MISTY CLIFFS VILLAGE ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER - January 2006
Editor: Tim Anderson

A GOOD way to start a new year is to wish people a better one than the previous. That seems to take care of all situations and eventualities and hopefully avoids any possible offence. So, your diligent committee does just that, and especially to the new owners or residents.

We particularly welcome Tracy-Lee Megan who has acquired the former Rosling house, Erf 6; Tim and Jackie Passenson who have taken over Garth le Roux's place, Erf 9; and Tommy Dunn, occupying House Badenhorst, Erf 36. May your sojourns be as long and delightful for you as they're being for the rest of us.

Fire danger
We had a narrow escape a few weeks ago when a furious fire roared along the top of the mountain from the Redhill informal settlement (as usual). Miraculously there was a slight shift in the angle of the hugely pumping south-easter and our enclave escaped. Less lucky were parts of the farms on top of the mountain. Since then there have been lesser fires, also from Redhill, and we've been informed that arsonists are active in addition to the customary problems with fallen candles and upset paraffin stoves. As we've explained in previous newsletters there has for a long time been a legal impasse prevailing near Redhill with the result that it hasn't been possible to compel the clearing of extensive stands of alien bush. We understand that some progress has now been made towards resolving this exasperating situation.

Alien infestations
No, we don't mean that little green commandos from that newly discovered planet are secretly massing in the Misty bushes to mount a Total Onslaught. We're talking about the owners of nine properties within our own area who were requested by individual communications to have their properties cleared of alien vegetation. Most of these properties are undeveloped.

At the time of writing only one owner has taken action (Erf 23; thank you Mr Payne). The details of the remainder have been provided to the Council who have or will appropriately enforce clearing after notifying the owners and/or their managing agents. In some instances the owners will have an opportunity to promptly make their own arrangements, but failing that the Council will move in and bill owners through their rates accounts. Some of them may be summonsed for failing to attend to the matter. The Council clearing charges are usually well in excess of the amounts charged by private contractor.

The owners of land who have allowed excessive infestation of alien species do nothing less than put all their downwind neighbours at risk from fire damage. They also open themselves to serious legal claims, possibly multiple. Come on folks, this sort of slackness is neither neighbourly nor in keeping with the general ethos of the Misty Cliffs community.

The delinquent erven are : 16, 19, 24, 53, 57, 61, 62 and 66.

Please note that the Council is not empowered to clear dense stands of indigenous vegetation. If your property has dense thickets of fynbos, especially when adjacent to your own or neighbouring property, the responsibility for minimizing the fire risk by thinning it out or creating an adequate firebreak lies with you the owner. Note that insurers do not differentiate between alien or exotic or indigenous species when they determine risk or culpability.

Committee members
All owners are invited to consider whom they might like to nominate for the new committee at the AGM scheduled for 2 April (10h00 in the Scarborough Community Hall). Please note that nominations may be accepted only from paid-up members of the Village Association, and only paid-up members may be nominated and/or vote on issues, including committee membership.

To date your committee members have worked extremely well together in a most cordial atmosphere, however, it should be noted that there's a lot more to be attended to than might be generally realized; it can be surprisingly time-consuming and there are often considerable personal expenses incurred, not to mention the frustrations of dealing with officialdom. Moreover, we go against prevailing custom by not providing perks for our officials, such as educational visits to Dubai or top table seating for ceremonies marking the ascent of the next teenage virgin to some potentate's harem.

Having now disappointed any hopeful gravy trainers we're hoping there will yet be some potential nominees bursting with zeal for the Misty Cause. We need you! Pretty much the same few people have populated your committee for too long. We don't want to die on the job and the community wouldn't want semi-corpses on their committee.

Nominations must be on appropriate nomination forms which we will send out in good time with the formal notification of the AGM.

Facilities
We have mentioned before that steps to give easier and safer access, especially for children and the indigent, were about to be constructed at the lower end of the north-side beach path and at the southern end of upper Old Camp Road. Alas, we're still waiting. We have a very competent contractor but he's taken on too much work. We chase him daily and in due African Time we're confident that ultimately he'll get there.

Building
Deposits: The R10 000 deposit which we customarily require from owners before they begin to build is to cover rectification of any damage to the road and the environment caused by the building work. Since completion of the upgrade of Old Camp Road, responsibility for its maintenance and all other areas and roads in the village (including the main coastal road) lies wholly with the Council. Therefore in effect we hold these deposits on behalf of the Council, and the Council's costs in attending to damage to the roads, or within its road reserve, and/or to its services, caused by building operations must be met from the related deposit. In the event that repairs cost more than the deposit the owner, through his contractor, would be liable for the difference.

