Athlone Towers demolished on Sunday

Athlone Towers

The famous Athlone Towers in Cape Town will be demolished tomorrow at 12pm. The power station cooling towers were built in 1960 but generation of electricity was stopped in 2001. Subsequently the Towers have been determined to be unsafe. It has become a famous landmark to Capetonians over the years.

When I was a youngster we frequently visited family in Somerset-West and therefore always passed the Towers on the way, since it's located right next to the N2 highway. There is always a very bad smell in the area and it is mistakenly associated with the cooling towers. The smell is actually from the sewerage plant on the other side of the road. Nasal illusion!? 

Live broadcast

The demolition will be broadcast live on Sunday, 22 August, from 11h40 to 12h10 (GMT+2) on www.zoopy.com/live.
There will be a 300m exclusion zone around the Athlone Towers during the demolition. Part of the N2, Jan Smuts Drive and the adjacent Metrorail line will be closed.

Video: Athlone Towers, Going, Going...




UPDATE 22 August 2010: Videos of actual demolition

Athlone Cooling Towers Demolition from Phillip Gibb on Vimeo.

Read more on "Athlone Towers demolished on Sunday"!

Google Street View available in South Africa

Google Street View has finally launched in South Africa, enabling internet users to view images of streets and surrounding buildings at street level. All faces and car number plates are blurred to protect your privacy. Considering that the FIFA World Cup tournament starts on Friday, this will undoubtedly assist tourists since they'll be able to view sights and stadiums before they arrive.

Of course, the first thing I did was to see if a Google Street View Car captured me in front of my home. Luckily not, but you can see my car in the driveway. I'm a fan of Google and use a lot of their online services; Google Maps with Street View is fantastic.

A view of Chapman's Peak Drive in Cape Town

Google Street View in South Africa is currently available in the major cities and a few other towns. I assume the rest of the country will be mapped during the rest of the year. All the major soccer stadiums are available in 3D with a 360 degree view inside.

3D model of Cape Town Stadium

Video: Street View on Google Maps



A lot of websites are dedicated to displaying funny images that have been captured on Google Street View. Here's a few interesting images.

The only downside to Google Maps and Street View is that it tends to use quite a lot of bandwidth so if you have a slow connection, good luck.

Related links
Google Maps with Street View - Google Read more on "Google Street View available in South Africa"!

Car guards receive expensive Audi R8 as gift

Two car guards working at the Table Mountain Cable Car station in Cape Town was left stunned when a businessman approached them and gave them an Audi R8 car, valued at R1,4 million, as a gift! They thought he was joking but he later returned giving them the keys and paperwork.

The businessman said he had a dream to come to the mountain and told them they should use the car to do good deeds. The car guards have cut a slit in the bonnet of the car (yikes!) for messages and donations to be dropped in.

Police officers have stopped the two car guards assuming that the car was possibly stolen but the businessman has proved that he did indeed give them the car as a gift.

Have you ever seen the movie, Pay It Forward? Well, this story reminded me of that movie. There's still some good-natured people out there. This could well have been a big publicity stunt but since the businessman has remained anonymous, it appears to have been an act of kindness after all.

I must admit, I initially did question the validity of the story and then realised we seem to live in a world where negativity reigns supreme. Perhaps its time to change that.

Related link
Man gives Audi R8 as a tip Read more on "Car guards receive expensive Audi R8 as gift"!

Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts - 2009/2010

The annual Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts in Cape Town have become increasingly popular over the years. If you love live music and want to see local artists perform in a beautiful scenic location, then I suggest you grab your picnic basket and head off to one of these concerts. I've attended numerous of them and had a great time, every time. It's one of my favourite pastimes in Cape Town.

Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts - 2009/2010 line-up

• 22 November - Johnny Clegg *
• 6 December - Jesse Clegg
• 13 December - Jonny Cooper Orchestra
• 27 December - Ashtray Electric and Pretty Blue Guns
• 3 January - A Fist Full of Diamonds with Josie Field, Faryll Purkiss and Dan Patlansky
• 10 January - Freshlyground *
• 17 January - Zebra & Giraffe *
• 24 January - Fokofpolisiekar
• 7 February - aKING
• 21 February - Just Jinjer *
• 28 February - Prime Circle *
• 7 March - Goldfish *
• 14 March - The Dirty Skirts
• 21 March - The Cape Philharmonic Orchestra
• 28 March - Watershed *

Location:  Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Rhodes Drive, Newlands
Tickets:     Tel 021 799 8783 or 021 799 8620 or 021 799 8773 or book online at www.webtickets.co.za
Prices:      R75 for adults (R95 for concerts marked *)
Open:       Venue is open from 15:00 - 20:00pm* / Concert Time 17:30 -18:30*
                *Confirm times when you purchase your tickets

Ticket sales for the sunset concerts start from the Tuesday preceding the concert.

