The Village News

Few know that the pink banners marking Breast Cancer Month had humble beginnings in Graaff-Reinet.

What started as a personal tribute to two women named Pauline has blossomed into a nationwide campaign, spreading hope, raising awareness and providing practical support to cancer communities across South Africa.

Pink Trees for Pauline was founded in 2012 by Carol-Ann van Jaarsveldt after she lost her mother and grandmother, both Pauline, to cancer. In their hometown of Graaff-Reinet, trees along the roads were wrapped in pink fabric as a tribute to the two women – and a symbol of hope for others affected by cancer. Together with breast cancer survivor Adri Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen and educational psychologist Dr Pam Kerr, the non-profit organisation Pink Trees for Pauline was established.

Today, more than 140 towns participate during September and October, using hundreds of metres of pink fabric to transform trees and public spaces and raise awareness.

The organisation’s #doekwithadifference campaign, in partnership with the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), also raises funds to support families caring for palliative patients at home. Money raised helps provide medical equipment and food parcels to needy patients identified by social workers.

Participate by buying pink fabric to decorate trees – or colourful headscarves, bracelets and earrings. The campaign highlights how a simple idea born from personal loss can become a powerful, national expression of remembrance, solidarity and hope.

A pension fund helps employees save enough money while they earn salaries. Their savings provide them with a nest egg to live off when they can no longer work.

Pension funds have become complicated and require a board of trustees to govern them in compliance with the law. Having trustees means you are in safe hands, and that applies to retirement, death, and disability.

What is not obvious is that pension funds promise no particular outcome at retirement. So you save into the fund, and whatever is in the pot is available as a pension on retirement.

In computer circles, people refer to GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). So if you don’t save enough, you won’t have enough to retire on. The onus therefore is on members to take responsibility for the result. Trustees manage the investments and get professional advice so members have simple options to choose from.

Members must watch their pension funds like hawks. If they aren’t accumulating enough, they need to save more.

There are two ways to do this. Increase contributions to the pension fund (new legislative changes have made this possible), or invest in a retirement annuity, which is a private pension fund. Tax-deductible benefits apply when contributing to either or both, and these have increased in recent years.

I am always amazed that people in their late fifties and mid-sixties often haven’t given serious thought to their financial position in retirement. They trust their pension fund to look after them.

All other savings you make are good as long as you hold on to them until retirement. Preservation funds were introduced in 1989 to allow people changing jobs to shift their pension benefits to a safe place so they are not tempted to spend them before retirement.

In 2019, Alexander Forbes announced that 6.19% of pension fund members would be able to retire with financial independence. This is an improvement on the previous figure of 5% in 1977. But in 42 years, there has been little improvement

So individuals need to take their savings into their own hands. To do that with success, regardless of your age, you must learn as much as you can about the products and how they work.

There are good financial advisors around. But unlike in the old cowboy movies, the good guys don’t wear white hats, and the baddies don’t wear black ones. Continuously asking awkward questions is the best way to evaluate your ‘suppliers’.

Resist the easy route – relaxing and accepting that everyone loves you and won’t take advantage. Due diligence is the name of the game.

Most readers will know The Village News changed hands earlier this year.

I take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new owner, share my vision for the newspaper and outline some of the steps we’re taking to make it an even more vibrant, community-centred voice.

What attracted me to The Village News was the value it held for the people it served. For years, it has reflected the stories, achievements and concerns of the people and businesses of the Whale Coast and Overstrand.

That has been made possible by a dedicated local team that knows the area and cares deeply about its community. My role is to support that team, build on its strengths and help the newspaper grow.

One of our priorities is to make it easier for readers to connect with us.

Working with a digital development team, we’ve been building a new website: thevillagenews.co.za, posting our stories online so they’re more accessible and easier to read wherever you are.

The website also offers a direct platform for readers to submit their own news and for local businesses to book advertising online with ease. Over the coming months, we’ll be introducing additional features and new ways to read, engage with, and enjoy The Village News.

The website is now live and open to explore, although it remains a work in progress, so you may encounter the odd glitch along the way. We’d greatly appreciate your help in ironing out any teething problems. If something doesn’t work as it should, or there’s a feature you’d like to see, please let us know at website@thevillagenews.co.za.

We’ll keep you updated as we add the finishing touches and bring the full site online.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to every reader, advertiser and contributor who has helped keep The Village News serving the community. We look forward to hearing more of your stories – and continuing to tell them.

FROM: Henri de Kock

CEO of the Grit Group

The Village News (Pty) Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Grit Group