Latest news with #Hermanus
News24
03-08-2025
- Automotive
- News24
South Africa's biggest electric vehicle display headed for Hermanus
The Western Cape's most comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) showcase is heading to Hermanus, giving residents a rare opportunity to explore the future of transportation in one location. 'EVs on Display' event will transform Hermanus High School into an electric vehicle theme park on Saturday, 9 August, from 09:00 to 16:00. The park will feature everything from luxury electric cars to commercial vehicles and scooters, and entry will be free for the public. Visitors will have hands-on access to an impressive line-up, including premium Audi and BMW electric vehicles, innovative new BYD vehicles, stylish MINI electrics, and sophisticated Volvo EVs. The display will also feature the fully electric Riddara RD6 double-cab from Geely, powerful Energica superbikes, and practical VMoto motorcycles and mopeds. Tesla Model X Supplied/Justus Visagie According to Justus Visagie from Tesla fans will find plenty to explore, including the manufacturer's distinctive 'winged' Model X, Tesla Powerwall batteries, and EV charging stations. Other highlights include a converted (classic) VW Beetle, a Roam motorcycle that completed an impressive solar-powered journey from Nairobi to Stellenbosch, and a robotics exhibition from Stellenbosch University. For those interested in urban mobility solutions, electric kick scooters from retailers GoElectric and iRoll will demonstrate how EVs are revolutionising short-distance transport. Commercial vehicle operators can explore electric options from Mercedes-Benz and DFSK, showcasing how businesses are transitioning to cleaner fleet solutions that can also save money. Business owners are also encouraged to discover various commercial charging solutions from ZIMI and solar energy systems from Whale Coast Solar and Renenergy. The event will culminate in a special ceremony at which Overstrand Executive Mayor Archie Klaas will present a GoElectric NIO electric kick scooter to the winner of EVnow's myth-busting competition. This will recognise young South Africans who are leading the charge toward sustainable transport education. 'This breaks barriers by bringing electric vehicles directly to the community,' says Visagie. 'People can touch, explore, and understand these vehicles without any sales pressure – it's pure education and discovery.' Supplied/Geely He believes South Africans deserve access to affordable EVs powered by domestically generated electricity. 'At EVnow, we want to get people excited about EVs so they'll demand an end to the additional 7% import duty on these vehicles,' he explains. 'Also, instead of sending billions to oil producers, we should keep that money in South Africa to help our people and economy prosper.' EVs on Display is completely free, and registration is not required. Families are encouraged to attend this unique opportunity to experience South Africa's electric vehicle future firsthand. Media enquiries: Show Comments ()
TimesLIVE
11-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Santaco condemns 'barbaric stabbing' of motorist by Cape Town taxi driver
The Western Cape chairperson of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has apologised on behalf of the industry for a 'barbaric' road rage incident in which a minibus taxi driver allegedly repeatedly stabbed a motorist in Cape Town. The gruesome altercation at the intersection of Koeberg and Voortrekker roads in Maitland was captured on video by fellow motorists and shared on social media. It depicted the taxi driver pulling an object from his pocket while sitting on the motorist and then allegedly stabbing him — to the horror of witnesses. 'When we looked at this [footage] we were shocked. It's sad to see one of our drivers behaving in that manner which was barbaric and uncalled for,' said Santaco provincial chair Mandla Hermanus. While the footage circulated on WhatsApp only recently, the incident happened on June 26. Santaco scrutinised it and managed to identify the taxi owner and driver. Santaco then contacted law enforcement with the details. Hermanus said the driver would hand himself over to the police and be banned by the association from driving taxis. The victim's sister, Jameelah Pandey, appealed for witnesses to contact the police. 'The incident began after the taxi driver repeatedly drove recklessly, cutting my brother off and using his cellphone while driving. Unfortunately this road rage incident escalated and ended with my brother being stabbed multiple times by the taxi driver,' she wrote. 'Despite his wounds and in a state of shock, my brother managed to drive to N1 City to fetch his daughter from college. Only after arriving there did he collapse from severe blood loss.' She said petrol station attendants came to his aid. He was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery for internal bleeding caused by a lacerated spleen. 'By the mercy of Allah (SWT), his major organs were missed and thanks to the thickness of his hoodie, the stab wounds to his neck were not fatal.' Her brother was discharged from hospital on July 1 and is recovering at home.
