Dear Hermanus Special Rating Area (HSRA) Property Owner,

During May

• HPP participated in a strategic planning session held by the Hermanus Ratepayers Association’s new Executive.

• The opinion survey was launched to determine property owners’ preferences, in motivation of the HSRA’s term, to the Overstrand Municipality (OM). Articles in this regard were also published in the Village News and Hermanus Times.

• The HPP control room staff and surveillance network provided support to the South African Police Services (SAPS) and OM Law Enforcement teams during the protest march held on 1 May.

• A presentation titled “Safety and Security Concerns in Hermanus” was made to the local U3A.

Introduction

I am writing this newsletter from the Mjejane Game Reserve, which is situated on the banks of the Crocodile River in the Kruger National Park. The tranquillity of the reserve, with its multitude of bird calls and a host of game species grazing in the thick green grass, contrasts with the hectic hype of the 350 registered political parties and independent individuals contesting the National and Provincial elections on 29 May.

Although the media has voiced a warning that dissatisfaction with our democratic process may spill over into unrest and violence in places, I desperately hope that sanity and peace will prevail.

HPP will be on full alert, together with SAPS and the OM law enforcement agencies, during this period.

The Hermanus Ratepayers Association’s Strategic Planning process

It is inappropriate to provide feedback on the outcome of the HRA’s strategic planning process in an HPP newsletter. What I can say is that I was impressed by the thoroughness of the process and how much I wish that representatives of all Hermanus’ various stakeholder groups could participate in such a process, together. We need an inclusive planning process for Hermanus.

Despite the many positives which we are privileged to enjoy in Hermanus, we face significant socio- economic challenges. These challenges need to be addressed in an inclusive manner. If we do so, the safety, security, attraction, and sustained growth of our sought-after town will be safeguarded.

HSRA Term Extension Project

As reported in previous newsletters, the HSRA has a mandated life of five years that ends in June 2025. At HPP’s Annual General Meeting held on 28 September last year, the HPP Board was tasked to seek an extension of the HSRA’s term for a further five-year period. The HSRA’s Term Extension Campaign was launched by HPP (as the HSRA’s management company) in January this year, in compliance with the applicable municipal policies and acts.

A survey, aimed at determining the preferences of property owners in the HSRA was launched on 30 April 2024 and supported by articles in the Village News and the Hermanus Times. My thanks go to Sarah Taylor (HPP Director responsible for the Education Portfolio) for her work in this regard. I am also grateful to the many WhatsApp Group Administrators, who have repeatedly distributed the survey to their members. In addition, Fransien Koegelenberg and Philip-Ben Kotze (both HPP Directors) and Trevor Edwards (representing the CBD Business Cluster) made a huge effort in urging the business community to participate in the survey.

The net result is that 375 responses have been received. Thank you for your input!

In my next newsletter, I will share the survey results with you.

A few days in the life of HPP’s Safety Operation

The following four extracts of HPP’s Daily Operational Reports may provide you with some insight into some of our daily activities:

• Suspicious individuals were identified in various areas via the CCTV network. Public Safety Officers stopped and questioned them, and if necessary, requested them to leave the area. Intoxicated individuals causing disturbances were escorted out of the Central Business District (CBD). Assistance was provided to a domestic violence victim who was taken to the SAPS station. Property owners with open gates and garage doors were alerted. A report was received about a stolen cell phone in the CBD, but the thief could not be located.