Punk Power Trio Twenty One Children. (Photo: Richard Smith) By Mick Raubenheimer – 8 Jan 2025 A sample of what some outstanding creatives in different fields have planned provides plenty to get excited about. Despite, or perhaps because of the political, social and ecological tumult of this year, we’ve had another bumper year of extraordinary,…
THE JOURNEY TO UNVEILING THE CAPE TOWN LABOUR CORPS MEMORIAL
January 2025 will mark an extraordinary moment in our history, as we unveil our newest memorial to the missing in Cape Town’s Company’s Garden. This new memorial will commemorate by name over 1700 South Africans who served for the military labour corps and died during the First World War. These men were previously unrecognised, with…
Cape Town seeks public input on revitalising iconic Good Hope Centre
Cape Town’s Good Hope Centre is scheduled to be revitalised. File photo. Image: Supplied Philani Nombembe – 15 Jan 2025 One of Cape Town’s landmark properties is about to get a facelift. The city has called for the public to share their views on the revitalisation of the Good Hope Centre. On Wednesday MMC for…
Karoo Characters — Celebrating more than two decades of Heartland storytelling and road-trip adventure
Boeta Gammie, who will find you for speeding and, if you ask nicely, will haul out his guitar and sing you a song. Photo: Chris Marais By Chris Marais – 16 Jan 2025 To celebrate Julienne du Toit and Chris Marais’s two decades-plus in the lovely, crazy, challenging Karoo, let’s meet some of the posse…
Why Meta fired its fact-checkers and what you can do about it (CU Boulder Today)
The Alternative – 10 January 2025 Interview with Nathan Schneider on Meta’s decision to reduce monitoring and fact-checking on their social network, available from CU Boulder Today: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that the company would fire its fact-checkers and instead rely on its users, with the help of AI, to police Facebook and Instagram…
Meeting the gentle, magical spirits of the African rainforest
Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. (Photo: Unsplash) By Don Pinnock – 7 Jan 2025 In a dark, almost impenetrable forest in southern Uganda live huge, near-mythical creatures which remind us of ourselves. Gorillas are outrageous. Nothing prepares you for meeting one on the green-dripping, moss-covered, butterflied equatorial forest floor. They look up at…
Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) Beetle threat
The PSHB is an invasive species that poses a serious threat to Cape Town’s urban forest. It can easily spread across suburbs if extra precaution is not taken. Apart from infected wood, the beetle can spread through clothing, vehicle crevices, or unclean horticultural equipment. We need the support and collaboration of residents and businesses to prevent the…
Civic Honours 2025: Cape Town Mayor calls for nominations
13 January 2025 Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and the City of Cape Town are inviting residents to nominate individuals or organisations to be awarded with Civic Honours in 2025. Nominations are now open for two months from 13 January 2025 – 12 March 2025, with the ceremony set to take place later this year… READ MORE
OBSID December 2024 Activity Report
OBSERVATORY LIESBEEK RIVER CLEAN UP STARTED IN 2013
BY CHARMAINE SMITH Anyone who’s started a volunteer initiative will tell you that the biggest challenge is to keep the project going in the long run. Asking people to dedicate their time for free – or donate money towards expenses – is a tough call in an era of busy schedules and economic hardship. But…