Mother City News

Cape Town train service slowly being reborn

2 February 2022 by Steve Kretzmann

First the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) was looted from within during former President Jacob Zuma’s state capture tenure, then during the Covid-19 lockdown when the trains ceased running, it was looted by cable thieves and vandals.

But in Cape Town at least, the Metrorail service is slowly getting back on track.… Read more

It’s summer but we’re staying in the red

2 February 2022 by Sadé Allcock

According to the book of Ecclesiastes, and Nina Simone, to everything there is a season. A time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant, a time to reap, a time to kill, a time to heal, a time to laugh, a time to cry, a time to drink wine and a time to refrain from drinking.… Read more

The Sweetest Thing: irresistible tarts

2 February 2022 by Steve Kretzmann

he cynics among us believed it was never going to happen. After cable thieves brought the Metrorail southern line to a stop at Retreat in October last year, the coastal section to Fish Hoek would simply rust away over time and become another relic of a looted state.… Read more

Heritage rights at stake

28 February 20222 February 2022 by Steve Kretzmann

Court set to rule on interdict to halt River Club development

The development, which would include a regional headquarters for corporate giant Amazon, is opposed by the Observatory Civic Association and by the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council.
The applicants say they were left out of consultations and only the First Nations Collective, a group supporting the development, was consulted.

Gig guide: February

2 February 2022 by Mia Arderne

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. God help us all.

V-Day options

If you’re loaded enough to take your better half on a super larnie kak expensive date, here’s something for you: A five-star sailing experience on-board Mirage, South Africa’s luxurious private charter yacht.… Read more

City falling short of directive to clean up Milnerton Lagoon

5 January 202224 December 2021 by Steve Kretzmann

Green Scorpions finds City is not compliant with all its instructions

The deadline for fixing the Potsdam sewage works has been pushed out to 2028, in spite of fears that effluent from the sewage works is contributing to the pollution of the Milnerton Lagoon in Cape Town.… Read more

Penguins in crisis as sardine populations plummet

2 February 202224 December 2021 by Steve Kretzmann

The penguins at Boulders Beach are a huge tourist drawcard, but these charismatic birds are in trouble

Steve Kretzmann

African penguin populations are plummeting along with sardine stocks. As are Cape gannets and Cape cormorants, who also feed almost exclusively on the small pelagic fish.… Read more

Pinotage for a steal

5 January 202223 December 2021 by Sadé Allcock

I don’t know about everyone else, but I am not feeling any festive cheer this year. Zero. None. Fokol. I don’t know whether it is because I am working right up until the 23^rd and I have done no Christmas shopping or if it is just because Christmas no longer holds the kind of magic that it did when I was seven years old.… Read more

Mediterranean fare down south

5 January 202223 December 2021 by Steve Kretzmann

It’s just been announced that Metrorail’s southern line to Fish Hoek is open again, so if you want to take a trip out of town but don’t want to deal with the mad traffic, Kalk Bay is a good option. Of course, there’s always a cost; you’ll have to endure the grimy metrorail coaches.… Read more

New Amazon HQ not dependent on River Club site

2 December 2021 by Steve Kretzmann

Claims thousand of jobs would be lost if River Club development did not go ahead are false

Court case delayed as urgent interdict sought to prevent continued construction

Much has been made of the thousands of jobs the new Amazon regional headquarters being built on the River Club in Observatory will bring to Cape Town.… Read more