Your free in-flight magazine
Issue 07
July - Sept 2014
Page 16
Big Five An Indian Ocean quintet
Page 40
TOP EVENTS Your guide to what’s on in South Africa
Style Guru
Sheria Ngowi, designer
Page 12
34
On the rise African cosmetics
contents Issue 07 | July - September 2014
REGULAR FEATURES
SPECIAL FEATURES
USEFUL INFORMATION
3 WELCOME
16 OCEAN BIG FIVE
62 Travel Information 63 THE FASTJET NETWORK 64 fastjet fleet 64 FastJet Contacts
A message from fastjet’s Chief Executive
6 fastjet SNACK MENU 9 fastjet news 50 LOOK INSIDE
InterContinental Lusaka
52 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Moyo
54 CAR REVIEW
Volvo XC60
56 PRODUCT REVIEW
3D printing
58 LATEST RELEASES
What’s new in your bookshop and cinema
61 kidS’ corner Cover Story Sheria Ngowi – Tanzania’s Style Guru
21 African Art
Is Africa’s art world a sleeping giant?
24 Cradle of Humankind
Exploring the heights – and depths – of human evolution
29 Zambia Property
Many reasons to invest in Zambian property
32 Tanzania Sailing
‘Cat’ lovers get set
34 Cosmetics
Personal beauty? It’s what being African is all about…
38 Tanzania Wine
Success story with a refreshing new flavour
travelsmart Smart Thinking
Smart Shopping
Smart Travel
Published by Land & Marine Publications LTD 1 Kings Court, Newcomen Way Severalls Business Park, Colchester Essex CO4 9RA, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1206 752902 Email: publishing@landmarine.com www.landmarine.com ADVERTISING: Catherine O’Callaghan, Sales Manager Tel: +44 (0)1206 752902 Cell: +44 (0)7769 110343 Email: travelsmart@landmarine.org
on behalf of
40 South Africa Events
From oysters to orange daisies
44 Great Goatsby
It’s great to be a Goatsby...
46 Secret swimming
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All this – and whales and turtles, too
Make a splash without splashing out…
49 Tanzania Construction
Building boom materialises
Registered Office and Head Office, Suite 2C, First Point Buckingham Gate, Gatwick Airport, RH6 0NT Tel: +44 (0)20 3651 6355 Email: info@fastjet.com www.fastjet.com The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor, or any other organisation associated with this publication. No liability can be accepted for any inaccuracies or omissions. ©2014 Land & Marine Publications Ltd
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FROM THE CONTROL TOWER A message from Chief Executive Ed Winter
Welcome on board Karibu kwenye ndege yetu Welkom aan boord karibu katika ndege yetu ‘Karibu kwenye ndege yetu’ Nafurahi kukukaribisha kwa kufuraha kubwa katika ndege yetu ya fastjet, ndege inayoongoza kwa kupendwa. Kila siku, wateja wamekua wakiongezeka zaidi na kujionea wenyewe huduma bora kwa kusafiri na fastjet. Mara baada ya uzinduzi miezi 18 iliyopita, tumeendelea kutoa huduma za hali ya juu, uhakika na kuruka na kutua ndani ya muda kumeendelea kuvunja rekodi za usafiri wa anga. Wateja wamekuwa wakiisifia fastjet kwa mfumo wa nauli ya bei ya nafuu na uhakika hata kama wamekata tiketi kwa bei ndogo sana kwa kununua tiketi mapema, muda wa safari ukiwadia watafika mahali wanapoenda kwa muda sahihi. Ili kuweka gharama za usafiri kuwa chini zaidi, abiria watalipia vitu vya ziada kama vile mabegi na pia vyakula na vinywaji ndani ya ndege ambavyo watahitaji. Tunafahamu umuhimu wa bei na uhakika wa safari kwa wateja wetu na tumejitahidi sana kuuweka sawa kama ilivyo sasa. Usafiri wa Anga Afrika umekuwa wa ghali kwa muda mrefu mno, kwetu fastjet tunaendelea kuweka demokrasia katika usafiri wa anga na tunaamini tumefanya maendeleo makubwa katika jambo hilo. Siku zote huwa nafurahi sana kukutana na wateja ambao ni mara yao ya kwanza kusafiri na ndege; watu ambao kwa sasa wanaweza kusafiri kwa ndege kwa
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elcome, ‘Karibu kwenye ndege yetu’, ‘Welkom aan boord’. I would like to give you my warm personal welcome on board fastjet, Africa’s most liked airline. Every day, more and more customers are experiencing smart travel with fastjet. Just over 18 months after our first flight, our consistently high standards, reliability and punctuality continue to break African aviation records.
We know how important price and reliability are to our passengers and we have worked hard to deliver on both of these for you
Customers have fully embraced fastjet’s low-cost model and have confidence that even when they get the lowest fares by booking flights early, when the time comes they will arrive at their destination on time. To keep the cost of travel down even more, passengers only pay for the extras, such as baggage and food and drink on board, that they really need. We know how important price and reliability are to our passengers and we have worked hard to deliver on both of these for you. Air travel in Africa has been prohibitively expensive for too many for far too long. At fastjet we remain intent on democratising African air travel and believe we’ve certainly made great progress with this. I am always delighted to meet customers on board who are first-time flyers; people who are now able to travel by plane thanks to our low fares.
fastjet flights
Smart travel Consistently high standards
Our recently launched fastjet flights between Dar es Salaam and Lusaka continue to be extremely popular. We are currently in discussions with the Zambian government and aviation authorities to establish a base in Zambia from which we will operate both domestic and international flights. By connecting tourist hotspots, we hope to help to strengthen Zambia’s tourism indus-
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sababu ya nauli zetu za bei ya chini. Safari mpya kati ya Dar Es Salaam na Lusaka zilizozinduliwa hivi karibuni zinaendelea kupata umaarufu kwa kuwa na abiria wengi. Kwa sasa tunaendelea na majadiliano na serikali ya Zambia na mamlaka ya usafiri wa anga kwa ajili ya kuweka kituo cha uendeshaji nchini Zambia ili tuweze kuendesha shughuli za usafiri wa anga ndani na nje ya Zambia. Kwa kuunganisha utalii, tunatarajia kukuza na kuupa uimara sekta ya utalii Zambia. Kwa sasa nauli za ndege kati ya Zambia na nchi inayoizunguka ni ya bei za juu sana, hivyo tunatarajia kuibadilisha kwa nauli zetu za bei ya chini kwa thamani kubwa. Tunategemea kuzindua safari za fastjet nchini Zambia mwisho wa mwaka huu. Miezi michache ijayo tutatangaza safari nyingine ya kimataifa ambayo italeta chapa bora ya fastjet, kuonyesha uhakika na thamani bora kwa wateja wengi zaidi. Angalia matangazo kwa ajili ya safari mpya na offer kabambe kwenye fastjet.com au kwenye kurasa za facebook. Njia rahisi ya kupata nauli ya bei nafuu ni kupitia tovuti ya fastjet. com, lakini unaweza kununua tiketi kupitia mawakala wa tiketi, kampuni za utalii au katika ofisi zetu za fastjet. Kutokana na ushirikiano na makampuni, kwa sasa tunatoa huduma ya bei nafuu ya kukodisha Magari katika nchi za Afrika na bei za chini zaidi za huduma ya kuhifadhi Magari nchini Afrika Kusini. Ahsante sana kwa ushirikiano wako na pia kwa kutupa nafasi ya kukuhudumia. Tunashukuru kwa kutuamini na tunakukaribisha sana, tunategemea utakuwa msafiri wa ndege zetu za fastjet kwa siku zijazo. Kama una maoni yatakayo tusaidia kuboresha huduma zetu, tafadhali tujulishe kupitia customer.tanzania@ fastjet.com au customer.southafrica@fastjet.com Na pia kama umependa huduma zetu, tafadhali muambie rafiki yako. Ni matumaini yetu kuwa umefurahia safari yako na fastjet. Wako, Ed Winter Mkurugenzi Mtendaji
try. Currently, fares from Zambia to surrounding countries are too high for most, but we plan to change that with our great-value low fares. We expect to launch fastjet Zambia by the end of the year. Over the coming months we will be announcing more international connections that will bring the fastjet brand, symbolising reliability and great value, to even more customers. Look out for new route announcements and special offers at fastjet.com or on our facebook pages.
Lowest fares The easiest way to access our lowest fares is on fastjet.com but you can also buy our flights through travel agents, tour operators or at fastjet ticket offices. Through new industry partnerships, we now also offer low-cost car hire across Africa and competitively priced online parking services in South Africa. Thank you so much for your support and for the opportunity to serve you. We appreciate the confidence you have placed in us and look forward to welcoming you on many more fastjet flights in the future. If you think we can do something better, please let us know at customer.tanzania@fastjet.com or customer.southafrica@fastjet.com And if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends! We hope you enjoy your flight with fastjet. Sincerely,
IN THIS ISSUE Welcome
Welcome to Travelsmart – fastjet’s quarterly magazine. For this issue’s cover story we profile Sheria Ngowi, one of Tanzania’s most influential young fashion designers, who has created the new-look uniforms for fastjet. As everyone knows, Africa has a Big Five and a Small Five. In this issue we look at the Indian Ocean Big Five, a quintet of subsea creatures that are even harder to spot than their land-based counterparts. It can sell for crazy amounts, but is African art about to see a sharp rise in values and should these even be welcomed? Perhaps it’s better to acquire property and Travelsmart focuses on the Zambian market. Bound for Jo’burg? We visit the Cradle of Humankind attraction. We also take a look at secret places to swim in the City of Gold. Cosmetics are big business in South Africa. Travelsmart takes a close look at a US$ 2.5 billion market. Staying in Dar, have you tasted Tanzanian wine? If not, now is the time to sample East Africa’s fastimproving vintages. We look at Dar Yacht Club’s top events. And what is it about goat races? We find out at the Dar ‘derby’. Finally, in two truly amazing spreads, Travelsmart highlights some exciting events that make up the South African calendar. Enjoy your flight with fastjet.
