Urgent Matter - Complaint from Landowner in Wilderness
Cobus Potgieter
Hi All,
Below a message from Wayne Heuer – SAHPA Chairman – requesting that it be distributed throughout the Garden Route Paragliding Community, and then for some urgent actions to be implemented. Please also view the attachment hereto, as it was received from Wayne.
Herewith then the mail, the remainder of message follows after the end of it:
From: Pierre [mailto:pie...@raasa.co.za]
Sent: 29 July 2011 15:26
To: wa...@sowell.co.za; khobi....@cloudbase-paragliding.com; ant...@aerialphoto.co.za; 'Sahpa'
Cc: k...@aeroclub.org.za; 'Neil de Lange'
Subject: 1802135_0113254589_859386_diva100.pdf
To The SAHPA Committee.
Please see the lawyers letter of complaint attached as submitted to the Director of the SACAA and RAASA.
Kindly submit in writing an explanation of the conduct and activities at the mentioned paragliding club/launch site to RAASA within seven days from receipt hereof.
Further kindly instruct the chairman or CFI or the relevant club/launch site of the same requirements.
This area is fast becoming a major problem area for SAHPA and RAASA as well as the CAA, and is not doing the sport any credit.
Further to this RAASA requires in writing an immediate corrective action plan from all involved parties and stake holders to ensure that this type of complaint or allegation does not continue reoccur in this area.
SAHPA should advise RAASA on all or any disciplinary actions against the club or individuals envisaged as a result of these occurrences.
Failing this RAASA will have no option but to suspend all further para gliding activities at this or these launch sites pending a full RAASA and CAA investigation.
Regards
Pierre Laubscher
Operations Manager
RAASA
Cell: 084 5012177
Tel: 011 827 9330
Fax: 086 605 9378
e-mail: pie...@raasa.co.za
Since speaking to Wayne on Friday night, I have had personal discussions about this matter with Bruce Watney, Joerg, Roland and Roy (The attempt to have a discussion with Deon came to nought), all of whom undertook to send material relevant to the background to this matter on to me. Some of it has started to arrive per e-mail, quite a body of evidence, by the looks of it.
I shall be collecting and collating the pertinent information received, and have a look from a juristic point of view at the position of the landowner in these circumstances, as well as those of the relevant Apex bodies, and the position of commercial operators and also recreational pilots affected. This will be done in anticipation of a meeting where all attendees can share information and opinions, so as to arrive at an action plan and nominate a person or people to represent the paragliding community in this particular instance. I do believe that the question whether it is a Skywings matter or not is vexed, it is abundantly clear that this is now a broader matter and needs a more encompassing approach than previously adopted.
Pertinent to the last sentence of the previous paragraph and also raised individually by the people I had discussions with, Bruce/Joerg/Roland/Roy and others, is the risk that if this matter is not dealt with properly it could open the door for a number of other instances or parties with a similar approach, and that a number of sites could then be placed in jeopardy. This over and above the threat of this and other sites being closed by the CAA, pending a full investigation…
This and further material will also be published on the Blog: gardenrouteparagliding.blogspot.com during the course of this morning.
Any inputs, in whatever form or manner, will obviously be appreciated and we hope that through our collective and constructive efforts this matter can be dealt with speedily and to the satisfaction of all concerned.
Kind regards,
COBUS POTGIETER
CEO
MoPay International Ltd
Skype: MoPayInternational