RERA has registered as an Interested and Affected party in response to the Newspaper advertisements.  Comments are due by 20th June.  Please could you forward any comments you want to share to [email protected] as early as possible.  We will aim to get comments in by 15th June 2022.

Please would anyone who is available to attend the meeting in Hermanus on 2nd June 2022 let us know.  

As in all the past years, RERA Exco makes comments, on behalf of members, on small applications that have not been advertised publicly.  All the larger, publicly advertise proposed developments are brought to your attention and shared for your comments and input.

The Minutes of the 5th March, 2022 were approved at the EXCOs meeting on 2nd April 2022. They have been posted on the website with the link given to all paid up members.
 
Please will members send an email to [email protected] if you have queries or wish to propose actions for the committee to consider at their next meeting?
 
As indicated in the manifesto distributed at the AGM, the EXCOS will implement the Vision and work with OM to retain the natural heritage and unique character of Rooiels. The aim is to support our members and heritage and work to avoid Rooiels becoming another seaside suburban village. The RERA EXCO objectives are on the RERA page on the Website.
 
We rely on your support to help preserve the magic of Rooiels and will be calling for assistance with the various activities in the village, and we look forward to additional volunteers. Thank you to those who already offer their time in service of the village.

This is a note to keep you up to date on the feedback from Ward and on Overstrand Muncipal issues.  Please check the Overestrand documents Blog on our Website where any Rooiels relevant documents that come from OM are posted.  You will also find the official Ward 10 Minutes there; the most recent received being for the Ward Meeting on 25th January. 
 
The Environmental Management Plan for the Rooiels River Estuary and a call for final comments on the Overstrand Vacant Erven Firewise policy, both have 4th March as the deadline for any comments you would like to send in.  In their response RERA will draw attention to the Rooiels Vision and the need for policies that differentiate between conservancies and urban areas.  Alien vegetation was a major cause of the damage in the most recent fire and more concerted efforts to remove invasive alien vegetation will be strongly recommended to underpin Firewise efforts and support biodiversity.  The RERA committee has been engaging with relevant authorities and neighbouring communities on service issues and on those in support of the Rooiels Vision including inappropriate Erf development (e.g. on the river) and has been working with REC on the extension of the officially designated Nature Reserve to include the Koppie, the coastal edge and the estuary.
 
At the Ward Meeting on 15th February the OM gave a presentation on their recycling project.  They recommended that we put all possible clean recycling materials into our clear plastic bags and their waste pickers will put anything not needed into a tailings bin.  They do prefer the tops of plastic and glass bottles to be off (different plastics are recycled in different lots and metal is separated from glass).  They agreed to give us more detailed feedback on what is most in demand for recycling in due course.  The full presentation is available on the current OM documents Blog.
 
The paving of Anemone is expected to take place in March this year although the deadline is given as the end of the financial year in June 2022.  The old IDP was rolled over to November 2022. A new reviewed priorities list will be circulated.  Storm-water drains are on that list for Rooiels.
The new IDP will no longer allocate R500000 to Wards discretionary expenditure as in the past (R50000 Care projects only).  All budgets will be combined and so it will be important to make strong representations for any expenditure required to be included in the new IDP at Ward level.  New or refurbishing of infrastructure can be more easily accommodated under a Capex budget if it is for expenditure that will generate revenue (e.g. water) because it can be financed through loans. 
 
A call was made for the Municipal monthly bills to include warnings to residents that they live in a baboon area and suggestions were made for stronger penalties to be in place for those not complying with baboon proof bins.  OM had put a hold on all collaring of baboons and the Ward Councillor reaffirmed that in the future the OM will not spend ratepayers funds on baboon management. 
 
A request was made that all Ratepayers reports with complaints about service issues call the
 OM Control Room –0283138111–AND please also include the Rooiels Reference number:  801.  

​RERA feedback from the Overstrand Municipality Ward and other meetings as at 6 Feb 2022
 
There has been a real effort to include people in the operations of the Overstrand Municipality and you are all encouraged to share with us any issues you may have that we can take up at the Ward meetings.  If possible please also provide possible solutions to the problems raised.  This is a summary of the feedback from the three meetings held early in 2022.  You can get the full reports on RERA Ward Committee Feedback on the website.
 
