One of the two Flagship Productions of the 26th annual Hilton Arts Festival which will be hosted on the campus of Hilton College from 14 – 16 September 2018, is Mike van Graan’s contemporary fast-paced South African political thriller, Green Man Flashing.

 

The festival invites the most interesting offerings from the creative industries in South Africa: theatre; dance; comedy; musical theatre; family theatre; classical music; music revue; big band and contemporary music; visual art and crafts, as well as a series of mindscape lectures, events and discussions.

 

Green Man Flashing is written by Mike van Graan; directed by Malcolm Purkey; designed by Denis Hutchinson and with costumes by Margo Fleish, stars Litha Bam, Tessa Jubber, Michelle Douglas, Sechaba Morojele with David Dennis.

 

The play resonates more than ever before, as it explores themes of personal and political violence, as well as the lengths people will go to in the name of greater political good. All this is played out against the backdrop of a young democracy still dealing with its history, but where violence against women is of national crisis proportions.

 

Green Man Flashing takes on the challenge of deep moral and political questions for which there are no easy answers and provides insight into the very real themes that occupy thinking South Africans. It is acknowledged as a quintessential S.A. play and has become a matric set-work. It is regarded by many as a turning point for contemporary South African drama because of the way it dealt with contemporary politics. But it was also regarded as being more remarkable for anticipating the real-life drama of the ANC Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, being linked to charges of corruption in the arms deal and then later charged with rape.

 

“It tears at the heart and soul of our democracy, and rips at the underbelly of corruption and political power through its astute writing.” – The Star

 

“The quintessential South African play needed for this time in our country’s history.” – The Argus

 

“It will in time be recognised for the ground-breaking work it is,” – Mail and Guardian

 

The festival will take place on the beautiful grounds of the Hilton College from Hilton College: 14 – 16 September 2018.

 

The festival would not be possible without the generous support of Hilton College, Grindrod Bank, Black Coffee Design, DWR Distribution, Extreme Events, Bidvest Car Rental, KZN Dept of Arts & Culture, Redlands Hotel, Assitej South Africa, Loud Crowd, Sappi, BASA, and Corona.

 

For more info visit http://www.hiltonfestival.co.za/ or like the Facebook page, Hilton Arts Festival. Follow us on Twitter @HiltonFest. All enquiries on 033 383 0126 / 7 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Laddsworth Grade 3 pupils did a waste demonstration on Wednesday 8 August 2018, where they had to design, create and make a useful article out of plastic bottles. This was part of their English Theme and Life Skills Programme.

 

Pictured above Luanyé van Schalkwyk made pot plants.

 

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

The much-anticipated Hilton Food & Wine Fair is coming up on Friday, 7th September. The annual fundraiser in support of Hilton Pre-Primary is proudly hosted by Hilton Quarry Superspar & Tops in association with a wide range of local artisanal food and wine brands.

This year will be bigger and better than before with over 40 vendors taking part in the event. This means that visitors can expect to sample some of the latest products on the market as well as their good old favourites; whilst supporting Hilton Pre-Primary which has been the foundation of education for many Hilton/Howick residents and their children.

There is something for everyone at the Hilton Food & Wine Fair which is always an evening filled with the community spirit and camaraderie that Hilton and the Midlands is so well-known for.

Tickets are on sale for R120pp which includes entry into the lucky draw with some fantastic prizes up for grabs. All proceeds for the event go to Hilton Pre-Primary.

 

News supplied

The Hilton Arts festival invites the most interesting offerings from the creative industries in South Africa: theatre; dance; comedy; musical theatre; family theatre; classical music; music revue; big band and contemporary music; visual art and crafts, as well as a series of mindscape lectures, events and discussions.

 

This year in honour of Mandela’s centenary commemorations, the three day event has a strong Mandela feel .
Confirmed productions include as always a programme of quality drama.

Crystal Viljoen, a Grade 5 pupil at Laddsworth Primary School took part in the Golf Reef Rhythmic Gymnastics Invitational in Guateng on Saturday 4 August 2018.

 

Entries are open to for the Winterskloof Trail Run/Walk. The run/walk will take place on Sunday, 2 September 2018 and the start will be at the Eagles Nest, Valley Road, Winterskloof.