Obstruction: Council permission is required for placing or storing building materials or rubble on roadsides or sidewalks. The Council contact for this is Aubrey August, 021-710-8144. Apparent infringements may likewise be reported to this number.

Erf 29: The concerns associated with building work on this property are still creeping through the municipal and legal processes and resolution does not appear to be imminent. Your committee can do no more than continually inquire about progress. The concerns are: The incomplete illegal garage and access; the incomplete removal of the illegal pathway on road reserve; the illegal departures from approved building plans; the undermining of the support structure of the newly upgraded old Camp Road. (The owner removed the rock support embankment, hence the recent placement by Council of roadside drums to alert traffic to the possibility of a road collapse and/or of inadvertently driving over the edge.)

Erf 14: Building is well on the way and we look forward with interest to seeing the house completed.

Erf 58: Congratulations to the Williams family on completion of their house and in particular for the instant garden that miraculously appeared.

Roadsigns: Roadsigns for Old Camp Road were ordered long before the upgrade was completed. We repeatedly remind the SPA. Allegedly there is scope for buck-passing between Roads, Traffic, and the supplier. Sounds familiar. We'll keep pestering them.

Environment
Reliable labour to regularly clear the gullies and catchpits of sand, stone and builders' rubbish has not yet been found, but we remain hopeful. The very hot weather has not been kind to the plants we put in to restore the depredations of the road-building. Autumn, hopefully accompanied by rain, will see us busy again with planting.

A continual problem we have is householders or their tenants/visitors leaving plastic bags of trash outside their pads. Have you thought about what happens? The baboons and/or other little four-leggeds are there in no time so that the rotting food, broken bottles, stinky cans and other revolting trash are quickly strewn around for the wind to distribute further, including into neighbours' properties (and you may like those neighbours). This is a disgrace and mocks our claimed status as a conservation-sensitive community.

There is a rubbish collection every Tuesday morning and the collector will open baboon-proof drums/bins and take out the trash bags. If you or whoever's in your house can't be there that day then please somehow ensure that the rubbish is taken away or home/ or to a legal dump. Baboon-proof bins are readily available from or through local hardware stores and Pick'nPay in Long Beach Mall.

The Council was hoping to provide a collection service for wheely bins but then found that the standard collection trucks were unable to negotiate some of the roads in Scarborough and Misty Cliffs. A new proposal from Council is in the offing and is likely to include a requirement to pre-sort rubbish.

Builders are another source of trash. They seem congenitally incapable of collecting their cement bags, plastic strapping, foam packaging and labourers' lunch packets. Please ensure that your builders are conscientious about clearing up as they go and not waiting for the wind to blow the stuff away from their zones of responsibility. Please also impress on builders that no cooking or warm-the-hands fires are permitted.

Crime
We will shortly set up a system for collecting information on local crime incidents and we'll distil these into a regular report. Please be sure to report all incidents of break-in or intrusion to Scarborough Security Services (SSS) even if you have already dealt with the SAPS and even if nothing important or valuable was stolen or damaged.

The incidence of crime derived from police records is inadequate. In many cases the SAPS does not record an incident at all unless a charge is laid. Theft out of cars, frequently of items left on seats in full view (aren't some people amazing?!) is still the commonest incident. Also, as any baboon can tell you, people are extraordinarily careless about leaving windows open or unlocked.

If you have a radio alarm test it monthly by arrangement with SSS. The fact that no alarm calls have been registered by SSS may well mean that your system is faulty. We have been threatened with power cuts so it is extremely important that your alarm system back-up battery is in good order.

Baboons
We experienced a hiatus when red tape caused the temporary withdrawal of funding to pay monitors. The baboons picked this up immediately and created some havoc in Scarborough. At least two people were injured in trying to chase baboons or retrieve snatched fruit.

The whole matter of funding for baboon control is precarious and unofficial. Such measures as exist are heavily dependent on the (unpaid) goodwill of certain individuals. Official support is inclined to carry conditions related to labour regulations which do not take any cognisance of the baboons' own operating hours, days and methods.

Great efforts are currently being made to devise a formalized longer-term system and it is likely that this will be self-funded jointly by the residents of Scarborough and Misty Cliffs. We'll keep you posted.

