Calling all Swartlander’s! Support a frontline health care worker. Please donate a care package as a token of our appreciation for their efforts under very challenging circumstances. The number of care packages distributed to the hospitals and clinics in the participating towns will depend on the number of donations received.HOW DOES IT WORK?Put together a self-care package with a special note. Deliver the package to one of these tourism offices: Malmesbury, Riebeek-Kasteel, Moorreesburg, Darling,Yzerfontein and Piketberg.CARE PACKAGE DETAILS• Something for coffee break (cappuccino, 3-in-1 coffee sachets, or biscuits)• Something for energy (energy bar/ drink/ dried fruit/ nuts)• Something for tired hands (hand cream)• A personal note of encouragementThis is a joint project of the Swartland Wine & Olive Route and Swartland Tourism. #SwartlandCares#Swartland /#MeetMeInRiebeekThank you to our media sponsor for this project, Swartland Joernaal .

Indien alles volgens plan verloop, sal die Swartland eersdaags sy eie privaathospitaal hê op Malmesbury.
Dié hospitaal van die Samaritan-groep sal oor 83 beddens beskik.
Daar is ook onlangs aanpassings gemaak, sodat nog ‘n teater tot die planne gevoeg kan word.
Dit lê nou by die Departement van Gesondheid en moet ook nog deur die Swartland Munisipaliteit goedgekeur word.
Die hospitaal se planne sluit vyf teaters, 83 beddens, intensiewe sorgeenheid, hoësorgeenheid, kraam- pediatriese eenheid, dagsaal, neonatale hoësorgeenheid en meer in.
Die Samaritan-groep staan aan die stuur van hospitale, klinieke en versorgingsoorde vir verswakte persone asook diegene met dimensie.
Dit is nog onduidelik wanneer grondwerke sal begin.

Huurder: “Ek gee jou 20 dae kennis om my huurkontrak te beëindig”.
Verhuurder: “Maar die huurkontrak sê jy moet twee kalendermaande kennis gee!”
Mag die huurder dit doen?
Om hierdie regsvraag te beantwoord moet verbruikers bewus wees van die relevante bepalings in die Verbruikersbeskermingswet 68 van 2008, beter bekend as die Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
Die eerste vraag is altyd of CPA op die spesifieke huurkontrak van toepassing is. In meeste gevalle is die CPA van toepassing op huurkontrakte, al verhuur jy net een eiendom. Daar is natuurlik uitsonderings, maar vir die doeleindes van hierdie berig, aanvaar ons dat die CPA wel van toepassing.
Indien die CPA wel van toepassing is, is die tweede vraag of Artikel 14 van die CPA op die spesifieke huurkontrak van toepassing is.
Artikel 14 is slegs van toepassing op vastetermyn huurkontrakte en word uitdruklik uitgesluit wanneer ‘n huurooreenkoms tussen twee regspersone (maatskappy, beslote korporasies, trusts, ens) aangegaan word, ongeag hulle jaarlikse omset. Artikel 14 is dus van toepassing op die meerderheid residensiële huurkontrakte en sommige kommersiële huurkontrakte.
“Maar die huurkontrak sê jy moet minstens twee kalendermaande kennis gee!”
Indien die CPA van toepassing op ‘n huurkontrak is, kan ‘n verhuurder nie uit die bepalings van die CPA kontrakteer nie. Indien die CPA van toeapssing op ‘n huurkontrak is is dit onderhewig aan die relevante bepalings, ongeag of daar ander bepalings in die huurkontrak is.
In terme van Artikel 14(2)(b)(i)(bb) van die CPA mag ‘n huurder sy/haar huurkontrak enige tyd gedurende die huurtermyn en vir enige rede kanselleer met 20 besigheidsdae skriftelike kennis aan die verhuurder. Die skriftelike kennis kan in enige toelaatbare vorm gestuur word, selfs ‘n WhatsApp of SMS-boodskap, maar die inhoud moet duidelik wees.
Huurders moet egter versigtig wees wanneer hulle besluit om ‘n huurkontrak in terme van Artikel 14(2)(b)(i)(bb) van die CPA te kanselleer.
In terme van Artikel 14(3)(a) en (b) van die CPA is ‘n huurder steeds aanspreeklik vir alle huur- en verwante gelde in terme van die huurkontrak en die verhuurder is geregtig om ‘n redelike kansellasie fooi van die huurder te eis op datum waarop die kansellasie in werking tree.
Die redelike kansellasie fooi kan op twee maniere bepaal word.
Die huurder en verhuurder kan met die ondertekening van die huurkontrak ooreenkom op ‘n minimum kansellasie fooi wat dan die redelike kansellasie fooi is of, indien geen voorafgaande ooreenkoms bereik is nie, deur middel van Regulasie 5(2) van die CPA, welke Regulasie ‘n lys faktore bevat om die redelike kansellasie fooi te bepaal. Regulasie 5(3) bepaal egter dat in beide gevalle die redelike kansellasie fooi nooit so hoog mag wees om die huurder sodanig af te skrik dat hy nie sy reg kan uitoefen om die huurkontrak te kanselleer nie.
Wat “te hoog” is hang van elke situasie af en kan nie in hierdie berig met duidelikheid uitgelê word nie.
Dit is dus baie belangrik dat huurders en verhuurders die implikasies verstaan wanneer ‘n besluit geneem word om ‘n huurkontrak in terme van die CPA te kanselleer.
Behoorlike advies deur ‘n prokureur of verhuringsagent is dus van noodsaaklike belang om te verseker dat jou huurkontrak en besluit aan die bepalings van die CPA voldoen.
Hierdie berig is deur William Koch van William Koch Prokureurs saamgestel. Indien jy enige vrae het kan hy gekontak word by 022 125 0610 of stuur ‘n e-pos aan william@kochlaw.co.za.
• Hierdie berig word slegs vir algemene doeleindes gepubliseer en vorm nie regsadvies nie.

