Rene Haselbacher. Photo courtesy Tony Rocha

Austrian rider, Rene Haselbacher, won the first 106km stage of the 2010 Pick n Pay Cape Argus Giro del Capo invitational cycling event, held in Wellington yesterday. Haselbacher represents Team Safindit.co.za. Team Medscheme’s Malcolm Lange came in second, followed by Burry Stander of Team Specialized.

The second 143km stage is under way in Durbanville today, followed by the 171km Paarl route on Thursday and the concluding 5.5km individual time trial at Signal Hill on Friday.

The four-stage race, first held in 1992, takes place in and around Cape Town and the Boland, hence its name, Giro del Capo, which means “The Tour of the Cape”.

The 2010 Giro del Capo is open to six-strong teams with valid elite U23 racing licences. Teams can be entered by clubs, provinces or sponsors, which need to be registered with Cycling South Africa. Teams need to quality for the Giro del Capo on merit.

About 6 000 people took part in Gay Pride 2010, which meandered through the streets of Cape Town on Saturday, March 6.

Cape Town is known for its gay-friendly atmosphere and Saturday’s event was further proof of this.

Cape Town Tourism event reporter Deon Gurling took some pictures of the parade:

You can also read Deon’s blog, about the event, here.

Therisa Andrews from Cape Town Routes Unlimited shows her diski dance spirit at the 100 Days to Kick-off celebration, outside Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday. Therisa and her colleagues are all very excited about the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and what it means for Cape Town.

About 800 children, between the ages of six and 16, selected from various gymnastics groups in the Western Cape, performed the diski dance, under the instructions of Amanda Maartens from Cape Town band Coda.

Executive mayor, Alderman Dan Plato, praised the children for their enthusiasm and reminded them that the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ belongs as much to them as to anyone else.

The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves, despite the heat. Cape Town’s tourism director, Nombulelo Mfeka, said she was uplifted by the children’s “genuine spirit”.

“In tourism circles, we don’t often get to see what the children are all about, but today we certainly did, and it is so great.”

Children having fun during the diski dance. Photo by Roy Barford

About 570 school children from around Cape Town, as well as 80 guests, celebrated the 100th day before the 2010 FIFA World Cup ™ by diski dancing outside Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday.

The children, aged between eight and 16, came from gymnastics groups around Cape Town. They danced and cheered enthusiastically, despite immense heat. They were lead by singer and dancer, Amanda Maartens, of Cape Town band Coda.

Cape Town Tourism’s Destination Marketing Manager Lianne Burton said that it was “great for young Capetonians to have a sense of pride and a sense of responsibility”.

She encouraged the children to remain enthusiastic and help Cape Town “welcome the world in style”.

Executive mayor, Alderman Dan Plato, praised the children for their energy, and reminded them that they were as much a part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup ™ as anyone else.

He confirmed his support for Bafana Bafana, and said he would remain a staunch supporter, regardless of their current form. He encouraged others to support the national team in South African style.

“With our vuvuzelas, we will blow the other teams away!” he said.

FIFA announced this week that they believed Cape Town would be 100% ready for the event, which starts on June 11.

“Cape Town can do it!” Plato chanted over and over, as the 570 children joined him.

Fashion design was one aspect of the 2010 Design Indaba. Photo by Deon Gurling

The Cape Town International Convention Centre was abuzz over the weekend as designers from various disciplines including fashion, jewellery design, interiors, photography and graphic design showcased their works at the annual International Design Indaba.

The two-day event, emphasising that local is indeed lekker, attracted thousands of people to its display of amazing designs, ranging from the functional to the eccentric, with established brands like Vespa sharing the limelight with new designers.

Besides the smaller boutiques promoting their clothes, fashionistas also had the opportunity to see some of the country’s top fashion designers, such as Craig Native and Stiaan Louw, and international brands, like Stoned Cherrie, showcase their latest creations.

While established designers strutted their stuff, a future generation of designers were introduced to the industry through children’s workshops at the Artjamming and Nickelodeon booths.

