Indwe February 2014

indwe YOUR FREE COPY

F e b ru a ry 2 0 1 4

All Things Proudly South African BLOEMFONTEIN CAPE TOWN DURBAN EAST LONDON GABORONE GEORGE HOEDSPRUIT JOHANNESBURG KIMBERLEY LUBUMBASHI LUSAKA MAPUTO Nelspruit PORT ELIZABETH Pietermaritzburg RICHARDSBAY WALVIS BAY WINDHOEK harare

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This Month's Best Reads F ebruary 2 0 1 4 Events: 10 North | 12 South | 14 In Between Bits & Pieces: 16 Travel Tips & Gorgeous Goodies Bites: 20 Restaurants & Taste Experiences Travel: 26 Paradise Untamed – The Wild Coast | 39 A Tshwane To-Do List | 50 Adventures Galore – Namibia’s Coastal Region | 58 French Charm, South African Hospitality | 76 Dubai’s Modern Ottoman Palace Feature: 55 Clothing the Nation | 80 A Big Hit for a Golf-Loving City Motoring: 63 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 71 Charging Ahead – Nissan Leaf Gadgets: 84 Must Haves for Technophiles

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S a E x press 0 8 9 9 9 9

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CEO Letter SA Express Fleet We Fly For You: Our Visions and Values Safety and Route Map Flight Schedule Passenger Letters

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J anuary 2 0 1 4 Special Features: 22 Proudly South African Ingenuity – Mzansi's Best Inventions Feature: 35 Our Countr y’s Cornerstone – The South African Constitution | 47 Local Guy Goes Global – Elon Musk Business: 46 The Buy Back SA Campaign | 67 Shopping Experiences of the Future Books: 86 New releases and Must Reads

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SA EXPRESS Divisional Manager: Communications and PR Keitumetse Masike Tel: +27 11 978 2540 kmasike@flyexpress.aero Customer Care Department Tel: 0861 729 227 customercare@flyexpress.aero Twitter: @flySAexpress Facebook: SA Express Airways

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INDWE Indwe is published by TCB Media (Pty) Ltd In association with Tauro Creations and June Communications Tel: 0861 THE MAG (843 624) cover image ©iStockphoto.com Publisher Bernard Hellberg | bernard@tcbmedia.co.za Editor Nicky Furniss | nicky@tcbmedia.co.za Senior Designer Lindsey Steenkamp | design@tcbmedia.co.za DIRECTORS Publishing Director: Bernard Hellberg Production and Distribution Advisor: Obed Sealetsa | nolo@tcbgroup.co.za Communications Advisor: Pam Komani | pam@junecommunications.co.za ADVERTISING SALES Tel: +27 12 425 5800 National Sales Manager Bryan Kayavhu | bryan@tcbmedia.co.za +27 83 785 6691 Senior Account Managers Chantal Barton +27 83 459 3086 chantal@tcbmedia.co.za Calvin van Vuuren + 27 82 582 6873 calvin@tcbmedia.co.za Nikki de Lange +27 83 415 0339 nikki@tcbmedia.co.za Robyn Shillaw-Botha +27 83 629 8818 robyn@tcbgroup.co.za DISCLAIMER: All material is strictly copyrighted.

All rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without prior permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed in Indwe Magazine are not necessarily those of SA Express.

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A Year for Celebrating Commercial Aviation Accomplishments 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the first ever scheduled commercial airline flight. On 1st January 1914, Abram C Pheil from Florida, became the first ever paying passenger. The former mayor of St Petersburg boarded an airboat from St Petersburg to Tampa, Florida, with a flying time of 23 minutes.

A century later, commercial aviation has become a global industry. According to IATA, over 3 billion passengers and 50 million tonnes of cargo are transported every year, supporting over 57 million jobs and $2.2 trillion in economic activity. In South Africa, the aviation industry plays a significant role in economic development, job creation, tourism, socio-economic interconnectivity and trade. Over 350,000 jobs are supported by the industry with a contribution of R74 billion to the country’s GDP. As an airline, we recognise the important role that we play in supporting Government to deliver on national development objectives. Each year in the last two years, we have flown more than 1.5 million passengers around South Africa and the Southern African region.

From our humble beginnings in 1994, we have grown substantially to the point that we are now a R2.4 billion business which employs in excess of 1,000 people including those with such highly specialised skills as pilots.

As SA Express, we are proud that for 20 years we have contributed to the success of commercial aviation by connecting people and markets across the continent. SAA is also celebrating 80 years of existence this month, so

it bodes well for African airlines to remain key players in the global aviation industry into the future.

February is also a month that is warmly received as the month of love.

With our Proudly South African theme, we are supporting a growing paradigm that is harnessing love, vigour and pride of all things South African. As a proudly homegrown entity, SA Express has contributed to the identity, potential and prosperity of our country and will remain a patriotic champion that connects the world with South Africa.

Furthermore, the feature on the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa is testament to how we have rigorously pursued democracy. Our country’s constitution is admired and revered across the world as a symbol of freedom, demonstrating best practice approaches to issues of human rights. It truly is the pride and light of our nation and should be celebrated as a momentous milestone in our 20 years of freedom.

Finally, I look forward to many more centuries of commercial aviation success and taking advantage of growth opportunities in the future.

Regards

Inati Inati Ntshanga CEO

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events | North 15

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It’s Electric

Ultra SA, Expo Centre, Nasrec Ultra SA is an electric music event that originated in Miami, USA, and which attracts over 55,000 people each year. It has moved to some of the most iconic cities in the world, including Ibiza, and now it is coming to South Africa. The festival will include some of the world’s most well-respected DJ's such as Tiesto, Afrojack, Claude Vonstroke, and Krewell. Some of South Africa's finest performers, including Mi Casa, Goldfish and Black Coffee, will also be lighting up the stage. Tickets to the world’s premier electronic music festival are available from Computicket.

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Make Your House a Home

Gauteng Homemakers Expo, Coca-Cola Dome The 2014 Gauteng Homemakers Expo will be showcasing bold, bright and individual ideas and products, and covering all the latest trends on the home front. Visitors can look forward to: the Décor & Furniture Avenue; the Builders DIY Theatre, where experts will be on hand to give visitors DIY ideas and solutions for renovating and decorating their gardens and homes; and an innovative display of lighting designs by students of the Design School of Southern Africa (DSSA). The Repurpose[d] recycling feature by students of the the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture will also showcase an incredible new take on repurposing and up-cycled items.

//www.homemakersonline.co.za

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The Return of a Legend

Madame Zingara’s After Forever, Montecasino Madame Zingara’s magical new show, After Forever, will be making its debut in Johannesburg on 13th February. After Forever invites audiences into a forest where legends and folklore come to life, secrets and myths dance in the air and magic becomes tangible. A fallen god, Icarus, is on a quest to capture his great love and along the way encounters a host of mythical creatures – including ethereal Siamese twins and a majestic Lyrical Queen.

As always, the show is accompanied by a delicious feast, as well as much fun and merriment. The show runs nightly from Tuesday to Sunday and tickets can be booked by calling 0861 MADAME / 0861 623263.

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// www.madamezingara.com

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events | south 8

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Down in the Valley

Franschhoek Summer Wines, Leopard’s Leap Family Vineyards Celebrate summer in style and head off to Leopard’s Leap Family Vineyards for this year’s Franschhoek Summer Wines, where Franschhoek’s finest wineries will be showcasing their premium wines. Participating wineries include La Bri, Morena, Leopard’s Leap, La Motte, Solms-Delta, Haute Cabrière, Grande Provence and Boekenhoutskloof. This is the perfect opportunity for wine lovers to browse at their leisure, or engage with the winemakers while sipping on these superb wines. Visitors can also complement their wine with mouthwatering rotisserie-style food, prepared by the chefs in the Leopard’s Leap Kitchen. Tickets cost R120 per person and are available from

// www.webtickets.co.za

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Meet and Greet on the Street

Stellenbosch Street Soirees, Stellenbosch The popular Stellenbosch Street Soirees are back in full swing, giving visitors even more reasons to savour and share the vibrant pulse and pleasures of South Africa’s wine and gourmet capital during the summer months. These easy-going monthly gatherings will transform the oak-lined streets of Stellenbosch into a colourful hub of food, wine and live music.

Wine tastings will be offered by various Stellenbosch estates and gourmet bites by participating restaurants will beckon enthusiasts to revel in a slice of the Stellenbosch lifestyle. The Stellenbosch Street Soirees take place from 18h00 to 20h00 (between Bird Street and Andringa Street) and each gathering features a different selection of cellars and eateries.

// www.webtickets.co.za

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Harvest High Jinks

Weintaufe Harvest Celebration, Eikendal Estate A beautiful setting at the water’s edge invites young and old to kick off their shoes and indulge in laid-back weekend vibes and vibrant family fun on the farm, fuelled with live music and barrels of entertainment, all washed down with delicious estate wines and wholesome country fare. Activities include vineyard tractor rides and walks, cheetah viewing, craft stalls, lucky draws, golfing action at the dam, pony rides, a jungle gym, grape stomping action and fly fishing. Delicious food and wine will also be on sale. Tickets will be available at the gate on the day and the event starts at 10h00. The official baptism and tasting of the new Eikendal Chardonnay will take place at noon.

Eikendal is situated on the R44, midway between Stellenbosch and Somerset West. Email info@eikendal.co.za for more information.

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events | in Between

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Sole Searching

Feet at the Beach, Prana Lodge Private Beach Estate and Spa Realising the value that our feet offer us as physical, emotional and spiritual beings, Prana Lodge Private Beach Estate and Spa invites guests to take a step back and have a good look at their soles with Chris Stormer-Fryer (affectionately known as the “Universal Foot Lady”) at its one or two-day workshop, “Feet at the Beach”. This workshop is designed to improve your wellbeing by taking note of the changing characteristics of your feet which indicate your needs and allow you to recognise your latent talents. Chris will guide guests through the remarkable aspects they can learn about themselves by paying close attention to their feet.

For reservations, email info@pranalodge.co.za.

//www.pranalodge.co.za

F ebruary

Celebrate the Month of Love

Valentine’s Day Dinner & Romantic Spa Packages, The Oyster Box, Umhlanga The Feast of St Valentine’s has been associated with romantic love since the Middle Ages, and this year Valentine’s Day at The Oyster Box is pure romance. The Grill Room and the more casual Ocean Terrace Restaurant are each offering set menus and live entertainment on the evening. Fresh oysters and bubbly or cocktails in the Lighthouse and Oyster Bars, both overlooking the lighthouse and the sea, will set the tone for the evening. Couples can also celebrate the month of love at the award-winning Spa at The Oyster Box with its “So in Love” package. At R1,600 per couple, it includes use of the spa’s facilities, snacks in the Spa Café and a glass of sparkling wine to toast your special day. Booking is essential. For more information or to make a reservation call +27 31 514 5000 or email info@oysterbox.co.za.

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bits & Pieces Treats for Your Sweet No matter what you would like to tell your special someone this February, at Woolies you are sure to find a sweet treat to express just how you feel. Surprise your sweetheart with any of these delicious treats: fortune cookies dipped in milk chocolate (from R4.95 each); melt-in-your-mouth Chuckles in heart-shaped tins (R79.95 each); a bear with heartshaped milk chocolates (R129.95); “you rock” radio tins filled with cola-flavoured sherbet chews (R39.95); a classic chocolate selection in a heart-shaped box (R199.95); and an origami game with heart-shaped mallows and milk chocolates (from R24.95). You can also shop for Valentine’s Day goodies from wherever you are – and even have your gift wrapped and delivered to your Valentine – by visiting //www.woolworths.co.za.

Lovely Local Linen Coricraft and local linen manufacturer Volpes have joined forces to create a beautiful range of linen that is both upmarket and affordable. There is a large range available and all of the items come in various sizes and are either sold individually or in “basic packs”, which are made up of a duvet cover, two matching pillow cases, a fitted sheet and a mattress protector. Varying thread counts are available, and the choices continue through to pillows and duvet inners. For your duvet inner and matching pillow, choose from top quality fibre or goose down.

Coricraft offers linen to suit all tastes and budgets, from their “standard” range in percale linen – which is soft to the touch and durable – to truly luxurious items like Egyptian cotton sheets and goose down duvets. For more information, visit

A Romantic Weekend Getaway The Manor House boutique hotel at Fancourt is a leading leisure destination and the epitome of luxury on the Garden Route. It offers a world class lifestyle experience in a private setting. Fancourt has recently introduced The Manor House Leisure Package, which offers a taste of pure luxury from R4,240 per night for two people sharing a Luxury Suite, with a delicious breakfast, high tea, and evening canapés with sparkling wine included. Rounding off the pampering experience is either a round of golf at The Links, a spa voucher to the value of R1,000 per person, or a delicious gourmet experience at one of Fancourt’s restaurants to the value of R1,000 per person per stay.

This special offer is valid for a minimum of a two night stay throughout 2014, excluding peak season between 21st and 31st December. This package is available to South African residents only and is subject to availability.

//www.fancourt.co.za.

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//www.coricraft.co.za.

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bits & Pieces A Jewellery Journey

Sunshine in a Glass

From that first kiss to the first dance on their wedding day, a

Place in the Sun is an enticing new range

couple’s journey of love is unique and special to them. The

of delicious wines made by Zonnebloem,

Browns Journey Collection has been specially created to

one of South Africa’s most respected wine

reflect that unique journey through life and love. Brilliant

makers. The grapes used are sourced

round diamonds are set in a graduated sequence from

from the country’s premier winegrowing

smallest to largest, mirroring how love grows and becomes

regions, and certified by FLO-CERT

more meaningful over time. It celebrates those special

under the Fair Label Organisation (FLO)

moments together and promises many more memories

Standards that form part of Fairtrade.

yet to be made. The Journey pendants are available in

The wines in the range are proudly

a heart, circle or curve shape, as well as in a variety of

crafted to meticulous standards,

sizes. Browns has also recently introduced the heart

ensuring that they are highly

shaped Journey pendant in 18ct rose gold. It is the

regarded both on the South African

ultimate gift to celebrate your love this Valentine’s

and international markets. They are

Day. Visit www.brownsjewellers.com for more

bold and rich in varietal character,

information, as well as for other gift ideas.

but easy to drink, refreshing and soft on the palate. The Place in the Sun Unwooded Chardonnay 2013 is a well-balanced, soft and easydrinking wine with an abundance of pear and stone fruit flavours, as well as upfront citrus aromas. It pairs beautifully with fresh oysters, steak tartare and poultry dishes.

