Ackermans Trading hours: Mon – Fri | 09:00 – 15:00 Sat | 09:00 – 13:00 Sun & PH | Closed
Essential items to be sold – *Baby essentials 0-36 Months* including clothing & sleepwear; footwear; blankets; bed & bath; food products; feeding utensils; toiletries & nappies. – Data and airtime are also available
Great news! PEP will be OPEN Saturday, 25 April. They will be selling essential goods, like baby care and toiletries, plus some financial services.
Trading Hours at Secunda Mall Mon – Fri | 08:00 – 16:00 Sat | 09:00 – 14:00 Sun & PH | Closed
Thank you for your patience during this time. We look forward to welcoming you back again.
Please note: Stores trading & items available for purchase are subject to change at any given point in time in accordance with operational requirements
The following article was written by the Directors and co-owners of Homebrew Lab: Barry Viljoen, Craft Distiller and Andries Doman, Craft Brewer.
This is an informational piece.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a
21-day national lock down: “From midnight on Thursday, March 26 until
midnight on Thursday, April 16, all South Africans will have to stay at
home,” which was later extended with another two weeks. With the announcement
of the national lockdown, the regulations made it illegal to buy liquor.
According to the Business Insider, Google search
trends for alcohol-related content in South Africa has spiked by as much as 500%.
Many people turned to some form of home brewing with pineapples being the
go-to ingredient.
In South Africa, brewing beer at home is
legal for own consumption. However, it is illegal to sell the beer
and now during the lock down period transporting alcohol is also
prohibited.
Andries Doman, a local beer brewer and
co-owner of a Secunda based brewery and distillery, said that home brewing can
be a very satisfying hobby. Homebrewing can be summarised as the hobby of
“making beer at home”. Home brewers are people who are passionate, not only about
the food and beverage industry but also DIY experiments, recipe creation, raw
material transformation, process control and all the typical makers’ attitude.
Andries said
that he doesn’t know if it is the process of making the beer, the typical step
process with support of specific technology, or the typical mind-set of the
home brewer, but almost all home brewers are very proud of building their own
instruments and equipment.
Two risky areas in the process of making
beer should be highlighted. The first area is contamination and the second area
is over-pressurisation.
One of the steps of brewing beer is
fermentation. In this step the ideal condition is created for the yeast to
convert sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. If some sort of contamination
occurs during the preparation these bacteria will also thrive. This infection
will spoil your beer. Sanitation is a very important part of the process; in
fact it is crucial. The internet is full of advice and can include some
aggressive chemicals such as caustic soda (drain cleaner) and peracetic acid.
If you do not know how to use these chemicals and do not have the correct
personal protective equipment, rather avoid these.
When the beer is ready it should be
packaged in a suitable vessel or container i.e. a bottle in most cases. Most
often the recipe will call for adding a small amount of sugar to the bottles.
The yeast that is still present in the beer will use this sugar to produce
carbon dioxide. This step will provide the “fizz.” Care must be taken that
these bottles can handle pressure. When bottles are over pressurised, it will
explode. Similarly, to prevent over pressurisation of the bottles the beer
should only be bottled when fermentation is complete.
Andries advises all beer enthusiasts who
would like to brew their own beer to join a homebrewing club. Secunda is
fortunate to have such a club with very experienced home brewers, commercial
brewers as well as representatives of brewing suppliers.
If you are interested in taking on this
exciting and rewarding hobby, please feel free to contact us by email: info@homebrewlab.co.za. We would like to share our knowledge, best practises
and overall beer experience with beer enthusiasts alike.
Most South Africans tend to be a jovial
bunch. We love being outdoors, we love our sport, we love to braai and most
importantly, we LOVE to drink beer. And we do it well!
President Ramaphosa addressed the nation tonight on the COVID-19
economic measures.
The President said that more than 126,000 tests have been conducted and
that there are currently 3,465 confirmed cases of coronavirus. He also added
that more than 2 million people have been screened in communities across the
country and over 15,000 have been referred for testing.
