over by new management in May 2010, Sa-bie Country Club has become well known in the communityas a family-oriented establishment. Elsa Claunch has don-ated a spectacular luxury hamper to be raffled at the club.The proceeds will be utilized to purchase new playgroundequipment for the play area next to the clubhouse. The priceof each ticket is R20 and the drawing will take place duringthe evening of 31 May, a pizza night at the club. “We are veryproud to say that the club is family orientated,” says JanniePieterse, club manager, “we welcome families coming for re-creation or a good meal, and we are particularly proud thatmost of the kids love coming to this place.” Please supportus in this worthy cause and buy a raffle ticket from us at theclubhouse.
Graskop Primary is still in pro-gress with seven classroom and 2ablution buildings completed thusfar. The school principal, MarkMatthee, said the renovation atthe school has made a huge differ-ence to the learners and has im-proved their attitude towards theirstudies. Matthee gave specialthanks to Jackie Prinsloo fromYork Timbers and Kalvyn Olivierfrom Sabie Miracle Foundation fortheir hard work and assistancewith this renovation project.
Those who hope in the Lordwill renew their strength.They will soar on wings likeeagles; they will run andnot grow weary, they willwalk and not be faint. -
Isaiah 40:31
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Vier jaar gelede in Zeerust, Noordwes, het‘n pragtige storie begin met Danté vanNiekerk, ‘n siviele ingenieur en Hannelie,
‘n fisioterapeut, as die hoofspelers.Die groot liefde het geblom maar dit was aan-
vanklik maar n baie stormagtige “tande-kry” ver-houding in die begin dae. Skielik het dinge egterrigting gekry en Danté het selfs van trou en kin-ders begin praat. Hulle albei was so besig met hulloopbane dat dit egter net by praat gebly het.Die lewe het mos maar soms sy ‘n wrede manier
om ‘n mens wakker te skud - Danté is in Septem-ber 2011, op 28-jarige ouderdom, met kanker ge-diagnoseer. Almal was so verslae - hy het dangeen familiegeskiedenis van kanker nie? Hy leweso gesond? Hoe gebeur so iets? Nooit het een vanhulle besef dat hul tyd op aarde, hul tyd saam, sogou kortgeknip kan word nie..Danté het sy romantiese sy gewys en het besluit
om op 5 November 2011 die GROOT VRAAG tevra. Na n wegbreek-naweek in Margate het Han-nelie die “Save the date”-kaartjies begin uitstuuraan familie en vriende vir 21 April 2012. Hullehet intussen alreeds ‘n reis na Europa beplan virDesember sodat hulle haar broer se troue in Noor-weë kon bywoon. Tussen al die beplanning deurwas daar talle doktersbesoeke en toetse en hulle iskeer op keer herinner dat die tyd min is. Saam hethulle toe dus ook besluit om iets spesiaals te doen,net hulle twee, en wat kon dan nou meer roma-nties en spesiaal wees as ‘n troue in Parys,Frankryk - dis mos die ware stad van liefde? So gedink, gedaan en ge..., Nee toe nie - weens
verskeie regsaangeleenthede kon hulle nie in diebuiteland trou nie. Nog het dit hulle nie van strykgebring nie - hulle sou wettiglik in Suid-Afrikatrou en dan ‘n simboliese seremonie in Frankrykhou. Die aanvanklik gedagte van “trou in die hof”het gou verander in ‘n baie klein en intieme trouein die kleinste kerk in die wêreld - die LlandaffOratorium in Van Reenen – is ‘n kerk gebou watmaksimum agt persone kan akkommodeer. Op 25November 2011, drie weke na hul verlowing, ishul in die eg verbind met hul ouers as getuies.15 Desember 2011 het hul toer na vele lande en
stede in Europa begin. Op 30 Desember het huluiteindelik in Parys aangeland. Na ‘n paar daevan gure weer het hul TWEEDE groot dag sonnigen helderblou aangebreek.Hulle is in die tuin voor die Notre Dame-kate-
draal “getrou” - met die fotograaf, Stephen Zezza,en ‘n hele skare van toeriste as getuies. Hulle het‘n paar straatmusikante genaamd “Swing in Par-is” gekry om musiek te speel en na die seremonieis hulle voort na ‘n brug oor die Seine-rivier. Diebrug is afgesper en hulle het in die middel van diestraat gedans en die tyd van hul lewens gehad!Met hul terugkeer na Suid-Afrika op 8 Januarie
2012 was die vriende en familie daar om hul gelukte wens met die tweede “troue” maar was ook gouom te vra: “Wat nou van die oorspronklike troueop 21 April?” Danté en Hannelie het toe besluitom voort te gaan met die troureëlings aangesienhulle graag ook hul samevoeging met die res vandie familie en hul vriendekring wou deel. Dus het
`` nn LLeewweennsspprrookkiiee
hulle besluit om hul DERDE “troue” te vier wanneerDanté klaarmaak met sy chemoterapie, aldus die datum21 April 2012.Hierdie was ‘n naweek “troue” in Clarens en die tema
was heel simbolies - Een miljoen woorde in Parys,met Een Miljoen Woorde van Jakkie Louw as temalied. As huldeblyk aan Danté het al die manlike gaste, opHannelie se versoek, hul hare afgeskeer. Dié gebaar hettrane in Danté se oë gebring om te besef hoeveel menseagter en saam met hom staan deur die kankerstryd. Na hul derde wittebroodreis, het Danté ‘n werksaanbod
