The national airline of the Republic of Zambia, Zambia Airways, increases flights to Johannesburg in South Africa. Effective 01 December 2023, the airline introduces a second daily service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) in Lusaka and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg. The new afternoon flights depart Lusaka at 14:15 and from Johannesburg at 17:20.
30 November 2023
Kruger National Park Calendar - January!
Weather:
- height of summer
- very hot & humid days
- warm nights
- often spectacular lightning storms
Temperatures:
- between 18°C - 34°C (Fahrenheit: e.g. 34°C = [(34x9)]/5 + 32 = 93.2°F)
- visit our webcam page for live footage from Kruger National Park!
Landscape:
- vigorous plat growth everywhere in the park
- tree canopy very thick
- fig trees in fruit
- mopane tree in flower
Animal Activity:
- height of the impala breeding season
- predators out to get their young
- most resident non-raptor birds breeding
- animal activity all over the park
Durban: Swimming at four beaches is currently prohibited due to water quality!
The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released updated lists of beaches that are currently (as of 29 November 2023) open and safe for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, 19 beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming, while swimming at four beaches, namely Thekwini Beach, Laguna Beach, Warner Beach and Anstey's Beach, is prohibited due to water quality. 32 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public.
The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -
- uShaka
- Addington
- Point Beach
- North Beach
- Bay of Plenty
- Wedge
- Battery Beach
- South Beach
- Country Club
- uMgababa
- Toti Main
- uMhlanga Main
- Bronze Beach
- mDloti Main
- Westbrook
- Pipeline
- Reunion
- Brighton
- Winkelspruit
Beaches closed for swimming:
- Thekwini Beach
- Laguna Beach
- Warner Beach
- Anstey's Beach
29 November 2023
Cape Town: Free entry to selected Iziko museums on Emancipation and World Aids Day!
Iziko Museums of South Africa has announced that it will be offering free entry to selected museums in Cape Town on Emancipation and World Aids Day (01 December 2023). This includes the Bo-Kaap Museum (71 Wale Street), Slave Lodge (Corner Adderley and Wale Streets), Rust en Vreugd (78 Buitenkant Street), Bertram House (Hiddingh Campus, Orange Street), Koopman's de Wet House (35 Strand Street), South African Museum (25 Queen Victoria Street) and the South African National Gallery (Government Avenue, Company’s Garden).
- Bo-Kaap Museum
- Mondays to Saturdays from 09:00 – 17:00
- Slave Lodge
- Monday to Saturday 09:00 – 17:00
- Rust en Vreugd
- Thursday and Friday 09:00 - 16:00
- Bertram House
- Thursday and Friday 09:00 and 16:00
- Koopman's de Wet House
- Thursday and Friday 09:00 - 16:00
- South African Museum
- Monday to Sunday 09:00 – 17:00
- South African National Gallery
- Monday to Sunday 09:00 – 17:00
28 November 2023
South Africa: South African Airways returns to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)!
South Africa's flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA), is set to introduce a new service to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape. The airline announced earlier today that it will launch two daily return flights between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha on 13 December 2023 until 31 March 2024. The new service will be operated by Sun Express.
- Johannesburg 11:25 > 13:00 Gqeberha
- Gqeberha 13:30 > 15:05 Johannesburg
- Johannesburg 16:00 > 17:35 Gqeberha
- Gqeberha 18:05 > 19:40 Johannesburg
South Africa: Airlink to resume flights between Cape Town <> St Helena!
South African regional and domestic airline Airlink has announced that is will resume direct flights between Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town and St Helena Airport (HLE) on St Helena. The airline is planing to operate one weekly flight on Saturdays from December 2024 until March 2025. Until 2017, when St Helena's only airport opened to the public, Cape Town served as the gateway for St Helena, with regular ship services taking a five-day journey. Today, the flight takes just a few hours from South Africa.
27 November 2023
Ranking: Cape Town voted one of the World's best cities for culture!