A Taste Revolution The Constantia Glen tasting room has recently been transformed into a stylish fusion of European and Cape design by South African interior designer, Graham Viney. Viney has converted the former stables and cow byre into a light eclectic space featuring a chic wine bar. Fresh design elements include Cape Georgian cellar doors with brick surrounds, a great cast iron pavilion created out of the juncture of three verandas and Arts and Crafts inspired chandeliers. The new wine bar is open for wine tasting and purchases, while visitors can enjoy charcuterie and cheese platters on the wraparound veranda and enclosed Victorian Pavilion overlooking the beautiful vineyard surroundings. The new tasting room also features a dining room for private functions.

Known for their cool climate Sauvignon Blancs and Bordeauxstyle reds, Constantia Glen is just 20 minutes from the Cape Town city centre. //www.constantiaglen.com

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bites

Asian Artistry

Umi, a modern new Japanese restaurant, has recently opened below the five-star Marly Hotel in Cape Town’s stylish Camps Bay. Umi has a seating capacity for 250 guests, and will satisfy diners looking for tasty, healthy, in-house eating options. It also has a stylish 80-seater terrace bar. As well as tantalising cuisine, the restaurant boasts picturesque panoramic vistas across the ocean, complete with stunning sunsets. Australian chef Scott Hallsworth was commissioned to ensure the authenticity of the meals.

Hallsworth's exceptional skill in the art of Japanese cuisine and passion for pushing gastronomic boundaries will ensure that diners can look forward to an authentic and exciting Asian dining experience at Umi. For reservations, contact +27 21 795 6300 or email marketing@alphen.co.za.

En Route to Great Food Food Routes is on a never ending quest to discover the best places in South Africa to eat and sleep. Food Routes is a portal and gourmet specialist for five-star accommodation establishments with an excellent culinary reputation based upon the food and the dining experiences they offer. Listing is by invitation only, and the accommodation establishments are carefully vetted and selected by the Food Routes team. Whether it is a Big Five safari, country meander, Winelands breakaway, or a city escapade that whets the taste of the traveller, booking with Food Routes will ensure an exquisite wine, dine and recline experience. Guests can devise their own itinerary by using the Food Route planner and distance chart, and can book their desired Food Route destinations through the Food Routes Platform. Advisors are also available to assist and plan a bespoke experience for food-loving travellers.

//www.foodroutes.co.za.

Picnic Perfection Uitkyk Wine Estate between Stellenbosch and Paarl has recently introduced picnics on the lawns of its restored Georgian Manor House.

Sip on Uitkyk’s recently released wines, while enjoying an opulent Georgian picnic basket consisting of artisan breads, cheeses, pâtés, olives, a charcuterie selection, smoked salmon, fruit and decadent chocolate brownies. The picnic basket, which serves two, is priced at R350 and includes mineral water and a bottle of Uitkyk wine. There is also the option to upgrade your picnic to the R380 Carlonet Picnic, which includes a bottle of the estate’s flagship Carlonet wine, or the R400 Glass Memoires Picnic, which includes a bottle of Uitkyk’s new MCC. There are hidden corners, ancient trees and expansive lawns on which to enjoy this sumptuous fare. Take a break with a game of boules or croquet before relaxing with a delicious glass of estate wine. Kiddies are also catered for. Call +27 21 884 4416, or email info@uitkyk.co.za for reservations.

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Proudly South African Ingenuity Mzansi's Best Inventions Text: mediaclubsouthafrica.com & Nicky Furniss Images © iStockphoto.com & Lodox Systems

Where would you expect to find the inventor of the CAT scan, the makers of the “speed gun” used in cricket ovals the world over, or a revolutionary full body, high speed scanner. There is a wide range of innovative and entrepreneurial activity in South Africa. Here are just a few of our Proudly South Africa inventions.

The Lodox Scanner Fans of the American hit TV show Grey’s Anatomy will probably remember the episode which aired last year in which the amazing new Lodox full body, high speed scanner featured.

Few, however, would have realised that this amazing piece of diagnostic equipment was actually invented right here in South Africa.

Originally developed for use in diamond mines to prevent miners from smuggling diamonds, the scanner needed to be able to detect diamonds as small as one fifth of a gram, scan a miner’s entire body, and do so quickly enough to allow large shifts of workers to be scanned and processed quickly. The designers also had to take into account the danger of high doses of regular radiation, and so reduce the scanner’s radiation emissions as much as possible.

The end result was a world first: a full-body, digital X-ray scanner that emits extremely low levels of radiation (90% less than a conventional X-ray, in fact) and which can produce a high definition image in a fraction of the time of conventional methods (the latest version of the scanner has the process down to 13 seconds!).

The engineers at De Beer’s diamond research labs who were responsible for inventing the scanner, soon realised its potential for use in the

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world of medicine, and duly established Lodox Systems in 2002.

The Lodox Statscan and its latest product, the Lodox Xmplar-dr, are currently being used both in South Africa and around the world in close to 50 trauma units and forensic pathology laboratories.

In emergency trauma situations, the Lodox scanners allow easy access to the patient, so that monitoring and resuscitation can take place around the scanning process. The 13 second full body scan also provides instant diagnostic information about the patient’s entire body, while its low radiation emissions make it safer for both patients and staff. It is also extremely useful in forensic pathology applications for autopsies, as once again it gives a complete picture of the deceased without the need to X-ray or scan the body from multiple angles.

Pretty impressive stuff for this proudly South African invention.

The CAT Scan The computed axial tomography scan, or CAT scan, was developed at Tufts University in the UK

by South African physicist Allan Cormack and Godfrey Hounsfield of EMI Laboratories. Their achievement secured them the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

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Cormack’s interest in the problem of X-ray imaging of soft tissues or layers of tissue of differing densities was first aroused when he took up the part time position of physicist for a hospital radiology department.

The two-dimensional representations of conventional X-ray plates were often unable to distinguish between such tissues. More information could be gained if X-rays of the body were taken from several different directions, but conventional X-ray techniques made this procedure problematic.

In the early 1960s, Cormack showed how details of a flat section of soft tissues could be calculated from measurements of the decreasing length of X-rays passing through it from many different angles. He thus provided the mathematical technique for the CAT scan, in which an X-ray source and electronic detectors are rotated about the body, and the resulting data is analysed by a computer to produce a sharp map of the tissues within a cross-section of the body.

The Kreepy Krauly The "swimming pool vacuum cleaner" was invented by Ferdinand Chauvier, a hydraulics engineer who came to South Africa from the

Belgian Congo in 1951.

Chauvier quickly realised that there was a huge market for taking the hassle out of cleaning swimming pools. He went about inventing a machine that would do the job automatically, while efficiently powered by the ordinary operation of the pool’s filter. In 1974 the first Kreepy Krauly was born in Chauvier’s home in Springs.

Chauvier died in 1985, but Kreepy Kraulys continue to keep thousands of pools clean in South Africa and the world over.

Heart Transplant The world’s first heart transplant was performed by Dr Chris Barnard in Cape Town on 3rd December 1967.

Barnard was born in the Karoo town of Beaufort West in 1922. The seeds of his future career were sown when one of his patients delivered a baby boy with a heart defect which could not be remedied. The baby died, causing him to think deeply about the need for remedial surgery and the replacement of heart valves.

A turning point came when Barnard was offered a chance to work in Minneapolis in the US under Professor Wagensteen, a great teacher of experimental surgery. The heart-lung

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machine was perfected, and this turned out to be the gateway to cardiac surgery. After more years of study in the US, Barnard returned to South Africa with a parting gift from Prof Wagensteen: a heart-lung machine.

Groote Schuur Hospital was awaiting his return in 1958 to start the first heart unit to perform a cardiac bypass operation.

After performing the first successful kidney transplant on Edith Black in October 1967, Barnard informed Professor Val Schrire, who had built up the cardiac clinic: “Everything is ready for a heart transplant. We have the team and we know how to do it.”

In November 1967, Schrire called Barnard and told him that there was a suitable patient for a heart transplant. Louis Washkansky was suffering from heart failure and was prepared to take the chance. The rest is history.

The Speed Gun The South African made speed gun, developed

by Somerset West inventor Henri Johnson, was formally launched at The Oval in England during the 1999 Cricket World Cup. In 1992, Johnson invented the Speedball, which was manufactured by South African firm Electronic Development House. The device accurately measures the speed and angles of speeding objects such as cricket and tennis balls.

Generally referred to as a “speed gun”, Johnson’s gizmo is now sold in cricketing countries around the world, as well as in the

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US and Europe.

Pratley Putty Pratley’s famous glue is the only South African invention that has been to the moon. In 1969 the putty was used to hold bits of the Apollo XI mission’s Eagle landing craft together.

Krugersdorp engineer George Pratley invented his famous sticky stuff in the 1960s while looking for a glue that would hold components in an electrical box.

Pratley died in 1983, and today the company is run by his son, Kim. Hundreds of tons of Pratley putty has been exported all over the world, and the company has now diversified into other products.

Dolosse Dolosse (an Afrikaans word which refers to the ball of the ankle joint) are large, unusually shaped concrete blocks, each weighing up to 20 tons. The structures are designed to break up wave action and protect harbour walls and coastal installations.

Designed by Eric Merrifield and first installed in the East London harbour, they are now used all over the world.

The Coega Project, comprising an industrial development complex and deepwater port 20 km east of the city of Port Elizabeth, made history several years ago by casting the biggest dolosse on the African continent.

First Page: The South African inventors of the CAT scan not only helped to advance medical diagnostics but they were also awarded a Nobel Prize for their efforts Previous Page: The revolutionary Lodox Xmplar-dr can scan a patient’s entire body in just 13 seconds This Page: South African invented dolosse are used around the world to protect coastlines and harbour walls from excessive wave action

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Paradise Untamed

The Wild Coast Te x t and images: Keith Bain

For a sense of a forgotten world, the Wild Coast – stretching roughly 280 km from just north of East London in the south to the mouth of the Mtamvuna River, bordering KwaZulu-Natal in the north – is unparalleled. Endless, untamed beaches, dotted with sheltered coves and backed by enormous dunes, dramatic cliffs, and dense coastal forest, the Wild Coast boasts an exhilarating mix of raw natural beauty and a way of life that harks to simpler times.

This is not your postcard paradise of palm-lined beaches. You won’t see flat, cobalt-coloured water lapping at the toes of idle, rich holidaymakers. This is paradise in its raw, rugged sense, unadulterated and untamed, with little doubt that nature is in charge.

For the most part, the only sign of human infiltration are the pretty mud-and-thatch rondawels that speckle the hills that undulate towards the sea.

Here, instead of beach umbrellas and sun loungers, you will find whale bones and driftwood, washed up like abstract sculptures between herds of sunbathing cows, sprawled on the sand, distractedly chewing the cud.

Sentimental though this sounds, the Wild Coast’s beauty is neither tailored nor twee. Nor is it particularly

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easy. To some extent what has kept the crowds at bay is the sheer stamina required to get here. While you can easily reach a handful of familiar seaside villages – Port St Johns, Coffee Bay, Cintsa – its most remote and rural communities are connected by tricky dirt roads that are mostly un-signposted.

Wild Waves It is a paradise enlivened by scenes of violent waves crashing into sheer cliffs, and dramatic rock walls pockmarked by thousands of years of assault by waves smashing themselves into clouds of wet spray and white mist.

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These insistent waves are responsible for one of South Africa’s most wondrous coastal phenomena: a massive detached cliff of stratified sandstone known for the archway that’s been gouged through its centre.

The English named it Hole-in-the-Wall, but locals call it esiKhaleni, or "the place of the sound". One legend tells of supernatural sea people who created the hole and whose mystical music and singing can sometimes be heard emanating from it. Some deem the gap to be a gateway to the world of the Xhosa ancestors. Certainly, for many foolhardy people who have tried to swim through it, it’s proven a quick entry to the afterlife.

While witnessing the drama of a Wild Coast storm can be exhilarating from the shore, bad weather has

on occasion transformed this section of coastline into a watery graveyard, spelling the end of numerous passing ships. Scientists say the freakish nature of the storms here is due to a combination of strong winds and deep, fast-flowing currents, but the tragic and mysterious disappearance of seaborne vessels (such as the SS Waratah in 1909) has given it a reputation as a kind of African Bermuda Triangle.

Shipwreck disasters have also played their part in the Wild Coast’s strange history. In the late 18th Century, rumours of survivors living among the amaXhosa sparked a rescue mission that turned up a colony of some 400 Europeans. One clan is said to be descended from a girl who survived an 18th Century

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shipwreck and became a queen.

A Place to Lay Your Head It is not all wave-bashed cliffs and tall tales, though.

At the Wild Coast’s southern end, Cintsa is notable for the monumental dunes that line part of its 20-odd km beach. Behind these high rise sand hills, places like gorgeous Prana Lodge (www.pranalodge.co.za) lie secreted away in lush gardens, along with an authentic Thai spa and chic freestanding cottages with private pools. It is sheltered from the sea, but when you hit the top of the dune and look down at the beach, the scene takes your breath away.

Comprising two villages – East and West – Cintsa is one of the easiest parts of the Wild Coast to access, as it is just an hour north of East London on decent roads.

North of here is Qhora Mouth, a tiny settlement of less than two dozen cottages where a river carves its way through forested hills to the sea, forming one of the coast’s neat, mangrove-lined lagoons.

There is also family friendly, old-fashioned Kob Inn (www.kobinn.co.za), which has decent digs in thatched blocks, all within 100 m of the sea.

One of the region’s best hikes, the Wild Coast Meander (www.wildcoastholidays.co.za), wends its way from Qhora Mouth to Morgan Bay, via Mazeppa Bay and Qolora Mouth. Covering 56 achingly beautiful kilometres in five days, you are accompanied by guides and porters from local communities. You spend days fording rivers and traversing isolated beaches, while each night is spent in the relative comfort of a hotel.

But for an unrivalled, right-off-the-map escape, it’s Bulungula (www.bulungula.com) that will leave your

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heart in your throat. Reached via dirt roads that are like a roller coaster of bumps and dongas, you need your wits about you to follow navigational instructions citing obscure landmarks. If you’re smart, you’ll hike here instead from Coffee Bay. However you arrive, though, you may never want to leave. Built behind a Milkwood forest, the lodge is a cluster of simple, traditional rondawels on a rise overlooking a lagoon and another fabulous beach.

You’re welcomed as part of the local community. The people of Nqileni are major shareholders in the lodge and many work here and offer various services, from in-room massage to canoe trips.

You slip into a daze as your time away from the beach is spent hanging out with the old folk clustered around one of the village’s casual shebeens, or rooting through the forest looking for herbs with the local sangoma, or perhaps learning a few new skills with the local fishermen. It’s a fabulous place to strike out on foot, ride horses on the beach, or spend hours in a fire-heated forest bath. And when the sun slinks away, children from the village beat out drum rhythms around the fire, before you dish up your simple, hearty meal from large pots in the communal kitchen.

