AVBOB celebrates a milestone by rewarding its members on a large scale JOHANNESBURG - Mamelodi Sundowns marched to yet another victory to edge closer to the title Goals in either half from Tashreeq Matthews and Iqraam Rayners overcame the Citizens of Cape Town City The clash at Cape Town Stadium was a tale of contrasting fortunes the undisputed giants of South African football arrived in the Mother City with their sights set on maintaining a 12-point lead over second-placed Orlando Pirates who had earlier secured a dramatic 2-1 comeback win against Kaizer Chiefs in the Soweto Derby The stakes were equally high for Cape Town City Sitting at the foot of the Betway Premiership table the Citizens were desperate for points to climb out of the relegation zone especially after SuperSport United’s 2-0 victory over Chippa United earlier in the day with the Citizens remaining in the relegation zone in 15th place Tickets for the match – priced from R250 – will go on sale from Tuesday 6 May at 09h00 exclusively available from Ticketmaster The match is being organised and promoted by Pitch International Historically such matches have been hosted overseas – usually in London – but Pitch agreed to bring the game to South Africa in preparation for the Castle Lager Incoming Series opener against Italy in Pretoria a week later The Barbarians – consisting of players who ply their trade in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and the Japanese League – will be coached by the experienced Robbie Deans a former All Black who was also in charge of the Wallabies and the Crusaders in a coaching career spanning almost three decades The BaaBaas match in Cape Town in June will be the ninth between the Boks and the famous black-and-white clad club when the teams played to a 31-31 draw at Wembley Stadium in London “This is an historic moment and it will be very special to welcome the Barbarians to South Africa for the first time,” said SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer “The Springboks wanted a match before the series against Italy to prepare and we’re really grateful to our friends at the Barbarians and Pitch for assisting in bringing this encounter to life.” Since the first clash between the sides in 1952 the Barbarians have won four games and the Springboks three The Boks’ last victory over the Barbarians was on 10 December 2000 in Cardiff Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the match would be the perfect trigger to get his players into match-mode before the Castle Lager Incoming Series which features two Tests against Italy (5 and 12 July) and one against Georgia (19 July) Pat Lambie tackles Rob du Preez the last time the Boks and the BaaBaas clashed and this match will be particularly special as it marks the first time that we will face them in South Africa,” said Erasmus “For us this will be the perfect opportunity to get the players match-ready for the official international season “With a big squad one can simulate a match situation but there is nothing like a proper international with the full build-up and the pressure to get the players battle ready “With the Barbarians team featuring players from across the world so the key for us will be to focus on our structures and what we want to achieve on the field.” who will be assisted by Patrice Collazo (Racing 92 Japan) and former All Black lock Sam Whitelock said: “It is exciting news to have the iconic Barbarians announced to play against the World Champion Springboks in Cape Town in late June – these are two of the biggest brands in the game “The last occasion these two teams met at Wembley resulted in a draw The Springboks have achieved a lot since that day this will be an altogether different challenge on-site in South Africa “We are hopeful of putting together a combination that will provide the sort of spectacle that the occasion deserves.” Erasmus added: “We may have had a satisfying 2024 season but this is a new year and a fresh challenge and we’d like to start strong and build momentum as the season progresses who are usually laden with seasoned internationals will provide the perfect test before the Castle Lager Incoming Series.” The Castle Lager Incoming Series will be followed by the Castle Lager Rugby Championship against Australia (16 and 23 August in Johannesburg and Cape Town) the All Blacks (6 and 13 September in New Zealand) and Argentina (27 September and 4 October in Durban and London respectively) before the Boks will depart on their traditional end of the year tour Castle Lager Incoming Series:5 July: SA v Italy – Loftus Versfeld Pretoria12 July: SA v Italy – Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Gqeberha19 July: SA v Georgia – Mbombela Stadium Castle Lager Rugby Championship:16 August: SA v Australia – Emirates Airline Park Johannesburg23 August: SA v Australia – DHL Stadium Cape Town27 September: SA v Argentina – Hollywoodbets Kings Park Springbok captain Siya Kolisi shared some inspiring words with the future stars of South African rugby when he visited t.. Rugby history will be rewritten when the Springboks launch their 2025 season against the Barbarians at the DHL Stadium i.. Scottish referee Hollie Davidson will return to South Africa for the Springboks’ first Test of the 2025 season when they.. Tickets for the Springboks’ eagerly awaited return to home Test match action for the first time in almost ten months wil.. Chasing the Sun 2 – A Story for South Africa – the captivating and award-winning sequel to Chasing the Sun was the most-.. The Junior Springboks had to work hard and fight back after the break but they recorded the perfect start to their U20 Rugby Championship campaign at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium outplaying Argentina by 36-25 in Gqeberha on Thursday afternoon Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote praised the team for their fighting spirit and not letting their heads drop in their Rugby Championship U20 opening round victory over Argentina after the South Americans led by 10 points shortly after half-time in Gqeberha on Thursday Scottish referee Hollie Davidson will return to South Africa for the Springboks’ first Test of the 2025 season when they take on Italy in Pretoria on Saturday The Springbok Sevens’ 2025 season had it all: a rare home win in Cape Town a fourth-place finish in Perth and some less flattering results in Dubai Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton said on Wednesday the SA U20s are looking forward to meeting the physical challenge of Argentina when the two teams clash in the opening round of the U20 Rugby Championship