South Africa Blog

If you are in Cape Town this weekend head over to the ICC for a Hot musical experience. The 8th Cape Town International Jazz Festival is a musical extravaganza par excellence – The festival kicks off today (Thursday) …. A FREE free concert takes place on Thursday, 29th March and is the introductory event to the festival. the artist that will be performing at this years free concert is Hip Hop Pansula, CODA, Siphokazi, Saskia Laroo Band, Ezra Ngcukana Band and Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band. The selected venue for the past four years is the well known Greenmarket Square.

At the ICC from Friday 30th to Saturday 31st March five stages will host 40+ international and African artists including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Randy Crawford, Average White Band, Beki Khosa, the Geri Allen Trio, Jack De Johnette & Sibongile Khumalo “Intercontinental”, Stimela …. and many many more this party is going to be hot! For festival details view the site at: http://www.capetownjazzfest.com/Festival.aspx

If you are in KwaZulu Natal this weekend, pack a picnic basket on Sunday 1st April (this Sunday) and head over to the Botanical Gardens in Berea, Durban. My favourite South African Band, Freshlyground are playing at the Lake. Entrance is R100.00 and it starts at 3.00 pm.

Related Sites:
Freshlyground
Cape Town Jazz Festival

Being the best parent you can be means you can’t miss the 2006 exhibition of the year! The original and best is already in three cities around the country - Cape Town, Johannesburg and now, at last, Durban.

Baba Indaba has, over the last three years proven itself as the first and most successful baby and parenting event in Africa. Our wealth of countrywide exhibition experience can only mean an incredible experience for the visitor – the legendary Baba Indaba Vibe.

Where kids go and good ideas come from.

When? 27-29 April 2007
Where? At the Durban Exhibition Centre
What Time? 09h30-20h00
How Much? R30 Adults, children free, grandparents free on Friday.
Contact: 0860 98 88 88

Handel’s Messiah @ Nelson Mandela Square 23rd annual performance of the Messiah in Sandton: Nelson Mandela Square will celebrate Easter Sunday this year with an inspired performance of Frederick Handel’s Messiah, conducted by Richard Cock, South Africa’s favourite conductor and featuring Sibongile Khumalo, highly acclaimed diva.

The event is held as an annual fundraiser for Women for Peace and proceeds from the programme sales will go to this charity. There will be a lucky draw and five programme holders stand a chance of winning shopping centre gift vouchers to the value of R5000.00

ENTRANCE IS FREE!
Date: Sunday 8 April @ 15:00

For one night only, Palms Up will perform at the Theatre @ The Pavilion on Friday 30 March 2007. The three-piece ”Palms Up”, consisting of Matthew Davison (guitar and vocals), Julian Taylor (double bass and backing vocals) and Dave Bryant (drums and backing vocals) are the latest South African band to break into the industry with their upbeat, funky music.

 The on the 30th show starts at 20:00. For general admission, tickets will cost R60.00 per person. For admission including a CD, tickets are R100.00 per person. For bookings or for more information contact the Theatre @ The Pavilion on 021 419 7661 or send an email to lindsay@thepavilion.co.za.

Related Pages:
The BMW Pavilion at the V&A Waterfront
The Theatre at The Pavilion
Cape Town Attractions

The Nelson Mandela Bay is shaping up for the biggest Splash Festival this year. The 2007 Splash Festival will kick off over the Easter Weekend from 6 – 9 April 2007. The Splash Festival is both a family and watersports festival, encompassing a non-stop programme of events catering for both locals and visitors to the city. Some of the anchor events of the Splash Festival involve the following: Jazz on the Square, featuring renowned local and national performers; beach soccer; volleyball, touch rugby, sand sculpting competition, kiddies Easter egg hunt as well as Mr & Miss Splash.

Other major highlights include a massive fireworks display, a kiddie’s festival, a variety of concerts and a food and craft market. You can also stand a chance of winning a Toyota Yaris in our Splash Win a Car Competition. The Community Chest of Port Elizabeth coordinates over 200 craft and food stalls for the public to browse through when attending the Splash festival. This year, the Splash Festival’s action packed programme will prove to be one of the most exciting ever, with lots of activities geared to keep the entire family entertained.

