I arrived home at Sabie Park on the evening of 29th June. It was a beautiful winters day, with a golden hue spreading over the landscape. However, my mood soon changed when I opened my front door! Kingston International had not assembled my furniture sent from Abu Dhabi! They were paid to deliver & assemble & they had not completed the job. The whole lounge was a total tip! Moreover, Sabie Park Management had been paid to supervise this task. They sent a man down Charles, who left the removal men in my house unsupervised. Later I found out that they had also stolen my beloved telescope!
I set about moving my things into the house to discover no lighting, no gas & no water! I had paid Sabie Park to do this the day before, but they hadn't done it! I spent nearly an hour trying unsuccessfully to turn the water on. The next day I found out that Sabie Park Management had been doing work on the main water mains which is on the road, had turned the water off but neglected to turn it back on! I spent the evening on the veranda with no gas for the fridge or cooker watching my groceries disintegrate & melt nicely!
The view from my veranda.
Zebra in my driveway.
Female Bushbuck seen from the veranda.
William, the huge male Warthog
which is a regular visitor to my land.
A Hippo called in the darkness, closely followed by a Hyaena & much later the local Lion pride started vocalizing. Despite my temporary difficulties life was good & it was great to be back home after a four month absence.
The next day I went to the Sabie Park office to inform them of what had gone on. The reception I received was not what I expected! They were evasive & in total denial, not accepting any responsibility at all, even though they had accepted my request! My own investigations revealed that Cherise had sent Charles to accompany the two furniture men to my house but failed to tell him why he was there or what he was supposed to do! He was then called away on other duties via the radio by management & left the removal men alone in my house. They spent the time going through every room looking for valuables & eventually they found it! They then left & they insist that Sabie Park management signed the form saying the assembly was completed! Sabie Park deny everything!!!
The Abu Dhabi Gang
Leanne & Anne on the boundary fence on my land.
My friends from Abu Dhabi arrived a couple of days later & luckily for me Robin & Kevin proved to be very handy, assembling the furniture, which I had paid Kingston International to do! These guys spent two full days of their holiday assembling my furniture! Thanks a lot guys!
Sabie Park Management refused all of my requests for an investigation both to the theft & why strangers were left in my house to their own devices. The warden then started getting nasty & punished me for reporting a crime by stopping what he calls voluntary services to my property. Management kept totally quiet about all the other thefts that had been going on. Basically they were in total denial that anything was wrong at all. They even said that theft is normal. No it isn't, it is a crime!
We all went out birding around Sabie Park one morning & it was quite a good
outing.
.The picnic site is always good for a few species, including great mammal sightings.
The next day I went to the Sabie Park office to inform them of what had gone on. The reception I received was not what I expected! They were evasive & in total denial, not accepting any responsibility at all, even though they had accepted my request! My own investigations revealed that Cherise had sent Charles to accompany the two furniture men to my house but failed to tell him why he was there or what he was supposed to do! He was then called away on other duties via the radio by management & left the removal men alone in my house. They spent the time going through every room looking for valuables & eventually they found it! They then left & they insist that Sabie Park management signed the form saying the assembly was completed! Sabie Park deny everything!!!
Kevin & Robin with the assembled
dining room table!
Robin actually assembling it!
The rest of the assembled furniture!
Me thinks I need a new hat!
Sabie Park Management refused all of my requests for an investigation both to the theft & why strangers were left in my house to their own devices. The warden then started getting nasty & punished me for reporting a crime by stopping what he calls voluntary services to my property. Management kept totally quiet about all the other thefts that had been going on. Basically they were in total denial that anything was wrong at all. They even said that theft is normal. No it isn't, it is a crime!
Lilac breasted Roller
Red billed Helmetshrike.
Sabie Park is an excellent locality
for this uncommon species.
The much more common White Helmetshrike.
Lesser Honeyguide drinking from water
trapped in a crack in the trunk of the tree.
White-browed Robin-chat
Dusky Flycatcher - a winter visitor to the lowveld.
White bellied Sunbird
outing.
Elephant crossing the Sabie River.
Cape Buffalo in the river bed.
African Pied Wagtail
African Yellow Warbler
A scarce winter visitor to the lowveld.
The common Tawny flanked Prinia.
No comments:
Post a Comment