COME HOME NEWSLETTER

Number 46 - December 2007 & January 2008

Dear Readers

Herewith best wishes for a wonderful Festive Season,
as well as God’s richest blessings in 2008 and always!

 

Once again, we start with the usual essential news:  This is the free newsletter of the Come Home Campaign of AfriForum for all South Africans intending to return to South Africa, in process of returning or just back home.  To subscribe or unsubscribe to the newsletter, send your comments or make a contribution, contact us at alana@afriforum.co.za.  Mark the email “COME HOME SUBSCRIBE”, “COME HOME UNSUBSCRIBE”, or with the topic of your choice.  The newsletter is a monthly email publication which is available in either Afrikaans or English.  New subscribers are always most welcome.  Also bear in mind that although we select our advertisers with care, we cannot guarantee or be held responsible for the quality of their services or products.  Advertisements are published free of charge.  Please also feel free to comment on their service delivery.

 

RENEWAL OF DRIVING LICENCE CARDS FROM ABROAD

(Information received from Arrive Alive web site on 11 December 2007)

Many visitors to the Arrive Alive Road Safety Website have raised this topic – and we thought it would be best to share the facts!:  Applicants should note that a Driving Licence Card cannot be renewed without the applicant applying in person as new fingerprints, photographs, your signature and an eye test need to be submitted.  Applicants planning to visit the country are permitted to renew their licences, however, should they not be in the country at the time of delivery, are entitled to nominate a relative or other person to collect the licence on their behalf.  Such applicants must follow the procedure and ensure that the Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) is to be notified by the applicant when he/she goes to renew the card, that a person whom they have nominated will collect the licence.  It takes approximately six weeks for the Driving Licence Card to be delivered to the DLTC.  Applicants can therefore apply for a Temporary Driving Licence and submit this together with their application for a renewal, to enable them to drive, until the card is delivered.

Applicants outside the borders of the RSA whose Driving Licence Cards have expired or were lost/stolen and who are not in a position to return to the RSA to have the licence renewed:  The RTMC is in a position to issue a confirmation letter should such applicant have a valid licence, this will be established on the National Traffic Information System.  The letter will serve as proof that the applicant has a valid licence and this will enable them to convert to a foreign driving licence in the country of current residence.  Please note that the confirmation letter cannot be interpreted as a driving licence when produced to a law enforcement official.  APPLICANTS REQUIRING CONFIRMATION LETTERS ARE REQUESTED TO INCLUDE THEIR RSA IDENTITY NUMBER AND POSTAL ADDRESS, THE PROVIDED ADDRESS IS WHERE THE CONFIRMATION LETTER WILL BE POSTED, UPON APPLYING FOR A CONFIRMATION LETTER.

Information supplied by the ROAD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (RTMC), 110 Witch-Hazel Avenue, Highveld Technopark, Centurion.

 

CONSIDERING A CAREER AS FINANCIAL ADVISOR?

Old Mutual Personal Financial Advice is looking for people to be trained as financial advisors.  The successful candidate will be:

  • A highly energetic person
  • 23 years or older
  • With Grade 12 or a higher qualification
  • Someone with their own transport, living in Pretoria or vicinity
  • Computer literate and able to work independently.

Remuneration = R6 000 + commission per month.  If you are interested, please send your CV to Jannie Heymans at .

EMPLOYMENT AVAILABLE

Fanie Coetzee represents one of the largest construction companies in southern Africa.  They are URGENTLY looking for site agents, civil engineers and other construction specialists for projects in Gauteng and elsewhere in South Africa.  If you are interested, contact Fanie at 0027-84-2333112 or fanie@oneworldhc.com.

RELOCATION HELP

Contact the following agents for quotes to ship your goods back to South Africa:

 

NOSTALGIC MOMENTS

Please send us your photo which makes your heart ache for South Africa. This month’s photo is of the waves at Mossel Bay.

CHRISTMAS TALE

(With thanks to Johann de Jager for this special story!)

GOLD, INCENSE AND A PENCIL

One Christmas Kobus only received a pencil from his mother.  At first he wanted to cry and ask whether that would be all he would get, but then he noticed that her eyes were already weeping silently, and he just kissed and thanked her.  But in his heart he remained sad.  He wanted a toy aeroplane with flickering lights which could make noise like machine gun fire.  But since it was only his mother and him …  Kobus grew up and became a pilot.  One day the government sent him with other fighter pilots to Korea to make a real war with real machine guns and bombs.  But then his plane got hit by anti-aircraft fire.  He parachuted into the dense forest below.  A sound behind a tree trunk caught his attention.  He took out his pistol and crawled closer to it.  Then he heard it again.  It was a child, crying desperately.  He crawled closer still and discovered a terrified mother, hiding her child when she noticed the pistol in Kobus’ hand.  It was clear that the child was ill.  Kobus put away the pistol and offered his last water to the mother and child.  The woman’s fear disappeared and as she got up, Kobus noticed the cross on a chain around her neck.  He pointed at it with his finger and asked: “Christian – you?”  She only stared at him.  He tried again, this time pointing at the cross and saying: “Jesus – and you?”  Suddenly she clapped her hands, exclaiming: “Jesus, ha, Jesus,” while nodding continuously, pointing her finger at him and raising her eyebrows questioningly.  He nodded in agreement and smiled reassuringly.  Then she said:  “Kries-mas.” Kobus suddenly remembered that it would be Christmas the next day.  The sick child stared at him with large, dark eyes.  Suddenly he felt the urge to give something to the child.  He turned out his pockets, but found nothing – only a sodden note book and a pencil stub.  He remembered his mother’s gift of years ago.  Slowly he bent forward and pressed the pencil into the child’s hand, whispering:  “Kries-mas for you.”  Suddenly a shot rang out close by.  “They are looking for me”, thought Kobus; “I have to get away.”  He glanced at the two people in front of him, shrugged and held out his empty hands to the child.  Her eyes grew soft, she smiled and the woman took the pencil and pressed it against the cross around her neck.  Kobus could not see more than this, he had to start running – but this was not the only reason why he could not see anything else.  His eyes, like the eyes of his mother all those years ago, were weeping quietly for more than just a pencil.

 

With compliments of the Season!

Alana & colleagues
AfriForum
[www.komhuistoe.co.za / alana@afriforum.co.za]