South Africa News, Travel and fun Blog

Late last week enormous freak waves lashed South Africa’s coastline at KwaZulu Natal. Scientists, who cite climactic changes as part of the cause of the freak storm, report that waves measuring up to 12 metres were recorded off Richards Bay. One person was reported to have died while havoc was wreaked on beach-front homes, shops and businesses causing untold damage to property. On a lighter note, adrenalin-crazed surfers managed to catch some of the best rides of their lives, laughing in the face of life-threatening danger!

Here are some photo’s of an Ore Carrier out of Durban Port

South African rock lovers are gearing up for one of the biggest live music events to hit the country EVER – My Coke Fest 2007.

Set to rock Jo’burg and Cape Town in April / May (1 event in each city) the 12 hour event (from midday to midnight) has a spectacular line-up of renowned local and international bands.

Headlining the show is the legendary Guns and Roses who appear in South Africa for the first time ever as part of their 2007 Chinese Democracy World Tour. The tour incorporates Japan, Thailand, South America, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand as well as South Africa.

Front man Axl Rose says: “I’ve been fortunate enough to play in some of the most historic buildings and stadiums around the world but performing in South Africa will truly be an honour - I can’t wait to see South Africa. This is a dream come true”.

Other international acts dominating the stage are the luminous Evanescence with their distinctive sound and Amy Lee’s haunting voice; 3 Doors Down, Hoobastank and Staind. So whether you like your rock laidback or hard core there’s something for everyone.

Not to be intimidated by these imported acts is some of South Africa’s best homegrown talent – the cream of the rock crop - including Arno Cartsens’s Springbok Nude Girls and the Parlatones who have recently signed an international record deal with a top lable. Jo’burg will enjoy the likes of Cassette and Evolver while Cape Town will be rocking to the awesome sounds of The Dirty Skirts, Love Jones and Taxi Violence.

This is a lineup of epic proportions and South Africa is already getting in the mood with the featured bands receiving loads of airplay across all the airwaves, especially sponsors 5FM.

If you’re in South Africa this autumn make a point of getting to one of these phenomenal events – it’s the stuff memories are made of.

If you thought Cape Town was all about wine and wine only, here’s a well-kept secret – the Cape Olive Route! Yes, the Cape produces many of the world’s finest wines, and has a rich heritage of viticulture dating back to the French Huguenots’ arrival in South Africa. And yes, olives are a new-comer to the area, having only been introduced here 80 years ago. But with the change in South Africans’ diet including the increasing popularity of Mediterranean foods, fuelled by television’s international celebrity chef programmes and the mushrooming of delicatessens all over South Africa, the demand for locally grown olives and their by-products has soared.

To date there is not an official Cape Olive Route, but with delightfully appointed farms dotted all around the Western Cape we’ve taken the liberty of drawing up our own itinerary – a culinary meander if you like, for olive-lovers who live in or are visiting Cape Town.

Stellenbosch is a good place to begin your excursion. This historic town is home to the Universtity of Stellenbosch and is brim-full of students during the term time, lending it a lively air. Plenty of good pubs are to be found here, while culture vultures can enjoy visiting galleries. But the main aim of this trip is to find olives, so before you get stuck in ‘Stellies’, head for the Eikendal Vineyards - your your first olive stop. Next drive across to Saxenberg Wine Farm near Kuils River, then back to Somerset West where the famous Morgenster Estate, specialising in olives and related products, is situated. These three establishments can be woven in to a trip around the wine route, and really, there can be few combinations to delight a foodie’s heart more than fruit of the vine and fruit of the grove…

If you want to make a day of it, try the following route: Head off to Riebeek Kasteel and visit the Olive Boutique in the town and the Kloovenburg Estate – home of one of the top 15 olive oils in the world. Their selection of olive-based products will amaze you! The town itself is delightfully bohemian with a winning blend of artists, eccentrics and excellent chefs calling this village home. The vineyards grow between the houses and the church and pub co-habit side by side quite comfortably. At a mere one hours drive out of Cape Town this makes a good day trip.
 
To become completely steeped in the atmosphere of a Cape olive farm, however, you can stay at the Wild Olive Farm between Tulbagh and Ceres. This working wine and olive farm has delightful self catering accommodation in a sprinkling of charming cottages, as well as a lovely camping site. Not only will you enjoy seeing the olive groves being farmed and harvested, you can also fish, swim and canoe on any of the three dams. The views of vines and mountains are exquisite.

