cape chameleon issue 14

Issue No. 14 Eco-Living 2011

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OverfishingStriving FOr a mOre SuStainable Future

Our COntributOrS

Projects Abroad4th Floor, Letterstedt House

Newlands on MainCorner of Campground

Cape Town, 7700South Africa

(t) +27(0)21 674 4449(f) +44(0)1903 501026

www.projects-abroad.netwww.projects-abroad.org.za

DirectoryEditor

Rebecca Hugo-Saraceno

Assistant EditorKelly Easton

DesignAntonio Gallo

Fabiola SanchezLucano Maldonado

Cover imagesFront & inside back:

Angelo Urgo

Printed byColourtone Press

on FSC certified paper

ContactCape Chameleon

304a House VincentWynberg Mews

Brodie RoadWynberg

Cape Town, 7800South Africa

(t) +27(0)21 761 5707(e) [email protected]

www.capechameleon.co.za website under construction

after graduating in Journalism and working one year in italy, Flavio packed up to look for new experiences around the

world. He dreams of working as a war correspondent and loves

taking pictures.

Once she has accomplished her ambition to travel across every continent in the world, amani, 19, hopes to work for a leading

london newspaper.

melanie SiSSon

Newport, UKafter graduating in History,

melanie, 21, wants to travel the world and build up her portfolio as a journalist, eventually settling down at a national publication in

london.

after graduating in Communications and writing

for several german newspapers, Franziska fulfils her dream of travelling to foreign countries

outside of europe. She’ll return to berlin to do a masters in literature.

matthew Strachan is currently in his final year at university of brighton as a media student. He hopes to go into a career

in Journalism sometime in the near future.

angelo is a Journalism student and has a passion for dancing.

He considers writing to be like dancing: an expression of

freedom, but with responsibility.

matteo is a 23-year-old student of Political Science & international relations.

He enjoys writing but is also passionate about sports:

basketball, surfing, snowboarding and, from the experience in

Cape town, also sandboarding.

When she leaves Cape town, Johanna will study Journalism in

germany. She has enjoyed her experience in South africa and hopes to return in the summer,

when the weather is better!

PRiYanKa moGUl

London, UKPriyanka is a high school

graduate from london, currently on a gap year. She will be

spending this year interning at various magazines, before

beginning a Journalism course at university.

mYRthe De Smit

Amsterdam, Netherlandsmyrthe studies media & Culture

and lives in her beloved city amsterdam. Her ambition is

to combine her work in media and art. She likes to experience

different cultures and go out with friends.

matthew StRachan

Brighton, UKanGelo URGo

Milan, Italy

matteo toDiSco

Milan, Italy

Johanna weBeR

Frankfurt, Germany

michael is in the final year of his history degree at Cambridge

university. He hopes to earn a career in journalism, preferably

as a sports journalists.

Having just graduated in english, Creative Writing & media Studies at Chichester university, Hannah

is making the most of her freedom before heading back to the real world and getting a

grown-up job.

Flavio alaGia

Verona, Italy

michael alhaDeFF

London, UK

hannah caRtwRiGht

Burton-on-Trent, UK

FRanZiSKa niXDoRF

Berlin, Germany

amani hUGheS

London, UK

Clare has just graduated in law, but hopes to be an

entertainment journalist. She has been inspired by the

beautiful mother City and its amazing people.

claRe BRaDBURY

London, UK

editor’s note

REBECCA HUGO-SARACENOEditor

ContentsIssue No. 14 2011

© Cape Chameleon, published by Projects Abroad, South Africa, 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of Projects Abroad. Views and opinions expressed in Cape Chameleon are not necessarily those of Projects Abroad. The publisher can accept no liability or loss in connection with the contents of the publication. The publisher has made every effort to contact the copyright holder for permission to use images.

t his eco-living issue is packed with excellent articles to get you thinking the right shade of ‘green’ and making those crucial lifestyle

choices. if our cover story on Overfishing (p. 2) isn’t enough to make you think about making ‘greener’ choices, did you realise that plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many

as one million sea creatures every year? and here’s another scary fact (always effective to drum it home), if all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250 million trees each year! everything that can be recycled should be recycled (see p. 8 ‘recreative living’ for more ideas about this).

eco-living isn’t just about recycling your tin cans, it’s about thinking about your planet and helping to be part of the solution to create a healthier earth and a healthier you. With the announcement of Cape town as World Design Capital 2014, we’ll get to see the creative minds in the city putting together brilliant design solutions for social, cultural and economic issues. Questions about whether you really need to drive to the shops or can you walk or cycle will be easier to answer with proper alternative environmental options, like cycle tracks and reliable public transport. Cape town is a wonderful city and keeping in touch with the Cape town green map – a project which focuses on greening initiatives, responsible tourism and environmental awareness – will help us keep it that way.

and last, but not least, the environmental movement should focus less on the fear of what’s going wrong, but more on the collective movement to get it right. governments need to move away from the definition of progress based on financial and economic policies and stop telling us that the more stuff we produce the better life will be. this isn’t the case. as statistician nic mark points out, profit is not a good measure of the welfare of nations. rather we need to turn our attention to measuring happiness on the planet. His idea of the Happy Planet index should be a household name, quite simply because it makes perfect sense. i’ll end with this quote from the happy agenda: ‘We need to enhance individual and collective well-being in ways that are environmentally sustainable and socially just. Our goal is to promote the concept of well-being as a legitimate and useful aim of policy and to provide individuals, communities and organisations with the understanding and tools to redefine wealth in terms of well-being. We believe it is possible to lead long and happy lives without costing the earth.’ What more can you say?

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Cape Chameleon Cover Story Issue 14 2011

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OverfishingStriving FOr a mOre SuStainable Future

everybody enjoys a plate of fish and chips at the seaside. it is a meal served up countless times. However, fish could disappear from the menu altogether as ocean stocks have become depleted with fishermen chasing profits and consumers demanding fish for dinner. the problem of overfishing has now received worldwide attention. ngOs have led the call for more sustainable fishing, while over the last decade governments have gradually introduced viable policies. the question of how best to manage our seas has never been more relevant than in today’s world and to answer this question, we need a holistic, global approach.

woRDS Michael Alhadeff

coPY eDitoR Rebecca Hugo-Saraceno

Fishing is one of the world’s oldest industries. For centuries, seas have provided both a source of income and nourishment to people all over the world. The concept hasn’t changed much – fishermen and their boats conjure up a picture ingrained through time. But it is a picture which could be lost over the coming decades. The importance of our seas has not lost its significance

in the 21st century where ‘there is an ever increasing demand for food sources due to unchecked population growth, and the resultant pressure on natural resources is also being felt by fish stocks all over the world,’ according to Martin Purves, Southern African Programme Manager at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). To further emphasise the demand placed on our oceans,

Sustainability in action – this is a MSC-certified fishery, which means it uses sustainable methods of fishery. It helps

protect fish stocks and the livelihoods of fishermen.

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‘the global fishing fleet has been estimated to be 2.5 times bigger than what the oceans can sustainably support,’ according to Greenpeace Africa. Clearly, fish stocks around the world are under threat.

The threat to our oceansThis threat has been documented by NGOs during campaigns for a more sustainable fishing industry. According to the United Nations’ (UN) Food and Agricultural Organisational report published last year, 85% of the world’s fish stocks are overexploited. The consequences of overexploitation have been starkly shown – overexploitation in fisheries around Newfoundland led to a complete collapse in the 1990s. If stocks don’t completely disappear, then overfishing can still have profound changes on marine ecosystems. Janine Basson, Manager of Consumer Seafood Outreach at the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) highlights the overfishing of sardines in Namibia, which has resulted in the growth of fish stocks that are less desirable to both fishermen and the environment. The UN’s report also highlighted the current wastage in the fishing industry – it has predicted that over half the stock caught has to be thrown back as a result of bycatch. Its findings should not be neglected and demonstrate the need for change.

The UN’s findings provide a powerful force behind comments made by Purves when he bluntly stated that ‘we cannot rely on future generations to address these issues as it might be too late for many species.’ As if to reinforce the point he added, ‘I honestly believe that we need to tackle issues of overfishing and resource declines while we still have an opportunity’. Greenpeace Africa expressed why the challenge needs to be taken up now, ‘commercial fishing is regarded as the single greatest environmental threat to the world’s oceans by leading marine scientists’. That opportunity now seems to have been taken. The call for change has eventually been heard in the corridors of power. For example, the European Commission unveiled a fisheries policy for the future earlier this year with the aim of introducing further sustainability within the European fishing industry.

Growing public awarenessPerhaps, the most significant change has been the fact that overfishing has now

The world’s oceans are faced with an ‘unprecedented loss of species comparable to the great mass extinctions of prehistory’ according to a report by leading marine scientists in Oxford, UK.

entered the public discourse. Charles Clovers’ The End of the Line has recently been transformed into a much acclaimed film, indicating how issues surrounding overfishing are now being explored in the public domain. Just like many of today’s issues, the real pendulum swing looks set to rest in the hands of consumers. The appetite for change and transformation has never appeared stronger. The question is finding the right approach.

The challengeThis exact approach probably becomes less clear when one considers the dynamics of particular fishing industries. If one takes the South African fishing industry, for example, one realises the complex policy needed for a more sustainable future. The South African fishing industry comprises 18 commercial fisheries along with a host of other smaller fishing groups who are all desperate to take advantage of South Africa’s rich coastline. According to the government, there are 22 sub-sectors within the industry in total. The bounty catches are hake and west coast lobster whose values contribute about 80% to the overall value of the South African fishing industry. Consequently, the South African fishing industry plays an important role in the economy. It has led to the potential for conflict as the many different stakeholders within the industry compete for their own interests. Trying to navigate a fish policy with a sustainable future is a very difficult subject, as it requires a

balancing act that has to encompass all interested parties.

The challenges facing the South African fishing industry are not new to those responsible in government. Back in 2007, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, was clear about the consequences of not acting. He suggested that worldwide commercial fishing could collapse by the year 2048, citing that 15 species have already collapsed here in South Africa. Purves further emphasised the challenges facing South Africa, indicating ‘historically, our most important species economically, hake, have seen massive overexploitation by foreign fleets operating off our shores.’ Serious discussions about the future of South African fishing had started a decade earlier in the 1990s.

The policyA turning point was reached in 1998 with the passing of the Marine Living Resource Act, which aimed at better regulating and conserving the water around South Africa. The government focused on a quota-based system as a means for controlling fish stocks. Dr Johann Augustyn, Acting Chief Director at Marine Resource Management, still believes permits are the most effective measure in preserving fish stock. The release of permits in 2001 and 2005 proved controversial, but Dr Augustyn believes the permit system has been successful. Many of the permits were

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Cape Chameleon Cover Story Issue 14 2011

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Government policies have to get the balance between sustainable fishing and allowing the local fishermen to still earn a living.

only given to the large fishing companies and Dr Augustyn has seen changes. For example, hake trawlers have been careful not to over catch rather than risk facing strong penalties. The government has also pushed for more sustainable methods of fishing, such as using exclusion techniques to prevent bird by-catches.

Dr Augustyn defended the strength of the current policy, believing the government had implemented a good policy thus far. He did though raise the problematic gap between introducing legislation and the practical implementation of such a policy. Enforcement continues to be a problem as the government struggles to place enough people on the ground. Dr Augustyn has asked for an increase in their budget to aid better enforcement.

The need for an inclusive policyThe current fishing policy has frequently found itself in choppy water. For those concerned about the environmental impact like Basson an inclusive policy would be more beneficial. Basson used the fishing of sole as an example when she explained, ‘Sole is caught in both the sole-directed trawl fishery as well as bycatch in the inshore demersal hake trawl fishery. Both these fisheries have a very high level of overexploited finfish bycatch. Both these fisheries are currently managed as

single-species fisheries, whereas it is quite clear they should be managed as mixed fisheries.’ At the moment most quotas still focus on individual species rather than the entire marine ecosystem. Therefore, a system that considers the effects of fishing on a holistic basis is required.

A holistic approach is also required when considering the different sectors of the fishing industry. The current policy effectively abandoned small local artisan fisheries that missed out on most of the permits. Local fisheries still operate along the coast, such as Kalk Bay where Chief Inspector Pat Stacy revealed some of the challenges facing local fishermen. He explained how fishermen ‘feel they are not making as much money as they used to’. He maintained that crews were still able to earn a good living, but quotas change regularly as there are not enough fish. Nevertheless, the quota system has proved effective – in the past nine months no fines have been handed out.

Overall, small artisan fisheries have been up in protest, because local fishermen depend on access to the seas for their livelihood. The current policy had the counter-productive effect of increasing the levels of illegal poaching, particularly of fish stocks, which faced overexploitation. Purves was clear about the problem when he explained that ‘there are

serious issues around illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in some sectors such as our abalone fishery’. The policy was challenged by local fishermen themselves, as with the support of NGO Manisfunde, which was set-up to support local fishermen, they successfully opposed the government’s fishing policy. The government was forced to give greater accommodation to local fishermen and as a result the small fisheries policy is nearing legislation. The new policy will aim to deliver more permits to small artisan fishermen. However, it is clear that the current policy framework still needs to be reviewed.

According to Dr Augustyn, the government hopes to introduce a completely new fishing policy, which will be aimed at considering all interests. In the meantime, it is important to discuss in depth the future of fishing. There is a chance to implement a policy that will really help to secure fishing for the future. As well as the recognition that such a policy needs to cater for all, other considerations need to be made. In particular, there needs to be a focus on both the consumer and the fishermen to bring about change themselves. For Purves, the need for such cooperation is self-evident as it is ‘the opposite of enforced cooperation and it works!’ In other words, there needs to be a willingness to change for there to be real change.