Global culture, entertainment and events magazine Time Out has asked some 21,000 city-dwellers to find out the world's best cities for art and culture right now. To rank the cities, Time Out surveyed urban-dwellers worldwide to take a deep dive into the cultural attractions of their chosen cities. Each city was then ranked according to how well locals scored the culture scene for quality and affordability. In a next step, Time Out editors narrowed down the selection by excluding cities with lower overall scores, and only including the highest-scoring city for each country to ensure the list reflects cultural cities globally. Overall winner of Time Out's first list of the world’s best cities for culture is Mexico City in Mexico, followed by Prague in the Czech Republic and Cape Town in South Africa. Time Out describes the Mother City as follows:
"Not to use the old ‘melting pot’ cliché, but Cape Town’s multiculturalism has lent the city an enviable offering when it comes to art and culture. From the lively annual Kaapse Klopse street parade, to cabaret and comedy at mega-institutions Baxter Theatre and Artscape, every corner of South Africa's sprawling seaside city has something to offer culture-seekers. ‘Vibey’ and ‘diverse’ were two of the most common terms locals used to describe Cape Town’s culture scene in our survey. Plus, the city ranked highest overall for the quality of its cultural offerings, nudged down a couple of places by their affordability (though on the affordable front, it’s worth noting the city still did pretty well overall)." src.
Time Out's 10 world’s best cities for culture:
- Mexico City in Mexico
- Prague in the Czech Republic
- Cape Town in South Africa
- Buenos Aires in Argentina
- Athens in Greece
- Edinburgh in Scotland
- Vienna in Austria
- Madrid in Spain
- Florence in Italy
- Melbourne in Australia
24 November 2023
Western Cape: Franschhoek Pass closed for construction! [update]
update (12 January 2024): The Franschhoek Pass which connects Franschhoek and the towns of Grabouw and Villiersdorp will be closed between 08:00 and 17:00 on weekdays for construction purposes. The pass was open during the festive season, but construction has commenced again. The pass is therefor closed again since 08 January 2024 till the end of February 2024.
The pass was reopened to selected categories of light motor vehicles after it was closed following a severe storms and flooding that hit the Western Cape in September 2023. The teams started working on temporary repairs as soon as the engineering team was satisfied that the landslips had stabilised sufficiently to start work.
The works have reached a point where the pass must be closed daily to initiate the soil-nailing process, of phase one. Soil nailing is a technique used to stabilise existing slopes. This soil reinforcement process uses metal tendons which are drilled and grouted into the soil to create something that represents a gravity wall. For this to be done, the pass needs to be closed due to the size of the equipment that is used and the size of the working area required.
Light motor vehicles will be able to traverse the pass outside of the closure times. The use of the pass, even during times when the pass is open, by vehicles with a mass of more than 5 tons remains strictly prohibited.
Road users are strongly advised to continue using alternative routes.
Work on permanent repairs continues. The Department of Infrastructure foresees that it will still be a considerable period before the pass will allow two-way traffic. The first of various temporary closures will be in place as per the tables below.
The Western Cape Infrastructure Department has announced that the Franschhoek Pass, which connects Franschhoek and the towns of Grabouw and Villiersdorp, is closed due to construction work following severe storms and flooding that hit the Western Cape in September 2023. According to Infrastructure MEC Tertuis Simmers, the closure of Franschhoek Pass will take effect from Mondays to Fridays between 08:00 and 17:00 from 28 November 2023 until 15 December 2023. The pass will then be open from 15 December 2023 (with the proceed-when-safe arrangement and weight restriction) until 07 January 2024 and closed again from 08 January 2024 till the end of February 2024. Simmers further said that light motor vehicles will be able to traverse Franschhoek Pass outside of the closure times. The use of the pass, even during times when the pass is open, by vehicles with a mass of more than five tons remains strictly prohibited.
South Africa: Kruger National Park goes cash free!
South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that Kruger National Park will be going cash free as from 01 December 2023 at five of its entrance gates found in the southern part of the National Park as well as fuel stations. This is part of a broader cash free digital drive, which SANParks introduced in 2021 to improve customer convenience and reduce contact time at entry points especially during peak times. The cash free payment system in Kruger National Park will be implemented in a two-phased approach at some facilities, while the remaining gates and camps will go online in early 2024.
"The benefit of implementing a cash free payment system is meant to reduce queues further and impact the time it takes to get into a park. The aim is also to reduce the risks associated with handling cash. We therefore would like to encourage clients to make use of either the online pre-booking payment systems which offers a no hassle of having to transact on arrival or speed point payment systems at the gates", said the Kruger National Park Managing Executive, Oscar Mthimkhulu.The entrance gates to Kruger National Park which will be launching the cash free payment methods on 01 December 2023 are:
- Paul Kruger Gate
- Phabeni Gate
- Numbi Gate
- Malelane Gate
- Crocodile Bridge Gate
The fuel station in the Skukuza Rest Camp will also be launching the cash free payment methods on 01 December 2023.