The President said that the economic response can be divided into three
phases:
“The first phase began in mid-March when
we declared the coronavirus pandemic as a national disaster. This included a
broad range of measures to mitigate the worst effects of the pandemic on
businesses, on communities and on individuals. The measures included tax
relief, the release of disaster relief funds, emergency procurement, wage
support through the UIF and funding to small businesses.”
He continued: “We are now embarking on
the second phase of our economic response to stabilise the economy, address the
extreme decline in supply and demand and protect jobs. As part of this phase,
we are announcing this evening a massive social relief and economic support
package of R500 billion, which amounts to around 10% of GDP.”
“The third phase is the economic
strategy we will implement to drive the recovery of our economy as the country
emerges from this pandemic.
Central to the economic recovery
strategy will be the measures we will embark upon to stimulate demand and
supply through interventions such as a substantial infrastructure build
programme, the speedy implementation of economic reforms, the transformation of
our economy and embarking on all other steps that will ignite inclusive
economic growth,” said President Ramaphosa.
The President has been in meetings with business, labour and the community
constituency in NEDLAC, Premiers, MECs and Metro Mayors and with the
members of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
After meeting with these stakeholders, the
Cabinet had to consider various proposals and also finalised the social relief
and economic support package.
This package includes the following:
Firstly, an extraordinary health budget to respond
to coronavirus
Secondly, the
relief of hunger and social distress
Thirdly, support for companies and workers and
Fourthly, the phased re-opening of the economy.
“The impact of the
coronavirus requires an extraordinary coronavirus budget – of around R500
billion – to direct resources towards fighting the pandemic. This will include
the reprioritisation of around R130 billion within the current budget,” the President
continued, “The rest of the funds will be raised from both local sources, such
as the Unemployment Insurance Fund and from global partners and international
finance institutions. To date, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund,
BRICS New Development Bank and the African Development Bank have been
approached and are working with the National Treasury on various funding
transactions.”
President Ramaphosa said that this funding will be
used to fund the health response to the coronavirus.
An additional R20 billion will also be made
available to municipalities for the provision of emergency water supply,
increased sanitisation of public transport and facilities and providing food
and shelter for the homeless. This is because the nationwide lockdown has had a
negative effect on revenue of municipalities.
A temporary 6-month Coronavirus grant
has been established to assist the most vulnerable families in the country. R 50
billion has been allocated towards the relief of those who are most affected by
the coronavirus.
In other words, child support grant
beneficiaries receive an extra R300 in May and an additional R500 from June to
October. All grant beneficiaries will receive an extra R250 for the next 6 months.
“In addition, a special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant of R350 a
month for the next 6 months will be paid to individuals who are currently
unemployed and do not receive any other form of social grant or UIF payment. The
Department of Social Development will issue the requirements needed to access
and apply for this funding,” the President announced.
The President also touched
on the food parcel shortage the those in need and said: “…the Department of Social Development has partnered
with the Solidarity Fund, NGOs and community-based organisations to distribute
250,000 food parcels across the country over the next two weeks.”
R100 billion will also be set aside to create
jobs and protect employees’ jobs.
The president continued:
UIF’s special COVID-19 benefit has paid out
R1.6-billion, assisting over 37,000 companies and 600,00 workers.
R40 billion has been set aside for income support
payments for workers whose employers are not able to pay their wages.
We continue to provide assistance – in the form of
loans, grants and debt restructuring – to SMMEs, spaza shop owners and other
informal businesses.
The value of this assistance to date is over R100
million.
An additional amount of R2 billion will be made
available to assist SMEs and spaza shop owners and other small businesses.
The IDC facility to support companies to procure or
manufacture personal protective equipment has been utilised in the past few
weeks, with finance of R162 million approved to date.
With regards to the initial tax relief measures, the President
announced the following:
In addition to existing tax relief measures, we will
also be introducing a 4-month holiday for companies’ skills development levy
contributions, fast-tracking VAT refunds and a 3-month delay for filing and
first payment of carbon tax.
To assist a greater number of businesses, the
previous turnover threshold for tax deferrals is being increased to R100
million a year and the proportion of PAYE payment that can be deferred will be
increased to 35 percent.