SASSI has helped drive consumer awareness on fish provide. They provide a pocket guide and SMS service so consumers can check what they eat is sustainable.

SaSSi and mSC are also keen to engage with fishermen directly by running schemes which encourage sustainable practice.

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market places. This has been continued through the restaurant businesses as over 180 restaurants have joined up to SASSI’s official restaurant training. MSC have also recently entered into partnerships with restaurants which means, ‘Customers are enjoying fish and chips while their kids play in the play centre, with the assurance that their hake comes from a well-managed, sustainable fishery.’ It is yet another way to target consumers.

Supporting fishermenSASSI and MSC are also keen to engage with fishermen directly by running schemes which encourage sustainable practice. Again, it has a market-based focus. SASSI have organised a series of Fish Improvement Projects (FIPs) which have been designed to create greater sustainability within a particular fishing industry. Such a project aims at reducing the bycatch of endangered seabirds. It takes the holistic approach to creating a sustainable fish industry which aims to consider the entire environment around fishing. MCS looks to reward fisheries which have good practice by giving them MSC certification which ‘is in the interest of the fishermen to remain certified due to the better market access, market diversification or price premiums they might have gained.’ This approach towards fishermen, where positive activity is encouraged, looks set to be far more rewarding.

The futureThe approach also needs to be globally orientated. Fish stocks are based around the world, which means an effective

A fisherman shows off his prized catch of lobster. They are a very valuable catch.

It will be a challenging task to create a global response when we consider the variety of fishing industries spread around the world, but ultimately it should be the end goal of policymakers if we are to have commercial fishing for the future.

Consumer-driven changeThe programmes run by both SASSI and MSC demonstrate what this could mean as both have aimed to increase fish awareness among consumers through highly publicised campaigns. MSC have introduced, ‘Certification against an environmental standard and eco-labelling, which are market-based incentives whereby fisheries with good sustainable practices are rewarded in the market place.’ Similarly, SASSI have produced a card detailing what fish to eat and what fish to avoid – it is essential to focus on the market and creating change through consumer demand. Importantly, they have managed to get the big supermarkets on board where consumer demand has a strong focus. The supermarket chain Woolworths was first to demonstrate a change in focus, announcing, ‘Having signed the landmark WWF Sustainable Seafood Initiative’s Retail Charter in 2008, Woolworths is now set to become the first major SA retailer to label its fish in accordance with SASSI’s “green, orange, red” system.’ Recently, Pick n Pay joined Woolworths by signing up to a sustainable fisheries policy in a three-year deal worth R6.1 million. It will mean Pick n Pay will meet certain criteria, for example not offering seafood which is illegal and is on SASSI’s red list.

These developments mark the growing visibility of sustainable fishing within key

policy needs to be globally focused. This is something Greenpeace Africa believes in as they ‘continue to be positioned as ‘a global organisation working to end overfishing and create a global network of marine reserves covering 40% of our oceans’. It will be a challenging task to create a global response when we consider the variety of fishing industries spread around the world, but ultimately it should be the end goal of policymakers if we are to have commercial fishing for the future.

A plate of fish and chips seems such a simple dish. However, if it is to remain a simple dish, changes need to take place. It is apparent that some fish stocks are in danger and those delicate marine ecosystems need protecting but any approach taken needs to be well thought through. Encouragingly, top-down approaches seem to have been discarded. A focus on consumers is an intelligent step – consumers are ultimately responsible for driving demand. Yet, gaining the cooperation of fisheries is also important – fishermen must not feel that the system is deliberately constructed against their needs. It is about developing an understanding that fish stocks are a shared resource which we all have a responsibility to protect. Fishing can still be a pivotal industry in the 21st century, but it needs to adapt, like it has done in previous centuries. Environmentally friendly commercial fishing would be yet another major achievement for the fishing industry.

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Gana Bushman at Molapo in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana. The controversial treatment of the Bushmen, being forced to leave their land after hundreds of thousands of years was met with outrage.

Displacement of theBotswana BushmentraDitiOn verSuS greeD

The Bushmen of Botswana have two main tribes, the Gana and the Gwi. But since the mid 1980s, the San as a whole have been persecuted, bullied and discriminated upon by the Botswana government. Former President of Botswana Festus Mogae labelled the Bushmen as ‘Stone Age creatures’ showing contempt and a clear segregation between the traditional and modern Botswana. The main issue surrounding the controversy of the ongoing disputes is that the Bushmen’s ancestral lands are on top of a rich supply of diamonds. Botswana is the world’s largest supplier of diamonds and the industry is very much the lifeblood of the country. In the 1960s, Botswana was discovered to have this rich mineral source by geologists. Once this huge source of potential income was discovered by De Beers Diamond Company in 1969, to harvest these precious stones, the pipelines

woRDS Matthew Strachan


the botswana bushmen otherwise known as the San or basawara have roamed the Kalahari Desert for approximately 20 thousand years. this very land is woven into the fabric of the San. very few places have had such a close natural connection with the land in which they have lived, breathed and seen the passing of many generations of families.

became the most profitable pipelines for mineral excavation in the world and in 1975 the Botswana government bought out 50% of the company’s shares to form a coalition.

With the progression of mining and the expansion of the company, the Bushmen faced the very real threat of eviction from their land. The government made the appearance of wanting to integrate the San into modern Botswana to give the tribes a better standard of living and economic life, as well as moving them to ensure the park’s integrity as a nature reserve. In 1997, the first of the tribes were moved out of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, along with a second and third removal in 2002 and 2005. The displacement was brutal with government members and guards often using force. Village huts were pulled down as well

as the main borehole being destroyed, therefore, leaving no water supply.

The Botswana government had also claimed they had granted the Bushmen title deeds to the section of land allocated to them as well as a signed government document, which provided them access to schools, water supplies, health services and the opportunity to start their own business enterprises. But the argument over whether the Botswana government had this plan with the right intention in mind was the real root of the dispute. It appears the Botswana government had gone through a lot of trouble to evict this clearly peaceful race that caused no harm or threat to the government. The only thing they had done was to be an inconvenience to prospects of greed according to support groups. Was this just pure persecution of a race’s traditional values deemed

Cape Chameleon Human rights Issue 14 2011

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second-class by the authorities? Was this all about invested interest in sustaining the ongoing high levels of financial income from the diamond industry?

DiamondsBotswana is the world foremost producer of diamonds and is the main source of income to the country’s economy. The discovery of diamonds in the Bushmen’s homeland, as mentioned, provoked a huge debate on the basis of why the natives were evicted. One of the San settlements at an area in the reserve called Gope is a major producer of these valuable stones, as the sector is rich in the volcanic rock known as ‘Kimberlites’. Kimberlites are formed deep underground in natural pipes of the Earth’s mantle. In these conditions, diamonds are produced and can be mined to great effect. To show the value of the area to the De Beers Company in May 2007 they sold the site for $34 million to Gem Diamonds, with Gem Diamonds further stating that the site holds around another $2.2 billion worth of diamonds to be excavated. In 2010 the market value of this site rose to $3.3 billion.

Support for the BushmenThe actions of the Botswana government and De Beers provoked angry reaction from tribal support groups internationally; especially the UK-based Survival International. The controversial treatment of the Bushmen, being forced to leave their land after hundreds of thousands of years was met with outrage. Survival International (based in London) fights for the rights on behalf of the tribes, this support from Survival would prove crucial

as it effectively gave the Gana and Gwi a voice to represent them. A San woman proclaimed, ‘They treat us like this because of our race. The government knows we are very small people and there is no way we can cry for help.’

After their removal the San were sent to camps. Where a way of life they were simply not used to was imposed on them by the government. Schools, water and food were readily assessible, but it was in close quarters and rife with poverty. Here many of the San developed depression, alcoholism and TB.

Survival set about with demonstrations and sent petitions to Botswana embassies in the USA, Japan, Europe and Africa. On top of this, Survival produced a publicity stunt on 30 October 2002 in front of the De Beers flagship store on Old Bond Street of a mock up De Beers advertisement featuring supermodel Iman. Underneath was the slogan ‘diamonds are forever’ with an elegant picture of Iman and the De Beers logo, then in a similar font changing to a photo of a Bushman with the caption ‘the Bushmen aren’t forever’.

Survival also organised protests in London to events that President Festus Mogae was attending. The short film on the plight of the Bushmen featured on the Survival website contains a protester’s video of his interaction with Mr Mogae. Mogae retorted to the protester when he was asked why the Bushmen weren’t allowed home, ‘the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is for animals not people!’ Before saying, ‘you do not know, I am their countryman, I know better’.

Stories of the Bushmen’s ongoing plight against the government was further reported by the BBC, National Geographic magazine as well as the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. All expressed concern on the situation and the manner in which the San were dispossessed of their land, on the grounds that the reasoning behind the removals was ‘prejudicial’.

Court casesThe year 2002 saw the beginning of legal action from the Bushmen against the government, but due to constant setbacks, lack of evidence and delays the court case was delayed for a further two years. As the Bushmen gained more media coverage they gradually began to filter back into the reserve. But, they still received persecution from the guards at the reserve, banning them from hunting without a license – depriving them of their natural hunter/gathering way of life, as well as the destruction of their borehole. The government also banned the Bushmen from bringing food and water into the game reserve, making everyday day life extremely hard with some Bushmen dying of dehydration.

In 2006, the Basawara won the right to live and hunt on their land in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The high court consisting of three members in Lobatse a town 70km from the capital Gaborone, gave them back their land. But, the government was no longer accountable for them in terms of providing health services, water and any other basic requirements. This case became the most expensive and long running case in the history of Botswana. Judge Mphapi Phumaphi declared, ‘In my view the simultaneous stoppage of the supply of food rations and the stoppage of hunting licenses is tantamount to condemning the remaining residents of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to death by starvation,’ he said. This court ruling was met with jubilation from the Bushmen, who sang and danced in celebration outside the courthouse.

Currently, legal processes are still ongoing with disputes over water wells, land and hunting. But this court ruling in particular gave the chance for the Bushmen to carry on their traditional way of life, a freedom generations had enjoyed previously.

The government made the appearance of wanting to integrate the San into modern Botswana to give the tribes a better standard of living and economic life, as well as moving them to ensure the park’s integrity as a nature reserve.

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Cape Chameleon green action Issue 14 2011

Recreative Living

WaSte iS nOt WaSte until it iS WaSteD

woRDS Hannah Cartwright

coPY eDitoR Kelly Easton

it is estimated that the world produces more than one billion tonnes of domestic and industrial waste each year. the majority of this rubbish gets buried in landfill sites all over the world. this is not an ideal solution. Some forms of plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose. environmental activists and organisations are now trying to promote alternative methods to reduce the overall amount of waste produced; the main approach being to decrease the amount of unrecyclable materials that are produced in the first place. this can be done by reusing some of the things that are generally regarded as rubbish.

The Montebello Shop tries to source all of its stock from within southern Africa.

Originally from Zimbabwe, Right Mukore and his co-workers make all of their sculptures from unwanted offcuts donated by local tree fellers.

Get creativeSome of the more obvious ways to cut down the quantity of rubbish that a household produces would be to find other uses for the packaging that many products come in. For example, the glass jars that many pasta sauces come in can be reused as flower vases, candle holders, stationery pots, penny jars, or for storing homemade soups, sauces, jams and chutneys. There are also some slightly more unconventional and innovative ways to reuse what is typically discarded as waste. For the more creative type, reusing unwanted material can be a great and cheap way to make gifts for loved ones, or even just using recycled newspaper to make fun gift bags and wrapping paper. It is also a fun activity for children and teaches them the importance of reusing and recycling.

Some entrepreneurs who are already making a profit from waste material products are the artisans from the South African townships. Out of a need for cost effective materials, they travel to local markets to sell handbags made out of vinyl records, drinking glasses made out of old beer bottles, animal ornaments, photo frames and radios made out of old coke tins and plastic bags. On a small scale, by using other people’s waste as their

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The happy ‘fa-Mielie’ at work in Khayelitsha.

source of materials, these craftsmen and women are not only cleaning up the streets but are also helping to combat pollution in their local environment.

Here in Cape TownThere are now several small businesses and charities that are beginning to invest in ventures like this. For example by agreeing to sell the artisans’ products in their shop, the workers are more than likely guaranteed a fairer price for their craft than that what they would get if they sold it themselves at a market. In selling the products, these businesses and NPOs are helping lots of creative and self-motivated craftsmen lift themselves out of poverty.

Montebello Design CentreThe Montebello Design Centre in Newlands, Cape Town, has been an established NPO that has supported local art, craft and design for almost 20 years. Montebello is a successful development project that aids existing outreach programmes as well as initiating new ones; ultimately creating jobs through craft and design in both townships and rural areas.

Situated on Newlands Avenue in the beautiful old farm buildings built on the old Papenboom Estate, Fiona Pape who is in charge of administration and keeping Montebello running smoothly said that Montebello are very proud of the close community that they have built over the past two decades.

Sheila, a weaver for Mielie, just one of the many small studios and shops located at Montebello, said that the Mielie workers refer to themselves as ‘fa-Mielie’. Mielie create handmade textile products such as handbags from recycled materials. Most of the Mielie women are based in and around Khayelitsha and travel to the store’s studio every Thursday to pick up their next assignment and new materials. This not only lowers the cost of transport for the women, but also means that the workers have the flexibility to work from home – allowing them to look after their children.

