Breaking the echo chamber in the city bowl and beyond
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AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
Dedicated to fairness, accuracy, editorial integrity, and the use of the Oxford comma, Mother City News strives to be a newspaper you’ll enjoy reading. Page 3 Farmworkers want 67 pesticides banned
Page 4 Art of conversation unites Capetonians at Open Book
Page 7 Water quality data remains a dirty secret
Sea level rise threatens Cape Town
Global climate heating phenomenon hitting home
Steve Kretzmann Sea level rise caused by global heating is already causing damage to public and private coastal property in Cape Town, and in certain areas retreat to higher ground may be necessary. The coast at Milnerton particularly is being affected by erosion, with the public beach under City jurisdiction already having been
The damage done... Warning tape masks off infrastructural damage at the highly popular Seapoint promenade.
washed away by erosion and storm surges. The City is currently assessing options which include retreat for a section of the coast in Milnerton as one of Cape Town’s erosion ‘hotspots’, says mayco member for spatial planning and environment, Marian Nieuwoudt. At a public participation meeting on the draft Coastal Bylaw on 15 August, Nieuwoudt said a report by newly appointed
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city engineers was on her desk, which identified risks on our coastline. Responding via email to follow up questions, she said the report dealt with vulnerable structures in Milnerton and would be made available to the public “in due course”. Other than Milnerton, there are numerous other areas on Cape Town’s coast being affected, such as Glencairn, Hout Bay, and
Seapoint. She said coastal infrastructure and amenities have been underfunded and now require “significant investment”. “The budget and investment is and must now be made incrementally available over the next few years as a priority.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 25 | 2019
WHEN WISE WORDS WIN “Debate is combat, but your weapons are words." ~ Melvin B Tolson
T
here is much truth to that statement, and this year’s Koeberg Schools Nuclear Debate proved that words - when chosen correctly – make or break a team in a war of words when the debaters from the various schools battled it out for the title. It was like watching a war being waged but instead of between countries, it was between school debating teams. One moment one school had the upper hand, and the next moment the tables were turned. They had the adjudicators nailed to their seats, and often the scores, and discussion determining a winner became a debate in itself amongst the adjudicators. This should give you an idea of the level of competition and the level of preparedness of the high school learners who participated in this year’s debate competition. This year saw two clusters comprising several schools each, debating for a spot in the semi-finals in order to battle it out for a spot in the finals. The top two schools in each cluster proceeded to the semi-finals, which were held on Thursday, 15 August 2019 at the Koeberg Visitors Centre. The learners really did themselves and their schools proud in the way they used their arguments to confound their opponents - a wonderful promise of the change that they could potentially make in their schools, communities, cities and the world by simply using their words and ideas the way they did in this year’s debate competition.
• •
Plan (IRP) should increase its nuclear power generation component; The semi-finals: There is a solution for the problem of high level waste (spent fuel) in South Africa; Grand Finale: It is important that Koeberg’s operational life is extended beyond its 40-year (original) planned life.
The semi-finals saw Atlantis Secondary School going up against Bloubergrant High School and Inkwenkwezi Secondary School going up against Melkbosstrand High School. The Grand Finale saw Bloubergrant High School, represented by Thola Fuamba, Muhaimin Khan, Kimberly Kachuwa, and Panashe Mnunyikwa, going head-to-head with Melkbosstrand High School, represented by Matthew Stewart, Aidan Greeff, Micah Lurie, and Tawana Chibaduki, in a nail-biting debate, filled with theatrics and drama, which saw expired milk cartons flying and wigs being donned, all in a bid to strengthen their argument that Koeberg’s operational life should not be extended beyond its 40-year planned life. After a fight to the finish it was Bloubergrant, as defending champions for two years in a row, who yet again walked away with the coveted title of Best School Debating Team for 2019.
Six schools competed in the several rounds of the competition, namely, Atlantis Secondary School; Wesbank Secondary School; Inkwenkwezi Secondary School; Melkbosstrand High School; and Bloubergrant High School. It was three days of intense debating which saw the adjudicators and audience members sitting on the edge of their seats. The war was real for the debaters; it was about outwitting, outsmarting, outlasting, and turning the tables on their opponents. Noone was prepared to concede. The debate topics were as follows: • For the rounds: The Integrated Resource
(left to right) Muhamin Khan, Panashe Munyikwa, Ms Moyo Kimberly Kachuwa, Thola Fuamba.
What a competition it was, filled with victories, innovation, and lots of laughter. There was even something in it for the teams who didn’t win; there was learning in the disappointments. There were no losers. This war of words brought wisdom, and as Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Congratulations to all the learners who participated. Eskom extends sincere thanks to the schools for accepting the invitation to participate in the debate competition, and wishes the learners well as they embark on their September examinations over the coming weeks.
AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 25 | 2019
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From page 1
Sea level rise threatens Cape Town • •
•
Storm surge... Waves damage the slipway at The Kom. Photo: Mark Harley.
At the public meeting on 15 August she said “immediate survival maintenance” was required for coastal infrastructure. Sea level rise, and resultant increased damage from storm surges, is a global phenomenon and “a specific concern to the City is that public and private infrastructure will become increasingly at risk to coastal processes such as erosion, and beaches as public recreational spaces are likely to become increasingly at risk in developed areas of the metro in the long-term”. As weather patterns change due to global heating, ocean swell direction also altered. These slight changes in predominant wave direction could also cause erosion of beaches. At the public meeting she said “hard decisions” on the cost effectiveness of
maintaining infrastructure “will have to be made”. “We may need to retreat and allow nature to provide a barrier to the ocean.” Figures provided by Nieuwoudt show in the last financial year the City spent R13.5m on repairs and rehabilitation of damaged coastal infrastructure, and R66m has been earmarked for current projects. Money spent to date: • Fishermans Lane Parking revetment: R3,5 million • Big Bay rehabilitation: R3,8 million • Clifton walkway repair: R200 000 • Hout Bay dune rehabilitation: R6 million – ongoing Projects underway with funding:
Fishermans Lane Upgrade: R26 Million Demolition of derelict infrastructure at Macassar pavilion and defunct ablutions: 5 million Glencairn Beach precinct upgrade: R3,5 million
She noted the importance of natural barriers such as dunes and wetlands, many of which have been compromised by development or the canalisation of estuaries. These needed to be restored as much as possible, and the City was seeing some success in the ongoing restoration of the natural sand dunes in Hout Bay, an ongoing project where R6m had been spent so far. Rehabilitation projects such as these also created job opportunities, as in Hout Bay where a team was employed to check and repair the rehabilitation netting on a daily basis. The Coastal Managment Programme, published in 2015, noted that coastal erosion is occuring at “a number of points along the City’s coastline as a direct result of urban altered coastal processes through urban development.” The report notes as an example the southern end of Table Bay where the coast has been eroded by 35m over the last 45 years, climate change (a term now being altered to climate chaos – ed) is predicted to impact on number of interlinked processes to increase both the intensity and frequency of coastal storms, creating a long term risk to the city. Global consensus at the time of the report suggested a mean sea level rise of 0.76m by 2100, and that although the mean
increase may seem relatively small, it caused “disproportionately large impacts on the damage that storms cause to the coastal zone”. International Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) author and researcher at the African Centre for Cities, Anton Cartwright, authored one of the first series of studies on the impacts of sea level rise for Cape Town, which were published in 2008. He said in the intervening 11 years the pace of melting of terrestrial ice in Antarctica and Greenland, which is a major contributor to sea level rise, had surpassed all projections and the projected rate of sea level rise has had to be adjusted. The IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C released last year, which Cartwright says “tried to be optimistic” notes the likelihood of the ocean rising more than a metre in the next 80 years. This is higher than the predicted 2cm per decade estimated in 2008. In Phase 3 of the study for the Sea-Level Rise Risk Impact Assessment he conducted for the City, three scenarios of damage due to storm surges were modelled. They were a model on a 2.5m storm surge, a 4.5m storm surge, and a 6.5m storm surge. The damage, based on insurance risk asessements, on private property alone was R3.2bn, R19.5bn, and R44.4bn respectively. These figures were based on 2008 rates assessments. At the time, he calculated a 95% chance of a 2.5m storm surge occuring in the next 25 years, with the chance of a 4.5m storm surge at 85% and a 6.5m surge at 20%. He says the 2.5m storm surge already occurred in June 2017.
Farmworkers want 67 pesticides banned
Farmworkers supported by the Women on Farms Project want 67 pesticides that it says are already banned by the European Union, to be banned in South Africa. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
Over 200 women farm workers from
“At the barest minimum, please ban those
across the Western Cape marched to
67 highly hazardous pesticides that are
Parliament on Wednesday demanding that
already banned in the European Union (EU),”
the Department of Agriculture, Forestry &
said Colette Solomons, the Director of the
Fisheries (DAFF) and the Department of
NGO Women on Farms Project (WFP).
