Welcome new Operations Manager
The UCSI is managed 24/7 by the UCSI VCAT* TrackBox SNIPR Control Room platform which is headed up by Keegan Naidoo. Keegan started working full-time for the UCSI on 1 September 2019 and also takes on the role of managing any priority crimes that are committed in the KZN Midlands. Currently Keegan is assisting Hawks and Crime Intelligence with a murder and farm attack that occurred in our area. Both incidents involve vehicles that came into our uMngeni area. The UCSI also assisted SAPS with another murder and an incident of poaching over the past month. Both of which are now cases closed. * Violent Crime and Technology.

Invest in the holistic safety of your community with the UCSI
If you would like to make a capital donation towards the erection of the next 10 strategic UCSI SNIPR camera mounted gantries, please contact the UCSI on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Keegan on 0630689652. The UCSI would like to have all the access and egress points into our uMngeni Municipal spaces covered before the festive season. Not only will this deflect criminals, but it will also facilitate the successful apprehension of criminals – as has successfully happened during the course of this year so far. Since March 2019 the UCSI has been involved in over 30 successful cases and assisted law enforcement at local and provincial level.

The UCSI is a registered Not-for-Profit Company and is able to issue a Section 18A for all donations made. The UCSI is also BBBEE level 2 and registered with PSIRA. To benefit from the services of the UCSI and ensure sustainability in our community, please affiliate and contribute a monthly membership fee. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get a membership form emailed to you.

The UCSI is making amazing progress in our communities, and as quoted by Captain Sikhakhane who is the Station Commander of Hilton SAPS “We are making magic”.

The UCSI is now also involved in advising a community from the North West Province of South Africa, who heard about what we are doing as a community. They are coming through to meet with the UCSI Board and role-players to see how we have rolled out our project in partnership with our Municipality and Department of Transport as a Best Practice Model.

Business update
The latest businesses to come on-board being: Howick Districts Landowners Association, Fairfield Dairy and Farm, Falcon Equipment, The Voigts Group, J Leslie Smith Attorneys, Rotunda, Fogden Properties, Cowan House, Hilton Rate Payers Association, Hilton Hawks through the HCSI, Wedgewood Nougat, Frosties, Broadacres Estate, Sakabula Estate and Midmar Building Supplies.

Do you want your business to be a part of those leading the way in terms of community Safety Responsibility?

Gantry update
To date twelve (12) UCSI gantries have been installed. There is another gantry in the Curry’s Post area coming on line soon, and then 3 more gantries in Hilton by the end of October 2019.

When these afore-mentioned gantries are erected, it will take the UCSI gantry number to 16 gantries that have been funded by our uMngeni Communities and fall under the Management of the UCSI.

Another 4 gantries are pending and should be feeding through by end of November 2019. On top of this there are an additional 4 privately owned gantries that feed through to the UCSI and then another 11 from surrounding areas also feeding through to the UCSI. In total, by the end of November 2019, the UCSI envisages over 35 gantries feeding through to the UCSI Control Room platform.

Some gantries are awaiting final funding and if we can get the capital (CAPEX) to complete those then that would be awesome. It must be noted that each gantry must have the required monthly operational costs (OPEX) committed to by the community before erection, and these costs are covered though community affiliation / membership contributions.

OPEX is collected on a monthly basis through fee paying community members (business entities and private individuals) and goes towards the payment of:
• SNIPR Fees
• Data Fees
• Tamper Monitoring Fee
• Insurance (Comprehensive) and liability
• Maintenance
• Administration
• Fuel / Cell phone
• Technology / Hardware / Internet
• Stationary / Marketing
• Office rental, lights, water
• Internet
• Staffing
These operational expenses are pivotal to the success of the UCSI in empower Law Enforcement and deterring criminals from our communities.

Urgent attention
Some serious attention needs to be placed on the following areas:
1. R617 / Mpophomeni
2. Midmar exit from N3 going into Howick
3. Merrivale exit from N3 going into Merrivale
4. Merrivale Rural on Cedara Road
5. Howick West
Attention also needs to be placed on the Howick CBD and Howick Falls Precinct. The UCSI is in a position to assist the uMngeni Municipality with the erection and monitoring of 24/7 CCTV cameras in the Howick Falls area.

