Latest news with #Capetonians'
IOL News
18-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Potato supply in South Africa: What a Cape Town restaurant's Instagram post got wrong
Golden Dish announced menu changes due to 'nationwide shortage of potatoes', but was that really the case? Image: File On a typical afternoon in Cape Town, well known restaurant Golden Dish would be bustling with patrons indulging in its famous potato-based delights. However, when the management announced significant changes to their potato offerings due to a supposed nationwide shortage, their loyal customers were thrown into a stew of uncertainty. The restaurant's hasty Instagram statement, which has since been deleted, warned diners of limited availability of the starchy goodness from the earth and potential price increases due to escalating ingredient costs, including potatoes and meat. Golden dish announced that there will be changes due to what it called a nationwide outage. Image: Instagram Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Amid the uncertainty, agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo took to IOL to calm Capetonians' fears. "There is no shortage of potatoes in South Africa. Our supplies are healthy," he affirmed. This sentiment obviously resonates with Potatoes SA, which is equally confident in the nation's potato supply. Latest data showing potato stocks in various fresh produce markets. Image: Supplied Indeed, the latest statistics reveal that potato stocks across various fresh produce markets are remaining robust, countering the initial concerns voiced by the Golden Dish management. Last August to October, South Africa faced similar murmurs of a potato shortage when consumers witnessed a surge in prices. Yet, Sihlobo explained that earlier supply reductions were marginal and temporary, driven by panic rather than legitimate scarcity. This phenomenon mirrors a global trend; despite potato prices occasionally fluctuating, the overall supply remains stable. In stark contrast to many regions around the world, South Africa enjoys the unique advantage of several potato seasons throughout the year, facilitated by production across 16 distinct regions. This ensures an uninterrupted supply of potatoes year-round, dramatically reducing the likelihood of prolonged shortages. Furthermore, Potatoes SA reassured consumers that the recent heatwaves across the country should not cause concern regarding supply, asserting that the disruptive panic often leads to trade complications and inflated prices. While it's customary for potato supply to dip between April and August—largely because about 80% of the nation's potatoes are sourced from Limpopo—those worried about insufficient stock should take note of the healthy production cycle. Potatoes, recognised as one of the five primary food crops globally, are cultivated on average across 51,572 hectares in South Africa, yielding over 107 million 10kg bags sold within fresh produce markets each year. Current data shows that the average per capita potato consumption in the country stands at 37kg, with goals set to elevate that figure to over 40kg in the foreseeable future. In spite of the Golden Dish post, South Africans can rest assured that there is no need to panic. The country's resilient agricultural structure ensures that the potato supply remains reliable, despite the occasional hiccup in communication. As the situation unfolds, both the restaurant and its patrons hope for clarity and stability in the world of potatoes, a staple that has captured the essence of countless home-cooked meals and beloved restaurant dishes alike. DAILY NEWS
IOL News
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Capetonians celebrate fandom and pop culture at Cape Town Comic Con
Two attendees dressed up as Saber Ride and the Star Sheriffs characters at Cape Town Comic Con. Image: Cape Town Comic Con/Facebook Capetonians' pockets are definitely a little lighter after going all out for not only their costumes, but also their purchases, for all things pop culture related at the biggest nerd festival in the city, Cape Town Comic Con. The four day event, which began on May 1 and wraps up on Sunday, May 4, was sold out in its entirety, and had many attendees dressing up in their favourite characters. The convention also showcased just how much Cape Town loves celebrating their favourite shows, movies, anime, games, comics, and cosplay (costume play). Cathy Chadwick, 55, who had a four-day pass to the convention, was kitted out in her Maleficent cosplay on Saturday, and said that it had taken her a year to pull together, from its conception to finalising the full costume. Cathy Chadwick, 55, who had a four-day pass to the convention, was kitted out in her Maleficent cosplay. Image: Theolin Tembo/Independent Newspapers 'It's taken me a year, from conception to cutting it out, glueing it together, having the wrong glue, and then having to re-glue everything. It is such a learning curve, figuring out what products to use. 