Businesses with a turnover of more than R100 million
a year can apply directly to SARS on a case-by-case basis for deferrals of
their tax payments.
No penalties for late payments will be applicable if
they can show they have been materially negatively impacted in this period.
Taxpayers who donate to the Solidarity Fund will be
able to claim up to an additional 10 percent as a deduction from their taxable
income.
In total these tax measures should provide at least
R70 billion in cash flow relief or direct payments to businesses and
individuals.
President Ramaphosa will address the nation again on Thursday.
HOëVELD DINK. Daardie diep dink wat jou wegvoer na herrineringe, só helder, só intens dat jy die kosmos bykans kan sien, kan ruik. Die pienk en pers en wit blomme om jou sien lê soos ‘n tapyt. In hierdie vreemde tye is dinktyd noodwendig meer.
Maar die huidige dinktyd is anders as die dinktyd waarvan Herman Charles Bosman skryf in sy storie Willem Prinsloo’s peach brandy. Hy vertel tong-in-die-kies van ‘n momentele dinktyd; die aand met ‘n groot dans op ‘n plaas in die Groot Marico. Toe hy by die voordeur van die plaashuis instap, verwys die gasheer hom na die kombuis waar die tuisgestookte mampoer is.
Hy kon duidelik die mampoerrumoer hoor agter in die huis. Maar, sê hy, wat hom die meeste getref het, was die aantal manne wat teen die lang muur geleun het in die gang, hulle arms teen die muur gesteun, hulle koppe rustend op hulle arms. Dit het hom laat besef dat mampoer mens slim maak, dat dit jou laat dink. Heelparty gaste het so teen die muur gestaan en dink op pad terug van die kombuis af.
Hierdie tyd waarin ons onsself nou bevind, laat mens ook dink. En onthou. Maar dis anders as die dink op Willem Prinsloo se plaas, (of dalk nie!) Omdat alle alkoholverkope gestop is, is daar vele stokers uit nood gebore: bier uit pynappel, cider uit appel en jenewer uit aartappels. Party skynbaar met meer sukses as ander. Ek lees dat die hoeveelheid suiker wat bygevoeg word direk eweredig is aan die vreugde en wysheid uit een bottel. Diè wat weet sê as hulle te veel van die tuisgebroude konkosies absorbeer, dan laat dit jou met tydelike geheueverlies nadat jy diep gedink het.
Hoëvelddink is anders. Dit gebeur wanneer jy laatmiddag sit en oorswelg word deur stilte van afwesige verkeer. Hoëveld dink hier op die weskus vat jou terug na ou, toegegroeide paaie, na Springs en Pretoria en Olifantsfontein en Trichardt. Hoëvelddink kom by jou op as iemand, iewers in die buurt, die Patetique-sonate op ‘n klavier speel, soos Koos Kombuis se Lisa in die laatnaguur as die hele wêreld stil word en luister na die naggeluide van Lisa se klavier. Hoëvelddink laat jou besef dat iewers iets nie pluis is nie, dat jy in jou lewensroete se beplanning baie afdraaipaaie nie eers naasteby kon voorsien nie.
Beethoven: Sonata “Pathetique” Op. 13 – I. Grave. Allegro di molto e con brio
Jou hoëvelddink-vriende se gesigte doem voor jou op. Een-vir-een het hulle weggeraak. Van party hoor jy weer, kontak jy deur Whatsappgroepe en Facebook en deel grappies en Bybeltekste. Van ander hoor jy nooit weer nie. Maar jy dra hulle saam waar jy ook al gaan. Jy diep hulle op in abnormale tye soos hierdie, en besoek saam met hulle die plekke en tye van jou diepdinkgedagtes.
Lank ná jou skooldae en universiteitsdae vou jy die album van jou kopkiekies oop. Jy onthou soveel goed daar waar jy in stil hartkamers delf, soos Koos Doep, ook ‘n oud Springsman, sing.
Jy onthou die stoomtrein wat
laataand op Springsstasie vertrek, die klanke van sy blaas en steun wat dawer
in die helder nag.