See you there!

Related links:
Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts - UncoverTheCape
SA National Biodiversity Institute - Kirstenbosch Read more on "Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts - 2009/2010"!

Bushmans Kloof voted world's best hotel and Cape Town second best city

Bushmans Kloof was voted the no.1 hotel in the world, in the 2009 US Travel + Leisure Best Awards survey. The results were announced on the american TV network NBC's Today Show on Friday.



Bushmans Kloof is a five-star wilderness retreat at the foot of the Cederberg Mountains, about 270km north of Cape Town. It's also a sanctuary to several endangered species as well as host to over 130 Bushman rock art sites.



South Africa's presence in the top 15 of the World's Best Hotels for 2009 is quite evident with the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve placed third, Singita Sabi Sand sixth and The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa 15th.




Cape Town voted second best city in the world

In the 14th annual World's Top Cities poll, Cape Town was voted no.2! Cape Town has consistently featured in the top 10 of most travel destination polls for a number of years.



Apart from the already mentioned Twelve Apostles luxury hotel in Camps Bay, the Cape Grace Hotel placed fourth in the Top 5 City Hotels in Africa and the Middle East category. Incidentally, the UK Telegraph also recently voted Cape Town their Favourite Foreign City.

Cape Town, also known as the Mother City, is by the far the most popular destination in South Africa due to it's scenic beauty and tourism industry. These sort of international accolades definitely helps in promoting Cape Town's readiness for hosting the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

Guess who's proudly Capetonian!

Related links
US Travel + Leisure magazine - 2009 Best Awards survey
Image sources - Bushmans Kloof, Chris Johns Read more on "Bushmans Kloof voted world's best hotel and Cape Town second best city"!

Floods in Western Cape - photos

The Western Cape was on the receiving end of heavy rainfalls on Sunday which caused severe flooding in some areas. In Cape Town it was the second heaviest rainfall measured for a 24-hour period, in 52 years.

Several people were forced from their homes and informal settlements were affected most. The southern suburbs of Cape Town, as well as Camps Bay, Strand/Somerset West and Grabouw in the Overberg district were the worst affected areas. Most of the heavy rain has dissipated by now but the cold temperatures remain. It's nippy indeed!

Here's a few pics of the flooded areas


Slow traffic on M5 highway in Cape Town


Camps Bay's beach road


Road in Camps Bay


Somerset West main road - KFC


Store in Somerset West main road

Jet ski


This pic was taken a few years ago in Camps Bay's beach ROAD!

Photos via IOL, Die Burger, 2oceansvibe and Jeremy Nell Read more on "Floods in Western Cape - photos"!

Cape of Storms

Winter has truly arrived! A big cold front has hit Cape Town in spectacular fashion yesterday with torrential rains, cold weather and gale force winds, causing huge waves. An oil tanker almost stranded in Blouberg due to the strong currents.

The Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias, named the Cape the "Cape of Storms". It was later renamed as the "Cape of Good Hope" by John II of Portugal due to the successful sea route to India/the East.

Here's a spectacular photo taken by Michael Walker (Cape Times) capturing a wave bashing the shoreline at Three Anchor Bay in Cape Town:



On a different note, the Emerging Boks played against the British Lions last night in atrocious conditions at Newlands rugby stadium. The crowd of around 40 000 was therefore quite impressive. It ended in a 13-all draw with the Emerging Boks scoring a try in the last minute of the match. Read more on "Cape of Storms"!

Cape Town's new Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) system

Cape Town is the most popular tourist destination in South Africa and recognised as one of the most beautiful cities on earth. Public transport is therefore key to sustain the city's role as South Africa's leading holiday destination. The City of Cape Town has therefore decided to implement an extensive Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) sysatem to alleviate traffic congestion, reduce transport times and stimulate new developments in the Cape metropole.

According to Kylie Hatton, City of Cape Town media manager, the proposed IRT system will include a rail plan, a bus rapid-transit (BRT) system, improvements to conventional bus and minibus operations, cycle ways and bicycle parking, pedestrian and urban space upgrades, metered taxi 
integration and park-and-ride facilities.

