Cape Town - Interesting Articles

St James Beach colourful bathing huts burn
https://www.capetownetc.com/news/st-james-beach-iconic-colourful-bathing-huts-burn
8 Aug. 2020

"Three of the iconic, colourful bathing boxes at St James Beach have been destroyed in a fire during the early morning of Saturday, August 8...

Law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said, at about 1am on the morning of 8 August Law Enforcement officers found 3 of the iconic St James Beach bathing boxes well alight.

“The fire was extinguished by the Fire department. 3 boxes completely gutted and 2 damaged partially. The cause of the fire is unknown,” he said. Investigations into how the fire started are underway.

St James_1.jpeg St James_2.jpeg
 
Pollen count surges in Cape Town
https://www.capetownetc.com/news/pollen-count-surges-in-cape-town
28 Aug. 2020

Allergy prone residents may need to stock up on tissues and over-the-counter medication. Pollen counts are increasing across the country, especially in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Spring is fast approaching, bringing with it the dreaded pollen season. According to the latest reading on The Real Pollen Count, the Mother City’s overall risk for pollen is listed as ‘High’. This means just under 90% of pollen allergy sufferers will experience symptoms. Very allergic patients and asthmatics should limit outdoor activities and keep indoor areas free from wind exposure.

“Grasses remained low at this sampling site but tree pollen levels increased as significant numbers of cypress were detected. Other flowering trees were low and included plane, oak and pine. Weeds were low and included Artemisia (mugwort) ferns, sorrel and English Plantain. Moulds were low,” explains The Real Pollen Count in the reading for August 28.

Highway Mail reports this pollen season may be especially troublesome for already paranoid residents amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Jonny Peter from the University of Cape Town’s Lung Institute’s Allergy and Immunology Unit reminds residents there is a difference between hay fever and COVID-19.

“Hay fever is activated by airborne allergens, such as pollen, which leads to a runny and itchy nose, scratchy throat, as well as allergic conjunctivitis in the eyes. While COVID-19 and hay fever share certain symptoms, there are some key differences,” Peter tells Highway Mail.

“With COVID-19, fevers, body aches and a headache are common, but these are rarely associated with seasonal allergies. In contrast, an itchy nose or eyes and sneezing signal allergy symptoms and are not common in coronavirus infections.”

Other shared symptoms may include a runny nose or nasal congestion, an intermittent cough, sore throat and fatigue.

“In asthmatics, very high pollen counts may trigger exacerbations, with shortness of breath or difficulty breathing in some individuals. Fortunately, coronavirus does not commonly trigger worsening asthma. If your symptoms do worsen, it’s advisable to consult your doctor especially if you have a known sensitivity to pollen,” added Peter.

He also advised people stay on top of their allergies and treat it with antihistamines, corticosteroid nasal sprays and inhalers.
 
Moon, Jupiter and Saturn conjunction happening this weekend
https://www.capetownetc.com/events/...and-saturn-conjunction-happening-this-weekend
28 Aug. 2020

"Lovers of the night sky are in for a treat as the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn will appear all together to create a memorable scene this weekend.

The trio will appear only a few degrees apart and will provide the perfect opportunity to gaze upon their beauty, right here in the Mother City.

According to Time and Date, all three celestial bodies will be perfectly visible from Cape Town. Those wanting to catch the show, however, will have to stay up late or wake up early, with best viewing times on Saturday, August 29 being between 4am and 5.30am.

A conjunction takes place when astral bodies move closer to one another or the moon, and pair of binoculars or a telescope will assist in your viewing experience.

The moon will be highly illuminated with Jupiter appearing bright as well, while Saturn is much fainter..."
 
SANParks announces new dates for free access to its parks
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/free-access-to-sanparks-in-november-2020-2020-9
1 Sept. 2020

"... this year, due to the coronavirus crisis, it has decided to delay SA National Parks Week – which is sponsored by Total South Africa and FNB – to November 16 to 20....

