Family's and friends have a fiesta with the little fish
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The South Coast buzzed with excitement on Wednesday as the first major shoals of sardines were netted. A shoal was spotted at Margate beach, and then moved to St Michael's where the largest netting took place.
Mike Anderson-Reade, the head of operations at the KZN Sharks Board, said it was the most exciting day of the run so far. "There were fish netted in Margate, Uvongo and lots more activity at St Michael's. It was a very exciting day and a lot of people had fun," he said.
Anderson-Reade predicted even more activity in the days to come. "I think they will make an appearance at KwaPhumula next, or even as far north as Mtwalume. Yesterday's activity was especially good for traders of the fish, who were disappointed at last year's meagre run.
BJ Bonakele, a fisherman on the Look Sharp boat, said he was very happy with the number of fish that had been netted.
"Last year was very bad for business; we didn't get anything. But I'm very happy about this year's haul," he said.
Locals were happy with the late appearance of the sardines after most foreign tourists had left South Africa, after the end of the World Cup.
They were happy that on Wednesday's activity had drawn people from other parts of KwaZulu-Natal but said the presence of foreign tourists would have affected the prices they paid for the fish.
Mzwakhe Hlophe said: "The fish would have been expensive if the tourists were still here and their absence is a bonus for us."
An old prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule.
The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat. He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch rail. As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?"
The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance... never really wanted to." A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, "Well, you old fool, you're gonna dance now," and started shooting at the old man's feet.
The old prospector --not wanting to get a toe blown off-- started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet. Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied. When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.
The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers.
The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air. The crowd stopped laughing immediately.
The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly. The silence was almost deafening.
The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.
The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever licked a mule's ass?" The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir..... but... I've always wanted to."
There are a few lessons for us all here: Never be arrogant. Don't waste ammunition. Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than you are. Always, always make sure you know who has the power. Don't mess with old men, they didn't get old by being stupid.
A Durbanvillle resident has lodged a complaint against a group of police officers he said had tried to force him off the road and had hit him in the face, breaking his glasses.
Stewart Robinson said an officer had remarked: "Because you're white, you think you're special."
Robinson is the husband of Denise Robinson, a DA MP and shadow minister of women, youth, children and people with disabilities.
He said he had been driving into Durbanville at the speed limit of 60km/h, along Race Course Road, on Monday.
A police vehicle came up behind him and tried to overtake on a solid white line. "There was no hard shoulder so I couldn't pull over. They drove up close behind me and tired to force me to stop."
Robinson pulled into the Total Durbanville garage and stopped his car. "They pulled me out of my car. They had no words of explanation, they hit me in the face and broke my glasses," Robinson said at a clinic, waiting to be examined by a doctor.
Robinson said the officers appeared to be "cross" because he had not pulled over.
Said Robinson: "There were half a dozen witnesses. When they realised what they did they drove away."
Robinson had not been able to see their name tags or read the vehicle's registration number once his glasses had been broken. Immediately after the incident he had lodged a complaint of assault at the Durbanville police station.
Cobus Mostert, owner of Total Durbanville, said he had been inside the garage's office when he heard a commotion outside: "When I arrived outside the policemen were leaving, five or six of them in a Mercedes Kombi vehicle. I assisted the man. He was bleeding from his face. They ripped off his glasses and he couldn't see properly. I helped him to drive to the Durbanville police station."
Mostert said he had asked the men not to leave the garage and an officer was rude to him before they left.
"We did manage to write down the registration number of the vehicle. They were all dressed in police uniform."
Mostert said a number of people had witnessed the incident and had been "afraid" to persuade the men to stop the assault. "Everybody was afraid. They were very aggressive. They knew there were all these witnesses."
Mostert said a delivery vehicle had been parked in front of the CCTV camera so he had been unable to get footage of the incident.
Durbanville resident Johan Smit witnessed the assault and tried to intervene when the group pulled Robinson from his vehicle.
"I stopped at the petrol station and he (Robinson) stopped behind me. Behind him stopped this police van. I saw them take the keys from the car and start hitting the man." An officer said: "You think you're special because you are white. We're going to kill all you f***ing whites."
Smit said he told Mostert to phone the police and the officers jumped into their van and drove away.
Democratic Alliance shadow police minister Dianne Kohler-Barnard on Monday said she was "beyond furious".
"The police wait until the end of the World Cup and then revert to type."
Kohler-Barnard said she had reported the incident to police watchdog, the Independent Complaints Directorate.
Durbanville police spokeswoman Bernice Laas-Bezuidenhout did not answer her cellphone yesterday.
An officer at the police station confirmed a complaint had been lodged. Provincial police spokesman Frederick van Wyk confirmed the incident and said a police investigation was under way.
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into strips 30 g. broccoli florets, blanched 30 g. cauliflower florets, blanched 30 g. carrots, sliced, blanched 30 g. celery, sliced, blanched 30 g. Spring Onions, chopped 30 g. onions, chopped 30 g. mushrooms, sliced 30 g. tomatoes, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 120 ml. cream 90 g. Cheddar cheese or Parmesan 90 g. butter 60 g. flour Salt and pepper to taste
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Directions:
Dredge chicken strips in flour and shake off excess. Saute chicken strips in 60 g of butter in large saute pan until browned on all sides. Add broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms.
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Add the remaining butter and heavy cream. Add the cheese and cook until cheese is melted. Add the Spring Onions and the tomatoes and simmer until vegetables are done. Adjust thickness of sauce with cream if necessary. Serve over cooked fettucine. Serves: 4. (Prep and Cooking Time: 45 minutes).
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You could either add the peppers or substitute them for one of the other vegetables
The South Coast buzzed with excitement on Wednesday as the first major shoals of sardines were netted. A shoal was spotted at Margate beach, and then moved to St Michael's where the largest netting took place.
Mike Anderson-Reade, the head of operations at the KZN Sharks Board, said it was the most exciting day of the run so far. "There were fish netted in Margate, Uvongo and lots more activity at St Michael's. It was a very exciting day and a lot of people had fun," he said.