African HomeAfrican Home claims that many of their products ‘grew out of crafters needs to access cost effective materials. People living in impoverished conditions show ingenious ingenuity and innovative creativity.’ The small creative initiative based in Cape Town city centre provides crafters with more sales opportunities and shares similar aims and objectives to those at Montebello; social sustainability and job creation, economic empowerment and the promotion of environmental awareness and conservation.

Each of African Home’s 50–80 crafters specialise in different waste materials; such as metal, paper, glass, fabric and alien vegetation and are encouraged to keep their own invoice books as they are paid for each piece of work that they do.

The next stepSmall initiatives like Montebello and African Home have allowed those living in disadvantaged communities the opportunity to make a fair and honest living whilst lifting themselves out of poverty. This just goes to show that if a small group of people can come together and (without having a negative impact on the environment and for very little money) make a profit from other people’s waste, then surely larger companies can invest and find ways to dispose of their own waste in a more environmentally friendly way!

Small initiatives like montebello Design Centre and african Home have allowed those living in disadvantaged communities the opportunity to make a fair and honest living whilst lifting themselves out of poverty.

About one-third of an average landfill site is made up of

packaging material.

Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to

run a TV for three hours and there is no limit to the

amount of times aluminium can be recycled.

The amount of wood and paper thrown away each year

is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.

A modern glass bottle would take 4,000 years or more

to decompose – and even longer if it’s in the landfill.

Rainforests are being cut down at the rate of 100 acres

per minute.

[Statistics sourced from http://www.recycling-revolution.com]

Mielie create handmade textile products, such as handbags, from recycled materials.

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Backsberg SOutH aFriCa’S FirSt CarbOn neutral vineYarDwoRDS Melanie Sisson


Pioneering the futureSouth Africa is the world’s seventh biggest wine producer, making 1.2 billion bottles a year and contributing over R26 billion to the regional economy of the Western Cape.

Backsberg lies on the slopes of Simonsberg, between the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek regions. It is the first and only vineyard in South Africa to attain carbon neutral status and one of just three in the world to hold this accolade. Every year, a carbon audit is carried out at Backsberg where all of its carbon emissions are noted and then offset.

Biodiversity and wineTo add to its credits, Backsberg has achieved champion ranking with the World Wildlife Fund’s Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI), a pioneering partnership between the South African wine industry and the conservation sector. This means that they have set aside 10% of their land, an area of approximately 30 hectares, for the preservation of the Fynbos biome.

Almost 95% of South Africa’s wine growing takes place in the Cape Floral Kingdom, a unique global biodiversity hotspot and World Heritage Site. Developed in 2004, the BWI’s mandate is not only to protect natural habitat, but also to encourage wine producers to farm sustainably and express the advantages of the Cape’s diversity in their wines. The initiative protects over 130 thousand hectares of land and has received global recognition for its leading business model

that unites conservation and agriculture in a mutually beneficial manner. Out of BWI’s current 174 members, only 21 hold champion status.

Food & Trees for AfricaBacksberg has recently undertaken a greening programme in the village of Klapmuts, in an area now known as Foot Print Park, planting over one thousand trees in collaboration with Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA). This non-profit national greening organisation manages this ongoing programme as part of their wider social enterprise. Since 1990, FTFA have planted over four million trees in South Africa in contribution to their aim to develop, promote and facilitate greening along with climate change action, food security and sustainable natural resource use and management.

Climate change solutionsBacksberg’s carbon neutral status adheres to the Kyoto Protocol on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, which aims to reduce collective greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% from 1990 levels between the years 2008–2012. Over 190 states across the globe are signatories to the protocol, whilst a successor programme is currently being negotiated for the end of the commitment period onwards.

Although planting trees is crucial for absorbing greenhouse gas emissions, and is the main way that Backsberg offsets its carbon emissions, the team see this as just one part of a whole package of climate

change solutions that can be undertaken to ensure carbon neutrality into the future.

InitiativesA whole range of climate change solutions have been implemented by the team at Backsberg. Simon Back, Marketing and Exports Manager, took the time to tell Cape Chameleon about just some of these solutions.

The two biggest focuses at Backsberg are on reducing electricity and fuel usage. At Backsberg, small is the order of the day. This relates to the pick-up trucks and tractors used on the farm, which are smaller and thus more fuel-efficient.

Harvesting hours have switched from 7:30am to 3:30am meaning that the grapes picked are cooler, which reduces the need for refrigeration.

Efficiency even stretches to the staff at Backsberg whose aim is to drive around as little as possible. Skype is used whenever possible to avoid trips overseas, as flying is a major contributor to carbon emissions.

Fermentation tanks are controlled by refrigeration that uses electricity, so Backsberg looked for other ways to cool. They realised that they could use cold water from the dam to refrigerate the wine tanks to control fermentation. Simon said, ‘This is technically not that much of an advancement but it is something that could be rolled out to other vineyards, as most farms have dams.’

backsberg are hoping to arrest the damage of the past. michael and Simon back, along with their loyal team, have created South africa’s first carbon neutral vineyard and are implementing change and innovation to sustain carbon neutrality for generations to come.

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Backsberg try to use the electricity that they need in low tariff periods e.g overnight. Low energy light bulbs, and in some cases LED bulbs are used, along with skylights in areas where operations occur primarily during the day.

There are many other initiatives that could go on for pages and, although individually they may seem small, they add up to neutralise Backsberg’s carbon emissions, which has a big impact on the environment.

Tread lightlyIn July 2010, Backsberg once again made history in South Africa by launching the country’s first certified wine bottles made out of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate). The brand’s philosophy is ‘Wine made with care and respect for the land’ and Backsberg hope that this innovation is spearheading what will become commonplace in the future.

When initially discussing the development of a lightweight bottle, Michael Back, proprietor of Backsberg, said: ‘The packaging and transport of wine contributes significantly to our carbon footprint and therefore needs to be addressed.’

Backsberg partnered with Pick n Pay, the first retailer to sell the new PET soft wine bottle, for the launch of Tread Lightly by Backsberg. Pick n Pay Director of Sustainable Development, Bronwen Rohland said: ‘We are delighted to be partnering with Backsberg on this very exciting initiative. As South Africa’s largest food retailer, Pick n Pay is committed to minimising its environmental impact through various recycling and packaging initiatives and this project fits our

overarching environmental strategy perfectly.’

After a successful launch in Pick n Pay, the wine is now listed in Spar, Checkers and Makro stores.

BenefitsThe innovative bottle is lightweight and shatterproof, providing extra convenience as well as maintaining respect for the environment without compromising on wine quality.

PET is fully recyclable and crushable and the manufacturing of these bottles leads to a reduced net energy consumption of up to 50% when compared with glass. The packing of beverages in PET reduces energy consumption by 52% in comparison to glass and metal, and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 55% through the use of PET. The reduced weight and diameter of the bottle allows for up to 36% more products to be transported in the same container space.

Simon told Cape Chameleon that the Tread Lightly venture is going really well. ‘At first there was some hesitation around the new bottle but people have taken to it. People like the environmental side and others like the convenience factor of a lightweight bottle. The outdoor community, for example hikers, bikers, and those who go for picnics, have really taken to it.’

A new mindset Ensuring carbon neutrality requires a change of mindset; the environment needs to be viewed as a resource as opposed to a nuisance and people need to work with what is naturally occurring rather than against it.

At Backsberg, Michael and the team manage tree species such as Eucalyptus and Port Jackson that are usually classed as ‘invasive’. Eucalyptus trees are grown on the estate and are watered with wastewater while the wood is used for renewable energy. The same goes for the Port Jackson trees that Michael has allowed to grow on a section of land that would otherwise be deemed useless. The wood from these trees is harvested for renewable energy, or chipped and turned into compost.

Following suitMichael Back is passionate about the environment; he eats, sleeps and drinks green. He hopes that his forward thinking will carry carbon neutrality into the future. He said, ‘Care for the environment means care and concern for succeeding generations. As custodians of the land, it is our duty to understand and recognise potential threats and to mitigate against them for the benefit of the next generation.’

Although Backsberg is pioneering the way in carbon neutrality, he hopes that other vineyards will follow suit, but believes that it will take time, mainly because not everyone is equally as passionate about the cause. Michael explained, ‘Not all vineyards know how to start, the topic is mind-blowingly big, but many are taking increasing care of the environment and launching new and interesting initiatives.’

Michael and the team sincerely hope that Backsberg, and other vineyards, will innovate into the future. Simon told Cape Chameleon,‘We don’t just want to be this diamond [leading the way], we want others to adapt as well.’

The vineyard lies on the slopes of Simonsberg in the beautiful Cape Winelands.

Backsberg have become pioneers in packaging their wine in PET bottles, a first in South Africa.

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Greenpop

maKing ‘green living’ POPular

Lauren O’Donnell, one of the founding members of Greenpop, was kind enough to take the time out to talk to Cape Chameleon about the creation of the organisation, the progress they have made, the highs and the lows of the project and their hopes for the future.

The making of Greenpop The organisation sprang from an idea to try to cover a friend’s carbon offset during his four-month trip around the world in September 2010. Misha Teasdale and nine of his friends decided to calculate his carbon footprint and how many trees would need to be planted to replace it. The project was initially supposed to last only one month, during which the group aimed to plant a thousand trees. However, by the end of the month, the overwhelming number of calls from schools and crèches

requiring their services convinced Lauren, Misha and Jeremy Hewitt to turn the project into a real social enterprise. And thus, Greenpop – christened with the aim to make ‘green living popular’ – was born.

What they do Greenpop doesn’t just show up at schools and crèches and plant trees – extensive operations go on behind the scenes in order to run the project efficiently. Apart from linking up with these schools and crèches that are looking to ‘go green’, Greenpop must also advertise tree-planting days to corporate companies as team-building activities and convince them to go green by volunteering with Greenpop. Their extensive monitoring system then ensures that all the trees they have planted are healthy and are being cared for. Members of the organisation visit the

woRDS Priyanka Mogul

coPY eDitoR Hannah Cartwright

Founded by three young individuals who have dedicated their lives to promoting ‘green living’, greenpop has already left its footprint on South africa. the Cape town-based tree-planting initiative celebrated their first birthday on 1 September 2011 and this young organisation has already gone far. they have planted more than 8,000 trees in just over a year and have won the Western Cape government competition for ‘best new Social enterprise Plan’.

Cornflower Primary School (Mitchells Plain) received a Whole School Makeover, including a full organic vegetable garden by Urban Harvest, a wall mural painted with the learners by Julard Creations, 100 indigenous trees, 50 fruit trees and three rain water tanks.

newly green schools every week to monitor the growth and health of the trees. The organisation also holds numerous talks and demonstrations at both schools, and corporate companies, educating people on green living and caring for the environment.

Why they do it Disparity between the green, leafy areas and the less green areas of Cape Town is wide. Greenpop follows extensive studies undertaken in the USA and Columbia, which state that urban greening is directly correlated with lower crime rates because ‘Beau-tree-fication’ creates a sense of pride in an area; lessening the urge to commit crime there. Through this, Greenpop strives to create equality between the green and the not-so-green areas of the city.

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But narrowing this gap isn’t the only reason for the existence of Greenpop. As an ex-teacher in the UK, Lauren has always been involved with caring for children. After moving to South Africa and becoming involved with a property magazine’s ‘Green Living’ section, she was keen to put the two together – children and green living.

‘Children need to re-connect with nature,’ Lauren told Cape Chameleon magazine. Spending the majority of their time in classrooms and lacking much outdoor activity, school children in South Africa are provided with a fun and adventurous way to learn and care about the environment and sustainable living through Greenpop. Planting trees is not only an exciting way to learn about the value of trees, but also teaches the children about responsibility, as they have to look after their trees once they are planted. It is not a one-day learning process, but something that lasts long after the tree-planting day has passed.

The highs & the lows While Greenpop has grown rapidly over the last year and reached multiple milestones, Lauren told Cape Chameleon of the little things that makes the project not all fun and games. ‘It’s hard because we’re a very small business and we need staff. We’ve got some interns and loads of ideas – it’s difficult to focus on one.’

Additionally, the marketing side of the project is particularly time consuming and requires huge amounts of effort to keep the PR and finance side of it on track.

greenpop follows extensive studies undertaken in the uSa and Columbia, which state that urban greening is directly correlated with lower crime rates because ‘beau-tree-fication’ creates a sense of pride in an area; lessening the urge to commit crime there.

‘It runs like a business, but the product is embedded with a social cause,’ Lauren explained. She also admitted it isn’t always easy to convince big companies that planting trees is an enjoyable alternative to the usual team-building activities. However, the highs defeat the lows by miles. Lauren describes her job as ‘thrilling’, as she is delighted to be able to talk to huge corporate companies and children, ‘who are the future’ about going green and spreading the word about sustainable living through them.

The schools that are enthusiastic about the cause are the main highlight of Greenpop’s project, bringing tears to the member’s eyes as they watch young kids carrying bottles of recycled bath water across their school playground to water their trees.

Slowly raising awareness ‘If we continue to live the way we are living, by 2030 we will need two planets to survive,’ said Lauren. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough awareness about the necessity for tree planting and sustainable living in South Africa yet, but that’s where Greenpop steps in. ‘Everyone is invited and it’s not hard to join in. We want to show that Greenpop is not out of touch with the people and everyone can get involved – all levels, all ages, all races – everyone can learn about planting and gain knowledge on green living.’