23 November 2023
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Park shops with changed opening hours due to stocktaking!
The Regional Communications Manager: Arid Parks at South African
National Parks (SANParks), Genevieve Maasdorp, announced in the SANParks - Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park facebook group that stocktaking needs to be performed at all shops in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The operating hours of the shops in Nossob Rest Camp, Mata-Mata Rest Camp and Twee Rivieren Rest Camp will therefore change on 27 November 2023, 28 November 2023 and 30 November 2023 as follows:
- Nossob Rest Camp: Shop will be open from 07:30 - 09:00 and from 15:00 - 19:45 on 27 November 2023
- Mata-Mata Rest Camp: Shop will be open from 07:30 - 09:00 and from 15:00 - 19:45 on 28 November 2023
- Twee Rivieren Rest Camp: Shop will be open from 15:00 - 19:45 on 30 November 2023
Durban: All beaches are open for swimming!
The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released updated lists of beaches that are currently (as of 22 November 2023) open and safe for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, all 23 beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming and no beaches are closed due to water quality issues. 32 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public.
The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -
- uShaka
- Addington
- Point Beach
- North Beach
- Bay of Plenty
- Wedge
- Battery Beach
- South Beach
- Country Club
- Thekwini Beach
- Laguna Beach
- uMgababa
- Toti Main
- uMhlanhga Main
- Bronze Beach
- mDloti Main
- Westbrook
- Pipeline
- Anstey's Beach
- Reunion
- Brighton
- Warner Beach
- Wingelspruit
Beaches closed for swimming:
- -
21 November 2023
Namibia: FlyNamibia set to launch flights to Zimbabwe!
Namibian domestic and regional carrier FlyNamibia is set to introduce a new service to Zimbabwe. The airline will launch a three-weekly service between Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Windhoek and Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in Victoria Falls. Effective 04 April 2024, FlyNamibia will operate return flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to Victoria Falls.
The Managing Director of FlyNamibia, Andre Compion, announced in Jon Howell's AviaDev Insight Africa podcast earlier this month that the airline is not only planing to launch flights to Victoria Falls in April 2024, but also a new service to Maun in Botswana. We'll keep you posted!
South Africa: South African Airways suspends flights to Malawi!
South African Airways (SAA) has announced that it will suspend services from OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg to Kamuzu International Airport (LLW) in Lilongwe and Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre in Malawi due to the recent economic challenges in the country. According to SAA’s Chief Executive Officer, Prof. John Lamola, the decision to cancel the route is a carefully considered risk management intervention in response to Malawi's current economic challenges.
"This move should not be interpreted as a step back from the airline’s commitment to serving the people of Malawi and promoting trade links between South Africa and Malawi. As the new leadership of SAA – and as a small but growing airline – we cannot commit to routes that are not financially sustainable", said Prof. John Lamola.South African Airways (SAA) will continue to closely monitor the situation in Malawi and will remain open to resuming flights to Blantyre and Lilongwe as soon as the situation warrants the substance of financially efficient operations. SAA will suspend services to Malawi with effective from Thursday, 30 November 2023.
Zimbabwe: Fastjet has suspeneded its only service to Botswana!
Zimbabwe’s low-cost airline, Fastjet, has suspended its only service to Botswana. The airline stopped operating flights betweem Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in Victoria Falls and Maun International Airport (MUB) in Maun, the tourism capital of Botswana. According to Fastjet, the route has proven not to have sustainable growth was therefor terminated. However, charter and ad hoc flights to Maun will be operated in the peak season. We'll keep you posted!
20 November 2023
Eat Out names South Africa's best restaurants 2023!
South Africa's leading restaurant guide, Eat Out, has named the winners of the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards 2023 at Cape Town’s GrandWest Grand Arena on Sunday 19 November 2023. Restaurants were assessed on several factors, including decor and ambience, service, the wine list and the quality of the ingredients. In addition to the Eat Out stars, there are 14 Special Awards that were handed out. These awards applaud individual restaurants, chefs and food personalities who are pushing the industry forward in a meaningful and innovative way.
Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards 2023: 1-star restaurants (70 - 79 points)
- Acid Food & Wine Bar (Randburg, Johannesburg)
- Cavalli Restaurant (Somerset West)
- Chefs Warehouse at Maison (Franschhoek)
- CHORUS (Somerset West)
- Creation Wines Tasting Room (Hemel-en-Aarde Valley)
- Eike (Stellenbosch)
- FABER at Avondale (Paarl)
- Farro (Botrivier)
- Fermier (Pretoria)
- Le coin Français (Franschhoek)
- Les Créatifs Restaurant (Bryanston, Johannesburg)
- Madre Stanford (Stanford)
- Orangerie at Le Lude (Franschhoek)
- Ouzeri (City Bowl, Cape Town)
- Post & Pepper (Stellenbosch)
- Protégé (Franschhoek)
- Proud Mary (Rosebank, Johannesburg)
- Rykaart’s (Stellenbosch)
- Séjour (Houghton Estate, Johannesburg)
- The Chefs’ Table (Umhlanga, eThekwini)
- The Melting Pot (Elgin)
- The Red Room by Chefs Warehouse (City Bowl, Cape Town)
- The Table at De Meye (Stellenbosch)
- The Test Kitchen Fledgelings (Woodstock, Cape Town)
- The Waterside Restaurant (V&A Waterfront, Cape Town)
- Upper Union (City Bowl, Cape Town)
- Zioux (Sandton, Johannesburg)
Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards 2023: 2-star restaurants (80 - 89 points)
- Belly of the Beast (City Bowl, Cape Town)
- beyond (Constantia, Cape Town)
- ëlgr (City Bowl, Cape Town)
- Epice (Franschhoek)
- Foxcroft (Constantia, Cape Town)
- Meraki by Charlie Lakin (Hillcrest, eThekwini)
- Nevermind (Cape St Francis)
- PIER (V&A Waterfront, Cape Town)
- Restaurant Klein JAN (Tswalu)
- Rust en Vrede (Stellenbosch)
- Salon (Woodstock, Cape Town)
- Spek & Bone (Stellenbosch)
- The Jordan Restaurant with Marthinus Ferreira (Stellenbosch)
- The LivingRoom at Summerhill Estate (Pinetown, eThekwini)
- The Pot Luck Club Cape Town (Woodstock, Cape Town)
- The Pot Luck Club Johannesburg (Randburg, Johannesburg)
- Wolfgat (Paternoster)
Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards 2023: 3-star restaurants (90+ points)
- ARKESTE by Richard Carstens (Franschhoek)
- Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia (Constantia, Cape Town)
- Dusk (Stellenbosch)
- FYN (City Bowl, Cape Town)
- La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
- La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
- Salsify at The Roundhouse (Camps Bay, Cape Town)
Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards 2023: Special Awards
- Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award
- The LivingRoom at Summerhill Estate (Pinetown, eThekwini)
- Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Service Excellence Award
- Meraki by Charlie Lakin (Hillcrest, eThekwini)
- Eat Out Woolworths Wine Service Award
- Bafana Zondo, Dusk (Stellenbosch)
- Eat Out Lexus Style Award
- Restaurant Klein JAN (Tswalu)
- Eat Out Retail Capital Best New Restaurant Award
- Boma on Bree (City Bowl, Cape Town)
- Eat Out Highland Park Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award
- Germain Lehodey
- Eat Out Cacao Barry Dessert Award
- Motheba Makhetha, The Jordan Restaurant with Marthinus Ferreira (Stellenbosch)
- Eat Out Patrón Mixology Award
- La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
- Eat Out Lexus Best Destination Award
- Wolfgat (Paternoster)
- Eat Out Woolworths Trailblazer Award
- Siba Mtongana, SIBA – The Restaurant (V&A Waterfront, Cape Town)
Method:
According to Eat Out, the restaurants rated for the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards 2022 were selected based on several factors, including the quality of their offering Рfrom the d̩cor, ambience and service to the wine list, ingredients used and quality of the food. Based on their collective experience and expertise, the Eat Out team and the Awards chief judge then selected the 300 restaurants to be reviewed.
From the Top 300 list, over 80 restaurants were visited by the panel of six expert judges and rated on Eat Out’s new online rating tool that comprises a comprehensive scorecard. Restaurants are judged in a number of categories, including:
- Menu composition: 15 points
- Presentation: 10 points
- Taste and technique: 30 points
- Beverages: 20 points
- Service: 20 points
- Ambience: 5 points
Five to 10 factors are rated within these categories before the entire rating is rolled up into the total score out of 100.