Labour work together to ban 67 pesticides
Some of these pesticides include Roundup,
to protect the health of farm workers. They
Dursban and Paraquat, which has been
also want farmers to be held accountable if
banned in the EU since 2007. Solomons said
they disobey labour practices.
that farmworkers are still being forced to
use these pesticides and that “the majority of women seasonal workers do not receive protective clothes for these highly hazardous pesticides”. She said workers staying near the vineyards are also affected as the pesticides drift into peoples homes. Solomons said that if European farmers can find alternatives that are less toxic, our farmers can do the same. Research done by WFP shows that 73% of women seasonal workers interviewed did not receive protective clothing and 69% came into contact with pesticides within an hour after it has been sprayed. For safety, different pesticides have their own “re-entry period” that has to be adhered to. Before the march, the farm workers gathered at the Community House in Salt River to share their experiences working with pesticides. “I was so sick,” said Lia Armoed, a farmworker who is now unemployed. Armoed said she had rashes and breathing problems. When she went to the doctor, she said he took some of her skin for analysis but she never received the results. Farmworker Gertie Gama said that she is expected to work while pesticides are busy being sprayed. If she complains, she is told to leave. A video of interviews with workers was screened in the hall. Farmworkers said that pesticides are sprayed 10 metres from where they are working and the wind blows it towards them.
“This is not going to stop if you just rely on one government department,” said David Esau, Provincial Chief Inspector for the Western Cape. He said that one of the proposals he will make is to establish a task team to look into the issue, which will include farmworkers. After the dialogue, farmworkers marched to Parliament in high spirits, holding placards and singing along the way. Outside Parliament more speeches were made. A memorandum was handed over to Chief Director of Western Cape operations Mawele Ntamo. He said he would deliver their message to the Minister of Labour. The WFP campaign to ban pesticides is also being supported by Oxfam South African and Oxfam Germany. With the memorandum, members from Oxfam Germany handed over a placard with 29,302 signatures on it from German consumers supporting the ban. Governmental departments have been given until 30 September to respond. Pesticides are widely used in the agriculture sector. According to the Regulatory Framework for Pesticides released by DAFF “Pesticides are an indispensable tool to ensure human health, food production, food safety and food security”. The document states that pesticides are needed for food production of the ever growing population. DAFF regulates about 9,000 pesticides. —GroundUp
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AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 25 | 2019
Art of conversation unites Capetonians at Open Book
A throng of people of all races and backgrounds fill venues on the city’s east precinct for five days every September, brought together by a shared love of reading books and discussing the ideas presented at the Open Book festival. Rarely is such a mix of people to be seen in Cape Town as that which fills venues such as the District Six Homecoming Centre, The Fugard Theatre, A4 Arts Foundation, the Book Lounge, and Central Library. The ninth annual Open Book festival is to
now in Canada, with her stunning collection
set the east precinct buzzing again from 4 to 8 September with 151 events involving novelists, journalists, comic creators, poets, academics, and cultural activists. Discussions with acclaimed international and local writers and thinkers range across a wide range of topics, from threats to the media, the state of theatre, family dysfunction, to the politics of hair. Even food is included, with exclusive dinners with authors and a discussion on the cultural heritage of what we cook and eat, and how
we do it. Every year there is a general theme. Last year it revolved around feminism, centered on the collection of essays Feminism Is, edited by Jen Thorpe. This year the collection They Called Me Queer, takes centre stage. Organised by Kim Windvogel and Kelly-Eve Koopman, and edited by Kelly Smith, the collection contains South African stories of being transgender, experiencing hate crimes, and other stories and experiences from writers identifying as part of the LGBTQI community. Two events featuring B Camminga link to this, examining the experiences and stories of transgender refugees and queer experiences in Cape Town. There are great poetry performances every day of the festival and two of the Poetry Slam finalists – chosen from three Poetry Slams held in the run up to Open Book – are under the age of 18. There are also two poets from The Netherlands, Radna Fabias and Simone Atangana Bekono, as well as the sublime Ishion Hutchinson from Jamaica now living in Canada, Mackenzie Berry and Morgan Parker from the USA. They’ll be slamming with the best local poets, and then there are authors such as Djamilah Ibrahim from Addis Ababa
guitar, synthesiser and feedback loop. They
gave it a listen.
Here his voice raises an octave but he could
of short stories, and fellow short story writer Saidiya Hartman from New York. Anyone who attended last year should remember the sharp insights of Jamaicanborn writer Nicole Dennis-Benn, who is so fond of Open Book she is returning this year, much to our delight. Two among the incredible line-up of authors sharing their wit and insight with us are on the recently published Man Booker Prize longlist. They are Nigerian-born Chigozie Obiama with his book An Orchestra of Minorities, and Oyinkan Braithwaite with her book My Sister the Serial Killer. There are serious conversations and educational conversations, and there are also loads of humorous conversations and events, such as Writer Sports and an annual favourite, Conversations with Mohale. If you’ve every enjoyed reading a book, do not miss attending Open Book. Events only cost about R45 and a printed version of the programme is available at The Book Lounge on the corner of Roeland and Buitenkant Streets. You can also browse it online at www.openbookfestival.co.za
Music review Gil Hockman – Becoming: Electronic folk weighted with blues
Breaking throught the loops It’s got to the point where I am no longer curious to hear a new solo musician on
pop up at weird festivals in rural towns, like
There’s a delicious heaviness in his voice,
still be the lead in some heavy Goth band. His chords are mostly simple, with simple
the olive festival in Riebeeck-Kasteel, or
even on an unusually upbeat track such as
the pumpkin festival in Heidelberg. They’re
Talking To A Man, which has a style and beat
time signatures even as they are divided into
ubiquitous and they all sound like Jeremy
reminiscent of Suzanne Vega’s Tom’s Diner.