The IRT project consists of four phases and is expected to take 10 to 15 years to complete. Construction of the first phase has started and is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

Phase 1A: Includes airport - city link and city to soccer stadium link
Rest of Phase 1: West Coast link along the R27, including Du Noon, Doornbach, Atlantis and Mamre, will be rolled out in 2010.
Phase 2: Cover areas south east of the city, including Khayelitsha, Mitchell's Plain and the southern suburbs
Phase 3 and 4: Cover northern surburbs e.g. Bellville and Durbanville, the Delft and Blue Downs areas, extending all the way to the Helderberg
Details of phases | Map

This project will undoubtedly cause major traffic disruptions during the construction period and the existing taxi assocations are not happy about the proposed plans but the benefits of an integrated public transport system far outweighs the negative. Roll on IRT!

Related links
Cape Town implements Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) - Cape Town Partnership PDF brochure
Cape Town's Integrated Rapid Transit site
Cape Town's rapid-transit system begins taking shape - Creamer Media Engineering News
Image source - City of Cape Town Read more on "Cape Town's new Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) system"!

Several whales beach at Kommetjie

Fifty five whales have beached at Kommetjie in Cape Town today.

Several volunteers have swarmed the beach to assist marine biologists to try and rescue the whales.





Reasons why whales beach

Beaching of whales may seem like a strange phenomenon but there are several reasons/theories why whales beach: Illness could affect their sense of direction. Strong currents could push the whales into low tide areas and then the whales get caught in a race against time to get back into deeper water.

In Kommetjie some of the whales that were freed, were stranded again on the same beach. This however is not uncommon. Again, a problem with their sense of direction could lead them back to the beach, thinking that they're heading for deeper waters.

It could also be that the rest of the whales followed one in distress and got caught in low tide. If a whale stays stranded on the beach for too long, the absense of water could lead to the whale suffocating due to the sheer weight of its body.

Whales to be euthanized

According to Eye Witness News the whales which were still on shore will be euthanized as their conditions had deteriorated.

Update: 34 of the whales had to be euthanized. 20 of the whales were successfully rescued.

Related links
Dozens of whales beach at Kommetjie - IOL
Beached whales to be euthanized - EWN
Photo source Read more on "Several whales beach at Kommetjie"!

Mama Africa

A friend and I decided to go out for dinner last night at Mama Africa in the Cape Town city centre. It's one of my favourite restaurants and I definitely recommend it. Great traditional african food and marimba bands like Abavuki, Abakhaya and Marimba Vibrations ensure an upbeat, lively experience.

I like meat so I had a "Mama's mixed grill" (Crocodile, springbok, kudu, ostrich and venison sausage with vegetables and samp). A nice assortment of game to scare any vegetarian away. ;)





The restaurant staff are friendly and the atmosphere relaxed. Due to the ambience and unique African cuisine, the restaurant seems to be popular with tourists. Note that booking is essential. The whole upper Long Street area has seen a revival of sorts during the last few years so if you're looking for a "night on the town", that's the place to be. Well, at least one of them! Read more on "Mama Africa"!

Residents evacuated due to Table Mountain fire

18 March 2009

A fire started on Table Mountain (yes, the same mountain in the header image at the top of the blog) around 20h30 last night but it was raging out of control by midnight due to strong winds. People had to be evacuated from Vredehoek and High Cape since the fires were coming dangerously close to their homes. The fire started near Rhodes Memorial and has spread all the way around the mountain towards the Vredehoek area. I'm watching the fire through my window while writing this; it's quite a spectacular sight even though an obvious tragedy.

De Waal Drive was closed after midnight due to the heavy smoke. More than 100 firemen were dispatched to the scene and I'm sure more will be needed throughout the night. According to Eye Witness News people who were sleeping in the bush were overwhelmed by the fire and suffered injuries. So many people have gathered on Signal Hill to take photos but this has created a problem for the fire department due to the subsequent traffic.

Here's a few pics:


Source


Pic taken from Claremont - the other side of Table Mountain
Source


Source


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I followed the comments about the fire in realtime on Monitter and Nearby Tweets. Lot of traffic! The developing story was covered quite well by all the messages ("tweets"), long before the mainstream newswires picked it up. I'm listening to CapeTalk 567's radio online now; people who were evacuated calling in, some having nowhere to go. It's going to be a long night for firemen and residents alike. Read more on "Residents evacuated due to Table Mountain fire"!