Interesting Statistics
Some interesting statistical information for the months of August and September 2019. These figures show the number of vehicles that passed under some of the gantries in our areas (note these are bi-directional stats):
• Worldsview (Hilton): 167423 vehicles in August and 116140 vehicles in September.
• Life Hilton Private Hospital (Hilton): 250714 vehicles in August and 239147 vehicles in September.
• Knight Security Solutions (Merrivale): 366249 vehicles in August and 303477 vehicles in September.
• uMngeni Bridge (Howick): 294216 vehicles in August and 354482 vehicles in September.
• Lower Karkloof Road (Howick – Yard 41): 264558 vehicles in August and 219245 vehicles in September.
• Lower Curry’s Post (Eagle Ridge): 69591 vehicles in September.
• Natal Forest Nursery (Tweedie): 204634 vehicles in September.
• Karkloof Club intersection: 52330 vehicles in September.
These are significant figures and with the festive season approaching there are still gaps where gantries need to go up.

The CAPEX funding received goes towards the physical erection of the gantry and the cameras, and is a once off donation, while the OPEX (Operational) funding goes towards the on-going monthly expenses incurred by the UCSI in order the effectively and professionally manage the UCSI SNIPR gantry network.

The UCSI continues to meet with local, Cluster and Provincial Law Enforcement Officials (including Hawks and Crime Intelligence) to ensure that the protocols and procedures followed are professional. The UCSI has also met with the Senior Public Proctors of the Pietermaritzburg and Durban Regional High Courts. The UCSI is working successfully alongside SANRAL, N3TC and Transnet.

The UCSI Board of Directors wishes to thank the uMngeni Municipality for all the support to date. This public-private partnership is proving to be a success and leading the way in active crime fighting in communities. The UCSI is a flagship project that can be considered as paving the way in “best practice” for other Municipal areas.

News supplied by UCSI.

The St Anne’s Diocesan College 1st Netball and Water Polo Teams both won their respective tournaments over the weekend. St Anne’s played in the Midlands Regionals of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls' Fast 5's Netball Tournament in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday, 5 October.

The girls played with great spirit throughout the pool games, overcame Voortrekker 13-7 in the semis to face TWC in a tense final which they managed to just win 6-5.

They will go on to play in the finals of the tournament later this season. In Water Polo, the U14, U16 and U19 teams participated in the Top Schools Water Polo Tournament in Kloof and all teams all progressed through to the finals on Sunday.

The U14s and U16s both claimed silver medals and the U19s won their age group for the second year in a row. Emma Thornton was named U14 Player of Tournament, Anna Thornton-Dibb U19 Player of the Tournament and Josie Dobeyn U19 Goal Keeper of the Tournament.

News supplied by St Anne's Diocesan College.

Laddsworth Grade 2 pupil, Kayla Bisset took part in the annual Ballies and Babes Fishing Competition, which was held in Cape Vidal from 19 to 21 September 2019.
Girls attended the competition with their Dad or Grandad, Kayla was accompanied by her father Greg Bisset.

Kayla won the 5 to 10 year old category with a Shad of 424g and was awarded with a trophy for her efforts.

Kayla Bisset with the Shad she caught

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

Laddsworth Grade 6 pupil, Crystal Viljoen competed at the South African National Gym Games 2019 (SAGF) held in Durban, from 25 to 29 September 2019. She competed in the elective ball, compulsory clubs and ribbon categories and was awarded gold for each apparatus.

Crystal was crowned South African Rhythmic Gymnastics Champion for the Level 10, Under 15 division.

Congratulations Crystal, on this prestigious achievement!

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

Benvie opens throughout the week as well as on the weekends for the period from 21 September to 6 October. The Open Midlands Garden season ticket doesn't apply here.

Benvie - Karkloof

This magnificent garden with its park-like setting was the brainchild of John Geekie – a man who loved trees. He came out from Dundee, in Scotland, to South Africa in 1856. He bought the property in 1883, with the express intention of creating an arboretum and spent the rest of his life realising his dream. The south-east orientation of the garden was ideal for his purpose. Seedlings were brought by ship from all over the world, transported from Durban to Merrivale by train and finally taken to Benvie by ox-wagon. Conifers, cedars Ginkgo biloba, magnolias, grass trees, hydrangeas, azaleas, azalea Mollis and Rhododendrons, were amongst the tree and shrubs planted in this 30-hectare garden. They are still lovingly cared for by his family, some 136 later.

Bring a picnic basket and spend some time in this beautiful garden, and do not forget your binoculars if you are a birder.