fractions by electronic synth floating and
Loops. Actually they all might be Jeremy
It’s catchy but dark, and the album goes from
trickling through, but the quality of his lyrics,
Loops. Not that there’s anything wrong with
there to Top Of The Hill, which flirts with
which on Becoming are intelligent, poetic,
Jloo, thousands adore him, it’s just his voice
being dreary but rather achieves a blissful
and alluring, together with the vocal weight
strikes the wrong note for me. Him and
dreaminess of the kind Leonard Cohen or
around which his compositions seem to
Jack Johnson; whatever they choose to sing
Mazzi Star achieve, with the loops forgone
revolve, makes for a compelling, even slightly
about, they sound ultimately happy and self
and stripped down to the essence of guitar
addictive, album.
fulfilled, as if life, all told, is easy. Which is a
playing singer with lyrics such as “All our
lie.
problems are the same / we only wish that
I’m glad I didn’t know Gil Hockman was in the solo looping synthesiser singer songwriter mould when, two years after he emailed me his latest album Becoming, I
You should also look up his version of Nirvana’s Something In The Way.
they were different / so we’d have someone to blame”.
Search for Gil Hockman on Soundcloud
And then he plays with some boppy
and buy his album, either digital or on CD,
electronica on the next track, Coming In.
through his website www.gilhockman.com
Advertisement
Musicians’ rights at the forefront of Music Exchange conference
Big guns... Sipho ‘Hotstix Mabuse, Christian Wright from Abbey Road Studios, and MEX founder Martin Myers.
The only entertainment economyfocused conference in South Africa, MUSIC EXCHANGE (#MEX19), returns to Cape Town for the ninth time from 13 to 15 September at the impressive Radisson Red Hotel at the V &A Waterfront. With over 19 talks and panels to empower artists with practical knowledge to further their careers, Music Exchange was honoured and recognised by the Western Cape Government for its contribution to Arts and Culture in March 2019; and this year’s conference will have an overarching theme of “rights”.With MUSIC EXCHANGE now well-and-truly established and respected –
thanks to the incredible support from some of the world’s biggest names in production, song writing, composition, management, PR, digital strategy and live performance – MEX19 is excited to announce more of the same in the build up to its biggest weekend yet. Some of the people appearing at the event are CEO of Just Music Charles Kuhn and head of A&R Matthew Fink, Lance Stehr of Muthaland records, KFM station manager Steve Werner, and Sotiris Modovano from streaming service Deezer, all dispensing their inside knowledge of the music industry. All three major royalty collecting agencies
– Capasso, SAMPRA, and SAMRO – will also be at MEX19. Martin Myers, founder and convenor of the conference, remarked: “This year MEX is delighted to have the key decision makers of some of the most important music bodies in South Africa attending.” The COO of RISA, Nhlanhla Paul Sibisi, remarked, after last year’s event, “I have attended many workshops and master classes before, covering a range of topics, but MEX18 was a real eye-opener, in terms of how it was well organised and the selection of speakers. Each speaker covered the topic eloquently and with passion. I walked out of MEX18 feeling empowered even though I have been in the music industry for more than 20 years. It presented each attendee with a range of business opportunities, all of which can be exploited almost immediately.” Along with SAMRO, in attendance will be the CEO of Africori, Yoel Kenan, Active Music Publishers CEO John Fishlock, and advocate Barry Varkel, amongst others. Artists include Chad Saaiman, RJ Benjamin, and MEX chairperson, the legendary Sipho Mabuse. Booking agents and promoters Lesley Wells, Craig Parks and Lauren Parks, will also be sharing their knowledge, along
with community radio specialist Selwyn Bartlett. MEX19 will also welcome back longstanding partners Paul Bothner Music. Digital monetisation and understanding your rights, be it legal (including what a proper legal contract looks like and how to navigate the small claims court), or rights in the digital economy, will be unpacked and demystified, and opportunities explored at MEX19. With more speakers and events to be announced over the coming four weeks, in the build-up to MEX19, follow us on Facebook to get breaking announcements, as they happen. Whether you’re an established or ambitious young artist, publicist, producer, DJ, manager, venue owner, record label, agency or corporate brand looking to gain invaluable insight and learning’s every delegate can actively apply and benefit from, MEX19 is the creative hub responsible for bringing it all together. Limited delegates tickets for MEX19 are available now through Quicket. Full conference tickets, for all days, cost R500 including lunch on Sat and Sunday For booking details, and more information, go to: http://www.musicexchange.co.za
AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 25 | 2019