Gary Gimson Publisher
Ed Winter
Land & Marine Publications Ltd publishing@landmarine.com
Chief Executive Officer
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A BUSY JUNE There has been lots going on this June in Tanzania and fastjet is delighted to have been involved with some of the main events. As well as sponsoring the 14th annual Charity Goat Races in Dar es Salaam, fastjet also supported the Zanzibar International Film Festival.
03 Ed Winter on BBC Ed Winter, fastjet’s CEO, was recently interviewed by BBC World News for ‘Africa Business Report’. Ed spoke to Lerato Mbele about why eastern and southern African passengers love flying in a safer, quicker and easier fashion with fastjet.
04 Causing a stir
01 Soccer success for fastjet A team from fastjet won the Big Football Bonanza tournament at Leaders Club in Kinondoni on 13 June. The squad played many other teams including Clouds FM and Kampala University. The standard of play was excellent by all teams, but fastjet came out on top, beating Precision Air 3-0 in the final.
02 Memorial Day On 21 May fastjet attended and sponsored the MV Bukoba Memorial Mass in Mwanza to remember those who tragically lost their lives in the Lake Victoria ferry disaster 18 years ago. There was a great turn-out with huge support from everyone who attended.
The efficient and reliable low-cost model achieved by fastjet is making waves in the aviation industry and has been featured in an article in ‘Travel Weekly’ magazine. The article highlights the company’s success in democratising air travel in Africa, making it possible for many to fly for the first time.
Follow us
fastjet travellers can now book their flights and pay later.
www.fastjet.com m.fastjet.com www.facebook.com/fastjet www.facebook.com/fastjetza www.twitter.com/fastjet
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05 Lights, camera, action!
06 Zimbabwe launch
Now in its 17th year, the Zanzibar International Film Festival draws in crowds of over 200,000 people. During the 10-day event, film fans can enjoy a programme of local and international cinema, arts, music and workshops. If ever there was a reason to fly to Tanzania, this is it.
fastjet will begin operating services between Tanzania and Zimbabwe from August as we expand our international route network across Africa. Despite strong commercial and cultural ties between the two cities, there is currently no direct air link between Dar es Salaam and Harare. We will launch a twiceweekly operation from Dar es Salaam to Harare with tickets available from July for as low as US$ 50 (plus government charges and taxes).
DID YOU KNOW ?
Book your ticket the quick and easy way with multiple payment options at www.fastjet.com
Our additional daily flight between Dar es Salaam and Mbeya has now started
07 Tweet, tweet Are you on Twitter? If so, follow fastjet! Share your pictures and travel stories with the #fastjet hashtag. Keep an eye out for future fastjet competitions on Twitter, too.
08 Instagram Share your photos of your fastjet flight on Instagram by using the #fastjet hashtag.
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Sheria Ngowi
Tanzania’s Style Guru 12
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Profile
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hat is the secret of becoming one of the best fashion designers in Tanzania? According to Sheria Ngowi, there is no short cut to success. In his own case, it involved By Sakina Nanabhai dedication to his work and the inspiration he got from his father. Sheria Ngowi is an internationally acclaimed For Sheria, the fashion designer who won the ‘Best Men’s most stylish man Designer’ title in the 2013 Swahili Fashion he knew was not Week. Behind the cheerful smile and the a TV celebrity or a constant media coverage lies an arduous popular fashion icon journey from newbie designer to single- but his own father. A lawyer by profeshanded creator of the renowned Sheria Ngowi sion and a fashion Brand. And it began with his own father. lover by choice, he was the man who inspired Sheria to take up fashion designing as a full-time profession. Reminiscing about his childhood, Sheria says: “My dad has always been my biggest inspiration to get into the field of fashion designing. He took time to dress up and paid
immense attention to the kind of clothes he wore. He made me realise how important it is to look good, even for men.”
Struggle to success According to Sheria, the journey to success was never easy. “Every profession is difficult if you do not work hard, but loving what you do makes it a lot easier.” One of his biggest challenges was to create a Tanzanian fashion label from scratch. “If you compare the fashion culture in Tanzania to the south and west African countries like South Africa and Nigeria, you will notice Tanzania is far behind in terms of fashion,” he says. “Nigeria has a national dress that makes its fashion industry unique, but Tanzanian fashion is still in the developing stage and creating a fashion identity for Tanzania from scratch was one of the most strenuous aspects of my struggle.”
The future
A great success Sheria’s womenswear collection
In spite of his own struggle to make it big in Tanzania, he sounds hopeful about the future of fashion design there. “Tanzania is a promising market for fashion products,” says Sheria. “And in the next five to 10 years I predict an even better market for fashion apparels and accessories. People these days are gaining a lot of fashion awareness through the social media and the latest fashion products are thoughtfully manufactured while keeping in mind the climate of the country and affordability of the people. But, of course, a little government support is necessary. Better manufacturing industries and
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Profile
financial aids from the government to support struggling designers would go a long way.”
The Pride Collection Although he has travelled the world and enjoyed huge popularity as an international fashion designer, his love for Tanzania is undiminished. It’s no coincidence that his latest 2014 collection contains the word ‘pride’ in the title. “I call it The Pride Collection because it is about my country, Tanzania,” says Sheria. “The colours and the prints used speak of the vibrant culture of Tanzania and make a perfect blend to represent the diversity of people living over here. I am focusing on a number of fabrics and colours to make the collection as vibrant as possible. Most of the work is done and it should be ready to hit the markets really soon.” Sheria says his current focus is mainly on menswear but adds that a ladies’ collection will be on its way soon, too.
‘There is no magic and absolutely no luck that brings success to your doorstep. Instead, the hard work you put in is what makes the perfect recipe for success. The magic is in you, so believe in yourself and have courage to stand out amongst others.’
Fashion Tips No conversation with Sheria Ngowi would be complete without some fashion tips from the guru. For Sheria, fashion is not just how you dress yourself but also how comfortable you feel in your own skin while following your own style. “My only fashion advice is to be yourself,” he says. “No matter what you wear, just make sure it is true to your culture and your identity. The way you dress becomes an image for the rest of the world, so put in efforts to look nice and create your own style. Take fashion as a tool for introducing yourself to the rest of the world.”
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Tanzanian pride Sheria’s clothing range
Ocean BIG 16
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OceanBig5
By Louise Hoole
All this – and whales and turtles, too Despite the enthusiasm and the accolades, only a tiny part of Tanzania is known to tourists and there are many undiscovered glories beyond its welltrodden tracks. Louise Hoole explains why Tanzania’s pristine southern coastline is attracting superstars and celebrities as well as being home to Africa’s Oceanic Big Five. >>
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anzania is having a good year. It has been named the best safari destination in Africa and, according to a poll, it contains three of the continent’s seven natural wonders.
Q. What’s so special about Tanzania’s southern coast? Sugar-white beaches, aquamarine waters and fringing coconut palms make this one of the loveliest coastlines on earth. Tanzania is renowned for its savanna wildlife, but its teeming marine life is just as extraordinary.
Q. Guess it’s pretty crowded there?
Sugar-white beaches, aquamarine waters and fringing coconut palms make this one of the loveliest coastlines on earth Amazing feature Ras Kutani turtles
Hardly. Most visitors to Tanzania head for the north, so you can have the pristine beaches of the south pretty much to yourself. Walk for hours along sandy shores and see nothing more than eagles riding the thermals, fishermen pulling out fresh octopus or whales spouting in the distance.
Q. It sounds pretty special. Where did you stay? Ras Kutani. Six degrees south of the equator, bordered by white sand, shells and the turquoise Indian Ocean, it’s one of my favourite places in the world. This boutique beach retreat is a natural paradise with its waters full of whales, dolphins and turtles, its forests full of bush babies, wild pigs and civet cats, and its skies full of kingfishers, bee-eaters and butterflies.
Q. Sounds remote! I guess it’s a journey to get there? It’s just 35 km south of Dar es Salaam, yet a world away from the bustle of the country’s commercial capital. The 10-minute flight is magical,
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Within minutes of arriving, your workaday life will feel a million miles away. You’ll be skinny dipping in your own private plunge pool, sipping crisp rosé under umbrellas on an endless beach or watching colobus monkeys swing through the forest canopy. You can feast on crab linguine, queen prawns and fresh lobster for lunch, then sashay back to your enormous cliff-top suite to siesta on an 8 ft wide bed with sunbirds serenading you from the forest canopy. It’s barefoot luxury at its best.
Q. What exactly does ‘barefoot luxury’ mean? It means not having to get out of your swimming costume for two
© Chris Rohner
Q. What’s so amazing about Ras Kutani?
© Chris Rohner
with glimpses of palm nut vultures, mighty flame trees and, at certain times of the year, hundreds of humpback whales making their annual migration from Antarctica to breed and give birth in the warmer waters of East Africa.
days and going to dinner in a sarong. It means feeling the sand beneath your toes for days at a time; not wearing shoes; not caring about your hair. It’s natural eco-bliss. Whale shark
Q. So what about Africa’s Oceanic Big Five? Dolphins and humpbacks are seen regularly around this coast, as well as whale sharks and manta rays. But perhaps the most amazing feature of Ras Kutani is the turtles. Turtles have been nesting in Tanzania for an estimated 150 million years and one of their prime sites is the beach that stretches out in front of the lodge. You haven’t known happiness until you have seen over 100 tiny hatchlings burst out of their nest and dash towards the ocean.
Q. OK, you’ve convinced me! When should I go?
Indian Ocean
As soon as possible! Come while there’s a beach, miles long, that you share with just a couple of fishermen, a few fish eagles and a couple of other guests. Come while you can watch dolphins and humpbacks without sharing the view with anybody. Come while it’s still gorgeously untouched.
When, where, how When to go: The least humid time of the year at the coast is June to August. The main turtle season is from February to July. Where to go: Ras Kutani.