An increase can still be seen in the number of COVID-19 cases in the West Coast District, although there are early signs that the province has entered the second wave’s peak. The West Coast District is one of the rural areas where the surge in cases started at a later stage than many other in the province.
We now have 2 741 active cases of COVID-19 compared to 2 725 active cases as on 11 January. Our hospitals and staff continue to be under extreme pressure. In the last seven to 14 days 159 people from this area were hospitalised due to COVID-19.
The District has welcomed a Mobile Testing Unit that was used in the Garden Route District. The Mobile Testing Unit, currently at Malmesbury Community Day Centre (CDC), provides antigen testing. Antigen testing lets healthcare workers determine if the protein that is part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is present. The antigen test results should be available within 30 minutes. If it is positive, you have COVID-19. If the antigen test is negative, you will still need to be tested for COVID-19 by swabbing in the back of your throat.
Dr Anthony Hawkridge, Manager of Medical Services in the Swartland/Bergrivier Subdistricts of Western Cape Government Health says the availability of this service will increase their testing capacity and relieve some of the pressure on the CDC and Swartland Hospital.
“It brings testing closer to those who need it most. It should also allow us to rapidly detect those who are positive and give them appropriate advice regarding isolation. At the moment we advise them to quarantine awaiting a result,” says Hawkridge.
“It may allow us to pick up patients who may need admission earlier than would otherwise have been the case.”
The Western Cape Department of Health is aware of rumours about a large number of COVID-19 positive workers at the Broodkraal farm in the Piketberg area who are apparently not in isolation.
The team monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic locally has confirmed that at 14 January there were eight individuals on the farm with active COVID-19.
Earlier in the pandemic an isolation facility was established on the farm so that employees would not have to leave their community during their time of isolation. Following the rumours our healthcare workers visited the farm on 14 January. “The co-operation from the farm managers are excellent. Just like when you separate yourself from others when you isolate at home, you have to have no contact with people from outside when you are in an isolation facility. You have to complete your ten days to prevent others from getting ill,” says Aletta Haasbroek who leads the COVID-19 monitoring team in the West Coast District.
She wants to reassure the community that the monitoring team responds quickly when someone tests positive. The Department remains in contact with role-players like famers to support them and their employees during this challenging time of the pandemic.
How to quarantine/isolate yourself
If you have COVID-19 symptoms, if you tested positive for COVID-19 or you are awaiting your test results, you should separate yourself from others for 10 days. You can end your time of separation sooner if you receive negative test results. If you were close to someone who had COVID-19 without wearing a mask and for more than 15 minutes, you must also separate yourself from others for 10 days.
“Our monitoring team reports that despite clear guidance from healthcare workers some people who should be in isolation have been seen shopping and moving around in the community. Being in isolation is an important barrier in protecting others from COVID-19. It also gives you the chance to rest and recover. If you cannot safely separate yourself or make alternative arrangements for food and medication, ask your healthcare worker about going to a Quarantine/Isolation facility.”
During your time of quarantine/isolation, you should:
• Stay in a room on your own. If this is not possible, do not share a bed with someone.
• Use your own towel and make sure others don’t use it. Disinfect the surfaces/objects you touched after using the bathroom. Make a mixture of water and bleach (JIK) to use for disinfection.
• Only you should use the plate, fork, knife, cup, etc. that you are using.
• Ask the person who is caring for you to wash your clothes in warm water to disinfect them. The person caring for you should always wear a mask.
• Stay in your room as far as possible and avoid others in your home who are more vulnerable to get very sick if they get COVID-19 (older people and people with chronic conditions).
• Neither you nor others in your home should receive visitors. Everyone in your household must remain home.
Ask friends and family to run errands like buying food and medicine.
• Get as much rest as possible. Keep taking your chronic medication and drink lots of water so that you stay hydrated. If you have a fever, cool yourself by using a damp cloth. You can also use paracetamol like Panado as prescribed.
• If you are concerned that you cannot safely separate yourself from others ask your healthcare worker about the quarantine/isolation facilities in your area. There is no charge for staying at the facilities offered by Western Cape Government Health for quarantine/isolation.
• If you have trouble breathing, have chest pain or if you feel confused or struggle to wake up, you must get help urgently.
Call the ambulance (10177) or call the COVID-19 hotline at 080 928 4102.