If you love olives but don’t want to venture too far out of town, Melissa’s Food Shop is a great deli with branches all over Cape Town. The Olive Station in Muizenberg serves Lebanese dishes and sells olives and olive produce on site.

Lastly, here are four more fabulous olive establishments you may wish to add to your own version of the Cape Olive Route!

•  Drakenstein Olives, Paarl (on De Hoop Farm)
•  Hildebrand Estate, Wellington
•  The Cape Olive Trust (at the foot of the Drakenstein Mountains)
• Blackpear Olives, Paarl

While Cape Town’s beach-loving community has been actively supporting the Shark Spotter programme (where watchers sit on the mountainside along the coast and alert life guards when sharks are in the vicinity so that the water can be evacuated) the Two Ocean Aquarium are setting free sharks around the corner near Cape Aghulhas.

Swimmers and surfers need not fear… these are not the great whites recently associated with the spate of attacks in recent years along the False Bay coast which has left some unfortunate victims minus limbs, and in one case, dead.

This is a far happier tale – Cape Town’s own Sharks’ Tale – with two ‘raggies’ (ragged tooth sharks) named Bella and Billy being released back into their natural environment to join three of their predecessors from the Aquarium. Their journey involves a long swim up the east coast towards KwaZulu-Natal, believed to be the annual migration route of the species.

The event is part of the Save Our Seas programme, which involves in-depth studies into the life cycle of the sharks that swim in these waters.

The raggies are sedated then placed in a holding pool where they are tagged with an ultra-sonic device: Two holes are drilled through the dorsal fin of each shark and plates are attached on either side for a pop-up archival transmitting satellite tag to be attached between prior to the release.

Information gathered would include the sharks’ location, and the depth and temperature of the waters through which they swim.

The sharks, both of which were originally caught at Struisbaai, have been part of a group that has entertained the public for eleven years. During this time they have contributed greatly to the knowledge of the behaviour of their species.

Shark species are under threat of extinction if they continue to be slaughtered, according to experts. A key principal of the programme has been to help alter negative perceptions about sharks by educating the public.

Another way in which we can learn more about sharks is by encountering them in their own environment. Shark cage diving, when properly carried out by reputable tour companies, offer invaluable and fascinating encounters with various shark species in and around the Cape waters.

Rivals Microsoft and Google are at loggerheads again, this time over perceived ‘copyrighting’ infringements.

An attack has been launched by Microsoft on the super-search engine Google’s book-scanning service, which is in direct competition to their own project, Live Search Books.
Whilst Microsoft claims to adhere strictly to regulations by only allowing users to access publications where the copyright is no longer in effect, they accuse Google of contravening the law by allowing copyright-protected materials to be viewed on their site.They compound this accusation by adding that such action cuts into publishers’ profits.

Google, while preparing to scan literally millions of books and publications from around the world, making them available to their users, defends their actions. They claim to be working within the international copyright parameters.

Google’s chief legal officer, Mr. David Drummond, said, “The result has been more exposure and in many cases, more revenue for authors, publishers and producers of content.”

Microsoft lawyer Mr. Thomas Rubin cited YouTube, purchase by Google last year, as a perfect example of the way in which Google operated with blatant infringement of copyrighting laws.

Many experts are of the opinion that this attack is just a continuation of the ongoing rivalry between the two Internet giants.

Grand Prix fans in South Africa are getting ‘revved up’ up in anticipation of a 1 billion rand (£70 million) race circuit planned for Cape Town.

South African Grand Prix (Pty) Ltd unveiled plans to build the circuit alongside the Cape Town International Airport. CEO Mr. David Gant confirmed that the project already has the support of both municipal and provincial government. However, the estimated 58 hectares of land required have yet to be released.

He added that once the land was made available the company was confident that a viable license application would be presented.

Grant also stated that government would not have to find the funds needed as it would be underwritten by overseas developers.

The course is planned to comprise a 5.7km circuit with a grandstand able to accommodate 17, 500 spectators. Both racing cars and motorcycles would be able to race on the circuit. Adjacent commercial and industrial parks linked to the course are also included in the plans, with job creation a positive spin-off.

Although South Africa hosted F1 Grand Prix events in the past (from the 1960s to the 1990s) financial constraints led to the country being dropped from the F1 calendar.

If the proposed building of the course goes ahead Cape Town will host Africa’s future F1 Grand Prix races – a real coup for the popular city!