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The Herald
21-05-2025
- General
- The Herald
Think before flushing in Camps Bay, Bakoven, Clifton and Sea Point
Wet wipes and similar objects being flushed down toilets have been identified as a leading cause of sewer blockages in the suburbs of Camps Bay, Bakoven, Clifton and Sea Point in Cape Town. The city's water and sanitation department said on Tuesday it had attended to 1,072 blockages in the suburbs between July 2023 and March this year. 'The volume of call-outs in these high-use areas raises serious concerns about ongoing irresponsible behaviour,' said the city. Water and sanitation MMC Zahid Badroodien appealed to residents and visitors not to flush foreign objects down toilets in the affected areas. 'The city is appealing to residents to be mindful of the impact that improper household waste disposal habits have on the environment. Help us reduce sewer overflows and prevent damage to infrastructure by flushing only human waste and toilet paper. We see an increase in wet wipes blocking sewer pipes in some areas. These should be discarded in bins to be collected along with other refuse,' he said. 'What is especially concerning is the need for repeat visits just days apart, as new blockages form in the same areas. Breaking the cycle of this persistent challenge requires a collaborative effort by the city and residents.' Most blockages were caused by foreign objects such as wet wipes, sanitary towels and nappies, followed by tree roots, rags, and fat from restaurants and eateries. No cause was identified for some blockages which the city could be attributed to high flows due to rain, pump station failure or a blockage elsewhere that affected several streets. TimesLIVE
The Sun
16-05-2025
- The Sun
World's cheapest long haul holiday is perfect for families – with no jet lag, jaw-dropping animals and perfect beaches
HEADING back along the dusty track towards our cottage, we gaze at the darkening sky, so clear it's littered with twinkling stars. Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes ahead makes us stop still. 7 7 7 Two beady eyes emerge, followed by a set of stripey legs slowly plodding on to the trail in front of us. 'There are some zebras on the path,' my partner whispers. Not your usual walk home, but that's South Africa for you. This is a country so packed with wildlife that it is not uncommon to see exotic creatures such as baboons and ostriches feeding at the side of the road, or taking an evening stroll in front of your hotel room. Luckily, zebras are a gentle breed and the ones we encountered seemed entirely disinterested as we weaved around them to our cottage. It was a typical evening on our two-week road trip through Cape Town this Easter, a first proper bucket-list holiday with our six-year-old. We flew on Norse Atlantic Airways, the affordable airline whose budget prices meant we could fly Premium Economy on our overnight flight and stand a decent chance of getting some sleep. Everything in Cape Town is so accessible that we landed at 8.30am, got our hire car, checked into the hotel and were on the glorious Camps Bay beach in swimsuits by 11.30am. Camps Bay suburb feels like a cross between Cannes and a fancy California town, with its white sandy beach, backdrop of Table Mountain and smart restaurants lining the beachfront. Seals swimming Better still, the one-hour time difference meant we had no jet lag, so we could get stuck in straight away without the need to sleep it off. The famous mountain was the first adventure spot on our list. And it made for a great family day out thanks to the rotating gondolas that slowly spin to offer panoramic views on the ascent to the top. Best Value Winter Sun Long Haul Destinations You will also see plenty of cute dassies (a type of large rabbit, native to these parts) that can be spotted scurrying across the rocky landscapes or munching on plants. Once there, the flatness of the peak meant there was a vast area to explore, with circular two-hour hikes across the top. Easter is a great time to visit, because that's Cape Town's autumn, meaning it is relatively crowd-free at this time, with 20C to 29C temperatures. The next stop on our road adventure was Kalk Bay, a cute little boho town where ramshackle restaurants and hippy boutiques line the seafront. At the town's upmarket Harbour House restaurant, we dined on seafood and good wine for the price of a Pizza Hut meal in the UK — all while watching seals swimming in the harbour. Our accommodation was the charming Chartfield Guesthouse, staying in a huge two-bedroom apartment. It was bigger than my house back home, and cost only £94 a night. Kalk Bay is a prime spot for visiting the endangered African penguins