Msunduzi Municipality have shared the schedule published here to communicate their proposed power outages, plan ahead now!

People are getting used to the later starting time, and we have had good crowds out to play each day.

On Saturday we played for chickens, kindly provided by the Hilton Quarry Superspar. Winners were Tom Hartley, Margie Seale and Pat Bennet. Our congratulations to you all.

The IF Sponsored Trips will be played on Friday morning, with a 08:30 start. Skips should please check their teams, and advise Derick of any problems.

The Quarry Spar Prickett Cup Club competition is scheduled for 15 March. The entry form is on the board.

Duties: 9 – 15 Mar: OOD: Jean Pluke. Tabs: John Pluke. Duty Team: Fred Palmer. Teas on 15 Mar: N/A – Quarry Spar Lunch. Biscuits: 11 & 13 Mar. Basil Fann & John Fowler.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.

Six St Anne's Diocesan College Girls have been selected for the Midlands Tennis Team. They are pictured left to right Jess Redfern (U15 no. 1), Sophie McDonald (U15 no. 1), Tessa van der Merwe (U19 no.1), Julia Saulez(U19 Reserve), Meg McDonald (U14 no. 4) and Gracie Ireland (U15 no. 5). They will compete at the Inter-Regional Tournament (KZN Trials) this weekend at Kershaw Park.

The Budget Speech 2014, by Finance Minister Pravine Gordhan, was presented under easing global economic pressure, but on the back of a weakening Rand due to the dollar strengthening in the global recovery. South Africa have shown some economic stability and resilience over the last five years of global economic crisis.

The current administration has prepared the National Development Plan (NDP) for implementation by the next government administration. Timed to perfection with the upcoming elections. Promising that the implementation of the NDP over the next five years will provide economic stability, job creation, capital and infrastructural development that will benefit all in the 20 year old democratic South Africa. This sounds like a submission of a curriculum vitae (CV), by a 20 year old, to apply for the job for the next five years. Will they be successful in their application?

Job Creation and Economic Transformation

6 million jobs were created by government in the last 5 years. To meet the job creation requirement, Mr Gordhan is asking for a "Vision and strategy shared by leaders and the people" between the public and the private sector. "A vision founded on realism and evidence. It is time for action and implementation."

Business Growth

Business' need to look at expanding operations and starting new ventures. Growth is needed in Manufacturing to stimulate the economy and employment. Incentives of R10.3 billion over the next 3 years are on the table for these expansions. Business owners need to make use of these for real development. With the weak Rand, exports are attractive. Entrepreneurs need to be creative and adventurous to take the raw materials in South Africa and manufacture them into useful products. South Africa has a good reputation for quality. Hopefully new developments will maintain these standards. Make use of the incentives. Give us a shout if you need help with the business proposals and business plans.

Small Business Corporation (SBC) Tax changes

The lower SBC bracket has increased to R70,700. The next bracket is unchanged at an upper limit of R365,000. The brackets had very minor changes. This is very disappointing as it has not taken into account inflation increases.

Taxable Income (R) Rate of Tax (R)
0 to 70 700 0% of taxable income
70 701 to 365 000 7% of taxable income above 70 700
365 001 to 550 000 20 601 + 21% of taxable income above 365 000
550 001 and above 59 451 + 28% of the amount above 550 000

Employment tax incentives have been introduced for new employees below the age of 29 years. This PAYE rebate system was implemented a few months prior to the budget speech.

Turnover Tax

Turnover tax has seen no changes to the tax brackets

Individuals Tax

There is tax relief for individuals, particularly in the lower income brackets for taxpayers. A useful proposal to keep an eye on is that tax-free lump sum benefits will increase to R500,000.

Taxable Income (R) Rate of Tax (R)
0 to 174 550 18% of taxable income
174 551 to 272 700   31 419 + 25% of taxable income above 174 550
272 701 to 377 450   55 957 + 30% of taxable income above 272 700
377 451 to 528 000   87 382 + 35% of taxable income above 377 450
528 001 to 673 100   140 074 + 38% of taxable income above 528 000
673 101 and above   195 212 + 40% of taxable income above 673 100

Rebates
Primary R12 726
Secondary (Persons 65 and older) R7 110
Tertiary (Persons 75 and older) R2 367

Age Tax Threshold
Below age 65 R70 700
Age 65 to below 75 R110 200
Age 75 and over R123 350

Conclusion

Government is dependent on the private sector to create the jobs in South Africa. Capital Growth has been highlighted as a important for future job security. Make use of the incentives and weak Rand to develop your export markets.

