YOUR ZONING REALLY IN ORDER? LONG USAGE CANNOT CONDONE ZONING CONTRAVENTION

In the hospitality industry, zoning issues are a real concern. Whether you are running a restaurant, bed and breakfast, hotel or other business from a premise, the property must be zoned for such use. If it is not correctly zoned, then your hard-earned profits will be applied towards penalty payments and the business may be ordered to discontinue activities until (and if) the re-zoning application has been successful. And do not acquiesce in appearance: long usage of premises in contravention of zoning regulations remain unlawful and open to penalty!

This principle was recently confirmed by our Courts in the matter of City of Johannesburg v Ampcor Consulting CC. Ampcor had been using premises contrary to the applicable zoning provisions for quite a while. The premises were situated in an area where the land was zoned for agricultural and residential dwelling use only, but had openly, over some 30 years, been used more and more for business purposes. When the municipality took them to task on the contravention, Ampcor argued that the municipality had waived its rights through its acquiescence and otherwise could not enforce compliance with the zoning provisions because of its undue delay in enforcement. 

The Court rejected these arguments because they were irrelevant in the context of the municipality’s obligations to enforce zoning provisions. The municipality, as a statutory body, is by law obliged to observe and enforce the provisions of zoning schemes that are applicable in its area of jurisdiction. The municipality has no power to act outside these obligations and must observe and enforce the provisions of the zoning scheme. It therefore  has no choice to exercise a discretion in such matters and cannot acquiesce in any contraventions of the scheme. Put differently, the municipality cannot by virtue of acquiescence be prevented from or excused from the performance of its statutory duty.

Therefore check up on your zoning allowances and where necessary, approach a professional at STBB Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyes, via email: info@stbb.co.za to apply for the rezoning of the property, or to apply for consent use, after removing any restrictive conditions that may be applicable.

STBB - Claremont

The Ins and Outs of Detoxification

Kim Hofmann, Dietitian

The holidays have passed and for most of us it is back to the real life…  Which means that it is time to get rid of all the treats that have crept into our diets and go back to a clean eating.  Does that mean we should detox?  Detoxification is the physiological or medical removal of toxins from an organism.  Our bodies do this naturally via the liver, but some people believe that it cannot be done sufficiently and we may need to incorporate a special dietary routine and supplements.

Are we living in a Toxic World?

Toxins are chemicals or poisons that have a harmful effect on the body.  According to Dr Mark Hyman eighty thousand toxic chemicals have been released into our environment since the start of the industrial revolution.  Our bodies process the toxins and eliminate them in the form of sweat, urine and faeces. 

Toxins can come from the air (gasses from car and factory emissions as well as cigarette smoke); water (chlorine, bleach, and ammonia have been reported to be in our drinking water); food (certain food additives, highly processed –specifically white flour, saturated fat and sugar products– or genetically modified foods may contain toxins; gluten and dairy can be a toxin); chemicals (for example pesticides– specifically on non-organic foods– and heavy metals such as mercury and lead); and our bodies (changes in the gut bacteria as well as hormonal and metabolic toxins).  There are even mental, emotional and spiritual toxins.

What do these Toxins do in our Bodies?

If the load of toxins is too high our detox system can become overwhelmed and the excess toxins accumulate in the body.  When there are toxins in our body, the body functions in a suboptimal environment, making it more vulnerable, and this is when we may start developing symptoms and getting sick.  The body burden is the accumulative load of toxicity in the body that may cause inflammatory conditions and illness.  Some of the symptoms of chronic toxicity include fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, skin problems, food cravings or difficulty losing weight. Certain diseases such as dementia, chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmune disease, food allergies and even cancer may also be related to toxicity.  

Do I need to Detox or Live Healthy?

The primary key with detox is to eliminate or minimize your exposure to toxins and to enhance the body’s capacity to detox itself. My suggestion is to always start with clean and healthy living. This in and of itself will improve your health.

You don’t need to do need to fast, take laxatives or have enemas or colonic irrigations to detox your body.  You can detox naturally with healthy foods and lifestyle.

Some of the important points when it comes to healthy living include:

1. Eat clean – choose organic foods as much as possible; choose unprocessed, nutrient dense, whole foods; if you choose processed foods choose ones with a short ingredient list 

2. Eat foods that help the liver to detox – these include colourful fruits and vegetables; try to incorporate 8-10 servings every day; choose cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts), and garlic and onions on a daily basis

3. Avoid white processed foods (white flour, sugar etc.)

4. Drink clean, safe water – filtered if possible; herbal teas are a great way to hydrate too

5. Minimize the use of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and drugs

6. Exercise regularly incorporating cardiovascular, strength and stretch; sweating helps eliminate toxins

7. Relax and sleep at least 8-9 hours every night

Conclusion

In your quest for detoxing yourself from the festivities, the number one attempt is to break free from your unhealthy habits, be that a sugar addiction, overeating, skipping breakfast, snacking just because food is available, eating too much fast food, or drinking too much alcohol. 