of neighbouring Simonstown. There must have been around 100 on the town's shoreline, Boulders Beach, when we visited, swimming in the sea, waddling about or protecting their nests. That wasn't our only wildlife encounter in the area, though. Kalk Bay is also close to the 17,300-acre Cape Point Nature Reserve, with its sweeping ocean views and 200ft cliffs, where we spotted ostriches and baboons, among other creatures. Aside from its excellent wildlife, Cape Town is known for one thing: Wine. To sample some of its finest bottles, we headed to the historic town of Stellenbosch, set among the vineyards of the Cape Winelands. Here, we checked into the Evergreen Manor and Spa, a quaint property that felt like the home from the Anne Of Green Gables novel, and an outdoor pool to relax in after a day's wine tasting. Stellenbosch is the perfect base for exploring the region's family- friendly vineyards. We saw whales, sharks, dolphins, penguins and seals on our morning at sea, with our favourites being the bronze whaler shark and colony of Cape fur seals. At the Warwick Wine Estate, we relaxed on the lawn with a gourmet picnic, while my boy was more than content in the playground and water fountain. Another brilliant spot for the whole family was Soetmelksvlei, an immersive farming experience that recreates an 1800s farm, on the grounds of the Babylonstoren wine estate. We sat at the kitchen table of the manor house while the cook rustled up snacks, and learned how the staff churned milk. From here, we made our way to the coastal town of Gansbaai, aka 'great white shark capital of the world', to go on Marine Dynamics' Big 5 Marine Safari. We saw whales, sharks, dolphins, penguins and seals on our morning at sea, with our favourites being the bronze whaler shark and colony of Cape fur seals. The team on board were outstanding, too. I've been on plenty of marine-life spotting trips and never experienced that level of care. 7 7 Our hunt for Africa's animals continued afterwards, with a stay at the De Hoop Nature Reserve, an 84,000-acre area that is home to free-roaming zebras, baboons, ostriches, mongoose and eland. Because of the non-predatory nature of the animals, guests are free to walk among them. Which is how we found ourselves bumping into a dazzle of zebras on our way back from dinner. It was an eventful night. Apparently the baboons also snuck into the restaurant kitchen to steal some bread that evening. Pride of lions We'd already been warned about keeping the windows of our cottage closed when out, as the cheeky primates liked to break in for snacks. I could hardly blame them for wanting to have a nose around. The De Hoop Collection cottage we stayed in was gorgeous — spacious and designed in a country-chic style, all chintz curtains and huge squishy sofas. It was the perfect warm-up for our penultimate destination, where we splurged on a three-night safari at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve. It is one of South Africa's largest privately owned nature reserves, with around 150,000 acres of land and a handful of 5* lodges, as well as the all-important 'big five' — lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, among others. A whirlwind 14 days with so many memories made, that it felt like five holidays wrapped into one. My favourite wildlife spots had to be a herd of elephants and pride of lions, and both came within a few metres of our safari truck. But we had so many encounters, from giraffes and hippos to Cape buffalo, zebras, springboks and hyenas, that we felt truly spoilt. As we did by the hospitality at Sanbona, where we stayed in the 12-suite Gondwana family lodge. The hours between the morning and evening game drives were spent eating delicious food, sunbathing, swimming in the pool and playing one of the many board games, which are free for guests. Given we had packed so much in, it felt only right to spend our last 36 hours in Cape Town chilling. And there was no better place to do just that than the Radisson Collection Hotel, Waterfront Cape Town, a 5* hotel in a prime coastal spot with far more reasonable rates than most of Europe. Last year, South Africa's tourism minister touted the region as such great value that 'British visitors can afford our 5* hotels'. 7 7 And the city was crowned the world's best-value long-haul destination in the Post Office Travel Money Report. Pitched up on sun loungers, we drank delicious wine — fancy stuff at just £4 a glass — while our son played with the other kids in the infinity pool, as dolphins played in the ocean 20 metres away. If it sounds like the trip was a dream from start to finish, it really was. A whirlwind 14 days with so many memories made, that it felt like five holidays wrapped into one.