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Book review
Normal People: All love is as new as it is old Steve Kretzmann Billions of people have entered the fraught terrain of their first sexually intimate relationship, and billions more will do so, yet despite the mind boggling expanse of past and present experience, every teenager, every young woman and man steps both together and alone into a virgin emotional landscape. It would make sense that by now, after thousands of years of civilisation and copulation, the human race would have provided a map for post-pubescent youth and, in a sense, it has, via religious dictates, societal customs, novels, and art. Still it remains unique territory for every individual even as commonalities overlap between narratives. This individuality is part of the mystery of human experience and the wonderful discovery that lies within a life. Which partly explains why, although acclaimed author Sally Rooney adds to the vast map of human sexual and relational experience, her novel Normal People is nonetheless also a new journey through an unknown landscape. At the same time, there
are some recognisable similarities; a decision, or a misunderstanding, or an unspoken agreement that provide a dim echo to ones we may have had, or are yet to have, even if only as a possibility, an alternate existence. There are many novels which narrate the arc of a single relationship, but possibly not many with as much focus as Normal People, and two that spring to mind – Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Lionel Shriver’s The PostBirthday World – involve infidelity as an element of suspense. There is no infidelity in Rooney’s novel. In fact tension is created by their loyalty to their friendship, and how it struggles through social expectation and its clash with the personalities of the protaganists. Personalities subtley and engagingly revealed as the narration alternates between Connell and Marianne’s perspectives as they move through high school, university, and their entry into professional life. Rooney, just 28-years-old and having now published two critically acclaimed novels, is still close enough to the fumbles and foibles, joy and expectation of this chapter of young adulthood to breath life into it, while her
keen novelists’ observation and perspective prevent it from even coming close to descending to any level of generational indulgence. Despite being Irish, or perhaps because of it (the novel is set in Caricklea and Dublin), Rooney’s writing is crisp rather than poetic. Similes and metaphors are rare but her narration of events is concise and although often wry, is unfettered by sentimentality. Other than clarity, what really brings her situations to life is the quality of the dialogue, tuned to exactly the right pitch, bringing the suitably complex and complicated characters of Marianne and Connell into our life to traverse across the landscapes of our own possible or actual relationships. The acclaim she has received, although interviews reveal it makes her uncomfortable, is deserved.
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
If You Keep Diggging by Keletso Mopai
Big Sky by Kate Atkinson
Eternal audience of one by Remy Ngamije
I know it’s been reviewed before, but since Oyinkan is appearing at Open Book, a refresher is worth it. Very quick, easy read. Braithwaite is a talented writer. She has a wonderful way of giving you a complete picture of a character in only a few paragraphs. The book is fairly simple in plot, but she brings extra themes into the story (class, gender and family issues). She leads the reader into considerations about these themes without over writing them. Her writing is very well balanced in this way.
Very good debut collection of short stories. Written in accessible, easy style while interrogating serious issues in our society. Notable for the breadth of narrative voices, she’s as comfortable writing from the perspective of young white Afrikaans boy as she is centering a 20-something black woman. Highly recommended, will be appearing at Open Book for a couple of days.
Atkinson writes some quite literary stuff and some more commercial detective stuff featuring retired cop Jackson Brodie. This is one of the latter. Easy read, plot’s ok, but her strength is the character of Brodie. Crusty, irritable middle aged man - I feel so represented.
Remy was born in Rwanda, grew up in Namibia, came to study at UCT. Sera, the main character in his novel, was born in Rwanda, grew up in Namibia, and studied at UCT. I have a small feeling that this novel is partially autobiographical? But, that’s irrelevant when you write as well as Remy. It’s a novel about growing up, about being in the world, about movement and family. It’s a novel about everything and also it’s a novel about nothing. And it might be my favourite novel of 2019 thus far. Loved it.
Short reviews by staff at The Book Lounge
Normal People is published by Faber & Faber, distributed in South Africa by Jonathan Ball Publishers and available in most good book shops, such as The Book Lounge.