Die koue winter in Springs toe julle
sop en broodjies by Jan van Riebeecklaerskool gekry het, en julle gekla het dat
net bandiete uit blikbekers drink.
Die soel nagte in Petersfield toe
julle dryfings met ‘n rugbybal in die straat gespeel het, of toktokkie gespeel
het.
Die melkman wat vroegoggend met sy
elektriese karretjie gekom het, en julle melk op die sypaadjie afgelewer het.
Die slagter se afleweringsfiets met
julle vleis in bruinpapier toegedraai, en die handgeskrewe faktuur op die
pakkie vasgespeld.
Die begrafnis toe twee van julle
laerskoolmaats, twee boeties, beide deur ‘n motor raakgery is, en jy as draer
afgeneem is op die kerkstoep langs die wit kissie, met ‘n diep frons op jou
voorkop omdat jy van die grootmenswêreld niks verstaan nie.
Jy onthou die nagte in huis
Mopanie, toe jy en jou gangmaats laatnag sit en filosofeer het, Koos Doep se
liedjies op die kitaar gespeel het, gedroom het oor die toekoms. Jy onthou die aand toe julle ‘n
massahipnose-vertoning deur prof BP Geldenhuys in die Roossaal bygewoon het, en
agterna met mindere of meerdere mate van sukses mekaar in die koshuiskamer
probeer hipnotiseer het, en Christo stormdronk geword het op ‘n glas water as
gevolg van ‘n post-hipnotiese suggestie wat ons in die lesing gesien het toe
die sielkundeprofessor dit gedoen het, en ons dieselfde probeer het. Julle het bulderend gelag.
Jy onthou die heerlike en
skrikwekkende tye van die warm Oktobernagte in Pretoria, toe die jakarandas
pers in die strate geblom het en eksamen soos ‘n donker sif oor alles neergesak
het. Toe jy en vriend Piet met julle twaalfsnaarkitare gaan sêrrie het by huis
Jasmyn, en ‘n geirriteerde derdejaarstudent wat die volgende dag wiskunde sou
skryf, amper vir Piet die ewigheid ingehelp het met ‘n groot potplant wat van
die vierde verdieping af gegooi is, en hom teen die kop getref het. Die einde
van jou amateurloopbaan as troebadoer.
Wanneer jy oor die mistige strandmeer in Langebaan staar, word alle sluise wat jou laat onthou oopgetrek. Tot daar waar jy eens was, eens geleef het, gelag het. Daar waar alles so seker gelyk het. Daar waar jou teenwoordige gees ontneem word van al sy grys-skakerings, en alles vol helder kleure is. Daar, waar jou Hoëveldvriende en kennisse wat tans oor planeet aarde versprei is, almal nog knus lewe in ‘n hersenskim. Daar waar jy jou siel bakhand aangee aan almal wat vêr en onsigbaar is.
En jy, jy sit karmosyn in die sononder, soos Boerneef sal sê. Alleen, maar tog ook nie. Jou Hoëveld-dink-vriende is by jou.
Curro Secunda is focusing on e-learning and assisting our learners to make the most of the lockdown period and keep up to date with their schoolwork.
Through the schools e-learning initiative,
teachers are able to teach their classes and keep up to date with the Curro curriculum.
“Even though it is difficult to teach
during the lockdown, as teachers we still give our 150% to ensure our students
are up to date and we are there to support them at any time,” said one teacher.
“Once the lockdown has been lifted, we will
be able to do a full skills gap analysis to identify the challenges we have to
concentrate on to ensure the success of our students.”
Well done to all the students at Curro Secunda for their dedication and discipline!
The following is a press released received from Sasol:
Johannesburg, South Africa –AngloGold Ashanti, Sasol and Imperial have created a partnership to protect frontline medical staff and patients at four major Gauteng state hospitals by providing bulk supplies of hand sanitiser at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic, Charlotte Maxeke Academic, Helen Joseph and Leratong hospitals.