And then, as you listen to the crash-boom-slosh of waves, you’ll look up at a sky dripping with the piercing glint of a gazillion stars. Hardly a moment passes when you’re not mesmerised, and it doesn’t take long before another shooting star cuts a path across the sky. You’re hypnotised, and grateful that there is a place on earth where not only is time-travel a reality, but magic is possible. How else to explain that all your cares have disappeared without a trace?

For a full run-down of what to do and where to stay, visit www.wildcoast.co.za.

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Paradis indompté La Côte Sauvage T exte & Images : Keith Bain

Pour avoir une idée de ce qu’un monde oublié peut être, la Côte Sauvage qui s’étend sur environ 280 km commençant au nord de East London au sud du pays, jusqu’à l’embouchure de la rivière Mtamvuna à la limite du KwaZulu Natal au nord, est inégalable. La Côte Sauvage propose un mélange exaltant de beauté naturelle et un mode de vie datant d’une époque où tout était plus simple.

C’est un paradis brut et rude, inchangé et sauvage, où il ne fait aucun doute que la nature est maitresse des lieux. À la place des parasols et des chaises longues vous y trouverez des os de baleine et des morceaux de bois flotté, échoués comme des sculptures abstraites au milieu de troupeaux de vaches prenant le soleil et ruminant distraitement.

Malgré la sentimentalité de ces mots, la beauté de la Côte Sauvage n’est ni cousue main

ni classique. Elle n’est pas non plus facile. On pourrait dire que ce qui tient les foules à distance est la détermination dont il faut être pourvu pour s’y rendre. Alors qu’il est relativement facile de se rendre à certains villages côtiers tels Port St Johns, Coffee Bay et Cintsa, les communautés rurales les plus éloignées sont reliées par des routes en terre difficiles et souvent non indiquées par des panneaux.

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Vagues Sauvages C’est un paradis animé de violentes vagues percutant les falaises abruptes, et de murs de rocs tavelés par des milliers d’années d’assaut par les vagues se brisant pour se transformer en nuages d’embruns blancs.

Ces vagues incessantes sont responsables de la création d’un des phénomènes côtiers les plus extraordinaires en Afrique du Sud : une immense barre rocheuse de grès stratifié, isolée de la paroi, qui est connue grâce à l’arche qui fut gougée par la mer en son centre. En anglais on l’appelle Hole-inthe-Wall (le trou dans le mur) mais les gens du coin l’appellent esiKhaleni, ou bien « l’endroit du son ».

Une légende locale raconte que des gens de la mer aux pouvoirs surnaturels créèrent le trou et que l’on peut parfois y entendre des chants et de la musique mystique. D’autres dissent que l’arche est en fait un passage menant au monde des ancêtres du peuple Xhosa. Pour beaucoup d’imprudents qui ont tenté d’y passer à la nage cela s’est sans aucun doute avéré être un passage express vers l’au-delà.

Un endroit où se reposer On n’y trouve pas seulement des falaises percutées par les vagues. Tout au sud de la Côte Sauvage on trouve Cintsa, un village connu de par ses des dunes monumentales qui bordent en partie une plage d’une vingtaine de kilomètres.

Derrière ces collines de sable on trouve des endroits superbes tels que Prana Lodge (www.pranalodge.co.za) qui se cache dans des jardins luxuriants, et qui propose un Spa thaïlandais

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et d’élégants chalets isolés avec piscine privée. C’est un endroit abrité de la mer mais quand vous arrivez en haut des dunes et regardez la plage, le spectacle qui vous est offert est à vous couper le souffle.

Au nord de Cintsa vous trouverez Qhora Mouth (l’Estuaire de Qhora), un camp d’une vingtaine de chalets. C’est à cet endroit que la rivière découpe le paysage et traverse des collines boisées en se faufilant vers la mer, formant un lagon bordé de mangrove comme on en trouve sur cette côte.

On y trouve aussi une auberge familiale un peu vieillotte, la Kob Inn, (www.kobinn.co.za) qui offre des chambres convenables dans des bâtiments recouverts de toit de chaume se trouvant à environ 100 m de la mer.

La Wild Coast Meander (Méandre de la Côte Sauvage) est l’un des meilleurs chemins de randonnées de la région (www.wildcoastholidays.co.za). Il serpente de Qhora Mouth à Morgan Bay en passant par Mazeppa Bay et Qolora Mouth. Des guides et porteurs appartenant aux communautés locales vous accompagnent pendant les 5 jours et 56 km d’une randonnée à vous couper le souffle. Vos journées sont occupées à traverser des rivières à gué et à fouler des plages isolées, et vos nuits se passent dans le confort relatif d’une chambre d’hôtel.

Cependant c’est à Bulungula (www.bulungula.com) qu’il vous faut aller pour une échappatoire inégalée hors des sentiers battus, qui vous fera battre le cœur d’allégresse. On y arrive par des routes en terre pleines de bosses et de ravinements sur lesquelles il faut rester vigilant pour arriver à bon port au vu des indications nébuleuses et déroutantes habituellement fournies

pour s’y rendre. Si vous êtes judicieux vous vous y rendrez plutôt en randonnée depuis Coffee Bay. Le lodge, construit à flanc de colline derrière une forêt de Sidéroxylons inermes, est constitué d’un groupe de simples huttes rondes traditionnelles surplombant un lagon et une plage époustouflante.

La communauté locale vous y accueille comme si vous étiez des leurs. Les gens de Nqileni sont les principaux actionnaires du lodge et beaucoup d’entre eux y travaillent. Ils proposent de nombreux services allant de massage dans votre propre chambre à des ballades en canoë-kayak.

Vous passerez vos vacances dans un état second et quand vous ne serez pas à la plage, vous serez avec les vieux du village à la taverne du coin (shebeen), ou à la recherche d’herbes dans la forêt avec le chamane (sangoma) local.

C’est un endroit fabuleux à arpenter à pied, où l’on peut faite de l’équitation sur la plage et où l’on peut passer des heures dans un bain chauffé au feu bois au milieu de la forêt. Venu le soir vous irez vous-même vous servir un simple mais délicieux dîner qui vous attendra dans de larges pots dans la cuisine collective.

Après cela vous pourrez vous régaler du son des vagues s’écrasant sur le rivage en regardant un ciel rempli d’étoiles et d’étoile filantes illuminant le firmament. Vous serez en état d’hypnose et reconnaissant qu’il y ait en ce monde un endroit où il soit possible de voyager dans le temps et où la magie existe. Sans cela comment pourrait-on expliquer qu’il soit possible d’y oublier tous ses soucis ?

Pour plus d’informations visitez www.wildcoast.co.za.

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Our Country’s Cornerstone The South African Constitution

Text: Lesley Stones I mages © iStockphoto.com

The change that South Africa underwent in fighting off Apartheid and battling for equality is vividly documented in our country’s Constitution. While the amount of progress we have made in reality may not have quite reached our initial expectations – just yet – the ultimate goal still shines through in the document that was crafted in those first heady days of racial freedom.

South Africa’s Constitution is rightly hailed as one of the most liberal and progressive in the world. What makes it so powerful, fair and relevant is that few other countries have the opportunity (or

the need) to draft a completely new legislation in order to define its nature going forward.

Constitutions governing other countries have been around for decades, if not centuries, reflecting

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vastly different times and different mindsets. South African lawmakers had the valuable opportunity to examine the collective wisdom of other democratic countries, yet the freedom to emulate the best and learn from previous mistakes as they forged our own Constitution.

Crucially, South Africa needed to draft a document with the power to prevent history from repeating itself. It was a vital way of protecting the newly won equality that the majority of citizens must have feared could soon be ripped away again.

Before the first free elections in 1994, a Multi-Party Negotiating Process (MPNP) brought together 26 parties of all political persuasions. They wrote an interim Constitution, setting out how the government would govern after the elections on 27th April 1994. The MPNP also drew up 34 Constitutional Principles.

After the ANC swept to power, the new Parliament began writing the final Constitution. Cyril Ramaphosa was one of the key figures involved in its drafting, with Leon Wessels as his deputy.

This lengthy process involved many South Africans in the largest public participation programme the country has ever initiated. After two years of intensive consultation, the political parties represented in the Constitutional Assembly negotiated the formal text, integrating ideas from ordinary citizens as well as civil society.

The document was completed in May 1996, but first had to be certified by the Constitutional Court, partly to double-check that it included all of the 34 Constitutional Principles that had previously been agreed upon.

Ramaphosa called the document “our birth certificate”, and the late President Nelson Mandela signed it into law on 10th December 1996.

Mandela said that the constitution spoke of both the past and the future. “It is a solemn pact in which we, as South Africans, declare to one another that we shall never permit a repetition of our racist, brutal and repressive past. But it is more than that. It is also a charter for the transformation of our country into one which is truly shared by all its people – a country which in the fullest sense belongs to all of us, black and white, women and men.”

The Preamble sets out the noble goals that formed the foundation for the newly-achieved democracy: “We, the people of South Africa: Recognise the injustices of our past; Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.”

It goes on to say that the Constitution is designed to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights. It confirms that every citizen is equally protected by law, and sets out the aim of improving the quality of life of all citizens and

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freeing the potential of each person to help build a united South Africa.

Describing how the document came into being, Mandela said: “Historical enemies succeeded in negotiating a peaceful transition from Apartheid to democracy exactly because we were prepared to accept the inherent capacity for goodness in the other. My wish is that South Africans never give up on the belief in goodness, that they cherish that faith in human beings as a cornerstone of our democracy.”

Former President Thabo Mbeki said it was crucial that in the search for a solution to our problems, nobody should be demonised or excluded. “We agreed that everybody should become part of the solution, whatever they might have done or represented in the past.

This related both to negotiating the future of our country and working to build the new South Africa we all had negotiated.”

Alongside the founding provisions of nonracialism and non-sexism is the specific banning of discrimination based on sexual orientation. That clause made South Africa the first country in the

world to protect gay rights in its constitution.

In 2006, South Africa became only the fifth country in the world to legalise marriages between same sex couples. The Civil Union Bill was introduced after a court ruled that the previous legal definition of marriage was in conflict with the Constitution, as it denied gays and lesbians the same rights as heterosexuals.

Human rights occupy 35 sections of the Constitution, including the right to equality, freedom of expression and association, political and property rights, housing, healthcare, education, access to information, and access to courts.

It also stipulates that each adult citizen has the right to vote, and decrees that there will be regular elections and a multi-party system of democratic government to ensure accountability, responsiveness and openness.

The full 107-page electronic document is available at: www.info.gov.za/documents/constitution/1996/ a108-96.pdf. It is a more interesting read than you might imagine, and something that all South Africans can be rightly proud of.

For more info please contact India Tourism, Cnr of Jan Smuts & William Nicol, Hyde Park Lane Manor, Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park, Johannesburg 2196, Tel: 27-11-325-0880, Fax: 27-11-325-0882, E-mail: goito@global.co.za, Website : www.incredibleindia.org

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A Tshwane To-Do List The Capital City’s Top Attractions

Text: Lesley Stones Images © iStockphoto.com, freedom park, william morrison & Wikimedia commons

The words “tourism” and “Pretoria” are not often used in the same sentence. Few people fly to South Africa because they are keen to see our administrative capital.

But if you live in the vicinity or you are there on business, there are a surprising number of interesting attractions with which to fill your leisure time.

Whether you call it Pretoria or Tshwane, here are some of the city’s top attractions:

Mandela’s New Statue The biggest new attraction in Pretoria is very big. 9 m tall, in fact. It’s the new statue of Nelson Mandela, unveiled just after the former president’s

death in December. The R8 million bronze statue

by André Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren was cast in 147 pieces. It shows Madiba smiling with his arms outstretched and his hands open to embrace the nation. It stands outside the Union Buildings, where he was inaugurated as our first democratically elected president in 1994.

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Baker and marked their centenary in November 2013. Although entrance to the building itself is prohibited because these are the Presidential Offices, you can visit the beautiful terraced gardens and enjoy a lovely view over the city.

tomb. On 16th December every year the sun shines through a small hole in the centre of the roof right onto the cenotaph, lighting up the inscription: “Ons vir jou, Suid-Afrika” (“We for thee, South Africa”).

Freedom Park

Art@Boardwalk

The name says it all. Freedom Park commemorates those who struggled and died for freedom in South Africa. The striking 697 m Wall of Names is inscribed with the names of those who died during conflicts, while an eternal flame pays tribute to unknown heroes and heroines.

Isivivane, or the Boulder Area, features a boulder of historical significance from each of the nine provinces in a burial ground for the spirits of the struggle heroes. The Free State boulder, for example, comes from Winburg where Charlotte Maxexe led the first women’s protest march against Apartheid pass laws.

Freedom Park is open daily, with guided tours at 09h00, 12h00 and 15h00. Entrance is R90 for adults, and R70 for children and pensioners.

Lovely artwork by unknown artists who just may become future celebrities is on sale at Art@ Boardwalk. With no gallery overheads to pay, the prices are affordable and the surroundings attractive, with cafes overlooking the lake at the Boardwalk waterfront in Faerie Glen. There is also a bird hide, as well as a kids’ play area.

Art@Boardwalk runs on the second and last Sunday of each month, from 10h00 to 15h00, and is located on the corner of Solomon Mahlangu Drive and Haymeadow Crescent.

The Voortrekker Monument This unusual and controversial monument commemorates the Afrikaner pioneers who left the Cape between 1835 and 1854 to explore South Africa’s interior. The 40 m high monument was designed by Gerard Moerdijk and construction of it began in 1937. It was declared a National Heritage Site in 2011.

The domed Hall of Heroes contains an impressive marble frieze with 27 bas-relief panels which depict the Great Trek and the daily life of the Voortrekkers.

Cenotaph Hall houses a cenotaph or empty

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First Page: The 9 m high statue of Nelson Mandela has already become one of the city’s most popular attractions, although it was only unveiled in December last year This Page Left: Freedom Park serves as a memorial and celebration of all those people who fought for the freedom of our country This Page Right: Melrose House has borne witness to more than a century of Pretoria’s history and has some fascinating stories to tell Next Page: Not many things are still around after 200,000 years, which makes the Tswaing Crater a really interesting place to visit

The Pretoria Zoo South Africans may be more used to our animals roaming wild, but Pretoria Zoo does an excellent job of getting us up close to an enormous variety of beasties. It’s worth paying a little extra to get a bird’s eye view from the cableway, and don’t forget to visit the aquarium, which is included in the ticket price. There is a restaurant, a cafe and picnic spots with braai facilities to let you make a day of it. The zoo is open daily from 08h30 to 17h30 and entry is R75 for adults and R50 for children.

The National Museum of Cultural History This museum houses a vast collection which documents life in South Africa from the early

S a e x press connects you to johannesburg . see flight schedule for more information .

Stone Age to the present day. Exhibits include San rock paintings, Iron Age figurines, craft and sculptures, and an exploration of space through the ages. It is open daily at 149 Visagie Street from 08h00 to 16h00. Entrance costs R25 for adults, and R15 for children.