Aiming for the starsWith lots of goals and visions for the

Misha Teasdale, founder of Greenpop, giving a tree-planting demonstration to staff members from DHL who came on a team-building Company Plant Day (Mitchells Plain).

Students planting trees in Philippi. Greenpop work hard to promote ‘green

living’ with the younger generation.

future, Greenpop strives to be a reputable greening agency in ten years time.

‘We hope to have great relations with schools and corporate companies and be the middle man connecting the private and the public.’

Greenpop has already expanded outside Cape Town and into southern Africa, where their reforestation project in Zambia, called ‘Trees for Zambia’ will see between five and ten thousand trees planted in three weeks in July 2012. Around 100 international volunteers will join school children and community members for this exciting tree planting and education conference. To book a space as one of the volunteers on ‘Trees for Zambia’, email [email protected]. With everything that they have managed to achieve in one year, it doesn’t look like a long journey to their dream of being a ‘world-renowned brand’, inspiring people to do their own green living and become conscious of the way we live.

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Cape Chameleon History Issue 14 2011

Idi Amin

tHe butCHer OF uganDawoRDS Amani Hughes & Kelly Easton

coPY eDitoR Gerhard Jacobs

‘a murderer, a liar and a savage,’ fumed former tanzanian President, Julius nyerere. What he did ‘disgusted the entire civilised world,’ described former american President, Jimmy Carter.

according to exile organisations and amnesty international, the estimated death toll during idi amin’s reign is between 300–500 thousand people and although he once had the boldness to call himself, ‘the hero of africa’, amin is remembered as nothing more than the ‘butcher of uganda’.

A bloody road to powerIdi Amin Dada Oumee was born in the town of Koboko in Nothern Uganda. His exact birth date has not been determined, but according to Africa 24 Media it is somewhere between the years 1923–1925. His father – Andreas Nyabire – belonged to the Kakwa ethnic group and after converting to the Islamic religion he changed his name to Amin Dada. Although carrying his father’s name, Idi Amin was raised by his mother, Assa Aatte, a traditional herbalist from the Lugbara ethnic group who was also said to be a camp follower of the King’s African Rifles (KAR) of the British Colonial Army.

Amin was a poor child who received very little basic education and in an ambitious attempt to better his life: he joined the army. In 1946 he became an assistant cook in the KAR and soon after served in Kenya during the British Suppression of the Mau Mau in 1952. In 1959, about seven demanding years later, Amin was chosen to be Afande (a warrant officer) which was the top position for a Black African in the British Army and he was later promoted to Lieutenant in the Ugandan army.

In The Guardian newspaper, an obituary written by a journalist called Patrick Keatley read: ‘The first sign of his sadism came after the fatal decision to make him a commissioned officer. In 1962, commanding troops of the 4th KAR, he carried out the Turkana Massacre, an operation that began as a simple assignment to check cattle rustling by tribesmen in the Turkana region of Kenya. Complaints from villagers reached the British authorities in Nairobi; bodies were exhumed from pits and it became clear that the victims had been tortured, beaten to death and, in some cases, buried alive... Later in 1970 while the Obote [Prime Minister Milton Obote, who by this time had declared himself as president, after imposing a new republican constitution which

got rid of all kingdoms in Uganda] government was still in power, police investigating an armed hold-up, arrested a gang of kondos, the local word for thugs in illegal possession of arms. Under questioning, one of them indicated he took his orders from Brigadier Amin. This was embarrassing, as Obote was about to promote Amin to chief of staff, so the police commandant, Inspector-General Cryema, took no action. The kondos were released from detention and were killed in unexplained circumstances soon afterwards.’

Keatly went on to describe how Cryema was arrested and executed, following the well-built, tall and dark skinned Amin taking over a military coup in 1971 – the same time Obote was attending a meeting in Singapore. Amin then declared himself as president and made many disreputable changes, such as changing the system of civil law to military tribunals. According to the late journalist, six weeks after the incident 32 army officers, made up of Christian tribes all loyal to Obote, were jam-packed into a small cell and blown up by a charge of dynamite at the Makindye Prison in Kampala. President Julius Nyerere offered protection to Obote in Tanzania and soon many Ugandan’s followed him as they also wanted a safe haven away from Amin. As that year ended, Amin had executed around nine thousand men in the Ugandan army and if this was not cruel enough, his cunning road to power meant a lifetime of tyranny. Aggressive dictatorshipDetermined to make Uganda a ‘black man’s country’, Amin forced out around 40–80 thousand Indians and Pakistanis and justified his actions as a message from God in a dream. Thousands of Asians with British passports were forced to leave Uganda within three months and their abandoned homes, possessions and businesses, which made up the majority of the trade and manufacturing sectors in the country, were handed over to Amin supporters.

15

Idi Amin is remembered as one of the most famous post-independent leaders of Africa for the brutal way he ran Uganda.

Idi Amin liked to be referred to as ‘Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea’.

Britain and the international community, including Israeli governments, had believed Amin was a charismatic leader until he began this ethnic purge of the country and in response they decided to withdraw the selling of arms to Uganda. This caused Amin to turn to the Soviet Union to provide him with arms. It also pushed him to shake hands on a deal with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to make Uganda an Islamic state.

‘The Islamic religion became a fetish for this unbalanced man, and his uncouth espousal of it did great harm to the Muslim cause in Africa. Amin succeeded in enlisting the support of his Islamic near-neighbour, the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi. But other Muslim leaders in Syria, Jordan and Iraq rebuffed him when he travelled to their capitals looking for alliances. However, contingents of Libyan troops and planes helped his regime survive, against the odds, on more than one occasion,’ clarified Keatley in the obituary.

In order to maintain his power, the ‘Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea’ (as he was often referred to) murdered between 300–500 thousand rival tribes which included Obote followers and in the process killing innocent people, former cabinet ministers, diplomats, educators, journalist, Roman Catholic and Anglican archbishops and the list of titles go on and on until entire villages were wiped out. Before the cold dead bodies had a chance to deteriorate after being thrown into the Nile, Amin expanded his army and spent almost all of the country’s money on the military. And in the year 1975, the ruthless dictator declared himself as president for life.

No redeeming qualities The once uneducated and underprivileged boy followed out further wicked plans to boost himself as a powerful governor – leaving his country with a fragile economy and a land with a history of brutality and murder. Instead of spending his time fixing the mess in his own country, he attacked Tanzania, but he didn’t expect the neighbouring country to fight back and scare him enough to flee to Libya with his family: wives, mistresses, children and the whole shebang. Yet, karma didn’t pay a visit to the dictator and after being asked to leave Libya, Amin moved to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and lived with servants, cooks, drivers, cars – all under a secure life and the sole condition that he didn’t involve himself in politics. Although asked to leave Republic of the Congo in his effort to go back to Uganda in 1989 and reclaim the power, according to Africa 24 Media, in an interview with a Ugandan newspaper Amin expressed no remorse for the abuses of his regime and stated, ‘ I am much happier now then when I was president’.

2002 marked the year when Uganda officially celebrated Amin’s downfall and in 2003 Amin went into a comma and was admitted to the King Faisal Hospital in Jeddah for high blood pressure and kidney failure. Even at this vulnerably ill stage, Amin was not allowed back into Uganda unless it was for a common burial – this was of course the orders of the new President Yoweri Museveni. But after Amin died due to multiple organ failure, he was buried in Jeddah’s Ruwais Cemetery within hours after his death.

Amin’s obituary by Patrick Keatley ended with the following words: ‘Amin brought bloody tragedy and economic ruin to his country, during a selfish life that had no redeeming qualities.’ – Remembered as nothing more than the Butcher of Uganda.

‘amin brought bloody tragedy and economic ruin to his country, during a selfish life that had no redeeming qualities,’ – remembered as nothing more than the butcher of uganda.

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GM food advantagesGenetically modified foods boasts certain advantages compared to organic produce. Organic produce is prone to being consumed by insects or pests. The result can be detrimental financially and leaves the farmer or even a community hungry. The issue for organic farmers is that spraying pesticide on their crops to protect from damage will in fact cause health problems for the consumer. These strong chemicals can even seep into local

water supplies, killing animals and making those who drink the water very ill. So, in response to this, scientists implanted in GM foods Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT). This is a toxin that is safe for humans to eat, but also protects crops more effectively reducing the potential of mass loss of a harvest. Also, herbicide tolerance is implanted into the GM foods. This area has always been an issue for farmers. Do you A) weed out everything by hand or B) spray weed killer that could be potentially

Cape Chameleon Health Issue 14 2011

GM Foods

tHe great FOOD Debate

GM foods or GMOs refers to the genetic manipulation of food. They are organisms in which the genetic make-up or DNA has been altered. This is a form of genetic engineering; the process involves swapping of genes from differing species of plants, to create a more resistant and valuable organism in a nutritional sense. These foods are created and placed on the market with the aim of bringing the average price of fruit and vegetables down and adding value to the consumer in the nutritional sense. But as well as these improvements for the foods themselves, crop profitability is also supposedly improved. However, a recent 30-year study by the Rodale Institute has concluded that organic farming outperforms chemical farming with crop yields, profit and sustainability. However, it can be argued that GM foods along with the new techniques are much faster than the traditional forms of crop breeding, which take time as well as running the risk that the crops will be damaged by weather conditions or insects.

Many of the revolutions within GM foods are focused around tolerance and resistance. Adequate food supply will be essential in the future as food shortages exist in many parts of the world, due to adverse weather and droughts alongside increasing population levels in megacities in the Middle East, China, USA and Europe.

woRDS Matthew Strachan


the debate on the legitimacy of genetically modified foods has been a precarious one. Scientific progress within modified crops has allowed experts to alter the genetic make-up or Dna of our organic foods, making them tougher, more resilient to harsh weather conditions and in some cases more nutritionally valuable. but, despite these apparent positives, there are still concerns surrounding these scientific developments with the food we eat. Firstly, are there any negatives? Do some gm foods have long-term detrimental health effects on the consumer? Secondly, where do we draw the line, are we ‘playing god’ by constantly altering the genetic make-up of our natural food?

An activist sitting under a banner in Ravenna, Italy, where the docks have been storing tonnes of GM soya.

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harmful to the environment? These two options are either time consuming or expensive. GM foods are also disease resistant, repelling funguses and bacteria.

Despite much being said about GM products high resistances and tolerances to potential invasions, much has also been discussed about GM foods improved nutritional impact on people. Food shortages in certain areas of the third world are a major problem and high levels of drought and pests can cost many people their lives. GM improvements can help people survive on less for longer, if grown and developed correctly. Third world diets often have a severe lack of minerals, vitamins and general nutrients as their staple foods consists mostly of grains like rice, so GM technology could be a solution.

GM food concernsDespite many apparent positives, there are lingering health concerns and debates surrounding GM foods. GM foods do go through rigorous testing to guarantee the safety of the product for the consumer. National food authorities assess the safety of the plant and crop to make sure it is indeed safe to be placed on the market for consumption. But there are other worries about the safety of the BT implanted within the crops, some tests have shown it to do damage to local insect life. On top of that, some insects, like mosquitoes, are known to develop resistances to pesticides and toxins, making these scientific developments null and void. Other concerns include whether

A banner in Thailand is calling on the Thai citizens to avoid GMOs. Brochures campaigning against GM potatoes in Sweden.

the crops transfer genes amongst each other, creating an unnatural cross breeding system. Genes exchanged between non-target species could be a potential problem, as it could create unnatural processes as well as harm wildlife. When talking about concerns towards human health, these cross pollinations or gene swapping have the potential to produce new allergy symptoms similar to those producing severe health risks – like people suffering from nut allergies – but the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organisations (WHO) haven’t traditionally tested this outcome. The bottom line is the GM food once outside and no longer in the labs, is very hard to control.

For many years, International committees have discuses the benefits of GM foods. Currently around 90% of GM food cultivation happens in the Americas, 53% USA, Argentina 18%, Brazil 11.5% and Canada 6.1%. But use of GM foods to tackle world hunger, is another controversial debate. Many anti-GM

believers are adamant that the use of GM foods is potentially harmful. They believe that the issue isn’t that there isn’t enough food in the world, it’s the simple fact the distribution of food is majorly imbalanced.

GM protests are still a regular occurrence all over the world, as many basically believe that the production of GM foods is more of a detriment rather than a solution to farming and world food shortages. The problems that can potentially arise could be very damaging as well as creating shifts or imbalances in food cycles or natural processes. With these concerns and unknowns, the crux of the matter is that the world’s food is unfairly distributed. The same problems are occurring, because the same trade lines are used over and over again. The profitability of trade routes over whose lives may actually benefit is the debate. People who believe in organic and natural produce will always challenge the creation of what the protesters call ‘Frankenfood’, indefinitely.

When talking about concerns towards human health, these cross pollinations or gene swapping have the potential to produce new allergy symptoms similar to those that produce severe health risks – like people suffering from nut allergies – but the Food and agriculture Organisation of the united nations (FaO) and World Health Organisations (WHO) haven’t traditionally tested this outcome.

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Cape Chameleon Spotlight Issue 14 2011

there is a small round building on the hilltop at the edge of the village, where there are 12 children, ages 3–6, and most of them are Xhosa. there is also a woman who decided to devote her life to education using a method based on respect, tolerance and freedom. this makes up the group of the ikhaya labantwana montessori, the first pre-school centre in a large rural area on the Wild Coast.

