The Dullstroom concept has developed over a period of time into a popular tourist destination. Dullstroom will continue to play an instrumental role in distributing the tourist flow in the Highlands Meander Region.
Dullstroom's success clearly demonstrates the benefits of the PPP [public private partnership]. Yes, there were, and probably still are, many problems. However, the challenge is to build upon the success achieved and moves forward the development process.
Dullstroom has the potential to attract an increased flow of tourists. In order to develop this potential, product markets and links must be maintained and expanded upon. Secondly, strong alliances must be formed between all organisations in the village. Thirdly, Branding has an important role to play and market strength must focus on the ability to identify potential tourism products.
Not Belfast, Marchadodorp nor Waterval Boven is likely to become a principal tourist destination. They do however have the potential as distribution points and gateways. Belfast is the commercial area of the Highlands Meander; Waterval Boven is the ideal adventure sport area in Mpumalanga and both has an important roll as a gateway.
Important for Highlands is integration, strategising and positioning Dullstroom as a tourist destination; it can be linked to other towns in the region willing to work with Dullstroom in order to tap into the tourist flow. However, the approach must be to identify the opportunities and take advantage of the strength of the Dullstroom branding.
Based on this, a group of venues (Wickham's Retreat; Dullstroom Inn The Poacher; Peebles Country Retreat; Dunkeld Country Estate; Lakenvlei Forest Lodge; Dullstroom Station) came together and started The Dullstroom Platinum Club, a very unique concept in loyalty programs in South Africa. It is the first town in South Africa to launch a loyalty program for a specific village. The Dullstroom Platinum Club is open to any member of the public to join regardless were such a person stay.
The Dullstroom Platinum Club will be launched early in March 2003 and is designed to add value to the day-to-day running of the Members' domestic lives and at the same time save the members a lot of money.
The Dullstroom Platinum Club will deliver a service ethic that revolves around a positively outstanding service and the performance will be monitored through member satisfaction. The club's services will be available 24/7/365 anywhere in South Africa and the call centre, based in Gauteng.
Potjiekos
competition at Dunkeld Country Estate.
Messy aprons, huge laughs, empty potjiekos pots and basic potjie products
were the Ingredients provided to cook up a storm recently at Dunkeld Country
Estate as part of a team building exercise for the South African National
Blood Service (SANBS) Inland Region.
The thirty-odd group was separated into three teams and provided with
competition guidelines. Enthusiastic team members leapt into action, demonstrating
their latent creativity, as tables were adorned and the smell of potjiekos
filled the air. Four strict judges; Hans Moolman, Daan du Plessis, Jan
Oberholzer and Japie Hlongwa, lent some authority to the event and a winner
was finally declared at the end of a magnificent evening.
Memories of the fun food competition followed the Public Relations Practitioners
(PRP's) to the conference room, as they prepared to discuss matters pertaining
to their division within the Inland Region and also brainstorm ideas for
the various campaigns. The three-day meeting in Dullstroom was the first
of quarterly Public Relations seminars held each year.
Ensuring that there is a sufficient supply of safe blood for the community
is actually quite an involved task. There are twenty-one branches in the
Inland Region of the SANBS and each PRP is responsible for their area
of operation. At this meeting, ideas are discussed and shared with the
group in order to maintain and improve efforts to meet the strategic objectives
of the organisation.
One of the regular topics discussed is the Four-Times Campaign, which
is aimed at encouraging blood donors to give blood four times a year.
This serves to educate potential donors on the importance of sustained
blood donation, and also maintaining a sufficient supply of safe blood.
If you want to become a safe blood donor, you should be over the age of
16, be healthy, weigh over 50kg and lead a sexually safe lifestyle. For
more information on a blood donation clinic near you, contact the following
toll free numbers: 0800 0120322 or 0800 119 031.
WELL
DONE PAFPA!Plator and Area Fire Association received the Weather Trophy for the second year running. Considering Sappi, Mondi, Safcol, etc. competing for this prestigious award one would have to admit it a great achievement for a small organisation like PAFPA to have done this well.
As a merry atmosphere ruled at The Poacher in Dullstroom on 25 January,
Burns Night. A hundred people all dressed up in traditional Scottish attire
pitched up for the occasion.More than half of them were from outside of Dullstroom the programme started with the Piper (Peter Cheney of Light Horse Regiment) piping in the Haggis.
Then John Caruthers from Namibia read the address (a seven verse poem by Robbie Burns) to the Haggis (a special Scottish dish).
This event has become a tradition to The Poacher and every year Robbie Burns' birthday is commemorated on the Saturday night closest to 25 January.
THE SPOTLIGHT ON: DULLSTROOM POST OFFICE
The Dullstroom Residents Association have received complaints and requests
to make service demands regarding the Dullstroom Post Office.
Whilst we are in no way involved we believe it would be helpful to inform
the community of Dullstroom of the relevant facts. When Arbees Super Market
relinquished the postal agency last year, the Dullstroom Chamber of Business
mounted a rescue operation. During this operation Dunkeld Country Estate
offered to host the postal agency at the historical Dullstroom Station.