 

 

Following numerous breakages to various services, notably water pipelines in and around Hilton,
committee member Colin Johnston convened a meeting with ONE of the various contractors
working in the area.
Representatives in attendance were: the Contractor (MCT) his Client (Dark Fibre Africa) who will
ultimately ‘light’ a portion of the installed fibre infrastructure on behalf of Cell C , uMgungundlovu
Water Services Department, Department of Transport, Naidu Consulting (Hilton AC Replacement
Project), UMngeni Ward 6 Councillor Craig Millar, and the Committee.
The meeting lasted just over an hour and was beneficial in that:
- we got clarity on who is implementing these projects and how they go about doing it.
- we now understand that there are up to three different Client/ Contractor entities working
on similar projects in Hilton.
- we made headway in terms of addressing issues specifically concerning DFA/ MCT as far as
breakages they have caused and the manner in which they will be addressed/ averted in the
future.
- we put measures in place to mitigate damage to beautification activities that residents and
the HBi have done whilst rehabilitation areas affected by the AC Replacement project
recently completed.
- we got contact details for the other Client/ Contractor entities working in Hilton and will
follow up in a similar fashion for the same reasons, aiming for the same results.
A similar meeting is taking place with MTN today- further details and the outcomes of that meeting
will be provided.
In the meantime please report any issues related to the installation of fibre optic cables in and
around Hilton to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . PLEASE TRY AND ASCERTAIN WHICH CONTRACTOR/
CLIENT ENTITY IS PERFORMING THE WORK WHICH HAS LEAD TO THE COMPLAINT.
On a positive note it would seem that Hilton will soon be on a fibre
network with more than one choice in terms of service provider. Dark
Fibre Africa have offered to have one of their subsidiary companies,
South African Digital Village, give residents a presentation on what
services will be offered and when. We will ask similar of Cell C/ MTN
and revert with further details in due course.

 

News supplied by Hilton Ratepayers Association.

Colin Robertson, a Grade 6 pupil at Laddsworth Primary School, participated in the Eisteddfod in Pietermaritzburg during the first week of August 2018.

The Msunduzi Hospice Association will be hosting a morning Tea & Talk with power couple, Steve and Eleanor Pienaar from Pietermaritzburg, who have recently returned from the North Pole, having completed their Grand Slam Challenge Marathon. (A 42.2km marathon or longer on all 7 continents and on the Arctic Ocean at the North Pole).

Super creative husband and wife team, Paul and Carol Slabolepszy, will both be at the Hilton Arts Festival this year – coming to Hilton from 14 – 16 September.

Paul is presenting his play – Suddenly the Storm - and doing a talk – A Slice of Slab – and his wife Carol is displaying her beautiful artwork - My Hares and Graces.

Suddenly the Storm – is one of the two Grinrod Flagship Productions – and has been billed as a “dangerous comedy! Combative, volatile and constantly on the verge of exploding”

 

Dwayne and Shanell Combrink are two halves of a typical South African working class couple. But beneath Dwayne’s angry violent exterior lies the heartbreak that governs his attitude to life. Dwayne’s a man in mourning. Shanell believes that his current level of despair was sparked by the death of his childhood friend and work partner, Jonas. In fact, the source of his mourning and anger lies far further back and goes far deeper. When the elegant and self-contained Namhle Gumede, born 16 June 1976, arrives on their doorstep, seeking answers to questions that have remained buried for 40 years, Dwayne and Shanell finally discover the truth.

It will be staged on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 both at 10am.

 

Paul will also be doing an informal lecture – A Slice of Slab – talking about his amazing person journey on Saturday at 5pm

 

My Hares and Graces is a collection of life-size sculptures of hares, cats and dogs, by Carol
Slabolepszy - portraying the essence of these animals, capturing them in a moment of unguarded stillness. The animals are sculpted in clay and after a mould is made, they are individually cast in a weather-proof resin and metal powder blend, and meticulously hand- finished.

 

There are now 21 unique sculptures that have been making themselves at home all over South Africa and the world - inspiration and energy ensure that the collection continues to grow. Dedicated to protecting South Africa’s wild hare population, My Hares and Graces donate to the EWT Riverine Rabbit Trust.

 

These works have a gentle presence which will enliven your home or garden. Each sculpture has its own individual character, and an embedded pet microchip identifies it as an original work – a quirky combination of technology and fine art.

 

The festival will take place on the beautiful grounds of the Hilton College from Hilton College: 14 – 16 September 2018. For more info visit http://www.hiltonfestival.co.za/ or like the Facebook page, Hilton Arts Festival. Follow us on Twitter @HiltonFest
All enquiries on 033 383 0126 / 7 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Pictured above: Paul Slabolespszy, Charmaine Weir- Smith and Renate Stuurman.

News supplied.

 

On Saturday 18th August, Break-Free will be hosting a seminar looking at the use of and addiction to pornography.

Matt Bisset, a Grade 3 pupil at Laddsworth Primary School took part in the Ballies & Boys 2018 Shad Competition at Cape Vidal from 1 to 5 August 2018.

Matt was the champion of the Under 9 and the Under 10 categories and received the floating trophy as well as a Bad Boy sports watch.