at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Thursday afternoon Springbok captain Siya Kolisi shared some inspiring words with the future stars of South African rugby when he visited the Junior Springboks at their Saturday morning training session on the B-field of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha The Springbok Sevens team qualified for the playoffs of the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles with victories over France Great Britain and Argentina in their pool and will face New Zealand in the semi-finals on Sunday The Springbok Women's Sevens team had an up and down start in their first two pool games of the HSBC SVNS Play-off tournament at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles on Saturday beating Ireland by 12-7 before going down to China 26-12 in their second game The Springbok Sevens team saved their best for last to win the final tournament of the season the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles with a 19-5 victory over Spain in the final wrapping up a flawless weekend in California early on Monday morning (SA time) The Springbok Women's Sevens team's hearts were broken with a late defeat against Kenya in their HSBC SVNS Play-off final in Los Angeles on Sunday meaning they will have to qualify for Division 2 next season © 2025 SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY | PICTURES © GALLO IMAGES The Springboks will face the Barbarians for the first time in South Africa when the teams collide at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday will coach the invitational team that will consist of players who ply their trade in the United Rugby Championship It will be the ninth meeting between the two sides and the first since 5 November 2016 “It’s always exciting to face the BaaBaas, and this match will be particularly special as it marks the first time that we will face them in South Africa,” said Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus “With the Barbarians team featuring players from across the world Springboks put on high alert as NRL team target ‘no-brainer’ offers to ‘fill the pipeline’ June-July internationals: Fixtures and referee appointments including the match officials for the British and Irish Lions Tour READ MORE: Springboks home fixtures confirmed as Rassie Erasmus’ men return to Gqeberha Pieter-Steph du Toit has returned to training but won't be taking the pitch for Toyota Verblitz Jasper Wiese had previously said he would be out for the rest of the season following a neck injury Our five takeaways from the Lions' victory over Connacht A huge boost for the brothers and Rassie Erasmus CAPE TOWN - The 15th Commonwealth Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa has opened in Cape Town READ: Fort Hare University fraud and corruption trial resumes It brings together officials from across the continent and aims to strengthen cooperation between governments and non-state entities to prevent and fight corruption Special Investigating Unit spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago discussed this with eNCA.   Please check your email and enter your one time pin below:   Open in Gmail Sorry there was an error loading the audio Pankaj Mishra, in his new book, The World After Gaza: A History, quotes a remarkable line of Primo Levi on the subject of the Kapos, the Jewish collaborators in the Nazi death camps:advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads not those who lived through the experience of the Lager and even less those who did not.” Most lovers of Jewish literature, without knowing Mishra or his work, would know that Levi — author of the essential Holocaust memoir If This is a Man — died by suicide in 1987 that Levi emerged from Auschwitz with an unshakable belief in the necessity of a Jewish state but that he was later deeply troubled by the crimes of the Israeli military particularly the massacres at Sabra and Shatila in 1982 was partially prompted by the actions of his fellow Jews (Photo: Sergio del Grande / Mondadori via Getty Images) one would need to know something about Mishra to properly appreciate the significance of the focus on the “blamelessness” of the Kapos Mishra would conclude that the Holocaust had been weaponised for truly nefarious ends when labels such as “Nazi” and “anti-Semite” would begin to be drained of all meaning Mishra did not land on the other side in a heap of his own trauma and therefore could not know the anguish of survivor’s guilt nor the even deeper anguish of watching the victims turn into perpetrators as stated in his introduction to The World After Gaza was to alleviate his “perplexity” in the face of “an extensive moral breakdown” was to “invite general readers into a quest for clarifications that feel more pressing in a dark time” “Levi,” Mishra writes, “who had become reconciled to the inevitability of human failings in everyone, including himself, did not have much patience with the demand for moral perfection.”advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads given his enduring literary heft and his own lived experience the significance of Levi’s free pass for the Kapos was that it punctured a giant hole in one of Zionism’s core myths: real Jews did not collaborate with Nazis to save themselves As Mishra had correctly (and brilliantly) intuited to be complicit in genocide had become — for a mainstream that to call a Jew a Kapo had become the greatest of all slurs And even less wonder that after the Hamas atrocities of 7 October 2023 would be called a Kapo too many times to count outside the Jewish Literary Festival at the Holocaust Centre in Cape Town she would also be told that she was “not a Jew” Illustrative Image: Lost property by Megan Choritz (Image: Exclusive Books / Sourced) | Holocaust and Genocide Centre in Cape Town (Photo: Sourced / Website) | Participants at an International Court of Justice hearing on Israel’s actions in Gaza (Photo: Sem van der Waal / EPA-EFE ) | The World After Gaza by Pankaj Mishra When Daily Maverick checked later that morning In mid-September 2023, Choritz’s expertise as an actor-director was sought out by the Jewish Report on the question of whether Jews “should be the only ones” to portray Jewish characters in film. Whatever she thought of the relevance of the question, Choritz had been helpful and polite. “Acting is pretending,” she said to the journalist “An actor’s cultural or religious heritage shouldn’t play a role in the casting of a character.” given that not all of the interviewees agreed she was trending on the liberal side of the divide such distinctions did not matter as