It is crucial to have enough supplies
of hand sanitiser to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in hospitals. The current
precautions being taken at all medical facilities and the expected increase in
cases in the months ahead will require medical facilities to have more than
their usual stock of sanitiser. The partnering companies have worked closely
with the dedicated clinical managers at the hospitals to find an innovative way
to address the need for sanitiser in a sustainable way.
Sasol has significantly intensified its
relief efforts towards COVID-19 by generously agreeing to support the increased
production of the hand sanitiser and will share the cost of production with
AngloGold Ashanti, which will also provide the specially manufactured
bulk-storage tanks for the product. Imperial, which is playing a pivotal role
in ensuring South Africa’s supply chains continue to function, has brought its
freight and logistics expertise to bear by ensuring that the sanitiser tanks
are safely transported from Sasol to the four hospitals in Gauteng. Additional
partners will be sought to ensure this project is not only sustainable but
could perhaps be extended to other facilities.
Until there is a vaccine for COVID-19, general hand
hygiene remains an effective line of defence. Experience
from around the world has shown that partnerships are an effective way to
increase the impact of relief efforts.
“We’re proud to join hands with our
peers at Sasol and Imperial in this crucial effort toward our collective goal
of flattening and eventually bending the curve,” Dr. Bafedile Chauke, AngloGold
Ashanti Vice President: Health, said “A partnership that brings together
not only capital, but complementary assets and skill sets will be vital to
changing the course of this pandemic.”
As the number of positive Covid-19 cases continue
to rise in South Africa, hospitals across the country anticipate a huge influx
of patients in the coming weeks. In addition to normal, extensive use of sanitiser
in hospitals, all staff and patients will be screened before entering hospitals
and will need to sanitise their hands before entering, compounding the existing
shortage of the product.
Says
Thabiet Booley, Senior Vice President of Sasol’s Base Chemicals division:
“Sasol recognises its duty and responsibility to support our fence line
communities and society at large in these challenging and uncertain
times. Through our strategic partnership with AngloGold Ashanti and
Imperial, we are pleased that our internally produced sanitisers will provide
these hospitals with hand disinfection hygiene support to reduce the risk of
COVID-19 spreading to frontline medical staff, patients and visitors.”
“We are united in the mission to keep those at the frontline of this battle safe from infection,” adds Imperial Group CEO, Mohammed Akoojee. “We are honoured and humbled to play a part in delivering much-needed goods and some peace of mind in these highly uncertain times.”
The Secunda Reformed Church shared their sermon “Choices And Consequences” with The Bulletin so that everyone can follow the sermon.
The sermon is lead by Dr Anton Knoetze.
Scripture is 1 Kings 21 verse 19: Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!
Today marks the three-week mark of the lockdown. Another two weeks to go!
A few rules have been amended for the second phase of the nationwide
lockdown, announced co-operative
governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Alcohol and cigarettes are still banned and the rule of no alcohol is
allowed to be transported has been added.
“Expect almost every week new conditions
will be coming,” the minister said. Even though the minister was very
vague on the relaxations to come, she did say: “schools might be
opening” and “industries may have to come slowly on stream” as
part of an “orderly way of easing the lockdown.”
Here are some of the new rules:
Supermarkets, fast food and restaurants
One of the new
amendments is that supermarkets, fast food and
restaurants cannot sell cooked food nor are the restaurants and fast food
chains allowed to reopen. We shall have to wait for that Colonel Burger from
KFC!
The minister of trade and
industry Ebrahim Patel was unequivocal: “restaurants and takeaways remain
closed and supermarkets open to sell essential goods must close their hot-food
sections.”
That position is under constant
review, Patel said: “but as things stand right now it is very clear what
the position is.”
Emergency repair work
As an emergency worker, you will be
able to get you car fixed and if there is a plumbing or electrical issue at
your house, a plumber or electrician may be called out.
Specifically included in
the list of artisans allowed to do emergency repair work:
locksmiths
glaziers
roof repairers
plumbers
electricians
Hardware and car parts
“Components
and supplies needed by tradespeople for emergency repairs at homes.”
