2008 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
The twelve months under review have been somewhat difficult and trying, but thankfully, we South Africans are not a bunch of sissies. We will always weather the storm despite its ferocity. Currently, the mood and condition barometer is a little confusing to say the least. On the one hand we are told that crime is under control and decreasing; that leaders are leading, and that 2010 will be the springboard year for South Africa! In reality… our economy, whilst being ably managed is in a fragile condition, our country’s governmental and municipal services are not what they should or could be, politicians are leaderless, crime is not yet under control, xenophobia is no longer a word that you look up in the dictionary, and there are long queues for foreign residence permits! Heard this before have you? Of course you have - 1994 - “last one out of Jan Smuts please turn off the lights”…. Well, it didn’t happen then and it won’t happen now!
Yes, there are truths, half truths, lies and distortions everywhere, but there is also a massive amount of good will, good intention and strong desire trying to gain ground. South Africa is a great country. We need to change our attitude with regards to our future, to look at things differently, for sanity’s sake and for the sake of our children’s mindsets. Our kids are becoming extremely vocal about our constant negative and depressing attitudes towards this country and the place in which we live. It has gone so far that the schools are organising outlets for the children’s feelings – at the kids’ request! Come on people – if you’re here, then be here fully! South Africans don’t give up easily. We’re resilient and resourceful, we like who we are, and for the most part, we’re patriotic and proud of it. So let’s show it!
Responsibility, reliability and accountability – none of these are new to us. These are basic tenets of any solid society, and it’s now time again for them to be practised loudly and proudly.
The same is true for Lonehill and the LRA. Yes, we still have a long way to go, and for every step forward we have to recover the two steps backwards that are foisted upon us by the detractors in any society, not to forget of course, those plain and simple free-loaders, those people or residents who have little or no community related responsibility or moral fibre, that are happy to live off and make use of other people’s good will and in this case, hard earned money and solid commitment. Too many people appear to be too happy to use someone else’s effort and resources. They will look the other way and even chastise you, in order not to be bothered or asked to participate in their own well being, in the area in which they live. They should be ashamed of themselves.
It is now becoming common practice in many communities around the world, to enforce participation in community efforts by the resident or would be population, just in order to obtain a residents permit, or to purchase a house and live in that community. Should we be doing this as well? I say yes. It should be a mandatory function of every letting agent, estate agent or landlord in the Greater Lonehill area, to ensure that each resident or potentially new resident or business owner contributes to the security and environment schemes, as well as participating on a ‘when able’ basis in community functions, such as the observers, or clean-up parades, or making their particular skill set available to the holistic community effort.
The time for being polite in this respect has passed. Are you happy to let your neighbour sponge off you? You shouldn’t be. We want our community to sparkle and shine. We want honest, committed people who can be relied upon. We want to know that our neighbours will help us when needed, and will offer their help willingly as true team players, in whatever form they are able to, otherwise they shouldn’t be neighbours or perhaps not even welcome in this community. Our government and municipal officials, looking after the supposed ‘bigger picture’, do not have the time, inclination or resources to take care of our ‘little issues’. My father taught me the expression – “Look after your pennies and the pounds will look after themselves”. So true.
We have to restart by placing importance on the little things. Littering, general tidiness, obeying the traffic laws – yes, they do exist, extending common courtesies, and ensuring peace and safety for our loved ones. Take the time to talk to others, and more importantly, to listen to them.
Lonehill is such a great place for these things to happen. It is a beautiful suburb full of people who use the wide streets, parks and paths for walking, running or cycling pleasure, and they talk up a storm in the process. They’re happy! Just take a look at the everyday photos in the latest Lonehill News magazine. We really do have a great community. The people are generally very willing, once engaged. Often they say we should advertise more, talk more, etc. You, members of this community, are the ones that have to do that – don’t leave it up to someone else, because there is no-one else. You are that someone else.
Your elected Board of Directors of the LRA has done a sterling job during this past year and I applaud and thank them each for their individual contributions. The responsibilities and expectations are enormous, sometimes even scary. The scope of what we still hope and dream to achieve is huge. The dedicated and committed staff of the LRA have been unbelievable. What champions we have here, and you should all be proud of them.