much as why a person deserved to be quoted in the first place — and for Choritz which had been published in June of that year to wide acclaim “I’m a 58-year-old rebel, with a big mouth, big opinions, and big energy,” she had said the organisers of the fifth iteration of the Jewish Literary Festival (JLF) appeared unfazed — and perhaps even enthusiastic — about Choritz’s “bigness” But in October 2024, in a piece authored by self-proclaimed “firearms activist” Tim Flack Choritz’s name would appear in the Jewish Report for the last time Accused of “astounding moral blindness” for speaking at a pro-Palestine event alongside Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman and other “disturbing” South Africans Flack declared that Choritz had taken part in a “hate-fuelled endorsement of terror” Daily Maverick was unable to conclusively determine whether it was Flack’s article that caused Valkin and her partner just before the country shut down for the holidays Ferguson sent an email to the JLF co-chairs expressing her dismay at Lost Property’s absence from the final list “You both seemed so keen,” Ferguson lamented before offering to send them the book’s “many Ferguson signed off with the following: “So I am very confused why a book that is so quintessentially Jewish and of such a high standard has been overlooked by you?” “We have put together a programme that does not provide a platform for partisanship or political activism from either extreme of the great divide of opinions surrounding the current conflict in the Middle East,” they stated we feel that Megan’s presence at the Festival would threaten that neutral paradigm We do hope you understand and look forward to working with you with your other authors.” in a two-person protest that included Jared Sacks — a member of South African Jews for a Free Palestine — the author of Lost Property made her presence felt regardless In photographs of the protest that went quickly viral she was pictured sitting calmly on a chair with a large sign balanced against her knees that read “Not Zionist enough for the Jewish Literary Festival” She was wearing her standard Palestinian keffiyeh an item that she had worn practically every day since 7 October was another sign that read “Please — Join us for a chat” Choritz endured the verbal abuse of festival attendees the new insult hurled her way was that she was “not a Jew” Many of the attendees requested a security escort to get past her more than likely responding to the complaints of attendees it was Sacks who was physically assaulted — his phone was grabbed from his hand A case was opened at the local police station Instead of the R10,000 offered for the replacement of his phone Sacks requested the deposit of the funds into the bank account of Gift of the Givers specifically for the organisation’s relief work in Gaza at around the same time that Choritz and Sacks were under assault in Cape Town was addressing the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “Israel is now seeking to destroy Palestinians as a group,” Ní Ghrálaigh informed the panel of judges “including by inflicting on them conditions of life calculated to bring about their destruction by seizing ever more Palestinian territory and by turning Gaza into an uninhabitable wasteland incapable of sustaining human life.” the ICJ had set aside five days to hear submissions from dozens of nations and bodies on Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Palestinians Ní Ghrálaigh asserted that Israel’s attacks and restrictions on the United Nations were “unprecedented in the history of the organisation” And yet, just on this one day, the ICJ was not the only global institution to call Israel to account. On 28 April 2025, the world’s largest human rights organisation, Amnesty International, released its annual report — in it Israel was accused of perpetrating a “live-streamed genocide” in Gaza and of committing illegal acts with the “specific intent” of wiping out Palestinians Also, on the very same day, Louis Theroux’s BBC documentary The Settlers was burning up the Internet — its focus, was the phenomenon of Jewish settlers in the West Bank; and what it showed was that a former fringe group of supremacists and ultranationalists had won the support of the highest echelons of the Israeli government But again, back in South Africa, Choritz’s views had been dismissed by the JLF organisers as “extreme”. To reflect their so-called “neutral” stance, presumably, one needed to look no further than the festival programme only three had been focused directly or indirectly on events in the Middle East  — there was a morning session titled “Israel after October 7th: A photographer’s perspective”; an afternoon session titled “Being Jewish after October 7th: Personal reflections”; and a parallel afternoon session titled “Roots of rage: Unpacking violence and terror” The plenary session, scheduled for 4pm in the Gardens Shul, had featured VIP guest David Baddiel, British author of Jews Don’t Count in conversation with Nadia Bilchik “on antisemitism” and other topics had addressed the real and immediate (global) allegations of Jews as perpetrators Daily Maverick sent a list of questions to Gootkin and Valkin Did they concur with Choritz’s allegation that the event should more accurately have been called the “Zionist Literary Festival” What aspect of Choritz’s views did they regard as “extreme” Did they believe that Choritz and Sacks had an inherent right to protest outside the festival venue Did they know who might have called the police and law enforcement Were they aware of the verbal assaults on Choritz and the physical assault on Sacks Only one of the questions was directly answered “We were aware of a peaceful protest that took place outside the venue and respected the right to protest,” stated the JLF co-chairs the fifth iteration of the JLF was a resounding success “We have received truly heartwarming feedback about the programme and the spirit of the day from people across a wide spectrum of beliefs and backgrounds,” Daily Maverick was informed Far be it, we thought, for Daily Maverick to rain unjustly on anyone’s parade — in fact, in the spirit of full disclosure, the author of this article happily took part in the inaugural JLF in 2016 — but the choice of adjective was unfortunate. Jewish literature, in the final analysis, had always been about a lot more than that. Whether in books by Jews, about Jews or with reference to Jewish issues, the best of the genre had always tackled the fullness of the human condition; the most honest and enduring writers, from Hannah Arendt and Martin Buber