The entrance fee is R50 for adults and R30 for pensioners on Thursdays only, children are free.

Directions: From Howick take the Karkloof. Pass the Ambers. Drive for 33 km from Howick (21 km on tar) and at 33 km mark, turn right onto the York/Hanover Road. Travel a further 3 km, down the hill and you will find a Benvie sign on your left; then follow the signs to the Garden.

News supplied by Harcourts Hilton.

KSS Operations staff are on the ball. More suspects were apprehend this week and handed over to SAPS. Alert KSS Officers also noticed and assisted in extinguishing fires on client’s premises.

Fire safety
Almost 99% of all fires are caused by human negligence. They are mostly caused by electrical faults or carelessness. Cigarettes, matches and lighters, candles, heating appliances and open braai fires can all cause fires if not carefully monitored. But it is not only human error that causes fires. Environmental factors such as changing weather patterns and urban spread increase the risk of fires, with the effects and level of damage often being felt more severely.

To prevent the loss of lives and property, everyone needs to be aware of the dangers of fire, especially during fire season this winter. Here are some tips to stay fire safe:

• Always extinguish fires and safely dispose of hot ash, coal and cigarettes.
• Ensure that your electrical appliances are correctly wired.
• Don’t overload power points and switch off appliances when not in use.
• Make sure gas appliances are correctly installed.
• Keep the area around your home and business clear of flammable materials (dry bush, scrub etc…)
• Never leave an open fire unattended (braai, in the fireplace at home, garden refuse etc…)
• Always make sure that you are alert in the kitchen when cooking and don’t leave the stove unattended.
• Talk with all family members about a fire escape plan and practice the plan.
• Clean the lint filter of your tumble dryer each and every time you use it.
• Take extra care when using heaters and electric blankets. Do not leave them on unattended.
• Always work in an open, cleared area when working with power tools.
• Make sure your business fire safety plan is clear and that you have your fire extinguishers serviced regularly.
• Buy a small fire extinguisher from a reputable dealer to keep in your home – note the correct way to use it and ensure that it has not expired.
• Familiarize yourself with emergency numbers in the event of a fire and medical emergency OR call the KSS 24/7 Control Room on 033 3305911.

Remember …. You are Safer with Us!

KSS 24/7 Control Room
The KSS Control Room is manned 24/7 with highly competent staff that are trained to deal with emergency situations. Remember, you can call KSS not only for crime related issues, but also fire, medical, snakes, SAPS assistance etc… We are here to help. All calls made into or out of the KSS Control Room are recorded. Save 033 330 5911 on your speed dial or as a “favourite” on your cell phone.

News supplied by Knight Security Solutions.

Lindiwe brought us her gorgeous Father Christmas bears.

Buy one and pop it into a child's sack or make a colleague smile this Christmas.

R100 each with free delivery in the PMB Howick areas, or we can quote to courier to other areas.

Your R100 helps our knitter earn an income which in turn helps their own children.

News supplied by Care Bears.

Hilton Build It Promotions valid until 6 October 2019;

HEAT-TECH GEYSER 150LT
CLASS B, SABS APPROVED, 600kpa, Eco Friendly, 5 Year Warranty
R2999.90

JOJO WATER TANK 2200LT
10 Year Warranty
Free 20mm Tommy Tap
R1899.90

GARAGE DOORS ROLL UP
2440mm X 2100mm
Buffalo Brown, Green and White
R1599.90

PATIO SLIDING DOOR
1800mm X 2100mm
Bronze or Natural
+ FREE Night Latch and Cylinder Lock
R1899.90

Promos above are all valid until 6 October 2019 at Hilton Village Build It, Quarry Road in Hilton, KZN.

Kindly note that images may differ from products available.

News supplied by Hilton Build It.

Spend R500 or more in-store, complete an entry form and you could be the winner of 1 of 370 fridges for your home! Promotion valid from 24 September - 6 October.

Terms and conditions apply.

News supplied by Hilton Build-It.

Laddsworth Grade 5 classes went on a tour to Baynesfield Eco Camp, in Baynesfield, from 17 to 18 September 2019.

The pupils enjoyed a variety of eco-study activities to learn about the flora and fauna of the area. Highlights of the trip included a 330m zip-line across the dam, a ‘slip ’n slide’, archery practice and an obstacle course. The Grade 5’s were enthralled by a fire-making course, San-dances and enjoyed a shelter-building exercise.

Pictured above Kayleigh Henderson.

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.