Wine
Eagle’s Nest: Not easy on the wallet If you have a mild interest in wine, or even a mild interest in getting tipsy on wine, it is likely that you have attended a wine tasting at some point or another. I have been to some divine wine tastings that I can highly recommend. Springfield does a lovely one at their cellar on the banks of the Breede River, and at Ormonde in the small town of Darling you can sip on a range of delicious wines while enjoying a view of their rolling gardens. Conversely, I have been to others that were quite poor. Unfortunately, my tasting at Eagle’s Nest fell into the latter. It was Women’s Day and so off my girlfriends and
I traipsed off to what we deemed would be a fitting place to spend the day: a little cellar perched on the rolling hills of Constantia. There was an inside and an outside seated area, a lawn and some lovely shaded trees, and the ambiance was pleasant enough; families, children and dogs were running around everywhere. Sadly, the wine didn’t live up to the atmosphere. The Sauvignon Blanc 2018, first on the tasting menu, was rather classically balanced on the nose with hints of green pepper and melon. I adore a good Sauvignon Blanc, however, this one lacked any kind of depth
or substance on the palate and left me underwhelmed. I was informed that the grapes for the Sauvignon Blanc are sourced from the Swartland region, while the grapes for the other wines are grown on site, and this gave me a small increment of hope for the rest of the tasting. Second on the list was the Viognier 2017. While the Viognier performed mildly better on the taste buds, I have certainly tasted far better Viogniers at a much lower price point. Similarly, their Merlot 2015 and their Little Eagle Red 2016 did not impress me. The vintner (the common term for someone who sells wine), sensing my disappointment, quickly informed me that the last wine on the list, the Shiraz 2015, is an award-winning wine that she believes is something truly special. Certainly it was the highlight of the tasting for me. Well-rounded and full-bodied, it boasts a combination of whole berries and
spice that do not leave the palate wanting, but sadly I could not commit to breaking the bank simply to take a bottle home with me. Should you decide to venture out to Eagle’s Nest for a tasting, I suggest that you sit inside where it is cosy and the glass panelled walls still afford you a panoramic view of the garden. Furthermore, I suggest you go on a quieter day so that you can really engage your vintner in conversation. I would have appreciated learning more about the wines, the terroir, and the struggles of producing wine from a small crop, but since we visited on a rather busy afternoon, I did not want to take up too much of their time. Opening hours are 10:00 – 16:30 and the tasting fee is R75 per person. Please drink responsibly, never drink and drive, and remember that it is illegal to drink if you are under 18 years of age.
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AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 25 | 2019
Three things you can do at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Nature trails Hike or ride the scenic nature trails that criss-cross the 3 000 hectare nature reserve that surrounds Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. The Koeberg Nature Reserve boasts two special veld types - Cape Flats Dune Strandveld and Atlantis Sand Fynbos, each offering an interesting variety of plants and animals. Along the route you may even spot a zebra, eland, gemsbok, grysbok, steenbok, springbok, or duiker. Birdwatching and more The Koeberg Nature Reserve is home to over 212 birds species, including the majestic african fish eagle, black harrier, and peregrine falcon. Discover something new Take a tour of the Koeberg Visitors Centre at Africa’s only nuclear power plant, which has safely provided the Western Cape with electricity for more than 33 years. Come and discover what nuclear power generation is all about. For more information, contact the Koeberg Visitors Centre at tel +27 21 550 4667.
Eskom Holdings SOC Limited Reg No 2002/015527/30
www.eskom.co.za
AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 25 | 2019
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Water quality data remains a dirty secret Pollution a part of urban environment, but promised water quality report delayed yet again Steve Kretzmann While a long-awaited City report on coastal water quality has been delayed once again, failure of city infrastructure, exacerbated by residents dumping garbage and excreta into the stormwater system, is a significant cause of pollution of our marine environment, admit senior environmental officials. Three of the City’s top environmental officials were questioned by several residents who, at a recent public participation meeting on the draft Coastal Bylaw, accused the municipality of being the main polluter of our ocean and shores. The discussion at the Fish Hoek subcouncil chambers on 15 August arose from the draft bylaw’s prohibition on persons polluting the coastal zone through dumping, discharging, depositing, or storing waste, with the question posed as to what sanction existed in the case of the municipality being the polluter. “Sewage spills do take place, it’s a challenge across the City, together with stormwater pollution due to what people put in the stormwater system,” said head of coastal policy development, Darryl Colenbrander. Head of nature conservation and meeting facilitator Bongani Mnisi said pollution occurred “when pumps fail”. “We are trying to deal with it,” said Mnisi. As to what recourse was available against the City when infrastructure under its control was the cause of