Angola: TAAG Angola Airlines increases flights to Namibia, Mozambique & Brazil!
TAAG Angola Airlines, the flag carrier of Angola, is set to increase flights to Windhoek in Namibia, Maputo in Mozambique and São Paulo in Brazil. Flights to the Namibian capital will increase to seven weekly connections, flights to the capital of Mozambique will increase to five weekly frequencies and flights to São Paulo to six weekly operations. The additional flights to Windhoek (on Fridays), Maputo (on Wednesdays) and São Paulo (on Mondays) will be introduced from 11 December 2023.
17 November 2023
Durban: Swimming at five beaches is currently prohibited due to water quality!
The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released updated lists of beaches that are currently (as of 16 November 2023) open and safe for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, 18 beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming, while swimming at five beaches, namely Country Club, Thekwini Beach, Laguna Beach, Warner Beach and Anstey's Beach, is prohibited due to water quality. 32 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public.
The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -
- Point
- uShaka
- Addington
- Wedge
- Battery Beach
- North Beach
- South Beach
- Bay of Plenty
- uMgababa
- Toti Main
- uMhlanga Main
- Bronze Beach
- Umdloti Main
- Westbrook
- Pipeline
- Reunion
- Brighton
- Winkelespruit
Beaches closed for swimming:
- Country Club
- Thekwini Beach
- Laguna Beach
- Warner Beach
- Anstey's Beach
16 November 2023
South Africa: SARS expanded the new South African Traveller Management System to sea and land borders!
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has announced that it has finalised the second phase of the implementation of the South African Traveller Management System (SATMS). The web-based application, which allows travellers to pre-declare goods they have acquired and pay the applicable taxes upon entering or leaving South Africa, is now also available at the country's sea and land ports. During the first phase of the project, the SATMS was only available at South Africa's airports, including OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town and King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban.
Although the new SATMS has now been rolled out at all South African air, sea and land ports, it will remain on a voluntary basis. Travellers will still be allowed in South Africa without the electronic online declaration. However, the original method of the declaration (Traveler Card (TC-01)) must then be followed.
15 November 2023
South Africa: Seasonal rainfall & temperature outlook (November 2023 - March 2024)!
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has released the Seasonal Climate Watch for the period November 2023 to March 2024. According to the seasonal outlook, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is still in an El Niño state and according to the latest predictions is expected to persist through most of the summer months. ENSO’s typical impact on Southern Africa is in favour for generally drier and warmer conditions during the summer seasons from October to March. However, current global forecasts indicate a great deal of uncertainty for the typical drier conditions that South Africa experiences during typical El Niño seasons, in particular over the eastern parts of the country.
SAWS' multi-model rainfall forecast indicates above-normal rainfall for the north-east of South Africa between November 2023 and March 2024 with below normal rainfall predicted for the central and south-western parts of the country. Predictions still favour above-normal rainfall conditions over the north-eastern parts of South Africa, even with an El Niño in place. For most of the areas where above-normal rainfall is predicted, these probabilities are low. Caution is advised at this point as the El Niño effect might still manifest its influence in the next few months and change the outlook of the rainfall forecast for mid- and late-summer. The minimum and maximum temperatures in South Africa are expected to be mostly above-normal countrywide for the forecast period (November 2023 to March 2024).
13 November 2023
Namibia: FlyNamibia has three new regional destinations on the cards for 2024!
The Managing Director of FlyNamibia, Andre Compion, announced in Jon Howell's AviaDev Insight Africa podcast that FlyNamibia has three new regional destinations on the cards for 2024. According to Mr Compion, as from April 2024 the airline will be servicing Maun Airport (MUB) in Maun, Botswana, and Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, out of Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Windhoek. He further announced that FlyNamibia is also in the final phase of introducing flights to Luanda in Angola in 2025.
Addo Elephant National Park: Bedrogfontein 4x4 trail closed until further notice! [update]
update (21 February 2024): According to SANParks, the Bedrogfontein 4x4 trail in Addo Elephant National Park is still closed
South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that the Bedrogfontein 4x4 trail in Addo Elephant National Park will be closed for a considerable period going forward. A section of the trail washed away during the last rains and will take some time to be repaired. SANParks further announced that bookings for both the Mvubu camp site and Kabouga Cottage, the two accommodation options along the Bedrogfontein 4x4 trail, are also closed until further notice. We'll keep you posted!
