Cape Town is losing its trees

In some parts of the city there are no trees at all. Photo: Sandiso Phaliso 31 October 2024 | By Steve Kretzmann As global temperature records continue to be broken, cities need to move fast to protect residents from heat stress. Planting trees seems the simplest solution. Cape Town may be losing trees faster than…

African-made electric motorcycle completes solar-powered journey from Nairobi to Stellenbosch

The expedition highlighted the potential that mobility, powered by renewable energy, had to transform livelihoods across Africa. By Sheree Bega – 17 October 2024 An electric motorcycle, designed and built in Africa and powered by the sun, completed its groundbreaking journey from Kenya to South Africa on Wednesday. Researchers from the faculty of engineering at Stellenbosch University joined forces…

Municipalities in South Africa ‘throwing away a goldmine’

Seth Thorne – 3 Nov 2024 South Africa throws away millions of tons of organic waste every year, but this waste could be a goldmine of compost, energy, and much-needed green jobs. Up to 40% of South Africa’s municipal landfill waste is organic. This organic material, including food, garden, and agricultural waste, not only takes…

Mancomm meeting

Mancomm meeting Date: Tues 29 October 2024 Time: 18h00 Venue: Observatory Community Centre (upstairs in the NA room) or via Zoom (upon request) To attend our Mancomm meetings online, please pop us an email to [email protected] to request the Zoom invite.

T.R.A.S.H. fundraising

The Obs community’s monthly Liesbeek River cleanup team, in collaboration with the Friends of the Liesbeek, are appealing to local businesses for support towards our annual fundraiser Prize Giveaway. 🙏 The funds raised are used to keep the river and surrounds clean by contributing to stipends for FOL staff (who do the bulk of the…

PHA Campaign Press Release – URGENT 22 October 2024

Dear Journalists, Media Houses, Partners and Interested & Affected Parties. The PHA Campaign has stopped 5 of the 6 developments proposed in the Philippi Horticultural Area over the last 16 years including a Consol Silica Sand mine over a wetland. This was rejected by City’s own appeal bodies, Heritage Western Cape and DWS. The 500ha…

Deaf school pupils explore career options

Mary Khin School pupils, from left, Joshua Isaacs, Manyano Mbi and Ziyaad Ryklief. Lizahn Bowers – October 18 2024 An Observatory school for deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils held a career day to help them explore options for their future. Mary Kihn School teaches classes for pupils from ages 5 to 18, using either spoken English…