Film locations (whether in a studio or on location) are closed sets where the shooting schedule strictly adheres to the call sheet for that day.

It’s not an environment where the cast and crew can’t go to nearby restaurants when they’re hungry, have a leisurely bite, and then return when they’re done.

Time is money, and keeping a couple of hundred film crew members fed swiftly and nutritiously so they can return to the process of making art is demanding work.

Pl Catering is based in Sedgefield, Garden Route, and is owned by Ian Perryman and Dale Engelbrecht.

They are thrilled to have had the opportunity to offer their services to the film industry, with additional productions and upcoming prospects on the horizon.

“Tourism is a passion of mine, and since arriving in the Garden Route in 2005, I quickly learned as a new business owner that foreign holidaymakers disappear during particular times of the year, and you have to start looking for other businesses to keep your doors open,” says Ian Perryman.

“Throughout my early years as a Sedgefield accommodation provider, I was fortunate to meet with a few individuals from the film industry, both local and international.”

They came to the Garden Route to scout for the ideal location and suppliers and to determine what was needed for their upcoming production.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a local film organization in the Garden Route to go to for information?” they’d ask.

In later years, the Garden Route Film Commission came along, and I duly registered as a member to be an accommodation supplier and, more recently, as a catering company. I didn’t really understand the needs of the film industry, but through guidance and support from the GRFC, I have been able to work through film tenders and referrals and secure contracts for catering and as an accommodation provider”, said Ian.

“What a difference these opportunities have made to our small business and others that we support locally.”

In 2021 and 2022, we catered for a crew of over 200 people, filming a reality series for a German film company.

“Just in catering, this created employment for 25 people from the Plett community and dozens more from the rest of the Garden Route in other departments,” said Dale.

They had 7 weeks of hands-on training, learned new skills, and earned a salary.

PL Catering had a local spend in year one of R1,535,000.00 and in year two of R2,320,000.00.

This was shared locally with Garden Route suppliers for food, drinks, packaging, and staffing.

Financially, the following areas benefited:

Plett 38%, Knysna 30%, Sedgefield 12%, and George 9%

The financial impact of such a production in our area is huge and so needed after COVID.

A very grateful Ian Perryman from PL Catering and Pelican Lodge Guesthouse would like to thank the team at the Garden Route Film Commission for continuing to bring awareness to film in the Garden Route area in a way that attracts more prospective production companies to come capture this area on film and support locals.

Patrick Walton, Chairperson of the Garden Route Film Commission, responded, “Film tourism has the potential to generate increased and consistent sales for local tourism businesses providing bespoke services such as overnight accommodation, transport, and catering, and it is critical that the Garden Route industry capitalizes on this opportunity to further drive South African tourism and boost the local economy.” “A thriving film industry benefits the tourism sector tremendously, which ultimately contributes to the growth of the local film industry, economic development, skills development and job creation.” Working alongside of the local Municipalities and Tourism organisations, the GRFC has seen a marked increase in film productions in these areas.” added Walton.

Back Left to Right: Ian, Gavin, Barnaby, Themba
Middle: Siya, Thandi, Brenda, Paula, Carol, Felicia, Deverdine, Sharlene, Dale 
Front:  Nadene, Elna, Sesley

The organization is dependent mainly on sponsors and income generated from fundraising activities.
The next fundraising activity is our annual Golf Day on 27 November 2022.

We will not have been able to succeed if it was not for all the support we received from various sources.
This is why we have decided to initiate an annual donor’s event, where we want to thank and give back to those who have supported us unconditionally during the past year. Although most of the people and organizations who have supported us are known to us, we received contributions that were made anonymously. It is our wish that these individuals /organizations, get in contact with us, should they wish to do so, the reason being that we would like to give thanks to everybody who has made a contribution to our success this year. We also do not negate the support received from the local community, maybe one day not too far in the future, we will be able to invite the entire Sedgefield community to this function.

Please feel free to contact Marietjie at 082 428 0639 or admin@thelivingcornerstone.co.za

“My alarm went off early one Monday morning. Within minutes, two armed response officers were outside my front door to see if everything was ok,” explains Lyn Lapham in her email.

