Prof Leslie London (centre) with Assoc Prof Tracey Naledi (front left), Colette Solomon (back left), Assoc Prof Lionel Green-Thompson (front right) and Prof Susan Cleary (back right) At the end of December, Professor Leslie London will draw the curtain on an illustrious, multi-decade career as an academic and social justice advocate. His name goes down…
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Farewell, Number Five
Our old house burnt down and a man died. We moved to 5 Alfred Street, Observatory in 1987, when I was 16. Just over a week ago, at around 1.30am on Friday 28 November, Number Five was reported as being on fire. By 5am the fire had been put out. Three of the residents escaped…
DEVELOPMENT IN OBSERVATORY: GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT
A Report Prepared for the Observatory Civic Association on the Housing Stock and Impact of Short-Term Rentals on Community Cohesiveness, Heritage and Affordability. This report was prepared for the Observatory Civic Association (OCA) in partnership with the University of Cape Town’s Knowledge Co-op to examine the housing stock of Observatory and assess the impact of…
Housing activist group wants to bid for R87-million property
Inside the old Woodstock Hospital building, where occupiers have been living, some since 2017. They renamed it Cissie Gool House. Housing movement Reclaim the City has announced plans to put in a bid to develop the site. Photos: Ashraf Hendricks Housing movement Reclaim the City has confirmed that it is preparing to bid for the…
Loaves and Fishes – Personally sponsor a resident
Even though they are subsidised, many of our residents still find it very difficult to support themselves; your contribution will mean that they are able to concentrate on being healed and renewed while in the environment to do so. If you would like to contribute while they are still in this vulnerable place, the daily…
A Dentist-Turned-Horticulturalist Made a Record Just for Plants
This plant might be a Dr. George Milstein fan. StockSnap/Public Domain Each song on the 1970 album Music to Grow Plants starts out with a high-pitched whistling sound. These are, according to the liner notes, a sound “which acts upon plant growth patterns.” The notes have been “electronically embedded” into the record, which should mean,…
Cape Town city council approves plan to sell Woodstock Hospital
Woodstock Hospital, occupied since 2017, is to go on sale. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks 4 December 2025 | By Matthew Hirsch In a meeting on Thursday, the Cape Town city council approved, in principle, a proposal to sell Woodstock Hospital for a mixed-income residential development. The R87-million property will now go on sale. The successful…
Does anyone have old photos of Observatory, Cape Town?
DONATE TO THE HERITAGE PORTAL Expiry: Wednesday, December 31, 2025 – 00:00 I’m working with OBSID – the Observatory Improvement District – to promote the attractions and activities of the area. Obs has a tangible historical aspect that I’m keen to explore, possibly in an ‘Obs Then and Now’ photo essay. Would anyone from the…
City calls for input on proposed new MyCiTi stops in CBD, Observatory and Atlantis
19 November 2025 The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate is calling on interested or affected residents to comment on the proposed five new MyCiTi bus stop locations in the Cape Town CBD, Observatory and Atlantis. ‘We’re proposing five new bus stops in the CBD; Observatory and Atlantis to improve your access to the service. This proposal…
‘Stores not allowed to add extra fees for card payments’ – Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman
Credit Card, paying with a card / Pixabay: AhmadArdity Tasleem Gierdien – 16 October 2025 It is illegal for suppliers to charge extra because you choose to use your bank card to pay. South African consumers are protected by law from being charged extra for using their bank cards to pay at tills. According to…