Theewaterskloof Dam on 25 January, 2018 in Villiersdorp. Cape Town nearly reached ‘Day Zero’ that year when dam levels dropped due to unusually low rain in the winter months. Theewaterskloof Dam is the largest dam in the Western Cape Water Supply System. (Photo: Brenton Geach/Gallo Images) Ed Stoddard – 2 April 2024 Below-normal rainfall and…
U.S. Billionaire Wealth Is Up 88% Since the Pandemic—Now Topping $5.5 Trillion
Jeff Bezos looks on from the McLaren pitwall during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 06, 2023 in Miami, Florida. DAN ISTITENE – FORMULA 1 VIA GETTY IMAGES CHUCK COLLINS & OMAR OCAMPO – 25 March 2024 Four years ago, the United States entered the…
Middle East bulk animal carrier Al Messilah’s pre-arrival in East London sparks outcry over livestock export
Sheep destined for the Middle East are loaded onboard the Al Messilah livestock vessel at the Fremantle wharf near Perth, Australia, 22 February 2019. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Trevor Collens) Don Pinnock -1 April 2024 The bulk animal carrier Al Messilah – sister ship to the Al Kuwait, which stank out Cape Town in February with…
Starke Ayres – what to do in April
After our scorching hot Cape Town summer, with multiple mountain fires, the first rains have already triggered regrowth of our fynbos. This drop in temperature and slight increase in rain heralds our Autumn season, the perfect time to plant in the Western Cape. Spring flowering bulbs like Anemone, Freesia, Daffodil and Ranunculus are in stock…
The Independents (Part One): No easy walk to SA Parliament for those who go it alone
Victoria O’Regan – 2 April 2024 At most, South Africa could have 10 independent candidates on the ballot on 29 May, despite the push for changes in electoral law to allow for their inclusion. As the 2024 national election comes into focus, who are these independents entering the fold?… READ MORE
The Independents (Part Two): Veteran SA activist Zackie Achmat blazes a trail
Independent candidate in the 2024 elections Zackie Achmat talks to residents in the Lucas Mbembe Hall in Gugulethu 12 March 2024. (Photo: Shelley Christians) Victoria O’Regan – 2 April 2024 The veteran activist is promising to bring the people into Parliament. He says he may be one person, but he’s standing on behalf of a…
Zackie Achmat: What He Said, What I Thought
By Anna MccLellan (they/them) – 4 April 2024 I had approached this article intending to use Zackie Achmat’s policies as a site to discuss how language is formulated in these stances, and what the implication of this is in South African society. I find myself writing a very different article, one which outlines Zackie Achmat’s…
In the heart of conservation: TMNP’s all-women team leads the charge against environmental crimes
A SANParks helicopter prepares to conduct a safety patrol in Table Mountain National Park. The patrols are often aided by data gathered and analysed by the operations centre working behind the scenes. (Photo: TMNP) Kristin Engel – 27 March 2024 The success of TMNP’s conservation soldiers who target crime on Table Mountain hinges on the…
Tiny but seemingly invincible beetle has killed thousands of trees across SA, millions more at risk
A 300-year-old English oak tree is removed in Helderberg in June 2022.Cape Town deputy mayor and the mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews, said 5,243 trees have been infested by the polyphagous shot hole borer beetle across Cape Town – 4,961 of which have been sighted in the Helderberg area since…
Legal battle brews over TotalEnergies’ offshore oil and gas drilling in Western Cape
Activists and supporters of the Stop The Total Destruction Of The Ocean, Coastal Livelihood And Climate Picket outside the French Consulate in Cape Town on 8 February 2023. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach) Kristin Engel – 3 April 2024 Local eco-justice organisations have taken to the Western Cape High Court to stop TotalEnergies from…