Tswaing Crater For an unusual outdoors experience, drive 40 km north of Pretoria to a ring of hills 1 km in diameter and 100 m high. These hills are the walls created when an asteroid slammed into Earth 200,000 years ago. The Tswaing Crater is now full of salty water. There is a small museum on the site. A path leads along the rim and down into the centre.

Experiments have shown that the asteroid hit at about 60,000 km per hour, or 16 km a second.

It weighed about 300,000 tonnes, but vaporised on impact. Reach it on the M35 Soutpan road from Pretoria, past Onderstepoort.

Melrose House Businessman George Heys built this ornate Victorian style house in 1886. In the Anglo-Boer War (from 1899 to 1902) it was commandeered by the British forces and used as their headquarters. The Treaty of Vereeniging, that ended the war on 31st May 1902, was signed around its massive dining table.

Melrose House is now a museum and still contains most of its original furniture. There is a tea garden for snacks, and it looks out over Burger’s Park. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10h00 – 17h00 and can be found at 275 Jacob Maré Street. Entrance costs R20 for adults and R10 for children.

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Saving and Creating South African Jobs The Buy Back SA Campaign

Text: Mary Alexander /mediaclubsouthafrica.com I mages © Istockphoto .com

South African consumers and procurement managers at large companies are being urged to fight back against cheap, subsidised imports, and to help create and save more jobs by buying locally manufactured goods. This new campaign, Buy Back SA, was recently launched by Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies.

The 2008 global crisis hit the South African manufacturing sector hard, and cost the country approximately 300,000 jobs. In the last few years South Africa has suffered the double blow of substantially reduced external demand for products, as well as fierce competition from other manufacturing countries.

Difficult economic conditions in the US and Europe – South Africa’s principal export markets – have resulted in severe knocks for local manufacturers.

The Buy Back SA campaign has been funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Manufacturing Circle, Absa and Proudly South African.

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A key part of the venture is a video featuring veteran South African actor John Kani urging the support of localisation and the manufacturing sector which has been aired on national television. The ad was paid for by both Government and the private sector. “This is a clear sign of the close working relationship that is in the process of being built between government and industry, and one that we think can be strengthened and deepened in a number of ways,” Davies said. “We want to encourage people to buy local products because this has significance in terms of job creation, revenue generation and service delivery improvement,” he added.

The South African government has developed a number of policy instruments to support localisation, the minister said. These include local sectors and products (including clothing and textiles, buses, rolling stock and power pylons) that the DTI has designated for Government procurement under the Preferential Public Procurement Finance Act. “We have also reviewed and put in place a new policy framework for the National Industrial Participation Programme to oblige overseas companies that have benefitted from state contracts above $10 million to invest a percentage of the contract directly into the productive sectors of the economy, wherever possible in the sector in which they are involved,” Davies said.

Company Procurement is Key The minister said buying local is not only for consumers. “This is also about companies, especially large retailers with large procurement budgets and supply chains supporting local manufacturers. This is not only because it is in the national interest, but because there are very often sound commercial reasons for doing so related to total cost of ownership: after-sales service, quick response, security of supply, niche product requirements, quality assurance and so forth.”

The Manufacturing Circle represents many big South African manufacturing concerns. About 80% of the country’s manufacturers procure some 40% of their input locally. Coenraad Bezuidenhout, executive director of the body, says South Africans have stopped giving preference to local goods. “For manufacturers, the last couple of years have been quite difficult.” After the Manufacturing Circle, Proudly South African and Absa

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bank contributed the initial funding, Buy Back SA will now need another R12 million to continue the campaign.

“I want to appeal to the private sector,” Davies said. “We need to expand this campaign.” He invited companies to register by emailing info@buybacksa.co.za.

International Precedent Davies said the Buy Back SA campaign, while a Government initiative, was not inappropriate for a free market economy.

In the US, the Buy America campaign was an integral part of efforts to rebuild that country’s economy after the 2008 crisis. A close partnership between Government, the private sector and education institutions, Buy America was also an effort to save and create jobs. “The US economy has reportedly created 500,000 new high-quality jobs in the manufacturing sector since 2010, with 50,000 of these directly attributable to those efforts,” Davies said.

International and Local Competition Many African countries are rich in commodities, but development is restricted by an inability to turn those commodities into manufactured goods. The more resources countries take out of the ground and export unprocessed to foreign buyers, the more intrinsic capital is lost.

Manufacturing creates jobs and skills, and established manufacturing industries create a base of skills, capital and production infrastructure that can cushion a country against the often irrational shocks inflicted by the global economy.

Other than the 2008 meltdown, the over-valuation and volatility of the rand has also undermined South Africa’s manufacturing competitiveness, as have higher electricity, transport and labour costs, as well as strike action.

Manufacturing has also suffered from local competition. Over the past two decades, the sector’s contribution to the South African economy has been gradually eroded by other industries, particularly the services sector. In 1994, manufacturing’s contribution to GDP at market prices was 20.9%. In 2012 it was 12.4%.

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local guy goes global Elon Musk

Text: Mohlomi Maubane Images © Gallo images/Getty Images/bloomberg, tesla motors, spacex & chris thomson/Spacex

In our fast paced, fame obsessed world, talentless celebrity wannabes come and go. True talent, on the other hand, makes an enduring mark, and South Africa is certainly not lacking in pioneers and visionaries in any sphere. Elon Musk, a man who in less than 50 years has accomplished what many of us could not even begin to imagine, is just such a visionary.

The eldest of three children, Elon was born in Pretoria in 1971 to a Canadian mother and a South African father. According to his mother it was clear from an early age that Elon was intellectually advanced. He had read and grasped the Encyclopaedia Britannica by the time he was nine years old, and when he was ten, he bought his first computer, as well as books on how to learn computer programming. He diligently immersed himself in his newfound hobby, and by the time he was 12 he had designed a video game, Blaster, which he sold to a computer magazine for

approximately $500. He invested the money in pharmaceutical stock.

After that – in partnership with his brother Kimbal – he hatched a plan to open a video game arcade next to their school, and duly secured a lease and suppliers. All that was missing for the business to operate was a trading permit, which required an adult’s signature. The logical people to furnish that were their parents. However, they were not aware of the plan and were far from amused when they uncovered it, effectively shutting the grand scheme down. With their venture thwarted,

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the brothers resorted to selling homemade chocolates to their classmates.

Elon is not the first Musk to possess a pioneering zeal. His great-grandmother was the first female chiropractor in Canada, and his grandparents were the first people to fly from South Africa to Australia in a single-engine plane. When he turned 17, it was Elon’s turn to embark on the first steps of what would become an historic voyage. He cashed his pharmaceutical stock investment and moved to Canada. The trek was inspired by two factors: Firstly, he did not want to be conscripted into the South African Defence Force as was compulsory at the time; and secondly, North America was where cutting edge technology development was taking place, so that was exactly where he wanted to be.

He enrolled at the Queen’s School of Business in Ontario, and two years later moved to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he read for a Bachelor of Science degree in business, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. Musk then won a scholarship to study for a doctorate in applied physics at Stanford in California. He left after just two days on campus, as he was inspired by reading about a company called Netscape Communications that was started by someone younger than himself that had made huge returns the day it went public. He was convinced that the Internet was the future and, with $2,000 in the bank, he set out to start his own Internet company.

In 1995 he founded Zip2, a software company that served as a city guide for the newspaper publishing industry. Four years later, it was bought by Compaq for $307 million, which was the largest amount ever paid for an Internet company at that time. From his proceeds, he took $10 million and started an online bank called X.com.

X.Com went online in December 1999, and in March 2000 Musk bought a money transfer company called PayPal. By August of the same year, X.Com dropped its name to become PayPal. PayPal had a good presence on the online auction company eBay, where it was the favoured means

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First Page: Pretoria born entrepreneur and business man Elon Musk is a true South African success story Previous Page: The Tesla Roadster is just one of the many stars in Tesla Motors’ line-up This Page Top Left: The Falcon 9 launches from SpaceX’s launch pad at Cape Canaveral This Page Top Right: During the first flight of the Dragon spacecraft, the vehicle carried an enormous wheel of cheese as it twice orbited the Earth. The humorous payload was a tribute to Monty Python's cheese shop sketch This Page Bottom Right: On 8th December 2010 a Falcon 9 rocket carried a Dragon spacecraft to orbit. During that mission SpaceX became the first commercial company in history to send a spacecraft to orbit and return it safely to earth

of purchasing items on auction. In 2002, Musk’s investment in PayPal bore handsome fruition when eBay purchased it for $1.2 billion.

Musk was already onto his next venture by then, having started Space Exploration Technology, inspired by his fascination with exploring Mars. According to Max Levchin, who co-founded PayPal with Musk, his greatest attribute is an ingrained belief that he has a seemingly heavenly decree. “He is the kind of person who, when told something is impossible, simply shrugs and says: ‘I think I can do it,” said Levin in an interview with Forbes magazine.

Elon Musk’s foray into space is not solely profitdriven. “We face risks that dinosaurs never saw: An asteroid or an engineered virus could destroy us.

Human kind has evolved over millions of years, but in the last 60 years atomic weaponry has created the potential to extinguish ourselves. Sooner or later we must expand beyond this green and blue ball or go extinct,” explains this Pretoria Boys High School alumnus. SpaceX has since been selected by NASA to be part of the first programme that entrusts private companies to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, and its Falcon 1 rocket became the first privately funded liquid-fuelled vehicle to put a satellite into Earth’s orbit.

SpaceX is one third of a triumvirate of groundbreaking ventures Musk is spearheading. Tesla Motors, of which Musk is the CEO and product architect, is an electric car manufacturer that also sells electric powertrain systems to Daimler for the Smart EV and Mercedes A Class. Lastly, there is SolarCity, the largest provider of solar power systems in the US which Musk founded with his cousin, Lyndon Rove.

Elon Musk has traversed a path that no one has taken before. From selling a computer game at the age of 12, he has progressed to creating the first online Yellow Pages, transformed the global commerce and payment system, and started the first private company to put a rocket into space. His accomplishments and foresight suggest that he is the most distinguished global business leader this country has ever given birth to.

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Adventures Galore Namibia’s Coastal Region

T ext & images : N amibia T ourism Board

Traditionally known as the “Land of Contrasts”, Namibia’s 824,268 km2 surface area certainly does provide contrasts aplenty. From high rise dunes and exceptional landscapes to rugged canyons with towering walls of volcanic rock, it is exactly these contrasts, as well as its natural beauty, culture and traditions that makes Namibia so popular with visitors. Namibia’s coastal region also offers travellers a variety of entertainment, activities and accommodation that make it well worth a visit.

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Swakopmund Founded in 1892, Swakopmund is much loved

by Namibians for its laidback nature and easygoing charm, while simultaneously offering a break from the interior’s continuous heat and humidity. It offers travellers a wide variety of activities, especially for those with a sense of adventure.

Known as Namibia’s adventure playground, Swakopmund offers activities for adventure junkies of all persuasions, who can sign up for quad biking, skydiving, dune boarding, sand skiing, paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, yachting or angling. There are even motor cross and 4x4 rally facilities on the outskirts of town.

Other places of interest well worth a visit include Woermann House, the Swakopmund Arts Association and the Public Library. Step back in time with a visit to the old barracks – known as Die Alte Kaserne – which now houses a youth hostel. The Swakopmund Museum provides a comprehensive display of natural history, mineralogy and botany, as well as historical and ethnological dioramas.

Walvis Bay In addition to being Namibia’s major port, Walvis Bay is well known for its remarkable wetlands and its large concentrations of water birds, such as waders and flamingos, as well as a variety of shore birds that frequent the area.

The lagoon is widely regarded as the most important wetland within the Southern African region. It is popular with boardsailing and water sports enthusiasts, while its large dunes provide the perfect backdrop for adventure activities such as sand boarding, quad biking and parasailing.

Whale and dolphin cruises held in Walvis Bay Harbour and its surrounding waters are also very popular with visitors to the region.

A must visit while exploring Walvis Bay is Dune 7, on the outskirts of town. It is the highest dune in the area. Energetic visitors may try their luck to reach the top, while others can enjoy the braai facilities and day camp site, which are perfect for a family outing.

For fishermen, a trip to Paaltjies is a good option

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and consists of four angling spots south of town.

The “paaltjies” are navigational beacons used by commercial fishermen.

Henties Bay Popular with Namibians and foreign tourists alike, Henties Bay’s remote setting and peaceful atmosphere provides the perfect backdrop for a holiday destination along the Skeleton Coast.

The relaxed way of life of this coastal town encourages visitors to be as active or as chilled as they like. Sign up for a round of golf on the Henties Bay Golf Course, enjoy some quad biking in the surrounding dunes or a spot of shore fishing, or go for a walk on the Omaruru River walking trail.

As Henties Bay is situated in the Dorob National Park, it offers nature lovers a diverse range of fauna and flora to enjoy.

The Skeleton Coast Park The Skeleton Coast Park in the northern Namib is managed as a wilderness reserve.

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Two fishing resorts, namely Terrace Bay and Torra Bay, are used primarily by anglers, while the northern section of the park can be visited with a private concessionaire who conducts fly-in safaris. This section of the park is well known for its desert-adapted elephant, springbok and gemsbok species.

Day visitors wishing to drive through the park can obtain a transit permit at the entry points of Ugab Mouth and Springbokwasser.

If wishing to stay the night, visitors must be in the possession of valid reservation confirmations from either Terrace Bay or Torra Bay. Namibia’s west coast remains a firm favourite with visitors. Its annual highlights include yacht races, windsurfing regattas and the December triathlon between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, ensuring that visitors always have something to look forward to.

For further information on Namibia’s Coastal region contact the Namibia Tourism Board on +27 21 422 3298 or visit www.namibiatourism.com.na.

S a e x press connects johannesburg & cape town to walvis bay. see flight schedule for more information .

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Clothing the Nation Shweshwe

T e xt: L uci ll e Davi e / m e d i a c l u b s o u t h a fr i c a . c o m • I m a g e s © s i m o n d e i n e r / s d r p h o to s

Described as the denim of South Africa, shweshwe, the multicoloured and patterned cotton fabric produced exclusively in the Eastern Cape, is worn by women in every part of the country.

It has been around for 170 years – at first imported, now produced in South Africa – and is as ubiquitous to South Africa as the braai. First worn by German settlers and Xhosa women from the 1840s onwards in its trademark blue, brown and red designs, it is now produced by Da Gama Textiles in a range of colours. The cloth is made into anything from traditional wedding dresses to stylish designs for trendy women.

Johannesburg designer Bongiwe Walaza has made it her signature fabric, creating gorgeous designs that dazzle on the catwalk. “I love the prints,” she says. “They inspire me. I like to coordinate the colours and I really love working with it.”

