THE PLETT TRAIL IN GO! AND WEG! MAGAZINE

Pierre and Ronel Steyn of Go!/Weg! Magazine recently visited Plett to hike the Garden of Eden with Venture Beyond, operators of The Plett Trail. An excerpt below:

“The area around Plett has always been a hiker’s paradise. Okay, always is forever and that’s a long, long time. But it is true that some of the first people to walk the earth, some 160 000 years ago, did so around here… As I sip a craft beer and work my way through a heaped plate of comfort food, I think about all I’ve experienced over the past few days. It’s one thing to chart your own course in a beautiful place like Plett, but it’s another thing to experience it with passionate guides like Sarah, Luck’z and Meagan. How else would I have learnt that the bidup-bidup-bidup sound in the bush is the call of a green-backed camaroptera, if Meagan hadn’t carefully parted the leaves to show me his hideout?”

-THEGREMLIN

SPRING SPECIALS

TAMODI LODGE – Get a free bottle of wine in your room when checking in at Tamodi Lodge during the months of September and October 2017.
The lodge overlooks a magnificent indigenous forest and valley, as well as the astoundingly beautiful Outeniqua Mountains – aiding to the tranquil atmosphere which surrounds this enchanting and carefully designed Plettenberg Bay accommodation establishment.
To redeem this special, email res@tamodi.co.za with the code SPRING HAS SPRUNG or visit www.tamodi.co.za.
UNTOUCHED ADVENTURES – Save 20% when booking a kayak and lilo adventure with Untouched Adventures at Storms River Mouth in Tsitsikamma National Park. A unique and unforgettable way to experience the national park and the Storms River Gorge. Paddle up the river into the gorge, passing the bats’ cave and steep cliffs before changing over to inflatable lilos to explore deeper into the gorge and experiencing a part of Storms River that you can’t get to by boat. Fully guided and no experience needed.
To redeem this special, email bookings@untouchedadventures.com with the code PLETT TOURISM or visit www.untouchedadventures.com.

-THEGREMLIN

WABOOMSKRAAL THUSONG SERVICE CENTRE

The George Municipality is in the process of taking over the management of the Waboomskraal Thusong Service Centre from the National Department of Local Government.

Two Thusong Service Centres – one in Thembalethu and one in Waboomskraal – were opened in the George municipal area in 2002 to provide a one-stop service point for several government institutions including Social Development, SASSA, the Department Health, Cape Access, the Department of Labour, the George Municipality and non-profit organisations. Management of the Thembalethu Thusong Centre was taken over by the George Municipality in 2012.

Waboomskraal Thusong Centre, which serves the communities of Waboomskraal, Herold, Eseljacht and surrounding farming areas, will become the responsibility of the George Municipality on 1 September 2017 following a decision by Western Cape Department of Local Government that all Thusong Centres be managed by the local municipalities in which jurisdiction it falls.
Mr Adam Lewie, Manager of the Waboomskraal Thusong Service Centre, encouraged all community members to make use of the local centre. “These service centres are initiatives by government to give all citizens access to government services and information close to where they live.”
The Waboomskraal Thusong Service Centre houses government departments including Social Development, SASSA, the Department of Health, Cape Access, Department of Labour, local and regional municipal services and non-profit organisations.
Services include social services and family programmes, education programmes for school children and pre-school children by Western Cape Library Services, treatment for HIV/Aids and other chronic illnesses, applications for social grants as well as pay-outs of social grants, water and sanitation services, a soup kitchen and housing applications. The centres also provide information on government and non-governmental programmes, assist with job applications, refers clients to relevant role players and provide basic office services such as faxing and printing.

Cape Access (E- Centre) offers free computer use, internet access, basic training, accredited E- skills, free access to government information and services. The community can access jobs online and students can do applications for bursaries at the centre. The George Municipality Local Economic Development Unit helps the community with funding assistance and project application and Seda offers training in business.

Situated at 1 High Way Street in Waboomskraal, the Waboomskraal Thusong Service Centre operates from Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 5pm. Certain additional services are available on request. Contact Centre Manager Adam Lewie on             044 886 0040 or adamlewie03@gmail.com

The Thembalethu Thusong Service Centre serves the communities of Thembalethu, Lawaaikamp, Borchards, Parkdene, Conville and Ballotsview as well as ruall communities by ways of Thusong Outreach Mobiles.
It offers a wide variety of services, such as outreach mobiles, educational programmes by the FET College, programmes for disabled people and government services and include SASSA grants , Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) forms as well as internet access with Cape Access and Post Office services.
Situated in Jeriko Street, off Nelson Mandela Boulevard, the Thembalethu Thusong Centre is open Monday to Friday from 7.45am to 4:30pm. Contact Centre Manager Tommy Gozongo at
044 801 9421/9448 during office hours.

-THEGREMLIN

PLETT WINE & BUBBLY FESTIVAL 2017 HAS BEEN POSTPONED

Plett Tourism regrets to announce that the Plett Wine & Bubbly Festival 2017 has been postponed, and a new date in 2018 will be announced in due course. Plett Tourism is in discussions with potential partners, and plans are underway for a bigger and better Plett Wine & Bubbly Festival 2018. We apologise to all those who have loyally supported the festival over the past three years, but promise that it’ll be worth the wait! Unfortunately, the previous sponsor of the Festival withdrew relatively late in the year, and it has not been possible to find a replacement in the time available.

Please contact:

Peter Wallington on chairman@pletttourism.com or  083-252-0597; Patty Butterworth on projects@pletttourism.com or
083-453-5331; or Cindy Wilson-Trollip on manager@pletttourism.com or  084-521-1876 for further information.
-THEGREMLIN

DR. EVIL CLASSIC

Explore the excellent mountain biking trails around Plettenberg Bay during the three-day stage race, Dr Evil Classic.
The signature event of Dr Evil himself, the Dr Evil Classic consists of three very different days of riding and three unique race villages. The race starts from the quaint village of Wittedrift, taking riders through magnificent farmlands and game farms combining both single and jeep track and finishing at Kay and Monty Vineyards in the Plett Winelands.
Day two sees riders enjoying this 220 hectare estate with beautiful views of the Tsitsikamma Mountains and finishing up at Cairnbrogie Dairy Farm, followed by a final day of coastal views, fynbos as well as some superb single track action.

-THEGREMLIN