to Primo Levi and Jean Améry, had always addressed Jewish crimes and culpabilities alongside Jewish triumphs. And here, to remind anyone whose heart may have been warmed at the expense of anybody else’s, the epigraph of Mishra’s The World After Gaza was obligatory medicine. “We, too, are so dazzled by power and money that we forget the fragility of our existence: we forget that we are all in the ghetto, that the ghetto is fenced in, that outside the fence are the lords of death, and not far away the train is waiting.” DM The full address by Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh at the ICJ is easily found on the internet. It shook me to my bones. Anyone who doubts about atrocities being indiscriminately meted out to a vulnerable and trapped population including women and children should listen to the evidence led. There can be no more denying or ignoring about what is happening. I am proud for the stand the SA government is taking on behalf of us. They need our vocal support. Women and children are always trapped, except when they fight like men (?). The Gaza situation will not be solved through kindness. It will also not be solved by hard religious ideologies – neither Islamism nor Zionism. Calling this battle “genocide” tho is both trivialising all human warfare, and the real Nazi zeal to effectively exterminate people according to their essence. Genocide is a repeated feature of human warfare. Israel possesses no unique moral superiority to make it invulnerable to the charge. It is a state comprises of humans with all their weaknesses and strengths. Exactly which words? Nelson Mandela taught us the value of tough negotiations and reconciliation. I don’t understand how it helps to resolve a situation with a hijacked aircraft full of innocent people by simply killing everyone on the plane. Seems to me what is happening here. Seems you should be careful with your words suggesting that women and children can be targeted if you decide they fight like men. Disgusting When a group is targeted for extermination as Nissim Vaturi openly claims, it is not a misuse of language. When Donald Trump plans a new Riviera built on the mass grave that is Gaza, I’m unclear why you are doubting. It is an excellent article by the way. Reminds me of Isaac Deutscher’s The Non-Jewish Jew. Beyond identity politics Thank you Kevin for reporting this. I for one, appreciate it. I find the way some comments on DM are sensored strange. Anyway, a Jewish person starting to wear a Palestinian keffiyeh the day after the 7 October attempted genocide of Jewish people should not claim to be surprised at terms she is called and claim to be open for debate. I don’t think there’s anything in this article to claim that Choritz claimed to be surprised. I imagine that she knew exactly what she was doing and what the likely response was. You would, as you suggest, have to be pretty naive to sit outside that event wearing a keffiyeh and displaying those signs and not expect a reaction. She didn’t participate in any debate or discussion inside the venue, but that was not by her choice. Quoting Mandela ” “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. The white man who has freed himself of the attitudes of white supremacy has a freedom that the racist doesn’t have.” This could read “”… The Jewish person who has freed him/herself of the attitudes of Zionist supremacy has a freedom that the Zionist ultranationalist doesn’t have.” ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " CAPE TOWN - Hundreds of Capetonians took to the streets on Saturday to show their unwavering support to Palestinians who are living in war zones.   Demonstrators marched with Palestine flags, chanting "Gaza don’t you cry, Palestine will never die", hoping to keep the heritage and existence of Palestinians alive.   The march took place from the Muir Street masjid in District Six to the provincial legislature on Wale Street in the CBD. A supporter and Al-Quds marshal at the march, Muthafier Newman, said it was encouraging to see Capetonians take time out of their day to support the cause   "We are just having a march to show that we are supporting them and that we are here for them, and that they’re always in our hearts. Most of them are Muslim, Alhamdulillah, and in Islam we believe that many Muslims are our brothers and sisters." Newman said the suffering of civilians in war zones cannot be ignored. "At the moment the people of Palestine are in need, so I am here to show that I support them and I’m here for them, and there are people here that do support them, especially myself, I always look at videos and I feel down, imagine that was us," said Newman. Sections what the City of Cape Town shared it did with 550,000kgs of organic food waste didn’t see the heaps left to rot and decay Not leftovers from a massive feast; the the 550,000 kgs (the weight of around 100 elephants) was collected over two years by the City’s Urban Waste Management Directorate The plan was to use the organic waste as part of a pilot research project at selected Public Transport Interchanges in Langa and Khayelitsha with a goal to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills 395,000 kgs of food waste was collected from vendors since the project started while 157,000 kgs were collected from around 2,000 households According to the COCT, the collected waste is diverted from these projects and taken to the Bellville Compost Plant. There, it is produced into compost, which is then sold back to City departments and even the public (the City has been distributing free home composting bins to locals) the project is not only supporting resources for home composting sustainably but also fast-tracking the Cape Government’s ban to landfill of all organic waste by 2027 Ashleigh Nefdt is a writer for Good Things Guy Ashleigh's favourite stories have always seen the hidden hero (without the cape) come to the rescue her labour of love is finding those everyday heroes and spotlighting their spark - especially those empowering women sustainability shakers and creatives with hearts of gold she's dedicated to her canvas or appreciating Mother Nature Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a1528e751f88c9360f4956864607b687" );document.getElementById("d2d9e305b5").