Following numerous breakages to various services, notably water pipelines in and around Hilton,
committee member Colin Johnston convened a meeting with ONE of the various contractors
working in the area.
Representatives in attendance were: the Contractor (MCT) his Client (Dark Fibre Africa) who will
ultimately ‘light’ a portion of the installed fibre infrastructure on behalf of Cell C , uMgungundlovu
Water Services Department, Department of Transport, Naidu Consulting (Hilton AC Replacement
Project), UMngeni Ward 6 Councillor Craig Millar, and the Committee.
The meeting lasted just over an hour and was beneficial in that:
- we got clarity on who is implementing these projects and how they go about doing it.
- we now understand that there are up to three different Client/ Contractor entities working
on similar projects in Hilton.
- we made headway in terms of addressing issues specifically concerning DFA/ MCT as far as
breakages they have caused and the manner in which they will be addressed/ averted in the
future.
- we put measures in place to mitigate damage to beautification activities that residents and
the HBi have done whilst rehabilitation areas affected by the AC Replacement project
recently completed.
- we got contact details for the other Client/ Contractor entities working in Hilton and will
follow up in a similar fashion for the same reasons, aiming for the same results.
A similar meeting is taking place with MTN today- further details and the outcomes of that meeting
will be provided.
In the meantime please report any issues related to the installation of fibre optic cables in and
around Hilton to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . PLEASE TRY AND ASCERTAIN WHICH CONTRACTOR/
CLIENT ENTITY IS PERFORMING THE WORK WHICH HAS LEAD TO THE COMPLAINT.
On a positive note it would seem that Hilton will soon be on a fibre
network with more than one choice in terms of service provider. Dark
Fibre Africa have offered to have one of their subsidiary companies,
South African Digital Village, give residents a presentation on what
services will be offered and when. We will ask similar of Cell C/ MTN
and revert with further details in due course.

 

News supplied by Hilton Ratepayers Association.

Congratulations to both the St Anne’s Symphonic Band and Vocal Ensemble for achieving Gold Certificates at the 2018 South African Society of Music Teachers PMB Eisteddfod.

 

News supplied by St Anne's Diocesan College.

On Friday, 27 July 2018 Laddsworth Primary School hosted a Grade 7 Market Day. The Market Day forms part of the Economic Management Sciences Curriculum, where the students learn about Entrepreneurship and the opportunities it provides.

Laddsworth Pupils; Emma Rawson and Emily Wedge took part in the Pietermaritzburg Pony Show from 12 to 15 July 2018 at the Royal Show Grounds in Pietermaritzburg.

 

Emma rode her horse Goldie and won three rosettes:
1st for Fancy Dress and Best Rider
3rd for First Pony
Placed in Farm Pony

Emily Rode her horse Coldré Macgyver and won 5 rosettes:
3rd for Showing
2nd for Best Rider
2nd for Farm Pony
Clear round on Stork and Stakes for Jumping
3rd for Fancy Dress

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

50 days. 4 countries. 9000km.

Geyser, the founder of the NPO, Blue Sky Society Trust, has been involved in conservation and community upliftment initiatives since 2012. “I firmly believe that one person can make a difference in this world and I want to be that person,” she says.

 

The 45-year-old Durban resident earned a solid reputation as a conservation trailblazer in 2016, when she led South Africa’s first all-female expedition from South Africa to Kenya to help stem the tide of poaching.

Replicating this magic formula, Geyser now plans on taking her conservation message across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe on a nearly two-month 4x4 journey that will combine adventure travel with ecotourism fundraising.

While the Rise of the Matriarch team is preparing to leave in September, it’s not too late for business, organisations or individuals to get involved. “This is an excellent opportunity for citizens and corporates to make a meaningful difference,” explains Geyser. “The expedition is more than a project that’s fuelled by passion; it’s an initiative by an all-women conservation team of conservation “she-roes” who are determined to do our bit to help save our piece of the planet. As noble as this undertaking is, we can’t do it alone. We need support.”

 

Pictured above: Blue Sky Society Trust’s Carla Geyser headed up South Africa’s first all-women expedition from South Africa to Kenya in 2016. The team is pictured here unveiling the water pump they installed at Mndaka Village in Malawi.

 

News supplied.

Making a difference!