Various global industry figures also presented at the indaba, including US design mogul Martha Stewart, India’s Parish Pandey, Brazilian designer Marcelo Rosenbaum and China’s Han Feng. Not to be outdone, South African industry gurus did the country proud, as cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro (aka Zapiro), Handspring Puppet Company and Mokena Makeka all wowed attendees with their insights and productions.

Cape Town Tourism staff at the Wishing Wall

As we left the Jump exhibition we passed the Wishing Wall exhibition. The wall allows everyday passers-by to write a note and stick it onto the wall.

It was amusing and thought-provoking to read some of these titbits into the psyches of the passers-by. Quite interesting to note how much commentary there was on Zuma …

The wall seemed to represent our creative consciousness.

Below is more info on the Wishing Wall:

The Wishing Wall
Contribute a little piece of yourself, and become part of a collective Cape Town artwork.

Created by:
Landi Raubenheimer and Paul Cooper

When and where:
Mon 15 – Fri 19 from 10h00 – 15h00 / Sat 20 10h00 – 13h00, Corner of Hout and Adderley Streets

Duration:
On-going

The Wishing Wall is a huge, fluid, ever-changing collage made up of wishes, reflections, opinions, photos, titbits and keepsakes from you, the people of Cape Town. A space for connecting, healing, venting, expressing, enacting, feeling, interacting … Both installation and performance, The Wishing Wall will evolve continuously throughout the Infecting the City Festival week.

Like a physical, visual blog, The Wishing Wall gives immediate access to the collective thoughts, desires, aspirations and needs of the Festival community. It recalls those sites of conflict, trauma and remembrance where we lay flowers, cards and memorabilia; and the informal advertisement walls where notes are left detailing the availability of inner-city accommodation.

Bring something personal (a written hope, dream, or recollected moment, a photo or a memento) with you and join Landi and Paul in making this temporary monument to the fleeting moment.

The Wishing Wall

The Cape Town Tourism marketing team jumping their cares away

On Friday some of the Cape Town Tourism marketing team decided to take part in the Infecting the City productions happening around the CBD.

Our team was enthusiastically rounded up by marketing officer, Marisah Smith, and we strolled down to the Adderley Street flower sellers, where a bed was placed to allow people to jump on.

It’s amazing how jumping on a bed brings a smile to your face. I think it brings back memories of your childhood.

The people walking by were initially a bit confused as to why a linen-covered bed was placed next to the flower sellers, but as more people were encouraged to jump, the smiles and laughter grew.

Below is some more info on the production:

Jump
Might as well jump your cares away …

Created by:
Kelly Wainwright

When:
Mon 15 – Sat 20

Where:
As it happens, around and about the CBD. A standard, white, queen-sized bed drifts about in the CBD all week long. Bishop Tutu has jumped on it. Kalk Bay Harbour fishermen have jumped on it, and so have cleaners from the Mount Nelson Hotel. Kelly invites you to take off your shoes, lay down your burdens for a few minutes, and exercise your basic right to bounce on the bed. Jump in the middle of the city. Jump for the joy of jumping.

The Bed King, Mr. Price Home, and Restorabilia have generously supported this piece.

The Platteklip Wash House

The Hoerikwaggo Trail, as from January 2010, offers visitors the option of a one- or two-night stay. Both trail options start at the Platteklip Wash House, in the Oranjezicht area. The overnight facilities at the Platteklip Wash House sleep 24, while the Overseer’s Cottage sleeps 16.

Clients can park their vehicles at their own risk at the Platteklip Wash House; there is usually a guide or intern who sleeps over at the facility.

Bedding, trail guides, and baggage transportation are included in the price. Rooms one to four are self-catering, while rooms five and six share the kitchen, which leads from the main living area at the Platteklip Wash House.

Guests will start their guided walk from the Wash House, at 08h00, in the direction of the lower cable station. You will ascend Table Mountain on the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, depending on the weather. If inclement weather makes using the Cableway impossible, guests will be guided up Table Mountain via Platteklip Gorge.

Please note: there is no refund if the Cableway is closed due to inclement weather and guests are not entitled to Table Mountain Aerial Cableway vouchers.

