Die einde van 2023 is in sig en aan die nuusfront was dit vir die Helderberg ’n emosiebelaaide jaar van lag, huil, deurdruk en uithou, struikel en platval, maar weer moed bymekaar skraap en opstaan.

Herleef saam met DistriksPos & Helderberg Gazette vanjaar se oomblikke van vreugde, verwoesting, lief en leed.

January

• The Helderberg Baby Saver team rang in the new year on a positive note when another baby was gifted a chance at life. The newborn baby boy was the 11th infant safely relinquished through the Helderberg Baby Saver on Friday 6 January.
• Strand Beach was bustling as local beachgoers, residents and safety representatives were engaged by Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis during a visit on Friday 6 January. The visit followed mainly after the closure of a section of the beach due to sewage-related problems over New Year’s weekend.
• Die bedroefde eienaar van die geliefde Missy, waarvoor ’n uitgebreide soektog van stapel gestuur is nadat sy op Nuwejaarsdag (Sondag 1 Januarie) vermis geraak het, betoon vir oulaas eer aan haar geliefde diere-kind in Strand. Nuus oor die Italiaanse windhond se verdwyning is wyd op sosiale media versprei en almal was verheug toe Missy Dinsdag 10 Januarie gevind is. Die hartseer nuus van die hond se dood het egter vroeg die volgende oggend gevolg nadat sy aan katgriep dood is.
• Two fatal drownings in a space of just four days were met with shock and sympathy by visitors and locals alike. The first incident occurred on Tuesday 17 January when a 20-year-old man reportedly lost his life at Strand Beach. In the second incident on Saturday 21 January, a beach-goer saved the life of a Stellenbosch swimmer at Gordon’s Bay Main Beach. However, the man’s friend, who was also in difficulty, drowned despite efforts to save him.

February

• Informal settlement and backyard dwellers, many of whom are beneficiaries of the City’s mega-housing project in Macassar, again expressed frustration at further delays of the first phase of construction.
• Die jaarlikse Dis-Chem-interskole-kragmeting tussen die hoërskole Parel Vallei, Strand en Hottentots-Holland het Vrydag 3 Februarie weer eens ’n skouspel atletiek op sy beste opgelewer. PV is uiteindelik as die 2023-kampioen gekroon met Strand kort op sy hakke in die tweede plek.

Maart

• Geregtigheid geskied vir die geliefde Anneline Titus, die jong Macassar-vrou wat in 2021 ’n heldedood gesterf het toe sy haar eie lewe prysgegee het om haar jonger suster teen ’n messwaaiende aanvaller te beskerm. Die 24-jarige het haar skouermantel opgehang en haar engelvlerke opgeneem toe sy Woensdagoggend 17 November 2021 die slagoffer van ’n wrede en sinnelose moord geword het. Aldoradough Klaasen (18) van Macassar Village is Dinsdag 21 Februarie tot 15 jaar gevangenisstraf op die moordaanklag en vyf jaar tronkstraf op ’n aanklag van poging tot verkragting gevonnis.
• Tannie Poppie van As van Laingsburg, die koningin van roosterkoeke, en haar dogter Naomi Etson vorm ’n gedugte span wat van Maandag 20 Februarie af in Macassar saam roosterkoeke bak.
• Die Strand-polisie ondersoek ’n saak van moord nadat ’n ma se keel na bewering deur die pa van haar drie minderjarige kinders afgesny is. Die voorval het die aand van Saterdag 4 Maart plaasgevind en spruit glo uit ’n stryery wat tussen die oorledene, Nadia Lotz (33) van Temperance Town, en die verdagte ontstaan het.
• A sprawling tent village situated across from Somerset West Police Station at De Beers Park was finally dismantled, and vagrants removed, in a joint operation by council and community organisations from Friday 3 to Monday 6 March. The influx of vagrants since the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and has been a bone of contention.
•  Die Macassar-gemeenskap is in rou nadat die lyk van die vermiste Denecke Persence (10) Sondag 12 Maart in ’n toegegroeide kanaal gevind is.

April

• Twee huishoudings is genoop om hul lewe te herbou ná ’n verwoestende brand Donderdag 30 Maart by die Kays-woonwapark uitgebreek, hul tuistes vernietig en al hul besittings geëis het.

In sak en as: Die Strand-inwoner Nicolene Kallis en haar gesin is in onbeskryflike droefheid gedompel nadat hul tuiste Donderdag 30?Maart in ’n verwoestende brand by Kays-woonwapark in puin gelê is. Die 44-jarige moeder het in trane op die toneel toegekyk hoe die vlammehel haar woonplek sowel as haar bejaarde buurvrou se tuiste verswelg.

Jamey Gordon

• In a showing of determination and endurance Helderberg firefighters Jermaine Carelse and Renaldo Duncan successfully completed the Two Oceans half-marathon kitted out in their firefighting gear in aid of the City’s firefighting partners Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) on Sunday 16 April.

May

• The Helderberg mourns the loss of a well-known and beloved teacher and sports coach, Beau Schoeman, after a courageous battle with cancer. The 64-year-old Somerset West resident, whose name became synonymous with that of Hendrik Louw Primary with 35 years of dedicated service to the school, died in hospital on Saturday 6 May.
• Ashwin Hammers (35), wat tereggestaan het weens die wrede moord op Faranaaz Mentor, is in die Kaapse hooggeregshof tot altesaam 78 jaar gevangenisstraf gevonnis nadat hy op 11 aanklagte – huisbraak met die doel om ’n misdaad te pleeg, moord, drie van poging tot moord asook ontvoering, twee van aanranding en brandstigting – skuld beken en ’n pleitooreenkoms met die staat aangegaan.

