Tag Archives: Cape Town

2020 Olympic Bid: Next big thing or red herring?

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Cape Town is already a popular global and local events city – think Design Indaba, Cycle Tour, Jazz Festival, CT Carnival, World Economic Forum, Mining Indaba,  etc - and we have strengthened our reputation by helping to host a successful Football World Cup. We need now to be planning how to bid for more sporting and cultural events in …

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So who are we as a city?

So who are we as a city

A few weeks ago, I expressed my disappointment about the set of images that attempt to showcase Cape Town in the new arrivals hall passageway at the Cape Town Airport (But where are all the people?) Subsequently, Cape Town Tourism sent me images of their new display on the international arrivals …

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“We won the French!”

You would swear from the reaction of the crowd in the streets after the Bafana-French match that we were through to the next round. Everyone was beaming, blowing vuvuzelas, and dancing up and down with great pride. My best moment was when a stranger came up to me in Long Street and shouted …

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Perfect day, perfect walk

On one of the most beautiful winter days in Cape Town that I can remember, it was wonderful to take a break from football action to explore Signal Hill for a few hours. Even though I’ve been walking the Fan Walk, I certainly needed the exercise after many tense moments in front of the TV (Yes, …

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Heaven forbid we return to business as usual in the city

Cape Town will never be the same again. Not after the experience of the World Cup. I’m not talking about the infrastructure legacy, or the new facilities created, or the worldwide exposure for Cape Town as a destination. I’m talking about the way in which our attitudes to using the city …

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Cheer up – there’s life after Bafana Bafana

“Back to life, back to reality” sang Soul II Soul back in the 1990s and boy, does that apply after the football lesson we received from Uruguay last night. We are all in need of a little pick-me-up, and what better than a great new anthem about Cape Town just released by local …

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350 000 people in Cape Town Central City for start of Football World Cup

The City of Cape Town estimates that an astounding 350 000 people visited the Cape Town Central City area on Friday 11 June to watch the World Cup Opening Ceremony and Bafana Bafana-Mexico game on TV and to attend the opening match at the CT Stadium, with 250 000 in …

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I love it when a plan comes together

“I love it when a plan comes together” was one of the catchphrases of John ‘Hannibal’ Smith, a character in the popular 1980s TV-series, The A-Team. I felt like repeating it on Friday evening when I saw 20 000 people (the City of Cape Town’s official figure) using the Cape Town …

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Fan Walk will provide unique flavour to Cape Town’s World Cup

The Fan Walk, which connects the Cape Town Central City to the Cape Town Stadium, is based on an adaptation of the route followed by the Cape Minstrels or Kaapse Klopse every year for the traditional Tweede Nuwe Jaar (2nd January) carnival procession. In other words, it is a route familiar to …

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But where are all the people?

When I was young, my dad used to tell me a nursery rhyme that involved the interlocking of fingers and hands in a particular way to show “here’s the church, here’s the steeple, look inside, and there are all the people”. Then, after a quick change in grip, the fingers …

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Cape Town gees (spirit)? – We’re getting there!

There’s been quite a bit a talk about Cape Town not being in the mood for the World Cup. Sure, we sometimes take a bit longer than other parts of the country to get going. But don’t just count the number of flags on cars or lamp-posts. Rather, walk around …

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A bold plan to meet India’s urban challenges

Comparisons are often salutary. Just when we think that the challenges around poverty, inequality and under-development in South Africa are daunting, you realise that somewhere else, the scale of the problem is 100 times greater.

I had the opportunity to meet recently with Aromar Revi, Director of the Indian Institute of

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