Bewildering sight Feeding time
How to get there: Fly fastjet from Johannesburg, Lusaka or Harare to Dar es Salaam. From Dar you can fly by helicopter (12 minutes) or by light aircraft (10 minutes) directly to the camp. Combine with: A safari for a perfect beach/bush holiday experience. Ras Kutani has two sister camps: Siwandu in the Selous Game Reserve and Jongomero in Ruaha National Park. Both are located in areas of pristine wilderness, known to be biodiversity hotspots. Full details of all camps can be found on the Selous Safari Company website: www.selous.com
© Chris Rohner
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© Goodman Gallery
AfricanArt
Is Africa’s art world a sleeping giant? Fads and fashions can steer the art market in strange directions. Sometimes the highest prices go to works of dubious quality while others are overlooked. But the current interest in Africa’s art market is not only valid but overdue. Sam Gimson reports.
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e hear of how some paintings sell for extortionate sums of money and wonder why they are so special. But to understand this we must look at how the art market has evolved. In a nutshell, the story goes as follows.
Once upon a time it was works by the old European masters that commanded the highest prices. In the 1950s, however, American dealers began bidding up pieces at auction which they had bought cheaply from impoverished young artists. The public didn’t always
$?
David Koloane Pigeon Square, 2008
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understand the art but, as they say, money talks. With time, and thanks to some ingenious marketing ploys, art buyers who looked on art first and foremost as an investment began to make a fortune. Contemporary art began to outsell many of the established best-sellers. Now, with a growing class of super rich outside the ‘Western’ circuit and an international trend towards collecting, we have seen a boom in demand for both Chinese and Islamic art and artefacts. And the belief is that Africa will be the next market for this buying bubble.
Tribal art Throughout the African continent, antique pieces of tribal art have been growing in value. Contemporary art, too, has broken record after record. There is no doubt this is evidence of economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. The rise in sales is due in great
Throughout the African continent, antique pieces of tribal art have been growing in value part to the emergence of wealthy African patrons who wish to follow the trends set by art markets in China and India. In 2012 ‘New World Map’, by the Ghanaian artist El Anatsui, went for £541,250 – a new record for a work by a contemporary African artist. Typically, El Anatsui recycles contemporary disposable materials to form glittering mosaics. He finds ways to reinterpret indigenous cultural practices, relating them to modern
AfricanArt life and exploring their timeless spirit and historical continuity. El Anatsui is a serious artist who deserves to be valued highly; yet some of his works go for indecently low prices. In 2006 a work by the American artist Jackson Pollock was bought by a private collector for US$ 164 million. In 2011 ‘The Card Players’ by Paul Cézanne was sold to the State of Qatar for a US$ 273 million, becoming the most expensive painting in the world at that time. The African art market is not yet exclusively a playground for the super rich. For the time being it is still possible for moderately wealthy African art lovers to afford and treasure their own piece of heritage. Soon, however, these items may no longer be within the budgetary reach of national museums and amateur collectors – as has already happened in the United States, Europe and China. Prices may rise to the point where only the grotesquely rich can afford to own a private masterpiece or two, either as an investment or merely as a showcase for their vast reserves of disposable income.
Investing The reason people may have shied away from investing in African art until recently is that it’s still a ‘frontier’ market. Investing in Chinese artefacts has almost guaranteed a profit, but this is not yet the case in Africa. Nevertheless, Africa has a vibrant art scene, whereas the Chinese art world is possibly too hemmed in by political restrictions and rigid academic practices. For me, some of the most interesting artists are Tanzania’s Mohamedi Charinda, the Ethiopian/
American artist Julie Mehretu and South Africa’s David Koloane, whose melancholy visions of a racially and economically divided Johannesburg evoke feelings deeper than mere indignity. But even if buying a work of African art is not guaranteed to be financially rewarding, there is at least a high likelihood of acquiring something good. Even when the art scene in Africa was undeveloped, European artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse attested to the worth of Africa’s tribal artefacts – this at a time when Western artists valued naturalism over expressivity. France has had a long-term love affair with West African culture. In Paris, top-end antiques now sell for many times more than a decade ago. The Nigerian diaspora, too, has greatly boosted the value of Yoruba art. The lower-end pieces, however, seem not to have gone up in price quite so dramatically in Africa or in Europe. In London, the Saatchi Gallery has been exhibiting work by contemporary African artists, while Somerset House now hosts an African arts fair to coincide with London’s annual Frieze Art Fair. The story has been similar in many other international cities. A boom in the art market does not mean that the quality of a work is suddenly coming to be valued differently. For the most part it is purely an economic matter. I do not think that a work of art is helped by having a high price tag; but nevertheless it’s a shame for African artists to receive less attention than those in other parts of the world. For this reason, if no other, I look forward to seeing Africa’s emerging talent better represented in international galleries.
AFRICAN ARTISTS Below is a selection of contemporary African art. Rotating clockwise the name of the artists are: Evans Omosh Kindeh, Fred Abuga, Julie Mehretu, Meshack Oiro, Maryanne Muthoni and Gakunju Kaigwa. Most of these pieces are available to visit at the Kuona Trust Centre in Nairobi. All pictures below by photographer Wachira Mwangi © Kuona Trust
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CradleofHumankind
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here are few reasons why anyone would agree to wake hours before the sun. But an early-morning balloon flight over the Magalies River Valley in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site is reason enough. Silence. This is the place of morning calm, where I imagine the day that is to be comes to collect its thoughts. Hundreds of metres above the treetops, we glide at 14 knots on the tail of the wind. A gentle mist lingers over the river, hugged by autumnal hues, as it meanders towards a patchwork of farms. On the horizon, the sun is reflected in Hartbeespoort Dam and once it rises high enough I can follow the balloon’s shadow across the rocky hill below. And to think I am only 45 minutes from the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. >
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Sterkfontein Caves World Heritage Site
Exploring
the heights – and depths – of human evolution Watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon as you fly over the Cradle of Humankind, and then explore the depths of its cavernous caves, all on a day trip from Johannesburg. By Iga Motylska
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CradleofHumankind Brad, our commercial pilot for the hour-long flight, manoeuvres low enough for us to spot a hare on a boulder. A metre or two lower and I could practically jump out. Zebra, springbok and blue wildebeest make their way across the landscape – unfazed by our presence, probably because they can’t hear our camera shutters. With a few controlled bursts of the burners we rise again over the hill to our soft landing at Segwati Ranch. As the team bundles the balloon envelope – it involves quite a bit of stamping, compressing and deflating, rather like packing a sleeping bag – guests clink their champagne glasses, an appetiser for the buffet breakfast to follow. After our meal, Brad presents us with citations for braving the African skies, although you can hardly go wrong with Bill Harrop’s Original Balloon Safaris (33 years of experience as a fully licensed airline and balloons made by the world’s leading manufacturer, Cameron Balloons in England). By mid morning I’m off on my next adventure.
Cradle of Humankind Back on terra firma, I trace the history and evolution of the earth and humankind via an interactive exhibition at the Maropeng Visitor Centre. The name Maropeng means ‘returning to the place of origin’ in Setswana. The Cradle of Humankind region is the only Unesco World Heritage Site in Gauteng Province. The exhibition is housed in the Tumulus building, which resembles a burial mound as you enter, but looks high-tech and futuristic from the back. Our subterranean boat ride begins in the present and
journeys back in time through the earth’s various stages of creation. The Ice Age is simulated with snow machines. Spend a few hours here before having lunch at one of two restaurants upstairs or at the fourstar Maropeng Boutique Hotel, a five-minute walk away. The Cradle of Humankind region contains 15 fossil sites of which the most famous is the nearby Sterkfontein Caves. This is a history lesson you won’t forget. Hominid, plant and animal fossils dating back 4 million years have been discovered here at what is said it be the oldest continuous palaeaontological dig in the world. The caves were once home to Mrs Ples, an Australopithecus skull 2.1 million years old, as well as Little Foot, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton over 3 million years old. During our tour I stopped so long to marvel at the stalactites and
Maropeng visitor centre Interactive exhibition
stalagmites and the subterranean lake that the guide had to hurry me along. To truly know the Cradle of Humankind, explore it from above and below.
PLAN YOUR VISIT Bill Harrop’s Original Balloon Safaris Tel: +27 (0)11 705 3201 Email: info@balloon.co.za Web: www.balloon.co.za Maropeng Visitor Centre and Sterkfontein Caves Tel: +27 (0)14 577 9000 Email: website@maropeng.co.za Web: www.maropeng.co.za There is a 10 per cent discount when you buy tickets online. Save money with a combination ticket for Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves. Call ahead of time to book your visit at the caves as space is limited.
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ZambiaProperty © Seeff Property Zambia
By Gary Gimson
Many reasons
to invest in Zambian property
E
When doing so, I have secretly asked myself a whole series of questions: are these properties actually good value, do they appreciate, how easy is it to buy and sell and where should I buy to maximise my investment? So, before taking the plunge, I contacted Janet Irwin at leading Lusaka-based realtors Homenet
© Seeff Property Zambia
ver thought of buying property in Zambia? Well I have. I have to confess that I have spent an idle few minutes gazing somewhat hopefully through real estate agents’ windows at Arcades and Manda Hill imagining myself as the proud owner of some swanky villa in one of the city’s leafier suburbs.
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© Seeff Property Zambia
Two-storey villa Leopards Hill
development land. Land for development, especially in the commercial sector, is on the increase and is certainly seeing an upward trend (in values) this year.