Entry to all parks – except Namaqua National Park and Boulders – will be free, but it doesn’t include free access to accommodation facilities and other tourist activities.

Namaqua National Park and Boulders in Cape Town are excluded from the offer."
 
No smoking in public?! Cape Town plans ‘smoke-free city’ – Here’s how they hope to implement it
https://www.all4women.co.za/2093927...free-city-heres-how-they-hope-to-implement-it
2 Sept. 2020

"The sale of tobacco products may have been recently unbanned under Level 2 of the lockdown, but now the City of Cape Town is planning a campaign – in conjunction with a global initiative – to move towards a “smoke-free city”…
This, to tackle ongoing high levels of smoking – one in four women, and one in two men, according to studies.

The City indicated it would join 70 cities around the world in a new partnership as part of a global public health campaign, the Bloomberg Partnership for Healthy Cities...

“The goal is to create a smoke-free city”
South African legislators were due to promulgate the National Tobacco Bill in due course. But Badroodien said the City would go further. He explained: “In phase two, we are using similar tactics to create a smoke-free city. According to the South Africa Demographic and Health Survey, 25% of women and 42.9% of men in the Western Cape smoke daily. The goal is to create a smoke-free city through stakeholder engagement, education campaigns and review of internal City policy.

“The City of Cape Town will aim for as many of its buildings as possible to be compliant with the new workplace smoking policy, post intervention.” ...

The City’s health authorities would focus on three primary tactics to tackle smoking:
1. Policy Changes:
City health and human resources, together with the policy unit, have updated the City’s smoking in the workplace policy. This new document is a framework which aims to discourage smoking, as well as protect non-smokers, while environmental health will also play a role in monitoring compliance to this framework.

2. Increased enforcement of tobacco legislation:
Environmental health, and other City departments, have ramped up enforcement of tobacco legislation within the City. Gaps in law enforcement were identified and roles and responsibilities are being defined. During the festive season, activations were held at road blocks and beaches to educate the citizens on the harms of tobacco use.

3. Media Campaign:
City health is creating a tobacco awareness campaign, which is both internally and externally focused. The aims of the campaign are to advertise that the City is going smoke-free and to educate the community about the harms of second-hand smoke.”

Breaking the habit
Badroodien concluded: “Recent events have forced many people to stub out the habit, but many more are struggling to give up cigarettes as evidenced by the exorbitant prices they were willing to pay for cigarettes. We realise it’s not easy, but the City is doing as much as it can to assist employees and residents to stop smoking.”

Deputy health minister Joe Phaahla was quoted in May as saying that the new bill would allow government to impose a 100% ban on smoking in public areas, BusinessTech reported.

He said that the government was also moving to identify areas that needed strengthening in terms of legislation, including the regulation of e-cigarettes and related products. [my highlights]

The current smoking legislation banned smoking in public places, but allowed food and entertainment businesses the right to designate smoking areas, as long as they did not take up more than a quarter of the establishment’s floor space.

Phaahla was quoted as saying they “want to change the 25% allowed smoking in public areas to 100% prohibition of smoking in public areas.”
 
And vaping? Highly unlikely that vaping would be allowed. So how then can I sit outside at a coffee bar and vape? Looks like I'll have to leave CT!!! I need to move close to @Dela Rey Steyn and @M.Adhir, but first I must lose weight, so that when they see me they feel an uncontrollable urge to feed me.
 
Cape Town restaurant receives backlash over offensive name
https://www.capetownetc.com/news/cape-town-restaurant-receives-backlash-over-offensive-name
31 Aug. 2020

Floozies.jpg

"A brand new restaurant has received a lot of negative feedback after its opening weekend because of its controversial name.

Initially called “Floozies Flip and Dip”, the burger and pizza restaurant was called out for choosing to use the derogatory term for sexually active women. The restaurant itself acknowledged this reference, using it as a platform to promote the many options of burgers customers would have.

