The ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of Hout Bay Neighbourhood Watch took place at Riverside Estates on Tuesday 17th April 2012. Members of HBNW bid a sad farewell to Julie Banham who stood down as Chairperson after a number of successful years at the head of the organisation. In the meeting, Anthony Chemaly was elected as the new chairman of Hout BayNeighbourhood Watch.
Julie handed out several certificates to a number of stalwart Neighbourhood Watch members to thank them for their assistance during her time in office.
Despite a howling south easter, many HBNW and SAPS members arrived on the Kronendal school fields on Saturday, armed with picnic baskets, cooler boxes, chairs and tables. The braai fires were set up and the wind didn’t seem half as bad at the top end of the field. Music and brightly coloured jumping castles added to the festive atmosphere.
Hout Bay CPF Chairman Jim McKenna going for a ride. Picture Lindy Nauta.
This was the first community braai, initiated by Captain Riaan Bester and organised in conjunction with the HBNW and various security companies.
Julie Banham, outgoing chairperson of the HBNW, said : “A big thank you to the organisers, in particular Tammy Matthysen and her team for a very friendly and successful event that bodes well for making the ‘bring and braai’ a regular feature on the HBNW calandar.
“It’s a great way of meeting and putting faces to the names we often hear on the radio or read about”.
Thanks also to the security companies who sponsored the event in different ways: ADT, Deep Blue, SMA and Vensec, as well as the Hireman.
There was ample parking on the grounds of the school. and the children loved the space to run around in.
14 Feb 2012 - 'Love your Neighbour' Evening a great success
The annual Hout Bay Neighbourhood Watch bash, held at the gracious Riverside Estates in Valley Road, was a huge success with many new faces among the members attending. Read the full story >> by Lindy Nauta. See our Gallery >> for the pics.
6 Feb 2012 - Fire along the banks of the Hout Bay River
A fire broke out along the banks of the Hout Bay River on Monday afternoon. With the searing heat of the past couple of weeks, the vegetation was tinder dry and the fire spread rapidly,threatening properties in the Beach Estate area, mainly below Empire Avenue. The fire jumped the river and horses at the Hout Bay Riding Centre were evacuated. The Kronendal Retirement Village and The Spinney Senior Centre were also on alert and ready to move senior citizens to safety. Some shack dwellers and flower sellers were also directed away from the path of the fire.
Huge plumes of black smoke and a wall of flames could been seen from many parts of the valley and Watchcon was soon dealing with dozens of phone calls and enquiries over the radio network. Imagesfrom Keith Bull. Read the full story by Julie Banham >> . More images in our Gallery >>
Call 10111 to Report Crime
Please remember the importance of reporting any crime to 10111 as well as calling Watchcon or your Security Service Provider or the local SAPS station. Complaints must be logged by 10111 to allow for accurate records of crimes occurring in the valley whichin turn ensures that appropriate/adequate SAPS resources are provided for Hout Bay. 10111 operators must provide a reference number to every caller allowing follow-up. Remember that crimes that are not reported officially do not exist. Also for any criminal incident please register a case at the Hout Bay Police Station, after calling 10111.
New Lost and Found column
From time to time NW members come across lost or stolen items belonging to members of the public, and they are not sure how to find the rightful owners of this property.Click here for our new Lost and Found page.
7 May 2012 - Another Mugging at Sandy Bay
Following yet another mugging at Sandy Bay at approxiamtely 17h30 on Monday 7th May SAPS have again issued a warning to the community to be aware of the dangers of walking alone in these areas. Three suspects armed with sticks attacked two people on the beach and one of the victims sustained injuries to his lower back and face. A suspect took his sunglasses and ran away.
The information that has been received is that the suspects are young boys and operate in groups and they will not hesitate to attack their victims.There have also been reports of theft and robberies on the Hout Bay beach with the same modus operandi. Please note that incidents were also reported where boys in school uniform were the perpetrators.
Do walk in groups, do not walk alone.