20th January Waterpipe Reportback Meeting at Crassula Hall with Mayor and OM officials
There has been a significant increase in water pipe bursts throughout OM and a substantial decline in funding the pipe replacement budgets.  A suggestion is that the Ward committees pressurise the OM to prioritise the CapEx budgets for water pipe repair and replacement.
The bulk water replacement pipe that supplies the properties south of Erf 222 in Rooiels (where most of the bursts have been occurring) should be completely installed by June 2022.  The cost of replacing water pipes is roughly R1.5 million per km.  Officials consider there are sufficient pressure relief valves but are aware of a tension between the ideal pressure to reduce pipe bursts in the older systems and the pressure desired for fire hydrants. 
At that meeting the Mayor indicated that Firefighting and Baboon Management are not part of the OM mandate and she is adamant that no baboon management will take place unless these funds are coming from central government. She is in discussions with Minister Bredell and Cape Nature on financing the R32 million for baboon management and getting funds from central government for the annual firefighting budget.
 
25th January Ward Committee Meeting, Pringle Bay Hall
A detailed report-back on roads will be presented by OM at the next meeting.  Please report problems with roads, storm-water drains and other issues for presentation to the Ward committee.  
Whether the Villages stay with Eskom direct service or change to Overstrand as the supplier was put forward as a suggestion but no details or discussion (comment: as we gather more information this  will be presented to Rooiels by RERA before any position is taken on this).  The waste management issue was addressed and some suggestions made for simple baboon proof bins to be made by the unemployed.  No new items are expected for the Ward budget which is in its final year.  A call was made for any small Capital Expenditure budget items that are high priority to be submitted for the OM budget.
Next Ward meeting will be at 1600 hours (venue to be determined).
In a follow up RERA/REC meeting on 24th January with OM Infrastructure division the specific needs of Rooiels were outlined, various issues raised and note made of those to be addressed in the new financial year.  RERA will continue to engage.
 
3rd February Mayor Resumes First Thursdays meetings for individuals to meet with officials without appointments
On Thursday 3rd February at 5 pm, an Open Meeting at the Hermanus Municipal Auditorium was held.  All the OM Department heads and their 2 ICs were introduced.  Any Overstrand ratepayer is able to attend and can address questions to the relevant Department.  Municipal rates and meter readings are not included.  The venue of the March meeting will be communicated on RECA. A meeting to discuss problems with municipal accounts will be held in Kleinmond and venue and date will be circulated as soon as available.
 
There will be a Public Ward meeting at 1800 hours on 15th February, 2022 (venue to be advised)
 

Dear fellow Rooielser,
We hope your year is off to a good start and that this will be a good year for us all.

The 2022 RERA committee has initiated contact with the Overstrand Municipality officials. We have also identified various Rooiels experts, and will be reaching out to others, to support the Exco in fulfilling their mandate.

We do need funds to enhance viability and this message is a reminder to those who have not yet paid, to please pay the R250 annual membership fees to the Rooiels Ratepayers' Association (RERA). Please make payment to:

Account name: RERA
Nedbank Savings Account: 9019464920
Branch code: 198765
Please be sure to give your name and erf number as a reference.

For any queries, please contact [email protected]

RERA and REC are working to establish a good collaboration platform and are updating the contacts list. Many of you may have been added to the mailing list by someone else or may have joined a while ago. To ensure that your information is current, please UPDATE YOUR PROFILE and indicate core interests so that we can segment the mailing list and limit crowding your inbox. Rooielsers who received this email from a fellow villager can also sign up to the mailing list and read past notices.

There are a number of WhatsApp groups in the village that you may like to join if you are not yet subscribed:

• RECA - Rooiels Communications, for information, official notifications, and also for urgent communication on immediate issues;
• Village People - chat group to connect, share photos, event notices, and request information;
• Rooiels Matters - where villagers can debate issues and discuss the pros and cons to help them make informed decisions about the village; and
• ReWild - where nature lovers share numerous photos and information on flora, fauna, and nature in general

To join any of these WhatsApp groups, please fill in the subscription form at: https://forms.office.com/r/n2cUAyhSDk

The official Safety and Security group, Rooi Els Block Watch, is for Rooielsers to alert fellow villagers about incidents. To be added to this group, please send a WhatsApp message to Peter Koning on 0824911463 or Hilgard Muller on 0828988202. Be sure to state your name, surname, and erf number. They require you to also state who recommended you as all members are verified for security purposes.

There are also a number of specialised groups, such as the Ladies group and other volunteer groups that you may hear about through word-of-mouth.