In now-deleted Facebook and Instagram posts, the restaurant gained over 400 comments, mostly negative. Many of these pointed out the offensive nature of the name and how such terms contribute to the ongoing violence targeted at women in South Africa. Many pointed out that the offensive restaurant name was unveiled the same weekend that people were protesting gender-based violence in the country."

[My comment: If you need a floozie, this restaurant is 62 Kloof Street, Gardens]
 
Hooked said:
And vaping? Highly unlikely that vaping would be allowed. So how then can I sit outside at a coffee bar and vape? Looks like I'll have to leave CT!!! I need to move close to @Dela Rey Steyn and @M.Adhir, but first I must lose weight, so that when they see me they feel an uncontrollable urge to feed me.
Click to expand...

@Hooked, I'm like an Indian Aunty/Jewish mother, I will always try to feed you!
 
Hooked said:
Cape Town restaurant receives backlash over offensive name
https://www.capetownetc.com/news/cape-town-restaurant-receives-backlash-over-offensive-name
31 Aug. 2020

View attachment 206315

"A brand new restaurant has received a lot of negative feedback after its opening weekend because of its controversial name.

Initially called “Floozies Flip and Dip”, the burger and pizza restaurant was called out for choosing to use the derogatory term for sexually active women. The restaurant itself acknowledged this reference, using it as a platform to promote the many options of burgers customers would have.

In now-deleted Facebook and Instagram posts, the restaurant gained over 400 comments, mostly negative. Many of these pointed out the offensive nature of the name and how such terms contribute to the ongoing violence targeted at women in South Africa. Many pointed out that the offensive restaurant name was unveiled the same weekend that people were protesting gender-based violence in the country."

[My comment: If you need a floozie, this restaurant is 62 Kloof Street, Gardens]
Click to expand...
Seriously? I would tell those 400 complainants to get a life.

Regards
 
Per-minute electric kick scooter rentals are coming to Cape Town – here’s what we know
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/sas-first-electric-scooters-2020-9
4 Sept. 2020


d4099acb9aa24e3987c29664aec8fa0c.jpg

Photo credit: above article

"Electric Life Rides will be launching SA’s first electric kick scooter rentals in Cape Town – and they'll be available by the minute if you like, or for a month if you prefer.

The scooters are supposed to let you manoeuvre around traffic in a more environmentally friendly fashion, and will be available during September.

The company plans to branch out to the likes of Johannesburg and Durban soon.

The scooters are tailored specifically for people who want a vehicle at a flat price and without hassle, says Devan Moodley, the company's chief marketing officer.


“If you are a student [on campus] and you need to go from residence to the engineering faculty, all you need is a kick scooter and it is one kilometre away, which is like a minute or two. Why would you need to pay anything longer than that?”

At the the moment, the scooters can only be picked up at The President Hotel in Bantry Bay in Cape Town, and can be used in nearby surrounding areas.

Those who stumble across the scooters can scan a barcode to get to the rental app. You can also go to the website, download the app, register and link your bank card details to buy credits for rides.

Pricing is per minute, with one credit buying you one minute. Electric Life sells credits in different sized bundles, with the per-credit cost dropping the bigger the bundle you buy.

There is also a monthly subscription at R1,980, with unlimited mileage."

To get riders to try the system, every referral of a friend comes with 10 credits, the equivalent of 10 minutes of usage.

Riders must be at least 18, and assume liability for a "processing fee" of nearly R3,000 if they vandalise the scooter – on top of repair costs – or a maximum of nearly R5,000 in damages if they take the scooter out of the designated operating area and it can not be rented to someone else.

They must also be sober, and may not be carrying a backpack or briefcase.
 
Questions which immediately arise:

How are they are going to prevent these scooters from being stolen?
How can a student rent one, if they are not allowed to carry a backpack or briefcase?
What happens if you buy 30 minutes, but you ride 45 minutes?
 
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