The officers stayed at the property to check that there were no suspects on the property, and a technician later came to test the system. It turns out a strand of her electric fence had broken because of corrosion, and this triggered the alarm.

“Later that same day, I left the house to take my dogs to the beach. I armed the security system before leaving but did not realise I had armed the defective fence as well. By the time I returned from the walk, two officers outside my property told me there had been several alarm signals they received and they wanted to make sure everything was under control. These were the same officers who visited earlier in the day and they again searched my property for me,” says Lapham.

“Keep up the good work!”

“We were delighted to receive this lovely message. I will make sure the message is placed in our officers’ files to show what great work they do for the people of Sedgefield,” says Fidelity ADT’s branch manager for the Garden Route Pieter Meiring. 

• Pictured are the two officers in question, Khayalethu Bokwe and Bandile Smith

These traders currently run their businesses in the Smutsville/Sizamile areas.

According to the traders, they primarily see a spike in business over weekends when they sell braai meat in front of taverns and on street corners.

In view of the information and awareness sessions provided by EHPs, Mr Johan Compion, Manager: Municipal Health and Environmental Services, said: “Ongoing health and hygiene education sessions play an essential role in the practices of food traders”.  He also confirmed the following: “Improper food handling practices, inadequate temperature control and poor food storage practices, as well as improper cleaning of equipment and utensils, cause foodborne illnesses.”

During last week’s session, EHPs focused on the five keys to safer food, compliance issues and incentives for those adhering to food safety standards.

The keys to safer food deal primarily with:

1. Keep clean (dealing mainly with hygiene practises);
2. Separate raw from cooked food (deals mainly with how to handle and keep raw food and cooked food apart to prevent cross contamination);
3. Cook food  thoroughly (deals mainly with the technique of cooking to ensure all the micro organisms  that were in the food are killed);
4. Keep food at safe temperatures (this key focus on safe temperatures of storing cooked or raw food and the importance of not breaking the cold chain and the consequences of not adhering to that); and
5. Use safe water and raw materials (importance of knowing the source of the water you use is safe or not safe, if not, how do you ensure that the water is safe. The raw material you use e.g. meat products, vegetables, etc. are from credible sources meaning they are being checked and authorised to trade.)

Mr Mtetho Sithonga, EHP and one of the presenters of the session, said: “Food safety is about producing, handling, storing and preparing food in such a manner, which prevents infection and contamination of food”. It is especially important to have Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for food in the big production chains as well. “In other words, food safety helps to promote good health by ensuring wholesomeness of food,” said Sithonga.

The crux of the matter is that education sessions promote the importance of public health. While awareness sessions remind food traders about the importance of a “health first” approach – so do inspections and enforcement. These mechanisms require synergy and ongoing collaboration between the public and private sectors to make things work to the standard it was intended to by law. Strict adherence to standards and best practices is required for every food trader, because they are the final point of sale of foodstuffs.

If anyone becomes aware of any suspicious food trading activities, or would like to lodge an anonymous complaint, contact the GRDM Municipal Health Services Department at 044 – 803 1522 or send the details to info@gardenroute.gov.za

Picture caption: Informal Food Traders who received training from EHPs of GRDM, Mr Mtetho Sithonga and Ms Mendy Tyhawana.

NSRI Wilderness medics and WC Government Health EMS responded to the scene where it was found a 22 year old female, from the United States of America (USA), on a student tour, had been rescued from the surf by a fellow male student, from USA, after being caught in rip currents and the female was treated by paramedics for non-fatal drowning symptoms and transorted to hospital in a stable condition by EMS ambulance and she is expected to make a full recovery.

Colleen Durant, General Manager of Visit Knysna said: “we are extremely excited about this new contract to deliver local tourism information of the highest standard on behalf of the community”. The contract is initially for 12 months, and Visit Knysna will ensure the service levels required by the town, and by the municipality, are adhered to.

Fijnbosch Coffee Shop is located at 31 Main Service Road which is in the middle of the business area and an ideal location for foot traffic.

The contract was awarded following a rigorous process.

