For the first time since its inception, the Aberdeen SAPS Star of the Month award for December was not won by a SAPS member, but by a civilian.

Dennis Grootboom works at the SAPS main offices, as well as the new building, as a cleaner, and takes great pride in his work. The 56 year old man has been working at the SAPS offices since September 2011, and is meticulous and conscientious, keeping both buildings in immaculate condition.

During a recent visit by Provincial officials, they complimented the Aberdeen members on the state of the buildings, which were spotlessly clean.

Grootboom’s hard work and positive attitude have been rewarded by Station Commander Captaain Advocate Qashani, and he was presented with a certificate for being the Star of the Month at a recent ceremony.

The week did not begin well for residents of Aberdeen when on Monday morning communication with the outside world was largely cut off. Due to a Telkom problem, landlines were all down, leading to no internet service for all those relying on the Telkom connection. Just to cap it all, Vodacom service was also unavailable. Those with other cellphone service providers were able to make voice calls and send smses, but Whatsapp messages, even for those with data available, were transmitted erratically.

Initial reports were that there was a break in the cable between Aberdeen and Graaff-Reinet mid morning on Monday. Those with cellphone signal reported the problem to the Telkom fault department by calling 10210, and were assured of notifications on the progress of the fault. Lengthy delays were experienced by those calling later to find out more information.

Soon after 6pm on Monday evening, the landline service was restored, along with the Vodacom signal. However, those wishing to use the internet were still unable to do so, with the sad message of “no internet access available” on countless computer monitors.

Communication between subscribers and Telkom left a lot to be desired. One resident was astounded to receive a call from Telkom on Monday evening, on her landline, with the caller asking in all seriousness “Is your landline working?”!

On Tuesday morning, there was still no internet service available, with no explanation forthcoming from Telkom other than that there was a fault. Shortly after 11am, those affected received an sms from Telkom saying that “Telkom ADSL has been restored” – but hedging their bets by continuing with “Reply to this SMS within 24 hours with “NO” if service is still faulty”. Needless to say, a flood of NO messages were sent!

Just after 4pm, another sms was sent to subscribers from Telkom, advising them that “the network outage in your area has been resolved” – but again, adding the proviso that “should a fault still exist on your service, please call 10210”. Once again, residents took to their phones, some having to wait more than half an hour, and others eventually giving up.

On Wednesday morning, a Telkom employee informed a resident that the initial problem occurred on Monday when a farmer at Brooklyn farm, about 24km from Graaff-Reinet on the Aberdeen road, dug out 11 Telkom poles, damaging the fibre-optic cable with his tractor in the process. There are allegations that this was a malicious act rather than an accident, and a case was opened with the Graaff-Reinet police by Telkom. According to a reliable source who did not want to be named, the farmer had applied for a new phone line about two years ago, but was told that there was no infrastructure available for a new line.

It is understood that when the repair was affected, the ADSL line should also have been operational again. However on Wednesday morning subscribers were still unable to access the internet, and according to a Telkom employee, the fault was at the Aberdeen exchange. Residents are frustrated and angry at the lack of communication from Telkom, and the fact that no efforts seem to have been made on Tuesday to fix the problem at the Aberdeen exchange. When a resident called the Telkom fault line on Wednesday morning to enquire about, he was just told that Telkom are aware of the fault and are working on it.

Eventually the ADSL was restored soon after noon on Wednesday, and residents breathed a collective sigh of relief thankful to once again be connected with the outside world.

No babies were born in Aberdeen Hospital on Christmas Day last year, but one little one made her appearance on New Year’s Day.

Chandre Jackson (24) gave birth to her second child, a little girl, on 1^st January 2018, at 20h56. The little girl, as yet unnamed, weighed in at a healthy 3.21g, and mother and baby are both well.

Three babies were also born on the same day at Midland Hospital in Graaff-Reinet.

The Dutch Reformed Church in Aberdeen, which is claimed to have the tallest spire in South Africa, is a striking landmark in the town much loved by locals and visitors alike.

However, for the best part of 2016, there was a part of it that was NOT “striking”, as for many months the clock in the tower was out of order. Initially it very intermittently displayed the right time, then for a while showed different times on all four faces, and eventually gave up completely, with the hands stuck at five minutes to one. During the intermittent phase, it would occasionally chime correctly, but was also heard to chime 13 times at 4.30pm! Eventually the chiming also stopped, and residents missed the reassuring regularity of the tolling bell.

Dominee Abe Beyers explained that they initially thought that the problem was due to the wrong lubricating oil being used.  The clockwork was thoroughly cleaned but to no avail.  Then a local handyman diagnosed that the bearings were worn out.  This caused some despair, at the thought of the enormous amount of work that would be involved in dismantling the clock, bringing it down from the tower, repairing it and then having to assemble it again up in the tower.

“Fortunately a member of the church, Sieg Nel, remembered the name of Nico van der Merwe –  a former teacher in Aberdeen many years ago, who now owns a clock restoration business in Heidelberg in the Western Cape” explained Ds Beyers.

Van der Merwe was contacted, and he agreed to come and service the clock, and make the necessary adjustments. “On Monday 18th December 2017 we could hear the sound of the clock striking out the time over our beloved little town of Aberdeen” continued a delighted Ds Beyers.

Church member Eugene Rademeyer now attends to the clock regularly, maintaining it according to the detailed instructions given by van der Merwe.