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
I know South Africa spied on us during last Lions tour
The Lions can expect the mind games from Australia to ramp up over the next two weeks before the first Test in Brisbane but I just hope that the tour is played in a better spirit than we faced in South Africa four years ago. The incidents with Rassie Erasmus, the Springboks head coach, have been well-documented, including his video critique of the match officials in our first Test victory in Cape Town. But we also felt that during the tour we were spied on while we were based at the Arabella Country Estate near the coastal town of Hermanus, about a 90-minute drive from Cape Town. This is something that Gregor Townsend has spoken about publicly. The Covid restrictions meant we had to stay there during the three Tests, which were moved to Cape Town to reduce the risk of infection. We trained at the nearby Hermanus High School and although we had security guards checking out the potential sites where cameras could be placed, there was only so much they could do. Our suspicions grew in the first Test, when Lukhanyo Am hit Elliot Daly with a massive man-and-ball tackle, reading a move that we had not used before during the tour matches. Because there were no supporters in the stadium, we could hear what was being said in the Springboks' coaches box. We could hear the messages being relayed to their physio on the pitch about the moves that they thought we were doing. Rassie was also on the pitch acting as a 'water boy,' carrying a piece of paper. One of the photographers got a picture of him holding the page standing beside Faf de Klerk, their scrum-half, and after the game, we enlarged the photo which showed that there were some of our moves and calls on it. The first Test experience seemed to confirm our fears. We just didn't know how they could have so much information on us. We started training indoors in a gym to negate the suspicion we had of being watched. But we still felt we were being filmed. Our concern was that they were using a long-range lens to video us from somewhere nearby. Later on, well after the tour had finished, I talked to someone who is well-connected in South Africa, who told me that a house that overlooked our training pitch had been rented for the duration of the series and that a long-lens camera had been placed in the top corner of the house to record us. It was so frustrating because you go on tour with plans to use different moves and options, but if the opposition knows what they are, they can plan to defend them. I am not sure in other sports like football it would have the same impact. I think there is a lot of it going on in the game at the minute. As if the tour did not throw up enough challenges. We had first been based in Johannesburg and at the time there was rioting going on in the city and in Durban. We were based in a hotel on our own and being tested for Covid every day. The hardest thing was to insist that all the hotel staff should stay in the hotel because they were all becoming infected and then we had an outbreak which meant that our attack coach Gregor Townsend and nine players had to be isolated. Most bizarre moment I have been involved in The toughest moment came when we were due to play against the Sharks at Ellis Park. Because of the outbreak, we had not been able to name the team before we departed for the stadium. The forwards were on one bus and the backs were on another bus. I was on the bus with the forwards and named who would play that night and, as Gregor was isolating, I had to text our head physio Prav Mathema and tell him which backs would be playing. It was that chaotic. It was the most bizarre moment I have been involved in in international rugby. In fairness to the boys, they were fantastic in coping with all the adversity but at the time people were questioning whether the tour should be taking place at all. On reflection they were right, it should have been postponed by 12 months. At one stage on a Zoom call with Rassie and the respective chief executives, Rassie wanted to get the game against the Stormers cancelled and play another game against South Africa A, and he made a threat that if we didn't agree to the change that his players were going to walk out because they were not prepared for the Test series. South Africa had only had one game against Georgia at the start of our tour. It was not the greatest conversation to be having when we were trying to prepare for games. I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Stormers players to play against the Lions and I did not think it was fair to take it away from them. To me the Lions tour is completely different to any other rugby tour. It is not about world rankings or qualifying for tournaments. Perhaps I am naive but I have a romantic view of the Lions. It is a celebration of rugby, a chance to grow the game globally and create interest in both the host country and back in the northern hemisphere. Traditionally the Lions tour brings new fans into rugby and gets them excited about the game. The most important factor to me on a Lions tour is both the travelling and home supporters and the atmosphere they bring to the matches. That is what excites me. I know that winning is important but I think the amount of community engagement on tours by the Lions players should be acknowledged. On days off the players visit schools and hospitals and attend several events to engage with the host country population. Unfortunately, the last two tours to South Africa and New Zealand were tarnished by off-field controversy and that was disappointing. I really hope Australia is a different experience for this squad. We want this tour to be positive and great stories emerge from it. It is a chance to create superstars and legends of the game and get kids excited. To me that is what Lions tours should be about.