Venue: Hobie, Humewood and Kings Beach
Contact: Elrie Wobbe, Carmen Malgas
Telephone: 041 582 2575
Fax: 041 582 2573

Related Sites:
Eastern Cape Accommodation
Eastern Cape Hotels
Eastern Cape, South Africa

More…

By: Helen Palmer, editor of www.TailorMadeSouthAfricaTravel.com

The Garden Route stretches from Port Elizabeth in the north down to Cape Town in the south.  In some ways it seems hard to recognise the word “Garden” when applied to the section of coastline which takes in some 800+ kms of fynbos, mountainous hillsides, interspersed with long, sweeping expanses of fine sandy beach, as well as smaller inlets and coves.  I think that in the words “Garden” we are looking for a plethora of flowers, manicured lawns and cultivated correctness.  There is no doubt that you will find all this, but to me, it is the “other” things that make this such a spectacular piece of coastline. 

Each kilometre covered throws up something different, such as the surfing in Jeffrey’s Bay, where you’ll be able to catch the famous Supertubes once described as “the most perfect wave in the world”; the magnificence of Tsitsikamma National Park where acclaimed hikes such as the Otter Trail hug the coastline from Storm’s River Mouth to Nature’s Valley or the radio-active hot springs in Montagu, where swimming in the renowned healing properties of the 43 degree water is guaranteed to relax the most exhausted of bodies.

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In case you missed Carte Blanche on Sunday night 18th March and had not yet heard of Dereck and Beverly Joubert … Dereck and Beverly Joubert are South African, award winning Filmmakers and Conservationists. In case you missed it, it is worth watching and hopefully is rescreened as “viewers choice” later this week.

“They’ve spent almost three decades capturing unique wildlife scenes on film … South Africans Dereck and Beverly Joubert are an extraordinary husband and wife team. Overseas, their work is highly acclaimed and their contribution to conservation widely acknowledged”. (Carte Blanche)

Dereck and Beverly Joubert are award-winning filmmakers from Botswana, with four Emmys and a Peabody to their names. Their mission is the conservation and understanding of the large predators and key African wildlife species that determine the course of all conservation in Africa. They have been filming, researching and exploring in Africa for over 25 years. Their coverage of unique predator behavior has resulted in 20 films, six books and many articles for National Geographic magazine. (source: National Geographic)

See this link for additional information:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers-program/eir/joubert.html – includes a link to an interview with Dereck and Beverly Joubert as discuss their lives and work in the African Bush.

The Carte Blanche interview with the Jouberts was fascinating and included scenes from their newest film out now on DVD, “Eye of the Leopard”. See the transcript of the programme on the Carte Blanche site at:
http://www.carteblanche.co.za/Display/Display.asp?Id=3272

View their website, movies, books and find out more about Dereck & Beverley Joubert:
http://www.wildlifeconservationfilms.com

To find a Game Reserve or Game Lodge in Botswana visit:
http://www.sa-venues.com/accommodation/bw_game_lodges.htm

The Mother City Living Blog is all about “living the good life in Cape Town, the Mother City”. The blog is about living the “good” life in Cape Town – not jet-set type good life but wholesome living, enjoying the great outdoors, the many bounties our lovely “Mother City” offers us in the form of beautiful places, spectacular scenery and so much to do.

the author of Mother City Living is a fan of natural things so you will read a lot about organic foods, original crafts, restaurants that are not chains, small shops and cafes. Pia writes about new places she has visited (and obviously these are places that take great care in the preparation of food, of the service they provide). She visits organic markets and finds websites that offer organic goods and tells you about her finds.

There is a lot of newsy info about upcoming events in the Mother city, restaurant reviews, good places to go and some unusual finds … So if you are into exploring the Cape and finding out about places worth visiting, this blog is a very worthwhile read.
Find it at: http://www.mothercityliving.co.za/

Happy exploring!