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

9pm Serrotone

MiTH once again bids a warm welcome to main act, Serrotone. Peter Guthrie, vocalist and prolific songwriter with Spoonfeedas for 12 years, has teamed up with James Robertson and close friend, superb drummer Billy Kruger. Robertson who sang and wrote material for Spoonfeedas in 2001, also went on to form Cubic Inch. Between Guthrie and Robertson they have been part of writing and performing more than ten charting singles (including 2 no 1 singles and a handful of top 10's) on South African radio.

 

With Spoonfeedas, Guthrie has opened for artists like Muse, Velvet Revolver, SImple Plan Marky Ramone (Ramones), Metallica and Ronan Keating. He has also performed the National anthem in Christchurch NZ before a Tri-Nations rugby test. Robertson has opened for Bryan Adams on his SA tour with his band Cubic Inch, while Billy has played with a variety of established artists at some impressive events like the Youth Day concert in Amsterdam with group MIC where they performed after Delirious at Ajax Football Stadium in front of 140 000 people.

 

A special feature is what has become the regular inclusion of Nick Ames who is possibly one of the finest trumpet players in South Africa. Don't miss this special night out as you hear some new arrangements of old favourites and some brand new material!

 

8pm Many Moore

Comprised of three gifted souls, Many Moore, though reluctant to categorize their genre of music sees “Urban Poetic Soul” as the most fitting summary of their craft.

 

7pm Howick High School Rock Band

ABOUT MiTH:
MiTH is a semi-open mic music club. An opportunity for musicians to share the joy of their music with a friendly audience which includes fellow musicians – who have all “been there” too. (Non-musicians welcome too!) Whether you’re a newbie looking for your first opportunity to perform publicly, or a more experienced / mature musician simply looking for people who are as passionate about music as you are – come along and join us!

 

Bring your own booze. Food and soft drinks are available for sale. Musicians who want to play at MiTH, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Charles Webster (082 331 7271), or Doug Borain (072 340 7034).

 

DIRECTIONS TO MiTH:
Take the N3 to Hilton, take the Hilton turnoff and go South into the Village (away from Hilton College). Travel 5,2km along Hilton Avenue (past two sets of traffic lights and Crossways Pub) and keep going straight as Hilton Avenue turns into Dennis Shepstone Drive. At the 5,2km mark, Knoll Drive will be on your right – the entrance to MiTH is the *second* entrance on your left into The Knoll Historic Guest Farm.

 

Visit www.mith.co.za for more details and directions.

The Wykeham Collegiate Maths Fest took place on the 24 July 2018. Grace College’s top ten Grade 8 mathematics pupils attended the Maths Fest together with approximately 144 Grade 8 pupils from schools in the Pietermaritzburg area.

Further to the update we published regarding the meeting held with Dark Fibre Africa, their Main- Contractor,
and other interested and affected parties, please find below a summary of the meeting which took place with
MTN who are similarly responsible for the installing fibre optic infrastructure in and around Hilton.
The meeting was set up following numerous breakages to various services, notably water pipelines, which
resulted in loss of water supply for extended durations on more than one occasion.
Committee member Colin Johnston once again convened the meeting on behalf of the HRA with other
representatives in attendance being: Clinton Potgieter (MTN), and uMngeni Ward 7 Caretaker Councillor Pam
Passmoor.
The following is a summary of what was discussed:
 MTN has carried out the installation of fibre optic cable in parts of Hilton over the last few weeks. The
current work programme is however now complete;
 The system adopted by MTN when a breakage occurs is to report this to the local service provider, in this
case the District Municipality. The arrangement apparently is for the local authority to respond and carry out
the repair.
 It was pointed out that such an arrangement is completely unrealistic. It is unlikely these days that a
municipality would have the resources to respond immediately to a service breakage. Greater efficiency and
effectiveness would be achieved if MTN appointed their own specialists to be on stand-by to deal with such
emergencies. This could be done quite easily by agreement with the local authority and compliance with
their conditions. MTN agreed to adopt a procedure such as this in future;

 MTN advised that their procedure provides for local residents to be informed by means of leaflets delivered
to each household. This does not appear to have happened in this case. It was suggested that a better
approach would be to inform local councillors and residents associations, and to use social media platforms
available to them ;
 MTN carry out the work with information on existing services based on wayleaves obtained from the local
authority. It was suggested that the procedures adopted by MTN to locate and protect existing services and
amenities are inadequate and that more detailed and extensive preliminary investigations should be carried
out;
 It was recorded that on a positive note the contractors appointed by MTN were at all times polite and
cooperative;
 The local opinion is that this is an engineering project and therefore requires the application of conventional
engineering design, construction and contractual procedures;
 It was requested that MTN follow up with information about the whole fibre optic installation in this area
and in particular how and when people could have access to the system.