Stanford Spar in Queen Victoria Street, Stanford, was burnt down completely in the early hours of Monday, 20 May 2019.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

According to Overstrand Fire Chief, Lester Smith, the Overstrand Fire Department responded to a call received at approximately 04:00 of a fire occurring at the Stanford Spar. The on-duty member as well as the Senior Standby Officer was immediately informed and dispatched to the area concerned. Due to the nature of the call, Gansbaai and Hermanus Fire Stations were activated and deployed to the scene.

The first arriving vehicle, a light duty vehicle, arrived on scene at approximately 04:14 and found Stanford Spar well-alight. Due to the limited equipment on the vehicle, the on duty member requested major pumpers and water tankers from Hermanus and Gansbaai.

Once again we appeal to Overstrand gardeners to watch out for the shot hole borers in trees.

If you observe any symptoms in trees that suggest the PSHB, please take photos and report it to Overstrand Municipality's Horticulturist Lauren Rainbird (028 313 8972) or the Environmental Management Services Department (028 316 3724) or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Awareness of the symptoms and spread of the infestation could save thousands of trees. Read more below:

Beetle threat to trees on the rise

The City of Cape Town urges all residents to help stop the spread of the tree beetle fungus by reporting all sightings of infected trees.

Dudley Coetzee, Executive Mayor of the Overstrand, hosted the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Elizabeth Thabethe, on Wednesday, 16 May 2019.  She visited Overstrand as part of her Garden Route and Klein Karoo tour.

Her local visit included a guided tour to Gansbaai Academia, African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, Grootbos, a meal at La Pentola hosted by Chef Shane, a visit to the Zwelihle Youth Café, Pebbles School in the Hemel-en- Aarde Valley with a final stop at Creation Wines before leaving Hermanus.

The Deputy Minister is no stranger to this region and confirmed that visitors to the Overstrand are spoiled for choice when it comes to places to go and sights to visit with their families and friends. 

The Western Cape Provincial Police Ombudsman has launched a formal investigation into the staffing of police stations of Gansbaai, Hermanus, Kleinmond and Stanford.

Overstrand Executive Mayor, Ald Dudley Coetzee, requested the Ombudsman to investigate the understaffing of the South African Police Service (SAPS) stations in the Overstrand.

According to the notice of investigation that was published in the provincial gazette of 14 Mei 2019, the stations of Gansbaai, Hermanus, Kleinmond and Stanford are unable to perform its mandate due to an insufficient allocation of resources, resulting in inefficiency of the delivery of services by SAPS in the Overstrand.