The Bedrogfontein 4x4 trail is located between the Kabouga and Darlington areas of Addo Elephant National Park. The trail travels through a variety of vegetation types, from riverine thicket, to afromontane forest, to fynbos on the peaks and into the arid nama-karoo of the Darlington area. The route, which is only suitable for vehicles with 4x4 and low range facilities, is self-driven and can only be driven as a one-way, starting from Kabouga and ending at Darlington. Kabouga is situated about 40 km (one hour's drive) from Addo Elephant National Park' main entrance, near the town of Kirkwood. Darlington is situated about 150 km (two hour's drive) from the main park entrance. The Bedrogfontein 4x4 trail has a length of 45km and is graded 2-3. It can be easily traveled within six hours. Accommodation is available at the Mvubu campsite or at the Kabouga Cottage - both on the Kabouga side of the trail.
Karoo National Park: Game capture operations to be conducted throughout this week!
South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that game capture operations will be conducted throughout the Karoo National Park this week. For safety reasons SANParks requests that guests please steer well clear of official vehicles and areas where work is taking place during this time.
The Karoo National Park covers an area of 750 km² and is located the Great Karoo area of the Western Cape near Beaufort West. Because of the sparse vegetation, game viewing in the National Park is easily facilitated. Some of the best viewing is achieved on the 13km Lammertjiesleegte route on the plains. The Karoo National Park is home to ostriches, red hartebeest, gemsbok, eland, Cape mountain zebra, kudu, springbok, klipspringer, black rhino, bat-eared foxes, black-backed jackals as well as lions.
10 November 2023
Angola: The new Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport (AIAAN) has been officially opened!
The President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, today officially inaugrated the long-delayed Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport (AIAAN). The new airport will gradually replace Quatro de Fevereiro Airport (LAD) in Luanda as Angola's main international airport. AIAAN, which was originally scheduled for completion in 2017, is located approximately 40 km east of central Luanda in the commune of Bom Jesus in the municipality of Icolo e Bengo. The airport will become operational in a phased manner, with the 1st stage reserved for cargo services, until February 2024. The 2nd phase is planned to begin in February 2024, with domestic flight operations. The last stage, scheduled for June 2024, will be marked by the start of international flight operations.
Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport (AIAAN), which cost about US$ 3 billion to built, covers an area of 1,324 hectares. With an passenger capacity of 15 million travellers annually (10 million international and 5 million domestic) the airport is one of the largest airports in Africa. AIAAN has two parallel asphalt runways - the northern runway is 4,200 m long and 60 m wide, while the southern runway is 3,800 m long and 60 m wide. The airport has 31 boarding lanes, of which 19 for international services and 11 for domestic services, as well as nine conveyor belts for baggage storage, six of which are dedicated to international flights. The infrastructure further includes 26 counters of the Immigration and Foreigners Service (SME), a parking lot for 1,710 vehicles, as well as space reserved for shops. It also has 22 VIP lounges, a clinic and a first aid center attached to the passenger terminal.
Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport is named after Angola's first President, António Agostinho Neto (17 September 1922 – 10 September 1979).
Durban: Swimming at two beaches is currently prohibited due to water quality! [update]
update (13 November 2023): According to the latest update (10 November 2023), Anstey's Beach has been reopened for swimming. However, swimming at Reunion beach is now prohibited due to water quality!
The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released updated lists of beaches that are currently (as of 09 November 2023) open and safe for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, 21 beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming, while swimming at two beaches, namely Warner Beach and Anstey's Beach, is prohibited due to water quality. 32 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public.,
The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -
- Point
- uShaka
- Addington
- Wedge
- Country Club
- Battery Beach
- North Beach
- South Beach
- Bay of Plenty
- Thekwini Beach
- uMgababa
- Toti Main
- Laguna
- uMhlanga Main
- Bronze Beach
- Umdloti Main
- Westbrook
- Pipeline
- Reunion
- Brighton
- Winkelespruit
Beaches closed for swimming:
- Warner Beach
- Anstey's Beach
- Winkelespruit
Eastern Cape: Drop-Off Lane at King Phalo Airport in East London temporarily closed!
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has informed the public that the Drop-Off Lane at King Phalo Airport (ELS | formerly East London Airport) in East London in the Eastern Cape is closed during the month of November 2023. Pick-ups and Drop-offs are getting redirected to the Open Parking area, where vehicles are getting a grace period of 10 minutes. Vehicles that are still within the 10 minutes may proceed to the exit stations.