“Stores
selling hardware products and vehicle components must maintain a register of
persons buying essential goods… and must keep a record of a signed
declaration” from the buyer that the goods are essential, the new regulations
read.
Neighbourhood watch
There is still no plan to allow any community/neighbourhood
watch to resume their previous posts of patrolling their neighbourhoods. Minister
Beki Cele reiterated.
Even though several organisations petitioned for such
changes, the rule still remains that only formal security guards are allowed to
keep on working.
Minister Cele said that there are two problems with allowing
neighbourhood watch: there is no structure to hold them accountable for their
actions and unlike police and soldiers they are not “vetted and
known”.
Funerals
This rule remains the same.
“Funerals
are still strictly for 50 people, that has not changed,” Minister
Dlamini-Zuma said.
Children may be able to move between parents with a birth certificate
Currently, divorced
parents with shared custody need to show a court-approved co-parenting plan in
order for children to move between them – after even such movement was
initially banned entirely.
Now, Dlamini-Zuma
implied, moving children between parents will be possible as long as the
parents can produce at least a birth certificate to prove the connection with
their children.
More call centres may open
Credit cards
are covered by insurance policies – which need to be activated, more call
centres will be allowed to open, including those for retailers.
Other industries
“The rule that
goods imported from high-risk SARS-CoV-2 countries must be sanitised in port is
being revoked,” Dlamini-Zuma said, “based on evidence that the virus does not
survive sea journeys.”
Some mines will
be allowed to reopen, under strict conditions including private transport for
mineworkers.
The following is a press release from the Marketing and Communications Section of GMM.
The Govan Mbeki Municipality is hereby informing all residents that the
pay point offices will be open with effect from Thursday, 16 April 2020.
The GMM pay point offices will be open from Mondays to Fridays from 08h00-12h00. The eMbalenhle offices will be opened only after all office logistics and necessities have been installed.
The public is therefore urged to visit the municipality and make payments for the services that the institution is rendering. As we continue to provide these important services to our people, we reiterate the Clarion Call for the strict adherence to hygiene practices of sanitisation, wearing of gloves and masks and compliance with social distancing dictates as given by the Department of Health.
The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma has applauded police for their swift response in arresting a 30-year-old man who stabbed and killed a 27-year-old woman earlier on Tuesday, 14 April, at Buyisonto near Bushbuckridge.
According to information, the woman left
home in the early hours of the morning to go to work and she met the man knew
very well. An argument broke out between the two and few moments later, the man
drew a knife and allegedly stabbed the woman several times.
After this, the man fled the scene. Police and
Paramedics were notified about the incident and they went to the scene where
the woman was unfortunately certified dead.
A case of murder was opened and police
immediately began with their investigation at which they received information
of the whereabouts of the suspect. Police followed the leads that led to the
arresting the suspect in a taxi.
The suspect is expected to appear at the
Mhala Magistrate’s Court on 15 April facing a charge of murder.
The Provincial Commissioner has strongly
condemned the woman’s murder and has called on society to stand up against
Gender-Based-Violence. General Zuma indicated that the plight of women seems to
be continuing regardless of the efforts that the government’s quest to curb the
scourge. In spite of the harsh sentences that our courts impose on perpetrators
of Gender-Based-Violence, suspects continue to prey on vulnerable women and
children. This situation depicts an underlying problem of a lack of morals in
our society.
Meanwhile a lifeless body of a 35-year-old,
Kevin Hlathi from Gothenburg Trust near Bushbuckridge, was discovered on 26
March by a friend with burn wounds. Police and the Medical Personnel were
notified about the incident and attended the scene where the man was certified
dead.
Police opened an inquest case and
investigated the matter including a post-mortem which was conducted. The result
of thereof indicates that the man died of electric shock. Police would like to
warn people who spread unconfirmed rumours that the man was murdered by
someone. Such information is not based on facts and people should desist from
such malicious acts. If people have information on cases, they should report to
police and they will handle such in a professional manner rather than to go out
and influence other community members to take the law into their own hands. If
anyone is found to be involved in mob justice, the law will take its course
without any favour.