'This (her wings) are made out of aerothene, there were 1480 feathers, but I've lost quite a few. This is really my first cosplay that I've built on my own… Diablo (the bird) is made out of newspaper and sticky tape, the back feathers on him are made out of hadeda feathers,' Chadwick said. She joked that she does blame her son for getting her involved in cosplaying as he 'dragged me along'. 'I am a crafty person by nature, and this keeps me out of mischief. Sitting at home at night, and making costumes… I just absolutely love it. 'Yesterday I came as Pitbull, the rapper, and people ignored me, but I had to change into my (Lord of the Rings) Witch-king of Angmar costume, and then as I was walking around… the attention that I got?! When people come up and ask you for a photograph? Wow,' Chadwick said. 'It is such a compliment to me… It is a compliment to the hard work, the sacrifice, and the bleeding fingers.' Byron Waterwitch, 34, came to the convention cosplaying as former hitman, Taro Sakatomo from the anime, 'Sakamoto Days'. Image: Theolin Tembo/Independent Newspapers Byron Waterwitch, 34, came to the convention cosplaying as former hitman, Taro Sakatomo from the anime, 'Sakamoto Days' who runs a convenience store that just came out at the beginning this year. 'I started coming and dressing up last year as Harry Potter characters, and then next year we're contemplating coming as the Powerpuff Girls. 'It is fun to indulge, you don't get many of these types of conventions here, it's a super big culture in America, but we get many. We kind of just get one a year, and it's nice to see some familiar faces,' Waterwitch said. 'We got the actors of One Piece last year, and this year, we have the villain of Star Wars, Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).' Alongside McDiarmid in attendance at the convention this year was American actor, Michael Trucco, known for his performances in 'Battlestar Galactica', and 'Law and Order: SVU'. Other people spotted at the convention included comedian and actor Siv Ngesi as well as MMA fighter and UFC champion, Dricus du Plessis. The City's Community, Arts and Culture Development Department also supported 10 young artists to showcase their talent at Comic Con Cape Town. Artists had to complete a training programme which helped them to prepare to exhibit their creations at the event. The Emerging Artists Programme supports artists by providing them with opportunities to help them develop their skills, show their work, and earn an income. In March and April this year, the 10 artists from communities across the City were selected to take part in a workshop series to prepare them to exhibit at Comic Con Cape Town. Mayco Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham said: 'Art is a powerful tool to express, learn and share and we are delighted to see the enthusiasm for the artists who completed the training. 'Through this programme, we're not only creating platforms for young artists to thrive, but we're also contributing to a unique and inclusive, creative arts sector in the City of Cape Town. The Emerging Artists Programme creates spaces for peer-to-peer learning and networking among artists and the City will continue to provide support.' The workshops focused on creating original work inspired by pop culture, their history and their community, and creating products for merchandise at the Cape Town Comic Con. [email protected]
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
South Africans flush toilets with drinkable water: study in Cape Town looked at using seawater instead
As the planet gets hotter and freshwater sources dry up, cities and towns will not be able to continue the global norm of using millions of litres of clean, drinkable water to flush toilets. South Africa's Water Research Commission recently commissioned a study into using seawater to flush toilets in Cape Town. Water engineering lecturer Teboho Mofokeng researches water management and reuse in South Africa and she co-authored the study. She spoke to The Conversation Africa about Capetonians' willingness to pay up to 10% more on their water bills to use seawater to flush their toilets, as long as it doesn't smell or stain their toilets. The first problem is that the city uses clean, treated drinking water for toilet flushing. Generally, 20%-30% of the city's drinkable water supply to households is used to flush toilets. The water used for bathing, cooking, laundry, cleaning and flushing toilets goes down the drain. It is treated at wastewater plants to remove harmful germs before being pumped back into rivers. Read more: The second problem is that in some Cape Town communities (as well as the coastal cities of Durban and Gqeberha in South Africa), wastewater is discharged into the sea with little treatment to remove harmful germs. Although the government permits a certain amount of discharge, this pollutes the ocean. The third problem is that as demand for housing grows, so does the