The LRA is not a little two bit operation any longer. It is a demanding and growing business with some very serious responsibilities and targets. There are members of the community who believe that the LRA is overstaffed and under worked, and that what it does should be done solely by volunteers. This is simply not possible nor even feasible, and a few hours spent in the office will open their eyes. I regularly receive calls from other communities, asking us what we do and how we get it right, because they can’t. It all boils down to commitment and management. Without the management structure that we have in place, the LRA and the entire security initiative would collapse in a heap.
During this past year we reviewed our security services and provider. We put together a team of consultants, whose job it was to recreate the security specification for the area, identify the possible organisations that would be able to fulfil the role, call for tenders, evaluate the responses, eliminate to a short list and finally choose a successful company. This process took longer than six months, and was handled with complete transparency and fairness. We re-awarded the contract to Fidelity, and are currently busy implementing many of the new controls. We are very happy to re-assure you that the LRA has the most capable and resilient security services organisation in the country. We may not have the best technology or desired numbers of staff yet, but we are well on the way to achieving this. It does however require the community’s support. The more subscribers we have, the more we will be able to achieve.
Fidelity Lonehill now reports directly into the Bryanston head office, and is backed up and managed by their highly successful and efficient banking division. A brand new control room with state-of-the-art equipment is about to be installed in our Studio Park premises. Some of the new functionality will include video and camera monitoring of booms, streets and perimeter areas. This will include links into licence plate and vehicle recognition systems. We are piloting remote, real time camera and monitoring equipment for our street patrollers. This technology is very new to this industry internationally. We would also like to increase the number of street patrollers in the area from 12 to at least 24, some of these being mobile on scooters, creating a lot more visibility and covering a lot more of our area more often. However, this comes at an additional cost of approximately R100,000-00 per month excluding vehicles, so it may be some time before the increased numbers are seen on the streets. An alternative to this would be to motorise the current patrollers as well as upgrade them.
How are we going to achieve this you ask! We have already begun more active marketing and selling programs, on the part of both the LRA and Fidelity. The LRA recently appointed a dedicated marketing and communications lady. Elmari Dell has taken this role by the horns and certainly has her work cut out for her. Fidelity now has 2 sales people in the area and their sales effort is a high priority project with dedicated and specific areas of focus. Their combined target at this stage is 40 new subscribers each month.
The increased security section activity has also resulted in more technical service calls as well as new installations, or upgrading of existing ones. The administration surrounding this function has also received attention. This aspect alone is one of the main reasons for the success of our operation. It is a personalised approach with understanding, care and attention.
Whilst on the subject of security, now would be a good time to reveal the statistics for the past year. The number of incidents of any form of criminal activity in Lonehill still remains very low when compared to any of the surrounding areas in this policing region. To be more precise, there were 157 incidents in the Greater Lonehill area over the 12 month period under review compared to 1503 in our policing region, which equates to 10% of the region’s crime whilst we occupy roughly 20% of the area and house approximately 16% of the region’s population.
We have established an excellent working relationship with the SAPS units in both Douglasdale and Sandton, with their members now attending our weekly security operations meetings. We have unfortunately not had the same degree of success with the Metro Police, despite one of their most senior staffers living in Lonehill.
Striving for a zero crime statistic in our area is the goal, but it is easier off the tongue than in practice. Nevertheless, our efforts will not cease. Criminals have become far more sophisticated over the last 12 months. For example, they are using up market vehicles such as new Mercedes Benz’s and Volvo’s. They are well dressed, follow the rules of a gated area, and generally attract no suspicion until the moment of the event. On the other hand, due to the number of displaced vagrants and illegal immigrants increasing in certain surrounding areas, there has been a marked increase in unattended or chance housebreakings. The majority of these have been in the Lonehill East area, alongside the spruit which is easily accessible from the old Clay Oven complex, a bone of major contention. Regular raids have been conducted, with many arrests, but without any decrease in the criminal activity. Overall, many arrests were made by our security operatives during this last year, but successful convictions or incarcerations were few due to what is now a standard excuse that the dockets were lost or no shows by complainants at court time.
Our Control Room, aside from being rebuilt, is now being enhanced with the introduction of new guard monitoring systems, using wireless camera and GPS technology. We are very excited about the development as it goes a long way towards resolving the age old problem of keeping the guard awake and motivated. Boom guards will be able to photograph both the vehicle and the driver and other occupants without any extra effort, or the occupants even being aware that a photo has been taken. This photo will appear on a screen in the control room within seconds.
