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VVRA Newsletter October 2016

Let’s stand together and work together......

Dear Vorna Valley Residents VVRA Committee We are sure that everyone was happy with the bit of rain we So please, make sure that you keep to the water Marianne Nel - Chairperson received recently, and even though it didn’t fill up the Vaal restrictions. Carol Thornton - Secretary dam, it was a bit of a relief on usage as residents didn’t have Sue Klingenberg - Treasurer Hein de Kock - Infrastructure to water their gardens. 1. No use of any irrigation or sprinkler systems for Carol Barnes - Greens watering of gardens with municipal water. Watering only before Fran Stone - Social 06h00 or after 18h00 with a hand held hose pipe. Paul Mann - Social 2. No filling of pools with municipal ater.w Top up to Michael Pillay - Security allow filter to work only. It is recommended that pool owners Ayanda Maqanda - Security invest in a cover as this significantly reduces evaporation – Paul Mann - Security which is at over 1.2 metres per annum for the average pool. Ayanda Maqanda - Enterprise 3. No washing of cars and cleaning paved areas with a Carol Thornton - Recycling (S@S) hose pipe using municipal water.

It is requested that residents continue to assist the JMPD in tracking down transgressors. The 24/7 number is 011 758-9650. Facebook Twitter Email Website

Vorna Valley Vlei Clean-up 2016 Photo competition winners! We would like to say thank you to Steven of Platinum Congratulations to the 1st and 2nd Prize winners. May you Residential for sponsoring the 1st Prize of the Vlei Clean-up spend the money wisely. 2016 photo competition. Whatsapp your details and email address to 082-460-8662 to join the VVRA Discussion groups and Alert groups.

Please don’t forget to R E C Y C L E ! !

Organic Compost Sales Santa to visit Vorna Valley again on 3 December 2016 2016/343688/07 It’s that time of the year again, and Santa has confirmed that he will be visiting the children of Vorna Valley on Saturday 3rd 73 Robin road Vorna Valley December at the Swiss Country Club, 31 Moerdyk St. Vorna Valley from 09h00 to 11h00. Tel: 083 602-9731 Parents are asked to please let us know if their Email: children will be participating by e-mailing info@vvra. co.za with the following information:- [email protected] 1. Child’s first name, surname, age, gender. 100% WEED FREE 2. Parent’s name, surname, address, and e-mail ORGANIC COMPOST address and a contact number for on the day for just in case the weather delays Santa. Parents are requested to buy a gift for each of their children not exceeding R 250 per gift. Gifts should please be wrapped with the child’s name clearly and securely attached. We will advise parents as to where the gifts can be dropped off a few days prior to the big visit. Santa has suggested that we have jumping castles. PLEASE let us know by 21 November 2016 if your children will be partaking in this Santa 2016 Event. There will be a R75 donation towards the VVRA per child. Part of this will be used for a sweet pack for each child. Page 2

Vorna Valley street gardens Organic Compost on Robin Road donated a truck load of compost to the VVRA, which was used at the Greig street garden and the Harry Galaun/Elizabeth Fry Street garden. The Garden on Harry Galaun corner Elizabeth Fry that was sponsored by Platinum Residential, has been excavated by JWater several times over the past few years. We would like to let all residents To help make the area look attractive again, we ask residents who can donate indigenous, water hardy know that the Swiss Country for this project to please let us know so we can start planting and making the area greener and Club on Moerdyk Street is not beautiful for all. We are happy to collect plants from residents. Email [email protected]. just for members. Anyone can go there for a good meal. They support the VVRA and it would be wonderful if residents support them.

Email: [email protected] or phone Wolfgang on 082 561 0063

JWater on le Roux

There was a major burst water pipe again on le Roux by the Vlei. JWater worked through the night and the next day to get the pipe fixed, which had broken in two areas.

Keeping of bee hives We urge residents who keep bees on their property (ii) a minimum of twenty metres from any public to understand that it is illegal to do so according to place or building used for human habitation or the by-laws. from any place used for the keeping of , One of our poultry and ; residents (c) the bees are kept in an approved bee hive; and has fallen (d) the bee hive is – victim to angry bees (i) kept in an area inaccessible to children and kept on the animals; neighbour’s property and as a result of this, one of his dogs has passed away due to the bee stings it had to endure. The lack of consideration for neighbours is disconcerting. What if it had been a child? What if it had been your child?

By-law Requirements for keeping of bees (ii) kept in the shade at all times; and (1) No person may keep bees on any premises (iii) supplied with a source of drinking water within unless – five metres of the hive. (a) that person is the holder of a permit authorising (2) No person may dump or deposit any garbage, that activity; and compost, grass cuttings or manure within five (b) every bee hive is situated – metres of any bee hive. (i) a minimum of five metres from any boundary of the premises; and Page 3 Water Crisiss in Vorna Valley Receiving no prior warning, Vorna Valley and other parts of Midrand were left without water this past weekend. We believe that residents don’t realise the severity of our current water situation. People are still washing cars with hose pipes, watering gardens in the heat of the day instead of before 6am or after 6pm, spraying down their drive ways. These people are either ignorant of the situation or just plain selfish. If you are using a borehole you need to have a sign outside your property saying as much.