pollution, Colenbrander said: “I don’t know, how do we deal with it if it is unintentional.” “The City’s best intention is not to pollute the environment,” said environmental department manager Gregg Oelofse. “The bylaw aims to regulate intentional pollution.” But whether unintentional or not, a scientific study by Professor Leslie Petrik at the University of the Western Cape’s Chemistry Department, together with Cecilia Y. Ojemaye, which Mother City News highlighted in the June 25 – July 25, 2019 edition, reveals False Bay is so polluted that pharmaceutical and industrial chemical compounds are accumulating in the fish along our coast. Having tested snoek, bonita, hottentot, and panga sold at Kalk Bay harbour, Petrik and Ojemaye found 15 different chemical compounds present in the gills, intestine, liver and flesh of all four species. While the recommended Hazard Quotient Value for these chemical compounds is 1.0, the HQ value for pharmaceuticals and what is known as perflourinated compounds
(industrial chemicals) found in the fish was in the tens of millions. Previous studies have shown concerning levels of these pharmaceutical compounds and industrial chemicals to be present in benthic organisms such as starfish, mussels, limpets, and urchins sampled at Greenpoint and Camps Bay. Petrik says the main source of pharmaceutical compounds in particular entering the marine environment can only be from sewage. Anti-inflammatories such as Diclofenac and Acetaminphen, the antiepilectic drug Cabamazepine, and the antibiotic Sulfamethoxazole, all of which were found in fish and marine organisms, are passed through the human body and flushed into the sewerage system. With 55 million litres of sieved but otherwise raw sewage pumped into the ocean every day from marine outfalls situated at Greenpoint, Camps Bay, and Hout Bay, and regular reports in the media of overflows from the sewerage network, which then flows to the ocean along rivers or stormwater drains, pollution of our inland and coastal waters is a certainty. At the Fish Hoek meeting, Oelofse said urban development on the coast inevitably results in pollution. The City has continually downplayed the level of this pollution, but for the last three years has at the same time has not published the results of water quality tests it conducts along the Atlantic coast and False Bay. The last published results of the City’s fortnightly coastal water quality tests were for 2016 and released in the 2018 State of the Environment Report, which shows water quality failed the minimum guidelines at Fish Hoek, Muizenberg, Mnandi, Monwabisi, Kalk Bay harbour, Three Anchor Bay, Saunders Rocks in Seapoint, and The Kom in Kommetjie. The City has been asked at regular intervals over the last 18 months, to release its water quality monitoring data. Intitially, according to an email from mayco member for transport and urban development, Felicity Purchase in December last year, the grading of all beaches as “per the new guidelines from the National Government” was underway and a report would be submitted to the relevant committees “in the new year”. Then in February mayco member for spatial planning and environment, Marian Nieuwoudt, said the report would be released “later this year”. Then in June it was communicated that “a new coastal water quality report”
Toxic shock... Microbial levels of stormwater, such as flowing onto Fish Hoek beach here, have been shown to contain microbial levels consistent with what one would expect to find in raw sewage.
Beneath the beauty... Scientific studies have shown that False Bay is so polluted that pharmaceutical and industrial compounds are accumulating in fish, yet the City has yet to release water quality data from the past three years.
A snapshot of water quality data for 7 - 21 November 2018
would be released “around August”. The latest communication, attributed to Oelofse, is that “a detailed summary report” will be released “before the end of the year”. Meanwhile, a sample of test results for False Bay waters from November 2018 were leaked to Mother City News. The results from 7 – 21 November 2018 – during which there was no recorded rain which would have washed pollution down from stormwater drains – show eight
testing sites polluted with more than 800 Colony Forming Units (CFU) per 100ml of E.coli and/or Enterococcus, which are indicator organisms for other microbial bacteria. The latest national safety and health guidelines for recreational waters is that samples should never exceed 800 CFU/100ml on any given day. Two sampling points in Strand, as well as sampling points at Macassar and Mitchells Plain had over 1 200 CFU/100ml.
The level of pollution at the St. James tidal pool sampling site was also of concern, measured at about 250 CFU/100ml. The guidelines state half the samples must be at most 14 CFU (Colony Forming Units) per 100ml, with not more than 10% of samples exceeding 31 CFU/100ml, but as this indicates measurements over time, it is not known whether St. James and other points exceeding these counts were due to once off events, because the City does not release its data.
Breaking the echo chamber in the city bowl and beyond
FREE COPY
AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
Ja, ja, spring is here. So if you want to escape cleaning your rugs and changing your sheets and doing a winter’s worth of laundry, here are a few ideas. But first and foremost, plant a tree. Don’t care where. You can plant it in the middle of the closest traffic circle at 2am. Guerilla gardening. Just do it, and nurture it through the summer. Why? Because you have flown somewhere in the last decade. Oh! You’ve even been overseas? More than once. Better plant a dozen. Now get out there.