During the last year, many organisations were invited to install their surveillance products for a trial period so that we could accurately assess whether they will work for us or not. To our not unexpected dismay, not one made good on their offer. We have been in contact with many other places that have significant camera installations, and most of them expressed disappointment or dissatisfaction with their products, installation or support. Their costs were all huge. We, touch wood, hope not to make the same mistakes. Camera technology has improved dramatically over the last year. We are looking at installing 3Mp smart low lux units, with robust and highly usable software systems, which will alert the operators to exceptional or suspicious events. The same system will enable us to ensure that available vehicle and reaction resources are placed optimally, to facilitate rapid response times to events. This infrastructure will also allow us to monitor the popular entrance, exit and possible escape paths. As soon as an event occurs, which could be as simple as a person walking through a demarcated zone or crossing a line, we will be able to dispatch a reaction officer or street patroller to that point immediately.
Our Observer group, led by Ros Truelock, has been operational during the year, but unfortunately not to the extent that we would’ve liked. There are a number of volunteers who regularly arrive to do their rounds, providing us with invaluable information from the complexes and guards. It is another one of those vital links that are required in order to have eyes everywhere. Please volunteer your services for this very important function, and thank you Ros for your dedication and effort. We sincerely hope to do better this year.
Another method of increasing our information gathering net, will be to re-establish a Domestic Worker’s Forum. We used to run these morning events once a quarter at the Fire Station, and there will be someone to talk to the members on an interesting topic – learning a new skill, and a security element whereby problems are highlighted and ideas are propagated.
Residents of the Greater Lonehill area, we are orders of magnitude better than anyone else in terms of pro-active security. Despite this, we still have crime, and we are actively looking at ways to reach that magical zero number. To be fair and honest, we often have weeks where no incidents are reported.
Moving onto matters environmental. My congratulations go to Ian Bell, Hans Cochlovius, Doug Black, and their team of gardeners. We’re looking better each day. We purchased a new mean, yellow, grass cutting machine during this year. It has enabled us to cut three times as much in the same time, using only one operator! We are now able to spend more time on other aesthetics around the suburb, all of which translate into better values and area utilisation. The parks and paths are always populated with residents making great use of these facilities. Now, if only we could get the doggy people to pick up their beloved pet’s mess! Please carry a bag and leave the environment in at least as pleasant a condition as you found it. It’s a mindset that we have to learn to embrace. As you walk along and see litter, please pick it up and deposit it into the next bin. We have even ordered a number of new bins to cope with the ever increasing volume of rubbish being left around. Littering is an offence, people, and it is punishable by a hefty fine. Inspectors do monitor this and fines are issued. Our cameras will also assist in this regard. Don’t hesitate to shout at someone who is littering either. If you tolerate that, you’re just as guilty.
We have started to clean up the stream beds and are planning to de-reed and de-silt the bottom two dams just off Concourse. The main dam will also be receiving some attention to retard the constant inflow of sand and silt. Some ad hoc cleaning has occurred on the Lonehill East side, but this is a mammoth task that requires the assistance of City Parks, who as you know, are not readily available, and often just do not have the resources or the budgets. On the positive side, we enjoy a good relationship with them and know that they are grateful for our efforts in looking after our own areas.
A lot of work has been done on the koppie, thanks to Don Perry and his helpers. The invader scrub is slowly being eradicated, allowing the indigenous vegetation to reclaim its rightful place. It’s a wonderful place to visit and take in the scenery and views. Some new benches have been installed, and watering holes have been provided for the resident wildlife.
Unfortunately, all dogs are now permanently banned from the koppie enclosure, due to a number of residents allowing their animals to openly chase and attack the wildlife, and in a few instances, other dogs and even people. Repetitive warnings and fines came to no good, so the final regrettable step of banning dogs from the area was taken
The pumps in our main dam have given up the ghost, again, and we are actively seeking a reliable supplier with relevant expertise for this project. The constant testing and dosing of the water has definitely yielded a good result so far, and we will continue with this line of treatment. A few experts in this field have made their knowledge available to us, and some of their ideas are already being implemented - such as the algae-eating grass raft that you may have noticed floating around. Its claim to fame is a 3m long root which has a high algal attraction and destruction rate. We are still awaiting the results of this test. With the slow down or completion of building projects in the catchment area, we also hope to see more stable levels of water purity and cleanliness going forward.
