Launched three years ago as part of Southern Cross School’s fund-raising campaign, the Laborie African Bush Banquet is clearly more than just some local potjie cook-out. <i>Earthyear</i> joins a unique bush bash that provides funds for education and a marketing opportunity for ecotourism outfits.
High-tech and nature fuse into a big "Y’ello the future" as I enter MTN’s new headquarters, appropriately called the Innovation Centre, in 14th Avenue, Fairlands, Johannesburg. MTN’s new building complies with the targets for sustainable building set up by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Bettie Lambrecht pays a visit to find out what this means.
The school choir, neatly dressed in pale blue uniforms, is lined up just inside the school’s gates when we arrive at Kgaugelo Middle School in GaRankuwa. Learners mingle with guests, quietly abuzz with anticipation. A banner faces the gate, welcoming “Byron from the De Wildt Cheetah & Wildlife Trust”. Byron, in all his spotted glory, is a wildlife ambassador.
Busisiwe Nhlapo’s house burnt down last year, just three days before Christmas, one of 200 razed as fire swept through Joe Slovo squatter camp in Johannesburg. The City of Johannesburg has compiled a booklet called <i>A Better House</i>, to “offer practical advice to communities on how to improve existing rudimentary dwellings”, Masondo said. <i>Earthyear<i> takes a closer look.
In 2002, South Africa successfully hosted the World Summit on Sustainable Development, enabling the world to negotiate a plan and set targets to shift global growth onto a sustainable path. Last year, South Africa commemorated the first anniversary of the World Summit with a media campaign and stakeholder roundtable discussion. This year, the second anniversary will be marked by a more memorable suite of high-level events, to take place between 1 to 4 September at the Sandton International Convention Centre, Johannesburg.
For the true private buyer, the major element of a new car purchase is the finance. With most people focusing on the monthly repayment, they rarely calculate or appreciate how much interest they pay overall. For all but a privileged minority, the leasing option is not a viable route to car ownership, argues Colin Windell in his second article on car prices.
South Africa is poised for the final phasing out of leaded petrol, eliminating lead as an air pollutant and reducing engine wear. Catalytic converters, fitted in all new engines internationally, cannot operate on leaded petrol. To preserve its growing export potential, the local car industry fully backs the change. The cut-off for leaded petrol manufacture is January 1 2006.
South Africa’s decade-old democracy presents us with many confounding questions about the nature of our freedom and our relationships with one another. Deep divisions of race, class, language, culture, religion, income and education persist and, in some cases, have even increased. In the midst of this, gender sometimes gets lost despite being possibly the most important aspect of identity.
It is perhaps no coincidence that the Big Five appear on South Africa’s currency. Leopard, buffalo, lion, elephant and rhino distinguish our R200, R100, R50, R20 and R10 notes, respectively. Should we put price tags on our wildlife? <i>Earthyear</i>tallies the cost of conservation.
Booing spectators halted the Olympic horizontal bar final for nearly 10 minutes on Monday, expressing their frustration at what turned into the latest of several gymnastics judging controversies. In a surreal scene unlike anything gymnastics veterans had ever encountered, jeers and whistles of disgust cascaded upon judges.