The differences between the St Francis Property Owners Association and the Non-Profit Company (SRA)
Many people have moved to St Francis over the last 18 months, many of them unaware of how the St Francis Property Owners (SFPO) Association and the Non-Profit Company (SRA) work.
As we approach the end of the year and the upcoming Annual General Meeting, we thought this a good time to reacquaint everyone with the essential differences between the SFPO Association and the SFPO NPC.
What are the differences between the SFPO Association and the SFPO NPC?
In essence, the SFPO Association is the ‘ratepayers association’ for St Francis Bay. At the same time, the SFPO NPC is a non-profit company set up to administer the Special Rating Area (SRA).
Membership for the SFPO Association is voluntary, but it is recommended because a strong ratepayers association is instrumental in monitoring and influencing service delivery from the Municipality. In addition, the SFPO Association provides many benefits to homeowners, including the promotion of ratepayer’s interests (aesthetics, land-use, environmental issues…), input to municipal policies, community policing and support, including feeding the needy in our area, local communication, and further collaboration with other local organisations like the Riparians, the Kromme River Committee, the Disaster Volunteer Group, the Kromme Eco-Trust, the Tourism Association, Rotary, etc.
Regarding the SFPO NPC, if you own a property in the demarcated SRA area, you pay the SRA levy as part of your municipal invoice from the Kouga Local Municipality, and you are by rights a member of the NPC.
The SRA levy is used to fund three key projects: the CCTV Cameras (security), Roads, and the Long Term Beach Restoration Project (river, spit, and beach).
They are both essential to the restoration of our town. The SFPO Association is currently on a membership drive, as membership runs from October 1 – September 30 each year.
Membership is due annually.
If you are a homeowner, please consider subscribing as a new member of the Association or renewing your existing membership.
The annual subscription rate is R500 per property owner. Pensioners can enjoy a discounted rate of R330.00.
The SFPO banking details are as follows :
St Francis Bay Residents Association
Standard Bank
Humansdorp Code 050015
Acc No: 08 249 9276
Please use your Erf No and surname as reference.
For information, please call the SFPO Administration Manager Lyn Aitken on 042 294 0594 or email her at info@sfpo.co.za. Lyn is available in the SFPO office between 08h30 and 13h00, Monday to Friday.
For more on the differences between the two, there is an excellent video explaining further with chairperson Wayne Furphy here:
Security Updates
The SFPO has been delivering regular security updates to the St Francis Bay community. These updates can all be found on our website. We have listed all the updates below for ease of reference, with the most recent update on top.
Security activation protocols – October 8, 2021
The three main types of CCTV cameras in St Francis Bay – September 23, 2021