June

•  Altesaam vier lyke, wat sedert Saterdag 27 Mei in Macassar gestort is, is in die gemeenskap ontdek. Die laaste lyk is die Saterdag 3 Junie aangetref.

• Due to the heavy downpour on Thursday 8 June, the Helderberg was again plagued by flooding, which turned roads into waterways. A persistent problem during the rainy winter season is flooding between Lower Lourens Street and Mynhardt Street (from the Hyundai Somerset West Service Centre up to and opposite the DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette offices) in Gants Centre, Strand. Tereo Community School, located just off Victoria Street bears the brunt of the flooding.

Julie 

• Operasie Opruim is van stapel gestuur nadat ’n brand op ’n rustige Sondagmiddag op 2 Julie by die Altena-tehuis in Strand verwoesting gesaai het. ’n Hoekwoonstel op die vyfde verdieping is in die vlammehel, wat kort ná 13:00 uitgebreek het, verswelg.
• Sercor Park resident Susie Pedro gives birth to a 5,5 kg boy at Helderberg Hospital in Somerset West on Thursday 20 July. The proud second-time mom recalls being surprised by the whopping weight of her son Franklin, who is believed to be the biggest baby born at the local medical facility.

Strand resident Susie Pedro with bouncing baby boy Franklin, who weighed a whopping 5,5?kg at birth.

August

• Organisers claim the abrupt and premature shutdown of the Winter Wonderland Festival in Gordon’s Bay is blamed is due to inclement weather, but according to the City the event wasn’t permitted to proceed in the first place. For weeks controversy surrounded the festival, first due to “exorbitant fees” for vendors, which later snowballed with regard to fund distribution and beneficiaries.

September

• Families of the eight employees killed in the devastating blast at Rheinmetall Denel Munition in 2018 reunite at the Somerset West plant for the fifth anniversary commemorative memorial service on Sunday 3 September.
• Verskeie hoeke van die Kom is weer eens geteister deur oorstromings nadat swaar reënbuie die provinsie Sondag 24 September oornag getref het. Owerhede is na tonele ontbied waar paaie in waterweë verander het, visse in strate geswem het, huise en informele nedersettings onder water was en bome en kragpale ontwortel is. Clarence-rylaan (R44) is Maandagoggend weens rotsstortings gesluit en modderstortings is in Gordonsbaai aangemeld.

Oktober

• Die Helderberg betreur die verlies van nog ’n vlieënier wat in ’n vliegongeluk dood is. Die voorval het Donderdag 5 Oktober in Ceres afgespeel en die lewe van Phil Bristow, ’n plaaslike inwoner van die Kom, geëis. Die tragedie volg kort ná die verlies van die Gordonsbaaise inwoner Willem Myburgh, wat Dinsdag 29 Augustus dood is toe sy vliegtuig op ’n plaas buite Robertson neergestort het.
• Die Gordonsbaaise inwoner Petrus de Beer was een van drie insittendes wat ’n waterdood vrygespring het toe die voertuig waarin hulle Donderdagaand 12 Oktober gesit het, by die sleephelling by die Gordonsbaai-boot-en-hengelklub in Harbour Island afgery en gesink het. De Beer se suster is later in die hospitaal dood nadat sy in ’n kritieke toestand uit die gesonke voertuig gered is.
• Die Macassar-polisie het ’n geregtelike doodsondersoek geopen nadat ’n lyk, wat vermoedelik dié van vermiste negejarige Mbongi Hilton Esau is, die aand van Sondag 22 Oktober ontdek is. Die liggaam is in ’n rivier langs Kramatweg deur ’n gemeenskapslid aangetref nadat Mbongi die aand van Donderdag 19 Oktober vermis geraak en ’n soekgeselskap na hom gesoek het.

November

• Local commuters welcomed the resumption of the train service to Strand. The train service from Cape Town to Bellville and Bellville to Strand via Monte Vista as part of the Northern Line has been reinstated following necessary repairs to the network and local station.
• Die Helderberg betreur die verlies van die bekende en geliefde apteker en eienaar van Alpha BayKem-apteek Dirk du Toit. ’n Geregtelike doodsondersoek is geopen ná die 69-jarige Woensdag 22 November in sy Gordonsbaai-tuiste dood aangetref is.

December

• A commitment towards better communication between the City and residents of Gordon’s Bay, as well as clearer accountability were some of the key outcomes at a public meeting held at Krystal Beach Hotel on Monday 4 December. The meeting addressed recent water outages affecting residents over the past month.
• A massive solar photovoltaic (PV) plant installed at a packaging manufacturer in Somerset West Business Park promises to reduce demand for Eskom-supplied electricity and possibly reduce bouts of load shedding for the broader Helderberg community.

An aerial view of the 1?880 solar panels installed on all the available roof space at a premises in Somerset West Business Park, which covers an area of about 10?000?m².

•  Police opened an inquest docket following a fatal fire that claimed the life of a woman at the informal settlement along the Lourens River banks in Somerset West on Tuesday 5 December. The incident was one of two fatal infernos, the other being a house fire in Pinkster Park on Thursday 7 December. The blaze claimed the life of a four-year-old boy and left his mother and grandfather hospitalised with injuries.