Do not walk in deserted areas, where you can be spotted as being alone.
Do not carry expensive items with you.
Do report incidents as soon as possible.
Keep a safe distance between you and a suspect.
Do not try to defend yourself, property can always be replaced.
7 May 2012 - Launch of Hout Bay Volunteer EMS Newsletter
Hout Bay Volunteer Emergency Medical Service is a volunteer service providing medical support to the community of Hout Bay and the surrounds.Every weekend crews of 3 run up to 4 shifts, day and night, dealing with everything from car crashes to cardiac arrests, assaults to asthmatics. The service relies on private donations to continue its work. Their monthly newsletter aims to showcase some of the work of the service. Download the April issue.
News24.com, 24 Apr 2012 - Noordhoek Beach now a mugging hotspot.
Noordhoek Beach is to get warning signs indicating it is a mugging hotspot.
The signs come after at least eight people were mugged in separate incidents at the beach since February, the Cape Times reported.
Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said tourists were most vulnerable. "Specifically tourists don't know the dangers of the area. What we will have to do is put up signboards that say: 'Only walk in these designated areas' or 'Please don't go beyond this point'," he said.
Plato was also looking at the possibility of installing quad bike patrols but said this would not solve all crime.
"Attacks are happening almost any time of the day. If criminals want to attack, they attack."
In the most recent incident, a father and daughter were attacked by a knife-wielding man on the beach on Saturday. The father was stabbed in the right leg and a cellphone and ring were taken. Read more>>
Table Mountain National Park spokesperson Merle Collins warned people to walk in groups of four or more and not to carry valuables.
The Citizen, 17 Apr 2012 - Illegal Cape lobster catches high
Over 12,000 illegally caught rock lobsters were seized between 2000 and 2009 but a researcher says the real number is probably much higher, it was reported on Tuesday
According to Stellenbosch University researcherGregg Brill the real figure is closer to about 25,000 lobsters every year in the Table Mountain National Park, amounting to 250,000 illegally caught lobsters in nine years, The Times reported.
Brill interviewed 28 poachers and comparedtheir numbers with official statistics.
Official statistics were incomplete because rangers failed to report offences, logbooks were lost or destroyed and pages missing.
He found it "alarming" that the number of undersized poached lobsters had increased ten-fold in the last decade, as lobsters were slow growing and matured sexually much later.
According to the report, he said the informal trade was "exacerbated by government's failed attempts to collaborate fairly and with different fisher groups".
Most poached lobsters were seized at Hout Bay, Scarborough and Kommetjie.
Validate your NW Identity Card
It is a requirement under Clause 12 of the ‘Western Cape Provincial Constitution and Code of Conduct for Neighbourhood Watch Structures’ that we must ensure all identity cards are validated annually.
Last year we introduced a simpler way of re-validating your HBNW membership cards. More info>>
Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it..
If you use a GPS don't put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a shop or a garage) so you can still get directions to your home area if you are returning from a strange place, but no one else would know where you live, if your GPS were stolen. There are stories of people who have had a GPS stolen from their car, as well as house keys and remotes. With these items in their possession, and a knowledge of your home address, thieves can readily empty your house of all your valuables before you are even aware of the initial theft!
We welcome input from our members so please pass on your security tips and, if relevant, we will publish them and acknowledge the contributor. Read more tips>>
We hope you will find it informative and easy to navigate. As with all websites, there is plenty of scope to grow and develop the content and general functionality.
Rest assured we have a number of ideas and plans in the pipeline that aim to keep the information fresh and relevant to the objectives of our neighbourhood watch. However we are always open to your ideas. Please contact us with your suggestions. Click here >>
New to Hout Bay
Welcome! Hout Bay has a small village atmosphere and loves to welcome new people. A great way to meet people and to get involved in the community is to join Hout Bay Neighbourhood Watch.
There are many ways to get involved. If you can't patrol, then there are other ways for you to contribute to the community. See how you can get involved.
Members' Forum
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