Montessori School

Pre-SCHOOl eDuCatiOn in rural areaS

One of the most beautiful spots on the Wild Coast in South Africa is the small community of Coffee Bay. There is not much more here than some huts, a trading store, a few hostels for backpackers and a hotel, but the coast is stunning and the beach untouched between the green rolling hills and the sea. The community is almost entirely Xhosa and they make their living from farming and shepherding cows, goats and pigs. After the arrival of the first western tourists, some of the youngest inhabitants made an earning selling beads and entertaining the visitors with traditional dancing and singing, but the majority of the people still struggle with poverty and often lack the most basic goods such as food, water and clothes.

So when Dawn Brochenin returned to her beloved Coffee Bay after a couple of years spent in Cape Town, she started to explore a way of ‘giving back’ to the place which gave her so much joy in the past. And she found the answer in education. There was no pre-school centre in the whole area and she decided she would open the first one to lead the community’s children towards their scholastic studies.

New beginningsOn 15 February 2010, Dawn opened the doors of the Ikhaya Labantwana Montessori Early Learning Centre. The Xhosa stands for ‘house of children’ and Montessori is the educational method developed by the world renowned Italian scientist and pedagogic Maria Montessori in the 20th century.

Coffee Bay got its name from a cargo ship that supposedly ran ashore here in the 19th century and spilled some of its coffee bean shipment on the coastline. Local stories proclaim that some of these beans took root and grew into coffee trees, but unfortunately they are nowhere to be seen today. Here Dawn Brochenin worked as manager of the Coffee Shack, a popular

hostel for backpackers, from 2001–2006 then one day a group of Montessori school directors arrived as guests in the hostel and Dawn learnt for the first time about their alternative teaching methods and philosophy.

‘I did some research,’ she explained to Cape Chameleon, ‘and I really liked what I found out. Of course there are also other interesting teaching methods, but I thought this method would fit better for a rural area. Maria Montessori always used nature as an example and a tool in her teachings, and I was sure this would all seem more natural to the children of the local families.’

In 2007, Dawn trained to become a Montessori teacher in Cape Town, where she gained teaching experience in a Montessori

woRDS Flavio Alagia


On 15 February 2010, Dawn Brochenin opened the doors of the Ikhaya Labantwana Montessori Early Learning Centre, in Coffee Bay.

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Every day the school provides a small breakfast with fruit and a Xhosa-style lunch.

school. The following year, she went back to Coffee Bay to start working on her new school, assisted by Sustainable Coffee Bay – an NPO involved in several projects for the improvement of the local community with a special attention towards the young. She attended many community meetings; the goal was finding a place for her school. ‘In the beginning it was difficult to explain to people why their children needed an education from such a young age, but after some time we found an empty rondavel [small round building] on a hilltop in Bomvu Village. We rented it for R400 per month and began to get it ready for the arrival of the first students.’

A communal affairDawn went to talk with the village headmen, with the community chief and with the elders’ council until she got the permission to start teaching. She put posters in the local shops, clinics and taverns to collect applications from the families, although she could only accept 12 students due to the small size of the school building. On February 2010, she finally welcomed her first class of students. Under her management a dozen children ages 3–6 years started to learn about colours, shapes, numbers and the alphabet, without imposing any priority, but rather following the lead of the children in their own preferences, supporting their attitudes and natural tendencies. As exemplified by Maria Montessori, the class includes children from different age groups, ‘so the younger can learn from the older, who act as a guide and an example.’

‘We do not tell them what to do,’ explained the Founder and Director, ‘we only encourage the learning activities, provide the tools, and look after their wellbeing. The pupils’ freedom of movement and choice is only limited by the due respect for the teacher and their teammates, and for the other pupils’ freedom and rights. The substantial belief is that “knowledge” has always to be privileged to “education.”’

A change of mindsetThe Montessori method was developed in Italy by Maria Montessori during the early 20th century. The method is based on the belief that the child is a complete being, capable of disclosing creative energies and the owner of moral disposition, such as love (which an adult has already choked into himself). The first Montessori principle is the respect of the pupil’s freedom. Only through freedom can the child express creativity and find a genuine discipline, which later permits auto-regulation when time comes to follow rules in life.

Montessori education calls for free activity within a ‘prepared environment’, meaning an educational environment tailored to basic human characteristics and to the specific characteristics of children at different ages. The function of the environment is to allow the child to develop independence in all areas according to his or her inner psychological directives. Today the method of the Italian pedagogic is still greatly discussed, sometimes criticised, and led to fundamental changes in the educative systems all over the world, as well as to the establishment of many Montessori schools around the globe – about 20 thousand institutes worldwide, according to the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association. South Africa too had its share through the decades, and some of these schools helped Dawn in the beginning with donations and support. ‘Dealing with a limited budget is one of

the pupils’ freedom of movement and choice is only limited by the due respect for the teacher and their teammates, and for the other pupils’ freedom and rights.

our main restrains,’ admitted Dawn in our interview, ‘there is a fee for children with two working parents, and a smaller one for those who have only one working guardian. But most of our students have unemployed parents and therefore they are unable to pay for their attendance. We organise fund-raising activities with tourists and collect donations from well-wishers. But every expense has to be cut to the minimum.’

Working towards self-sufficiencyEvery day the school provides a small breakfast with fruit and a Xhosa-style lunch. A garden in the school premises provides butternut squash, chillies – ‘a favourite for the children to pick, but certainly not to eat!’ said Dawn – tomatoes, spinach, cabbages, carrots, beetroot and sweetcorn. However, it has to be guarded from the pigs and cows which freely roam in this area. The school building has neither electricity nor tap water – a bucket of water in the garden is used by the children to wash their hands while another bucket is used for cleaning dishes and cutlery.

The children show improvements at a quick rate and the parents are involved in their education through encounters and social activities, last December they organised themselves in a Parent Governing Body. ‘Every day a new achievement prizes our efforts,’ said Dawn, ‘but there is still much to do. Thanks to Sustainable Coffee Bay and the support of our friends and partners, we will soon buy the field which will host the new school building. There we will be able to teach to up to fifty students.’

The achievements are encouraging, but improving education is an on-going process to promote welfare in our society – whether that be in over populated cities or in the furthermost rural areas of the country.

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The Open Door Clinican OPPOrtunitY tO CHange a liFe

woRDS Melanie Sisson

coPY eDitoRS Kelly Easton

Valley Development ProjectsSherine came across the Open Door Clinic as part of her missionary work. Living in Fish Hoek, all the avenues that she pursued to try to get into social work pointed to Valley Development Projects (VDP), based in the community of Ocean View.

VDP was established in 1989 with the original purpose of helping those in the informal settlements to negotiate land with the government. When this milestone was achieved, VDP moved on to focus on the youth, the abused and the neglected. Their projects expanded and they negotiated with the Department of Education for the salary for their first primary school teacher. Crèches were subsequently opened in Ocean View and Masiphumelele.

Opening the door Members of the community began coming to VDP asking for social workers to help them with the issues of child abuse. It was then that VDP established the Open Door’s building. Its purpose was to be a safe place for abused children – any child that was abused would end up living there.

VDP prides itself on developing according to the needs of the community. As people began to come with all sorts of problems, VDP expanded accordingly, developing the early learning programme and social work programme, reaching out to all problems in the community.

Brett Kebble, the South African mining magnate, came to the organisation when he found out about the amount of child abuse in the country. He suggested that VDP run a feeding programme for parents who have no income. Sherine was initially sceptical, not wanting the clinic to become known as a place for handouts, but instead preferring to develop the skills of parents to take responsibility. When the feeding scheme went ahead, Sherine

‘i realised that there was so much child abuse across the country. it didn’t matter if it was from underprivileged, high class or middle class and that’s when i decided that i wanted to do social work.’ after studying at bible College, Sherine arendse became a missionary for children. the Open Door Clinic provides a safe haven for abused women and children in the communities of Ocean view and masiphumelele.

continued to expand the community development work through the Open Door. She set up an aftercare programme, where every day after school children come to the clinic and participate in different activities such as: games, reading, art, sport and grooming. Camps based on child abuse and neglect are run dependent on funding and programmes to raise awareness for child abuse within the schools were set up. Additionally there is a programme for orphans and for adults infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

The community development programme also runs an adult support group, which focuses on the abuse of women. In Ocean View an average of between 45–50 children come to the clinic each day for aftercare and in Masiphumelele this number reaches 75 children. These low intakes are due to funding and VDP could feed more if they had more money as the demand is definitely there. Holiday clubs are run every June and July; around 100 children attend each day and the camps host around 80 children.

Collaboration Sherine told Cape Chameleon: ‘All three of our projects under Valley Development work very closely with the police. In the community development programme we actually work more closely in a working relationship. When we do child abuse and neglect, they normally come with us to the school. Or we do marches and the police do it with us. We network with the police definitely. I definitely agree that the police and organisations need to collaborate more.’ Sherine mentioned that the local police captain asked her if they could join with their awareness programmes, because the police don’t have a good acceptance within the community.

She said, ‘Only when VDP join in are people more able to accept the police. They actually have no choice; they have to work with the organisations because sometimes people throw stones. When

21The Open Door Clinic provides a safe, familiar environment for the victims of abuse.

Sherine Arendse has worked at the Open Door Clinic for 11 years.

they work with an organisation they seem to be safer.’ Closer collaboration between the police and NGOs is vital for tackling the problem of domestic violence.

Community awarenessCommunities across South Africa are not yet fully aware and sensitised about the protection afforded to them by organisations such as the Open Door clinic. VDP organise up to two marches a year, often collaborated with a simultaneous radio broadcast explaining what is going on. The marches are designed to reach out to make the community aware that they are totally against child abuse.

In terms of raising awareness of women abuse, VDP invite women to come to the clinic and be treated for the day, aiming to empower them to go forward and get interdicts and go for help.Sherine explained to Cape Chameleon that there are still things that VDP want to establish. ‘When our new building comes in, the vision is to really spread out and go into disability, this is our dream but we don’t have the space.’

In terms of staffing, VDP try to employ volunteers when there is an opportunity. However they are currently facing a shortage of volunteers because they realised that many of those from the community who volunteer expect something in the end. ‘We really need volunteers that don’t expect anything, that would just give off their service especially to the kids and for example our reading programme, we need volunteers there.’

Culture of silenceThe Domestic Violence Act of 1998 states that, ‘It is the purpose of this Act to afford the victims of domestic violence the maximum protection from domestic abuse that the law can provide… Any member of the SAPS must render such assistance to the complainant as may be required in the circumstances, including assisting or making arrangements for the complainant to find a suitable shelter and to obtain medical treatment.’

So the law is set out to provide the help for those who are affected, but it is well known that there is a culture of silence around this issue. Many victims are too embarrassed, ashamed or scared to report their abuse. Sherine said that most children come to the Open Door clinic after hours, when no one else will see them. She cited the example of a young girl who turned up at around 6pm whose hands were both badly burnt. She had been hiding them inside the sleeves of her school jumper all day,

Children visiting the Open Door Clinic came together to paint this container to promote awareness of their plight.

because she was so embarrassed. Sherine believes that people need a place where they can talk about their abuse in a safe and familiar environment without feeling like everyone is watching them.

SAPSVictims who go directly to the police often withdraw from the criminal justice process due to the threats on their life from their abuser. They use the fact that they won’t return to court as a currency with which to barter their safety. This high rate of attrition is something that the police need to tackle, because many victims simply end up returning, through fear, to the life of abuse they tried to escape.

Further training is the answer; more police need to have specialist knowledge on implementing the DVA effectively and protecting victims. In 2009–2010, only around 3,000 members of SAPS out of a total force of 190 thousand were trained specifically in dealing with and implementing the Domestic Violence Act. Victim support rooms need to be established in all police stations so these are safe places for victims to go. The rooms that are currently available are often unsuitable or locked to stop police staff from sleeping, eating and watching television in them.

Police currently do not report to Parliament on the implementation of the act every six months as required by law, and there is a lack of required documentation such as forms at police stations. The police need to spend more accordingly because training, experience, budget and knowledge will be crucial in protecting against crimes against women and children.

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SHAWCOStuDent ngO aiming FOr CHange

woRDS Franziska Nixdorf


Eltena Dirks is the dedicated person behind the public relations, marketing and fundraising for SHAWCO and explained in an interview with Cape Chameleon that, ‘SHAWCO started out in 1943, so it’s about 68 years old. It was started by a medical student called Andrew Kinnear. He basically went out to one of the group areas, Kensington, and provided health services to people who needed it.’

SHAWCO started off as a one-man project and soon became one of South Africa’s largest student volunteer

organisations, as more and more people began to see the necessity of medical and educational support in many of the previously disadvantaged areas in South Africa. According to the NGO’s website, the organisation is ‘now boasting over 1,800 volunteers running approximately 20 health and education projects in five SHAWCO centres as well as other locations.’ These centres are located in areas, such as Khayelitsha, Kensington, Manenberg and Nyanga, where the selfless volunteers spend time helping the residents.

With their volunteer-driven education projects, healthcare and paediatric clinics and much more, SHaWCO’s good work cannot be emphasised enough. the Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation, SHaWCO, is an ngO run by the university of Cape town (uCt) and was founded decades ago to improve the health conditions and academic development of people in under-resourced communities.

In its education sector the student-run NPO SHWACO provides a safe, well-equipped learning environment for children to broaden their future perspectives.

The Student’s Health and Welfare Centres Organisation, SHAWCO, is located at the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences. Among the students it is known as an organisation, ‘that does great work’.