It is something she does with aplomb, combining the patterned fabrics in frills, layers and stylish

bodices, in long and short dresses and skirts, usually using up to 10 metres for each outfit.

Walaza says she gets her design inspiration from looking through the catalogue of new fabric designs.

Once she has the fabric in front of her, the ideas flow.

She says her background growing up in the Eastern Cape, where women still wear the fabric as traditional dress, provides her prime inspiration.

“When someone gets married, they wear shweshwe; it’s just a home thing. I wanted to make it fashion.”

From Engineering to Design Walaza’s mother was a dressmaker, and she learnt the basics at her elbow while growing up. She originally qualified as an electrical engineer, however, Indwe

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and she still sees this training as useful. She says she lays out her designs flat and “draughts a pattern”, with multiple designs for each dress.

Rees Mann, the man behind the rebirth of downtown Joburg’s fashion district, says of her: “She understands the technical aspects of fashion. She constructs garments like an architect.”

Walaza worked for a while as an engineer, but when she came to work wearing one of her designs, her colleagues clamoured for her to make them similar dresses. It wasn’t long before she changed careers, and moved to Durban to study fashion design. While there, she picked up numerous awards and nominations, and showcased her designs at the New York Fashion Week in 2001.

At her first local Fashion Week show she used 40% shweshwe in her collection, after which Da Gama offered to sponsor her. She describes her target market as a woman who is “an individualist, and a non-conformist”.

History The distinctive fabric – traditionally in indigo blue, brown or red – was introduced to the country in the mid-1800s by German immigrants who settled in the Eastern Cape. The fabric was printed in Czechoslovakia and Hungary, but in the 1930s production moved to England, with four companies supplying the ever-increasing demand in South Africa.

The most popular brand name was Three Cats, which was originally only available in blue.

Over time local Xhosa women adopted the fabric, and used it for making dresses and skirts.

It is believed that the name derives from King Moshoeshoe I who was given a gift of printed indigo cloth, and his name was adapted to “shweshwe” in time.

The manufacture of Indigo Discharge Printed

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Fabric (as it is called) in South Africa began in 1982 when UK company Tootal invested in Da Gama Textiles. The blue print fabric was produced under the Three Leopards trademark, the local version of Three Cats. At the same time two new colours were introduced: a warm brown, and a vibrant red.

In 1992 Da Gama bought the rights to the Three Cats range of designs, and once the copper rollers needed for production were shipped out to the Zwelitsha plant near King William’s Town, it became an exclusively South African manufactured product.

The original German print is still faithfully produced, using the traditional method of feeding the fabric through the copper rollers, which have patterns etched into them, followed by washing a weak acid solution over the fabric to bleach the trademark white patterns onto the material. “The fabric can easily be identified for its intricate all-over prints and beautiful panels,” says Da Gama.

Its distinctive trademark, Three Cats (Three Leopards has been dropped) appears on the back of the fabric. Another distinctive trademark is the stiffness of the new fabric. The stiffness stems from the starch which was applied on the long sea voyage from England to South Africa in order to prevent damp damage. It is still used today. Once washed, the stiffness disappears.

The Real Thing Although Chinese manufacturers now produce a rip-off shweshwe fabric, Anwar Vahed, Home Sewing Sales Manager at Da Gama, insists that customers can tell the genuine item by the “touch, smell and taste”. He says that people do literally taste the fabric to test its authenticity.

Only the indigo fabric, like denim, is made to fade with washing, while the fake fabric fades quickly and doesn’t endure like the original

South African designer Bongiwe Walaza turns vibrant shweshwe fabric into stylish and bespoke highly fashionable designs

shweshwe, says Vahed.

Da Gama produces five million metres of shweshwe a year, says Vahed. Production used to be higher, but with increased competition in the local market, growth has stagnated. He says there is a need to establish new markets. The fabric is exported to neighbouring Lesotho and Botswana, and once the local market has grown, Da Gama wants to expand further north into Africa.

Vahed says Da Gama has embarked on a Seamstress Empowerment Programme to help women start or expand their businesses, while growing Da Gama sales. A pilot programme involved 44 women in Zwelitsha who participated in a weeklong training session in business skills, sales and marketing, and life skills. This is being followed by a three- to six-month mentoring programme, in which seamstresses are monitored and encouraged, shown how to keep records and market their products, and helped to open a bank account and plan their future direction.

“The message to every woman was to make just one more dress a week, and grow the brand,” says Vahed. The programme has now moved to Gauteng.

Competition has brought Da Gama “to its knees”, says Vahed, but “it has stood the test of time, and been very strong, and very patient”. Factory worker numbers have been reduced from 3,000 to 600, but there has been no compromise on its 100% cotton quality. The imported fabric sells at around R25 a metre, half what the local shweshwe sells for.

But, says Vahed, “you can't compare the two”.

Shweshwe has durability, and “the market doesn’t want it any different”.

To grow the product beyond the traditional market, Da Gama has, in the past six years, brought out funky new colours – pink, orange, purple and turquoise – to lure younger customers.

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French Charm, South African Hospitality

Franschhoek Country House and Villas

Te x t & Images: Š Franschhoek country house & Villas

The Franschhoek Country House and Villas is a charming gem in the beautiful Franschhoek Valley. This five-star establishment mirrors the French charisma that has made this town such a historically important spot for three centuries. Every feature of the hotel is carefully crafted to give guests a genuine sense of being part of Franschhoek’s French heritage. The cobbled streets, fountains and old stone buildings make the establishment one of the most charming, and finest, in the country.

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Four room types are available at the Franschhoek Country House and Villas. Many features are standard to all, including complimentary WiFi internet access and air conditioning. The De Luxe Rooms are renovated portions of the historic manor house, and come complete with en suite bathrooms, lounges and private balconies, as well as all of the amenities one would expect from a five-star establishment. The Luxury Rooms are more spacious and boast under floor heating, a fireplace, private patio and lavish lounge area.

The Garden Cottages are child friendly, with two floors in each. Private patios and balconies ensure that there is enough space for the whole family, and all can truly relax in the peaceful garden surroundings. Finally, the Villa Suites are the newest and most luxurious offerings in the hotel. Each villa covers 100 m², and has a spacious lounge, dining room, fireplace and two private balconies.

To top off the retreat experience, the in-house spa offers a range of massage and beauty treatments.

Full body massages, reflexology, body wraps and facials are just the beginning – the hotel has also developed a number of signature treatments for both women and men. The spa is intimate and welcoming, and the professional pampering staff will guarantee the best possible experience.

The hotel also boasts the award-winning Monneaux Restaurant, one of the top fine dining restaurants in the country, which serves up truly

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inspired creations for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lunch on the fountain terrace is a delightful way to pass the afternoon, while dinner in the refined and elegant manor house dining room makes it clear why the restaurant has won numerous awards over the years. The underground cellar is ideal for private dinners with an extra-special feel, surrounded by some of the best South African and international wines, many made in the Franschhoek Valley. If exploring more of the region’s culinary pleasures is on your list of things to do, the hotel staff will book wine tastings and make reservations at restaurants around Franschhoek on your behalf, and the free shuttle service will take you there.

Should you wish to combine business with pleasure; the Franschhoek Country House and Villas will cater for your every business need. The conference facilities include all the best technology needed to make a meeting successful and impressive.

Data projectors, high speed internet access and televisions are just some of the features available in the opulent boardroom. The hotel staff will also gladly make any special arrangements needed for your function.

Any visit to the beautiful Franschhoek Valley is guaranteed to be made even more memorable by staying at the Franschhoek Country House and Villas.

For reservations, or to make an enquiry, contact +27 21 876 3386, email info@fch.co.za or visit www.fch.co.za

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Delivering the Best

2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Text: Bernard Hellberg Jr. Images © Mercedes-Benz South Africa

“The best or nothing” can sound tremendously like exaggerated marketing speak, but in developing the new S-Class, Mercedes-Benz has aimed to create a car that delivers just that.

From the first version of the S-Class, which debuted as the 1972 W116 model, MercedesBenz’s flagship sedan has been a hallmark of automotive excellence and a benchmark for the rest of the industry. While this may sound like a rather wild claim with so many other significant luxury automakers playing in this segment, it is undoubtedly true that engineers from every car company in the world respect what the S-Class has achieved.

Thus, the latest version of the S-Class delivers a stunning blend of technology and luxury that permeates everything from the suspension to the stereo. It truly is designed and crafted to such an opulent degree that it has become, arguably, the ultimate stepping stone between high-end luxury vehicles such as the S-Class itself, BMW’s 7 Series and the Audi A8, and ultra-luxury sedans like Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Maybach, which the new S-Class replaces.

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This is a car that can scan the road ahead for bumps and adjust the suspension to counteract them, making the ride even more comfortable.

It can detect potential collisions and react to them before you do. And for good measure, there is an interior fragrance dispenser, optional six massage options in either (or both) front and rear sets, a bespoke Burmester surround-sound entertainment system, and more power than any driver might need.

The question on every motoring journalist’s mind at launch was undoubtedly: “Is the new S-Class truly the best automobile in the world?”

That is a very difficult statement to verify, but it is without question one of the finalists. The S-Class will be the benchmark for the foreseeable future while it offers a glimpse into the future for the entire Mercedes-Benz line-up.

Mercedes-Benz South Africa has introduced a full line-up of the S-Class, starting with the S 350 and escalating to the S 400 Hybrid and S 400 Hybrid L, the S 500 and S 500 L, and topping out at the S 63 AMG. Pricing – although a guide only considering the amount of optional equipment that can be added to each model – begins at R1,214,000 and concludes at R2,174,000 for the 5.5 litre V8 S 63 AMG. Standard interior equipment on all models includes seven-spoke, 18” light-alloy rims (19”, fivespoke wheels on the S 500 versions), adjustable air suspension, automatic adaptive LED headlamps, LED running lights and taillights, auto-dimming mirrors, automatic wipers, a panoramic sunroof, an electronic bootlid system, and soft-close doors.

Comfort and convenience features include dual-zone automatic climate control, heated 12-way power front seats with four-way power lumbar, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, front seat memory functions, leather upholstery, MB-Tex synthetic leather interior trim, adjustable LED accent lighting, and a power rear sunshade.

The cabins of too many flagship luxury sedans feel like bigger, fancier versions of “lesser” models, sharing a general design aesthetic and many 66

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control components. In the S-Class, however, Mercedes-Benz was at pains to draw a distinctively tailored line between it and other Mercedes-Benz ranges. Even things like the seat control buttons are bespoke to the S-Class. More importantly, however, there is an elegance and sense of opulence in this highest-price saloon that makes it feel more like a competitor for a Bentley than other German luxury sedans.

Beyond aesthetics, few cars can approach the new S-Class sedan’s comfort and infotainment features. All functions are controlled by the latest iteration of Mercedes-Benz’s COMAND system, which remains one of the most userfriendly around. Compared to the setup in other Mercedes-Benz models, the S-Class sedan’s upgraded COMAND interface features a colossal, crystal-clear central screen with all-new graphics, complemented by a fully digital instrument screen.

The result is a truly contemporary cabin that offers ample functionality, while keeping physical buttons to a minimum.

Driving the S-Class feels effortless. The steering is fingertip-light and, when equipped with lanekeeping assist, will even subtly steer the car for you. Under pressure, the large sedan will hunker down and navigate the most demanding bends with ease. The adjustable air suspension system (fitted standard to the S-Class) not only irons out bumps, it does so without a hint of “floatiness” – a very important requirement for a car designed to cruise effortlessly at triple-digit Autobahn speeds. Plus, the ride gets even better with the optional Magic Body Control. Using a windshield-mounted camera, the car detects bumps and other imperfections in the road ahead and automatically adjusts the air suspension to compensate.

Overall, the S-Class isn’t just a luxury saloon, it is the embodiment of Mercedes-Benz’s engineering excellence and their vision of what luxury motoring should be for the next five to ten years. In our opinion this is the car to beat in the luxury segment.

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Trend Alert Shopping Experiences of the Future

Text: Blair Burmeister/Finweek Image Š iStockphoto.com

The retail landscape is evolving and retailers are going to have to up their game to attract customers. The bombardment of everyday distractions has made customers harder to attract, but experiential retail may offer a solution.

Experiential retail turns the sometimes boring experience of browsing, trying and buying into something fun and exciting.

Trendhunter.com recently identified 20 experiential retail trends set to disrupt the traditional bricks and mortar way of shopping.

Among them are interactive store windows, pop-up shops, boutique vending machines,

extreme interactive shopping, interactive store fronts, interactive digital show rooms and concept stores.

South African trend analyst Dion Chang says that online shopping will continue to grow, as it services the shopper looking for convenience. “But in South Africa, where shoppers still enjoy the social as well as tactile element of shopping,

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the bricks and mortar experience is here to stay.”

However, Chang says that the loss of foot traffic and therefore sales due to online shopping has already started to affect the bottom line for many retailers. “They have to up their game in terms of providing a ‘retail theatre’ experience, but also keep a close watch on a new retail trend: the touch-screen shoppable window.”

He gives a global example: “eBay is taking the lead in this e-tailing journey. A few months back they launched a series of ‘shoppable windows’ in New York. The concept was simple, but revolutionary. They set up giant touch screens in the windows of vacant shops. These screens allowed passers-by to stop and browse through an online catalogue and if they found an item they liked and wanted, they could buy it immediately.”

Chang explains that the biggest novelty factor in this shopping experience was not so much the fun of touch-screen shopping, but eBay’s promise that any purchase would be delivered to an address of your choice within the hour.

“Having to carry shopping bags is soon going to be so 2010.”

He says that for the shopper, this is a revolutionary digital retail experience. “For brands, this concept opens up a whole new world of possibilities because what shoppable windows (as well as online shopping) provide is the luxury of presenting your full stock offering digitally, without having to physically have the stock on your shop floor.

“The impact this will have on stock control, manufacturing, overheads – and therefore cash flow – is immense,” he explains. “The only people who are not going to embrace this form of hybrid retail are, of course, the landlords.

Shoppable windows will allow brands to have a presence in locations without having to commit to long leases, or having to deal with the expense of shop fittings. All of those costs will now be funnelled into warehousing as more and more people become accustomed to the benefits of online retail.”

Shoppable windows haven’t quite hit the South African retail scene (yet), but local retailers are tapping into other forms of experiential retail to attract customers. Concept stores and pop-up shops are examples of this. Concept stores give the customer the opportunity not only to buy physical products, but also to provide them with a full emotional and sensory experience.

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Chris van Niekerk, founder and creative director of retail experiences for Africandy, an online design emporium that is set to launch its first concept store, says that concept stores provide an alternative retail experience where the customer can get up close with a brand and get to know the story behind it.

