PLAQUES TO IDENTIFY HISTORIC SITES

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Plettenberg Bay’s rich history will soon be highlighted as part of a campaign to identify structures and relics of historic importance in the coastal holiday town.

The Van Plettenberg Historic Society last year embarked on a plaque campaign to identify these structures and relics and on Saturday, September 24 the first plaque will be unveiled.
The first historical site to boast a plaque is the Timber Shed – Plettenberg Bay’s oldest structure.It was completed by Jan Jerling in 1788 for the Dutch East India Company. Johan Jerling, a direct descendant of Jan, lives in Plettenberg Bay to this day and has championed its preservation.The Timber Shed was built as a storehouse for timber after the first woodcutter’s post was established in Plettenberg Bay the year before.The remains of the building have been partially restored several times over the past two centuries and was declared a national monument.

“More than 25 relics and buildings will be featured in the campaign, which has been sponsored by Rotary Plettenberg Bay and should be complete by the end of the year. A route map will then be prepared for circulation through the media to assist residents and visitors in the location of the sites,” said society chairperson Peter Tullis.
Apart from the Timer Shed, properties already identified include The Rectory near Hobie Beach, St Michael’s Church, St Andrew’s Church, St Peter’s Church and Old Post Office in the town centre and Forest Hall in Kurland. The society was established to raise awareness among residents and visitors about the history of the town and its surrounds. And Plett has more than its fair share of historic sites and relics, some even dating back to the Stone Age, which saw the caves around Robberg being inhabited.

There is also evidence that Portuguese explorers were aware of the bay for 200 years before 1630 when survivors of the Sao Goncales shipwreck came ashore and lived in Plett for several months. And by around 1776 the first Dutch settlers started arriving.
Tullis said he believed it was therefore important to identify these sites and structures. He added that the simplest way of doing this was by means of a series of informative plaques.
The Van Plettenberg Historic Society is also urging residents to send the team suggestions regarding other historic sites deserving of a plaque.

* These suggestions can be sent to info@pletthistory.org or to the co-ordinator of the project, David Rowe, on rowe.greenvalley@telkomsa.net.
– Knysna-Plett Herald

KNYSNA RESTAURANT WEEK

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As Knysna’s primary destination marketing organisation, Knysna & Partners continually strives to showcase and thus promote the diverse offerings of our town: the natural world, adventure pursuits, art, music, accommodation – we have it all covered.

Now, for 10 days in October, we are going to place the spotlight on our town’s culinary hotspots during the Knysna Restaurant Week 2016. Designed along similar lines to the extremely popular New York City Restaurant Week, our aim is to share the local passion for food and to garner as much support as possible for Knysna’s diverse restaurants. There are many from which to choose, each offering an eclectic mix of flavours to suit all taste buds.

“We organised a Knysna Restaurant Week back in 2012, which proved very successful,” said Glendyrr Fick of Knysna & Partners. “We had 35 restaurants participating that year, and a survey done after the promotion saw an increase of 30% in sales for those restaurants involved, and we hope to see even better results this year.”

Knysna Restaurant Week is open free of charge to all members of Knysna & Partners, and for just a nominal administration fee of R150 for all nonmembers. Each participating restaurant will be required to have one fixed-price brunch, lunch and dinner meal on offer:
Participating restaurants are required to feature a fixed-price menu item, which should slot in one or more of the following price categories: brunch for R60; and/or lunch for R90; and/or two dinner options of a two-course meal for R120 and/or three-course for R150. Leading up the Knysna Restaurant Week, all participating restaurants will be actively marketed across all of Knysna & Partners’ social media platforms, including the weekly newsletter, which boasts an incredibly large database. In addition to this, we will be printing a pamphlet with the information of all the participating restaurants, which will be handed out to all visitors that make enquiries at the Tourism Offices in Knysna and Sedgefield.
Taking place during the October holidays makes it the perfect time for restaurants in the greater Knysna area to promote their offerings. Sign up now!

Any restaurants interested in taking part in Knysna Restaurant Week call Glendyrr Fick: 044 382 5510 or email glendyrr@visitknysna.co.za. -Knysna Plett Herald

LANDLORD AND TENANT Part 3

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Do tenants have a 7 days grace period to pay the rent?
There is no law which provides a tenant a seven day grace period to pay their rent.
A landlord is entitled to be paid by the tenant in the proper amount, and at the proper place and time.The lease agreement will note the rent date due and most lease agreements will specify that the rent is due and payable in full, free from deductions.

If the lease agreement stipulates that the rent needed to be paid on or before the first of each and every month, then the tenant would be in breach of contract if the rent was still outstanding on the second of the month.