Investment “What we are beginning to see this year is investment in properties, factories and sites suitable for manufacturing as opposed to pure retail space.” In fact, says Janet, it’s commercial investment that is providing the highest returns. Given the depressed property
Column of picturess © Homenet Zambia
Zambia and asked for her take on the local property market. “Overall we saw a fair increase in market activity in 2013,” says Janet. “Yet we did see a decline towards the end of the year. The market was affected by a combination of low copper prices, Bank of Zambia forex restrictions, high interest rates, and – towards the end of the year – an increase in Property Transfer Tax from five to 10 per cent. Fortunately, inflation remained in single figures at around eight per cent and GDP growth was a healthy six and a half per cent.” Zambia’s property market is made up of residential, commercial and
market globally, there has been a growing level of interest in Zambia by foreign investors over the past year”. What’s more, the removal this year of the SI 33 law (put in place in 2012 to restrict trading and advertising in US dollars) has inspired confidence from investors. Janet applauds the move: “The revocation of SI 33 has made moving money around much easier.” To buy and then rent out could be a smart move. The rental market in Zambia has always been buoyant. Janet says she has been in the business for 22 years and has seen a steady growth in this sector. “Rentals are relatively high, giving a fair return on investment,” she says. “A good four-bedroomed family home in a reputable area, with a pool, will go at $2,500 to $3,000 a month.” And it doesn’t end there. “Something truly exceptional will be around $5000 a month.” Expect to achieve an average of six per cent return on a residential rental property, whereas commercial space will generate on average 10 to 13 per cent rental yield. Added to which, withholding tax was cut from 15 to 10 per cent at the beginning of the year, making Zambia more attractive to foreign investors. Janet cites one example of a prime commercial investment of 20 office blocks of 200 square metres each which will attract a rental of around US$ 20 per square metre. The asking
Lusaka’s suburbs are changing rapidly and this is having a dramatic impact on prices 30
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ZambiaProperty the main upmarket areas of the city. These are still good areas, but suburbs such as Avondale and Chamba Valley are catching up fast. Expect to pay US$ 600,000 upwards for a well maintained four-bedroomed house with a pool in a nice area on a reasonably good-sized plot. © Homenet Zambia
price is US$ 350,000 per block. These office blocks are being built in an area that we will see huge capital growth because it is close to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, where a multi-million-dollar expansion has already begun. Next to the offices, construction has commenced on a small shopping centre. Alternatively, there are tourism sites and lodges for sale throughout Zambia. In the residential sector, Lusaka’s suburbs are changing rapidly and this is having a dramatic impact on prices. With new roads opening, smart shopping centres going up and constant development, good new residential areas are emerging all the time. Kabulonga, Leopards Hill, Lilayi and Roma used to be
Saddleyard House Lusaka
Action Beyond Lusaka the picture is a little more complicated. “Ndola and Kitwe are certainly beginning to grow,” says Janet. “For the first time in many years, Livingstone is showing some signs of action. We have done a couple of sales in
the last few months and, believe me, that is a lot of activity for Livingstone. We are getting an increasing amount of inquiries for our remaining lodges for sale, and I do believe that Livingstone is finally wakening up”. Janet is even acting as agent for the town’s first retirement village. Adding: “The other area where we are getting a fair amount of interest is Siavonga on Lake Kariba. Last year we had a number of sales there.” So what about just buying land as an investment? Janet explains: “You must be a Zambian. Or come in as an investor, setting up a business, investors’ licence or form a company of which the majority shareholder is Zambian. Land is on a 99-year leasehold, but you do get title.” Janet sums it up: “Zambia is definitely an emerging market offering a great climate, good people and a relatively stable political environment.” What’s not to like?
© Seeff Property Zambia
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TanzaniaSailing
By Robert Deaves All pictures © Greg Illingworth
‘Cat’ lovers GET SET T
he very name ‘Tanzacat’ says almost all you need to know. A gathering of sleek and fast-moving beasts, battling the elements to find a champion; an action-packed race in which only the most agile, adept and aware will triumph; a fast and exciting challenge where there is only one winner. Well, almost. Tanzacat is not a safari for large felines but a thrill-aminute racing event for fast catamarans at the Dar es Salaam Yacht Club. What began as a small annual regatta in 1998 is now one of the largest open-class catamaran events in Africa, drawing as many as 50 catamarans and some 100 sailors. Tanzacat was started by Henk Nouwens and Arjan van der Roest as a way of bringing fellow Dutch sailors to Tanzania at the close of the European season for a sailing challenge with an African flavour. In its second year, sailors from other countries joined in and today it has become a fully-fledged international event. The event is held in Msasani Bay,
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which offers some of the best sailing conditions in the world. Andrew Boyd, Rear Commodore at the yacht club, said, “Tanzacat is normally the largest regatta held by the club, with more than 80 competitors most years. We have regularly hosted the All African Hobie Championships as part of the event and it provides a focus for the continent for some great sailing.” “Entries are still open. We are expecting people from as far afield as Fiji. We are also hopeful of attracting two previous world champions to the event.” Boyd continued, “Sailors can expect some of the most consistent winds on warm water anywhere in the world. The opportunity to race
high performance catamarans in the same waters that local Dhows have been sailing for thousands of years is pretty unique. Add to this stops on island sandbanks and exotic Zanzibar makes this an amazing sailing experience.”
Yacht club Msasani Bay is the home of the Dar es Salaam Yacht Club, which hosts the Tanzacat regatta. Founded in
Tanzacat is not a safari for large felines but a thrill-a-minute racing event for fast catamarans 1933, the club was originally located in Dar es Salaam harbour but moved in 1967 to Leopard’s Cove on Msasani Bay, where it has been ever since. It is the largest sailing club in Tanzania. Initially, the Dar es Salaam Yacht Club was purely a sailing club, but later it encompassed a powerboat section
For more information Visit: www.tanzacat.com and then a diving section (originally a branch of the British Sub Aqua Club). The club operates a busy racing programme throughout the year for Optimist and Laser dinghies, catamarans and yachts. Sailing and diving
is organised seven days a week. It also has an active National Sailing programme, currently sponsoring sailors from the local community to help them develop skills and capabilities so that they can actively race and continue within the marine environment. These sailors have competed in African championships in Tanzania, South Africa and this year will compete in Morocco.
Pinnacle Tanzacat is a pinnacle event for the Dar es Salaam Yacht Club and this year the regatta will take place over eight days from 12 to 20 September. This includes four days of fleet racing in Msasani Bay as well as a four-day ‘raid’ on
Zanzibar with fun social events and island visits. Places are restricted to 50 catamarans and so far this year’s event has pulled in entries from Australia, South Africa, Oman, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Fiji as well as Tanzania. The regatta is open to all classes of catamarans under 21ft with Hobies, Nacras, Darts and others competing in the event. Tanzacat offers a unique opportunity to combine a wildlife safari in Tanzania with a thrilling regatta. Anyone who enjoys sailing will love the experience of navigating between islands with dolphins swimming alongside and along shorelines edged by idyllic white sandy beaches and the balmy waters of the Indian Ocean.
Boat park Cats prepare to do battle
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Personal beauty? It’s what being African is all about‌ 34
travelsmart
Cosmetics
Subhead
Vibrant colours African cosmetics push boundaries
I
f modern Africa is the spiritual home of the smartphone, it is also the prime scene for another kind of smartness – personal grooming. Africans have always taken a pride in their personal appearance. But the rapid rise in popularity of cosmetics and personal grooming products over recent years is something new – a sure sign of Africa’s growing middle class, with its own set of aspirations. As always, when it comes to innovative trends on this continent, the boom in demand for personal care and beauty products began in South Africa. And, indeed, South
enon. Especially in the cities and towns of East Africa, but also in centres of population on the Atlantic side of the continent, the demand for beauty products has never been higher. They range from soaps, cosmetics and perfume to a bewildering array of body lotions, cosmetics, moisturisers, shampoos and skin products.
Unilever And it’s not just the girls who are making a beeline for the parfumeries and beauty parlours. African men are just as keen to look their best at all times, whether at work or going out on the town with friends. For exam-
The desire – especially among younger people – to look perfect and wear a beautiful fragrance is a pan-African phenomenon Africa is still the biggest market for these products, along with Nigeria. The South African cosmetics market alone is said to be worth in excess of $2 billion. But today the desire – especially among younger people – to look perfect and wear a beautiful fragrance is a pan-African phenom-
ple, Unilever, one of the key players in Africa’s cosmetics market, reports a strong demand for its Vaseline for Men range. Another big name in this sector, L’Oréal – which has regional hubs in Kenya and Ghana as well as in South Africa – says more and more African countries now have the stability,
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Cosmetics sizeable population and emerging middle class that open the way to a widespread demand for sophisticated grooming products. Both Unilever and L’Oréal have developed products aimed especially at African and African-American customers. They include the Motions range of natural hair products by Unilever and the Dark and Lovely brand of hair dye by Soft-Sheen Carson, a subsidiary of L’Oréal.
Brands Not only are more and more Africans buying and using beauty products, but a growing proportion of these customers are relatively affluent people who want only the best products with the top international brand names. This means that, in addition to cosmetics manufactured in South Africa and other African countries, including Tanzania, there is a significant group of African traders
involved in importing and distributing beauty products from all over the world, including Europe, the Far East and the United States. This can involve some tricky logistics, when you consider that customers in one shop in Nairobi or Dar es Salaam may be looking to buy products that have been sourced from three or more different continents. In this context, entrepreneurs in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are coming to the fore as suppliers of cosmetics and other products to African buyers. Dubai, in particular, has a strong position in the cosmetics market because of its low import duties. Traders in Dubai have first-rate contacts with suppliers in Europe and the Far East. By operating on low profit margins in a lowcost environment, they can present African buyers with a one-stop shop for a huge range of products at very competitive prices.
Variety for Africa A large range of products available
Today, the malls and upmarket shopping centres of Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Lusaka and Kampala are happy hunting grounds for both men and women who want to look – and therefore – feel great at all times. After all, if a perfect figure is the essential requisite for nice clothes, then surely there is no more important ‘finishing touch’ than a lovely face and a pair of sparkling eyes to complete the picture of African beauty.
Both Unilever and L’Oréal have developed products aimed especially at African and African-American customers fastjet.com
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TanzaniaWine
By Gary Gimson
Success story
All pictures © Dodoma Wine
with a refreshing new flavour
I
t may come as a surprise, but Tanzania is sub-Saharan Africa’s second-biggest wine producer.
Clearly, South Africa dominates the continent’s wine sector. But, judging by the investment now being channelled into grape production, Tanzania is looking to offer serious competition to the fine wines produced at the Cape.