need for water and sanitation. When more and more wastewater is discharged into the sea, it is a lost opportunity to keep the water within the urban water management system, and use it again. South Africa's water supply network is ageing, has not been well maintained and is due for replacement or repairs. When new housing developments are connected to the water supply network, there is an opportunity to come up with alternatives to using drinking water to flush toilets. One option is seawater. Another could be recycled water. Toilet water could be treated to remove harmful bacteria and reused for flushing. This would need a closed water system for flushing toilets. It would eliminate the current loss of drinking water flushed down toilets and then discharged into the sea. Studies have shown that most households would prefer to flush with recycled water than clean, drinkable water. However, our study is the first to investigate how people feel about flushing with seawater. We asked 239 people if they'd be willing to flush with seawater or recycled water or continue to flush with drinking water but pay more to do so. We also asked how they felt about toilet wastewater being discharged into the sea. Our survey had mixed findings. Overall, 90% of people were willing to move away from using drinking water for toilet flushing, but only if the new water source did not stain the toilet bowl, was clear and had no smell. Read more: We found that 58% of the people we surveyed preferred using seawater to recycled water for toilet flushing. However, there were differences in preference according to income, gender and household size. About 45% of the people we interviewed earned more than R12,800 (US$697) per month. They preferred to use drinking water to flush toilets. But females with a higher education qualification were more likely to pay extra for both seawater and recycled water options. Homes where more than three people lived were more likely to pay for recycled water than seawater. On average, 10%%-15% of Capetonians' municipal bills goes to paying for water. We looked at the preferences of households that pay R350 to R900 per month for water and found they were willing to pay 5%-10% more to use clean and clear alternative water. They were also willing to use water with a slight odour if they got a discount of up to 60% on their monthly water bills. Treating wastewater before discharging it into the sea would cost money. We found that people were not willing to foot this bill. They were in favour of the city treating wastewater only if it reduced their water bill by up to 7%. Firstly, it would need a duplicate network to be set up. This would be one network of water pipes for the drinking water supply and another for the toilet flushing water supply. This would mean that both new and ageing water systems would be set up or replaced by systems with a duplicate pipe network. Usually water supply networks use concrete, steel or plastic pipes. But because seawater corrodes, plastic pipes will be needed for the seawater flushing pipe network. Plastic manufacturing and the raw materials needed have a significant impact on the environment. On the other hand, steel or concrete pipes would need to be replaced more frequently than plastic pipes. Secondly, storage facilities like reservoirs would need to be built to store the seawater and a new system set up to treat seawater before it is piped to homes. Read more: Thirdly, the chemicals and electricity required to clean the water, the supply of water to consumers and eventually the disposal of the wastewater would add to the costs. Since South Africa's energy is still electricity made by burning coal, using up more energy in a duplicate water system would increase global warming significantly. So, a renewable energy system would need to be set up. Despite these drawbacks, a duplicate system has worked well in Hong Kong. Using less freshwater also benefits the environment more. Climate change will result in a drier south-western Africa. Unpredictable rainfall and frequent droughts will mean less freshwater available for people to drink. Therefore, it is crucial that coastal cities like Cape Town, whose populations are growing, start investing now in water supplies from unconventional sources. People have to become more aware that not all household activities need to use drinking water. Increasing public awareness and education about the benefits of using alternative water can help people to accept that they won't be able to flush their toilets with clean, drinkable water for much longer. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Teboho Mofokeng, University of Cape Town Read more: The world needs more toilets – but not ones that flush How the world needs to change as regions get drier Reducing and reusing wastewater: Six essential reads for World Water Day Teboho Mofokeng receives funding from Water Research Commission and National Research Fund . She is affiliated with WISA, ECSA and IWA.