Zoopy.com is new, its fun, its fresh… Zoopy.com is South Africa’s first video and photo sharing social network. It’s the easiest way to connect and share videos and photos with your friends, family, colleagues and complete strangers.

The process is simple and easy … 

Take a photo or shoot a video - you don’t even need any special equipment, just use your cell phone or scan your old photos (or use your sophisticated equipment if you have it!). Then upload your photos or video to your Zoopy profile. Write a description, choose a channel to publish your material to and watch your masterpiece come to life in minutes!

Once your videos or photos are live, you’ll have people from all over South Africa clicking through to see your latest creations. You can also invite other Zoopy members or friends and family to view your works!

It looks like a lot of fun and although the site is brand spanking new, (live for a couple of days) there are already plenty of videos to view including the controversial “Teacher” video (which was removed from YouTube by the way, so I was delighted to find it on Zoopy). 

Go to http://www.zoopy.com/ and take a look. Read or subscribe to the Zoopy blog to keep in the know about the contests they are running and latest news… they sound like a fun bunch of guys who have worked really hard to bring South Africa something special, so head on over to Zoopy and support!

The Jo’burg Wine Show, in association with media partner Beeld, returns to Gallagher Estate from Friday 15th June to Sunday 17th June 2007 to liven up your taste buds, with a remarkable selection of local and international wines to suit every palette and pocket.

Forget pretentious wine affairs and wine stewards – The Jo’burg Wine Show brings wine alive in a three-day show packed with entertainment, education, interaction and fun. Uncover the mystery and romance of wine and wine-making at tutored wine tastings in the Wine Theatre, or participate in stimulating debates with wine-makers and wine personalities in the Recline with the Vintners Lounge.

And if you are living la vida loca, local chefs will demonstrate a variety of scrumptious menu ideas and recipes with corresponding wine pairings in the ‘Friends for Dinner Theatre.’

More…

By: Helen Palmer – www.TailorMadeSouthAfricaTravel.com 

The West Coast region of the Western Cape is still one of the most unspoilt.  A couple of hours drive out of Cape Town, you’ll find this area hard to beat for sheer peace and quiet. It’s famous for its spring flower displays, bringing people from all over the world to see it’s magnificence during late August, September and early October.  Carpets of daisies and brightly coloured bulbs erupt to create brilliance hard to match with words – superlatives don’t do justice to this magnificent spectacle.

The land could be seen as rather austere and not much appreciated outside of the flower season, but the desert and semi-desert areas do have their own appeal of wide open sky, distant hills and multi-coloured rocks. Of course, there is much more to this region than just the flower season.  Dropping down off the main N7 road, down to the coast, you come to St Helena Bay. 

More…

Your Baby Show™ 2007 is back at The Coca-Cola Dome, Northgate from 17-20 May 2007 and will showcase over 200 exhibitors, Barney™, the world’s best loved dinosaur brought to you by Baby City, a Barney™ playground where Barney™ will be making unscheduled visits, a Guinness World Record attempt at getting the Largest Gathering of Pregnant Women, Cuddlers nappy change rooms, Johnson’s Baby Indulgence Zone, Sally Hansen Nail Kiosks, free Baby City parenting talks and so much more.

Your Baby Show™ 2007 is the only place to be whether you are a parent or parent to be as it offers all the information, goods, services and entertainment you will need from 0 – 6 years old.   Parenting can be a daunting task so let Your Baby Show™ help you be the best you can be.

Your Baby Show™ has, over the last three years proven itself as the largest and most successful baby and parenting event in Africa.  Its success has been due to the exceptional exhibitors who return time and again to the show as well as new and innovative exhibitors who join every year, and the combination of outstanding organisation by Exposure Marketing and the expertise of Alchemy Publishing (publishers of Your Pregnancy, Your Baby, Baba en Kleuter and Your Child magazines).   

Cape Town and Durban:
Good news for Durban and Cape Town too – Your Baby Show™ along with Barney™ will be coming to you this year.  This leading event will be in Durban from 31 August – 2 September at the ICC and Cape Town from 30 November to 2 December 2007 @ the CTICC.