For more information, or to reach out to us, please contact [email protected]

Warm regards,
RERA Exco

Your RERA Committee for 2022 is

• Kay Leresche, Chair
• Andre Roothman, Vice-Chair
• Eldie Brink, Secretary
• Anutha Scholtz, Ward Representative
• Lesley Lundie, Treasurer

We met with the outgoing RERA committee on 30th December and would like to thank them for handing over all the equipment and have agreed on a way forward with any outstanding information.

It was agreed to provide support to Hilgard Muller, Ivan Becker, Fiona Christelis and Wofgang Steinbach, as necessary, for setting up an Independent Outreach Foundation, taking over the financials and the responsibilities initiated at the start of the Covid lockdowns.

The Incoming RERA Committee would like to wish you all the very best for 2022! May it be a year that brings joy and harmony for all.


ROOIELS RATEPAYERS' ASSOCIATION (RERA) EXCO GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR 2022

1. To support the Rooiels Vision;
2. To protect Rooiels from developments that would undermine the natural heritage and character of the village and to enhance social cohesion;
3. To represent the interests of Rooiels on the maintenance and development of infrastructure and ensure that they are serving residents' needs and enhancing the natural capital of Rooiels;
4. Follow up with the Rooiels ratepayers, and the Overstrand Municipality, on the adoption of the Rooiels Conservation Protection Overlay Zone into the Municipal plans and to engage on other Municipal planning and development issues including the Overstrand Integrated Development Plan and other relevant initiatives;
5. To give feedback to all members on issues affecting Rooiels including feedback on Ward and Exco meetings;
6. To ensure that major changes for Rooiels are circulated and discussed with all Rooiels ratepayers and that positions taken, and intended actions, are articulated before they are implemented;
7. To assess and share with Rooiels any proposed developments which may affect biodiversity or the scenic heritage of the KBR core, buffer and transition zones;  and
8. To work with neighbouring villages to promote the preservation and future of this precious legacy.

COMMUNICATION FROM RERA CHAIR
Good day all Rooielsers,
 
When the current RERA Committee was established at the end of 2017 the members of the Committee looked at our role and responsibilities. One of our responsibilities is to comment on legislation taking into account the interests of Rooiels and it’s  peoples in keeping with our Vision. Other principles that we adopted were that of good neighbourliness, communication to ‘make the circle bigger’, bridging different opinions, finding common ground and recognition of people’s rights. The Committee decided that we would try to be as ‘democratic’ as possible to involve all the ratepayers in making decisions. This is a daunting task because there will always be a difference of opinion.   The trick is to find the middle ground of what is in the community interest as opposed to individual freedom.
 
The RERA committee is committed to listen to the views and opinions of all its members.  We see RERA as the collective voice of all its members.  We continuously work to make the circle bigger.   It is a challenging task.
 
The long-awaited amendments to the following Regulations have been published for public comment which is due on 2 December 2019:
 

• Zoning Scheme Regulations gazetted in November 2013
• Overstrand by-laws and Municipal Land Use 2015

• Draft Enviromental Management Overlay Zones Regulations published in September 2016 and
• Draft Heritage Protection Overlay Zone Regulations published 30 September 2016  

 
The Overstrand Municipality has spent considerable time in a process for establishing planning guidelines that will help to protect the environment and the cultural and aesthetic heritage and economic value of the Overstrand.  Links to these documents are provided on the RERA page on the website.  To ensure that Rooiels is able to provide a co-ordinated response, RERA convened a working group that brought together a broad spectrum of views in Rooiels.  The group was further sub-divided into one working on legislative issues, one with more focus on the environment and one on the existing situation in Rooiels.  These groups have been meeting regularly in person and through email and working tirelessly since July. 
Consensus still needs to be reached on certain issues. To this end RERA has decided not to make decisions on certain matters in the Regulations until after the Information Cascade on 16 November 2019.
 