Start by going back to basics.  Choose simple, healthy, whole foods and meals and eat regularly (generally every 3-5hours) in the day to keep your blood sugar levels constant.  Drink enough water and find things to do (exercise, hobby) for when you just ‘feel like eating’.  And retrain your body and taste buds to enjoy real foods again. 

You will love the benefits of your simple detox life…

Kim Hofmann, Dietitian - Harfield Village

Choosing a Security Company /Service Provider

Seasons Greeting to all Residents and we wish you a prosperous 2015!

This 2015, Princeton Armed Response remains committed to securing the community, and serving our clients with the professionalism and personalized service they have enjoyed over the years.

In this issue, we have listed some criteria we believe important when changing or choosing a new Armed Response Service Provider:

1. Does your service provider treat you like a valuable client, or just another number?

Service, let alone good service, is hard to come by these days. Especially when it comes to your personal safety, anyone would love to deal with a company who is concerned and compassionate for your well-being.

2. GO THE EXTRA MILE? 

Does your service provider permit their officers to jump over walls?

It is becoming increasingly important for response officers to have access to the perimeter of your home. This can only happen if the officer jumps over your wall, or if you have a 6 foot wall with a 10 string electric fence, then a key-safe will assist with entrance to the property! Statistically, because the properties are so close together in your area, we have a common occurrence of ‘wall jumpers’. These are the criminals that jump from one property to the next. Response officers need to chase these suspects- so your response team needs to be allowed to jump too!

3. What is your provider’s average response time?

When choosing your service provider, response time is the difference between life and death. Many people ask the question, ‘what is your client to vehicle ratio’? This is not a bad question, however the more important question should be, ‘what is your average response time’? A well-managed response company can make a big difference with a small fleet. Average Response times are the best indicator that your service provider is able to provide you with the service you are paying for… SPEEDY RESPONSE!

4. Does your provider regularly train and test their AR/O’s?

Given the nature of an AR/O’s (Armed Response Officer) duty, it is important that they are sent on regular firearm training, and integrity testing. Regulation 21 of the Firearms Act, stipulates that all members are to be tested on a bi-annual basis. This training should involve the following topics:

Safety whilst handling a firearm, Firearm Law, Identifying a Target, and the practical side- target practicing! Regular poly-graphing; although not fool proof; is a good way of keeping your AR/O’s honest!

We hope this article will assist you in the future!

Princeton Adhere to all of the above, with response times averaging under 4 minutes (for accurate stats, you can enquire what the average response time is for your specific area).

Stay Safe this 2015!

Princeton Armed Response - Harfield Village

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS!

Kenilworth Vet

Welcome to 2015 we hope it will be a happy, healthy and prosperous year for us all!

As usual many of us will be making and breaking New Year’s resolutions. Over the last year we have discussed all sorts of issues, so it’s time to recap and make some simple changes that are easy to put into place and will help make 2015 a good year for you and your pet!

Pet Budget

We all feel the pinch after the December and January spending frenzy and the last thing you want is to have a pet emergency. So why not try adding your pet’s expenses into your general budget. There are several easy and relatively inexpensive ways you can do this.

1) Start a Pet fund – whether you throw your R2 coins into an old tin or jar in the kitchen or open a pet savings  account, a few Rands a month stashed away will soon add up and can pay for those booster vaccines , flea treatments or could be a down payment on an unexpected surgery.

2) Pet Insurance – more and more pet owners are investing in pet insurance. There are now three reliable companies each with many different options from emergencies only to comprehensive cover, so you are sure to find something to suit your wallet.

Lose weight – this is probably one of the most common New Year’s resolutions people make but what about your pet? Is he/she carrying too much weight? Many of the illnesses we deal with are a result from obesity, so get with the program by trying to change your pets diet and improve its longevity!

Walk – diet and exercise go hand in hand, so come on you dog owners out there! No more excuses- your dog needs to walk every day if possible , even if it is 15 minutes around the block! Don’t forget it will do you good too! And don’t forget a poo bag or two

      

We have talked all about what to do if you lose your pet but why risk it and don’t waste any more time - get your pet micro chipped!

GET A CHECK UP

Our pets also need the once over every now and again particularly as they begin to age. There are certain problems that may not be obvious such as gum disease, the beginning of kidney malfunction and arthritis but cause your pet distress.

DON’T FORGET!

YOUR VET IS THERE TO HELP AND OUR STAFF ARE ALWAYS HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS!

Kenilworth Vet - Harfield Village