My South Africa

“My South Africa is the working-class man who called from the airport to return my wallet without a cent missing. It is the white woman who put all three of her domestic worker’s children through the same school that her own child attended. It is the politician in one of our rural provinces, Mpumalanga, who returned his salary to the government as a statement that standing with the poor had to bemore than just a few words. It is the teacher who worked after school hours every day during the public sector strike to ensure her children did not miss out on learning. My South Africa is the first-year university student in Bloemfontein who took all the gifts she received for her birthday and donated them – with the permission of the givers – to a home for children in an Aids village. It is the people hurt by racist acts who find it in their hearts to publicly forgive the perpetrators. It is the group of farmers in Paarl who started a top school for the children of farm workers to ensure they got the best education possible while their parents toiled in the vineyards. It is the farmer’s wife in Viljoenskroon who created an education and training centre for the wives of farm labourers so that they could gain the advanced skills required to operate accredited early-learning centers for their own and other children. My South Africa is that little white boy at a decent school in the Eastern Cape who decided to teach the black boys in the community to play cricket, and to fit them all out with the togs required to play the gentelman’s game. It is the two black street children in Durban, caught on camera, who put their spare change in the condensed milk tin of a white beggar. It is the Johannesburg pastor who opened up his church as a place of shelter for illegal immigrants. It is the Afrikaner woman from Boksburg who nailed the white guy who shot and killed one of South Africa’s greatest freedom fighters outside hishome. My South Africa is the man who went to prison for 27 years and came out embracing his captors, thereby releasing them from their impending misery. It is the activist priest who dived into a crowd of angry people to rescue a woman from a sure necklacing. It is the former police chief who fell to his knees to wash the feet of Mamelodi women whose sons disappeared on his watch; it is the women who forgave him in his act of contrition. It is the Cape Town university psychologist who interviewed the ‘Prime Evil’ in Pretoria Centre and came away with emotional attachment, even empathy, for the human being who did such terrible things under apartheid. My South Africa is the quiet, dignified, determined township mother from Langa who straightened her back during the years of oppression and decided that her struggle was to raise decent children, insist that they learn, and ensure that they not succumb to bitterness or defeat in the face of overwhelming odds. It is the two young girls who walked 20kms to school everyday, even through their matric years, and passed well enough to be accepted into university studies. It is the student who takes on three jobs, during the evenings and on weekends, to find ways of paying for his university studies. My South Africa is the teenager in a wheelchair who works in townships serving the poor. It is the pastor of a Kenilworth church whose parishioners were slaughtered, who visits the killers and asks them for forgiveness because he was a beneficiary of apartheid. It is the politician who resigns on conscientious grounds, giving up status and salary because of an objection in principle to a social policy of her political party. It is the young lawman who decides to dedicate his life to representing those who cannot afford to pay for legal services. My South Africa is not the angry, corrupt, violent country whose deeds fill the front pages of newspapers and the lead-in items on the seven-o’-clock news. It is the South Africa often unseen, yet powered by the remarkable lives of ordinary people. It is the citizens who keep the country together through millions of acts of daily kindness.” -Jonathan Jansen

Jennifer Rush is in Cape Town

Jennifer Rush, one of music's most enduring names, is heading for South Africa! She will perform two concerts in Cape Town on the 26th and 27th April at The Cape Town Convention Centre. Fans will remember this dynamic performer with her potent voice for such memorable hits as 'Power of Love', 'Ring of Ice', 'Madonna’s Eyes' and 'Flames of Paradise', 'Never say Never', 'Ave Maria', 'Tears in the Rain' and many more.   She’s an evergreen who has been going strong for more than three decades and shows no signs of slowing down. Asked about what fans can expect from her concerts, she replied: “I will be performing many of my hits. I will be bringing my own band and two back up vocalists with me. They too are very excited to be coming to South Africa. I actually asked my South African friends and their acquaintances which songs they think South Africa would like – aside, of course, from hit songs - and I think we have come up with a great song list, which will even include a few songs from the last CD, ‘Now Is The Hour.'" Both nights start at 8pm

Don't mess with Elephants

Balloon Trip from Robben Iasland

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305676/Daredevil-office-manager-200-helium-balloons-floats-5-miles-shark-infested-South-African-waters.html

Balloon Trip from Robben Island

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305676/Daredevil-office-manager-200-helium-balloons-floats-5-miles-shark-infested-South-African-waters.html

Movies 2013

http://screencrush.com/the-most-anticipated-movies-of-2013/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_40389

Largest Puzzle 32256 pieces

Unpacked at Yuppie Gadgets The LARGEST JIGSAW PUZZLES (32,256 pieces) in the world HAVE ARRIVED IN SOUTH AFRICA- are you up to the challenge? They come in eight different bags and each bag forms one of the either different parts of the puzzle. In fact this puzzle is so big it comes with its own trolley (no extra charge).

Table Mountain

Vote for Table Mountain

Table Mountain is now officially one of the New7Wonders of Nature! Join us at Grand Parade by 7pm this evening to celebrate this.

See more pics from the mountain this weekend: http://tablemountain.net/blog/entry/table_mountain_inauguration_weekend_twitter_pictures/

Cape Town Train

Day Trips

Trips on the lines of the Cape Peninsula

If you are looking for something different to do with family, friends or even on your own, why not take a steam train ride on one of the day trips run by Atlantic Rail?
Our train consists of wooden bodied vintage coaches dating from 1922 to 1938. One of the coaches is a lounge car with a full cash bar service. The steam locomotive we use is a Class 24 steam loco built in 1949.

We run regular day trips around the peninsula. This scenic route winds along the rugged coast of False Bay with the waves crashing on the rocks below, through villages scrambling up the steep slopes and along the beautiful coves and beaches.
The train leaves Cape Town and travels between the famous Newlands rugby and cricket grounds to Muizenburg. Traveling on to False Bay where the view of the ocean is spectacular. The railway line skirts the rocks as it travels through the quaint village of Kalk Bay, then snakes through Fish Hoek and Glencairn, finally coming to an end in Simonstown with a view of the naval dockyard.
Passengers are free to go to the beach, grab a bite to eat or stroll through the town.
The train returns along the same route back to Cape Town.



Upcoming Trips

21 October 2012	Cape Town to Simon's Town
4 November 2012	Cape Town to Simon's Town
18 November 2012	Cape Town to Simon's Town
2 December 2012	Cape Town to Simon's Town
16 December 2012	Cape Town to Simon's Town
30 December 2012	Cape Town to Simon's Town

Sunday, 21 October 2012 - Cape Town to Simon's Town (return)
Departs Cape Town:	10h30
Arrive Simon's Town:	12h30 (approx)
Departs Simon's Town:	15h00
Arrive Cape Town:	16h40 (approx)
Duration:	5½ hours
Price:	R220 - Adults R110 - Children (3- 12yrs)
Atlantic Rail will be running a trip from Cape Town to Simon's Town (return) departing Cape Town at 10h30 and later departing Simon's Town at 15h00 for the journey back. If any guests would like to be dropped off or collected at Kalk Bay station, then they must stipulate this when booking. This cannot be arranged on the day of departure as it has to be planned into the running time table, so let us know early. Prices are R220 for Adults and R110 for Children 3 to 12. BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL info@atlanticrail.co.za and 021 556 1012 (office hours) to book!

Zorbing hit South Africa

http://www.zorbingsa.com/