News that matters to the residents of Bluewater Bay and surrounding suburbs
Only 185 new voters registered at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) sites in Bluewater Bay and Swartkops over two days last weekend. However, the exercise did help 500 registered voters change to the correct ward. These voters were mainly new arrivals or...
Bluewater Bay residents voiced their demands for action against the crime last night at a Community Public meeting organised by Ward 60 Councillor, Thembinkosi Mafana. Some residents blamed residents of Wells Estate for the increasing levels of crime, and one resident...
Only 185 new voters registered at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) sites in Bluewater Bay and Swartkops over two days last weekend. However, the exercise did help 500 registered voters change to the correct ward. These voters were mainly new arrivals or...
Comments about the Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club lease not being renewed, made by Nelson Mandela Bay Ward 60 Councillor, Thembinkosi Mafana, last week have attracted widespread condemnation. "It is absolutely ridiculous that Councillor Mafana should make such a...
Bluewater Bay residents voiced their demands for action against the crime last night at a Community Public meeting organised by Ward 60 Councillor, Thembinkosi Mafana. Some residents blamed residents of Wells Estate for the increasing levels of crime, and one resident...
Nelson Mandela Bay Ward 60 Councillor, Thembinkosi Mafana, ducked the issue on the vandalised ablution block on the Bluewater Bay main swimming beach last night. At a Community Public meeting in Bluewater Bay last night, it was pointed out to Mafuna that the beach is...
Nelson Mandela Bay Ward 60 Councillor, Thembinkosi Mafana, says the Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club will not have its lease renewed and that he will also be looking at the St Croix Sea Scouts Hall in Tipper's Creek and the Bluewater Bay Tennis Club in Riverside...
Godfrey Kariem says Tipper's Creek had him gasping for air as he pushed on shuffling, walking and praying to get to the top of the hill during last year's 15km road race in Bluewater Bay. But he is doing it all again this Saturday morning. Now 83, Godfrey recalls how...
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) says it is doing all in its power to get a new lease agreed with Enoch Mgijima Municipality for the operations of its Queenstown affiliate. Jacques Peacock, Public Relations and Legal Liaison...
The circumstances that security guards at the Aloes Substation were expected to work under were totally unacceptable. That was until members of Amsterdamhoek Steet Committee decided to take action. There were no toilets for the guards to use during their long...
Over the past 10 years, Janette and Brian Wood have dedicated their lives to helping poor residents of Wells Estate sterilise their dogs and cats. Operating as a non-profit making organisation, Izinja, the couple have assisted with the sterilisation of nearly 1.6k...
`A video highlighting the plight of more than 50 dogs and cats at the SPCA in Komani (formerly Queenstown) has amassed more than 100,000 views since it was posted on social media on Thursday last week. The video, produced by former AlgoaFM icon, Daron Mann, has...
The DA has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to commission an independent audit of all social grant recipient databases as a matter of urgency. The purpose of the audit will be to review the integrity of the data, weed out undeserving recipients, and institute...
DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Veronica van Dyk, has slammed the decision by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to strip the captaincy of South Africa's Under-19 cricket team from David Teeger just a week before the World Cup, Van Dyk says the decision...
Freedom Front Plus Leader, Dr Pieter Groenewald, says 357 firearms which were kept as evidence in police storerooms countrywide have been stolen in the past four years. In a media statement, Dr Groenewald notes only six private persons have been arrested in connection...
The Chair of Chairs of the Eastern Cape Legislative Assembly, Tony Duba, called for an urgent plan to deal with the manganese pollution problem in Gqeberha at a meeting held in Bluewater Bay on Wednesday. The meeting was arranged by Nelson Mandela Bay ANC Ward 59...
An employee of a well-known Bluewater Bay business was robbed at gunpoint at the traffic lights in Hillcrest Drive this morning. The robber got away with her mobile phone. She was treated for shock when she arrived at work. The employee was then taken to SAPS...
A young man from Motherwell is lucky to be alive after crashing his car off the N2 Highway into the Swartkops River in Bluewater Bay early this morning. Atlas Security raised the alarm after the accident took place around 01h30. Emergency Services were notified. ...
