The Jackal Buzzard
Franschhoek is home to a number of raptors throughout the year and one bird is found more often than others, the Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus). “Rufofuscus” means “dusky red” or “rufous” as we in the birding world call it, which is the colour of the bird’s chest. Continue reading
Can you believe that it is less than 3 months to Christmas? That means it is time to get the garden ready for all those late lunches, cocktail evenings, end-of-year parties and the inevitable visits by friends and family from up-country. But it also means that we are entering our dry season and with the below average rainfall Continue reading
Dear Readers
The proposed Media Appeals Tribunal and Protection of Information Bill are serious indictments of our young democracy. Freedom of expression and universal suffrage are the guarantors of democracy – even more so when their exercise is ‘inconvenient’ to those in power. Continue reading
Executive Mayor of Stellenbosch Municipality, Alderman Cyril Jooste
The Executive Mayor of Stellenbosch Municipality, Alderman Cyril Jooste, officially handed over the first 18 houses in Mooiwater (phase 2) on Friday 3 September 2010. He also took part in a greening project that formed part of the Municipality’s Arbor Week celebrations.
In 2001 the Franschhoek community signed the Franschhoek Social Accord Continue reading
La Motte Mountain Meander
“They are just like naughty children,” Pietie le Roux mutters. Pietie is surveying the damage that the resident pack of Chacma Baboons have done to the fan aloes (Aloe plicatilis) along the new hiking trail on Le Motte estate where he is senior farm manager. “They don’t even eat the aloes, they are just being destructive,” he adds as we continue along the trail. Continue reading
Fynbos and Fire
As a floral assemblage, the Cape fynbos has been around for millions of years, starting more or less when the cold Benguela current first started flowing up the West Coast, thereby fixing the climatic regime of the region.
Recent veld fires in Franschhoek mountains Continue reading
Wellness is not a purchase made by the well-off, but a choice to live well and feel good. One might be forgiven for it is a fashionable trinket to adorn your lifestyle, but it’s actually a choice to optimally. Continue reading
Minnie Peterson - YEA Project Co-ordinator
Youth Empowerment Action
One sees hardly any street children in Franschhoek. If you look carefully, however, you will see the YEA street workers. Ever vigilant, the volunteer workers look out for these vulnerable children and step in to help and guide. Minnie Petersen is the project coordinator. She’s strict, she’s determined and she’s popular. Continue reading
La Motte – excellence redefined
La Motte estate is clearly succeeding in achieving ‘a culture of excellence’ in everything thing that they do. This month they launch their long-awaited new facilities.
The La Motte experience has long been about more than wine: Continue reading
Graham Beck
Cape Town, 27 July 2010: Pioneering South African wine producer and social philanthropist Graham Beck, owner of Graham Beck Wines, passed in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 27 July at the age of 80 in London after a battle with lung cancer.
Best known for his bold and insightful approach to life, Mr Beck’s involvement Continue reading
Gone, Gone , Gone are the quite nights in Franschhoek! Now call me an idiot if you will, after all I am the Village Idiot, but what is this I hear blowing in the wind. Ehh its the sound of music. No not that sound of music, you know the Julie Andrews one, where the hills are alive with the sound of music. No I’m talking about the bed thumping, window rattling, booming, bass driven, hypnotic, teeth clenching, gut wrenching boom, boom, boom, doof, doof, doof type of music Continue reading
The Laborie Alambic brandy has been voted the best brandy in the world at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London for 2010. The IWSC is regarded as the premier competition of its kind on the international stage. Its aim it to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs. Continue reading
Food scientist Renata Coetzee and Shaun Schoeman (Solms-Delta - Fyndraai's head chef)
The Dik Delta Fynbos Culinary Gardens were officially opened on the 19th of August. Mark Solms of Solms-Delta, Renata Coetzee, the well-known food scientist and author, Hein Joubert, the project co-ordinator, and Shaun Schoeman, executive chef at Fyndraai restaurant, hosted the special celebration. Continue reading
‘Franschhoek Uncorked’, the valley’s unique spring wine meander, took place again over the weekend of 4 and 5 September. This multi-faceted celebration takes place on farms throughout the Valley and wineries the opportunity to ‘bloom’ as they showcase new vintages and releases. Continue reading
President Zuma and Franschhoek Learners
I was just recovered from the visit of the Labour Minister a week ago when I received a pamphlet in the mail. It read: “Come listen to the President, don’t miss it, 20 August!!!!!”