People aren’t reporting water leaks and leave it for the next person to report. We loose thousands and thousands of kilo liters due to water leaks and if you see one, please, please report it immediately so that it isn’t left for hours and hours to waste water. JWater on 011-375-5555 or [email protected].

We therefore ask that every single resident be WATER WISE. Inform your neighbours if they are misusing water, and if they carry on misusing water, take photos and report them immediately. It is everyone’s duty to help save water where we can so that we don’t sit with a situation like we had this past weekend again.

For advertising in our newsletter, please see page 7.

Donations and Sponsorships are most welcome to help keep Vorna Valley CLEAN!!

Halloween in the Named Streets Page 4 Separation @ Source (S@S) recycling

We are very pleased with the tonnage for September 2016. If every resident that partakes in this project, brings a new resident onboard, we could double the tonnage, so we kindly request that each and everyone make an effort to bring other non recycling residents onboard. Please send details to [email protected] to join this project.

For advertising in our newsletter, please see below.

Growing Bunny Problem in Midrand There is a growing Feral rabbit population in Midrand. Feral rabbits are former pets, or descendants of Donations and former pets, that were abandoned by their owners and are now considered undomesticated. Sponsorships are Some people seem to think that rabbits are disposable pets. But abandoning your pet rabbit anywhere, most welcome to is not only irresponsible and inhumane, it’s illegal. help keep Vorna Rabbit abandonment and its consequences is a community-wide issue that requires community-wide solutions. Valley CLEAN!! Although rabbits will always have a presence in Midrand, we as a community can try and curb the growing feral population. Please do not buy rabbits as pets without full consideration. Always have your pet Bunnies sterilized. Do not abandon your pet bunny. Consider having feral bunnies trapped, sterilized and released. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Vorna Valley Hospital.

Dr DJ Davies (BVSc), Dr P de Jager (BVSc), Dr MT Joubert (BVSc) and Prof R Meintjes (PhD) 8 Le Roux Ave, Midrand Tel: 0118053054, 0118053055 Cell: 0828011664 [email protected]; https://www.facebook.com/vornavalleyvet/ Page 5

For our little residents…. A bit of info on our bird street names….Bosduif Helpful Contacts: Bosduif in english = : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_olive_pigeon

The African olive pigeon or Rameron pigeon ( arquatrix) is a pigeon which is a breeding bird in much of eastern and southern from Ethiopia to the Cape. They are also found in western Angola, southwestern Saudi Arabia 0860 56 28 74 and northern Yemen. It is locally common, although sizeable gaps in its distribution occur due to its habitat requirements. 011-375-5555 The adult male African olive pigeon is a large pigeon at 37 to 42 cm in [email protected] length and a weight of 300 to 450 g. Its back and wings are maroon, www.pikitup.co.za with the shoulders heavily speckled with white spots. The underparts [email protected] are maroon with heavy white spotting, and the head is grey with yellow patches around the eye, and a yellow bill. The neck plumage, used in display, is streaked maroon and white, the underwing and under-tail are dark grey, and the feet are yellow. The male has a display consisting of deep bows, and a display flight which consists of a climb, wing clapping, and slow glide down. Females are very similar but somewhat duller. Juvenile birds have the 011-375-5555 maroon and grey replaced with dark brown, the bare parts are a dull [email protected] greenish-yellow, and the wing feathers have pale fringes. In flight, this SMS 082-653-2143 pigeon looks very dark. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an Anonymous tip-offs occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general. The call is a loud coo coo. 0800-00-25-87 This is a species use mountain fynbos, clearings, and feed on any sms charged at R1.50 agricultural land. [email protected] The African olive pigeon feeds on fruit and berries, mainly picked in the canopy, but it will also descend for fallen fruit and take in some and caterpillars. In the south of its range, it favours the fruit of a highly invasive , the bugweed, mauritianum. Birds fly considerable distances from their roosts to feeding areas, and young or nonbreeding birds form flocks. The African olive pigeon builds a large stick nest up to 15 m high in a and lays one (rarely two) white eggs. The eggs are incubated for 17–20 days to hatching, and the chicks fledge in another 20 days. Midrand Fire Department and The African olive pigeon feeds on fruit and berries, mainly picked in the canopy, but it will also descend Ambulance for fallen fruit and take in some insects and caterpillars. In the south of its range, it favours the fruit of a 011-375-5911 highly invasive plant, the bugweed, . Birds fly considerable distances from their 10177 roosts to feeding areas, and young or nonbreeding birds form flocks. So Junior Residents – please tell us which Vorna Valley Bird Street name you want to read about in the next news letter.