2018 has been a productive year for KSS with our ever-alert Operations staff apprehending over 71 criminals so far. This is 60% higher than 2017 for the same period. There are a number of contributing factors that include more community participation and communication in terms of reporting suspicious people or vehicles. Thank you, clients, friends, supporters and the community at large! Together we can make a difference.

 

Reporting incidents
Please report incidents and suspicious vehicles / persons directly to your security service provider so that we can take prompt action. Please note that WhatsApp is not a formal means of dispatching a security service provider or SAPS. Please respect this protocol and don’t place the lives of community citizens in danger by expecting them to respond. The KSS 24/7 Control Room contact number is 033 330 5911.

 

Incident Summary (crime and other)
There were 7 incidents in Howick (4 residential, 2 business and 1 medical). There was 1 incident in Merrivale (1 medical). There were 2 incidents in Hilton (1 residential and 1 business). There were 3 incidents in Howick West (3 residential). There was 1 incident in Mpophomeni (1 business).

 

Crime scene management

Evidence collected and analysed at the scene of a crime can make or break a case. Please be very careful and allow HAWKS, SAPS Officers and other security professionals to follow their procedures. I found this useful information on http://www.securitysa.com/7310r.

 

Initial actions at the scene of a crime:
1. Safety
The most import things to remember are saving life and treating the injured.

 

2. Security
Once this has been achieved, the next aim is to secure the crime scene to safeguard property and preserve evidence to aid an investigation and the identification of those responsible.

 

• An area should always be treated as a crime scene until decided otherwise.
• The scene should be cordoned off as widely as is reasonably possible.
• Evidence is not always visible and can only be preserved by effective scene management, including applying the following basic rules:
– Minimise access to the entire area.
– Do not walk in the cordoned off area.
– Avoid touching or handling anything.
– Do not clean anything.
– Do not throw anything away.

 

This can be best achieved by making scene preservation the specific role of one person: a family member or friend, a security officer or a police officer.

 

Keep a record of all persons entering and leaving the cordoned off area and the scene, their purpose and any action(s) taken by them.

 

Scene preservation should be maintained until fully examined by a police crime scene investigator or advised by the most senior police officer present.

 

3. Stability
Once it is possible to re-enter the scene, the clear-up operation can begin, including:
• Securing valuable property.
• Arranging to secure the premises, replacing and repairing doors, windows and locks.
• Calling in specialist cleaners or removing items that require specialised cleaning or disposal.
• Cleaning and tidying other items of property and marks left during the crime scene examination.
• Replacing or repairing missing or damaged items.

 

News supplied by Knight Security Solutions.

After decades spent silencing the South African forests in which she was raised, Pietermaritzburg local Ruby Gill hummingbirded over the Indian Ocean to hum about violence, joy, privilege and border security to a tolerant Melbourne population. Almost immediately, her piercing lyrics, classically-trained piano-hands and disproportionately massive voice left audiences across the country shaken, transfixed and sometimes a bit hungry.

 

Meanwhile, from an open fire in a secluded cottage on his parents’ farm in rural Australia, Billy Barker was diving boldly into heartbreak, existential angst and identity with his alt-folk musings. It was impossible not to be mesmerised by his unbridled approach to the guitar beneath biting lyrics that aren’t afraid to cover the pointy ends of life.

 

Somewhere between two countries, Ruby Gill collided with Billy Barker at the piano in a flurry of harmonies and heartburn. Here, Magic Coat was born. Take a listen here:

Now, with new releases just around the corner, Ruby and Billy are traversing their bold, contemporary approach to folk across the oceans on an exclusive national tour of South Africa - taking new songs and old guitars on the not-so-merry-go-round to somewhere good, from an old barn in Kwa-Zulu Natal to the red-dust stages of Oppikoppi.

 

Opening the evening will be a brief performance by local Grace College lad Braydon Marie, who is learning his guitar craft, to be followed by a scaled-down PMB Caledonian Pipe Band, and also their related ceilidh band. It promises to be a magical evening.

 

19:00 Braydon Marie
19:15 Pietermaritzburg Caledonian PIPE BAND & friends
20:00 Billy Barker (Pictured here below)
21:00 Ruby Gill (Pictured here above)

 

ABOUT MiTH:
MiTH is a semi-open mic music club. An opportunity for musicians to share the joy of their music with a friendly audience which includes fellow musicians – who have all “been there” too. (Non-musicians welcome too!)