It is likely President Cyril Ramaphosa will announce the date of the 2024 National Election by the end of next month. The election is expected to yield the closest result since the dawn of democracy in 1994. David Bamber, Editor of the Bluewater Bay Echo, speculates...
Rain may have the final say in the use of fireworks to celebrate our entry into 2024. Weather forecasts point to a wet Sunday evening from 20h00 through until well after midnight. This will come as good news to many pet owners. Every year there are reports of animals...
Infants and children are the most vulnerable members of society when it comes to drinking water with high levels of manganese, even if only for a short time. Health Canada says formula-fed infants may be especially at risk if the water used to prepare the formula...
SAPS Swartkops and Metro Police will be out in force to act against drunken driving and unruly behaviour on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Captain Madikizele, SAPS Swartkops Head of Visible Policing said: "We were part of the operations on 25th and 26th December...
Bluewater Bay's main swimming beach parking area is being covered in sea sand. This is mainly due to a misplaced artificial sand dune. The sand has even spread to the main entrance to the beach. With the westerly being the prevailing wind, logic dictated that the dune...
Good planning and Mother Nature combined to ensure that Bluewater Bay beachgoers and lifeguards had a trouble-free Boxing Day. A cool day and chilly breeze resulted in numbers going down to the beach being substantially lower than anticipated. Following the chaos...
SAPS, Metro Police, and other role players in safety and security were out in force today, in a massive show of force. This included roadblocks where motor vehicles were searched, and car and driver's licences checked. Stop and search activities were also in place for...
Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club has electronically published a number of tips aimed at keeping you safe when you visit the beach. These tips come from the Lifesaving South Africa's Water Smart programme, and have been adapted for mobile phone access.
Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club lifeguards and Neighbourhood Watch members may soon have increased powers to hand out fines to perpetrators of unruly behaviour in our suburb and on our beach. This emerged at a meeting of the two community groups with the MMC Safety...
Bluewater Bay Surf Living Club volunteers had their hands full on Sunday 17 December as they battled to deal with large crowds and unruly visitors. Beachgoers parked badly in the parking lot, drank alcohol and urinated behind the public ablution block which is...
An evening show of force that included Bluewater Neighbourhood Watch, took place along the beachfront in Nelson Mandela Bay on Saturday evening, 16 December 2013. Bluewater Bay was represented by Nolan Mathura, Jane Jardene, Johnny Cable and (CPF) and Craig Hendricks...
Gary, the blind cat that went missing yesterday, is back home safe and sound. Gary showed up unharmed but rather disorientated at the front door of his home this morning. His owner says she and her husband had searched all over for him but now she is "just glad he is...
Bluewater Bay residents on the river side of Weinronk Way, in Bluewater Drive, Sara Avenue and Jocelyn Road are requested to keep a look out for Gary, a blind cat, that has gone missing from his home in Sara Avenue. Gary is white and ginger coloured and is wearing a...
Mother Christmas was dressed in her off-duty clothes. Instead of elves, she was accompanied by her granddaughter, to assist with handing out gifts to the children of Matthews Ground in Grahamstown Road. This has been an annual event for Lilian Mari Slabbert. Lilian...
The municipality and ward councillors have been inundated - and sometimes even abused - because of overgrown and unkept vacant stands in Bluewater Bay. Nelson Mandela Bay Ward 60 Cllr Thembinkosi Mafana said the municipality was frequently criticised for the state of...
With a rendition of Hark the Herald Angels Sing, 75 carol singers began their walk along Amsterdamhoek Road last night, stopping in front of houses and shaking collection tins to raise money for the Children's Feeding Trust. A jubilant Carols by Candlelight orgainser,...
Nelson Mandela Bay Ward 59 Councillor, Bulelani Matenjwa, will oppose a new manganese depot in Grahamstown Road planned by Markman-based logistics company, Miltrans. In an exclusive interview with the Echo, Matenjwa said he was flabbergasted that the company was even...
Please note that the meeting time for residents at the Carols by Candlelight under the N2 bridge in Amsterdamhoek Road is 19h30, and not 18h00 as previously reported. As it is starting to get dark by that time, attendees must remember to bring torches so that they are...
Nearly R1,000 was raised for the Children's Feeding Trust during the Carols by Candlelight that took place in Redhouse last night. A delighted Jenny Rump, Conservation Officer of Zwartkops Conservancy who organised the event, said about 45 people, including three...