011-375-5555 0860 56 28 74 http://citypower.mobi www.citypower.co.za and click “Fault Reporting”

Invasive Plants in Common name: Cat’s claw creeper Pod-like capsules split opens and release the Scientific name: Dolichandra unguis-cati winged seeds (Bignoniaceae) Why is it a problem? Alternative common names: Overtops, strangles and smothers indigenous 0860 56 28 74 Katteklouranker (Afrikaans), amaziphekati forest and plantation species 011-712-6600 (isiZulu & isiXhosa) What does it look like? 10177 The cat’s General description: Evergreen climber climbing claw creeper as high as 9m with claw-like tendrils between the Dolichandra (syn. leaves. Leaves: Bright green oblong to lance- Macfadyena) shaped leaves with a terminal, three-part, claw-like unguis-cati is tendril. : Bright yellow flowers appearing an invasive from September to February, which are trumpet- evergreen shaped and up to 80mm long x 100mm wide and climber, climbing occurring in clusters of two or three, sometimes as high as 9m solitary. Fruit/Seeds: Flattened brown leathery 0860 56 28 74 with claw-like capsules up to 300 mm or longer which split open 011-298-5001 tendrils between to release the winged, papery seeds [email protected] the bright green Plant me instead alternatives oblong to lance- shaped leaves, Canary creeper (Senecio tamoides), black-eyed which have a terminal, three-part, claw-like susan (Thunbergia alata), traveller’s joy (Clematis tendril. The bright yellow flowers appear from brachiata) September to February and are trumpet-shaped, http://www.invasives.org.za/legislation/item/278- occurring in clusters of two or three, sometimes cats-claw-creeper-dolichandra-unguis-cati solitary. Flattened, brown leathery capsules hold the winged, papery seeds. This climber invades 011-347-1600 forest margins, woodlands, plantations, roadsides Sector 2 SAPS 071-675-6110 and urban open spaces. Sector 2 SAPS 071-675-6111 Where does this species come from? Police Emergency - 10111 (Mexico to ) What is its invasive status in South Africa? Existing legislation: CARA 2002 – Category 1 NEMBA – Category 1b Where in South Africa is it a problem? KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng 011-375-5911 How does it spread? 10177 Page 6 Kleen Bin and Recycling

Just wanted to share my experience last week with Kleen Bin – I know many residents have had bad experiences with the previous owners of Kleen Bin who were supposed to be servicing the area last year…… However Kleen Bin is owned and being run by different people who REALLY CARE…

At about 15h30 last Thursday my door-bell rang and it was the gentleman from Kleen Bin who (had been waiting in the boiling heat for pikitup to collect so that he could clean) and he asked if I could please give him two garbage bags so that he could bag the contents of my bin (which he kindly took to the dump) so that he could clean my bin – we are the only house-hold in Kwartel St using the service and as such the only house who had a Kleen Bin on Thursday night – a service which I highly recommend…. Smells clean/germ free / no flies and it lasts the entire week.

The gentleman said their service supports recycling --- so lets all do our bit for our Vorna Valley environment …. Please contact Carol Thornton - [email protected], so that she can arrange for bags to be delivered to your home ----- it’s easy and doesn’t cost anymore than what we are all paying already Lets keep it clean Page 7 Our Sponsors Wendy Redl from Harcourts Residential Properties sponsored the garden and balls Heaven’s Kitchen supplies our cleaners with lunch on Greig street and one day a week for a cleaner, and bottled water for the Vlei Clean up - 2015 and 2016.

Wolfgang Wollauz of The Courier at the Swiss Country Club accommodates the VVRA meetings and AGMs

Veggie Divine Foods sponsored the replacement gate to the Vorna Valley Vlei on le Roux Ave.

Steven McLaren of Platinum Residential sponsors one day a week for a cleaner and Platinum sponsored the garden on Harry Galaun/Elizabeth Fry.

Midway Mica sponsors locks for the Vorna Valley Vlei from time to time and the loan of their bolt cutter.

Eugene Vorster of Central Developments sponsors two days a week for a cleaner.

The Vorna Valley SPAR sponsored cooldrinks for our yearly Vlei Clean-up 2015 and 2016. Mark McDonald of Firzt Realty sponsored gloves at the Vlei Clean Up 2015 and 2016

The Vorna Valley Shopping Centre sponsors one day a week for a cleaner to keep the shopping centre’s pavement clean and tidy.

Paul Mann of AV Unlimited supplied the sound system for our 2015 and 2016 AGM.

TRSS sponsored security for our yearly Vlei Clean-up 2016.

Netcare 911 supported our yearly Vlei Clean-up 2015 and 2016

ADT supported our yearly Vlei Clean-up 2016 Page 8

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