  

DIRECTIONS TO MiTH:
Take the N3 to Hilton, take the Hilton turnoff and go South into the Village (away from Hilton College). Travel 5,2km along Hilton Avenue (past two sets of traffic lights and Crossways Pub) and keep going straight as Hilton Avenue turns into Dennis Shepstone Drive. At the 5,2km mark, Knoll Drive will be on your right – the entrance to MiTH is the *second* entrance on your left into The Knoll Historic Guest Farm.

 

Visit www.mith.co.za for more details and directions.

Well done to the following Grace College matric students, pictured here L-R, for earning their Academic Half Colours; Daryn Watkins (re-award), Ashley King, Nonhlelelo Mnchunu and Jason Tillett.

 

News supplied by Grace College.

Further to the update we published regarding the meeting held with Dark Fibre Africa, their Main- Contractor,
and other interested and affected parties, please find below a summary of the meeting which took place with
MTN who are similarly responsible for the installing fibre optic infrastructure in and around Hilton.
The meeting was set up following numerous breakages to various services, notably water pipelines, which
resulted in loss of water supply for extended durations on more than one occasion.
Committee member Colin Johnston once again convened the meeting on behalf of the HRA with other
representatives in attendance being: Clinton Potgieter (MTN), and uMngeni Ward 7 Caretaker Councillor Pam
Passmoor.
The following is a summary of what was discussed:
 MTN has carried out the installation of fibre optic cable in parts of Hilton over the last few weeks. The
current work programme is however now complete;
 The system adopted by MTN when a breakage occurs is to report this to the local service provider, in this
case the District Municipality. The arrangement apparently is for the local authority to respond and carry out
the repair.
 It was pointed out that such an arrangement is completely unrealistic. It is unlikely these days that a
municipality would have the resources to respond immediately to a service breakage. Greater efficiency and
effectiveness would be achieved if MTN appointed their own specialists to be on stand-by to deal with such
emergencies. This could be done quite easily by agreement with the local authority and compliance with
their conditions. MTN agreed to adopt a procedure such as this in future;

 MTN advised that their procedure provides for local residents to be informed by means of leaflets delivered
to each household. This does not appear to have happened in this case. It was suggested that a better
approach would be to inform local councillors and residents associations, and to use social media platforms
available to them ;
 MTN carry out the work with information on existing services based on wayleaves obtained from the local
authority. It was suggested that the procedures adopted by MTN to locate and protect existing services and
amenities are inadequate and that more detailed and extensive preliminary investigations should be carried
out;
 It was recorded that on a positive note the contractors appointed by MTN were at all times polite and
cooperative;
 The local opinion is that this is an engineering project and therefore requires the application of conventional
engineering design, construction and contractual procedures;
 It was requested that MTN follow up with information about the whole fibre optic installation in this area
and in particular how and when people could have access to the system.

Laddsworth pupils, Thomas Erasmus and Matthew Bishop, who are members of Hilton 1st Cubs and Scouts, completed their Leaping Wolf Badges.

 

Nova Spa is an established Beauty, Health and Wellness Salon situated on the 1st floor, Suite 10, Hilton Health, Monzali Drive, Hilton.

Our servies are for ladies and gents and include advanced waxing and threading, manicures (acrylic and gel), pedicures professional make up, spray tans, IPL skin rejuvenation and hair removal, skin care, massage and lash extensions.

 

1st Floor, Suite 10, Hilton Health, Monzali Drive.

 

+27 (0)64 680 7930

 

News supplied by Nova Spa.

 

Laddsworth Primary School would like to congratulate the following pupils who have earned scholarships to their respective High Schools for 2019:

Kayla Bisset, a Grade 1 pupil at Laddsworth Primary School, played for the Under 7 Mighty Elephants in the 2018 Club Rugby season, and received a trophy in Durban on Saturday 21 July 2018 for being part of the team.

 

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

Congratulations to Sam Moore in Grade 10 at Grace College on his success at the Sappi Scottburgh Classic this past weekend.

Grade 9 St Anne’s pupil, Ofentje Motubatse, recently returned from Florida where she danced in the Walt Disney World Annual Parade.