Pediater gee raad

Die afgelope jaar was ‘n moeilike jaar en met die inperking is dit asof ouers hulle kinders met nuwe oë beskou. Daar word al hoe meer versoeke gerig vir kinders om op Ritalin of ekwivalente medikasie geplaas te word vir hiperaktiwiteit.
Aandag-tekort-hiperaktiwiteit-steurnis (Attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder, ADHD) is egter meer as net ‘n baie besige kind en benodig ‘n spanbenadering om ‘n diagnose te maak.
Die belangrikste is om te besef wat ADHD nie is nie. Dit sluit in: angs, depressie, leerprobleme en autisme.
Kinders onder 6 jaar oud kan tans nie met ADHD gediagnoseer word nie.
Die DSM-5 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) word gebruik as riglyn vir die diagnose van ADHD en het baie spesifieke kriteria. Die simptome moet in meer as een van die lewensruimtes (bv. skool en tuis) teenwoordig wees.
Dit is ook belangrik om te let daarop dat kinders aandag afleibaar kan wees, maar nie noodwendig hiperaktief nie.
Simptome van ADHD is in twee groepe verdeel (afleibaarheid en hiperaktiwiteit) en sluit die volgende in:
Gee nie noukeurig aandag aan detail nie
Ervaar probleme om volgehoue aandag aan take te gee
Ervaar probleme om take of aktiwiteite te organiseer
Maklik afleibaar deur prikkels uit die omgewing
Vroetel met hande of voete/kriewel in sitplek
Is altyd “aan die gang” of tree op asof “voortgedryf” word
Praat buitengewoon baie
Blaker antwoorde uit voordat vrae behoorlik gestel is
Ervaar probleme om beurt te wag
Baie word gesê oor die medikasie (Ritalin, Concerta, Neucon of Contramyl) en nie alle opinies is vleiend teenoor die medikasie nie.
Die feit is egter dat hierdie medikasie in werklikheid ‘n neurostimulant is, maar dat die uitwerking daarvan kinders laat konsentreer en fokus.
Uiteraard is geen medikasie sonder newe-effekte nie en die potensiaal om neurostimulante te misbruik is baie groot. Dit is juis hieroor dat daar streng beheer en voorskrif riglyne is vir die medikasie.
Die effekte van Ritalin en soortgelyke medikasie is wel gedokumenteer in verskillende studies en sluit die volgende in:
Verbeterde vlakke van konsentrasie
Verhoogde vlakke van aktiwiteit in mense wat nie ADHD het nie, maar verlaagde vlakke van aktiwiteit in mense met ADHD
Aptyt onderdrukking
Toename in asemhalingspoed
Meng in met slaappattroon
Langtermyn gebruik van medikasie kan egter ook aanleiding gee tot:
Verbeterde akademiese prestasie
Verbeterde impulsbeheer
Verbeterde sosiale funksie
Verbeterde selfbeeld
Dit is nie altyd ‘n maklike besluit om ‘n kind op medikasie te begin nie, en daarom word ‘n spanbenadering gevolg. Die span sluit in die arbeidsterapeut, psigoterapeut, opvoedkundige sielkundige, onderwyers, dokter, sowel as die ouers en kinders self.
Dit is ook belangrik om te onthou dat medikasie alleen nie die probleem sal oplos nie, maar dat volgehoue terapie en positiewe ondersteuning die wêreld se verskil kan maak.

• Saamgestel deur Dr Irma Kruger, pediater op Malmesbury. Kontak haar by 060 361 3951 met navrae of jou spruit se afspraak.