Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: The African National Congress (ANC) plans to put a system in place that will allow for greater community participation in choosing candidates for the 2011 local government elections. Delivering his annual January 8 statement, which traditionally is the start of the political year, the ruling party President, Jacob Zuma, acknowledged that problems still continue to plague certain municipalities. "We acknowledge that there are problems in certain municipalities which are being attended to. There are also a few councillors in some areas, who are, for various reasons, not performing their tasks in an acceptable manner. We have already removed many such councillors from office already in some areas," he said. Zuma said that the ANC government would continue to address the problems that have plagued local government in recent months, adding that it would ensure that cadres who were ready and willing to provide the diligent, selfless service that the ANC stood for would be... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: According to the ANC Government improving South Africa's education system, broadening access to tertiary education and accelerating efforts to enhance health care, will be some of the key priorities in 2011. Speaking at the ANC's annual January 8 statement in Polokwane on Saturday, the party's President Jacob Zuma, said while marked improvement in the 2010 matric results was proof that the ANC's plans aimed at improving education were on the right track, more efforts would be made in 2011. The ANC would continue to promote its education "non-negotiables" which included that teachers must in school and class on time and that they should teach for at least seven hours a day. "Government must provide textbooks and all materials on the first day of school and provide the necessary support. "Government must improve the infrastructure; including attending to the more than 3000 schools that need to be brought up to basic safety functionality levels by 2014," Zuma added. He... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: I was tempted to title this piece; "The Rise and Rise of the Slumlord" but that might have intimated that the reign of the Port Elizabeth Slumlords was over and that they have made their buildings rise out of neglect to their former glory! It is a sad fact that out various candidate and fully qualified slumlords are still flipping the bird to the citizens of Port Elizabeth and our so called organs of authority. God forbid that they are actually human organs as we would have to resort to radical surgery and extensive chemotheraphy on them in an attempt to reveal some useful area worth saving. Tireless campaigner against building rapists, Terry Herbst, sent a number of quotes that he has been collecting with regards to the Urban Decay within Port Elizabeth, saying; "The following quotes may be useful in the campaign to get owners of historical, protected properties to respect the National Heritage Resources Act No 25 of 1999." What is interesting is that the written word... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Like many other South Africans, I am appalled that thousands of people die on our roads each year, many having been killed by drunken drivers. The situation is unacceptable, as is the hypocrisy that goes with it. Switch on the TV and you are confronted by advert after advert extolling the virtues and pleasures of liquor. On the other hand, adverts highlight the ghastly effects of liquor on families, and we are told not to drink and drive. We need to decide which is more important - saving human lives or profits. I believe the time has arrived for something to be done to change the situation,, and I have formed a small committee to start the ball rolling. We believe the local authority needs to dramatically reduce the opening and closing times of liquor sales, so that, in residential areas, and liquor outlets bordering residential areas, the closing time must be 23h00. If this is done, those who want to will be able to purchase liquor from 10h00 to 23h00. Applications... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Quite simple really - when the talk in the media centre turns to the 'good old days'. Who remembers: The wooden benches at the Duckpond Pavilion, Capacity crowds for domestic competitions, Beer in sealed tins, Portable fires, Skottels, Sunshine, Slagging the fielders, Heckling the batsmen, Not having to call in sick to watch the game, Using the ring pull from beer tins to shoot the rear ends sticking out the wooden benches, Fighting to get your (normal size) bat signed, Batsmen with balls, Bowlers with fire, Fighting to get a spot to play on the field during tea and lunch, Capacity crowds? And all that was for the long form of the game. Then along came TV, Computers, Day night games and now Pro20 which have decimated the crowds watching the longer form of the game. We have literally run away from the slow cricket movement in preference to the shorter form of the game - what a pity. The Warriors are presently going through the motions with the Dolphins at Axxess St... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: From the ADT Security Crime Newsletter we have picked out a couple of interesting crime incidents: Uitenhage police have issued a strong warning to residents saying they need to avoid street corner gambling games. This follows after a number of people have fallen victim to scams where hustlers would trick people to take part in fixed games, scamming them out of their money. Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Priscilla Naidu said "many vulnerable" people had fallen prey to these scammers. "All the games have a predetermined outcome and participants are conned out of money," she said. Naidu said the games had various variations, including three match boxes, three bottle caps or three playing cards. She said there had definitely been an increase in illegal gambling activity since the beginning of the holiday season. 'Policemen' behind robbery in Central Three men, allegedly dressed as police officers and driving a police vehicle, are being sought for their involvement in... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: The new draft of the Financial Services Charter (FSC), gazetted by Department of Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies, has been welcomed by Keith Levenstein, CEO of EconoBEE. The draft of the charter will be up for public comment until the minister issues it as a sector code, which is expected in the next three to four months. Once it has been declared a sector code, the charter will apply to all institutions operating within the financial services industry. This includes banks, insurance companies, brokers and bond originators. Until then, affected companies will continue to use the Codes of Good Practice. The new draft of the Financial Services Charter, gazetted in terms of 9(5) of the B-BBEE Act, is being gazetted in two phases. Phase 1 has only now been gazetted and companies operating in the financial services field can look forward to a detailed scorecard published in phase 2. Levenstein said he welcomed the issuing of the new draft of the charter, because he... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: It was a busy festive season at the South Africa's ports of entry with more than 3.5 million travellers entering and leaving the country. This was an increase of 14 percent in traveller movement compared to the same period 2009, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Fatima Chohan said. According to the country's Movement Control System (MCS), 3 503 416 traveller movements into and out of South Africa were recorded from 1 to 30 December 2010. For the same period in 2009, 3 078 026 movements were recorded. "Traveller volumes from 1 to 30 December 2010 at Maseru Bridge increased from 191 444 to 356 140 (86%), Ficksburg Bridge increased from 194 850 to 345 527 (77%), and Lebombo from 331 509 to 362 751 (19%)." Chohan added. It was particularly busy ahead of the New Year with 110 254 traveller movements recorded on 30 December 2010. This included 21 902 South Africans returning to the country and 18 533 departing. Foreign nationals who entered the country on 30 December totalled 35... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: We all receive spam mails and they have ranged from great long lasting riches to great long lasting appendages. Go on, admit it, you did measure your standing in the world according to how many times you received spam mails offering you millions of illicit dollars from Nigeria and little coffin shaped blue pills guaranteed to make you stand out in any crowd (preferably an intimate crowd of two) for at least 24 hours. For years now I have been relying on venerable old Gmail to place these lovingly crafted pieces of junk mail in my spam folder and I have become used to clicking on the 'Delete all spam messages now' link without even looking at the contents of my spam folder. After all - if the message is really important the sender will rock up unannounced at my home and be treated to a good cup of coffee and conversation. Anyway my illusions of becoming a powerful and rich sex god were shattered with the latest SPAM mail to hit my box and it read: "Were You Given a... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Madcap entertainer Aaron McIlroy is back in Port Elizabeth at the end of January. Fans will remember his comedic shows Sex, Bugs and Rock ‘n Roll; The Revenge of the Pink Panties; Abbamaniacs; My Cousin Brother; The Loser; Defending the Planet; The Stand-up; DOF, and The Golfer. He is also on the big screen as Mr Milton - the off-the-wall father - in the hit local movie "Spud". Aaron Mcilroy looking decidedly PLUCKED! McIlroy will be at The Boardwalk's Vodacom Amphitheatre from January 26 to January 29. Tickets for this limited season of Aaron McIlroy’s Unplucked are R100. Performances start at 8pm. Bookings through Computicket. Submit Your Press Release | Check Your Free Business Listing | Classifieds | Live Chat. - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Ploughing back into the community has become big business for Port Elizabeth company Bukani Print. For the third year running co-owners Alan Taylor and Iqbal Sain are lending their considerable printing expertise to The Herald VW Cycle Tour, which takes place in and around PE on February 5 and 6. The festival of cycling starts with the mountain biking events at Addo on the Saturday and culminates in the 105-kilometre feature race and supporting events at Hobie Beach in the Friendly City on the Sunday. "From our perspective, it is very important to align the company with sporting events," said Taylor. "It appeals to a lot of people and therefore allows us to touch base broadly with our target market." Both Taylor and Sain are actively involved in the sport of road running, which strongly influences their shared business philosophy. "We believe any sportsman needs to put back into sport what he gets out of it." Bukani, formerly PEB Print, was started by Taylor's father... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: The Chevrolet Warriors will play the Nashua Dolphins in a Supersport match at Axxess St George’s starting Thursday 6 January 2011. Selectors have announced the following team: Michael Price, Bevan Bennett, Jon Jon Smuts, Arno Jacobs, Craig Thyssen, Justin Kreusch, Kelly Smuts, Nicky Boje, Andrew Birch, Basheer Walters, Reece Williams and Sinethemba Mjekula. After a dazzling season last year the Warriors are languishing in position 6 (with no-one below them!) on the Supersport log. The Dolphins are one above the Warriors and have 34.72 points - just double the Warriors 17.14. The Dolphins have played 5, won one, lost three and drawn one match. The Warriors have also played 5 matches, lost one and drawn five. In the Supersport games points are allocated as follows: An outright win: 10 points Tie on a double innings: 6 points First innings points: Awarded only for batting and bowling performances in the first 100 overs of each first innings and retained irrespective of... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality will interrupt supply to Marais Township, Sidwell and Young Park this Sunday (between 08:00 and 16:00) to replace transformer, neutral earthing and links at the Cadles Substation. Residents are requested to installations in all premises as live during these hours as there is no guarantee that supply will be off throughout the whole period. Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Contacts (Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch). - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: The challenge is out there, Africa's oldest open water swimming event is just around the corner and has become one of South Africa's must do events. Hundreds of swimmers from around the country will once again descend on Port Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay for the annual SPAR Redhouse River Mile which will take place on Sunday 27th February 2011. Started in 1924, the event celebrates its 87th anniversary and organisers, Zports, have announced that this years event will once again take place at Cannonville on the Sundays River due to shocking water quality results on the Swartkops River. "We are looking forward to another great River Mile, with Sundays River offering an ideal setting for this family event. For the first time in the event's history, due to the overwhelming popularity and growth of the event, we are having to restrict entries for the Men's and Ladies Mile events to 1,000 swimmers and we encourage participants to get their entries in soonest in order to... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Your roundup of Gigs for the week starting Tuesday 4 January to Sunday 9 January 2011. Click HERE for a printable TAKE AWAY version of the Port Elizabeth Gig Guide by Bounce (print this out and stick it on your forehead, on your fridge or over your monitor!) Tuesday: 4th KARAOKE compo JOHN V - Blinking Owl OPEN MIC WITH LINDI - Dagwood's LIVE MUSIC WITH CHARL - Barneys Tavern KARAOKE WITH DORRIS - The Office KARAOKE WITH KAMAL - Captains GLEN WEBSTER - Castro's STUDENT NITE - Escobar LEGACY SOCIAL POKER LEAGUE - Legacy starting 7pm 60 SOMETHING - Potters Place, Jeffrey's Bay Wednesday: 5th ASHLEY ASHINGTON - Dagwood's GLEN WEBSTER - Barneys Tavern HOUSE MUSIC WITH RESIDENT DJ'S - Captains LIVE MUSIC WITH ERIC - Brewmaster LADIES PARTY NITE WITH DJ DUNCAN - Swagger CLUB NITE - Escobar DJ'S PETE LARKIN & BRAD SPINDLER - Castro's BAYFM DJ NIGHT WITH DJ'S JAY & VERNON - Legacy MARIUS VAN DER MERWE - Rover Motorcycle Club KARAOKE NITE - Pig & Whistle, Bathurst VOLT -... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Over seven thousand children were kept safe on Nelson Mandela Bay beaches over the height of the holiday season thanks to the Lost Kids campaign initiated by Go Big Events. Of the 7610 children whose details were taken and recorded on armbands, 91 were lost – and all reunited with their parents, according to Greg Moses of Go Big Events, official organisers of the NMB Summer Season. The rainy and windy weather on New Years weekend did not keep Nelson Mandela Bay visitors and residents off its biggest beaches – as shown by the number of children "tagged" on January 1 and January 2. Over 4760 children under the age of 12 were tagged in the Nelson Mandela Bay Lost Kids campaign over the weekend across the city's busiest beaches. The children were fitted with a bracelet with their names and contact details of their parents or guardians. A record of 2410 children were "tagged" on January 2. "Over the New Year's weekend, the Lost Kids crew located and successfully reunited 64... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: First of all you got rid of that pretty doilly type plaster and put up high walls, then you water your garden daily at 5:30 am in complete defiance of the water restrictions. Every day I walk past your home I hear water running in your pool. One of the other residents in our conclave recently wrote to the newspaper highlighting your and your neighbours complete disregard for the water restrictions. And now to compound matters on New Years eve you let off fireworks (in defiance of municipal bye laws) that arched and exploded over my home, sending our animals into such a frenzy that they actually hid in dustbins dotted around our home. BUT, your greatest sin I have saved to last - your damn, still fizzling rockets, landed in my back garden. All I can say is you can thank your lucky stars for the recent rain. Unlike other people, I do not water my garden or fill my pool and the recent rain soaked foliage in my back garden helped to douse the potential for a large fire... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: 17 December 2010 was a dark and sad day for our household as, on his way home from work in the early hours the Kangaroo lost it on the wet roads, skidded over the middle mannetjie and came to rest against a traffic light amidst slowly subsiding air bags. Much anxious back and forth to Outsurance finally revealed that the repairs to the vehicle would cost R53 500.00 and that Outsurance would rather write it off than repair. As a consequence I am looking for the following: Student Runabout Maximum price R55 000.00 - CASH and ON ROAD - if less that R55k even better And of course - low mileage, good condition and excellent fuel consumption. The last vehicle we got from my mate Gavin Cherry at Seamans Renault for R50k on road. Outsurance valued it at R58.5k, so if we can look at numbers like that then I will be pretty happy. What will you get? Exposure on MyPE (The better the deal then the more the exposure - I am not an unreasonable man! - various media monitoring... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: One of Summerstrand Surf Lifesaving Clubs newest members, 16 year old Patrick Abraham, is the clubs latest hero after rescuing and resuscitating a man who had drowned off Pollok Beach, Port Elizabeth, late on New Years Day. The young hero, who starts grade 10 at Victoria Park High later this month, only passed his senior Surf Lifesaving Award two weeks ago, and he had just completed his fourth voluntary duty for the club on New Years Day. The voluntary club patrols Pollok Beach on weekends and public holidays and peak season duties start at 8am and end at 6pm, but the members stayed on and only signed off at 6.20pm after the Beach Office had consented that they could leave as there were only a handful of bathers still in the water. "I was locking up at 6.30pm, and was the last to leave. As I walked towards the car-park, I saw a man suddenly appear to be in distress alongside Pollok rock. I dropped my gear and ran down and swam out to him. The waves were big and the... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Back in December 2007 I was asked to try and find a charter vessel willing to go and fetch the sailing vessel Delta Dore around 800 nautical miles off of the South Africa coast. Delta Dore had lost their mast and boom whilst sailing in the Barcelona World Race. See: Barcelona World Race Delta Dore Dismasted Near Port Elizabeth. As luck (or unluck!) would have it the owners of Delta Dore eventually decided to rather charter a Cape Town based recovery boat to tow Delta Dore to Cape Town rather than Port Elizabeth. Weighing in on the decision for Cape Town was the fact that Cape Town has an advanced yacht building industry. Port Elizabeth had to wait a whole year before getting a glimpse of another of these around the world racers when in December 2008 Vendee Globe participant, Jean Baptiste Dejeanty put into Port Elizabeth to effect repairs to his 60 foot yacht. See: Solo Racer Dejeanty Reaches Port Elizabeth. At the time a mate of mine told me of his experiences with... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Sometimes a broken window is not really a broken window. The MyPE Daily Newsletter of 31 December 2010 that had the unfortunate task of negotiating the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality e-mail server was blocked for the following reason: Unwanted or Sensitive Content Detected A banned word, phrase or sensitive information was detected. The item has been removed. Context: '[HTML Text]' Content Rule(s): 'Sex (English) > Sex (English)' Your Email has been blocked based on certain rules governing email usage at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The 'offending' article contained in the MyPE Newsletter was this one: Well I Never - 5007 Comments and Counting - if you read the article you will see that it refers to inappropriate pat down techniques by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operators in American Airports and contains reactions from no less an august body than the American Civil Liberties Union - I suppose you could say that the ACLU is the loose... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Volkswagen's quest for a third successive Dakar Rally victory began on Saturday, 1 January 2010 as the 33rd running of the world's longest and toughest motor sport event got underway in Argentina's capital city of Buenos Aires. A total of 407 cars, trucks, bikes and quads started the epic 9 500-km 16-day journey through Argentina and Chile. First among the 139 cars competing to drive off the start podium on the Avenue of 9th July was the diesel-powered Volkswagen Race Touareg of defending champions Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz of Spain with South African team-mates Giniel de Villiers, winner in 2009, and Ralph Pitchford, second in 2009, starting eighth and fourth respectively. De Villiers is again paired with German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz while Pitchford is co-driver to regular teammate Mark Miller of the United States. Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah and German co-driver Timo Gottschalk started second in the fourth factory Volkswagen. All four successfully negotiated... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: As I grew up in the Baviaanskloof, and my parents are still staying there, I can attest that it was always an issue to drive there by car from Patensie because of the deterioration of the road. As a kid this was the only way to get to Port Elizabeth. Even products were transported by trucks on this road otherwise it was a detour of 360 km via Willowmore. Rooihoek was also a halfway stop for all in the community to stretch their legs and have something to eat on the way to and from Port Elizabeth. It was also the only place where we spent our Xmas and New Year, catching bass and eel. All you had to do was to get a permit from the forester for each fishing rod and off you went. I promised myself that once I got a decent bakkie I would take my family to the farm Studtis, in the Baviaanskloof. Recently the day came that I could afford this bakkie and on Sunday 26 December the road trip was on. Everyone, including myself, was anxious to see the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: The Longhair and I married young, very young. So young in fact that I think we broke the law. 28 December this year was the year of our 3rd seven year itch or more conventionally, the momentous occasion of our 21st wedding anniversary. Coming hot on the heels of Christmas and always during the time of 'Slaapstad se Mense se Kuier Tyd', the Longhair and I are ready for a bit of quiet time on our anniversary so we normally slip off to the scene of the initial crime - the Algoa Bay Yacht Club - for a quiet Fanta Brown before deciding which of Port Elizabeth's fine restaurants will be graced with our tired old saggy butts for the evening. Even 21 years ago our wedding was slightly out of the norm as we got married in the in-laws garden, no pomp (that happened later!) and splendour and then toddled off to the Yacht Club for fun in the sun and a bite. In those days the balcony was much smaller - you could sit in your chair, lean back and put your feet up on the railings. I... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: "Our liberty continues to be eroded at home, in the name of safety, whilst the threats from someone coming in from other countries continues." That could be a quote aimed at any country in the world, even South Africa. But, who would have guessed that such a sentiment could be expressed by a resident of the land of the brave and the free? In a knee jerk reaction to the 9/11 attacks the United States Government created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on 19 November 2001. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and responsible for security in all modes of transportation in the United States. On 13 November 2010, a blogger posted an article about his experiences after refusing to be patted down by a TSA Agent's tandard pat down' before boarding an internal flight. Johnny Edge... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: The Eastern Cape has contributed 131 car crashes since the start of the festive season on 1 December 2010 - the third highest number of accidents in the country. According to preliminary statistics from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), 1 149 people have died in 958 car crashes from 1 - 28 December. The most number of crashes, 185, occurred in KwaZulu-Natal, with 169 crashes taking place in Gauteng and 131 in the Eastern Cape. Some of the major factors contributing to the crashes include speeding, tyre failure, fatigue, dangerous overtaking and drinking and driving. Given the number of deaths recorded so far, the RTMC, together with its provincial and municipal partners, has vowed to pull out all the stops to ensure that the New Year's weekend is a safe one for those on the country's roads. Motorists can expect multi-disciplinary roadblocks, roadside checkpoints, roving patrols, roving stop and checks, ghost squad patrols and patrol vehicles equipped with... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Your roundup of Gigs for the week starting Wednesday 29 December 2010 to Sunday 2 January 2011. Click HERE for a printable TAKE AWAY version of the Port Elizabeth Gig Guide by Bounce (print this out and stick it on your forehead, on your fridge or over your monitor!) Wednesday: 29th ASHLEY ASHINGTON - Dagwood's GLEN WEBSTER - Barneys Tavern HOUSE MUSIC WITH RESIDENT DJ'S - Captains LIVE MUSIC WITH ERIC - Brewmaster LADIES PARTY NITE WITH DJ DUNCAN - Swagger CLUB NITE (LADIES NITE FEATURING COVERBOYS INTERNATIONL) - Escobar DJ'S PETE LARKIN & BRAD SPINDLER - Castro's DJ VERNON - Legacy MARIUS VAN DER MERWE - Rover Motorcycle Club KARAOKE NITE - Pig & Whistle, Bathurst VOLT - Blinking Owl LADIES NITE WITH MARK BOTHA - Keg & Swan LIVE MUSIC WITH SIMON - Pitch & Putter KARAOKE WITH KAMAAL - Woods Sports Bar, Bluewater Bay KARAOKE WITH MARIUS - Die Opstal DJ CHRIS - Mam Lounge, 68 Parliament Street KARAOKE WITH BRENDA - The Tab, Port Alfred KARAOKE & OPEN MIC NIGHT - Pulse... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Motorists have been warned to watch their behaviour behind the wheel as reckless driving could see them go into the New Year without their licenses. "We want to remind motorists that in addition to a fine and or imprisonment, the national Road Traffic Act places a duty on courts to suspend or disqualify a driving license for persons found guilty of drinking and driving, reckless and negligent driving and speeding," said Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele. First time offenders could lose their licenses for six months, second timers for at least five years and third time offenders for at least ten years. In November, the Act was amended to include speeding over the prescribed limit (by more than 30km/h within an urban area and more than 40km/h outside an urban area) among the criteria for which motorists could have their licenses suspended and or disqualified. "As we head towards 2011, we are intensifying our road safety strategy as part of South Africa's Make Roads... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: Traveller volumes in all South African ports of entry including air, land and sea ports have increased by 11 percent since the beginning of the festive season. This was revealed by Home Affairs' Movement Control System (MCS), which monitors the movement of South African nationals and visitors in and out of the country. Total traveller movements recorded on the MCS from 1 to 23 December were 2 650 090 (1 794 950 foreigners and 855 140 South Africans) compared to 2 387 613 (foreigners 1 643 134 and 744 479 South Africans) in the same period last year. This represents an increase of 11 percent in traveller volumes in and out of the country. In anticipation of increased traveller volumes in the week ahead and with the aim of ensuring the smooth transit of South African and foreign nationals, the department has also increased its human resource capacity by 198 officials at six key land ports of entry including Beit Bridge, Lebombo, Ficksburg, Maseru, Oshoek and Kopfontein,... - Alan

www.MyPE.co.za: The last few days have been surreal to say the least as I have touched base with ex-clients and employees from more than a decade ago. In my dim and distant past a business that I owned installed, monitored and responded to alarm systems in Port Elizabeth. The security side of the business evolved out of the training of unemployed persons that we did as part of a Department of Labour contract that was in operation from 1984 to 1991. This contract expanded into a familiarity with business people in the townships and their needs and we first developed a simple in house car and alarm system that our trainees assembled and installed themselves as a means of financial empowerment. As the business evolved we identified a gap for a decent alarm and security service to the numerous business owners based in the townships and slowly began plugging that need. I could fill a book of my experiences in the townships - good and bad are remembered rather fondly and yes we did build up... - Alan