The first of the two Carols by Candlelight events organised by Jenny Rump of the Zwartkops Conservancy took place in Redhouse tonight (Monday 11 December 2023). Carol singers met at the ZRC at 18h00 and made their way along the Tow Path on the banks of the Swartkops...
Zwartkops Conservancy has organised two Carols by Candlelight events that will take place in Redhouse and Bluewater Bay on Monday and Wednesday respectively this week. Members of the public are invited to join in to sing along and help get the Christmas spirit going!...
Four armed robbers hit Pep Stores in Bluewater Bay's N2 Shopping Centre at 11h25 today and walked out with thousands of rands worth of cellphones. A person, who did not want to be named. told the Echo an alert customer of the shop followed the robbers and took...
At least one burglary and one attempted break-in occurred in Bluewater Bay in the early hours today. In the first incident, a television was stolen from the Sinclair home in Maureen Circle. Jenny Sinclair says the thief, or thieves, were very quiet and the first the...
A father and son surf ski doubles team who currently live in New Zealand, Peter and Brydon Storey, agree that the first leg of the PE2EL Surf Ski Challenge from Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) to East London is the toughest surf ski event that they have...
The beach next to the Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club was a hive of activity early this morning as 63 paddlers and their back-up crews arrived for the start of the Carbonology PE2EL Surf Ski Challenge. A few local residents saw the solo and doubles race get...
Following forecasts of weather, ocean and wind conditions, the organisers of the Carbonology Sport PE2EL Surf Ski Challenge have amended the starting time of the event from 4am to 5am tomorrow (Wednesday 6 December 2023).
Sixty male and three female surf ski paddlers will set off from Bluewater Bay at 4am tomorrow on their first leg of the four-day, energy-sapping PE2EL Surf Ski Challenge. This is the 50th anniversary of the event which is considered to be the toughest surf ski...
Bluewater Bay Tennis Club hosted their annual Christmas tournament this past weekend. It consisted of round robin games so that there were no winners or losers - only Christmas cheer. A secret Santa shared out gifts among the members and a good time was had by all....
The Nipper section of the Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club produced the most successful Santa Coming Down the River events in decades despite having limited time to put it all together. The main organiser Pieter Zeeman, was elected Nipper Chairman in August this...
The owner of the Bay Superette, known to many in the community merely as Russel, has been robbed at gunpoint on five occasions since 2021 and even shot in the face and arm, insists that he is in Bluewater Bay to stay! By nature, Russel is a shy man and is averse to...
Bluewater Bay residents, Ray and Karen Marsh, who live in Maureen Circle were victims of a break-in at around 02h30 this morning. Ray is appealing to residents living in Maureen Circle between Barbara Avenue and Clive Ave, Clive Avenue and Cockscomb and even...
The woman that was kidnapped in a hijacking drama on the N2 near Bluewater Bay after leaving a house in Amsterdamhoek has been found safe but traumatised. At this stage it is not yet known whether there have been any arrests or whether her motor vehicle has been...
The normally tranquil Amsterdamhoek Road was a hive of activity this morning as investigations into a hijacking that took place at around 8 o'clock this morning got underway. The Echo understands that a woman, who had been visiting local residents in Amsterdamhoek...
There was a rush at the Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club yesterday as dozens of parents brought in gifts for the Santa Coming Down the River event that takes place this Sunday from 11h00. Santa's elves were already hard at work as they started to decorate the hall...
FF Plus MP and chief spokesperson on Mineral Resources and Energy, Dr Wynand Boshoff, has slammed Eskom for not being honest about the increased levels of load shedding around the country. In a media statement, Dr Boshoff says stage 6 load shedding was announced over...
Go Granny, Go Grany, Go Granny Go! No, it is not the Little Old Lady from Pasadena - the speedster is Bluewater Bay Granny, Cathy Whittle who participated in a stock car race at Greenbushes last weekend. Cathy moved to Bluewater Bay two years ago following the death...
The St Croix Sea Scouts have installed a litter bin on the open property on which the outdoor gym in Claude Crescent is located. Troop Scouter, Norman (Skip) Visser, says the Scouts identified the need for a bin earlier in the year during their "Litter Less Campaign",...