Shared from the Business Soul Accounting Blog.

Poor attendances on Tuesday and Thursday last week, presumably because of the very hot weather, were off-set by a turnout of forty-six players on Saturday. We played the first of our new Lindsay's competitions and the winners were John Pattrick, Neil Tainton, Margie Seale and Jenny Hammond who gained a critical half a point on one end when two opposing bowls came to rest on the jack. Sincere thanks to Lindsay's Coffee Shop for the prize vouchers.

The Jaxx Roll on Wednesday was won by a team from Maritzburg lead by Gert Snyman. Winners of the Losers were Dave Hammond's team from Hilton. Jaxx and Dulcė's restaurants provided the prizes, for which our grateful thanks.

Entry forms for several NIBA competitions as well as the Club Nominated Pairs competitions are also on the board.

Duties: 2 – 8 Mar: OOD: Ron Buchel. Tabs: Derick Hull. Duty Team: Fred Palmer. Teas on 8 Mar: Graham Appleby & Peter Ayerst. Biscuits: 4 & 6 Mar. Barry Collier & Arthur Daugherty.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.

Fuchsias, in particular, are plants that prefer the cooler weather and have taken a beating in this heat.

So, what to do to help your fuchsias get through this hot period? The plants in the garden are more able to regulate their temperature and moisture levels. This would particularly be the case if you had mulched your plants earlier in the season. The mulch benefits the plants immensely by keeping the roots cool and moist in the heat.

Those in containers, however, do suffer. The pots, particularly the plastic ones, can get very hot and almost "cook" the roots. The plants' leaves will start to droop and our natural reaction is to give it some water. Always check first how heavy the pot is, or, if it is too big to lift, stick your finger in the mix to check the moisture level. If the pot is light and dry, give it a good watering. If the water goes straight through and the pot still feels light, put a drip tray under the pot to allow the plant to soak up more water. Most potting mixes are bark based, which, when they dry out, are difficult to re-wet. Another trick is to mix a wetting agent in with the water. You can mix a squirt of dishwashing liquid into the watering can and water your plants to help wet the potting mix.

If, however, the pot is heavy and the mix is wet, just give the foliage a fine spray with plain water. This helps to cool the plant and assist it in trying to balance its loss of moisture through the leaves (transpiration). DO NOT give the plant any more water as this can literally "drown" the roots and could even kill the plant. As many plants are killed by over-watering as by under-watering!

Another option with smaller potted plants is to place the plant, still in its pot, into a larger pot and line the gap between the two pots with sawdust or shredded newspaper and keep this moist. This acts as an insulator to keep the pot and roots cool.

Your fuchsias may also need to have a light pruning. Take about 20% off the branches. The plant should "tell" you where to prune. Prune just above the new side shoots. This will provide a further flush of flowers before the end of the season.

Also, don't forget to feed with chicken manure (or Bounce/Accelerator) and 5:1:5 for garden plants and chicken manure and 3:1:3 (complete with trace elements) for potted plants. The feeding should be alternated every two weeks. Both garden and potted plants will also benefit from a regular weekly application of foliar feed.

Roses can be dealt with in a very similar way to fuchsias. That means giving a light pruning, feeding and mulching. You may also have to spray a fungicide to combat the black spot, which has been quite prevalent this season. But please make sure that your roses are planted in a well-drained mix. Roses love lots of water but hate being water-logged.

Coming up a talk on "FOOD FROM THE GARDEN":

March is the ideal time to get your veggie gardens going. It is starting to get cooler, bugs reduce in numbers and there are less weeds. I will be sharing with you a system of veggie growing which is organic, easy on your back as it requires little or no digging and produces fantastic veggies.

I will also talk about growing berries, fruit trees and some other out of the ordinary edible fruits.

When: Thursday, 6th March at 9.30 am.
Where: Tanglewood Nursery
What to bring: a folding chair to sit on, sun hat or raincoat (depending on the weather)
Cost: Bring some money to enter our lucky draw.