Tanzania is looking to offer serious competition to the fine wines produced at the Cape Tanzania’s commercial wine production is concentrated around Dodoma at about 1,100 metres above sea level. Here, producers have found an agreeable climate and a soil that is perfect for grape growing.
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Grapes need a particular climate in which to thrive – not too hot (except, perhaps, when ripening), but not too cold either, because a late frost kills the vines. The climate also needs to be sunny, with just enough rain and low humidity. Dodoma is one of the few places in sub-Saharan Africa, outside the Cape, where this ideal climatic combination can be found. Tanzania’s wine production is in the hands of three companies: Tanzania Distilleries Ltd (TDL), which is affiliated to South Africa’s giant Distell group; and producers Cetawico Cantina Sociale di Dodoma and Tanganyika Vineyards Co (Tavico).
Local All three rely, directly or indirectly, on a network of small local farmers for their grapes. And the grape they all choose to grow is the makutupora variety, which is best suited to local conditions. According to TDL brand manager Martha Bangu, the grape has improved tremendously in qual-
ity in recent years and production is increasing year on year. Having got production on an upward curve, Martha now wants to see greater local wine consumption: “The message is: ‘Celebrate your own success with the fruits of our success.’ And as a result we then encourage national pride in a beautiful local wine. We also tend to highlight Dodoma Wines as a lifestyle choice. Consumers are encouraged to enjoy a great local wine with Tanzanian food, or as part of a social gathering. After all, toasting your success is not fun if you do it alone.” Distell has played a major role in advising farmers on viticultural practices and is confident that grape growing will become a meaningful contributor to Tanzania’s agricultural sector. The company has set itself the task of doubling production of locally produced grapes, which are hand-farmed. With few tractors, even soil preparation is undertaken manually. Owing to the lack of irrigation, almost all vineyards are
made up of dry land and virtually no chemicals are used. Dodoma is still classified as a tropical area and farmers harvest twice a year. Unfortunately, the March harvest comes at a time of seasonal rains and can be affected by rot, mildew and other diseases. By contrast, the September harvest is picked during the dry season, with cooler temperatures, so the fruit is able to ripen slowly. As a result, yields are much more favourable at this time of the year.
Crispy whites Founded in 2002, Italian-owned Cetawico sells tempting crispy whites, full-bodied reds and a rosé, all from co-operatively grown grapes. Unlike TDL, Cetawico is not part of a major multinational drinks business. On the contrary, its presence in Tanzania is partly luck and partly circumstance. Cetawico is associated with the Fondazione San Zeno, a Verona-based humanitarian organisation. Its roots in Tanzania can be traced to the pioneering work of an Italian missionary who experimented with planting vines and growing grapes during his time in Tanzania. Seeing the potential and building on the missionary’s early success, the Fondazione San Zeno, with local partners, then financed the commercial production of wine. The first wine was produced in 2005 and output continues to grow and has now reached over 2 million litres a year. Says Cetawico’s assistant managing director, Gabriella Balsamo: “We involve around 450 farmers in the local Dodoma region. We are working with the Tanzanian government as well as supporting a national project called Kilimo Kwanza, which supports young farmers.”
For the time being, most of Cetawico’s output is consumed within Tanzania, but some wine is exported to markets across East Africa. Cetawico produces Overmeer wine (a bag-in-a-box brand), which is then packaged by TDL, and it also has a variety of dry whites and reds from a mix of makutupora (of course), chenin blanc, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon grapes. However, more needs to be done to market and promote Tanzanian vintages. Martha sets out her ambitions: “Internationally, Tanzanian wines can be positioned as part of the welcoming heritage (karibu) that the country is known for. Many international tourists look for something unique about the places they visit, which helps make the trip special in the first place. Providing something as part of the Tanzania experience, such as a great wine made from the unique makutupora grape, makes for a safari that’s all the more special.” Clearly, Tanzania is now producing some very drinkable wines. So let’s say cheers to the makutupora grape and to more great local vintages.
Dodoma Tanzanian wine
Wine pioneers Wine production in Tanzania is not new. In 1961 and immediately after independence, former President Julius Nyerere encouraged the introduction of grapevines and asked foreign missionaries to provide their expertise. By 1963, inmates at Isanga prison were planting four acres of grapes and these plantings were later extended. The prison later installed a winery plant and, for some time, was the region’s sole buyer of grapes for processing.
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SouthAfricaEvents
From oysters to orange daisies – it’s fun time in SA
From sporting events to cultural festivals, South Africa loves to put on a show – and as an all-year-round destination it has lots to offer. Plan your visit to coincide with one of these events and you won’t be disappointed.
01 Kaapse Klopse, Cape Town On a par with the vibrancy of Brazil’s Rio Carnival, the Kaapse Klopse is an annual celebration of music and dance that explodes onto the streets in a flurry of colour, song and movement.
JANUARY
1
02 Dusi Canoe Marathon Founded in 1951 and covering 120 km of the South African east coast, Dusi is the continent’s biggest canoeing event, attracting some 2,000 competitors each year.
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2
FEBRUARY
3
MARCH
03 Midmar Mile Ime The Midmar Mile, the world’s biggest open-water swimming event, draws thousands of competitors ranging from Olympic medallists to recreational athletes.
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04 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour Dust off your lycra and pedal down to the world’s largest individually timed cycle race, with up to 35,000 cyclists taking part and a route length of 109 km.
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APRIL
05 Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees This Afrikaans language national arts festival is held annually in Oudtshoorn. The eight-day event features more than 1,000 artists and over 200 productions.
MAY
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7
JUNE
07 The Sardine Run The feeding frenzy that is the Sardine Run occurs from May to July when billions of sardines spawn and move north along the east coast of South Africa. Measuring as much as 7 km long, 2 km wide and 30 metres deep, the shoals can even be seen from spotter planes.
06 Comrades Marathon Arguably the greatest ultramarathon in the world, this 89 km race from Durban to Pietermaritzburg truly pushes runners to their limits. The event draws some 18,000 competitors from over 60 countries.
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SouthAfricaEvents
10 Joy of Jazz
08 Grahamstown National Arts Festival
Standard Bank Joy of Jazz attracts jazz musicians from around the world. The three-day event is held at the Sandton Convention Centre in September.
Founded 40 years ago, the festival involves artists from 26 countries with some 550 performances of theatre, dance and music.
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JULY
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AUGUST
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11 Namaqualand daisies in spring The annual flowering of brilliant orange, yellow and white daisies draws visitors from near and far. The phenomenon of wild flowers springing up from a previously barren landscape is truly a sight to behold.
09 Knysna Oyster Festival Described as the ‘best 10 days of winter’, the oyster festival takes place over two weekends. Oysters are served at some 30 local venues and other activities include a drift dive challenge, a wine festival, a bowls tournament and a half marathon.
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SEPTEMBER
12
14 Ficksburg Cherry Festival South Africa’s oldest crop festival is held in November in Ficksburg, the ‘Cherry Capital of the World’. The festival includes cherry tours, golf, historic vehicle displays, equestrian events and a beer festival.
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NOVEMBER
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DECEMBER
13 Rocking the Daisies Rocking the Daisies is one of South Africa’s best known and most eagerly anticipated rock festivals, appealing to both experienced festival-goers and rock music novices.
12 The Soweto Derby The rivalry between the Kaizer Chiefs and the Orlando Pirates is one of the most fiercely contested matches in African football. The derby has grown steadily in popularity and support since the first match in 1970. Photo credit ST Pretorius, Johannesburg Lifestyle and Portrait photographer, www.stpretorius.com
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GreatGoatsby
It’s great to be a Goatsby...
...Families and friends swarm to fun-day races
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A
s the competitors approach the start line, you sense the crowd’s heightened anticipation of the claxon. You look around in wonder at the level of enthusiasm for such a bizarre event. The vuvuzela sounds and the goats are off! But as the sun on your back feels hotter, your heart beats quicker and the background cries of excited onlookers get louder, you know the exhilaration of the event is getting to you. You can’t help wanting to be a part of this extraordinary occasion. The annual Dar es Salaam Charity Goat Race is one of the most highprofile charity events in the city’s social calendar. Attracting a crowd of over 4,000 spectators from various communities, it has managed to capture the heart of many supporters and fundraisers.
Expectations
By Kate Wingar All pictures © Tertia Hayes
Pick your favourite Charity goat race
For more information Visit the Dar es Salaam charity’s website www.goatraces.com
The races provide a fun-filled and action-packed day out as well as raising lots of money for charity. In fact, the charity has exceeded all expectations, as Karen Stanley, chairman of the Goat Race Committee, explains: “Supporting charitable causes has always been our key objective and we are proud to announce that a record amount of 190 million shillings was raised at the races this year. Because of the fantastic sum raised, which is 55 million more than last year, we can help even more projects than ever before. “ “Furthermore, we are a mere 12 million shillings away from achieving a target we did not believe was possible when we started, namely, raising one billion for those in need.” Loosely based on the Royal Ascot
races in England, only with a rather more typically East African animal, the racing goat, this novel way of raising money for charity was devised by members of the business community in Uganda in 1993. The idea was introduced to Tanzania in 2001 and since then, with the help of more than 70 local and international companies, over 988 million shillings has been raised to support various Tanzanian organisations and to benefit the wider community.
Flutter No day at the races would be complete without a flutter and the Dar es Salaam Charity Goat Races are no exception. Bets can be placed on any of the 10 goats competing in seven entertaining contests. The animals and their ‘jockeys’ (who run behind their goat for encouragement) must race round a 50 metre track twice. Families and friends swarm to the goat races every year to see the array of wonderful fancy dress costumes. While popular themes in previous years have included the Wild West, sailors and sea creatures, the ‘Great Goatsby’ theme chosen for 2014 was a great success with supporters. Both fundraisers and members of the committee turned out in 1920s ‘Great Gatsby’ attire to create a spectacular scene. The annual goat racing event is very much a fun family day out with a charitable twist. In addition to the seven hilarious races and fancy dress competitions, there is a range of activities throughout the day. They include entertainment by drummers, dancers, acrobats, stilt walkers and clowns as well as face painting, raffles and refreshments provided by some of Dar es Salaam’s favourite restaurants.