For many years SHAWCO focused on welfare aspects, such as the distribution of food, clothes, blankets etc. However, conforming to the social and political developments within South Africa during the 1990s, SHAWCO now focuses on working as a Development Organisation.

‘We have moved away from the whole concept of being a Welfare Organisation to a Development Organisation where we see people develop and not just wanting to stand there for handouts,’ said Eltena.

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The two major sectorsSHAWCO’s systematic work is divided into two main sectors, the Education and the Health Sector. In its Education Sector, the NGO runs several different aftercare projects, which, according to Eltena, ‘focuses on grades 1–12 to help learners to become academically better’. The organisation distinguishes between junior, intermediate and senior projects, which are all passed by students throughout the year.

One of these educational projects is the Saturday School from 9am–12am on the Upper Campus of UCT and provides the students with important skills for higher education in English, Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Science and Accounting. ‘We run formal classes by eight qualified teachers and we encourage them to go to university. So when they come to university they are not overwhelmed by university life. They just can go right into focusing on their academics,’ described Eltena. The project is doing very well and with the good quality of education that the students receive, the people who may have been financially dependent on SHAWCO are willing to pay voluntarily for attending Saturday School.

Furthermore, SHAWCO’s projects within its Health Sector are run by health students from UCT’s Health Science Faculty and serviced more than six thousand patients last year. The treatment of these patients includes many examinations and therapies that are also done during a GP’s consultation. They involve, for instance, audiology, speech-therapy and physiotherapy. ‘The students examine patients, but they are not allowed to do anything without supervision. That is why each clinic has a qualified doctor. ‘The first-year-students would basically just come along to observe and to learn what they have been talking about in class. But fifth and fourth-year-students run the clinics,’ explained Eltena. Those examinations usually take place at night during the week in clinics that either operate from permanent health facilities or from one of SHAWCO’s mobile clinics. Additionally, the organisation’s paediatric clinic run every second Wednesday and Saturday morning.

Volunteers at work‘This year we had almost two thousand volunteers, but it fluctuates. In the beginning of the semesters we always

have a lot of volunteers, and then it drops again. But if you calculate all of them, it is between 1,800–2,000… And they are from all faculties,’ said Eltena. The desire to help has become popular among UCT students and even among international students. SHAWCO co-operates with universities from all over the world. The international students come for instance, from Norway, Denmark, France, America and Australia, ‘some of them come to do an intern and some of them come to do service learning’.

But not only new volunteers are arriving to offer their manpower to SHAWCO. Even former students who have been active participants in the NGO’s projects a long time ago and who have already graduated do not necessarily turn their backs on the organisation.

‘We always have volunteers returning, but then they are already professionals and start giving to SHAWCO. Some of them come to teach, but also they give financially, they go onto a donor-list,’ stated Etena.

Funding as a central issueThe challenges for an NGO such as SHAWCO are immense, especially focussing on the financial aspects. ‘I think on a daily basis we face the same problems as many other NGOs, which is finance. Sometimes we do have a dip, and then we panic a little bit. But somehow it always works out,’ continued the positive Eltena. Nevertheless, the organisation managed to set up a relatively secure business, crossing the 50% mark of self-sustainability, according to SHAWCO’s Director Varkey George. ‘We try our best to use our funder’s money solely for the purposes intended; making sure our income generated through our enterprises are for admin costs and salaries, and the donors’ money goes 100% to the beneficiaries.’As a result, the organisation’s director,

SHAWCO’s mobile clinics provide medical service to the people of

under-resourced areas around the Cape Metropole.

together with the staff, set up several enterprises to reduce the dependence on corporate and donor funding. Although SHAWCO appreciates long-term funders, such as Grand West CSI sponsoring them for the last five years, the NGO’s major goal is to one day see themselves fully self-sustainable. One of these enterprises is SHAWCO’s registered transport company that operates in the morning, while the students have their classes and during holiday times, when the students usually go home.

Another example is a second-hand clothing shop in Mowbray called the Rags2Riches Project. This project enables SHAWCO to receive an income and at the same time creates employment for women. ‘With the assistance of our Commerce students we also successfully trained these ladies on how to become entrepreneurs and teach them basic bookkeeping,’ described Eltena.

Public helpBesides the dedicated occupation of SHAWCO’s student volunteers the question arises, how the public can get involved in these projects. ‘We often need the help from professionals – especially doctors, registered nurses – and we also make use of teachers,’ responded Eltena. ‘Our Education Sector amends their curriculum every year. So if there are curriculum experts out there, we would welcome them to help review our curriculum. If there are people that specialise in evaluation processes, it would be great to have them come out and evaluate SHAWCO, so that we know how to improve what we are doing.’

To make a donation, to help out or to find out more about SHAWCO, visit their website www.shawco.org

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Baphumelele Educare Centre Rosie’s first project was the Baphumelele Educare Centre, started back in 1989. This is now an established community pre-school, which cares for approximately 230 children between the ages of three months and six years while their parents are at work. The Baphumelele Educare Centre has been extremely successful, giving children a place to go during the day as opposed to wandering the streets of Khayelitsha.

Baphumelele Children’s Home Due to the success of the Educare Centre, mothers from the community began leaving their children on Rosie’s doorstep. Although she did not know how she’d possibly look after so many children, Rosie explained how she received a ‘sign from God’ that he would help her take care of the orphans and that she had to provide for them. As a result of this, Rosie set up the Baphumelele Children’s Home to create a home for children that had been abandoned by their parents, most of them either infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. The success of the Children’s Home means that Rosie now provides a place for over 5,800 children.

‘If I hadn’t stepped up and taken the challenge of looking after them then they wouldn’t be here today. They were saved through my care and help,’ admitted Rosie. Today the Children’s Home consists of houses which provide a home for between one and eight children, each with three ladies looking after them. Any

siblings that come into the care of the Children’s Home are able to stay together in order to create a family environment. Children are able to stay at the house up until the age of 18 thereafter they receive guidance and support on how to get work once they leave the home.

Community projects Not only has Rosie and Baphumelele saved the lives of so many children, it has also created a sense of community in Khayelitsha. This has been done through the community projects such as the Baphumelele Woodwork Shop and Rosie’s Kitchen and Bakery.

The Woodwork Shop provides members of the community with work and skills. Here, they make mirrors and picture frames which are then sold to help fund the orphanage. ‘The community projects open doors for people who are unemployed, they get trained in a specific skill and now a lot more people are working and helping the community of Khayelitsha,’ explained Rosie.

Rosie’s Kitchen and Bakery were set up in order to provide food for the community and get more people into work. Rosie’s Bakery provides people in the community with paid work and it specialises in baking wholegrain bread to get the community eating healthier. A freshly-baked loaf of bread can be bought for just R5. The bakery has only been open for six months and is aimed at making a profit and creating jobs. There is also Rosie’s

Baphumelele Educare CentreHumble beginningS

woRDS Clare Bradbury


Having witnessed the many children on the streets of Khayelitsha, a poverty-stricken township located 20km southeast of Cape town, while their parents were away at work, a concerned primary school teacher rosalia mashale, ‘rosie’, took them into her home and her heart. after the first week of caring for the children, rosie had a total of 36 youngsters in her home. as a result, the project baphumelele (meaning ‘progress’ in the Xhosa language) was formed and what started out as a small shack, has now developed into a thriving organisation which looks after all those in the community, from children to the terminally ill.

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Delicious wholegrain bread is baked at Rosie’s Bakery for only R5, encouraging healty eating and creating jobs.

The Baphumelele Children’s Home has provided a home for over 5,000 children since it began.

Kitchen, an informal restaurant, sells food at a very affordable price, a hot meal consisting of meat, rice and vegetables can be purchased for just R4 and the kitchen is open five days a week.

The HIV Respite Care Centre is a hospice providing care for people suffering from HIV/AIDS and TB. The Care Centre has full time staff, both day and night, and can look after up to 16 patients at any time. Baphumelele also has a health information centre, which provides those in the community with fundamental advice on diseases such as HIV/AIDS and guidance on condoms and diabetes. Anyone can enter the health information centre for advice and they receive an attendance certificate when they do so.

Funding The Baphumelele organisation is funded through sponsorship from individuals and organisations, the government and donations. ‘Although we receive a lot of funding, it is not sufficient and we are struggling,’ admitted Rosie, ‘many people think that because we have a lot of buildings and facilities that we have money, however, that is not the case. People do not want to

fund operational costs for maintenance and we need this for the food and upkeep of the buildings.’

Success Having changed the lives of so many in the community, especially children, there are numerous success stories of those whose lives Rosie has touched. These include two girls who were in the Baphumelele Care Centre. One is now working as a social worker and the other is a chartered accountant and they would not have been able to achieve this success without the help of Rosie. Through her hard work, love and determination, Rosie has created a thriving and successful community project which has saved and transformed the lives of so many and will continue to do so for many years to come – a true inspiration.

The Baphumelele Educare Centre provides a safe environment during the day for the children of Khayelitsha.

Having changed the lives of so many in the community, especially children, there are numerous success stories from those whose lives Rosie has touched.

not only has rosie and baphumelele saved the lives of so many children, it has also created a sense of community in Khayelitsha.

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Cape Chameleon art & Culture Issue 14 2011

South African ComedianslaugHing tHe PaSt aWaY

Comedy festivals and awards in this colourful country allow South Africans to use satire and humour to forget their daily stress, frustrations and often the wounds caused by the apartheid system. In the process of learning more about these humorous individuals, Cape Chameleon had the chance to be entertained in an interview with Schoonraad and also takes a look at another popular comedian, Pieter Dirk Uys, to find out why wittiness is such a popular South African trait.

woRDS Johanna Weber & Kelly Easton


they say that laughter is the best medicine and whoever ‘they’ are, they were spot on! after the apartheid era came to an end in 1994, South african humour has been in hot demand. With their comical personalities, styles, cultural diversity, comedians are now able to use their country’s dramatic political past and their unique backgrounds to bring people together through laughter. and why shouldn’t they? ‘it’s only funny if it’s true,’ claimed popular comedian Kurt Schoonraad.

Coming from Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, Kurt likes to describe himself as an observational stand up comedian who ‘chats’ about everyday things from buying a beer to driving on the roads in South African.

A man with guts & nice legs! One of the trendiest comedians in South Africa is Pieter Dirk Uys. Yes, who knew that with cheap lipstick a man dressing up as a woman called Evita Bezuidenhout would get that much attention? Well, he did. Referring to himself as an ‘entertainer, not a satirist’ this white South African exposed the senselessness of apartheid in his own way and for that reason gained Nelson Mandela’s personal praise. ‘You are one of my heroes,’ he said to him. Uys was born in Cape Town in 1945. After studying drama at the University of Cape Town and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Drama, he went on to study in the UK at the distinguished London Film School. In 1970 he started a career in theatre and he has since written and performed 20 plays at over 30 venues with shows performed throughout South Africa and abroad. In 1994 he created the television series ‘Funigalore’, in which his character as Evita Beduizenhout, interviewed the democratic leader, Nelson Mandela. He also went on to publish novels like Trekking to Teema, which became South Africa’s first internet book in 2000. ‘In this industry you’re standing on the shoulders of giants and Uys is definitely one of those giants,’ admitted comedian Kurt Schoonraad to Cape Chameleon when asked about his thoughts on Uys. He went on to say, ‘...He’s always had the ability to extract the… uhm the urine [followed by a giggle, bet he didn’t think we’d publish that part] from politicians and did so with a lot of respect and they admire him for that… very smart man.’

Uys was awarded South Africa’s prestigious Truth and Reconciliation Award in 2001, as well as honorary degrees for his work as a

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‘born comedians tend to have funny bones. they understand comedy on a level that no one can teach them, they just feel it instead of understanding it.’ – Kurt Schoonraad

social activist against AIDS in South Africa; and continues to do good by travelling around South Africa bringing hope and laughter to over 1.5 million schools, prisons and reformatories. Living in Darling, a village near Cape Town, Uys transformed the closed station into a cabaret called Evita se Perron, where people can also visit the famous garden, called Boerassic Park and the domain of Evita Bezuidenhout or the unique museum of apartheid that reflects South Africa’s past.

Jou Ma Se... What? ‘Born comedians tend to have funny bones. They understand comedy on a level that no one can teach them, they just feel it instead of understanding it,’ said funny man Kurt Schoonraad. A superb description that followed the awkward question of whether or not he thought he was one of these ‘born comedians’ in other words, does he think he’s funny? His answer, ‘Well, I’d like to believe I’ve got funny bones, will probably have to speak to my audience to find out if I’m delusional or not.’ Yet, it seems he’s on the right track, as his positive charisma and strong mimic on its own makes one laugh. Originally from Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, Kurt likes to describe himself as an observational stand up comedian who ‘chats’ about everyday things from buying a beer to driving on the roads in South Africa. Since 1999, he has performed on international stages, as well as at the Cape Town International Comedy Festival and other South African arts festivals. Although he loves to tell stories that people can relate to and perhaps laugh at the past, it seems that there are still some South Africans who find certain aspects of the

country’s history offensive. ‘We’ve got this ethnic group in South Africa, called ‘coloured’ of which I am part. And there was once this couple who sat in the front row of one of my shows and they were so put off [he didn’t really say put off] that I used the word ‘coloured’ that they wanted their money back. I tried to explain to them what my perspective was and why I’m allowed to use the word ‘coloured’, but they weren’t willing to get it so I gave them their bucks back and they left,’ explained the comical man. Luckily for him he said he makes himself laugh, but that’s not going to pay the bills Kurt! Of course not, but his latest one-man show, Home Groan, might. Not to forget, the ‘Jou Ma Se...’ yes that’s right South Africans, the next two words are ‘Comedy Club’. Kurt Schoonraad has pioneered the Jou Ma Se Comedy Club to provide a regular reputable stand-up club for Cape Town’s laugh-craving populace and establish a support system for the industry. Established in 2008, the club doubles as a platform for up-and-coming comedy stars, as it provides an opportunity for fresh talent to brush shoulders with the more established names in the industry, as well as generating invaluable exposure for everyone who stands up to it. Every week features a Headline and Supporting Act, and a special guest Host/MC. The Open Mic slots are already a highly sought after placement for those who wish to gain entrance into this exclusive industry. Well-known South African comedians who have performed in the past at the club include: Marc Lottering, Stuart Taylor, Riaad Moosa, Nik Rabinowitz, Mel Miller, Loyisa Gola, Chris Forrest, Ndumiso Lindi, Colin Moss... to name a few. The club runs

every Thursday night at Players Café at The River Club in Observatory.