News supplied by Tanglewood Nursery in Hilton.

Well done and congratulations to Kudu House on winning the overall trophy at the Inter-House Gala on Friday, 21 February. Thank you to all who were involved in making this such a successful and memorable event.

Pictured here L-R Brogan Tedder and Leah Kriel, Kudu house captains, receiving the winning house trophy from guest of honour Rosh Tedder.

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

At the AGM on Thursday, the Club conferred Honorary Life membership on Doug Robertson and Dave Hammond for their service to Hilton Bowling Club and to our district. Thelma Mylne was installed as President, with George Oldham as Vice President. Other members of the committee remain the same, except that Derick Hull replaces Dave Hammond as Immediate Past President. We thank all these members for their willingness to serve the club.

The out-going President offered to donate funds towards buying a new mower if other members would do likewise. By the end of the meeting, R13 500 had been pledged. Anyone else who would like to make a contribution should please contact Derick Hull (033 343 2901)

Photographs of prize winners are on the board.

Because of the extreme heat we are experiencing at the moment, it has been decided to start bowling at 14:30 until the end of March. Any change to this arrangement will be communicated to members by SMS.

Entry forms for several NIBA competitions as well as the Club Nominated Pairs competitions are also on the board.

Duties: 23 Feb – 1 Mar: OOD: Thelma Mylne. Tabs: Mike Mylne. Duty Team: Chris Purchase. Teas on 1 Mar: B & T O'Neil-Williams. Biscuits: 25 & 27 Feb. Ron Buchel & Joan Byrom.

News supplied by Hilton Bowling Club.

Grace College Grade 11 pupils, Rachael Webster and Megan Davidovics were awarded Half Colours for doing over 100 hours of Community Service each in 2013. Rachael completed 172,5 hours working with Aids Orphans and helping with Junior Youth at Church amongst others. Megan worked at the Elephant Sanctuary and completed 152 hours in total. This is such a well-deserved award for both and Grace commends them on their outstanding efforts.

Pictured: Rachael Webster (left) and Megan Davidovics (right).

News supplied by Grace College.

Laddsworth Primary School celebrated their 111th birthday with a special assembly co-ordinated by Mr Pillay's class and a slide show narrated by Mrs Kelly, Mrs Varty, Mrs Raubenheimer and Mrs Nolte. Children were delighted to glimpse these three teachers in photographs from years back. Some girls from 7P did a hip-hop routine, Headmaster Mr Gavin Lambooy lit candles on a birthday cake and everyone sang happy birthday.

Mrs Raubenhemier asked all children whose parents or grandparents were Laddsworth old boys or girls to stand up. It was notable that these pupils comprised more than 10 percent of the school.

The high point of the assembly was Mr Lambooy's announcement that to celebrate the birthday there would be no homework and that tea break would be extended by 11 minutes. This news was greeted with smiles of joy and gasps of disbelief from the assembly.

News and images supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

The first HiltonVillage.co.za networking session of 2014 took place on a late summer evening at La Popote Restaurant at Sue Tarr's. Our gracious host Lesley made sure that all our needs were met and her cosy venue lent a relaxed mood to sociable networking. The Mediterranean platters served were ideally matched to the warm temperatures. Everyone enjoyed sharing a little about their businesses and each networker received a lovely promotional prize.

Hilton businesses present included; Argilla Pottery, Birnam Interiors, Cherri Forsyth – Life Coach, Erika Whitby Photography, Hilton Pride, Hunters Kitchens, Janine Player Private Wealth Manager, MGF Attorneys, Niche Website Solutions, Pelican Print, Positive Purpose Life Coaching, Real Communication Consulting, Run/Walk for Life and Sh'zen Hilton.

Advertise on this busy online platform and network with HiltonVillage.co.za, call Desiree if you are interested on 072 654 9779.

Pictured here on the left, L-R are Erika Whitby, Janine Player and Jane Dickinson.

Thimbles 'n Threads, Hilton's haberdashery shop offering more than you'd expect, at the Lower Quarry Centre, celebrate a twentieth birthday in March 2014. From the 10th to the 15th March inclusive there will be a SALE on wool and fabric plus shopping incentives. If you spend R 500 you will be entered into a lucky draw to win a gift valued at R200.00! Spend R1000 and you will get a R200 OFF your next purchase!