09 November 2023
iSimangaliso Wetland Park: Cape Vidal reopened!
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority announced the re-opening of the Cape Vidal facility on the Eastern Shores section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park near St Lucia on 31 October 2023. Cape Vidal, as well as other sections of the National Park, was temporarly closed to the public due to the destruction caused by the recent heavy terrestrial rainfall which affected most of KwaZulu-Natal especially in the uMkhanyakude District in the North Coast.
The damages to infrastructure such as Eskom power lines and houses at various points forced the management of iSimangaliso Wetland Park to temporally close access to certain sections of the Park in the interest of public safety. The electricity has since been restored, logs and debris removed, other restorative maintenance work is ongoing to normalize the situation in the facility.
Pre-emptive monitoring of the ecological impact as a result of the recent heavy rains is ongoing which includes impact to the St Lucia Lake ecosystem and the estuary mouth which will remain open.
South Korea to open new embassies in Botswana and Zambia!
The Government of the Republic of Korea ("South Korea") has announced that it will open new diplomatic missions in Botswana and Zambia in 2024. A new embassy branch will be built in Botswana, while the new embassy in Zambia will be established in accordance with the principle of reciprocity as the country already has an embassy in South Korea's capital Seoul.
The establishment of the new embassies in Botswana and Zambia is part of South Korea's plan to open new diplomatic missions in 12 countries next year in an effort to expand its diplomatic capabilities and functions. The remaining ten countries are the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, Sierra Leone in Africa, Suriname and Jamaica in Central and South America, Estonia, Luxembourg, Lithuania and Slovenia in Europe as well as Armenia and Georgia in Southwest Asia.
08 November 2023
Durban: Swimming at three beaches is currently prohibited due to water quality!
The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released updated lists of beaches that are currently (as of 08 November 2023) open and safe for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, 20 beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming, while swimming at three beaches, namely Warner Beach, Anstey's Beach and Winkelespruit, is prohibited due to water quality. 31 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public.
The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -
- Point
- uShaka
- Addington
- Wedge
- Country Club
- Battery Beach
- North Beach
- South Beach
- Bay of Plenty
- Thekwini Beach
- uMgababa
- Toti Main
- Laguna
- uMhlanga Main
- Bronze Beach
- Umdloti Main
- Westbrook
- Pipeline
- Reunion
- Brighton
Beaches closed for swimming:
- Warner Beach
- Anstey's Beach
- Winkelespruit
Recreational activities other than swimming at beaches closed for swimming are allowed!
Table Mountain National Park: South African National Parks to commence with the restoration of the Rhodes Memorial Tea Room!
South African National Parks (SANParks) has confirmed that it will commence with the restoration of the Rhodes Memorial Estate in Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) in Cape Town. The Estate was closed in April 2021 due to the devastating fire which took place in and around Table Mountain National Park and the neighbourhoods of Newlands, Rosebank, Mowbray and Rondebosch. The fire destroyed more than 650 hectares of land. The damage to sites in the Table Mountain area included the Rhodes Memorial, including the Tea Room, the Mostert's Mill, a historic windmill as well as the upper campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT), where the Special Collections library was gutted by the fire.
According to Table Mountain National Park (TMNP), Park Manager, Megan Taplin, the announcement of the restauration of the Rhodes Memorial Tea Room follows a rigorous process for an appointment of a suitable architectural service provider with a deep knowledge of heritage building structures. The appointed companies scope of work includes the drawing of plans for the Tea Room and associated ablutions, and to consult with Heritage Western Cape for compliance measures. Once the restoration work is completed, a Request for Proposals (RFP) will be advertised for an operator for the tearoom and associated activities. We'll keep you posted!
The Rhodes Memorial is a monument on the lower slopes of Devil's Peak in Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) in Cape Town. The massive granite staircase memorializes diamond mogul and British imperialist Cecil Rhodes. The Tea Room is located behind the Memorial.
07 November 2023
Durban: Swimming at six beaches is currently prohibited due to water quality!
The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released updated lists of beaches that are currently (as of 04 November 2023) open and safe for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, 17 beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming, while swimming at six beaches, namely Country Club, Battery Beach, Thekwini Beach, Warner Beach, Anstey's Beach and Winkelespruit, is prohibited due to water quality. 31 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public.