Theatre: Two wonderful plays by American playwright Alice Childress, are put on stage at The Baxter by our own “rising star”, theatre-maker and director Nwabisa Plaatjie. Florence and Wine in the Wilderness is part of The Baxter’s Women’s Month celebrations and the two short plays have “been carefully chosen to pay tribute to the evolving black woman who should not be defined by a single, limited image or narrative” (Baxter’s own blurb). Florence and Wine in the Wilderness is on from 28 August to 13 September. Tickets cost between R80 and R150 and can be booked through www.baxter.co.za The eccentric, sexy Jemma Kahn brings The Epicene Butcher back. ‘Epicene’ was her first exploration of the Japanese tradition of Kamishibai, which is a street theatre form using illustrations to tell a story. She has since gone deep into the form and transformed it into something only she is probably able to describe, winning a Standard Bank Artist of the Year award in the process. If you’ve seen The Epicene Butcher before, you’ll want to see it again, and you’re probably itching to find out who Chalk Girl is going to be in this rendition. If you haven’t seen it, now’s your chance to catch what has become a local cult classic. Epicene Butcher plays at the Alexander Bar Upstairs Theatre between 29 August and 7 September. Shows start at 9pm and cost between R140 and R160. Hurry, tickets are selling out fast. A play by an American writer who has a shelf full of awards for his words is premiering at The Alexander Bar Upstairs Theatre this month. It’s called Nocturne and it is about a teenager who accidently runs over and kills his nine-year-old sister. It contains love, hilarity,and pain, and reminds us what it is to be human. Written by Adam Rapp, it is directed by Emily Child and performed by Francis Chouler. Nocturne is showing from 10 to 21 September at 7pm. Tickets cost R120 online through www.alexanderbar.co.za or R140 at the door.
Out of town: Go north to Darling and catch one of seven taxis taking you on a journey to three different performances presented in the living rooms of local residents. Sounds weird? Exciting? You bet. It’s the Darling Voorkamerfees and there isn’t another one like it in the country. You’ll meet friendly locals and visitors like yourself, all out for culture and a jol, and you’ll get to see some of the West Coast flowers all springing up in the country. Voorkamerfees is happening on the weekend of 6 to 8 September. Check out https://www. voorkamerfest-darling.co.za/ and get your tickets on Quicket.
Out of town: The best festival of books is happening again this month. Open Book festival is like the rock ‘n roll of writing, and comics. We are fans, big time. Open Book is a megawatt to the brain. It’s fun, expands your mind, and gets you mingling with the most intelligent people in the city. Also, you end up having casual but important conversations with international, award winning writers without even realising it until you see their name on a panel or recognise their headshot on the back cover of a novel you just bought. From 4 to 8 September, there’s 151 great events in venues in the east city precinct. Have a squiz through the programme on www.openbookfestival.co.za or pick up a hard copy of the programme at The Book Lounge on the corner of Roeland and Buitenkant Streets. It’s lit, and events only cost R45 ea.
A sister defies the king’s orders and tries to bury her brother properly and instead of being stoned to death, which is what the king warned, is buried alive in a tomb. The king has a change of heart but when the tomb is opened it is discovered she’s hung herself. Only the Greeks could come up with this tragic mix as depicted in the story of Antigone. Now a powerhouse of amazing theatremakers, musicians and designers from The Magnet Theatre are bringing a modern version to life. From September 18 to 28, the play ANTIGONE (not quite/quiet), which is bound to be fantastic given the people involved, will be on stage at Golden Arrow Studio at the Baxter Theatre. Shows are from 7.30 every night. Tickets cost R100 and you can book on Webtickets. Warning: Contains all the dirty words and also some almost nudity | no under 18s Yup, it’s Dirty Words, born in the hot as hell forge of The Alexander Upstairs experimental Play Things platform. It’s a cult sensation made up of seven sketches that may have you wondering why the dictionary was never banned under the Calvinistic Afrikaaner government of yesteryear. On at Alexander Bar Upstairs Theatre from 19 to 28 September at 9pm Tickets cost R120 online (www.alexanderbar.co.za) and R140 at the door.
Music: Cafe Roux in Shortmarket Street appears to have been renamed The Jagger Lounge. Mick Jagger, whatever. What is important is that the Frank Paco Ensemble are playing on 21 September. Jazz, man, jazz. Starts at 6.30pm, tickets cost 120 and you can get them on Webtickets. There are other gigs, but Frank Paco rocks our boat. Have a look at what makes waves for you on at www.thejaggerlounge.com
Environment: Rebel against rich corporate bastards causing the end of the world because of their greed and addiction to fossil fuels. Stand up for the future and meet fellow Extinction Rebellion activists on the corner of Cambridge and Keizergracht streets in Zonnebloem at 12 noon on September 20. March to the City Hall and tune what’s what. Even if you don’t care about human beings becoming extinct, do it for the birds and the bees and polar bears and the geckos. The strike will be followed by a Week of Positive Action from 21-27 September. Everyone is invited to get their communities to participate - beach clean-ups to eco-system restoration and recycled art workshops. See www.africanclimatealliance.org
If you want your gig to be considered for our guide, email deets to westcapenews@gmail.com