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment Would you like to receive truly phenomenal inspirational and good thing stories right to your inbox Then subscribe to our weekly GoodThingsGuy newsletter today I accept GTG’s Privacy Policy GoodThingsGuy is the home of everything good and those are the things that really matter We believe that there is good news all around us and over 1 million readers a month agree with us GoodThingsGuy was officially launched on the 1 August 2015 in order to only promote good news inspirational stories and promote only positive multi-platform media company that distills unique content across multiple media platforms We consider individual and corporate contributions through the website or mail us directly here. Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again the Italian designer known as the Gentleman of Design AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style ‘Each concept is deeply inspired by the idea of a journey — both physical and sensory with each place offering a unique perspective on design culture and the relationship with water,‘ says Citterio situated near Cape Town, South Africa, Citterio’s second bathroom concept emphasizes the region’s simple elegance and raw, natural beauty | all images courtesy of AXOR with the Western Cape Apartment Residence standing out as a perfect distillation of these ideas Of the three bathroom concepts Antonio Citterio envisioned for AXOR the Western Cape Apartment Residence resonates with a particularly tactile Set against the dramatic natural backdrop of Cape Town this bathroom concept channels the raw beauty of the region’s rocky landscapes and earthy tones Materials are not chosen solely for their visual appeal but for their ability to carry stories — red local clay walls crafted with water-repellent plaster echo the arid connects the space to a heritage of resourcefulness and craftsmanship while the deep red mosaic tiling in the shower offers a rich Citterio’s concept is about creating a sense of belonging even in solitude — a space that feels rooted in place yet utterly personal each material was chosen not only for its aesthetics but for its ability to tell a story referencing the rocky surroundings of Cape Town At the heart of the Western Cape Apartment Residence lies AXOR’s latest innovation: the AXOR ShowerSphere It isn’t just a showerhead; it’s a sculptural object a bold elliptical form with slanted edges that seems to hover effortlessly overhead paired with a minimalist soft-square escutcheon and a refined shower arm turns a functional object into a focal point the AXOR ShowerSphere is a masterclass in water efficiency and comfort Operating at a mere 8 liters per minute — thanks to AXOR’s EcoSmart technology — it demonstrates that sustainability and luxury can co-exist With Flexpower elastic nozzles that adapt to varying water flows and pressures the AXOR ShowerSphere ensures a consistently indulgent shower experience immersive PowderRain and a classic Rain setting — transform daily routines into rituals of well-being In a drought-sensitive region like South Africa proving that design isn’t about excess — it’s about precision and sensitivity at the heart of the Western Cape Apartment Residence lies the AXOR ShowerSphere Citterio selected a suite of AXOR fixtures each contributing its own layer of tactility and function an elegantly discreet wall-mounted hand shower holder pairs with the thermostatic modules from the AXOR One collection — minimalistic in form The AXOR Drain disappears seamlessly into the terrazzo floor a practical detail turned beautiful through thoughtful integration All elements are finished in Brushed Black Chrome creating a sumptuous contrast against the terracotta-red walls and adding a sense of contemporary sophistication to the earthy color palette a rectangular AXOR Suite bowl sits atop a clay-plaster cabinet evoking simplicity and handmade authenticity It’s paired with either a single-lever AXOR Citterio E mixer or — in a secondary variation — a 3-hole AXOR Citterio E mixer each distinguished by its signature cross handles and timeless proportions These carefully chosen elements mirror the concept’s balance of rustic texture and modern refinement AXOR ShowerSphere’s bold elliptical form with slanted edges seems to hover effortlessly overhead Integral to this vision is the AXOR Citterio C collection it provides the structural backbone for the shower experiences in each concept Its clean lines and modularity allow it to slip seamlessly into a variety of stylistic environments — from the minimalism of a Japanese ryokan to the tactile warmth of a South African residence whether paired with the AXOR ShowerSphere or standing alone elevate the act of showering from routine to experience It’s a collection designed not just for the eye AXOR’s Escape the Ordinary campaign reimagines how we engage with everyday rituals As globalization standardizes our environments AXOR responds with spaces that champion individuality The Western Cape Apartment Residence is a testament to this vision — a bathroom that offers not just water By inviting Antonio Citterio to conceptualize spaces inspired by Japan AXOR reclaims the bathroom as a site of emotional resonance The AXOR ShowerSphere becomes the unifying thread its universal form adapting effortlessly across cultures while tailoring itself to personal preference a rectangular AXOR Suite wash bowl on a clay-plaster cabinet is paired with a single lever AXOR Citterio E mixer a secondary variant of the concept opts for a 3-hole AXOR Citterio E mixer at the washbasin all bathroom fixtures are finished in Brushed Black Chrome water-efficiency is crucial for any bathroom in drought-affected South Africa which is why Citterio relies on the EcoSmart AXOR ShowerSphere Overhead shower 370/220 2jet brand: AXOR | @axordesign campaign: Escape the Ordinary collection name: AXOR Citterio C; AXOR ShowerSphere concept name: Western Cape Apartment Residence designer: Antonio Citterio happening now! partnering with antonio citterio, AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function, but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style, context, and personal expression. Citizens are in unfamiliar territory since formation, and with two games left, their only lifeline is the play-offs—but survival won't come easy. New fixed fees penalize self-reliance and mask rising costs as reform Wealth redistribution via property rates lacks transparency and consent Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here Cape Town’s 2025/26 budget is being marketed as a bold infrastructure push and a reform in transparency But beneath the glossy language and polished op-eds lies something more disturbing: a philosophical shift in governance—away from democratic consent and toward administrative coercion Not power that empowers—but power that compels A city quietly replacing participatory governance with revenue extraction Until