The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -
- Point
- uShaka
- Addington
- Wedge
- North Beach
- South Beach
- Bay of Plenty
- uMgababa
- Toti Main
- Laguna
- uMhlanga Main
- Bronze Beach
- Umdloti Main
- Westbrook
- Pipeline
- Reunion
- Brighton
Beaches closed for swimming:
- Country Club
- Battery Beach
- Thekwini Beach
- Warner Beach
- Anstey's Beach
- Winkelespruit
Recreational activities other than swimming at beaches closed for swimming are allowed!
06 November 2023
UK: Virgin Atlantic has resumed its seasonal service between London <> Cape Town!
British airline Virgin Atlantic has resumed its seasonal service between Heathrow Airport (LHR) in London and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town on 28 October 2023. The daily service will run until end of March 2024. The seasonal flights will add over 80,000 seats between London and Cape Town and complement Virgin Atlantic's existing service between London and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg. The Cape Town flights are operated on Virgin Atlantic's Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
03 November 2023
Mozambique: LAM - Mozambique Airlines to resume flights between Maputo <> Lisbon!
The flag carrier of Mozambique, LAM - Mozambique Airlines, has announced the resumption of direct non-stop flights to Portugal. Effective 12 December 2023, the airline wil operate three weekly flights between Maputo International Airport (MPM) in Maputo and Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) in Lisbon. The capital of Portugal will become the LAM's fifth international destination.
According to news reports, the flight between Maputo and Lisbon will be carried out by Fly Modern Ark, the company hired by the government of Mozambique to recover LAM - Mozambique Airlines. The new service will be the airline's first intercontinental flight since it last served Lisbon in 2021 as well as the LAM's longest non-stop flight.
Augrabies National Park: Unleaded fuel (ULP 95) & Diesel 50ppm unavalaible until further notice!
According to a posting by Regional Communications Manager: Arid Parks at South African National Parks (SANParks), Genevieve Maasdorp, in the SANParks - Augrabies Falls Park facebook group, unleaded fuel (ULP 95) as well as the Diesel 50ppm is currently unavalaible in Augrabies Falls National Park until further notice. The next fuel station outside the National Park is in the town of Kakamas, located about 40km from Augrabies Falls National Park entrance/exit gate.
Augrabies Falls National Park is located around the Augrabies Falls, about 120 km west of Upington in South Africa's Northern Cape. The National Park stretches along the Orange River and covers an area of 820km². Travelling from Upington on the N14 (that runs between Upington and Springbok) turn right just after Kakamas. From here it’s 28km further to Augrabies Falls National Park entrance/exit gate and another 3km to Reception and the Augrabies Falls Rest Camp.
South Africa: Number of malaria cases on the rise!
The South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has announced that the malaria-endemic regions in South Africa are beginning to see increases in the number of malaria cases. The start of summer generally marks the start of the malaria season, due to higher temperatures and increased rainfall in the malaria transmission areas.
Malaria transmission occurs in the north-eastern part of South Africa,
mainly in the low altitude (below 1 000m above sea-level) areas of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and northern part of KwaZulu-Natal. Limited local transmission may occasionally occur in the North West Province and in the Northern Cape along the Molopo and Orange rivers. Kruger National Park and Mapungubwe National Park are the only two National Parks in South Africa
that are situated in malaria risk areas. The risk of malaria in both of
these parks is usually low, even in the summer months.
 |
| Source: NICD; click on map to enlarge |
The NICD is urging individuals travelling to malaria-endemic areas in South Africa
to take the appropriate precautions. Travellers should consider taking
antimalarial prophylaxis, particularly if travelling to high-risk areas.
Both doxycycline and atovaquone-proguanil can be procured without a
prescription from pharmacies and public sector travel clinics in South Africa. The following precautions will substantially reduce the chance of acquiring malaria but the risk is never completely removed:
- reduce contact with mosquitoes by limiting outdoor activity after dark
- cover up bare skin (including feet and ankles)
- use mosquito repellents containing at least 10% DEET
- ensure mosquito screens on windows are closed
- use bed nets, fans or air-conditioning, if available
All travellers returning from malaria transmission areas, including very low-risk ones, should immediately report “flu-like illness” (headache, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain) that occurs up to three weeks after first potential exposure, to the nearest healthcare facility for a malaria test. Particular care should be taken with children, as symptoms are very nonspecific (fever, loss of appetite and vomiting). Malaria can rapidly progresses to severe illness, often with severe consequences, early diagnosis and treatment are strongly recommended.
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