Thursday, February 23, 2006

East Africa facing drought-induced starvation

URGENT - 11 million people are watching their cattle, donkeys and livestock starve to death and they're not far behind (read further). You can help by donating your time, money and/or resources to the World Food Program.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Stay of Execution for KNP Elephants

The decision to cull elephants in the Kruger National Park has been put on hold due to international pressure from animal welfare groups. A big thank-you to everyone who also sent their outcry to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. "It is unclear how long the government’s postponement will hold, and that at least another three months of research needs to be done into the impact and necessity of culling." ~ Rudi van Aarde, ecologist at the University of Pretoria.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Sophiatown Resurrected After Apartheid

As apartheid bulldozers razed their homes on 9th of February 1955, residents of Sophiatown were 'dumped' into the Meadowlands, approximate 10 km's to the South in Soweto. The minority government renamed their seizure 'Triomf' (meaning truimph).

"Despite the poverty, Sophiatown had a special character; for Africans it was the Left Bank in Paris, Greenwich Village in New York, the home of writers, artists, doctors and lawyers. It was both bohemian and conventional, lively and sedate," former president Nelson Mandela recalled in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.

Tin shacks and red-roofed brick homes, Sophiatown was the vibrant birthplace of South African jazz. Internationally-acclaimed jazz greats, like trumpet maestro Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Abdullah Ibrahim made their name here. Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (and anti-apartheid veteran) gave Masekela his first trumpet here.

South Africans of all cultures celebrated this Saturday, "We are here today to rename Triomf to Sophiatown," said city mayor Amos Masondo as he unveiled a signboard bearing the original name in bold black letters."There is no need to say how deeply devisive the name Triomf has been to our nation," Masondo told a crowd of about 500 people including many who had lived in the suburb before 1955.

"I'm feeling ecstatic about it. When we were thrown out we lost hope that we would ever be able to come back," said jazz diva Abigail Kubeka, who started her singing career in Sophiatown's beerhalls.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Kruger's Elephant Hall Closed for Refurbishing

A lick of paint and general maintenance will give the Elephant Hall at Letaba Main Camp in the Kruger National Park a fresh new face. The Elephant Hall is home to the skulls and ivory of six of Kruger's legendary Magnificent Seven elephants and will soon include the tusks of Mandleve, Kruger's largest ivory-carrying elephant which died of natural causes in 1993.

It also includes historical displays of elephant evolution and will soon boast large murals especially prepared for the Hall. "We realise that many of our guests that visit Letaba during February will be disappointed not to see this facility, but would like to assure that the new-look Hall will be much better than the present one.” said Ben van Eeden, regional manager for the Northern Business Unit. The Hall should reopen in March 2006.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Wetlands, Water and Livelihoods

The global NGO Wetlands International will host an international workshop in South Africa on the role of wetland management in poverty reduction. The goal of the workshop is to bring the nature conservation and development aid sectors together to develop a common agenda for how wetlands protection and poverty reduction can complement one another.

"South Africa is a very interesting country to look at," says Trevor Wickham, the Project Manager of the Dutch-funded project, "with water shortage in many areas and numerous communities dependent on fresh water ecosystems, South Africa has needed to be innovative in finding solutions that work for nature and people. Their working-for-wetlands program, where the poor can earn a living and develop new skills through restoring wetlands is one such example.”

2010 Soccer World Cup - 10 Stadiums

South Africa has committed ZAR 242m for building / refurbishing 10 stadiums in South Africa for the 2010 Football World Cup. "These 10 stadiums will ensure that South Africa meets Fifa's expectations." ~ Gert Oosthuizen, Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation. The 10 stadiums are:
  1. Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane, Limpopo;
  2. One stadium in Mbombela in Mpumalanga;
  3. One in the Nelson Mandela Metro in the Eastern Cape;
  4. Kings Park Soccer stadium in Durban, Kwazulu Natal (going to be rebuilt to become a multi-purpose sports facility);
  5. A new stadium will be built at the existing Green Point Track in Cape Town (a ‘dome’ roof will protect the players from the notorius Cape Doctor);
  6. Soccer City in Gauteng;
  7. Ellis Park in Gauteng;
  8. Loftus Versveld in Gauteng;
  9. Royal Bafokeng stadium in North West;
  10. Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein in the Free State.