they do.” It’s crisis-language 101—manufacture fear Systematic underinvestment in infrastructure Administrative bloat and declining service delivery residents will be billed to patch the very holes the City neglected for years—and they’ll be told to call it “future-proofing.” Take just one example: a modest two-bedroom cottage in Gardens facing a 32% rates hike A family home in Oranjezicht will see monthly increases of over R2,400 These are not cost- of-living adjustments—they are retroactive penalties dressed up as visionary leadership they fall hardest on the very ratepayers who have historically maintained their properties Now they’re told this is their social duty The Mayor repeatedly frames the budget as prioritizing the poor “and benefits everyone.” But noble words cannot mask ugly mechanics Extortion gangs patrolling community spaces the poor are used rhetorically—to shield the administration from criticism The real pattern is this: the middle class pays more to subsidize bureaucratic inefficiencies Even where spending reaches vulnerable communities Cleanliness and order don’t stem from budgets alone—they emerge from shared responsibility and cultural norms An expensive loop of failure framed as virtue One of the most controversial aspects of this budget is the introduction of new fixed charges—for water But when residents report 30–40% total increases and reducing waste are punished—not rewarded the more the City clamps down—because autonomy threatens centralized revenue “It’s like being charged rent for a hotel room you no longer occupy—because the hotel needs the money.” When governance becomes this unmoored from service delivery it reveals a deeper anxiety: that the system cannot survive without your enforced compliance Comparative Mediocrity is Not Good Governance Hill-Lewis and the DA repeat the line like a mantra: “Cape Town is the best-run city in South Africa.” But this claim only holds if your bar is set against Johannesburg or Buffalo City It’s like claiming victory in a race where all the competitors are crawling Cape Town still functions—but functionality is not excellence And the illusion of competence begins to unravel when: and masked new taxes as Treasury “reforms.” Now A particularly disturbing element of the budget is its quiet shift toward involuntary wealth redistribution Using property value as a proxy for income the City enforces increasing payments under the banner of fairness Many residents in areas like Oranjezicht or Pinelands bought their homes decades ago Punitive rate increases—based not on usage but on arbitrarily inflated valuations and flawed economic assumptions This is state-mandated redistribution by algorithm It’s bureaucratic expropriation by stealth It’s a creeping form of fiscal Marxism—redistribution not through transparent tax debate but through valuation proxies and billing codes From each according to their property assessment to each according to politically determined need That’s not a system that rewards civic pride—it punishes it He points to minor tweaks: slightly adjusted pensioner rebates They are cosmetic concessions made under public pressure The Treasury-aligned billing formula stands untouched Public feedback was not invited before the policy A reactive strategy to minimize blowback while maintaining control Cape Town is undergoing its own Velvet Revolution—but in reverse The original Velvet Revolution of 1989 marked a peaceful rejection of authoritarian communism in Czechoslovakia What we’re seeing in Cape Town is a velvet return to coercion—wrapped not in ideology Mayor Hill-Lewis speaks fluent redistribution — delivered in the polished tones of "modern governance" Scratch the surface and the ideology is unmistakable: From each according to their property valuation If you're looking for a place to test your quiet little wealth-stripping experiment...may I politely suggest Havana — not Hout Bay Cape Town didn't sign up for a communist rerun at least have the decency to campaign on it Don’t backdoor ideology through billing codes and moral grandstanding And we didn’t vote for a velvet revolution What we’re witnessing isn’t financial planning It’s a quiet transformation of the citizen- state relationship You no longer pay for what you use—you pay what the City says you can afford The most chilling words may be those of Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis himself Cape Town doesn’t need a more efficient DA A genuinely well-governed city is built on: Proximity between decisions and consequences Transparent taxation—not stealth redistribution Localized planning—not technocratic imposition If this budget is the model for South African urban governance we’re not building a just society—we’re paving the road to polite despotism Call it what it is: a municipal Marxism dressed in Treasury jargon—where your home becomes the state’s billing asset Cape Town didn’t vote for this transformation This isn’t just about opposing coercive billing When decisions are made far from those affected coercion becomes easy and accountability becomes abstract Empower neighbourhood-level decision-making and service delivery subject to local consent Cape Town doesn’t need tighter central control with cleaner spreadsheets It needs distributed power structures that make coercion harder and trust easier It’s time to ask: if the City no longer requires your consent—only your account number— what kind of democracy are we really living in Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has welcomed the City’s credit rating upgrade announced by ratings agency Moody’s Investor Services on 2 May This follows the metro being placed on ‘positive outlook’ in July 2024 The agency noted that ‘good governance is enabling the City to fund major infrastructure investment’ Drawing specific reference to Cape Town’s infrastructure programme the agency notes: ‘The city plans to diversify water sources and upgrade infrastructure Cape Town will invest ZAR23 billion in infrastructure over the next two years to enhance resilience These initiatives aim to address vulnerabilities that caused the previous rating downgrade We expect its debt metrics to remain moderate compared to international peers Cape Town’s strong financial management has led to a slow but steady improvement.’ Cape Town will invest a South African-record R40bn in infrastructure over three years far more than any city and comparable to all of the Gauteng metros combined Lower-income households will directly benefit from 75% of infrastructure spending The City estimates these investments will create 130 000 construction-related jobs over three years building on the metro’s current status of having SA’s lowest unemployment rate It’s a moment of celebration and is something we have worked towards for a long time ‘Cape Town is already making vital multi-billion rand investments in better water Now this latest ratings upgrade will enable us to do even more for less by bringing down the costs of borrowing for ratepayers and strengthening the City’s ability to cost-effectively fund our record infrastructure investment ‘Our city has long motivated for ratings agencies not to tar Cape Town with the same financial brush as other cities Cape Town is a standout investment partner and an example of good governance This ratings upgrade now affirms Cape Town as the premier destination in our region for investment by global and local finance institutions,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis Infrastructure investment highlights over the next three years include: The City’s 10-year infrastructure pipeline is valued at an estimated R120bn to be funded by a blended finance model leveraging the City’s own healthy balance sheet as well as finance from local and international markets City Council has to date approved R3,5bn in infrastructure finance from Nedbank R2,8 billion towards major electricity grid upgrades from the German Development Bank and developmental financing worth $150m from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and €100 million from the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again Campaigners say authorities should be doing more to clean up waters around city of nearly 5 million people reflecting the bright blue sky and Table Mountain adults and children played in the water as it flowed into Table Bay a sign read: “Polluted water: for health reasons swimming and recreational activities are at your own risk.” “I woke up at midnight from the sewage smell,” said Caroline Marx who lives in a property overlooking the lagoon and has been campaigning against the pollution since 2013 “They had this catastrophic pollution [in 2020] where the lagoon went grey And when it finally cleared everything was dead … every time it recovers Marx, a former pharmacist, is part of Rethink the Stink a citizen science group locked in a feud with Cape Town authorities should be doing more to stop the waters around the city of nearly 5 million people from being polluted with sewage The city authorities have rejected most of the group’s claims accusing two members of being “longtime antagonists” in written replies It said it was spending billions of rand on infrastructure including 7.2bn rand (£305m) on upgrading two wastewater treatment works the mayoral committee member for water and sanitation said: “Multiple targeted interventions are under way to mitigate the impact of the recent sewage pollution incidents impacting the Milnerton Lagoon.” Tempers flared around the new year, when Rethink the Stink released data from November and December showing elevated levels of enterococci and E coli bacteria at two “blue flag” beaches (blue flag is a global found enterococci above the city’s “sufficient” water-quality level on one of the four dates it sampled seawater at Camps Bay beach and two of three dates at Clifton Fourth beach City authorities argued that one of the laboratories used was only government-accredited for testing for E coli in potable and effluent water while the other was accredited for testing saline not seawater The polluted Milnerton Lagoon Photograph: Rachel Savage/The GuardianThe South African National Accreditation System (Sanas) said: “Accreditation is very specific not generic … Sanas cannot comment on unaccredited methods.” Rethink the Stink said the laboratories stood by their results The deputy mayor, Eddie Andrews, said the city’s monitoring was the most transparent and comprehensive in South Africa “The results of hundreds of samples showed consistently high water quality at designated swimming areas during the peak festive tourism period.” Another flashpoint is Cape Town’s three marine outfalls that pump 28m litres of partially treated wastewater into the sea on average daily about a third of a mile to a mile from shore at depths of 20-40 metres Leslie Petrik, an emeritus chemistry professor at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and a Project Blue co-author, became involved with Rethink the Stink after she began finding high levels of pharmaceutical and other chemicals in marine organisms such as mussels and starfish which she blames on the outfalls and the poor state of wastewater treatment plants Free weekly newsletterThe planet's most important stories Get all the week's environment news - the good Jo Barnes demonstrates how Rethink the Stink gathers seawater samples for pollution testing Photograph: Rachel Savage/The GuardianAndrews said: “The city has published 10 years of extensive monitoring reporting and analyses from independent experts … detailed numerical dispersion modelling shows that South African water quality guidelines are not exceeded anywhere along the shoreline due to the effluent from the marine outfalls.” The city’s reporting found the outfalls exceeded permitted limits for “suspended solids” arsenic and zinc several times from October to December 2024 At Strand beach on the eastern side of False Bay the fetid-smelling Soet river flowed into the surf A faded sign at the beach’s edge warned of pollution for 150 metres on either side of the river an epidemiologist at Stellenbosch University two layers of gloves and a face shield to wade into the waves with a sterilised plastic bottle demonstrating how volunteers took samples for Project Blue Jamii Hamlin Photograph: Rachel Savage/The GuardianBarnes and Jamii Hamlin said much of the blame for the pollution lay with the lack of sanitation and rubbish-collection for informal settlements higher upriver The city provides almost 54,000 toilets for the 170,000 households in its 526 informal settlements But many toilets are on the edge of settlements a senior lecturer in environmental and water science at UWC Clarke said: “The city is doing what it can University of Cape Town provides funding as a partner of The Conversation AFRICA View all partners As the planet gets hotter and freshwater sources dry up, cities and towns will not be able to continue the global norm of using millions of litres of clean, drinkable water to flush toilets. South Africa’s Water Research Commission recently commissioned a study into using seawater to flush toilets in Cape Town Water engineering lecturer Teboho Mofokeng researches water management and reuse in South Africa and she