aanvaar as deel van die span is wat die watersuiwering-swerke aanleg in Bosbokrand bou. Hannelie het haar eiefisioterapie praktyk in Witrivier begin en in Julie 2012het hul na Sabie verhuis. Geseënd en gelukkig…Op die 10 November 2012 tref die noodlot en was hulle
naby Witrivier in ‘n ernstige motorongeluk betrokke.Hannelie het haar rug gebreek maar het wonderbaarlikoorleef. Sy is tans nog steeds besig met rehabilitasie enmoes noodgedwonge haar praktyk sluit.Sy het egter nie opgegee nie en het ‘n passie vir trou
reëlings, dekor en ontwerp ontwikkel. Sy het ‘n klein be-sigheidjie vanaf die huis begin – C’est L’amour Events,Décor & Design - waar sy persoonlike ‘troukoerantjies’vir bruidspare maak, trou en onthaalkoördineering doen,uitnodigings en “save the dates” ontwerp.
Van die redakteur:Die les uit hierdie twee
jong mense se verhaal
is duidel ik - ‘n mens
weet nooit watter dag
jou laaste is nie - leef
dus elke dag asof dit
jou laaste is – met
ware LIEFDE vir jou
medemens, DANK-
BAARHEID aan GOD,
WAARDERING vir die
lewe en RESPEK vir
jouself - GENADE.
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Whether you sit or sleepon it - you need Bedmat!Operating since 1961 nearWhite River, they have surelydone the rounds in the sleepingand seating industry. Mrs MatsPapendorf, who started Bedmatwith her late husband Eddie, isstill involved in the familybusiness after 52 years.Their daughter, Daleen
Mulder, now owns the businessand has expanded the productrange to include linen and awide pillow range. They also doupholstery services, non-toxictreatments against mould (aproblem in our mountain areas)and fabric treatment againststains (Master Guard). Theyhave a wide range of foam tochoose from for your all yourupholstery needs.There are also an extended
steel range of lockers, canteenunits, school desks, locker roombenches, filing cabinets, teatrolleys, etc. The heavy dutySaligna bed bases are very pop-ular and clients weighing up to
155kg per sleeping partner canhave a bed that is guaranteedfor 25 years!Bedmat specializes in good
quality products that are excel-lent value for money. Their lux-ury ranges are all SABSapproved mattresses and madein South Africa, with excellentafter sales service. They cansupply beds that will bring youcomfort, no matter what yoursize or need.Daleen, who has been with
the business for 22 years, is al-ways willing to make way fornew product of better qualityand comfort.Their logo says it all: Your
comfort mattress to us!
Sharon Mandy
Whohas ever heard of adrugstore that sells jew-elry, or a stationery shop
that sells material?” This was adiscourse between two touriststhat I was walking behind. Itmade me appreciate our quaintlittle town – it has surprisesaround every corner and a little ofeverything if one just take thetime to look.On a recent holiday in Cape
Town, I hit the malls with gusto(as I always do) and I must say Iwas slightly underwhelmed. Thechain stores in all of them are thesame as the stores we find inNelspruit and Witbank and Ly-denburg, and although the shopsare slightly bigger and thus laidout better, the clothes one findsare the same any other town.There are merely more of them be-cause of the bigger demand. Thechances of people wearing clothesthat look the same is quite goodand in fact is not an unremarkableoccurrence. If one visits our com-munity’s little shops you can findclothing that makes those creativejuices to flow and they are quiteunique as well!So far I have just touched upon
clothing, but there is a world ofother bits and pieces just waitingto be found. The other day myfriend and I walked Nelspruit flatto find a magnifying glass – only tofind that there was one here inSabie all the time – one just has to
know where to look. There is fish-ing and camping equipment,second hand bookshops (that onecan spend hours in), shops withcurios and various other trinkets.You can find baskets, leatherworkand pottery in yet another shop,knick knacks and kitchen towels tofalse nails in another, more thanone hardware store, an info centrewith a coffee shop with divinecheesecake, our friendly grocerthat is always there for the com-munity, the list is endless…Sabie began way back in the mid
1800s on the farm Grootfonteinand it is said that HT Glynn wentout in 1895 with friends wherethey indulged in a little targetshooting. The bullets chipped therocks and they realised that therewere traces of gold. Sabie then be-came a thriving gold mining com-munity and had since then becomea forestry community due to thetimber demand by the mines. It’ssaid that we have some of thelargest man made forests on theplanet.Help us to keep our unique little
town alive by supporting localbusinesses. It is not that difficult.The prices are surprisingly goodand certainly do not warrant driv-ing to the next town (especiallywith the price of fuel). The morewe support each other in our littletowns, the more it will flourishand the better the prices and thevariety will be.Come on, folks, I dare you to give
our town a try!