The church is grateful to Hannes Eyssen for his initiative to raise money for the repair, with a collection box in a local café so that members of the community could become involved in the project. Other donations were promised by residents of the town, as the clock is truly of benefit to all.

Local councillor Eldrige Ruiters is calling for awareness for undocumented (those who have never been issued a birth certificate) people over the age of 60, without access to their old age grants of R1600, to come forward.

Not many potential beneficiaries are aware of a section of the SASSA regulations which allows those who have applied for identity documents from the Department of Home Affairs to receive their pensions whilst still waiting for the documents. This regulation makes provision that people should not be denied access to social services, while issues with Home Affairs are being resolved. “We know many in our communities, specifically farm workers and older people without formal education are suffering because of this” said Cllr Ruiters.

To be eligible, the person must have proof that they have applied to Home Affairs for an ID document. This should be taken to the SASSA office, and SASSA will then generate a temporary ID number which will be valid for three months. The applicant then has access to the old age grant for those three months. It is hoped that by then their formal documentation from Home Affairs will have been received, and they can apply for the old age grant in the normal way.

Everyone, especially  those in the farming communities, is asked to pass this information on to their employees, and anyone else they know who is struggling to access their old age grant because of lack of documentation. For clarity and guidance, SASSA champion Jonathan Tarentaal can be contacted on in Graaff-Reinet District or Cllr Ruiters on

Abrie van der Merwe opened Flash Cash loans in Aberdeen in September last year. To reward their loyal clients, a lucky draw was held in December, just in time for Christmas. Seen in the photograph is Veronique Saayman, who won the first prize of a Christmas hamper, with staff member Jane Rademeyer. Angelo Neveling won the second prize of a hotplate.

Well-known Aberdeen teacher George Ngeju retired at the end of last year after 22 years and 10 months at Aberdeen Secondary School.

Ngeju, who celebrated his 60^th birthday last September, started his schooling at Luxolo Intermediate School in Aberdeen, completing his high school education in Queenstown. He worked for in the construction industry for Murray and Roberts for five years before deciding on his vocation as a teacher, and then studied at the Cape College of Education at Fort Beaufort. He obtained a senior primary teaching diploma in 1992, and later studied further during his time at Aberdeen Secondary through the University of Pretoria and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

After qualification, Ngeju did casual work for three years, then was appointed to Aberdeen Secondary in 1995 to teach Life Orientation, which he did until his retirement. He was the school’s treasurer for the last ten years.

He has no plans to leave Aberdeen, and said that he is still “full of energy” and would be very willing to help out at the school as and when needed.

The Class of 2017 matriculants at Aberdeen Secondary School scored a 35.2% pass rate, a disappointing drop from the 47.5% achieved by the 2016 group.

Of the 54 full-time learners in grade 12 last year, 19 passed. One pupil achieved a bachelor pass, enabling her to study a degree course at university, and six qualified to study for a diploma course at a college or university. The remaining 12 earned a higher certificate, enabling them to study at a TVET College (formerly FET college), such as Eastcape Midlands College in Graaff-Reinet. In addition to this, a total of 15 learners have qualified to write the supplementary exams during the course of February and March.

Letitia Mintoor was the top achiever, achieving the school’s only bachelor pass, and also the only distinction, in Afrikaans Second Additional Language. She is hoping to still be able to enrol at a tertiary institution for this year. When asked the secret of her success, Letitia replied that she received a shock when her marks dropped in grade 11, admitting that she did not work as hard as in previous years. From the beginning of her matric year, she was determined to regain her former level, and worked consistently throughout the year, attending every single extra class offered. Those efforts certainly paid off.

All the successful students without exception deserved their good results, and worked very hard to achieve their goals. Most of them are unsure of their future plans at this stage.

Principal Timotheus Webb is very disappointed with the poor pass rate. From the first term last year, the school put into place various intervention programmes, including extra classes after school on a regular basis. Many of the teachers also gave up time in the holidays, giving extra lessons during both the Easter and winter breaks. Not all of the learners took advantage of this extra help, and the teachers’ efforts were frustrated in many cases by the lack of interest shown. Webb is determined to persevere with these interventions, and it is hoped that the Class of 2018 will once again restore the reputation of the school.

Although the results overall from last year’s matrics were not good, Aberdeen is proud of the 19 youngsters who passed, some of whom overcame very difficult circumstances. Their positive attitude and commitment, and the teachers’ efforts, have been rewarded!

There will be some important changes next year at the Aberdeen library. The whole system is being upgraded and computerised, and members will need to reregister to be able to use the facilities. To do this, they need to take along their ID book or card, and proof of residence.

In line with all the libraries in the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality, the opening times will also change. From January, the library will be open from 9am till 5pm, Monday to Friday. It will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The library will no longer close at lunchtime, which will be of particular benefit to the many school children who use the facility, who previously had to wait for the library to reopen at 3pm.

Janaine Pieterse, well known to many in Aberdeen, was thrilled to attend her graduation ceremony in East London recently.

She studied for three years through SANTS Private Higher Education Institution, attending lectures every second weekend in Graaff-Reinet, while still giving one hundred per cent in her post as grade R educator at Aberdeen Full Service School.

With her Grade R Teaching Diploma under her belt, she is now a fully qualified teacher, rather than just a “practitioner”.

Pieterse started teaching at the then Aberdeen Primary School in 2011. Despite having more than 50 children in her grade R class, she has always shown just the right mix of firmness and kindness to give these young children a wonderful start to their school careers. She is also very creative, and is always keen to be involved in any functions at the school.