Can a lease be cancelled early or if the property is sold?
In the first instance refer to the lease agreement, specifically to any cancellation clause.
If the lease agreement is for a fixed period and there is no cancellation clause, the tenant cannot cancel the lease except if the landlord breaches the lease, or agrees to the early cancellation of the lease.
If the lease is on a month to month basis then a calendar months notice is required to cancel the lease.
If the tenant fails to pay the rent the landlord can take action to demand the rent, cancel the lease or obtain a court order and have the sheriff of the court forcibly evict you, should you fail to heed the eviction order.

If the property is sold the tenant is protected by the common law ‘huur gaan voor koop’ If the property is sold, the new owner becomes the landlord and all the terms of the existing lease are enforceable. The owner cannot cancel the lease, but must wait until the end of your existing lease period. The new owner is also responsible to refund your deposit less any claim for damage.
Can a tenant claim for improvements made during the lease?
The position differs in the case of immovable and movable property.
Immovable property

Tenant can claim for:

  • Necessary improvements to protect or preserve the property (and labour costs),
  • Structures affected with the consent of the lessor (only bare – not labour costs),
  • Ploughing, tilling and sowing seed on agricultural land (the cost thereof).
  • The claim arises only once the lease is terminated and lessee vacated the property.
  • Lessee has no right of retention over the property until compensated.
  • Lessee may (in the absence of a contrary agreement) :
  • Break down structures he erected and remove such material,
  • Harvest and remove all crops he planted,
    Notes: Lessee may only perform above actions before expiry of the lease. Anything that remains after expiry is for the benefit of the owner.

If the lessee makes any improvements to the property with the owners consent he would be entitled to compensation when the lease expires. The owner may be entitled to the improvements, but is not allowed to receive them without paying compensation, because it would be unjust enrichment. This is a principle of law referred to as unjust enrichment, which holds that no person should profit through causing loss to another.
Movable property

Tenant can claim for:
Necessary improvements to protect or preserve the property (costs expended),
Useful improvements, with or without the consent of the lessor (lesser of cost or enhancement value).
The claim arises only once the lease is terminated and lessee returned the property.
The court has discretion to disallow a claim for useful improvements.
Lessee has a right of retention over the property until compensated.
Lessee may remove useful improvements without placing property in worse condition than it was prior to when the improvements were made, instead of compensation.

My lease has come to an end. The owner now wants to use my rental deposit for maintenance and repairs that go beyond what is called ‘fair wear an tear’ from reasonable use of property. What are my rights?
Fair wear and tear’ is defined as ‘deterioration or depreciation in the value of the property by ordinary or reasonable use’. The rule of thumb is that if a tenant has damaged something that does not normally wear out , or has substantially shortened the life of something that does wear out, the tenant may be charged the prorated cost of the item, taking into account how old the item was and how long it may have lasted otherwise, and the cost of replacement. So while ordinary wear to carpets should not count against the tenant, large rips or indelible stains would. Any deduction for their replacement should take into account their age compared with the expected time of use.A landlord may also deduct cleaning costs from the deposit but may only charge for cleaning that is necessary to satisfy the ‘average’ or ‘reasonable’ tenant. The landlord must look at how well the tenant cleaned the rental unit on departure, and may charge cleaning costs only if the unit, or portion of it, was left in a clearly substandard condition. -lawyer.co.za

DAILY FLIGHTS TO PLETTENBERG BAY

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CemAir has launched daily flights between Plettenberg Bay and Johannesburg, and has upped its flights to Cape Town to six flights a week. The new flights will commence on October 1.

The airline currently operates three weekly flights between Cape Town and Plettenberg Bay. From Johannesburg there are five weekly flights, some of which are one way.

Flight 5Z902 will depart Cape Town at 12h00 and arrive in Plettenberg Bay at 13h15 from Tuesday to Saturday. Return flight 5Z901 will depart at 13h45 and arrive in Cape Town at 15h00. On Sundays, the flight departs Cape Town at 14h00 and arrives in Plettenberg Bay at 15h15. The return flight will depart Plettenberg Bay at 15h45 and arrive at 17h00.

Flight 5Z702 will depart OR Tambo at 12h30 and arrive in Plettenberg Bay at 15h00 every day except Thursdays. Return flight 5Z701 will depart at 07h00 and arrive in Johannesburg at 09h30 on Mondays. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the return flight will depart from Plettenberg Bay at 15h30 and arrive in Johannesburg at 18h00. On Thursdays, the
flight will depart Johannesburg at 14h00 and arrive in Plettenberg Bay at 16h30. The return flight will depart at 17h00 and arrive in Johannesburg at 19h30.