As he explained, ‘it’s not something you can do in front of a mirror, you need a willing audience’. When asked if he could tell Cape Chameleon a nice clean joke, Kurt replied ‘Urrr no! [Yes, he really did refuse... no clean jokes that day?] I don’t do the whole a-man-walks-into-a-bar joke. I don’t do jokes.’ At that very moment, he changed the subject, ‘Hold on that is the weirdest &%$# [can’t publish that word Kurt] thing I’ve ever seen.’ [There is something passing by the window] ‘That doesn’t happen too often.’ His facial expression alone at that very moment, was a joke on its own, as he watched a huge cat sculpture pass by the window, but with no rope or crane or anything but the cat sculpture. So it looks like he’s right, jokes are something that should come naturally. They should make us feel better about a depressing subject and allow us to see the light in an awkward situation. Wittiness is definitely a popular South African trait, with all the hard times this country has gone through why not take a dose of laughter to heal the sore wounds.

In a deep voice, Kurt left Cape Chameleon with some interesting words:

‘There are two kinds comedians in this world, those who have died on their asses and those who will die on their asses. It’s that simple, if you’re a comedian you’re guaranteed to die.’ For more info go to www.kurt.co.za or contact Desireé McKie (Manager) on [email protected], twitter: @joumasecomedy.

Jou Ma Se Comedy Club runs every Thursday night at Players Café at The River Club in Observatory.

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Holiday MurraynO muSiC, nO HaPPineSS

Some people claim they are the most exciting new band in the country, others have never even heard of their name, but with more than three thousand Facebook supporters it seems the popularity of the four musicians who make up the band ‘Holiday Murray’ will only increase in time.

Many listeners have categorised Holiday Murray’s music into the genres of either folk or rock, but according to the band it is a variety of genres. For James, Ellis, Justin and Chris everything started when they were studying at university, listening to different types of music and jamming to different styles. ‘We didn’t draw inspiration from one artist in particular,’ explained Chris, ‘it helps to listen to other singers and their albums – even those unknown to us – and extract something we find useful for our music’. When listening to their music it is easy to associate their style with that of other well-known artists, but there is definitely something different to Holiday Murray because when they are on stage they seem to trigger off a rather unique performance. ‘The most important process in composing our songs comes with performance,’ said James, who is considered to be the band’s organiser. They agreed to elect him as ‘band-leader’ and the one people deal with ‘and has much more time than all of us,’ added Chris followed by a short mischievous laugh. ‘Writing good lyrics is even more important, but after writing down all your emotions you must be able to develop them in the right way through a good performance.’

The band has been together since February 2009 and even after almost three years of performing, they seemed to be very excited for their gig at Zula Bar that night and with a big smile, Justin seemed to be the most

woRDS Angelo Urgo

coPY eDitoRS Kelly Easton & Gerhard Jacobs

are you in Cape town, looking for some good music? then throw on some casual clothes and head straight to Zula bar in long Street. if you fancy a drink order a cold beer, crack open the bottle, sit back, relax and treat yourself to a great line up of different bands and musical performances. Someone will be pumping up the volume, focusing the spotlight, tuning a guitar to the right pitch and right now it’s a Holiday murray showcase!

The band prepares for their performance on stage.

excited of the group. Holiday Murray is a band with a loyal affection towards Cape Town. So when asked if they would ever change their style if they were offered a contract by big-shots from an international label, their answer came almost in chorus, ‘We play music because it makes us happy; changing our style means not to be happy anymore.’ And how random is it that the ‘H’ in Holiday could stand for happiness and the ‘M’ in Murray for music? In other words for the band, ‘no music – no happiness’ sounds like their motto! On the other hand, being proud of their own style and determined to maintain it does not mean that Holiday Murray are unmotivated, as they will soon travel the world, hoping to shake hands with Mr Celebrity Status on the way.

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Ellis Silverman, the hardcore drummer.

James Tuft, singer and the ‘band organiser’.

Cape Chameleon interviewing Holiday Murray before their live concert.

Holiday Murray’s live performance at Zula Bar.

‘We play music because it makes us happy; changing our style means not to

be happy anymore.’ – Holiday murray

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Graeme Watkins Project on stage: The band’s sweeping performance let no one stand rooted to the ground.

The Graeme Watkins Projectan evening at tHe merCurY lOunge

woRDS Matteo Todisco

coPY eDitoR Hannah Cartwright

People love live performances, people love rock music. It’s 10pm and Mercury is packed with people from all walks of life. The Brothers Streep, a band from Cape Town, start playing their music, which is rather hard to define. Musicians don’t usually like labels or defining their music, but ‘happy pop acoustic’ pretty much sums it up. Known in the city for their appearance on South African Idols, the band have great live presence. Three choirs sing the symphony accompained by two acoustic guitars. Brothers Streep are five in total and, besides the usual instruments (guitar,

it is a cold Friday evening and the mercury lounge in Cape town is opening its doors, offering live music, as it does every week. the special guest of the night is graeme Watkins Project (gWP), who made their fans wait until midnight. Why? because before that fans were treated to two more South african favourites. brothers Streep and Kill Disco were ready to burn the scene. So, turn off the lights and let’s get the party started!

drums and bass) used by bands, one of them plays the keyboard. All these combine to create a good performance.

After almost an hour, the second band is ready to go on stage. Kill Disco, also from Cape Town, takes to the stage playing a kind of pop punk emo. Voice, electric guitar, drums and bass are the perfect match in creating good quality music. In the background you can pick up the influence of North American punk rock. But it is just that, because Kill have added their own unique sound

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After their sound check GWP agreed on doing on interview with Cape Chameleon. They met in the downstairs lounge of the club Mercury.

The four members of the Graeme Watkins Project enjoy a beer before their gig on Mercury’s stage. They were the third band on that Friday evening, performing after the bands The Brothers Streep and Kill Disco.

and style to the mix. This is most apparent in the indie dress code. All the while, beer flows as if it were from a river and Graeme Watkins Project (GWP) sets up for their performance, amps vibrating as a foreshadowing of what is to come.

GWP on stageRyno Zeelie on guitar, Rudo Pieterse on bass, Matthew Marinus on drums and Graeme Watkins on vocals make up GWP. The diverse backgrounds of the band members shine through in their unique sound. In fact, the band uses various genres to compose every song, resulting in an interesting blend. After the single ‘Bloodshot Eyes’ aired on local radio stations, GWP have grown in popularity and acquired quite a fan base. But, as it is often the case, it’s difficult to define a genre under which the band falls.

‘We are not an indie rock band,’ said Graeme, interviewed before the performance. ‘We are basically an alternative rock band with an indie label.’

As with most artists, GWP do not wish to be confined to a specific genre. They play music and that is all. The band have just come back from a live concert in Jeffreys Bay in South Africa to open the Billabong Pro Surfing event and are looking forward to doing some more performances in the Mother City.

‘That experience was awesome and we really appreciated playing for a huge event broadcast globally,’ Graeme continued.

At midnight everything is in place and the band take to the stage. With tracks like ‘Music Affair’, ‘I Gotta Know’ and ‘Real World’, they really get the Mercury crowd going. After almost an hour and a half the band definitely gave the fans their money’s worth.

A rock scene‘In South Africa a rock scene is alive and it would cross the borders of its country,’ said Graeme. This is so true because in South Africa there are many talented bands making up the active rock culture. The main problem is that most of them can’t travel very far to grow their fan base, because of the costs involved. They use radio stations, gigs and video clips online as channels to make themselves known.

‘Here there exists a specific indie scene,’ continued the vocalist of GWP. In South Africa, on the opposite side of the world from where the indie movement is born (UK and USA), the local scene is growing fast. Them The Groove, Desmond & The Tutus, Holiday Murray and Fire Through The Window play great indie music.

HopesWe are not in the Soho of Manhattan (New York, USA) or in Liverpool, Manchester (UK) where rock ‘n’ roll laid the foundations of modern music. Cape Town is a world away, but thanks to hard working talent and the internet, a vibrant rock scene exists here. Now it’s up to us. Take note of the Graeme Watkins Project (and others) and spread the word, because they are just waiting to cross over into the international scene.

One day hopefully we might see them on the top of international charts!

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Cape Chameleon review Issue 14 2011

City Bowl Market on Hope

WHere CaPe FOODieS meet

woRDS Myrthe de Smit

coPY eDitoRS Kelly Easton & Matthew Strachan

every Saturday, the unique City bowl market fills the air in Hope Street with a delicious aroma – tempting all to taste the extraordinary homemade food. ‘People come back every week for their vegetables, spices, cheese and biltong and that was what we were aiming for,’ said the market organiser madelen Johansson, who can definitely pat herself on the back for launching the successful venue in april 2011 – an absolute catalyst for the growth of the gardens area.

As soon as you enter the market the first stall you see sells locally grown vegetables at a low price.

The market is housed in a picturesque building that used to be the Zionist Hall, a Jehovah’s Witness Church and Indian Temple.

Nothing smells better than the freshly-baked homemade muffins sold at the market.

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The market has a variety of different food, from European to Asian dishes.

Foodies, drinks & peopleThe market is housed on a historical property that used to be the Zionist Hall, once a Jehovah’s Witness Church and Indian Temple. According to Madelen, ‘local café owners can open their cafés on Saturday mornings, because of the visitors in this area’ and by doing so it makes the City Bowl Market helpful to small local businesses.

Many of the customers agree that there is a very attractive atmosphere at the City Bowl Market and one thing very noticeable is the way in which it caters for their local customers. The organisers created not only an inside, but also an outside lounge corner where people have time to relax after shopping. Another positive aspect is that everyone knows each other and if you are a stranger you will feel welcomed.

The gourmet food is also a big attraction. Most of the products are homemade and very appealing to most people and as soon as you enter the market the first stall you see sells locally grown vegetables at a low price. Madelen selects every trader carefully, as she wants them to care deeply for their products. For example one of the stallholders is a mother who runs her stand with her daughter and they make their own ice cream. The love they have for what they do can be seen in the way they present their delicious product.

Craftsmanship is one of the specialties of this market not only for food, but also for jewellery, flowers and fashion. The market on Hope Street has 50 stallholders and

Fresh and homemade bread is rather popular at a food market.

One of the traders sells different kinds of garden-fresh spices, such as: peppers, sage, masala and cumin.

Once you’ve found something nice to eat, for example a nice curry or just some bread with cheese, you can find different places inside and outside to eat and relax.

The City Bowl Market is a place where you can do most of your grocery shopping, have something to eat, meet up with some friends or a combination of everything.

there is also a monthly fashion market with 30 extra stallholders. ‘There are about 110 companies on my waiting list, both food and fashion/craft wanting to come on-board City Bowl Market on Hope,’ explained Madelen.

The City Bowl Market has risen to social spot where friends and family meet every Saturday. The market is very promising and there are more than a hundred traders on the waiting list and she is now busy expanding the market with more variety. The City Bowl market is a worthwhile attraction for the Gardens area and for the market-mad Capetonians.

The City Bowl Market trades every Saturday between 9am–12pm. It is situated at 14 Hope Street, Gardens.

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Cape Chameleon Sport Issue 14 2011

SCOREa Winning tranSFOrmatiOn

woRDS Angelo Urgo


Cape Chameleon had the chance to sit down with the ‘brains’ behind SCORE and talk with the Executive Director, Stefan Howells, to find out more about his organisation, which has been around since 1990. ‘We use sport and children love sport. We enter into a process of discussion with them until they all agree with the activity. For example, if kids

‘Success in soccer is no accident. it is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love for what you are doing or learning to do,’ said legendary football player, Pele. His words are undoubtedly the correct formula for children to learn how to improve their lives through sport and because of the devoted organisation SCOre international, there is great opportunity for positive change in many underprivileged communities.

SCORE uses sport as a catalyst for the youth to reach for the previously unattainable and in doing so help their communities grow on a socio-economic level.

don’t like football then we use another kind of sport. At the end they naturally leave the gangs, leave the drugs and attend school,’ explained Howells. This is due to the fact that just a few people, a ball and an open field can create an enormous change and motivate young children to focus on something constructive.

‘Practicing and learning something about themselves, their own skills and interacting with other people are important, as well as enjoying the actual sport,’ said Howell, and it is in that sense that SCORE promotes a leadership programme for children. ‘We just support and facilitate the process of organising the sport and also staying in a team, having a coach not much older than

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SCORE has the expertise to coach more than 20 different sporting disciplines, which is made possible by volunteers from around 22 different countries worldwide.

they are and living in a supportive environment. All this makes a relevant impact both on children and in their communities... Sometimes communities have other issues (political or cultural) and they need to sort them out first. Sport in this case cannot be a magic medicine, but helping children and providing them with spaces for playing into freedom has never been refused,’ described Howell.