Our website www.mistycliffs.org.za
Somewhat to our surprise our site had recorded more than 3 600 hits in the roughly 12 months since we got it going. Many thanks to Jeff Spencer for setting it up and maintaining it.

At present we don't have means for analyzing the hits but it looks like there's a case for usefully advertising Misty property to buy/sell/rent. A few people have their own rental web sites and site-visitors could be directed to these via the general Misty site.

We believe it's desirable to have someone local take on at least some of the site maintenance. If you can suggest someone please phone a committee member.

Our site includes a picture gallery and if anyone has a particularly scenic or amusing or newsworthy photo (preferable digital) please offer it to Jeff at mistycliffs@gmail.com

Dogs on the beach
We are very pleased to report that the owners of wandering dogs are now conscientiously doing everything reasonable to keep their pets under control. Visitors sometimes bring dogs but if you see an unfamiliar dog regularly running around uncontrolled please let someone on the committee know, or contact SANPARKS.

We have ascertained from SANPARKS that photos carrying automatic date/time marks are acceptable as evidence of infringements - not only by errant dogs but also by incidents such as vandalism, poaching, unlicenced fishing etc.

SANPARKS rangers and officials can be called on (021) 701-4234.

Jet skis
Discussions are presently under way on the merits or otherwise of granting temporary permits so that jet skis may be used for towing surfboarders out to big surf breaks. Jet skis are banned off Kommetjie, Misty Cliffs and Scarborough. However, for occasional competitions and/or when extraordinary sea conditions produce exceptional waves, there may be a case for granting temporary exemptions.

Kommetjie has experimented with this and had some adverse experiences with jet-skiers exceeding their permit conditions, allegedly behaving recklessly, and endangering paddle surfers (ie, hand-powered) and body surfers.

Most residents object to jet skis on the grounds of noise alone, and on this issue the problem of low-flying helicopters, especially during the whale-watching season, is additional. The respective residents' committees are working together on the whole matter.

It needs to be said that in practice SANPARKS does not have the manpower to enforce its own regulations. The civil aviation authorities appear unable and/or unwilling to bother about misbehaving helicopters.

Integrated Zoning Scheme
This matter drags on and further frustrations have arisen from the wholesale replacement of official staff recently. We are having to interact with people new to and unfamiliar with the whole situation.

We do know that the third draft of the proposed IZS regulations is now under consideration. We believe that it will obsolete much of our earlier submissions to be regarded as a Special Area, but even so there appears to be some hope of Misty Cliffs becoming part of an Overlay Zone. We are collaborating closely with Scarborough in this matter.

As you know we have been going through the tedious formalities of acquiring the status of Public Benefit Organization so that we don't get taxed on our subscription income etc! We complied with all the bureaucratic requirements but inevitably, it seems, the red tape wielders came back asking for information not originally requested. Our Tony Turner who was long ago immunised against suffering apoplexy from bureaucratic assault is patiently working with SARS to meet their latest impositions.

2006 Year-end social
Our experimental party in December was a considerable success and everyone who attended said we should do it again. Accordingly, please diarise Sunday 17 December 2006. This is a later date and should catch the out-of-town owners who don't normally arrive at their seaside escape pads until that weekend. If you have any comments and suggestions please let's have them.

Money
There are still a lot of subscriptions not up to date. Your committee works hard in the community interest and has been primarily responsible for numerous measures and actions which have significantly contributed to the prevailing realizable values of the properties.

Of approximately 74 properties in Misty Cliffs only about half are represented by their owners having paid their subs. Most of our owners are relatively wealthy and we don't believe that paying little more than a Rand a day to fund the committee's work and projects will break any bank accounts.

If you have inadvertently overlooked your Misty subs, we DO understand how easy it is to do this, but please come up with your R300 without more delay. We need to have the Misty accounts healthily up to date well before the AGM.

One-man-one-vote
This does not apply. Nor does one-woman-one-vote. It has to be one-sub-one-vote. If you want to vote the committee out and bring in fresh blood you'll need to pay your subs first.

Vrot tomaties
We're quite disappointed that no one's throwing custard pies at us for dereliction of duty or failure to perform. Even if you duck out of volunteering for the committee you can still bombard us with complaints about what we're doing wrongly or not doing at all.

Contact
For matters arising from this newsletter please in the first instance contact Tim Anderson, 072-128-2319 or timofpen@mweb.co.za