29 May 2020 YourYYoouurr freefrreee CaxtonCaCaxtxtoon local newsnewspaperpaper • www.highwaymail.co.zao.za Former Pinetownown learner channelsnels Pollution Chirping his talent runs rife with Kloof in Palmiet Conservancy INSIDE 10 2 River 3 Lauren’s love is boundless Lloyd Mackenzie What encourages you to keep doing the work you do on a daily basis? THE Kloof and Highway SPCA's passionate Seeing the diff erence I can make in both clinic manager and veterinary nurse, Lauren people's and animals' lives. Seeing just one Paxton, shares how her work life has changed stray or abandoned animal experience love, since the nationwide lockdown was like all animals should, encourages me to implemented in March. carry on. How long have you been at the Describe yourself in three words: Kloof and Highway SPCA? Driven, loyal, empathetic. I started as a vet nurse locum in 2012 and worked part-time How has your work life changed since while running my veterinary the lockdown? physiotherapy business. I The work intensity has increased started managing the clinic astronomically due to the current fi nancial in March 2018. distress that a lot of people are fi nding themselves in. They simply cannot aff ord What was the reason private vet treatment. you chose to apply The compassion fatigue that we are for a position at experiencing currently is like nothing we have the NPO? experienced before. People are surrendering My passion for their animals as they can no longer aff ord to welfare grew when care for them or they cannot aff ord to treat I helped out at my them if they are injured or ill. It is unbelievably fi rst outreach clinic heartbreaking. It has, however, brought us in 2011. I wanted together as a team and I am fi nding that a lot to start giving of our staff are rallying together during a very something back challenging time and this is very encouraging. to my community and to our What did you study and why? animals. I have had a passion for animals from when I was fi ve years old, so it was not diffi cult to choose this profession. I studied veterinary nursing and then went on to study veterinary Lauren Paxton with her patient, physiotherapy in both the small animal and Foxy. PHOTO: Lloyd Mackenzie equine fi elds. More Q&A with Kloof and Highway SPCA’s Lauren Paxton on page 2 2 Highway Mail | NEWS 29 May 2020 Continued from page 1 The animals’ welfare Former Pinetown learner comes first channels his talent What are three items you Are there any always have on you? misconceptions people I literally lose everything have about your job? Sanelisiwe Tsinde He said he saw this opportunity on social all the time. Pens are I think the biggest platforms. "The channel was looking for my absolute worst! So I misconception is that FORMER Pinetown Boys' High School learner, volunteers in all the provinces in SA and I generally have nothing on our clinic operates in a Qiniso Makhoba, now a DUT drama student, applied because my heart is in the entertainment me and land up having similar fashion to that of a is working with SA Youth TV as a KZN industry and I got accepted. to borrow/steal from my government hospital. We spokesperson for the channel. "I was recently voted as the KZN colleagues. do not receive any funding The bubbly go-getter said the channel's main spokesperson and each province has its own. I from government and rely focus is to showcase the talent of South African will be the one answering questions for the KZN When you are not at work, solely on public support and youth and that is one of the reasons he is working region. This is a great project for me," said the what do you enjoy doing? funding. for the channel. excited Qiniso. I am a very active person. A lot of people expect us Qiniso has been making a mark in the acting The channel has a YouTube channel running I enjoy fi tness and training to provide a service that industry as he received awards for Dramatist of the currently and shows are broadcasted there and as well as competing in is not sustainable without Year and Actor of the Year at Pinetown Boys' prize on other social platforms like Facebook. obstacle course racing. I public funding. We are often giving for two years in a row, in 2018 and 2019. love camping and being treated with disrespect and The adamant Qiniso is not only just a 'drama outdoors, but mostly when faced with a lot of angry queen' but focuses on his studies as he passed his I’m not at work, I love members of the public matric with a Bacherlor's Degree spending time with my two because we are unable and received two distinctions. little boys. They are my to provide free veterinary "I want to see it through not absolute everything. treatment. What people only as an actor but as a youth don’t understand is that we member. SA Youth Television What is one of your are not in this business for is a subscription and advert Qiniso favourite memories from any kind of fi nancial gain. It funded television channel Makhoba your time at the Kloof and is, in fact, the total opposite. intended for broadcast on received Highway SPCA? Our vision is to educate pet the DSTV bouquet. the award One of our longstanding owners and teach people It was founded by for actor of clients brought his pet that there is a huge fi nancial parent company the year at rooster in to visit his dog in responsibility involved when EDK Media Pinetown hospital. owning a pet. (EzaseDurbanKzn Boys’ 2019 We are always looking at Media). The channel prize giving. What is one thing that the bigger picture and we intends to broadcast a you are looking forward will always make decisions minimum of 80 per cent to when the lockdown is based on what is best for programming which is lifted? an animal, despite the produced by the youth of Going camping at the animosity we are often South Africa. beach! faced with as a result. Qiniso said the youth of South Africa will benefi t a lot from this channel as they will gain access to be able to showcase their talent and also learn in the process. "People who are already in this industry can vouch for me that the acting industry If it’s news is not easy, there are many actors today to you, it’s news to us. without jobs and this channel is here to give youth more opportunities and I am Contact the grabbing it with both hands because my Highway Mail on future is here," said Qiniso. 031 716 4444 Subscribe to SA Youth TV channel "The main platform the He added that there are also channel would like the youth ongoing channel activities and everyone to jump on such as the presenter search board is YouTube as we need where young people have to reach 1000 subscribers. been auditioning to be This is one of the tasks the presenters for the channel. channel has to fulfi ll in order More details can be found to bring it to everyone and on the channel's social media we trust that everyone will pages, Instagram: @sayouthtv join us by subscribing to it Facebook: SA Youth TV (SA Youth TV) especially the "SA Youth TV is the perfect youth of South Africa," he home for dreamers," added said. Qiniso. 29 May 2020 NEWS | Highway Mail 3 Pollution runs rife in Palmiet River ONLY a few days after level four lockdown the whole catchment was seriously was implemented, residents reported that contaminated with human and chemical copious amounts of pollution was once waste. again fl owing through the Palmiet River. The chairman of the Westville "The water is dirty, a dark coff ee Conservancy, Jean Senogles, said colour with big bales of foam. It clearly Biodiversity Week would be remembered comes from some factory along the river by those who overlook the Palmiet River depositing their chemical waste/dye," said as one of dismay as masses of foam blew Westville resident, Benita Whitcher. across its surface and up its banks. During the lockdown, Whitcher reported "The river that is often polluted with that the water was crystal clear. "We foul smelling and noxious substances, were able to see the small pebbles on the turning various colours during episodes riverbed. The neighbourhood children and was running clear and sparkly soon after dogs often walk and play in the river. Now the national lockdown. Whomever was we cannot do this because we do not know responsible for this tragedy, be it negligence what has been deposited in the river," she or a deliberate act of sabotage against said. nature, they, including us, will pay as we "I promised my niece a camera to always do. We are dependent on Mother record and maybe have a blog recording its Earth’s bounty for our very existence. We beauty - it has incredible rock formation, are not doing a very good job of caring mysterious cave-like structures and an for her biodiversity, especially during impressive gorge." Biodiversity Week," said Senogles. Champion of the Palmiet River Watch, Paolo Candotti of the Aller River Project, Lee D'Eathe, said the Palmiet River was said the problem their organisation faced unfi t for human consumption or agricultural was not from industry but solid waste use.