South Africa Features
How to avoid getting scammed in Cape Town #1 : Hitchhiking Conmen
As a South African, and long time sufferer of cons, tricks, scams and so forth, I like to think of myself as at least a little streetwise. Well pride comes before a fall, and I would like to warn fellow Capetonians and anyone planning on driving our roads of a new fad in scallywagginess.
I was innocently driving home the other day when I saw a hot and bothered elderly man toting a briefcase along the R27 (West Coast Road). He was half heartedly hitching with his free hand, in an embarrassed manner. Of course I pulled over to help Oupa (Grandpa) out and he seemed very appreciative and indeed surprised that anyone would have stopped for him.
Date: October 25th, 2007 |
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R.I.P Lucky Dube: Boks to play tribute.
The news of the murder of one of our national treasures, Lucky Dube has cast a long shadow over tomorrows Rugby festivities.
Much loved Dube was shot in front of his son and daughter, in a carjacking attempt last night. Three suspects are on the run in what is one of the highest profile South …
Date: October 19th, 2007 |
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Sihle Khumalo: Dark continent, My black arse :)
This new release and first book by South African author Sihle Khumalo, details his travels from Cape to Cairo by public transport.
‘I had always wanted to write a book but I had never known what type of a book I would write. As my 30th birthday was getting closer I thought, why don’t I do the Cape to Cairo – which I had always wanted to do - and then after the trip attempt to write a book based on my travels and thus kill two birds with one stone. As they say, the rest is history.’
Read Pete “the meat” ’s review below:
From Cape to Cairo - that’s the intention, and that’s the span of the book. Shades of Kingsley Holgate and extended family, with Land Rover engines rumbling and belching, and loads of red rum around camp-fires at night! Maybe a lion roaring, or some hyenas yelping in the distance!
Well - not so, when Sihle Khumalo describes his real-life encounters. Same route, by and large, that many have traversed over the “dark continent”, but somewhat unusual, and a great deal more stamina required by the writer! Because, when the perspectives are flowing from an obviously suave, worldly-wise African graduate of Uni and sometimes life, choosing to get down and dirty on the roads and buses that span this large and complex continent we call home, this make for excellent reading, as well as some good laughs
So, sit back and travel tightly with our friend Sihle, as he buses through most of southern and eastern Africa’s states, backpacks through some very odd places, joins queues for hours at border crossings, gets mildly irritated at fruit and food vendors, becomes furious when he isn’t offered a lift in an air-conditioned 4×4 (with a license plate not far from where he started, two months prior!)………..and you find that he has crept right under your skin, whether it’s superficially black or white! Recall as you read, the personal resolutions he vows to keep, on his return to normality in SA (be worth finding out how our friend is doing on those, I suspect!). Chuckle at the ladies he tries half-heartedly to hook up with, en route, more out of curiosity, it seems, than serious intent
Date: October 16th, 2007 |
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Robyn goes Shark Diving!
So I arrive at work on a Tuesday afternoon after a hectic weekend, where Billy’s opened on a rare Sunday afternoon to host a Red bull function which featured an awesome South African duo called Goldfish, to the news that i was going diving with sharks the following Saturday! What, where and how??? Apparently there was an incentive for us waitresses… whoever sold the most Vodka Red bulls would win a shark dive… oh cool! 
Saturday morning arrives and a group of us are off down the coast… the morning started a bit chilly and overcast! We arrive at Blue Wilderness, Rocky Bay and are quickly kitted up with wetsuit, flippers, goggle and snorkel. After a group shot and a short orientation from the lead diver, it as time to hit the beach. The rain started to come down at this point and the sea was looking very rough. We had a pretty rough but exciting 30 minutes boat ride to the dive site where the chum was dropped and within seconds we saw our first shark from the safety of the boat! While staring in disbelief into the open waters… we spotted a Southern Right Whale jumping in the distance!
Date: October 10th, 2007 |
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Hoorip Hooray, Our first hot day!
Today was a teaser of the promise of summer. A nice warm day, to make everyone go out and buy Barbeque sauces…
This happens every year. Just when you think summer has arrived, winter comes back for an encore and wipes that last bit of a smile off your face before searing African sun has its way with us.