Your Baby Show™ 2007 must be seen to be believed – everything you can dream of under one roof – making pregnancy, birth and parenting a lot easier and a little more fun! For more information contact Exposure Marketing on (011) 7046695.

Competition being run by SA-Venues.com

Write your holiday story – submit your experience of your travels in South Africa to www.SA-Venues.com and stand to win a monthly prize. If your story is chosen as the monthly winner you will be eligible to win the grand prize of R15,000.00 in cash which will be awarded in December 2007. Monthly prizes of gift vouchers from Amazon.com (or your choice of Amazon.de, Amazon.uk etc) or Kalahari.net if you are South African. In December 2007 three independent judges will select the best travel story of 2007 from the monthly winners who will receive a R15,000.00 cash prize.

So sharpen your pencils and get writing … submit your South African holiday experience and get in line to win one of these fabulous prizes. Submissions from both overseas and local travellers are welcome. All travel stories received that comply with a few criteria (as set out below) will be published on the site. Photographs are welcome but not essential … Click here for more info and to enter »

The Cape Academy of Middle Eastern Dance annually presents the SA National Belly Dance Festival, which will take place on the 28th and 29th of April 2007 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Dancers and students from Gauteng, Kwa Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape as well as those from within the Western Cape and Botswana will be gathering at the festival to share their knowledge and expertise.
The festival creates an opportunity for the public to come and watch the many varied styles of Middle Eastern dance, as well as to try their hand at workshops aimed at beginners, intermediate and advanced levels. The festival also aims at uniting the Middle Eastern Dance community nationwide, encouraging teachers and performers to share their knowledge and expertise with one another, and creating a forum for expression and creativity.

There are even classes for those who have never Belly Danced before!

The festival opens at 10am on Saturday 28th April. The performances will begin on the Saturday a little after 11am, and will continue throughout the day. And for those wishing to learn the art of Middle Eastern Drumming, Gavin Bonner will be holding a special beginners drumming workshop on the Saturday, this in not to be missed! The festival carries through to the Sunday, where performances will begin around 11am, and continue throughout the day. There are many workshops available to choose from, ranging from Egyptian folkloric, Flamenco gypsy to Oriental Dance and Indian Belly Dance. The cost per 55 minute workshop is R80, and bookings for workshops can be made at the workshop table at the festival on the 28th and 29thof April.

Vendors selling Belly dance accessories, music and costumes will be showcasing their goods, and a variety of holistic therapies such as reflexology and Mendhi will be available too.

Entrance Fees:
The entrance fee for the festival is R30 per day, and R15 for children under 12.
The venue is The Tafelberg Gardens Tavern Restaurant, 6 Roodehek terrace (off 105 Hope Street), Gardens. Cape Town.

For further information regarding the festival contact:
Carla (Co-Coordinator) info@sabellydancefestival.co.za attention: Carla
Or see our website for further information www.sabellydancefestival.co.za

To book accommodation for your visit to Cape Town to attend the Belly Dance Festival please visit:
Gardens Accommodation (includes hotels, guesthouses and self catering options) or see: Cape Town City Bowl Accommodation to find a suitable hotel, guest house or self catering option in the vicinity of Gardens.

As well as being a pungent and hardy herb, the direct translation of the French word Sage means culinary wisdom. The primary function of this unique sixty seater dining establishment at The Westville Hotel in Westville, Durban, is as a training school to equip students with the knowledge of modern culinary trends.

At Sage, attention to detail is paramount, a side of the business that is so often lost when students are trained in a large hotel. In keeping with the name, Sage’s décor is fresh, green and herbaceous. The ultra modern white and chrome table settings combined with matching cutlery and crockery enforce the feel of clean cut lines in an uncluttered, aesthetic environment.

From a ‘build your own breakfast’ concept to mouth-watering lunches, every meal is a journey of taste sensations. Salads and fresh breads, homemade ice teas and daily specials tempt guests to a feast of flavours. Visit the hotel at: The Westville Hotel

Related pages:
Durban Hotels
South Africa Hotels