Please provide any comment, feedback and ideas to the RERA Chairperson ([email protected]) before the 13th November for discussion on 16 November. The key documents are attached here and others providing more background are available on the Rooiels website, including the findings of the Existing Situation in Rooiels from the Environment Group, the Proposal for Inclusion in the Buffer Zone, the ideas for Rooiels to become a Research node and Working Drafts of Key Information to be shared with new residents in future.
Should it necessary to vote on any issues and you are unable to attend the meeting kindly appoint a proxy and send them a completed proxy form (see attached).
We hope that most of you will be able to join us on 16th November at Gossip Corner.+

To all Rooie​ls Homeowners/Residents,
​The Rooiels Ratepayers Association (RERA) is proud to announce that we now have a database of most homeowners and residents which will enable the Committee to communicate with you more easily, more regularly  and more inclusively.
 THE OBJECTIVES OF RERA
Working together to retain the unique character of Roo​iels​

• to foster and encourage interaction amongst ratepayers and residents and increase understanding through membership
• to promote, enforce and safeguard the interests and rights of ratepayers and residents
• to monitor municipal policies and affairs and evaluate them according to good local governance
• to liaise with municipal, provincial and national governmental bodies in the interests of ratepayers and residents
• to try to positively influence the Overstrand City Council to adopt policies and decisions acceptable to members
• to conserve the environment, beauty, character and heritage of Rooiels and its surrounds and to work to ensure sensitive planning and development ​​in accordance with and ​in ​keeping with the biodiversity objectives of the Kogelberg Biosphere Buffer Zone into which Rooiels falls
• to promote the maintenance of the beach front and our dunes

Who can join RERA?

• Any owner of property, business or tenant person in Rooiels over the age of 18 is eligible to join
• Your membership will strengthen the organisation and your voice will strengthen RERA’s activities and actions
• RERA provides a forum for your opinions and problems to be heard and responded to and becoming a member will raise the level of community spirit
• RERA needs your subscription to help fund the activities

Who can vote?

• Any member of RERA who is a ratepayer or their authorised representative and whose subscription for the current year has been paid.

RERA is a voluntary association and none of the office bearers receive salaries or stipends.
​
  ROOIELS RATEPAYERS ASSOCIATION (RERA)  COMMITTEE 2018  -   CONTACT DETAILS

Chairperson
Allison Vienings
028 273 8153 or
082 416 3916            
[email protected]

Vice-Chair
Ward 10 Representative      
Hilgard Muller
082 898 8202 
[email protected]

Secretary
Margie Ellis
079 268 0472
[email protected]

Treasurer
Ivan Becker
083 289 9385
[email protected]

Meeting Scribe
Ward 10 Secundus
Veronica Jacobs
083 656 0212
[email protected]

ENVIRONMENT AND ROOIELS CONSERVANCY (REC)  REPRESENTATIVES

John Charalambous
079 336 4639
 [email protected]

Janette Yeats
028 273 8984 or 082 920 5504
[email protected]
 

 
Annual subscription for membership is R150.00. Should members wish to pay for two or three years in advance, they are free to do so. Please contact our Treasurer, Ivan Becker on [email protected] in this regard.
Watch the space
We are planning a workshop in the nearby future to meet and greet each other and discuss current and future RERA projects and activities which are keeping the present Committee busy.
As ever baboon matters will feature prominently. Other RERA activities and projects focus on  burning issues which regularly appear on our agenda.  There is also a pro-active angle to what we do so as to ensure we are a step ahead with regard to nurturing and preserving this unique environment where we live in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.
Within this framework we need constantly to remind ourselves of the RERA Vision, Constitution and Pledge and to gauge and assess your interpretation of these, as well as your wishes for Rooiels.
While the constitution allows for consistency from year to year, it should be interrogated and reaffirmed on a regular basis by RERA stakeholders and roleplayers.
Website
You are encouraged to visit the Rooiels Home page where you will find our Vision, ​Values and Pledge, and our Constitution.
Website address: Rooiels.weebly.com
 
Allison Vienings
RERA Chairperson
Cell: 082 416 3916 Landline: 028 273 8153
 

If you are a member and have not yet paid - please could you make payment and be sure to put your Erf number and name as the reference.
If you have not yet joined -- please consider joining both RERA and REC.  They need your support and participation to keep Rooiels the special place it is.
Please note that RERA has new email addresses:
Chairperson (currently Allison Vienings)  [email protected]
​Treasurer (currently Ivan Becker) [email protected]

Go to the RERA Membership Page

RERA is appealing to all Rooielsers with concerns to contact the Liquor Licence Board and lodge their comments on the application being made for a Liquor Licence to operate a Distillery on one of the the smallholdings along Porter Drive, Skerpioenkraal (the farm where there are several barns and buildings set in the rooikrans trees).  Email [email protected]; [email protected] and [email protected].  Please copy Julia on your email.
See Details in the Document Below which provides information. Anyone who would like more information is asked to contact Julia Aalbers at [email protected] or [email protected]