A walkway at the Platteklip Wash House

The Hoerikwaggo Trail follows the route via Maclear’s Beacon and Smuts’ Track to the Overseer’s Cottage. Guests could arrive at this facility at around 14h00 or 15h00 in the afternoon, depending on the fitness level of the group. The guides normally walk at the pace of the slowest walker. The main house and Klipspringer Cottage sleep ten, while Disa Cottage sleeps six.

Visitors can opt for a guided tour around the dams and the Waterworks Museum on the second day; this tour normally takes about two hours and is weather-dependent.

The second day’s walk starts at 09h00. Guests can opt to end the walk at Constantia Nek or Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The average time of arrival at the end point is 14h00.

The trail can be very challenging at times and a good level of fitness is required to enjoy it, as guests will have to handle steep inclines.

Guests should please remember to bring:

• Protective gear i.e. raingear, comfortable hiking clothes, sunhat
• Sunscreen
• At least two litres of water
• Camera/binoculars
• Gear bag and day pack
• Food, hydrating drinks and snacks
• Hiking boots/shoes and socks

Spectacular Table Mountain, one of South Africa’s most iconic attractions

Last week, two colleagues and I spent a few hours on an open-top bus tour of Cape Town, courtesy of City Sightseeing.

We chose the Blue Mini Peninsula Tour, which costs R110.00 for adults and R60.00 for children aged 5-15 (kids under five are free), and is fabulous value for money, because you can spend the entire day on the tour if you like, and get to see some of Cape Town’s top attractions.

The tour was informative and interesting, the staff of the City Sightseeing company were warm and friendly, the bus was luxurious and punctual, and even the weather was spectacular (organised carefully for us, of course, by kind City Sightseeing!)

Scenic Hout Bay, Cape Town

Camps Bay is Cape Town’s Beverly Hills, where the rich and famous like to live and play

When the weather’s good, taking a trip on Cape Town’s red, open-top City Sightseeing buses has to be one of the best things to do in the city

Cyril Ramaphosa remembering February 11, 1990. Photo courtesy Iziko Museums/Carina Beyer

Two major exhibitions opened this week at the Iziko Museums’ Slave Lodge in the Cape Town city centre: Mandela: Character, comrade, leader, prisoner, negotiator, statesman; and Drawing on Madiba, by Zapiro. Twenty years ago yesterday, on February 11, 1990, Mandela was released after spending 27 years in prison.

The main exhibition details the life and times of Nelson Mandela, while Zapiro’s exhibition showcases the cartoonist’s impressions of the country’s most beloved leader.

The exhibitions were launched on Wednesday night, with keynote speaker Cyril Ramaphosa saying, “This evening allows us to cast our minds back to the evening before Madiba was to walk free. Though we understood that momentous changes were taking place in our country, we didn’t quite understand what the events that were unfolding would lead to. We had great expectations, but great uncertainty.”

Ramaphosa is now a prominent businessman who heads up Shanduka Holdings. In an interview at the opening, he said he was positive that South Africa would be a much better place 20 years from now. “I hope we’ll have dealt a huge blow to poverty, and that unemployment will have been reduced radically. Our country should be growing by seven, eight or 9%. … I hope our country will be in a much better state.”

On the issue of reconciliation in South Africa, Ramaphosa said, “It’s a work in progress, but Mandela has led us along the reconciliation path. He has planted the seed and it has germinated.”

Mandela’s friend and fellow Robben Island inmate, Ahmed Kathrada, also spoke at the opening. He related personal anecdotes that reflected Madiba’s tenacity, kindness, and, in the gentle manner of a close friend, his personal vanity.

For a more in-depth article about the opening, see Cape Town exhibitions open on eve of anniversary of Madiba’s release from prison.

The Iziko Museums’ Slave Lodge is open Monday to Saturday from 10h00 to 17h00. The entrance fee is R15. The Mandela exhibitions will run for about two years.

Cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro. Photo courtesy Iziko Museums/Carina Beyer

Achmat Dangor, Ahmed Kathrada and Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo courtesy Iziko Museums/Carina Beyer

Christopher Till, Cyril Ramaphosa and Bantu Holomisa at the opening of the Mandela exhibitions. Photo courtesy Iziko Museums/Carina Beyer