The South African
07-06-2025
- The South African
R100 000 reward offered after Mfuleni taxi rank shooting
Western Cape police have launched an urgent investigation into a deadly shooting that left four people dead, and three others injured at the Mfuleni taxi rank in Cape Town on Friday morning. Authorities believe the incident, which took place when unknown gunmen stormed the taxi rank office and opened fire, is linked to ongoing taxi-related tensions. The province's deputy police commissioner for crime detection, Bongani Maqhashalala, confirmed the case has been escalated to specialised units. 'This investigation has been taken over by the Serious and Violent Crimes Investigation, the Taxi Violence Unit,' he said. 'We are also offering a reward of up to R100 000 to any person who can provide any information that can lead to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for this.' The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) in the Western Cape has strongly condemned the attack and called for calm within the taxi community. Moreover, Chairperson Mandla Hermanus described the shooting as a senseless act of violence. 'We condemn this brutal and criminal act in the strongest possible terms,' he said. Furthermore, Hermanus also warned against allowing the incident to reignite tensions in the industry. 'We urge all operators to remain calm and exercise maximum restraint. This incident must not be allowed to derail the efforts underway to build peace and unity within the taxi industry across the province.' Taxi Industry Urged to Maintain Peace Additionally, SANTACO has announced plans to meet with the taxi associations affected by the incident to uncover the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Hermanus said they would look at ways to contribute to restoring calm. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
06-06-2025
- The Citizen
Santaco condemns Mfuleni taxi rank shooting that killed four
Chairperson Hermanus emphasised the importance of stability within the industry and urged taxi operators to remain calm. A deadly shooting at the Mfuleni taxi rank in Cape Town claimed four lives in the early hours of Friday morning. According to the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) Western Cape chairperson, Mandla Hermanus, three other individuals were rushed to the hospital. They sustained serious injuries. The incident has sparked outrage across the taxi industry, with Santaco condemning the act as 'brutal and criminal'. 'We understand four people died at the scene. [Additionally], three were rushed to the hospital for urgent medical care,' said Hermanus on Friday. Call for swift arrests Santaco has urged law enforcement agencies to act swiftly to bring the perpetrators to justice. 'We call on law enforcement agencies to act swiftly and decisively to identify and arrest those responsible. There can be no tolerance for violence in our industry or communities,' said Hermanus. While the details of the shooting are still inadequate, it is believed that gunmen entered the taxi rank office and opened fire on the people inside. Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said further details will be provided. The taxi rank has been cordoned off. ALSO READ: Police recover 10 AK-47s at Meyerton taxi rank after shooting Appeal for calm Hermanus emphasised the importance of stability within the taxi industry and urged taxi operators to remain calm. 'We urge all operators to remain calm and exercise maximum restraint. This incident must not be allowed to derail the efforts underway to build peace and unity within the taxi industry across the province,' he said. Santaco will be meeting with the relevant taxi association to establish what led to the incident and how to prevent future outbreaks of violence. NOW READ: Four killed, three others injured at Mfuleni taxi rank in Cape Town
