Cape Town South Africa

Tips avoiding irritation (to a limit) of power cuts:

1. If the power is out, work out a flexi-time schedule with your boss and go in to work later to miss the traffic gridlocks.
2. Stock up on gas and candle lighting, you can always use it out camping or for a romantic evening…
3. Back up your computer work regularly onto DVD or CD to avoid loss of data. The best is to get automated backup systems in place.
4. Alternatively get an UPS (uninterrupted power supply) which will allow you to save your files before shutting down your computer.
5. If you can’t afford downtime at all, get a backup generator.
6. Get a car charger kit for your cellphone.
7. Visit Camps Bay, Cape Town for sundowners to ‘maximise available daylight’
8. Smile, everyone else is in the same boat with you…

Power cuts (blackouts) have been losing Cape Town business millions in revenue over the past 3 days. The first blackouts occured in the early hours of Sunday morning (there was some kind of forewarning as I heard something about power cuts on Saturday evening), yet many business suffered from having no power. The industrial areas were up in arms since little production could take place yesterday (Monday 20/02/06), allthough Cape Town city seems to be ‘online’. Eskom, the South African supplier of electricity has been quiet initially, but have released statements that power shedding will take place in certain areas while faulty lines are repaired. In plain English that means electricity cuts for up to 2 hours at a time until Wednesday evening. I have read reports in the newspaper where Eskom communicates the times of cuts to readers, so go and get a copy of a local paper for more information.

The explanation by Eskom is that the recent fires created soot and ash deposits that accumulated on certain lines and that the fog over the weekend caused it to become conductive, creating the problems. Maybe we should buy Eskom some industrial feather dusters so that they can clean up their act…

Killarney race way (the home of Western Province Motor Club) is hosting street legal drags this evening (17th of February 2006). The race track is located in Killarney, Table View, about 25 minutes drive from Cape Town. If you like fast cars, big turbos and NOS driven cars, look no further. More information of motor racing events can be found at www.wpmc.co.za.

Cape Talk and BP Express is hosting this year’s first Moonstruck concert at Clifton 4th beach, on the 11th of February 2006. The show runs between 18:30 and 22:00 and is open to all families. The weather will be perfect as 33 degrees was predicted with not too much wind. Quoting the Cape Talk website “Maquina loca, a 12-piece, Cape Town-based orchestra, will be on stage performing Afro-Caribbean dance music from Cuba and Puerto Rico, and New York style salsa. The name is Spanish and means Crazy “Salsa” Machine, which is reflective not only of the energy of their performance but also, their commitment to the music.” More information at the Cape Talk website.

Green Point will be the new location of Cape Town’s World Cup 2010 soccer stadium. With a budget of over a billion Rand, the project has entered it’s planning phase and construction will probably begin within the year. The location within Green Point has not been finalised and we’re not yet sure whether they will rebuild the existing Green Point Stadium. Athlone soccer stadium will host friendly International matches with it’s soon to be upgraded capacity of around 30,000 spectators. The new Green Point soccer stadium will have to adhere to the minimum capacity of 45,000 seats that is set as standard for World Cup soccer stadiums. Check back for more information soon.

Club Miam Miam in Long Street, Cape Town is having a series of Wednesday night parties, with some of Cape Town’s best DJ talent spinning the decks. The likes of Shaun Duvet, Dean Fuel, Nick Matthews and many other will be entertaining crowds into the early morning hours.

196 Loop Street, doors open at 21:00, guys - R40, ladies - R20.

An interesting play on words for Cape Town property, but it has actually become the property town of South Africa. The property market in Cape Town is currently in fluctuation, having seen exceptional growth over the past 5 years. Prices are settling down and buyers are looking for interesting new avenues (litteraly) for finding good investments. Good real estate deals are still available in Cape Town for the serious investor. Woodstock, a suburb in close proximity to the city (adjacent in fact) center is seeing new investment, where it was before riddled with gangs and crime. The problem is far from over, yet there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel and investors are capitalising on this. Woodstock and Cape Town city center property is the current thing, as far as I can gather through radio and newspaper articles.

The Ritz is a 3 star (***) hotel based in Sea Point, Cape Town, with 222 rooms and conference facilities. It’s about 5 minutes walk to the Seapoint Promenade (beachfront) and in close proximity of the V & A Waterfront (short drive) for shopping. The most famous part of the Ritz hotel in Sea Point is probably the revolving restaurant on the 21st floor, that moves in 360 degrees every 90 minutes, giving you a birds eye view of the whole Sea Point, Robben Island and the Waterfront.