Furthermore, we are looking at redoing the lighting in the park areas, to replace the old sleeper columns which are now rotting. A number of new durable benches have also been installed around the main dam.
The LRA is in the process of signing up leases with Johannesburg Property (the council’s division that has ownership of the pavements etc) for the main entrance corners, four-way stop corners, Mulbarton Circle and the large park area in Beverley off Mulbarton Drive. These are areas that really need attention and they are part of the beautification project that we have been talking about for some time. It will cost money to complete these projects – hence the EnviroFund and other initiatives, as well as the possibility of a Council grant, so we are ensuring that we have ownership and control of these areas before going ahead with the work. So far all is on track, but the process is not short or easy. We are expecting to receive the final documentation during August.
Potholes…what potholes? Road resurfacing is another focus of attention, but this is dependant upon the availability of funds and equipment from the JRA. We managed to sort out the worst area of Mulbarton Drive, albeit temporarily, and this along with the remainder will be permanently addressed once all construction in the area is complete. The same applies to the Dennis / Cheney Road areas.
Cutting back of high growth foliage areas has commenced and is a mammoth task – often requiring the assistance of City Parks. Removal of the cuttings and debris is always an issue, so to ease this problem we are in the process of acquiring a large trailer, purpose built, to ensure that the rubbish does not lie around for long. It will also be used to take our equipment to cut and maintain the outlying areas. Naturally, the work load is increasing in this department as the demands or expectations rise, so we will be looking at increasing our gardening and cleaning staff complement. One particular area of focus here is the removal of paper and rubbish in the parks, on the roadside and pavements, and now during the summer rain season, the sweeping up of soil, sand and stones in the gutters, streets and intersections. This is a simple task, employing two, three or four casual labourers, but has an enormous benefit in terms of aesthetics, impressions, values, and general ‘feel good’.
Our gardening team has also taken on a few maintenance contracts and is available for more of the same, and we are also talking to a resident about a garden refuse collection and recycling service.
With regard to our Finances and Administration; we have been under the able and eagle-eyed care of Roger McKee and Clive Dryden – two Chartered Accountants who take nothing at face value and leave no paper unturned. The 2008 Annual Financial Statements, prepared in accordance with the new stringent International Financial Reporting Standards, reflect the healthy state of your company. In the current environment of rapidly increasing fuel and food prices, rising interest rates and a CPI, regardless of miscalculation or not, running into double figures, we have managed to hold our head clearly above water, and still produce a decent surplus for infrastructural projects around security and environment. Our office administration staff, being Dorica, Kelley and Elmari, have been through some tough times since Karina Taylor’s departure – highlighting the massive load and responsibility that she actually shouldered whilst in the hot seat. We are extremely thankful and grateful for all the support that Karina provided, and indeed still does, albeit remotely when required. We have come through with flying colours, and are now looking at putting belt and braces in place, engaging with a number of people with the view of putting them into cross-over positions, ensuring that we will never be without the required expertise to deal with the day to day activities and responsibilities of a R16m p.a. operation.
The Board took a decision two years back, not to re-employ a general manager in the short to medium term, as the current Board members would apply themselves to the task. This worked well for the first year. Your Chairman was required to spend an inordinate amount of time attending to the various requirements and responsibilities of the position, in addition to the daily management of the business, and the active management and guidance of the security service provider. This became something way beyond the donation of social responsibility and voluntary time. He did not run or shy away from this, but tabled a workable solution with the board, also discussed openly at one of the public feedback meetings, which enabled him to be reimbursed for his time spent managing the business. It was discussed at two full Board meetings, minuted, and a low hourly rate was agreed to. The position of an Executive Chairman is by no means out of the ordinary and is a functional and practical way to save costs, especially in a small operation, provided that the incumbent is prepared to take on the role, and its attendant responsibilities. This is currently working very well, and after due governance and diligence, monitored by our auditors, there appears to be no good reason to change or modify this modus operandi as long as the incumbent is willing and able, unless the Board decides otherwise. From my part as this Executive Chairman, it is one of the most stressful positions that I have occupied during my career, but is also extremely satisfying in terms of serving a community and achieving results that are appreciated by most. And yes, given your acceptance, I am most willing to continue serving this community.