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SecretSwimming
Make a splash J without splashing out…
ohannesburg’s inner city is associated with many things: labyrinthine one-way streets, kamikaze minibus taxis and manifold places to buy cheap gewgaws yes; but swimming pools, not so much. And yet they are there, these fabled swimming pools. You just have to know where to look.
Mapungubwe Hotel
By Kate Turner
Swimming isn’t a pastime you’d expect to enjoy in Johannesburg’s central business district, but opportunities exist. Kate Turner cases some oases with Gerald Garner from JoburgPlaces.
50 Marshall Street, 011 429 2600, Mapungubwehotel.co.za The pool: A brilliant-blue pool surrounded by treacle-coloured wooden decking. There is a gym off to one side where you can slip away to change into your swimsuit. The water is a bit chilly at first, but you soon acclimatise, especially with a cocktail to nudge you into a good mood. The pool, while extremely handsome, is not big enough for laps; it’s more suited to a bit of frivolous splashing and then a flop onto the decking to sizzle in the sun like a lizard. Poolside: A full menu is available from the Twist Restaurant. Expect cocktails, salads and burgers. Try the red velvet cake. The people: The guests here are mainly business people and the pool is usually deserted, which means more ‘splish splash’ for you. How do I get in? As long as you spend money on food and drink, you won’t be bounced. Perfect for: Meeting the gang on a Saturday. It’s just big enough for five or more friends to comfortably dominate and enjoy a languid afternoon of beers and burgers.
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Curiocity Backpackers
Ellis Park Pool
302 Fox Street, 011 592 0515, curiocitybackpackers.com
Corner North Park Lane and Erin Street, Doornfontein, 011 402 5565
The pool: This has to be the tiniest pool in Jo’burg. It is marginally bigger than a Jacuzzi, and even comes with bubbles and heated water, so expect some initially awkward foot-brushing with the residents, who visit from all over the globe. If things get too crowded in the froth, there are some lovely chair hammocks.
The pool: This Olympic-sized monolith is the scene of impressive pandemonium at weekends when children arrive in their legions to wreak havoc and keep the lifeguards on their toes. There is a choice of three pools, all heated to around 26 degrees Celsius. The Olympic roils with children like seal pups; the splash pool is for small children with armbands; and superlatives cannot do justice to the relatively decongested ‘grown-up’ pool with its soft blue water.
Poolside: Beers and soft drinks. Sunday is the day for potjie (a traditional South African stew). If you call ahead and book you’ll get some food. The people: Backpackers and the odd curious passer-by from the hipster enclaves of Arts on Main and Maboneng. How do I get in? Proprietor Bheki Dube, known as the unofficial concierge of Maboneng, is an allround nice guy. He won’t mind if you pull in for a dip, but make sure you drop some cash on drinks to say thanks for the hospitality. Perfect for: Meeting new people. When the gravitational pull of loneliness snags you, here’s your solution. Go alone, buy a few Zamalek beers, hop in, cool off and chew the fat.
Poolside: There is a really seedy café selling slap chips, ice creams and sausages. You may prefer to bring a watermelon of a few drinks (no alcohol, though) from home. Or pack a few sandwiches and make a picnic of it. The people: If scrambling, splashing, privacy-oblivious and uncomfortably curious children raise your ire, this is not going to be your happy place. How do I get in? For about ZAR 10 for an adult and ZAR 6 for a child, this trio of pools is your oyster. Perfect for: Family time. Bring a blanket and that trashy chick lit novel you’ve been reading surreptitiously in the bath. Stuff as many inflatables as you can in your car.
The Protea Hotel Parktonian Bheki Dube Curiocity concierge
120 De Korte St, 011 403 5740, parktonian.co.za The pool: The rim-flow pool boasts an award-winning design offering 360 degree views of the city. The sunsets are spiritual from up here and the balmy water is a tonic for the soul. There are pool loungers to flop onto when you’re not rippling through the water. Poolside: Light snacks and cocktails. The people: Business people and tourists. How do I get in? This is a tricky one. You’re going to have to play it confident. Stride in, chortle smugly, do an unstudied yet intentional hair flip, head towards the lift, stab the ‘Up’ button. Go right to the top at Skylevel, get out, look at the view, pick your mouth up off the floor, order a cocktail, squeak out of your clothes and sashay into the drink. Perfect for: An adventurous date.
DIVE IN... If you’d like to join a tour with Gerald, who will escort you to all these pools and more, email him at: gerald@joburgplaces.com
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TanzaniaConstruction
team behind the
building boom
L
et’s face it, Tanzania is booming. Over the past three years the growth in national GDP has averaged between six and 7.5 per cent. Naturally, no economic boom is complete without an accompanying frenzy in construction, and in this respect Tanzania is no different. In turn, construction of even the largest project requires a range of materials, often provided by comparatively small local specialist firms. In Tanzania there is a whole army of these suppliers performing a valuable role in the national economy and ensuring that large construction schemes run to schedule while reducing the need for imported materials. At the producer end of the process, Tanzania turns to some impressively large operators: Twiga Cement and Tanga Cement (which uses the Simba brand-name); Salebhai Glass & Aluminium; specialist aluminium manufacturer Alaf; Sao Hill Industries
for timber; and Tanzania Gypsum for plasterboard. In recent times, at the retail end of the market, the nation has also seen a noticeable shift away from traditional traders and importers towards those offering a more branded presence in the local market – geared as much to the trade as to those organising their own building work.
Expertise Tanzania has a surprisingly broad expertise in this sector. It includes entirely home-grown general suppliers as well as those run locally by investors from abroad – for example, the chain wholesaler and retailer Nabaki Africa, a company that sells pretty much everything a fundi would need. Whether it’s tiles, ceramics, bathware, piping or plumbing, Nabaki Africa has it covered. Operating on the same basis as, say, South Africa’s Mica or DIY Depot, the company has four branches, three in Dar es Salaam
and one in Arusha, and has big plans to become accessible to customers throughout Tanzania. Clearly, Nabaki is the future in a rip-roaring construction and building sector – one long dominated by old-style general traders and importers.
There is a whole army of suppliers performing a valuable role in the national economy Skyline Dar es Salaam
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LOOK INSIDE
InterContinental Lusaka
Rub shoulders with the great and the good
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I Classic and classy Intercontinental Hotel
t’s the plutocrat’s choice – a hotel where it’s possible to rub shoulders with heads of state, self-important government ministers, expensively tailored business people, top officials from the world’s NGOs or bored conference delegates. Last time I strolled through the imposing lobby I saw a British socialist MP sipping coffee. It’s where the great and the good gather and – along with the Taj Pamodzi and the Southern Sun Ridgeway – it’s one of Lusaka’s ‘big three’ hotels. This, then, is the InterContinental Lusaka. With 224 guest rooms including 20 suites, the InterCon is the ideal venue for a big regional or international gathering – the kind of powwow so much favoured by global organisations with seemingly urgent matters to discuss.
The rooms are classic upmarket corporate in style, and none the worse for that. Some may find the décor a little dated – not quite from the set of ‘Mad Men’, but you get the picture. The InterCon has undoubtedly the nicest swimming pool in Lusaka – set to one side in a carefully tended and shady garden – is probably the city’s classiest alfresco dining experience, the Savannah Restaurant & Grill. This eatery serves both local and international cuisine in some style. I find it just perfect for a quickish bite and when trying to impress a lunchtime dining companion.
After work Alternatively, there is always the Rosso Trattoria Pizzeria. I’m not sure pizzerie really work in a five-star hotel, but the InterCon makes a good stab at it. Then there’s the Safari Bar for an after-work drink and a chance to watch sport on TV, or try some really good coffee served with panache at the Rhythms Café. For many (including me) the InterContinental is rather too grand. For others it’s a place where style and elegance meet in a perfect city-centre location and where timeless standards of genuine hospitality are adhered to. But with this grande dame’s best feature open to non-guests, why not pop into the delightful Savannah for lunch? I do.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT Moyo
Served with a side of African soul The word ‘moyo’ means ‘heart’ or ‘soul’ in Kiswahili and the kitchen manager at the Moyo Zoo Lake, Bongani Dube, certainly knows how to put heart and soul into a meal. By Iga Motylska
W
hile I delight in the food at Moyo Zoo Lake, it’s the setting and atmosphere that strikes you first as you enter via the wooden footbridge, past the tinkling water features and through the landscaped botanical garden. In the warmer months you can sit with lanterns under the stars and listen to the sounds of evening. The restaurant is on the water’s edge and its wooden deck is a favourite spot for sundowners. Inside, the earthy colours, with proteas on each table and steel artefacts, give it a contemporary African ambience. Moyo offers its patrons a true experience. Once we had placed our orders, our waiter, Fortune, returned with a jug of water, a clay bowl and a towel for the handwashing ceremony. Then we broke the complimentary Tunisian flat
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bread served with fresh coriander and lemon slices. Next, in the Xhosa tradition that symbolises peace and happiness, Faith, painted our faces: flowers for the ladies and Sen footprints or lion’s paw prints for the gentlemen.
Speciality Moyo’s speciality is its culinary smorgasbord, as also found in South Africa, Tunisia, Tanzania and Nigeria. The delicious Nigerian peanut, shrimp and chilli soup makes a fine starter that will warm you up on cooler nights. However, if you sit next to the fireplace or wrap yourself in the blanket provided, you won’t need warming up. The Mpumalanga Salad, named after one of South Africa’s nine provinces, is an unusual mix of salad greens, roasted macademia nuts, avocado and citrus pieces with a blue
gum dressing. You can customise it by adding grilled chicken breast or smoked salmon trout. One of Moyo’s signature dishes is the flamed beef fillet stuffed with peppadews, mushrooms, mozzarella and South African wild spinach (known as morogo). With a generous helping of green peppercorn sauce, it is best enjoyed medium to well done, suggests my dinner partner, to savour its tenderness. It is served with potato galettes, but you can order an extra side of mieliepap. The smooth, thick corn porridge goes well with the creamy sauce.