Due to a lack of funding, commitment and community support the Dullstroom
Chamber of Business could not uphold the services. Consequently Proudly
Dullstroom / Midveld News took over the responsibility of the postal services.
It is a known fact that the postal agency is running at a loss and the
shortfall is subsidised by advertisements in the Proudly Dullstroom Midveld
News Some residents have chosen to support this venture financially to
the tune of fifty rand per month so that they will not have to travel
to Belfast Post Office. We, the Dullstroom Residents Association, support
and recommend this course of action to all box owners. Should this venture
fail each of us will have to collect our mail and stamps in Belfast. Even
the pensioners will have to do the same. Any donation is payable at the
Post Office and a receipt will be issued accordingly.
MTA talks about route road project
The route road project is moving onto the next phase in most of
the regions of Mpumalanga. Last year saw the launch of the Cultural Heartland,
Wild Frontier and Lowveld Legogote, with the publication of their map
books. Five of the seven regions are now launched with their basic route
road audits complete and their map books in circulation. We are going
to have to work hard in the outstanding two regions this year to ensure
that they complete their route road audits and produce map book. This
year the MTA, together with De Leuw
Cather will conduct a workshop for LTO's, RTO's, Information Offices and
Local Municipalities to be trained in updating of the audits and how to
analyse the data to use in development projects and focus areas for the
LTO's. We are hoping that the District Councils will support us in this
regard. We are also going to be conducting the PDC (previously disadvantaged
communities) audits in the Province. In this process we will also be calling
on the District and Local Municipalities for assistance as well as the
Tourism Directorate. These audits will be integrated into the existing
audits and also updated on an annual basis.
The requested funds for the regional route road signs have finally been
approved. It has been a lengthy process but we persevered and achieved.
Through the PTLC Provincial Tourism Liaison Committee) National Roads
Agency, TRAC and Provincial Roads have also granted us approval for displaying
these signs throughout the Province (with all the correct technical detail
which is kindly provided by De Leuw Cather). Our next PTLC meeting was
held on 06 February where these signs and their schedule for manufacturing
will be finalised.
A word of gratitude is extended to the LTO's and Info Offices who are
assisting in the road sign application process. Your assistance is appreciated
and it does speed up the time taken in ensuring that all the required
details are completed. If any of the RTO's or LTO's would like to have
a briefing on the road sign process, please contact Lisa Dunn (013) 752
7001 ext. 620 or ldunn@mta.mpu.gov.za
WETLANDS
DAY AT VERLORENVALLEI
Celebrating the birth of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on 2 February
1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar and helps raise the awareness of the
value of wetlands as key components of our bio-diversity and their benefits
for human well-being. It is appropriate this year to highlight the role
what the sustainable use of wetlands can play in contributing to food
and water security and poverty alleviation.
This year's theme is "No wetlands - No water"and marks the International
Year of Freshwater. The theme is designed to highlight the alarming statistics
brought to the fore during the World Summit on Sustainable Development
which listed 1,1 billion people as living without access to safe fresh
water, 1,7 billion living in water-scarce areas and 1,3 billion living
in extreme poverty.
On Saturday, 1 February, World Wetlands Day was celebrated at the Verloren
Vallei Nature Reserve which has just been registered on the Ramsar List
of Wetlands of International Importance.
There are presently 1235 wetland sites world-wide. Although there are
now 17 Ramsar sites in South Africa, Verloren Vallei is the first in Mpumalanga.
Verloren Vallei was designated partly on the basis of the role of its
wetlands in the hydrological functioning of the upper catchments of two
economically important rivers, the Olifants and the Crocodile. Both of
these rivers flow through the recently established Great
Limpopo Transfrontier Park and into Mozambique, meaning that the Verloren
Vallei wetlands are truly of international importance.
When we celebrate World Water Day, we celebrate services that wetlands
provide people free of charge. Wetlands purify water by removing sediment
and many harmful substances, reduce flood peaks and slowly release the
water during periods of low flow.
Wetlands play a vital role for the rural poor in terms of health, livelihood
and economic growth. Above all, it is the rural poor who are directly
dependent on natural ecosystems for their survival.
Working for Wetlands recognises the role that rehabilitating degraded
wetlands can play in securing our precious water supply and bio-diversity,
and the jobs and skills that can be provided during the rehabilitation
activities. Through labour intensive wetland rehabilitation projects,
supported by poverty relief funding from Treasury, Working for Wetlands
dedicates itself to facilitating the conservation, rehabilitation and
sustainable use of our wetland ecosystems. Working for Wetlands seeks
to optimise opportunities with respect to poverty alleviation, food security
and human health.
With an annual budget of R30 million and the capacity and experience of
the Working for Wetlands programme, Working for Wetlands is returning
degraded ecosystems back into productive natural assets.
November 2002 Edition