We have made some significant changes to the Studio Park offices during the last six months. The LRA offices have now moved upstairs from the dungeon into far more pleasant digs. We have a functional and spacious Board Room that can also be hired out to other potential users. Roger and Clive, along with the rest of the Board, also kept an eye on property prices, bond and interest rates, and ensured that your investment is in fine shape, almost bond free, and increasing in value significantly, from a purchase price of R2.2m to a current value of around R4m.
We have unfortunately not been able to stem the tide of increases and inflation, and the ones that affect us most are those to do with our security service. This industry is governed by unionised wage negotiations which take place every three years. It is not a cost that can be absorbed or hidden or ignored – we have to face it. Fidelity, as always, has been challenged to lay their costs on the table for our scrutiny. They have tabled a general increase across the board to all of their clients, of 12.5%. We found ourselves unable to accept this, and have agreed to an increase in their costs to ourselves of 9.25%, which is the statutory labour cost increase for this year. Notice of this will be sent out at this month end. Whilst this does not sit comfortably on anyone’s palate, it is entirely acceptable given our vision of providing and securing a safe and pristine environment for the best value added cost, in which we wish to live. In spite of this increase, our services and product pricing remains close to par for the exceptional deliverable.
Last year I mentioned that we had pushed for an initiative involving the youth of Lonehill, in terms of a Junior LRA Council or Board. Each of the schools were approached on this but unfortunately nothing has yet come of it, although there is renewed interest from Crawford High. We will continue promoting the concept but are reliant upon the schools to promote it and for the youth themselves to take an interest.
The Lonehill Cub and Scout group initiative has garnered some interest, but the stumbling block here is the availability of some property where these worthy activities can be housed. Any ideas on this would be welcome.
Event wise, we are doing just fine. Shelley Miller, who has been helping out on the event management side has done a great job and she has our appreciation and thanks. This and other functions will from now on fall under the marketing and communications person - Elmari Dell. I’m sure that they will make a great team and that the community will be richly rewarded with well planned and run events under Elmari’s guidance. The main reason for holding the functions and activities is for the benefit of the community, to give them pride of ownership and participation, to bring the community together. Although funds are raised at these events, the amounts are small, and they are donated to a worthy charitable institution. This last year, we supported the Witkoppen Clinic by way of providing them with infrastructure to the value of the donation, rather than the cash itself. We are now looking for other deserving charities in our immediate vicinity, and will make a decision on this year’s donations during the next two months. All suggestions are welcome.
The 2008 Fun Run held last week was a great success. Our thanks and appreciation go out to all the sponsors, helpers and participants, particularly Otter Estates for their very generous sponsorship. Last year, we were overwhelmed by an increase of participants from 400 to 700. We ran out of T-shirts and medals. This year we ordered 1000 T-shirts and medals, and yes, you guessed it, we ran out again. Another remarkable increase from 700 to just over 1000 participants! And the interest is still growing. Great fun was had by all. A preliminary net profit of R25800 should be available for infrastructural donations to a worthy cause. For the record and those interested, the cost of this event was R70000.
Earlier this month, a Hijack prevention evening was held in this Crawford School Hall. It was a great success and widely appreciated, to the extent that a repeat will be held later in the year during the summer months.
The Father / Son Camp-Out, an idea long touted by Ian Bell finally came to fruition. This too was a great success with a guarantee of many more to be held in the future. The camaraderie between adult kids and real kids was amazing, and I’m not really sure who had more fun!
The Christmas Carols event held at the end of last year was another very successful occasion. It was a co-operative project with all three Lonehill based churches participating. This year end, we will repeat the event again, but this time will have a lot more audience and children participation, and a lot more carol singing to really get you into the Christmas spirit.
Our annual Fun Day event was slated to happen on 7th September, but sponsorships for this size of event at the moment are extremely hard to find and in fact non-existent. It may just be necessary to replace this event with a crafts / art in the park day, and then run the Fun Day during next year around March. The format of this event also requires rethinking, with a return to the traditional old “village fun festival”.
The Garden Competition has certainly cultivated serious interest from within our community and even from outside, with a tremendously successful introductory event. This year it will be held during October and promises to be a growing and colourful highlight.
In conclusion, I once again thank my colleagues and staff for their hard work and dedication, sometimes in the face of severe adversity, in providing our community with a great service, and sincerely hope that they will continue to do so going forward.
Rob Gillespie
Chairman - 2008