He adds that providing an experience such as this is important, as 21st century consumers are attracted to brands that provide an emotional connection. “The concept store allows us to build a community around the brand – it’s a resource for people to understand the store.”

Van Niekerk explains that at the Sanlam Food, Wine & Design Fair this year, Africandy had a number of video portraits at its display which documented the inspiration behind the designers, giving an intimate portrait of the designer themselves. “We are going to provide a similar sensory experience at our concept store,” he reveals.

Although Africandy has its roots in the online retail space, Van Niekerk says that there is a cap to what the South African consumer is comfortable with in terms of online spending.

“There is still a fear of online,” he explains. For an online retail site, his advice is that ideas such as concept stores bolster the brand and give it presence. “People are looking for something different, for a different offering. There is no point in having more of the same thing. Brands should tap into this.”

Copy courtesy of 'Finweek'.

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Charging Ahead Nissan Leaf

Text: Nicky Furniss Images © Nissan South Africa

Hybrid cars are so last decade. Nowadays it’s all about ditching the petrol tank and going fully electric, and the Nissan Leaf is leading the “charge” in South Africa.

Driving the new Nissan Leaf takes a little getting used to. After all, it’s hard to throw everything you’ve come to expect about modern cars out of the window. Like tail pipes and fuel tanks for example, not to mention gears.

“How’s the transmission?” I asked my driving partner as we hit the N1.

“There isn’t one,” he replied.

“Really?”

“Yup, it’s basically like driving a blender!”

Except the Leaf is so much more than just a blender. In fact, Nissan has spent 20 years developing the technology used to power the Leaf – one of the world’s first commercially available fully electronic vehicles (EV) – as well as a staggering $5 billion on research and development just on the car’s 24 kWh Lithiumion battery pack, making it as compact and as long lasting as possible. It was money well

spent, as this powerhouse has an impressive range of up to 195 km, and can – seemingly effortlessly, I might add – power up hills and let loose on the highway. It has a respectable top speed of 145 km/h, thanks to its front-mounted 80 kW electric motor. It is also certainly not short of torque. It offers a punchy 254 Nm and, as there’s no need for it to warm up, the engine kicks in instantly for a really fun drive.

Thanks to the placement of the battery pack right in the centre of the car (as opposed to many hybrid models that place it towards the back) the Leaf is not only well balanced, but has an impressively large boot. It’s also big on interior space and comfort and certainly doesn’t skimp on luxurious extras, such as Bluetooth connectivity, reverse camera with predictive path technology, cruise control and rain sensor wipers, which all come standard. Each

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Leaf also comes complete with a solar panel integrated into the roof spoiler, which helps to minimise the drain of the Leaf’s great sound system, for example, on the main battery pack.

But while the sound system is top quality, perhaps it's best just to leave it switched off for your first test drive… If only to experience just how unbelievably quiet the ride is. In fact, when you press start the only way you know that the car is actually on is a convenient little jingle, similar to the one your smart phone makes when you switch it on. Other than that, there is little else, sound wise, to give away the fact that the motor is actually running. The Leaf is so quiet that Nissan’s engineers were forced to redesign whole aspects of the car – like the windscreen wipers – because they suddenly realised just how noisy they could be without conventional engine sounds to mask them. They even redesigned the head lights (LED of course, in keeping with the Leaf’s green credentials) so as to direct wind flow over the side mirrors and thus eradicate the sound of air rushing by as you drive!

The silence doesn’t take long to get used to, however, and neither does the thought of never having to queue at a petrol station again. Instead, you just go home and plug your Leaf into your handy home recharge unit that comes standard with the car – and will even be installed for you by Nissan’s technicians. The Leaf takes just eight hours to charge from completely empty to full, which is easy enough to do overnight. And if you find yourself running low in the middle of the day? Well, you can just drive to one of the designated Nissan dealerships in Pretoria or 74

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Johannesburg (more “fuelling” stations will be launched around the country as the Leaf is rolled out to Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal in 2014) where their quick charge stations can juice you up from zero to 80% power in just 30 minutes – and free of charge!

But what about the costs of charging at home, you may ask, especially with Eskom’s threatened tariff hikes? Well, even with those, electricity is predicted to increase by only a fraction of what the petrol price is threatening to do. As a result, the clever people at Nissan have calculated that Leaf owners could pay as little as R300 to travel over 2,000 km a month! And if you are clever enough to install solar panels at home or at work, you could end up driving for absolutely nothing, while ensuring zero tailpipe emissions at the same time – which is a win for your pocket and the environment at the same time.

It’s no wonder then that the Leaf has already garnered a slew of awards overseas, including the 2011 World Car of the Year Award and the 2011-2012 Japanese Car of the Year Award. It has also sold over 87,000 units worldwide, and Nissan is hoping that eco and wallet conscious South African consumers will follow suit.

With this in mind, Nissan has already created partnerships with Eskom, the Department of Environmental Affairs, and the Technology Innovation Agency, and is currently meeting with local municipalities to discuss the possibility of creating more charge stations across the country, should the demand warrant it.

Nissan is also not adverse to the possibility of one day allowing Leaf owners to “swap” their electric cars for petrol ones, should they need to go on longer trips, thereby discounting one of the major reservations many potential owners have when it comes to considering purchasing a fully electric car.

So, what are you waiting for? It’s cute, comfortable, powerful and stylish. It’ll save you a heap on maintenance and fuel costs, and it comes with the added benefit of having a clean environmental rap sheet (almost 99% of it is recyclable or reclaimable). “Leaf” the petrol heads behind and sign up for your own Leaf at select Nissan dealerships in Gauteng. The Nissan Leaf retails for R446,000 and comes standard with a three-year/100,000 km mechanical warranty, and a threeyear/90,000 km service plan.

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Dubai’s Modern Ottoman Palace Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Te x t: Wilhelm Loots I mages © J umeirah Z abeel Saray

In a city that has set the global standard for luxury accommodation, the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray has raised the bar to a new level of luxury, sophistication and extravagance. It is the absolute antithesis of modern minimalism.

Inspired by the imperial palaces of the Ottoman era, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray is a five-star luxury hotel that does absolutely everything in superlative style. From its exclusive location on the western crescent of the iconic Palm Jumeirah to its spectacular lobby entrance, every detail inspires a sense of wonder.

This culturally inspired destination delivers unrivalled luxury with an imperial touch in every lobby, room, suite, or restaurant. Soaring public spaces, hand-painted frescoes, intricate murals, glittering chandeliers of multi-coloured glass, exquisite marble floors and hundreds of Turkish works of art combine to conjure up the magnificence of the Ottoman Empire at its most extravagant.

The resort contains 379 elegant rooms, with 26 ultra-luxury suites and 38 Royal Residences, all with stunning views. The same design detail that marks the public spaces in the hotel is continued throughout the rooms and suites. Every room has a large Ottoman bathtub and a rain shower, as well as a balcony with a sea view. Free WiFi, coffee and tea

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making facilities, iPod docks and large flat-screen TVs are standard.

The Royal Residences, which are clustered around a magnificent lagoon pool and set amidst lush tropical gardens, feature the finest materials, including Turkish marble, rich dark wood and ceramics from the ancient town of Iznik in western Anatolia.

Here you can enjoy privileged access to a private beachfront, as well as a myriad of facilities offered by the hotel. Enjoy stunning views of the Arabian Gulf from a five-bedroom Beach Residence. Look out at the spectacular lagoon-style pool from the four-bedroom Lagoon Residences, or bask in the exquisite décor and furnishings of the Seafront Residences.

The palatial Talise Ottoman Spa is built from marble and skilfully decorated with wood, mosaics and murals, and is a marvel to behold. It covers 8,000 m² and offers 42 treatment rooms and eight hydrotherapy rooms, as well as steam rooms, saunas, and snow rooms. At the heart of the spa is a spectacular hamam (or Turkish bath). The centuries old tradition of hamam

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is based around a philosophy of community.

It is the perfect place to come together, relax and experience true indulgence.

The eleven restaurants at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, headed by a string of internationally renowned chefs, stand out for their spectacular and authentically themed settings as much as they do for their acclaimed cuisine. Here, in a single location, you are bound to find a restaurant dedicated to your favourite cuisine, including Lebanese, Arabic, Northern Indian, Classical French, Anatolian, Italian, and French Colonial Vietnamese, as well as an Ottoman era style cigar lounge. For the young at heart there is also the ultra-chic Voda Bar, or the dazzling MusicHall, where meals are accompanied by live performances – the first of its kind in Dubai.

If you can tear yourself away from the spa or the comfort of your own room, there is much more to experience at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. Lose yourself in the outdoor infinity pool, which stretches for 60 m and overlooks the Arabian Gulf; take a dip in the ocean; or top up your tan on the beach.

There’s plenty of sun here.

Anyone for tennis? Book one of the floodlit

courts for an hour – free of charge – and if you want to improve your game, there is a professional tennis coach on hand to offer both group and individual lessons. The onsite gym is fitted with LifeFitness, a state-of-the-art system which tracks your performance and uses social networking to entertain, educate and motivate you.

Fitness assessments and personal training are also on offer.

Just a 45 minute drive from Dubai International Airport, the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray also offers conference and banqueting facilities.

Low season rates start from R3,300 per night for a Deluxe Twin Room, and go up to R20,000 per night for an Emperor Suite, depending on the exchange rate.

Low season rates for Residences start from R50,000 per night for a Lagoon Residence, and go up to about R90,000 per night for a Beach Residence. High season rates are substantially higher, as the hotel maintains an occupancy rate in excess of 95%.

For more information, visit www.jumeirah.com.

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When Less is More

Vaser Lipo – A Permanent Goodbye to Festive Overindulgence Text: Dr Hema Singh Images © Silhouette Aesthetic Centre

You promised yourself you would not do it again – an extra mince pie here, another slice of Christmas cake there, not to forget the empty calories in the champers and other festive toasts. Now the Festive Season has come and gone yet the tell-tale signs of overindulgence remain.

Fortunately it’s not all doom and gloom.

Silhouette Aesthetic Centre offers a safe and effective solution to help you get rid of those few extra kilos with very little pain and minimal downtime.

Vaser Lipo is the safest and most effective procedure available today that assists with permanent fat loss. In fact, recent figures released by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ISAPS) revealed that liposuction was the most highly requested treatment in the world, with Vaser Liposuction becoming the de facto standard in the field of liposuction and definitely the preferred choice for many patients.

The procedure is tissue-selective, targeting fat yet at the same time protecting other tissues from damage. It is powerful enough to eliminate substantial areas of fat but gentle enough to treat delicate areas such as the neck and arms. The healing process is short and the results phenomenal.

Excess fat in the following areas is often difficult to lose without going on a strict diet: • Jowls, chin and neck • Abs, hips, or love handles 80

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• Male and female breasts • Back, buttocks or thighs • Arms • Knees, calves or ankles People often get bored with the new eating regime or embark on a drastic weight loss campaign that results in sagging skin. With Vaser Lipo one has instant results with the additional benefit of skin tightening. Vaser Lipo stimulates new collagen and elastin growth in the skin. This creates better skin function and appearance which improves over time.

If a patient has good skin elasticity, Vaser assists with skin tightening thus preventing any sagging after the procedure.

Results vary according to the amount of fat removed, the number of areas treated, and other factors. Many patients report that they see results immediately after the procedure with the final results around three to four months later. Your doctor can help you establish realistic expectations.

For further information contact +27 11 234 8832 or email admin@silhouetteclinic.co.za.

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A Big Hit for a GolfLoving City The Tshwane Open

Text: Michael Vlismas Images © Copperleaf

Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, Corey Pavin and John Daly are just some of the big names in golf who have walked the fairways of Tshwane over the years. The city has a long and illustrious golf history in which even Paul Kruger takes a part.

Former President Paul Kruger used to enjoy having lunch at the Pretoria Golf Club, which was established in 1894 and is the capital city’s oldest golf course. And former South African Prime Minister Louis Botha could be regarded as South Africa’s first golf writer for his own review of the Pretoria Golf Club. Writing to the club in 1916, he congratulated it on its standards, declaring it the best he had played in the country.

After a brief hiatus, the city’s pro-golf history was rekindled when the inaugural Tshwane Open teed off at The Els Club at Copperleaf last year.

The €1.5 million event is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and European Tour, and is one of the richest on the local circuit. This year it will see Dawie van der Walt return to defend his title at Copperleaf from 27th February to 2nd March.

The 2013 win marked a major breakthrough for Van der Walt, who claimed his first European Tour title, and went on to win again in the

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Nelson Mandela Championship at the end of 2013 on his way to finishing top of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.

Such is the value of another major international golf tournament to South Africa’s golfers. But of greater significance is the impact an event such as this has on the city that hosts it.

This will be the second Tshwane Open of an initial three-year deal with the Sunshine Tour, and one where the City of Tshwane hopes to capitalise on the growing interest in professional golf tournaments among local municipalities.

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is one of the main drivers behind the Joburg Open, while the Africa Open in East London is supported by the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. The South African Open has recently received support from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, the Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality has supported the Cape Town Open, and Durban’s

eThekwini Municipality has thrown its support behind tournaments such as the Volvo Golf Champions and the Nelson Mandela Championship. The Polokwane Local Municipality was also heavily involved in the inaugural Polokwane Classic in 2013.

Professional golf is one of sport’s great business models in terms of its ability to provide exposure for a city hosting a major tournament, as well as offer sustained and wide-reaching exposure to a worldwide audience.

The inaugural Tshwane Open gave the city a platform of roughly 400 million homes worldwide through the reach of the TV production, produced in partnership with the European Tour.

The live television coverage and highlights packages of the four rounds of the tournament were carried by 41 broadcasters in approximately 650 broadcasts to every continent. This includes countries ranging from Iceland, Malta and Spain to the United Kingdom and the United States.

“This tournament is a great platform to propel our city forward. We want to project ourselves as a leading capital city on the African continent and we want to use this event to draw people to the city. We haven’t exploited our tourism potential, and we want golf tourists to experience the life and ambience of this city,” Councillor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, said of their investment in the tournament.

“The package is unbelievable value for money,” says Selwyn Nathan, Executive Director of the Sunshine

Tour. “Advertising in any of the world markets is expensive. Here, through our relationship with European Tour Productions and the TV package we can offer, you gain access to huge exposure around the world.

“You’ve got programming that creates an opportunity where you have a host segment, so there is an enormous tourism element for the cities that host tournaments. It boils down to the fact that what sponsors are paying to get into golf in South Africa is fair value compared with other sports like cricket, rugby or soccer. To own a big South African soccer team costs you R100 million a year by the time you’ve finished leveraging it and so on. The big team sports are expensive. They might have a bigger viewership in South Africa than golf, but golf has an enormous viewership worldwide.”

This year the Tshwane Open will again hope to put its best foot forward for a city that has long impressed on the golf front as home to some of South Africa’s most historic golf clubs.