Today was 27C (80F or gas mark 2), which was enough to get me in the p-p-pool, but this weekends weather is forecast to be a misery, which is a shame as we are going up to Great Brak for some …
Date: September 18th, 2007 |
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It’s a win, win, win for the green and gold!
Wow, what a weekend!
On Sunday the street were a-hush as people regrouped themselves after Saturday night’s revelry.
South African’s all over the world are in a state of bliss and hopefully home sickness, watching our boks in green and gold scoop up not “just” the championship trophy, but player of the year and coach of the tournament also!
Bryan Habana’s 8 tournament tries is joint record with Jona Lomu. Dazzling the rugby world with his ridiculous speed.
The joy on the teams faces was a thing to behold and even Thabo Mbeki was smiling. There is …
Date: October 22nd, 2007 |
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Iceberg sighted of Cape St Francis: What the heck next?
Well there is no sight of the mysterious iceberg that was sighted last week at 6pm on Monday, 35 nautical miles south east of St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape by the crew of the fishing vessel Ntini.
The air force on routine patrol were asked to keep a lookout for the bobbing block, but it was nowhere to be found. Read excerpts below:
“According to the crew of the Ntini, the iceberg is about 25 metres in length and 20 metres in height and was spotted south east of St Francis Bay, 35 nautical miles off shore,” he said. It was first seen at 6pm on Monday. “But, we must take into consideration, that they flew in unfavourable weather conditions where there were high waves,” he said.
“It’s very unlikely because of the warm Agulhas current off the east coast,” he said.
“The history of iceberg climatology in this area also shows that there has never been anything like this in the past,” he said.
Hunter said the ‘South African Sailing Direction’, a book published by the Hydrographic Office under the South African Navy, mentions that there were a few iceberg sightings in the 1850s near Cape Town.
He said there was also a report from a ship in 2002 off the Cape west coast of a piece of ice, about a metre-high above the water.
“We refer to this as a ‘growler’ because it is very small. Bearing in mind the cold Cape Town water, this was, to an extent, acceptable,” he said.
Date: October 18th, 2007 |
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Bok, Bokke, Bokkest
Rugby fever is building with huge anticipation for the World cup final on Saturday.
We have already beaten England 36-0 in the opening rounds, so the odds are stacked against the defending champions.
South Africa last won the Rugby world cup in 1995 after being excluded for many years due to politics. (apartheid in case you hadn’t heard). What transpired after we won was probably the biggest celebration in SA history next to the release of Nelson Mandela.
While it would be premature to count our eggs, we are all expecting a BIG party this weekend (when we win:))
If you are in South …
Date: October 16th, 2007 |
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You know you’re South African when….: Facebook group
Facebook has really taken off in South Africa, in the same way that Brazil took to Orkut..In droves.
This group has a nice list, highlighting some endearing (and some not) South Africans idiosyncrasies.
Please note the crime references in this list pertain mainly to Johannesburg
You know you’re South African when:
* You call a bathing suit a “swimming costume”
* You call a traffic light a “robot”
* The employees dance in front of the building to show how unhappy they are
* The SABC advertises and shows highlights of the program you just finished watching
* You get cold easily. Anything below 16 degrees Celsius is Arctic weather
* You know what Rooibos Tea is, even if you’ve never had any
* You can sing your national anthem in four languages, and you have no idea what it means in any of them
* You know someone who knows someone who has met Nelson Mandela
* You go to “braais” (barbecues) regularly, where you eat boerewors (long meaty sausage- type thing) and swim, sometimes simultaneously
* You know that there’s nothing to do in the Free State
* You produce a R100 note instead of your driver’s license when stopped by a traffic officer
Date: September 19th, 2007 |
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Countdown to 2010: World cup 997 Days to kickoff :)
The 8 host cities around South Africa staged celebrations on Saturday to mark 1000 Days till the start of the 2010 World Cup.
The celebrations were part of the 2010 Local Organising Committee and the host cities’ plans to make the public aware of the magnitude of the soccer extravaganza which will be held on the African continent for the first time. The body wishes to give a small kick in the bum to businesses and entrepreneurs to get moving on projects taking advantage of 2010.
The 2010 World cup is a huge force for change …
Date: September 17th, 2007 |
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