Cupcakes and juice will be served all week long so pop in at Thimbles 'n Threads and congratulate them on their twentieth birthday.

Spaghetti wool will also be launched at Thimbles 'n Threads during March 2014.

Elgé has just joined the team at Hilton Vet Hospital. She is one of our very caring and capable veterinarians. Elgé qualified in 2012 and was invited to complete an internship year at Onderstepoort in 2013. This is seen as quite an honour. Elgé is busy studying towards
an honours degree in veterinary medicine.

Elgé has 3 cats, 4 dogs and 4 horses. She enjoys working with cardiology cases and endocrine cases. This includes animals suffering from hormonal and glandular problems.

In her spare time, Elgé enjoys travelling, running cycling on and off road, horse riding, scuba diving and snorkelling.

The Worlds View Conservancy group invites you to join them on Sunday 2nd March 2014 for a walk through the Conservancy along the disused Railway line.

Time: 08:00-10.00
Duration: + - 2 hrs
Venue: Meet outside 19 Dunstan Place, Worlds View

Route:
We will walk through pockets of indigenous forests amongst the commercial blue gum and wattle plantations; enjoying the wonderful views over Pietermaritzburg, the vibrant bird-life and one of the last pieces of mist-belt grasslands in the area. We will be going through an old train tunnel and the plantation roads and will be steep in places but it is well worth the effort.

Please bring stout shoes, water, hats and sun-block.

Cost: R20.00 per head to the Worlds View Conservancy funds

For more information: Contact Hugh Temple This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0828210048

Laddsworth entered 2 teams in the Kids Lit Quiz on Wednesday, 12 February, the Grade 7 team came second out of 22 teams. Congratulations to Siobhan Forbes-Wilkinson, Lilla Gopp, Stella Joubert and Hannah van Niekerk. They won R500 for their team as well as R50 book vouchers for winning a category. They scored 1 ½ points less than the winners, Athlone Primary School. Our Grade 6 team with Tatjana Witthöft, Luke Holtzhauzen, Danielle Terblanche and Erin Venter was placed 4th.

The reserves were Hannah Finch and Rebecca van der Merwe. Our teams who are continually encouraged by Mrs Houghting and her passion for Literacy, have an amazing knowledge on books, authors and illustrators.

Pictured L-R is the Grade 7 team ready for action.

News supplied by Laddsworth Primary School.

Greg Perrett first completed LEAP Challenge over 9 days, solo and unsupported, in May 2012. He attempted the Comrades Marathon the following day, but only managed to do 45km of the 89km event. He then decided to open the event to the public, as a mountain bike ride from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg over 11 days.

LEAP Challenge exists to raise money for LEAP, which is the Learner Enhancement and Advancement Programme. This is a part of Grace College's broader outreach initiative, Masihambisane (let's walk together). LEAP successfully educates kids who are talented but don't have the means to afford good education. If you'd like to know more, you can read up on Masihambisane and LEAP, on http://www.grace-college.co.za/about-us/outreach/masihambisane

LEAP Challenge is a superb physical and mental challenge; it will take you to parts of your mind and physical ability which you have not examined before, and will distract you along the way with some of the most beautiful, deserted scenery which our country has to offer.

Approximately 60% of your entry fee goes to funding for LEAP. The exact amount is clearly disclosed on the 'details' page of the website.

To celebrate the day of love, Capulum students and staff baked hundreds of delicious cupcakes. These were sold to surrounding businesses and fellow students on Valentines day! The funds raised have been donated to CHOC (Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa) as a token of our support. Thank you to all who helped and to the Hilton businesses who supported us. We appreciate you!

News and photo supplied by Capulum College.

Buy ONE and get one FREE means half price cruising for you and a partner or friend!

Are you looking for a nicer way to visit friends and family in the UK or Australia this year?

Call 033 343 1380 for details of two great specials onboard the fabulous ASTOR, pictured on the left!

Contact Hilton Travel for more information!

Book by 28 February 2014 and Save an Extra 10% Bonus Discount on ALL Ocean View Cabins!

*Valid as at 11 February 2014 and subject to exchange rate fluctuations and availability when booking.