The Author Michael Vlismas is a freelance writer and broadcaster living in Somerset West who spends most of his time covering local and international golf.

He is the author of four books. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelVlismas.

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gadgets Three-Dimensional Gaming Imagine being able to sculpt, mould, stretch, bend and build virtual 3D objects.

Take things apart and put them back together. Reach into the universe, grab the stars, and soar around the sun. The Leap Motion Controller allows all of this and more. Users can browse the web, read articles, flip through photos, and play music just by lifting a finger. They can draw, paint, and design with a fingertip, or slice falling fruit, shoot bad guys, and steer cars with their hands.

This sleek piece of hardware opens up an interactive, three-dimensional space which allows you to use the space between you and your computer to turn computing into a truly interactive 3D experience. The Leap Motion Controller tracks all ten fingers up to 1/100th of a millimetre, and offers a wide 150° field of view, as well as a Z-axis for depth. It can track movements at a rate of over 200 frames per second. The Leap Motion is available for R1,299 at Incredible Connection stores nationwide, or from www.incredible.co.za.

Fire Starter Weber’s chimney starter makes starting your charcoal a snap. It also cuts down on the amount of time it takes for the coals to get ready. Just load the canister with coals, light a fire starter or crinkled up newspaper, and set the canister over the flames. In a matter of minutes the coals will be red hot. Who ever thought cooking the family Sunday lunch could be so easy? The Weber fire starter is available from www.loot.co.za for approximately R400.

Action Attraction Garmin is excited to announce its first high definition action camera series.

The Virb series comprises of two compact and waterproof HD 1080p action cameras: the Virb (R3,999) and the Virb Elite (R5,999). The Virb features a rugged, waterproof housing, and its unique 1.4” Chroma colour display uses minimal power so that you can record more than three hours of true HD (1080p) video on one charge. Video enhancement features such as digital image stabilisation and lens distortion correction ensure that recorded footage looks professional, even before editing. The Virb can also capture high quality still photos while the video camera is recording. The Virb Elite incorporates all of these features, plus boasts built-in WiFi, data sensors and a GPS. Both the Virb and Virb Elite feature ANT+ connectivity for remote control functionality with other Garmin products, and the Virb Elite will support data transfer with other fitness sensors on top. Both cameras are available from Garmin stockists nationwide.

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books 50 Shades of Greed

By Ivor Blumenthal The former CEO of the Services SETA who was forcefully removed from his position in the organisation provides an untapped internal SETA

perspective and

the

the

Services

relationships

of

between

Government, labour and business. Ivor Blumenthal discusses the support and hindrance available to the success of an organisation like the Services SETA with the objective of sharing his internal perspective with the broader community.

50 Shades of Greed takes an in-depth look at the Services SETA and its successes, as well as the wide-scale redevelopment of the Skills Development Framework over the decade in which Blumenthal served as its CEO.

In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple with

The Dogs of Littlefield

By Suzanne Berne

the unenviable task of turning around the

Littlefield, Massachusetts –

company he had founded. One night Jobs

named one of the “Ten Best

discovered a scruffy British designer toiling

Places to Live in America”

away in a studio at Apple, surrounded by

– is full of psychologists

hundreds of sketches and prototypes. Jobs

and college professors,

instantly realised he had found a talent who

and is proud of its fine

could reverse the company’s long decline.

schools, its girls' soccer

That young designer was Jony (pronounced

teams, its leafy streets and

"Jonny") Ive. Ive’s collaboration with Jobs

quaint village centre. Yet

would produce some of the world's most

no sooner has sociologist

iconic products, including the iMac, iPod, iPad

Dr Clarice Watkins arrived

and iPhone. Along the way, Ive has become

in Littlefield to study the

the world’s leading technology innovator,

elements of “good quality of

won countless awards, and has been knighted

life”, than someone begins

Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products

By Leander Kahney

for his services to design and enterprise. Yet

poisoning the town’s dogs.

little is known about the shy, softly-spoken

Are the poisonings in protest to an off-leash proposal for Baldwin Park – the

designer that Jobs referred to as his “spiritual

subject of much town debate – or the sign of a far deeper disorder? The Dogs

partner” at Apple.

of Littlefield is a wry exploration of the discontent concealed behind the manicured lawns and picket fences of darkest suburbia.

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Airline information SA Express fleet Canadair Regional Jet 200 BER Manufacturer: Bombardier Maximum cruising speed: 474 knots/545mph/879kmph Engines: Two General Electric CF34-3B1 Range: 1,662miles/3,080km Maximum altitude: 41,000ft/12,496m Seating capacity: 50

Crew: Two pilots, two cabin crew Wing span: 69ft 7in/21.21m Overall length: 87ft 10in/26.77m Overall height: 20ft 5in/6.22m Maximum take-off weight: 51,000lb/23,134kg Minimum runway length: 6,295ft/1,919m

De Havilland Dash 8 Series Q400 Turboprop Manufacturer: Bombardier Maximum cruising speed: 360knots/414mph/667kmph Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A Range: 1,565 miles/2,519km Maximum altitude: 25,000ft/7,620m Seating capacity: 74 Crew: Two pilots, two cabin crew

Wing span: 93ft 3in/28.42m Overall length: 107ft 9in/32.83m Overall height: 27ft 5in/8.34m Maximum take-off weight: 64,500lb/29,257kg Minimum runway length: 4,580ft/1,396m

Canadair Regional Jet 700 Manufacturer: Bombardier Maximum cruising speed: 473 knots/544mph/875kmph Engines: Two General Electric CF34-8C5B Range: 1,477m/2,794km Maximum altitude: 41,000ft/12,496m Seating capacity: 70

Crew: Crew: Two pilots, two cabin crew Wing span: 76ft 3in/23.2m Overall length: 106ft 8in/32.51m Overall height: 24ft 10in/7.57m Maximum take-off weight: 72,750lb/32,999kg Minimum runway length: 4,580ft/1,396m

SA Express’ aircraft are made by Bombardier Aerospace Indwe Indwe

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We fly for you About us SA Express is a fast-growing airline business operating primary and secondary hubs between domestic and regional destinations within Southern Africa.

Our objective of improving intra-Africa travel is in line with South Africa’s mandate to increase aviation’s contribution towards sustainable economic growth and job creation.

The flexibility and reliability presented by the airline’s FACT principle (Frequency, Availability, Competitive rate and Timing of flights) affords both consumers and service providers a unique and convenient service.

The FACT principle is important to us as it enhances the country’s prospect as a preferred air travel destination and major trade and tourism capital.

Our vision is supported by the airline’s aspirations and strategy. Also underpinning this vision is our set of core values and unique selling propositions that drive profitability.

Vision To be a sustainable world-class regional airline with an extensive footprint in Africa.

Purpose A sustainable, integrated regional airline connecting secondary and main airports.

Core values Safety first We never compromise on safety, no matter what.

Customers Our customers are our most important investors.

Partners We partner with people across all operations.

Speed & Quality We deliver with speed without compromising on quality.

Improvement We strive for continuous improvement.

Simplify We keep it simple.

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Special services

in the aircraft cabin, cabin baggage may be placed in the Skycheck at the aircraft for hold stowage.

Special meals Passengers with special dietary

Skycheck This is the airline’s special hand-

requirements are provided for through the following special meals: kosher, halal, Muslim, Hindu, low-fat and vegetarian meals. Orders for special meals should be placed at the time of making flight reservations. The airline requires a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to departure in order to assist with confirmation of requests.

Passengers requiring special attention Requirements for unaccompanied minors (passengers under the age of 12 years) or passengers requiring wheelchairs should be stated at the time of making the reservation.

Owing to the size of the cabins on our aircraft types, the airline is not in a position to carry stretcher passengers or incubators.

Cabin baggage SA Express will accept one piece of cabin baggage not exceeding a total dimension of 115cm and 7kg in weight. For safety reasons, cabin baggage must fit into approved stowage spaces: either the overhead luggage bin or under the seat. Owing to limited storage space

We Fly For You SA Express Airways prides itself on aiming to offer incomparable service standards. In addition to building on our motto to express excellence and consistently striving to provide the best service, we know that “you” is the most important word in our airline. SA Express proudly launched its new brand on 2 December 2009 at OR Tambo International Airport. The new brand is set to ensure that it’s distinctive and positioned to build awareness and affinity in the domestic and regional markets.

The new proposition “We Fly for You” is set to position SA Express as a premier intra-regional African brand. The main objective of the rebrand is to ensure that SA Express is distinctive yet still aligned to the country’s mainline carrier.

SA Express’s unique positioning as an airline that provides a bespoke, personalised travel experience was the rationale behind the proposition “We Fly for You”. The new brand mark is in line with the symbol and colours of the national flag, encouraging national pride.

The new brand will be applied to all brand touch-points throughout the operation as well as the staff uniform.

luggage facility that assists with in-flight comfort, speedy boarding and disembarking.

When boarding one of our flights, simply place any hand luggage that will not be required during the flight on to the Skycheck cart at the boarding steps of the aircraft. Your hand luggage will be waiting for you as you disembark from the aircraft at your destination.

Baggage liability Valuable items such as cameras and accessories, computers – including laptops and notebooks – mobile telephones, perfumes, aftershaves, colognes, legal and company documents and legal tender – including cash, credit cards and cheques – bullion, leather jackets, all types of jewellery and any other items with a value in excess of R400 must be removed from either checked-in or Skycheck baggage as the airline is not liable for loss or damage to these items.

Verified baggage claims are settled on the basis adopted by IATA (International Airlines Transport Association): payment of US$20 per 1kg of checked-in luggage, to a maximum of 20kg ($400).

Awards SA Express has won the AFRAA Regional Airline of the Year Award at the end of 2009, and the Allied and Aviation Business Corporate Award. Our airline was also the recipient of the Annual Airline Reliability Award from Bombardier at the end of 2007. Other previous awards include the International Star Quality Award, which indicates our commitment to service excellence, while our prominence as one of the top 500 best managed companies is proof of our success as a business.

Onboard service The airline’s onboard service is unique and offers passengers a variety of meals or snacks. The airline pioneered its unique meal-box concept, and meal choices are frequently updated and designed using balanced food criteria: appearance, taste and nutritional value.

Passengers can also enjoy a wine and malt service on specified flights as well as refreshments on all flights.

Our customers can expect a safe, comfortable, quality air-travel experience, with the added benefits of frequency, reliability, on-time departures and unmatched value for money.

Safety information Health regulations Health regulations at certain airports require that the aircraft cabin be sprayed. The spray is harmless, but if you think it might affect you, please cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

Remain seated As a safety precaution, passengers are requested to remain seated with seatbelts fastened after the aircraft has landed, until the seatbelt sign has been switched off by the captain.

Portable electronic equipment The use of personal electronic devices (PED’s) will apply to all domestic and regional flights on the CRJ700/200

and DH8 Q400. Passengers will be permitted to use PED’s such as cell phones, e-readers and electronic tablets in flight-mode.

Cellular telephones Cellular telephones may be used on the ground while passenger doors are open. Cellular telephones, smartphones or any device with flight mode must be switched off as soon as the cabin doors are closed and when the senior cabin-crew member makes an announcement on the publicaddress system.

Laptop computers Laptops with CD ROM and DVD drive, handheld calculators, electric shavers and portable personal

listening devices may not be used on the ground during taxi but may be used during the flight when the seatbelt signs are switched off and with permission from the captain. Should circumstances dictate otherwise, a public-address announcement cancelling this concession will be made by a crew member.

Prohibited equipment Portable printers, laser pointers, video equipment, CB/AM/FM/ FHF/satellite receivers, twoway radios, compact disc and mini-disc players, scanners, remote-controlled toys and power converters are prohibited for use at any time.

Safety pamphlet Read the safety pamphlet in the seat pocket in front of you and take note of your nearest emergency exit.

Smoking In accordance with international trends, smoking is not permitted on board any SA Express flights.

Seat belts Please fasten your seat belt whenever the seat belt signs are illuminated. For your own safety we suggest that you keep it fastened throughout the flight.

Important When in doubt, please consult our cabin crew.

For your comfort and security, please comply with the above safety regulations at all times while on board

Route map SA Express: Johannesburg Bloemfontein Cape Town Durban East London Gaborone George Hoedspruit Kimberley

Lubumbashi Lusaka Maputo Port Elizabeth Richards Bay Walvis Bay Windhoek Pietermaritzburg Nelspruit

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Flight schedule Johannesburg - Bloemfontein Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1001 1003 1005 1011 1011 1013 1017 1021 1023

Dep 05:55 08:00 11:20 13:45 13:50 14:55 16:35 17:55 18:30

Arr 06:55 09:05 12:25 14:50 14:55 16:00 17:35 19:00 19:35

A/C DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 CR7 DH4 DH4

M

T

W

Johannesburg - East London Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1403 1403 1405 1407 1413 1409 1411

Dep 07:15 08:30 09:10 13:15 15:40 17:30 18:45

Arr 08:45 10:00 10:40 14:45 17:10 19:00 20:15

A/C CR8 CR7 CR2 CR2 CR7 CR8 CR7

M

Johannesburg - George Flt SA SA SA SA SA

No 1501 1503 1503 1505 1509

Dep 06:50 08:55 08:55 11:25 15:50

Arr 08:40 10:45 10:45 13:15 17:40

A/C CR8 CR8 CR2 CR7 CR8

M

Dep 10:15 12:15

Arr 11:20 13:20

A/C DH4 DH4

M

Johannesburg - durban Flt No SA 1285 SA 1287

Dep 12:20 14:35

Arr 13:30 15:45

A/C CR2 CR2

M

No 1101 1103 1105 1107 1113

Dep 05:45 09:20 13:10 14:25 17:10

Arr 07:00 10:35 14:25 15:40 18:25

A/C dh4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4

M

S

S

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

W

T

F

S

S

F

S

S

Johannesburg - Kimberley Flt SA SA SA SA SA

F

T

Johannesburg - Hoedspruit Flt No SA 1225 SA 1227

T

T

Johannesburg - Port Elizabeth Flt SA SA SA SA SA

No 1453 1455 1457 1459 1459

Dep 07:10 10:00 17:30 19:35 19:55

Arr 08:45 11:55 19:25 21:15 21:35

A/C CR7 DH4 DH4 cr7 CR7

M

T

W

T

Bloemfontein - Johannesburg Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1024 1002 1002 1004 1006 1012 1014 1018 1022

Dep 06:20 07:20 07:25 09:35 12:55 15:25 16:30 18:20 19:35

Arr 07:25 08:20 08:25 10:40 14:00 16:30 17:35 19:20 20:40

A/C DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 CR7 DH4

M

T

W

East London - Johannesburg Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1402 1404 1404 1406 1408 1412 1410