In the warmer months you can sit with lanterns under the stars and listen to the sounds of evening
Another popular dish is Senegalese-style chicken yassa, marinated in a lemon sauce with olives and roasted red and yellow peppers. While meat is Moyo’s forte, I have tried both vegetarian main meals. Tonight, I have the thick lentil and vegetable curry served with basmati rice and a side of tomato salsa. The heat is not overpowering but allows the flavours to linger.
Exceptional Exceptional food should be paired with award-winning wine and Moyo has is a choice of 19 South African wineries. I suggest a Pinotage made from the indigenous red grape variety created in South Africa in 1925. Moyo has a selection of five Pinotages, ranging from Ancient Earth (2010-2011) priced at ZAR 180 to the Kaapzicht Steytler Vision (2007) at ZAR 720.
My evening was made when the musician strummed and sang Miriam Makeba’s 1950s classic ‘Pata Pata’ as dinner was served. He also performed a tap-dancing routine that wouldn’t have shamed Gene Kelly. There is live entertainment every day except Mondays by artists including Mbira players and drummers, the Pizzicatos singers and traditional bands. I never pass on dessert when I eat out, and tonight is no different. The crispy baklava with Tunisian pistachios, drizzled in orange blossom sauce and served with orange slices, is not to be missed. And why not try the Springbok Shooter, an equal mix of Amarula and peppermint liqueur that is sure to put a spring in your step. “See you tomorrow for the weekend buffet breakfast,” says Samson, the manager, with a thumbs-up.
Outstanding food Moyo Zoo Lake
Moyo Zoo Lake Lake Park, 1 Prince of Wales Drive Parkview, Johannesburg Tel: +27 (0)11 646 0058 Email: zoolake@moyo.com Online reservations: www.moyo.co.za Open daily from 08.00 to 22.00 except Fridays and Saturdays when it is open until 23.00.
Other Moyo outlets If you enjoyed this Moyo there is another one in Gauteng Province at Melrose Arch. And if you’re travelling around South Africa there is another in KwaZulu-Natal and two others in the Western Cape.
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CAR REVIEW VOLVO XC60
By Karl Peskett
SAFETY FIRST
Family motoring with a stylish edge
T
he world has gone SUV mad. Of course, versatility, practicality, economy and safety are high on the list for most newcar shoppers. But probe a little deeper and the attributes buyers really seem to crave are space, a higher seating position, and – let’s be brutally honest here – prestige. Volvo put its hand up a few years ago to claim it ticked all the boxes with its fabulous XC90. But in an age of smaller cars and reduced dependence on fossil fuels, its newer XC60 is what has most people talking. Volvo is known for safety and on that front it is well covered: a suite of airbags, roll-over protection, pretensioning seatbelts and any number of cameras, sensors and processors all working to ensure you don’t drift out of your lane, rear-end the car in front or finish upside down in a ditch.
Isofix Probably the best feature is the integrated booster seats. If you tend to alternate between picking up children and transporting in-laws, you’ll know how long it takes to fit booster sears. Isofix is a quick system, but being able to transform the rear seats into two boosters and back again literally in seconds is a real boon. Under the bonnet is a choice of economical four and five-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, as well as all-wheel and front-wheel drive.
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While it may seem odd to have an SUV that is actually a front-driver, the reality is that most of these of cars stay on the blacktop. It’s not a particularly sharp handler, especially with its tall-profile tyres in base spec; but the XC60’s road-holding is superb and it offers a ride that is comfortable and quiet. The interior is beautifully designed, with supportive seats, a contemporary silver spiral featuring on the door trims, plus Volvo’s trademark floating centre console. The dash plastics are all soft-to-touch and the whole interior feels well put together. Even the doors close with a solid ‘thunk’. On the road, the steering is a bit muted, the brakes work well, but can be a little wooden, and with its tallboy handling, this is not the car for a back-road blast. What it is, however, is a safe, practical and easy-to-drive SUV that gives the buyer access to a premium brand for a similar price to a high-end Mitsubishi, Ford or Subaru SUV. As a family car with an edge of indulgence, the XC60 is well worth a look. No wonder buyers lust after SUVs.
Practical and reliable XC60 is a family car
As a family car with an edge of indulgence, the XC60 is well worth a look
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PRODUCT REVIEW 3D Printing
A new dimension for printing technology
T
he realms of reality and science fiction often meet in unexpected places and in unexpected ways. In fact, science fiction is often the precursor to modern life, predicting advancements in technology years ahead of the necessary manufacturing know-how. One of the more obscure and surprising developments has been 3D printing. 3D printing has been around since the 1980s, but it is only very recently that commercial desktop printers have been available to the general pubic. 3D printing is a process whereby a three-dimensional solid object of almost any shape can be created from a digital model. Guided by the digital model, the 3D printer gradually builds the object by adding
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successive layers of material. The scope of 3D printing is still limited, however. Although some printers can handle metal alloys, most use only plastics, which are fine for manufacturing small parts on demand, but less useful for more intricate and complex objects. Nevertheless, the technology is moving on apace, with ever more complex and functional devices being created by ever more complex printers.
Science fiction Moving even further into the realms of science fiction, researchers in the United States have 3D printed small tissue-based parts such as a hybrid electronic/biological ear and even retinal cells for eye tissue. On a much larger scale, architects have built a 3D house, although only one storey
at this stage. Over the past 14 years, sales of 3D printers have increased substantially and are now estimated to be worth over US$ 2 billion a year. Desktop models have been available since around 2010 and 3D printers can be purchased for anything between US$ 500 and US$ 3,000. They are available from numerous resellers and will work with most Windows or Mac OS, and some Linux, desktop computers. For example, the award-winning XYZprinting Da Vinci 1.0 is the most affordable 3D desktop printer on the market at just US$ 529. This do-ityourself printer can build objects up to 20 x 20 x 20 cm in size. In June 2014, XYZprinting also released two new All-in-One (AiO) printers, which also include 3D scanning capacity. The new da Vinci 1.0
3D Scanning
3D Programming
3D Printing
HOW IT WORKS The printer reads the design from a stereolithography (STL) file and lays down successive deposits of liquid or powder to build a sequence of cross-sectional layers corresponding to the computer aided design (CAD) model. Each layer is automatically joined together to create the final object. The printer defines the thickness of each layer and the coordinates of each particle. The typical thickness of each layer is 100 µm, while each particle is 50 to 100 µm in diameter. Construction times vary with the size of the object; but for low-volume production, 3D printing can reduce the time by a factor of 20 or more compared with conventional methods.
AiO and 2.1 AiO are equipped with precise 3D scanning systems, with the 1.0 AiO priced at under US$ 700. This makes affordable 3D printing available to those who do not know how to build 3D models with software. The built in scanner can capture an object’s shape up to 15 x 15 x 15 cm in just 5 minutes to an accuracy of less than 0.2 mm.
The company’s flagship da Vinci 2.1 AiO printer will be launched in 2015 and also includes the facility to monitor the print job through a wi-fi connected tablet, as well as serving as a 3D fax machine to deliver 3D files between work places.
Top seller By contrast, the FlashForge Creator X – priced at US$ 1,299 – is a top seller on Amazon.com, while the
Flashforge Creator X
MakerBot Replicator 2 costs US$ 1,999 and is said to be one of the best desktop 3D printers on the market. There are many options to consider. In general, the higher the price tag the larger the object that can be created and the finer the detail. Opting for a DIY model can save costs, although some technical knowledge is needed to construct it. It should be borne in mind that 3D printing is still an emerging technology and a lot of development work still lies ahead. Nevertheless, it is predicted that 3D printing will have as big an impact on the world as the printing press or the production line. This technology may still be finding its feet, but once it has become more commonplace and more widely accessible it could change the way we live and work forever.
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LATEST RELEASES Bookworm THE CHICKEN THIEF
THE MEMORY OF LOVE
By Fiona Leonard
By Aminatta Forna
In this charming and fast-paced adventure, Alois is the eponymous chicken thief, a bright young man struggling to find his way in a southern African country beset by political unrest and a crumbling economy. Through a chance encounter, Alois has an opportunity to make some fast money. But the enterprise goes horribly wrong and he finds himself in a dangerous bid to rescue a war hero and transform the political landscape. In the end, both dreams and justice prove to be within his grasp for this unlikely hero.
This is the second novel by Forna Aminatta following her memoir, ‘The Devil That Danced On The Water’, about a daughter’s search for the truth of a murdered father’s last days. In this, her second novel, she takes the reader to Freetown, Sierra Leone, in peacetime, in 1969 and in the present day. An English psychologist, Adrian Lockheart, hears the confessions of a dying man, Elias Cole. What unfolds is an unforgettable love story, a tale of complicity, betrayal and trauma that does more than any work of non-fiction could to tell us about this bitter conflict in a totally convincing way.
SABA: UNDER THE HYENA’S FOOT
MUST READ...
By Jane Kurtz When 12-year-old Saba and her older brother are kidnapped and taken from their rural home to the royal palace at Gondar, Saba finally learns about her long-lost parents – and her own royal past. With Ethiopia’s rulers in the midst of a fierce struggle for control of the throne, what can that king of kings, the Emperor Yohannes III, possibly want with her?
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ZOO CITY By Lauren Beukes The spirit possession of traditional religion is brought to a near-future Johannesburg in this urban ‘fantasy noir’ thriller. The main character, former journalist Zinzi December, finds things, even when she doesn’t want to. When she is hired to find a missing teenage pop star, it’s almost certain that her shavi (a compulsion with a bitter cost) will bring disaster. Visions of dystopia are combined with faultless plotting and Shona cosmology in this engrossing novel, which won the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction literature.
STAR FILMS...
