Statue of Madiba is unveiled in Cape Town
THE Western Cape
government has unveiled
a statue on the balcony of
Cape Town’s City Hall, capturing
the moment when Nelson
Mandela gave his first speech
as a free man in February
1990.
The 1,95m statue depicts
Nelson Mandela wearing a grey
suit like the one worn on the
day, down to the polka- dot tie
and white pocket handkerchief.
In his hand he holds a page
bearing the first paragraph
of the speech. The text also
appears in Braille.
At the unveiling, Western
Cape Premier, Hele Zille
said: “The statue will form
part of the new Madiba
Legacy tourism route, which
is expected to attract many
more visitors to our region. The
route begins at Robben Island,
and moves through historic
landmarks such as Parliament,
before ending here at City
Hall.”
The statue was created by
artists Barry Jackson and
Xhanti Mpakama through
Koketso Growth, spearheaded
by Dali Tambo, who said: “We
wanted it to be perfect; it’s
going to be there for more than
300 years with some waxing
and polishing, and so you want
people, now and in the future,
to be gifted by it, to remember
that special moment.
Addo extends popular hiking trail
ADDO Elephant National
Park has extended one of
the walking trails in the
Zuurberg section of the
park to a five-hour walk. The
Doringnek Hiking Trail leads
hikers through the Zuurberg
mountain range on a circular
route, beginning at the
Zuurberg permit office.
The route is now 12km in
length and includes a picnic
spot along the way. The route
also passes Otto’s Pool where
hikers can cool off on hot
days.
The Zuurberg Mountains are
home to four of Addo’s five
biomes – fynbos, grasslands,
forest and subtropical thicket.
The area also has three cycad
species and two yellowwood
species, all endangered.
Hikers will be able to spot
reedbuck, red hartebeest,
bushbuck and other small
antelope as well as monkeys,
baboons and dassies.
Bird watching is also a
popular activity in the area.
There is no charge for the
hike but hikers will need to
pay the conservation fee to
enter the park. Only cash
payments are accepted or a
valid permit from one of the
other sections of the park.
Gates open at 07h00.
Hikers must set out no
later than 12h30 to be
finished in time for gate
closure at 17h30.
New market to entice visitors to Elgin
THE Elgin Railway Market
in Grabouw, which opened
on June 16, hosts local
vendors, and a steam train
operates a few times a
month in partnership with
Ceres Railway Company.
Food vendors offer
curries and pub-style foods,
to health dishes and local
specialities such as jaffels,
vetkoek and biltong. Live
music plays throughout
the weekend, and a
children’s play area is
under construction, which
will include climbing walls,
ziplines, jungle gyms and
roundabouts. Nearby are
Elgin and Grabouw’s famed
wine farms and attractions.
The railway market is open
on Fridays from 16h00 to
20h00, and on Saturdays,
Sundays and weekdays
from 09h00 to 17h00.
Discover the origins of man
UNTIL August 31, Spier Wine
Farm in Stellenbosch is
hosting the Origins of Early
Sapiens Behaviour exhibition.
Presented by the
Evolutionary Studies
Institute of the University
of the Witwatersrand
and the Centre for Early
Sapiens Behaviour at the
University of Bergen, the
exhibition showcases
the archaeological relics
discovered along the
southern Cape coastline
over the past 25 years
by Professor Christopher
Henshilwood, Dr Karen van
Niekerk and their teams.
The exhibition is open daily
from 08h00 until 17h00.
Admission is free.
Talking Maps comes to Tshwane
TALKING Maps has launched
a ‘talking printed map’ that
works in conjunction with a
talking pen.
Travellers can plan their tour
of Tshwane by hovering the
pen over points on the map
and hearing the narrative
behind the area’s tourism
attractions.
The map is available in
English and Afrikaans but the
aim is to introduce up to eight
languages, including a local
black language.
The map and pen can be
ordered by contacting Talking
Maps through its website,
www.talkingmaps.co.za. Future
plans are to simplify access
by distributing them in hotel
lobbies.