Dep 06:25 09:25 10:30 11:10 15:30 17:40 19:40

Arr 07:55 10:55 12:10 12:40 17:00 19:10 21:10

A/C CR7 CR7 Cr7 CR2 CR2 CR7 CR8

M

George - Johannesburg Flt SA SA SA SA SA

No 1502 1504 1504 1506 1510

Dep 09:10 11:25 11:25 14:10 18:10

Arr 10:50 13:05 13:05 15:50 19:50

A/C CR8 CR8 CR2 CR7 CR8

M

No 1226 1228

Dep 12:00 13:55

Arr 13:00 14:55

A/C DH4 DH4

M

durban - Johannesburg Flt SA

No 1286

Dep 17:15

Arr 18:25

A/C CR2

M

No 1102 1102 1104 1106 1108 1114

Dep 07:30 07:50 11:10 14:55 16:10 18:55

Arr 08:45 09:05 12:25 16:10 17:25 20:10

A/C dh4 dh4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4

M

Flt SA SA SA SA

No 1201 1203 1207 1213

Dep 06:10 08:30 13:15 16:55

Arr 07:25 09:45 14:30 18:10

A/C DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

johannesburg - cape town Flt No SA 1585 SA 1587

Dep 13:15 13:45

Arr 15:30 16:00

A/C CR2 CR2

M

Johannesburg - kruger Flt No SA 1231 SA 1237

Dep 07:10 15:55

Arr 08:10 16:55

A/C CR2 CR2

M

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

W

T

F

S

S

T

F

S

S

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

Port Elizabeth - Johannesburg Flt SA SA SA SA

No 1460 1454 1456 1458

Dep 06:10 09:20 12:25 20:00

Arr 07:45 10:55 14:20 21:55

Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1202 1202 1204 1208 1208 1208 1214

Dep 07:55 08:05 10:30 14:50 15:00 15:05 18:40

Arr 09:10 09:20 11:45 16:05 16:15 16:20 20:00

A/C cr7 CR7 DH4 DH4

M

T

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A/C DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4

M

T

cape town - johannesburg Flt SA SA

No 1586 1588

Dep 18:20 18:50

Arr 20:30 21:00

A/C CR2 CR2

M

kruger - Johannesburg Flt SA SA

No 1232 1238

Dep 08:40 17:35

Arr 09:40 18:35

SA EXPRESS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, SUSPEND OR AMEND THIS PUBLISHED SCHEDULE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO OPERATE AS PER THE PLANNED SCHEDULE

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S

T

W

Richards bay - Johannesburg Johannesburg - Richards bay

S

W

Kimberley - Johannesburg Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA

F

T

Hoedspruit - Johannesburg Flt SA SA

T

A/C CR2 CR2

M

Flight schedule johannesburg - pietermaritzburg Flt SA SA SA SA

No 1271 1273 1277 1277

Dep 07:20 11:00 16:45 16:45

Arr 08:25 12:05 17:50 17:50

A/C DH4 dh4 DH4 dh4

M

T

Johannesburg - walvis bay Flt No

Dep

Arr

A/C

SA

11:55

14:10

CR8

effective 1 september namibian time reverts to

1701

M

T

Johannesburg - windhoek Flt No

Dep

Arr

A/C

SA SA

06:15 06:15

08:15 08:15

CR2 CR2

effective 1 september namibian time reverts to

1733 1731

M

T

Johannesburg - Gaborone Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1761 1763 1765 1767 1767 1775 1775 1783 1779 1781

Dep 06:10 07:55 09:55 11:55 11:55 13:30 14:30 15:45 18:10 18:10

Arr 07:05 08:50 10:50 12:45 12:50 14:25 15:25 16:40 19:05 19:05

A/C DH4 DH4 DH4 CR2 DH4 DH4 DH4 CR2 DH4 DH4

M

Johannesburg - maseru Flt No SA 1741

Dep 07:10

Arr 08:10

A/C CR2

M

W

T

F

S

S

W

T

F

S

S

W

Dep 09:20

Arr 11:45

A/C CR8

T

W

T

T

W

T

M

T

No 1081 1083 1087 1089 1091

Dep 06:00 08:00 13:15 14:20 17:15

Arr 07:45 09:30 15:00 16:05 19:00

A/C DH4 CR2 DH4 DH4 DH4

No 1361 1363 1363 1371 1371 1375

Dep 06:00 08:00 08:00 13:30 13:30 17:20

Arr 07:55 09:40 09:55 15:10 15:25 19:00

A/C DH4 CR2 DH4 CR2 DH4 CR2

CAPE TOWN - george Flt No SA 1531 SA 1533

Dep 06:20 13:00

Arr 07:20 14:00

A/C CR2 CR2

Dep 09:30

Arr 12:10

A/C CR2

F

F

S

S

S

S

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

Cape Town - Hoedspruit Flt No SA 1241

S

T

CAPE TOWN - east london Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA

S

W

CAPE TOWN - bloemfontein Flt SA SA SA SA SA

F

M

Flt SA SA SA SA SA

No 1272 1272 1274 1278 1278

Dep 09:00 08:50 12:35 18:25 18:25

Arr 10:15 10:05 13:50 19:40 19:40

A/C DH4 dh4 DH4 DH4 DH4

M

T

walvis bay - Johannesburg Flt

No

Dep

Arr

A/C

SA

1702

14:45

16:55

CR8

effective 1 september namibian time reverts to

M

T

windhoek - Johannesburg Flt

No

Dep

Arr

A/C

SA SA

1734 1732

09:15 19:15

11:15 21:10

CR2 CR2

effective 1 september namibian time reverts to

M

T

Gaborone - Johannesburg

Johannesburg - Lubumbashi Flt No SA 1797

T

pietermaritzburg - johannesburg

Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1762 1764 1764 1766 1768 1768 1776 1776 1784 1780 1782

Dep 07:45 09:25 09:35 11:25 13:10 13:10 15:00 16:05 17:10 19:45 19:45

Arr 08:40 10:20 10:30 12:20 14:05 14:05 15:55 17:00 18:00 20:40 20:40

A/C DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 CR2 DH4 DH4 DH4 CR2 DH4 DH4

M

T

maseru - johannesburg Flt SA

No 1742

Dep 08:40

Arr 09:40

A/C CR2

M

W

T

F

S

S

W

T

F

S

S

W

T

F

S

S

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

Lubumbashi - Johannesburg Flt SA

No 1798

Dep 12:30

Arr 15:00

A/C CR8

M

T

No 1082 1084 1088 1090 1092

Dep 08:15 10:30 15:40 16:35 19:40

Arr 10:15 12:15 17:40 18:35 21:40

A/C DH4 CR2 DH4 DH4 DH4

M

east london - CAPE TOWN Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1362 1364 1364 1372 1372 1376

Dep 08:25 10:25 10:45 16:00 16:20 20:05

Arr 10:25 12:25 12:25 18:00 18:00 21:45

A/C DH4 DH4 CR2 DH4 CR2 CR2

george - cape town Flt No SA 1532 SA 1534

Dep 07:50 14:30

Arr 08:55 15:35

A/C CR2 CR2

M

M

Hoedspruit - Cape Town Flt SA

No 1242

Dep 12:45

Arr 15:20

A/C CR2

M

F

S

S

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

bloemfontein - CAPE TOWN Flt SA SA SA SA SA

T

T

T

W

W

T

F

T

S

F

S

S

S

SA EXPRESS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, SUSPEND OR AMEND THIS PUBLISHED SCHEDULE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO OPERATE AS PER THE PLANNED SCHEDULE

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Flight schedule CAPE TOWN - kimberley Flt SA SA SA SA

No 1151 1157 1155 1155

Dep 05:50 12:50 14:00 15:55

Arr 07:20 14:20 15:30 17:25

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2

M

T

CAPE TOWN - port elizabeth Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1801 1805 1807 1809 1813 1813 1819 1821 1821 1823

Dep 06:00 09:00 10:10 10:45 13:00 13:45 15:00 16:00 16:00 18:30

Arr 07:30 10:30 11:40 12:15 14:30 14:55 16:30 17:10 17:30 20:00

A/C dh4 dh4 DH4 DH4 DH4 dh4 DH4 CR2 DH4 DH4

Cape Town - Walvis Bay Flt No SA 1721 SA 1721

Dep 08:00 11:15

Arr 10:00 13:15

A/C CR2 CR2

Cape Town - Windhoek Flt No SA 1751

Dep 16:30

Arr 18:35

A/C CR2

Cape Town - Maputo Flt No SA 1785

Dep 07:45

Arr 10:10

A/C CR2

No 1301 1303 1305 1309

Dep 06:00 08:30 12:00 16:50

Arr 07:05 09:35 13:05 17:55

No 1330 1334 1336 1340 1348

Dep 06:00 09:15 11:55 13:35 17:40

Arr 07:20 10:35 13:15 14:55 19:00

No 1850 1852 1854 1858 1854 1862

Dep 06:10 08:00 13:40 15:35 16:30 18:50

Arr 08:25 10:15 15:55 17:50 18:45 21:05

durban - lusaka Flt No SA 1601

Dep 10:10

Arr 13:00

durban - Harare Flt SA SA SA

No 1611 1611 1613

Dep 10:20 14:00 13:55

Arr 12:45 16:25 16:20

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

A/C CR2

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2

durban - CAPE TOWN Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA

F

M

durban - Port Elizabeth Flt SA SA SA SA SA

T

M

durban - East London Flt SA SA SA SA

W

kimberley - CAPE TOWN Flt SA SA SA SA

No 1152 1158 1156 1156

Dep 08:10 15:10 16:00 17:55

Arr 09:50 16:50 17:40 19:35

M

T

port elizabeth - CAPE TOWN Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1802 1806 1808 1810 1814 1814 1820 1822 1822 1824

Dep 08:00 11:00 12:10 12:45 15:00 15:25 17:00 18:00 18:00 20:30

Arr 09:40 12:40 13:50 14:25 16:40 16:45 18:40 19:20 19:40 22:10

A/C DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 DH4 CR2 DH4 CR2 DH4 DH4

Flt SA SA

No 1722 1722

Dep 10:30 14:00

Arr 12:30 16:00

No 1752

Dep 08:40

Arr 10:45

No 1786

Dep 10:40

Arr 13:15

No 1302 1304 1306 1310

Dep 07:35 10:05 13:35 18:25

Arr 08:35 11:05 14:35 19:25

No 1331 1335 1337 1341 1349

Dep 07:50 11:05 13:40 15:35 19:55

Arr 09:05 12:20 14:55 16:50 21:10

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

A/C CR2

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2

M

T

W

T

F

S

S

A/C CR2 CR2

A/C CR2

A/C CR2

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2

CAPE TOWN - DURBAN Flt SA SA SA SA SA SA

No 1851 1853 1861 1855 1859 1855

Dep 09:05 10:45 16:15 16:30 18:15 19:15

Arr 11:05 12:45 18:15 18:30 20:15 21:15

lusaka - durban Flt SA

No 1602

Dep 13:40

Arr 16:30

Harare - durban Flt SA SA SA

No 1612 1612 1614

Dep 13:25 17:00 17:00

Arr 15:50 19:25 19:25

S

F

Port Elizabeth - DURBAN Flt SA SA SA SA SA

S

T

East London - DURBAN Flt SA SA SA SA

F

W

Maputo - Cape Town Flt SA

T

T

Windhoek - Cape Town Flt SA

W

M

walvis Bay - Cape Town

SA EXPRESS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, SUSPEND OR AMEND THIS PUBLISHED SCHEDULE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO OPERATE AS PER THE PLANNED SCHEDULE

9 6 9 6 Indwe Indwe

A/C CR2 CR2 CR2 CR2

@

passenger letters

W O R K

Good day, Customer Care Team

at Bram Fischer the praises of the security staff and moans, I would like to sing extra mile for the g goin In a world full of complaints for ess ph from SA Expr tein, and especially thank Jose International Airport in Bloemfon age scanner me recently. the security team at the hand bagg of Bloemfontein for the day, when contained a h whic and I was boarding the last flight out ed, open yet not gift I had carrying. The box contained a was I box a in s object amis sharp thing a itself was detected some determined that the corkscrew cking the box, the security team decorative corkscrew. On unpa with me as hand baggage. fore was not allowed to travel d. I was not happy to that could be dangerous and there the check-in counter was close and in ked chec dy alrea ase was suitc my that was lem prob g to check in the box as The summoned Joseph, who was willin one of the ground crew kindly waiting plane! the to leave my lovely gift behind, and it ing before personally carry then wrap it securely in plastic, the first item on the was a separate hold item, label and box little my that see to nal I was amused and delighted On arrival at Cape Town Internatio intact. of SA Express, baggage conveyer belt, safe and but especially to the ground staff being vigilant, polite and helpful, for team rity secu the to ks My than with very little fuss. who helped solve my problem llent service – thank you! exce call ld That’s what I wou With warm regards Clare Manicom

month. She who wrote our winning letter this Congratulations to Clare Manicom 00. her valued at R1,1 Mangwanani Moonlight Spa vouc

has won a

Dear Customer Care t which had to for your pilots on a recent fligh nalism are the words I reserve silently endures who Admiration, praise and professio one As s. ition ment weather cond itzburg to Durban due to incle an, rather than Durb to n be re-directed from Pietermar take be to had we d that ehensive when it was announce flight jitters generally, I was appr rg. so smoothly that landing at Pietermaritzbu d the plane with utmost ease and ner in which the pilots redirecte man al ssion profe the g, comforting d surin men I com dissipated. The pilots were re-as about the awkward situation soon any apprehension I may have had done! t of putting everyone at ease. Well with by and confident, which had the effec rmaritzburg – which could be dealt Piete to back le shutt a ring secu s in delay some were you have that there e ugh ledg Altho end I was quite secure in the know for future occurrences – in the having a better contingency plan erly trained pilots. safe, secure, effective and prop Thank you.

Rashid Patel

Do you have something

to say?

mind by sending Let us know what is on your customercare@flyexpress.aero.

an email to inal language.

d or translated from their orig

Letters may be edited, shortene

g letter in the March The writer of the winnin eive a Samsonite X’blade rec edition of Indwe will lued at R899.

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protection. s collection offers lightness and The Samsonite X’Blade busines that ures feat with smart organisational Its elegant design is combined . trips s ines bus t the office or other shor will optimise your daily trip to e mor For ide. onw nati es luggage stor Samsonite is available at leading us on Find 0.

062 266 31 +27 call or te.co.za information, visit www.samsoni twitter @Samsonite_SA

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97

P arting S hot

Africa's talent revealed

This month we feature Mariana de Klerk’s evocative photo of a leopard walking through the long grass of the Kruger National Park.

If you think you have what it takes, send your photos (1 MB each), details of where they were taken and your contact details to nicky@tcbmedia.co.za, with the words “Indwe Photo” in the subject line.

We can’t wait to show them off!

98

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