LOCAL IS LEKKER!
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SPORT CALENDAR
GOLF
@ SABIE COUNTRY CLUB (01 3 764 2282)• Meat competition every Friday• 11 May – Individual Stableford• 1 8 May – Monthly Mug• 25 May – Sanlam CANSA
MOUNTAIN BIKE
LOWVELD AREA• 11 May – Spur Schools MTB 1 , Uplands W Riv, Mark,082 338 9532
• 1 8 May – Das Auto MTB Ser.1 , W Riv, George, 072 500 01 97• 1 8 May – MPU XC 2, Uplands – W Riv, Brett, 083 774 5821• 25 May – Skurweberg, MTB Marathon• 26 May - Uplands 50km Classic, 1 8 & 5km fun, W Riv, Neil ,083 41 4 0228
BOWLING
Bowls Wednesday and Saturday at 1 3:30 at Sabie Country Club.
Sabie Open Golf TournamentJustice Mashego is the 2013Sabie Open golf champion. Heoutplayed 43 other golfers atSabie Country Club on Saturday4 May.The day was a huge success
and the weather conditions wereexcellent.The tournament was divided
into two divisions to give thehigh handicappers also anopportunity to share in the prizeson offer.The results were:
• Gross division:1st - Justice Mashego 1442nd - Leonard Mthombothi 1453rd - E Wilkens 149• Nett division:1st - Sunnyboy Sehlabela 1352nd - Raymond Richarson 139
(c/o)3rd - Jannie Pieterse 139 (c/o)Well done to the Sabie Country
Club team for the condition ofthe course and the neat andpositive service offered in theclubhouse.
Justice Mashego is being graduated by Leslie Friedenthal. Hiscolourfully dressed dad, Obed (insert) could still be out on thecourse (a search and rescue party has been despatched).
MMyy SSppaarr FFoorreesstt22FFaallllss MMTTBB MMaarraatthhoonnOnthe weekend of 27 April, Shalom
Christian School in Graskop hos-ted the 14th My Spar Forest2Falls
MTB Marathon. This annual event is ahighlight on the mountain biking calen-dar.Shalom Christian School follows the Ac-
celerated Christian Education (ACE) cur-riculum and is an individualized systemwhere every child works according his/herown ability. The curriculum is based onthe word of God, the Bible. Currently theschool only offers primary school fromGrade RR and has been labeled as a“Family” rather than a traditional school.There are 35 learners from Graskop, Mat-ibidi and Bushbuckridge. All the differentethnic groups are presented - black, white,colored and even Korean. Education ispresented in English, and the school hasbeen in existence for 15 years. All thefunds generated from this marathon areploughed directly back into the school.The My Spar Forest2Falls MTB Mara-
thon started at Mac-Mac Forest Retreat.The colorful tents were provided byInduna Adventures and the gazebos andumbrellas were sponsored by Coca Cola.
Inspiring Gospel music filled the air andset the stage for an excellent event. Eventhe weather played along.A total of 1115 riders started the race
that was separated in three different legs- 70, 35 and 19 kilometers.After the race some of the rider’s com-
ments were: “Excellent vibe”,” great routemarkings”,” very difficult but exciting”,”definitely be back again”, “Eina, dismalligheid die…”, etc. For a brief timeafter the finish there were a couple of bi-cycles up for grabs from extremely tiredriders. However, after a glass of Coke andsome leg massaging, they withdrew theoffer and started planning for the nextride.Only one serious injury was reported. A
lady fell 500m before the finish line andbroke her collarbone but she was still ableto receive her medal. The organizers wishher a speedy recovery.The event would not have been such a
success without the excellent sponsorshipof goody bags by Spar, Dischem, Coke andbusinesses in Graskop. The event organ-izers and management team would like tosay to all participants - THANK YOU!