co-authored the study She spoke to The Conversation Africa about Capetonians’ willingness to pay up to 10% more on their water bills to use seawater to flush their toilets as long as it doesn’t smell or stain their toilets The first problem is that the city uses clean treated drinking water for toilet flushing 20%-30% of the city’s drinkable water supply to households is used to flush toilets cleaning and flushing toilets goes down the drain It is treated at wastewater plants to remove harmful germs before being pumped back into rivers The third problem is that as demand for housing grows, so does the need for water and sanitation. When more and more wastewater is discharged into the sea it is a lost opportunity to keep the water within the urban water management system South Africa’s water supply network is ageing has not been well maintained and is due for replacement or repairs When new housing developments are connected to the water supply network there is an opportunity to come up with alternatives to using drinking water to flush toilets Toilet water could be treated to remove harmful bacteria and reused for flushing This would need a closed water system for flushing toilets It would eliminate the current loss of drinking water flushed down toilets and then discharged into the sea Studies have shown that most households would prefer to flush with recycled water than clean our study is the first to investigate how people feel about flushing with seawater We asked 239 people if they’d be willing to flush with seawater or recycled water or continue to flush with drinking water but pay more to do so We also asked how they felt about toilet wastewater being discharged into the sea 90% of people were willing to move away from using drinking water for toilet flushing but only if the new water source did not stain the toilet bowl We found that 58% of the people we surveyed preferred using seawater to recycled water for toilet flushing there were differences in preference according to income About 45% of the people we interviewed earned more than R12,800 (US$697) per month They preferred to use drinking water to flush toilets But females with a higher education qualification were more likely to pay extra for both seawater and recycled water options Homes where more than three people lived were more likely to pay for recycled water than seawater 10%%-15% of Capetonians’ municipal bills goes to paying for water We looked at the preferences of households that pay R350 to R900 per month for water and found they were willing to pay 5%-10% more to use clean and clear alternative water They were also willing to use water with a slight odour if they got a discount of up to 60% on their monthly water bills Treating wastewater before discharging it into the sea would cost money We found that people were not willing to foot this bill They were in favour of the city treating wastewater only if it reduced their water bill by up to 7% it would need a duplicate network to be set up This would be one network of water pipes for the drinking water supply and another for the toilet flushing water supply This would mean that both new and ageing water systems would be set up or replaced by systems with a duplicate pipe network Usually water supply networks use concrete, steel or plastic pipes. But because seawater corrodes, plastic pipes will be needed for the seawater flushing pipe network. Plastic manufacturing and the raw materials needed have a significant impact on the environment steel or concrete pipes would need to be replaced more frequently than plastic pipes storage facilities like reservoirs would need to be built to store the seawater and a new system set up to treat seawater before it is piped to homes the chemicals and electricity required to clean the water the supply of water to consumers and eventually the disposal of the wastewater would add to the costs Since South Africa’s energy is still electricity made by burning coal using up more energy in a duplicate water system would increase global warming significantly a renewable energy system would need to be set up Despite these drawbacks, a duplicate system has worked well in Hong Kong Using less freshwater also benefits the environment more Climate change will result in a drier south-western Africa Unpredictable rainfall and frequent droughts will mean less freshwater available for people to drink it is crucial that coastal cities like Cape Town start investing now in water supplies from unconventional sources People have to become more aware that not all household activities need to use drinking water Increasing public awareness and education about the benefits of using alternative water can help people to accept that they won’t be able to flush their toilets with clean Rugby history will be rewritten when the Springboks launch their 2025 season against the Barbarians at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday 28 June – the first time the famous international invitational outfit will be in action on South African soil Tickets for the match – priced from R250 – will go on sale from Tuesday The BaaBaas match in Cape Town in June will be the ninth between the Boks and the famous black and white-clad club 🇿🇦 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐃 🚨The Springboks will officially launch their 2025 season against the Barbarians at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday 28 June.Tickets for the match will go on sale from Tuesday 6 May at 09:00 🎫 which features two tests against Italy (5 and 12 July) and one against Georgia (19 July) 12 July: SA v Italy – Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium 16 August: SA v Australia – Emirates Airline Park 27 September: SA v Argentina – Hollywoodbets Kings Park The Portuguese mentor is proving he's the right man at the helm of Masandawana as he edges closer to clinching his first league title in Mzansi The Tshwane giants were yet again dominant against their opponents GOAL gives you all the details of the league clash between Citizens and Masandawana in the Premier Soccer League sitting at the bottom of the log with no wins in their last five matches Their recent poor form has dragged them into a relegation battle The threat of dropping down to the second tier is a serious possibility as things stand They now face an in-form Mamelodi Sundowns side pushing to seal the league title early Sundowns are aiming to wrap things up before focusing on the Caf Champions League final GOAL brings you all the details you need to know about how to watch the match between City and the Brazillians including TV channels