ApproachIn light of the fact that each community has different problems, the first important thing for SCORE is compiling a profile of the community. According to SCORE, it is important that they have a clear vision of what they want to do and how the organisation can help. Their approach is also process-based: supporting and guiding a community is paramount as well. ‘In this sense I think that sport is the best, as it is a platform for everything. We believe there is more value in sport than it appears,’ said Howell. SCORE has recruited volunteers from around 22 countries, including Australia, USA, Canada and Zambia. ‘We search for people,’ began Thandeka Njozela – SCORE Volunteer Coordinator – ‘who are good at sports, have a teaching qualification, are able to talk with children and understand the challenges within the community. The relationship between volunteers and local people can last for years.’

South African challengesSadly, in South Africa there are many obstacles which prevent young children from participating in sport. Howells explained that there are communities that deal with poverty, diseases and educational issues. An example is Hanover Park, an area plagued by violence, drugs and gangs. ‘You have to make sure you create a safe space for the kids, work with the police, talk with people and listen to them,’ assured the Director who makes a plan even in the toughest of environments.

Volunteers pass on their skills through sport and train locals to do the same.

SCORE’s long-term goals include increasing sports participation and increasing capacity in sport, leadership and life skills.

according to SCOre, it is important that they have a clear vision of what they want to do and how the organisation can help. their approach is also process-based: supporting and guiding a community is paramount as well.

UbuntuAt the core of their values is Ubuntu, a humanitarian philosophy based on people, partnerships and relations. When asked what Ubuntu means to SCORE, Howells had the following to say, ‘It is a kind of international charity model, where people who have everything could give help to people who have nothing. Respect and equality is obviously important, but partnership is important as well for the development of the organisation. It is very important that the relationship with the community is clear.’

If young children can learn how to play fair and with integrity, then perhaps this will postively impact their lives, as they will learn the positive aspects of team work. By forgetting backgrounds that are centred around poverty, gansterism, drugs and violence, children can enjoy themselves in a healthy and productive way that contributes to their future. This organisation has definitely scored a winning goal by helping children and their communities through sport.

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Cape Chameleon Sport Issue 14 2011

woRDS Melanie Sisson


Sandboarding a Fun aDventure

The most important technique to learn with sandboarding is balancing your weight.

there are numerous sand dunes in South africa including those in atlantis, a huge 250m dune in betty’s bay in the Western Cape and plenty at the benoni mine dumps in Johannesburg. the world record for speed on sandboard is held by erik Johnson, who reached a speed of 51mph.

A group of ten Projects Abroad volunteers decided to try out this relatively new adventure sport, as commercial sandboarding for tourists was only introduced into South Africa in 2006. The Sandboarding South Africa League was re-established in 2007 after collapsing a few years after its inception in 2000. Step by stepWe were collected in a 4x4 and transported to the heart of the dunes where we were talked through safety regulations, the process of waxing the boards and the art of carving, which involves shifting your weight from your heels to your toes forcing the board to steer left or right.

The trick with sandboarding is to balance your weight whilst simultaneously carving to steer the board. It sounds simple enough, but several of us ended up with a face full of sand and broken sunglasses after falling head-first down a dune.

The most fun for me was sitting on the sandboard and sliding down the dune instead of trying unsuccessfully to balance. Those with experience in snowboarding took to sandboarding straight away, as we were using modified snowboards and the technique is the same.

The session lasted three hours, which was plenty of time because dragging both yourself and a board up a 35m dune to slide back down again gets tiring. Perhaps this is partly why sandboarding isn’t as popular as snowboarding, as it would be difficult to install mechanised lifts on a sand dune. However, the main advantage is that there is sand all year round, as opposed to snow that usually falls only in the winter season.

The experience is something new, exciting and tiring; and your legs won’t let you forget about it for at least a couple of days after!

although the sport isn’t everyone’s forte, the views were spectacular; table mountain was clear in the background and all around were picturesque dunes that looked fantastic in the sunlight. it was quite easy to forget that we were only 40km away from the bustling city.

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Both the equipment and the volunteers were driven to the dunes in a 4x4 – the only way to navigate over the sand.

Sandboards are usually modified snowboards and the bottom of the board is waxed to glide in the sand.

It was a picturesque place to visit, with Table Mountain in the distance, which definitely helped to make the aches and pains worth it the next day!

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Cape Chameleon Faces & Places Issue 14 2011

At first sight, Cape Town and Berlin seem to be the most diverse cities with the most obvious differences being that both are located on completely different continents, more than 15,000km away from each other. Cape Town faces the Atlantic Ocean and is surrounded by breathtaking beaches and mountains like Lions Head and Table Mountain.

Berlin, on the other hand, is not at all surrounded by mountains and oceans, but rather by a mixture of green landscapes, farms, railways and some lakes. It seems obvious at this point in time which city seems the most beautiful, with its natural splendour. Yet there is something about Berlin, which attracts tourists and keeps certain Germans loyal to this city.

Similarities around the world Besides the above differences, Berlin and Cape Town have several aspects of daily life in common. Take for instance the bakeries spread all over both of these cities. Berlin’s bakeries are famous

BerlineXPlOring tHe HiStOriC CitY

woRDS Franziska Nixdorf


During my stay in South africa i met a woman called melanie at the baz bus head office in Cape town. Chatting about our home countries, our conversation unavoidably led to my hometown berlin – germany’s capital. ‘i was in berlin during the World Cup 2006 – what an amazing city, i have to go there again,’ was melanie’s reaction, she herself being from Johannesburg. recognising her honest interest in berlin i started to wonder – what is so unique about my city?

Berlin offers, besides many other historical buildings, various museums of international standing. The Bodemuseum is one of them, lying directly on the Spree river. From there tourists can also catch a glimpse of the capital’s TV-Tower.

Berlin’s inhabitants originate from more than 180 different countries. This multiculturalism leads to the city’s standards of openness and tolerance.

for their ‘Streuselschnecken’, ‘Apfelkrapfen’ and of course, the ‘Berliner’ – a frosted cake filled with jam. And Cape Town is appreciated for its many delicious sweets and brownies and not forgetting the milk tart.

Another similiarity besides the tasty baked goods is the ‘love-hate’ relationship Berliners and Capetonians have with public transport. ‘Train number X is delayed. We apologise for the inconvenience,’ two phrases known among every German and, yes even more so, every South African who needs to and from work with public transport will probably curse the delays and cancellations. In Berlin and in Cape Town, trains don’t work properly!

Outstanding traits of Berlin If you’ve managed to catch a train or other means of public transport, then Berlin is a city offering a great variety of attractions. ‘You experience a metropolis, great boulevards, museums of international standing, three operas, several

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universities, and yet not far from all of this you can find idyllic garden suburbs, ancient village squares, forests and bodies of water. That altogether, that is Berlin,’ explained the city’s mayor, Klaus Wowereit, in an interview with Cape Chameleon. According to the city’s website, Berlin was founded in the 12th century and developed out of the two merchants’ housing estates Berlin and Cölln. Other Berlin sights, such as the avenue and later the street ‘Unter den Linden’, the oldest medical centre called Charité and the Castle Charlottenburg, were created about 400 years later. Since the 1740s Berlin developed under Friedrich the Great into a centre of enlightenment and intensive architectural constructions. During that time representative buildings were created that still define the urban image of Berlin: The Armoury (today Historical Museum), the State Opera, the Crown Prince-Palace and the Prince-Henry-Palace which later became Berlin’s first and famous university, Humboldt-University. From 1788–1791 the most attractive sight for tourists, the Brandenburg Gate, was built and, after being destroyed in the Second World War, reconstructed in 1958.

Among all of these and many other sights of Berlin there is still today in the mind of the people an outstanding symbol of Germany’s and even the world’s history, although it does not exist any more: The Berlin Wall. It divided the city of Berlin, the

The Brandenburg Gate is probably the most famous sight in Berlin. Dating back to the 18th century, it is a popular tourist attraction.

whole country into Western and Eastern Germany for 28 years and led to a different social, cultural and historical development of both disjointed parts.

The establishment & fall of the Berlin WallThe reasons for the establishment of the Berlin Wall can be traced back to the post-war situation in Germany. The country as well as Berlin itself was divided among the representatives of the allies, leading to the division of Berlin into four sectors administrated by the USA, UK, France or the Soviet Union. The common administration between those different allies, however, did not work successfully – Berlin became the focus of the Cold War being split into Western and Eastern Berlin. Due to the enforced collectivisation within Eastern Germany, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants fled to Western Berlin, Western Germany’s capital at that time. To stop any more refugees from leaving the country, the GDR started to establish the Berlin Wall along the sector’s borders on 13 August 1961.

Only a growing civil movement in Eastern Germany demanding for reforms within the country and the realisation of the freedom of opinion, press and assembly in 1989 made the fall of the Berlin Wall possible. Due to the pressure of the mass of demonstrators, the GDR was forced on 9 November 1989 to open the Berlin

Wall and the border within Germany. But how much are the historical issues of the Berlin Wall still anchored in the people’s consciousness?

‘Certainly, everyone has their own biography with all its formative experiences, which applies to the people in the former Eastern part as well as to the people in the previous Western part. … Generally I think that we do not feel those differences in real life any more. That applies even more to the generations, which have grown up in the 20 years after the fall of the Wall,’ responded Wowereit.

‘Multi-culti’Today, Berlin comprises people from all walks of life, ‘originating from over 180 countries’, according to the city’s mayor. The intolerance and suppression of certain ethnic groups seems an issue of the past. Still, like in every other city and country, certain individuals with extremist views are not completely avoidable. Nevertheless, Berlin is fighting those discriminatory views in order to vouch its high standards of openness and cultural acceptance.

‘Berlin and the city’s civil society show faith against racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, right wing radicalism as well as against homophobia. We all have recognised that cultural diversity is a great benefit for the city. That is how creativity develops, that is how we gather young people for our city,’ said Klaus Wowereit.

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Cape Chameleon useful Contacts Issue 14 2011

Useful contacts

> baCKSberg

Wine EstateFranschhoek 7690 Western Cape (t) 021 875 5141 (e) [email protected] www.backsberg.co.zaBacksberg is the first and only vineyard

in South Africa to attain carbon neutral

status and one of just three in the world

to hold this accolade.

> baPHumelele CHilDren’S HOme Z118 Dabula Street Khayelitsha Cape Town 7784 (t) 021 361 8631 (e) [email protected] www.baphumelele.org.za

Baphumelele provides orphans with a

stable, loving and permanent home.

It also serves as a place of safety for

children in crisis 24 hours a day.

> CaPenature

Private Bag X29 Gatesville Cape Town 7766 (t) 021 483 0000 (e) [email protected] www.capenature.co.za

CapeNature is a public institution

with the statutory responsibility for

biodiversity conservation in the Western

Cape.

> DePartment OF envirOnmental aFFairS

Private Bag X447 Pretoria 0001 (t) 012 3103221 (e) [email protected] www.environment.gov

This department is to protect, conserve

and enhance our environment, natural

and heritage assets and resources.

> SHaWCO HeaD OFFiCe

Braemar Cottage Anzio Road Observatory Cape Town 7925 (t) 021 406 6740 (e) [email protected] www.shawco.org

What started off as a one-man initiative

quickly grew into one of the country’s

largest volunteer organisation, running

health and welfare projects throughout

South Africa.

> valleY DevelOPment PrOJeCt – OPen DOOr CliniC

PO Box 22465 Fish Hoek Cape Town 7974 (t) 021 785 2292 (e) [email protected] www.valleydevelopment.co.za

VDP began in 1989 as a satellite project

of Catholic Welfare and Development

with the aim of improving the lives

of people living in the Ocean View

and Masiphumelele communities in

Noordhoek Valley.

CaPe tOWn green maP(e) [email protected] map encourages people to live and play more sustainably and to make ‘greener’ lifestyle choices.

> greenPOP

17 Commercial Street Cape Town 8000 (t) 021 461 9265 (e) [email protected] www.greenpop.org

Greenpop takes corporate teams out

to plant trees, build relationships and

reconnect with nature while giving back

to the children of South Africa.

> JOu ma Se COmeDY Club (JmSCC) The River Club Observatory Cape Town (t) 083 479 3489(e) [email protected] www.kurt.co.za

Comedian Kurt Schoonraad has

pioneered JMSCC to provide a regular

reputable stand-up club for Cape Town’s

laugh-craving populace and establish a

support system for the industry.

> mOntebellO DeSign Centre31 Newlands Avenue Newlands Cape Town 7708 (t) 021 685 6445 (e) [email protected] www.montebello.co.za

Montebello is home to a broad spectrum

of designers and artists, from jewellers to

painters, film makers to landscapers etc.

> SCOre internatiOnal

24 Burleigh House Barrack Street Cape Town 8000 (t) 021 461 0466 (e) [email protected] www.score.orgSCORE is an international NPO

specialising in community development

through sport and recreation.

41

Sponsored by:

this magazine is published by Projects abroad, which organises an incredibly wide range of projects, including teaching, care, conservation, medical, journalism, business and law. these projects are

designed specially for the many communities where we work and also to provide the best experience for our volunteers. Projects abroad is a non-profit making organisation.

cape chameleon issue 14

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