• Initially, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued for the Sedgefield Tourism Office, and a tender process followed. This was done as we believe it was the most transparent process to follow and in line with the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act that needed to be adhered to.
• Adverts were placed locally and local suppliers particularly were encouraged to apply. Two proposals were received but unfortunately, neither proposal had the relevant compliance documents attached. Further requests were made to the applicants and an extended deadline given, but compliance could not be met.
• In light of this, the evaluation committee stopped the process, and it was decided to change the scope of a smaller and more manageable concept.
• A Request for Quotations (RFQ) was therefore drafted, and the original applicants were encouraged to apply and for transparency, the RFQ was also published on the e-Tender platform. 
• On 27 June, a bid committee made up of senior staff from Wesgro and Visit Knysna convened to review and discuss each of the proposals received. Their task was to:
  • Ensure that the correct information had been submitted in terms of the requirements of the PFMA process
  • Ensure that the requirements of the RFQ were properly understood and could be met by the bidders
  • Review and compare the proposed costs
• The price was calculated according to the 80/20 BEE Level contribution.  The cost aspect was calculated for the full costs, which included the monthly cost for 12 months as well as start-up costs.
• The points for each proposal were calculated and the highest scorer was the proposal submitted by the Fijnbosch Coffee Shop.
• The Committee agreed that not only was the proposal submitted by the local Coffee Shop the most cost-effective, it also showed the best understanding of the requirements of the project and met all of the relevant requirements.
• Fijnbosch Coffee Shop demonstrated that they have the required experience and space to be able to meet the need for the satellite tourism outlet at a very competitive monthly cost.

Durant commented further to say that she is “very happy to have finally reached this point of appointment for a satellite office in Sedgefield.  As we will work closely with the stakeholders in the Sedgefield community, tourism can now be the winner.  Fijnbosch will be an outlet for information on behalf of Visit Knysna and the products in the vicinity, whilst also being a platform for collating statistics.  The staff will be expected to work hand in hand with the main office and we welcome their interaction and support”.

“A Fidelity ADT customer in Hennies Street pressed his panic alarm button after realising that a suspect was busy stealing a bicycle from his yard in the early morning hours of the morning. Our Armed Response Officer Ntobeko Breakfast was dispatched immediately and arrived at the premises within minutes,” says Fidelity ADT’s branch manager for Garden Route, Pieter Meiring.

When he arrived at the address, the officer was given an accurate description of the alleged suspect.

“Officer Breakfast and a colleague started searching the area, and soon found a suspect that matched the description they were given a few blocks away. The officer apprehended the suspect and held him in custody until the local SAPS arrived. The suspect was handed over for arrest and the bicycle returned to its rightful owner,” Meiring added.

Residents of Sedgefield are reminded to refrain from leaving any valuable items in visible areas on their properties.

“Items such as bicycles, toys and garden equipment need to be locked away before going to bed or leaving the premises. Criminals are opportunistic and will take advantage of any chance they get,” says Meiring.

30 Sedgefield households are involved in this project, the purpose of which is to:

1. Reduce landfill waste
2. Introduce Beneficial organisms to the soil.
3. Save Costs
4. It is good for the Environment

Knysna Executive Mayor, Mark Willemse commended the Legal Services department and Ward 1 Councillor Levael Davis for their pursuit and determination to settle this matter.

Willemse explained that the journey the municipality went through in retaining the land was a difficult process. “The Sedgefield cemetery was closed in November 2016 as a result of a High Court Order obtained by New Line Investments (Pty) Ltd, Avieprop Developments (Pty) Ltd and Aviemore Home Owners Association. In July 2017, Council resolved to seek a declaratory order from the High Court confirming ownership of the piece of land.

“ I am happy that this matter has been resolved. Sedgefield residents will soon be able to utilise the burial ground on the land”, Willemse concluded.

Davis said this is a victory for Sedgefield’s residents. “I want to thank the dedicated municipal officials for handling this matter and for bearing with my persistence. Sedgefield residents will benefit hugely, saving on funerals costs, no longer needing to transport their deceased love ones to other areas. It will most certainly also ease the healing process.”

The municipality will inform residents once all processes have been finalised and the new burials can commence.