My first thought was that this couldn’t be true! First the Minister of Labour, Continue reading
Another very busy month for your SPCA with apart from our normal work in the field and at our two weekly clinics Monday and Wednesday from 5pm, we also held another of our very important sterilisation drives where a further 37 animals were sterilised. Continue reading
The staff of Franschhoek Hospice has just been through their 2nd COHSASA accreditation. Despite the stress involved everybody all survived with their sanity intact! Continue reading
Gaia Woods Beyond Petroleum
On 27 July while Londoners were wiping the sleep from their eyes Greenpeace activists were busy shutting down all 50 BP petrol stations across the city. Fuel supply was cut by removing the safety switches on the forecourts. At one station the activists replaced BP’s logo Continue reading
BUSINESS LEADERSHIP SERIES
by Tony Frost
Corporate Culture
Millions of pages have been written and even more words spoken about the power of leadership. By far the biggest proportion of these words has focussed on the power of the individual in this equation. While there is no denying the influence that an individual has in the community of which he is part, the leader is of less importance in an organisation than the community or group of which he is part. This is especially true in the context of the current focus on creating and building sustainable organisations, processes and products. Continue reading
It is no secret that I’ve been quite critical of Stellenbosch Municipality in the past. That’s because I believed they deserved it – every time!
Last month I received some far too rare good news from the municipality. The Council has reappointed former municipal manager David Daniels Continue reading
1. You are passionate about the Sea Shepard Conservation Society (SSCS). What is your involvement?
Herbert Heinrich
While living in Kenya some thirty years ago, I researched various NGOs with respect to their approach and attitude towards wild life protection. It was Sea Shepherd that came out tops in that a) Paul Watson had also been personally involved in anti elephant poaching in East Africa, and b) he came across as a most compassionate and result focused animal rights and animal protection person Continue reading
The bird club has been busy this month with an outing to Lynedoch Eco-village in Stellenbosch where we drew up a winter bird list for them. We did the yearly winter CAR count, a number of atlasing days were held and we did some bird-ringing in the Wild Flower Garden of the monument. Continue reading
Climate scientists must be wondering whether to laugh or cry. July and August have been extraordinary months for anyone with an interest in climate science.
We’ve seen horrific flooding in China and Pakistan as well as many other regions in South East Asia. Continue reading
Walking down the beautiful streets of Franschhoek, you will be forgiven for breaking out in song and singing “the streets are alive, with the sound of bird-song” to that famous tune from The Sound of Music. The Cape Canaries (Serinus canicollis) are breeding and being very vocal about it. Their wonderfully melodious calls Continue reading
September must be the most eagerly awaited month for the gardener in South Africa. Now is when the real action starts – months of anticipation and preparation have brought us to this point – it’s planting time!
The winter rainfall areas had below average rainfall up to now; we are not sure Continue reading
At Bastille 2010
Giepie Straat, Bo Kaap, Franschhoek. Die adres klink dalk nie bekend nie, maar op Bastille Saterdag is dit presies waar ek myself bevind het. En wat ‘n heerlike plek was dit nie!
17 – 21 Giepie Straat, Bo Kaap, is die adres wat verskyn op die doelgemaakte driedubbele stalletjie wat tydens die afgelope Bastillefees vieringe sy eerste verskyning in die kos en wyn markiestent gemaak het. Giepie Straat is die jongste inisiatief van die Franschhoek Toerisme Vereniging om dele van die gemeenskap Continue reading
The Franschhoek Five donkey family are making great progress following their rescue from a wine estate in Paarl in June. Unfortunately Continue reading
Haut Espoir, well known as being one of the most environmentally conscious wineries in the Franschhoek Valley, recently commissioned an artificial / constructed wetland to treat cellar effluent. Continue reading
Su Birch, CEO Wines of South Africa
While pundits continue to calculate the material value of South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, one of the sectors to have derived a tangible benefit has been the wine industry, with packaged exports still on the rise, despite the continued strength of the rand and the protraction of the worldwide recession.
According to Wines of South Africa (WOSA) CEO Su Birch, for the most part there has been a marked increase in sales volumes amongst those countries with a high level of interest in soccer. Continue reading
On 27 May 2010 a Bronze and Silver Award Ceremony took place in the Franschhoek Town Hall. In spite of the weather, the hall was packed with a group of excited youth, parents and others working with them from around the Western Cape.
These young people were from community youth groups and residential youth care centres Continue reading