South African voters will face a bewildering number of choices when they vote in the National Elections next year with a whopping 354 parties already registered with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). In answers to written questions put to the IEC by the...
The Bluewater Bay Echo is in the process of applying for registration with the Press Council of South Africa and to Print and Digital Media SA for proper Press accreditation. This will ensure that we have to abide by the rules and regulations regarding fair and honest...
In our post yesterday we reported that a Visible Policing motorcade around Bluewater Bay by CPF, Swartkops SAPS and other role players was due to take place on 18 November (today) - this is incorrect. The motorcade will take place next Saturday 25 November. The Echo...
There are now only two weeks left for residents with kids to join the Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club's 'Santa Coming Down the River' event that takes place on 3 December. This event is always loved by the kids who meet Santa on the banks of the Swartkops River as...
Parents that have not yet booked places for their children to be enrolled at the Bluewater Bay Primary School better do so quickly! That is the message from school Principal, Mr Louis Venter, who said all Grade R places are already fully booked whilst there are only...
As we head towards the festive season, the Community Police Forum (CPF) has called on residents of Bluewater Bay and Amsterdamhoek to establish Street Committees to help them become proactive against crime. SAPS and Neighbourhood Watch try to undertake regular patrols...
Bluewater Bay Neighbourhood Watch/iPatrol has warned of two hotspots where gardeners and domestic workers are targeted - under the N2 Bridge in Weinronk and along Amsterdamhoek Road towards the Grahamstown Road end. Craig Hendricks, chairman of the community service...
Four men arrested for the alleged vandalism and theft carried out at the Aloes Electrical Substation during September 2023 were remanded in custody at a Court appearance in Gqeberha last month. The damage to the substation caused numerous electrical power cuts....
By David Bamber, Editor The Democratic Alliance (DA) and Action SA (ACTSA) say they are keeping an eye open for any "gerrymandering" ahead of the National and Provincial Elections that will take place between mid-May and mid-August next year. Gerrymandering occurs...
Local Springbok supporters were out in force at the Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club, Woods Sports Bar and private gatherings with friends at home to cheer on their team in the final of the Rugby World Cup that took place on 29 October 2023. Many watched on...
The installation of surveillance cameras in Bluewater Bay have led to arrests of criminals but can also result in crime prevention if residents play their part. BWB Neighbourhood Watch/iPatrol chairman, Craig Hendricks, explained that information on vehicles carrying...
Two Bluewater Bay lifeguards, Pierre van der Merwe and Jaco Kruger, and a wildlife conservation officer, Jody Africa, a past student at Muir College in Uitenhage, have been nominated for Lifesaving South Africa Bravery Awards following an incident that took place...
The success of the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup in France helped to lift the turnover of the Lochners Biltong Deli in the N2 City Shopping Centre in Bluewater Bay! Nathalie Moolman, owner of the franchise, says there was a definite rise in turnover of the...
A massive clean-up of pollution took place in our area on 14 October 2023 when members of the ZC Buhlebendalo Enviro Club (BEC), 10 teachers, parents, Zwartkops Conservancy (ZC), staff and their organisation's members, collected a whopping 294 bags of rubbish from the...
Growing numbers of young people are signing up to join the St Croix Sea Scouts in Bluewater Bay. The scout “pack” was nearly wiped out during the covid pandemic when bans on gatherings and fear of becoming infected by the virus, resulted in only three scouts remaining...
A rowing team consisting of three ladies from Bluewater Bay and one from Redhouse came away with two third places at the World Masters Rowing Championship that took place in Pretoria last month. Bluewater Bay ladies, Kayla Greyling and Jacky Brunette took third place...
The Bluewater Bay Surf Lifesaving Club is promising that the annual “Santa Coming Down the River” will be the best in decades, Club Supporter Chairperson, Delicia Billson, says preparations are well underway to ensure that families that take part in the 2023 event...
After almost a decade since it was last published, the Bluewater Chronicle is making a comeback - but this time under the title Bluewater Bay Echo - and as an online publication that can be accessed via PCs, laptops and mobile phones. Production and printing costs,...
Our success will depend largely on the input of the community. So, if you have any news that you think worthy of sharing with the community, please forward your suggestion to: The Editor via email: editor@bwbecho.co.za or WhatsApp 082 341 8068