BlockBusters
EDGE OF TOMORROW Director: Doug Liman. Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson. Genre: Science fiction. In the near future, an alien race has invaded the Earth and defeated the world’s military forces. Bill Cage is a US Army officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop, forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt). As Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.
MALEFICENT Director: Robert Stromberg. Starring: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley. Gentre: Fantasy adventure. Angelina Jolie gives a spellbinding performance in the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villainess, the bad fairy Maleficent, from the 1959 classic ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and why her pure heart was turned to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent places a curse on the king’s newborn infant, Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora (Elle Fanning) is caught in a conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realises that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.
GODZILLA Director: Gareth Edwards. Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston. Genre: Science fiction, monster movie. In a modern reboot of the Godzilla film franchise (dating back to the 1954 original made by Toho in Japan), the world’s most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence. Among the main characters are Lieutenant Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a US Navy explosives expert; his father Joe (Bryan Cranston), a nuclear physicist; and Dr Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), a scientific investigator.
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Director: Bryan Singer. Starring: Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult. Genre: Action, drama, sci-fi. Original ‘X-Men’ director Bryan Singer returns to the helm for this mind-bending, time-hopping adventure involving a war for survival across two time periods. By 2023 mutants are on the verge of extinction. Giant robotic Sentinels stalk this devastated future world, hunting down the few survivors. Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) hatch a last desperate plan. They send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back on a mission to unite the young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) at a time when they are at one another’s throats. In order to prevent the war, it will also be necessary to stop Sentinel inventor Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage). The wild card is the agenda of Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence).
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Get noticed. Get visible. Get on board!
BOOK NOW FOR ISSUE 8 Be on board for the holiday season: October, November and December 2014. Seasonal products or special promotions Promote your products and services by making fastjet passengers your customers fastjet passengers are predominantly young aspirational Africans with disposable income Travelsmart is read by over 100,000 fastjet passengers each quarter and our readership is growing quickly along with fastjet’s expansion into new international routes Partnership agreements with Expedia Group, Hotwire, Egencia, Hahn Air Systems and Skyscanner have made tickets easily available globally A service that is ideally suited to business travellers, executives and professionals who rely on fastjet’s outstanding 90 per cent on-time performance, with 15 per cent of flights arriving early Faster flying times thanks to fastjet’s modern fleet of faster and more fuel efficient Airbus A319 aircraft
fastjet – the people’s choice of airline with a captive audience of potential customers. Email: travelsmart@landmarine.org or call +44 (0)1206 752902 by 15 August 2014 to book your advertisement.
CORNER KNOCK KNOCK!
JOKE TIME...
Knock Knock Who’s there? Moose! Moose who? Moose you be so nosey!
Q. What do you call a greedy ant? A. An anteater!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Annetta! Annetta who? Annetta wisecrack and you’re out of here!
Q. Why did the owl, owl? A. Because the woodpecker would peck ‘er! Q. What’s grey and moves at a hundred miles an hour? A. A jet propelled elephant!
Q. What did one wall say to the other wall? A. I’ll meet you at the corner. Q. Why do bicycles fall over? A. Because they are two-tired! Q. Why was the broom late? A. It over swept!
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TRAVEL INFO VISA INFORMATION Most nationals require visas to enter East Africa. Citizens from the five East African states require no visas while those from the Common Market of East and Southern Africa (COMESA) member states have relaxed entry requirements into East Africa. However, East African member states have their own visa requirements for various nationals.
Tanzanian visas All foreigners from non-Commonwealth countries are required to have a valid visa unless their countries have agreements with Tanzania under which the visa requirement is waived. Exemptions: Citizens of Commonwealth countries are not required to obtain visas unless they are citizens of the United Kingdom, Canada, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, New Zealand or Australia. Tanzanian visas are issued by the following: • The office of the Director of Immigration Services, Dar es Salaam, and the office of the Principal Immigration Officer, Zanzibar. • Entry points to the United Republic of Tanzania: principally Namanga, Tunduma, Sirari, Horohoro, Kigoma Port, Dar es Salaam International Airport, Kilimanjaro International Airport, Zanzibar Harbour and Zanzibar Airport. • Any other gazetted entry point. • From Tanzania High Commissions or embassies abroad. For more information on Tanzanian diplomatic missions visit: www.tanzania.go.tz
HEALTH Vaccination requirements for international travellers • No cholera vaccination certificates are required of travellers coming from all over the world. • Only valid yellow fever vaccination certificates are required of all travellers over one year old, arriving from yellow fever infected countries mainly in central and West
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South African visas Visitors’ visas are a requirement for many travellers entering South Africa on a temporary basis. The purpose of visit can be for either business or leisure but is restricted to 90 days or less when using a visitors’ visa. For longer trips a different type of visa is required and information regarding this can be obtained from the Department of Home Affairs. The visa application must be produced on arrival and visitors are restricted to the activities given as the reason for travel during the visa application process. For a smooth trip, ensure that visas are applied for before departure as they are not issued on arrival in South Africa. Moreover, the visa must be fixed to a passport and shown to immigration upon landing. Visa applications do not need to be submitted in person but can be submitted on behalf of the traveller, for example, by a travel agent. There are other visa requirements that must be adhered to for entry into South Africa: • • • • • • •
A valid passport needs to be produced which must not expire for at least 30 days after the duration of the intended visit At least two full, unused pages left in the passport Travellers also require a completed application for visa form A yellow fever vaccination certificate if over one year of age and travelling from a yellow fever belt country Documentation confirming the purpose of stay Two colour passport photographs A return or onward ticket is also a necessity
There is a fee associated with obtaining a visa, this fee can change often but can be checked by contacting the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa. For this and further information on visa requirements for entering South Africa visit www.home-affairs.gov.za
•
Africa, South and Central America South East Asia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh. Vaccination for international travellers are obtainable from all international air and sea ports, city and major municipal councils
NB: Make sure you get your yellow fever shot in good time since the yellow fever certificate is valid for travel use 10 days after vaccination.
The fastjet
network Kilimanjaro Mwanza Mbeya
Dar es Salaam
TANZANIA ZAMBIA Lusaka Harare
ZIMBABWE Johannesburg
SOUTH AFRICA
Baggage Savvy Airlines have varying baggage rules that can often be confusing and can lead to unforeseen costs at the airport. An outline of the fastjet baggage guidelines will help make your flight smooth and enjoyable. If booked prior to departure each passenger is entitled to one bag that can be checked in and placed in the hold at the cost of R60 or Tsh 10,000. If hold baggage is not booked in advance it is still possible to check one bag per passenger into the hold while at the airport on the day of departure, this is at the cost of R100 or Tsh 15,000. All baggage being checked into the hold must weigh less than 20 kg but if baggage weighs more than 20 kg arrangements can be made to carry it at an additional cost of R50 per kilo. However, maximum weight for any single piece of hold baggage is 32 kg due to health and safety restrictions and no passenger can check in more than 50 kg of baggage.
a maximum of 56 x 45 x 25 cm and anything measuring larger than this must be checked and placed in the hold. However, hand baggage must be able to be placed in and retrieved from the overhead lockers safely but there is no weight restriction on hand luggage. If hand baggage is larger than the specified dimensions it will be necessary to check this into the hold at the specified fees and charges. Infants travelling without a seat do not have hand baggage allowance. For further rules on fastjet’s baggage allowances please visit www.fastjet.com
Each passenger is entitled to carry only one item of hand luggage, which could be one brief case, one handbag, a rucksack or a suit or dress carrier. Hand baggage can measure
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FLEET INFO
FASTJET CONTACTS
Airbus A319 QUICK FACTS Length: Wingspan:
33.84 m / 111 ft
Height:
TANZANIA 11.76 m / 38 ft 7 in
34.1 m / 111 ft 11 in
Maximum capacity: 156 seats
23.78 m / 78 ft
Range: 6,850 km / 3,700 Nm
Cabin length: Maximum speed:
Mach 0.82
Number of aircraft:
3
fastjet Tanzania & Dar es Salaam ticketing & reservations office Plot No 767/39, Samora Avenue
Sales: +255 767 007 903 Tel: +255 222 125 912/3 Email: sales.tanzania@fastjet.com
fastjet Arusha ticketing & reservations office Blue Plaza, 2nd Floor, Indian Street
Tel: +255 (0)27 254 5211 Tel: +255 (0)783 540 540
fastjet Zanzibar ticketing & reservations office Cine Afrique Building, Stone Town
Tel: +255 (0)24 223 5110 Tel: +255 (0)762 540 540
Kilimanjaro International Airport Tel: +255 (0)756 540 540 Tel: +255 (0)27 255 4282 Mwanza Town New Mwanza Hotel, Ground Floor, Kenyatta Road
Tel: +255 (0)767 540 543
Mwanza Airport Tel: +255 (0)756 540 549
South africa fastjet South Africa Reservations Office
Greener flights through innovative design fastjet operates a fleet of A319 jets manufactured by Airbus as part of the A320 family of aircraft. Identical to the A320 except in length, the A319 is a single aisle twin-engine jet designed to carry 156 passengers. These highly efficient aircraft have a low environmental impact, while the innovative wing tip Sharklets can reduce fuel consumption by more than 3.5 per cent. Moreover, comfort has been improved for the smaller jet and the state-of-the-art A319 has a wide single-aisle fuselage, which gives a generous seat width, thus helping to maintain the high level of comfort that modern air travellers have come to expect. fast jet’s South African launch will be operated by Federal Air and in the short term flights fulfilled by a Boeing 737-300 aircraft until fastjet’s uniquely efficient aircraft is introduced.
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Holiday House, 156 Bram Fischer Drive, Randburg, 2194
Tel: +27 11 289 8090 Sales: 0861 FASTJET / 0861 3278538 Email: sales.southafrica@fastjet.com customer.southafrica@fastjet.com
Zambia fastjet Zambia c/o Voyagers, Suez Road, Lusaka
Tel: +260 211 256864
Zimbabwe fastjet Zimbabwe c/o Star Travel, 180 Fife Avenue, Harare
Tel: +263 8644 556677