South Africa: Kruger National Park flood repair update

South Africa's Kruger National Park experienced heavy floodings in January 2012 caused by strong rainfall in the area. Some of the parks camps and picnic sites, as well as roads and low level bridges, got damaged by the water masses and had to be temporarily closed. Flood repairs are still underway in Kruger National Park, but in the meantime all camps and picnic spots are open again. Except for the following, all roads are also open again:

• S25 (From S26 to S139, Biyamiti Low Level Bridge inaccessible): Temporary access planned to open end September 2012.
• S33, S84
• Balule Low Level Bridge (detour via S89 and S90): Balule Bridge is expected to reopen by 15 November 2012. 
• H1-5 (From S91 to H8) (detour via S91, S92 & H8 – detour  17km of which 12km is gravel road): Breach on H1-5 near N’wamanzi is expected to reopen by 30 September 2012

South Africa: New banknotes to feature former president Nelson Mandela

update (31 Oct 2012): The bank notes featuring former president Nelson Mandela will enter circulation in South Africa on 06 November 2012, the South African Reserve Bank said on 30 Oct 2012. 

The South African Reserve Bank announced the forthcoming introduction of a new series of banknotes honouring former president Nelson Mandela. The new banknotes, which are equipped with a unique combination of state-of-the-art security features, will come into circulation before the end of 2012. The new banknotes will also have enhanced features for the visually impaired, including raised print on both sides.
The front of the banknotes feature an image of South Africa's first democratically elected president Nelson Mandela, while the back of the notes have maintained the "Big Five" animal images that appear on current banknotes. The current and the new banknotes will co-circulate and both are legal tender.

screenshot

update (21 Sept 2012): To introduce South Africa's new banknotes, the South African Reserve Bank has released a TV commercial to inform the public.

Johannesburg: Road works at OR Tambo International Airport

Road works on the Upper Roadway at the International Departures Level of OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg are currently taking place. The road work is scheduled for completion in the second week of December 2012. According to Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) manager of communication and brand management Unathi Batyashe-Fillis, the remedial work is the result of the failing road surface finish to the upper roadway, which is deteriorating and needs to be repaired. The construction also includes waterproofing of the area.

click here to download the map (pdf)

The airport is encouraging motorists who will be utilising the Upper Roadway to drop off passengers, to allow sufficient time to arrive at the OR Tambo International Airport in order to avoid further inconvenience. Signage is  in place to inform road users of the road works.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Southern African recipes: Tomato bredie (South Africa)

It has been a while since we posted the last recipe from Southern Africa on the blog, but now I found one that I needed to post about and that you need to check out. In the video recipe, Gabi Le Roux, a South African music producer and avid home cook, explains how to make one of my favourite South African comfort dishes - the tomato breedie. A tomato breedie is a meat dish that can be made with lamb or mutton, or, like in the video, with chicken.



Remember to cook the bredie, which is an old Cape name for a dish of meat and vegetables stewed together, slowly for at least 2.5 hrs. The flavour will also improve if made a day in advance. Serve it with rice. Kudos @ Gabi Le Roux for the video and recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1kg assorted pieces of chicken (skin on)
• 3 large potatoes
• 6 tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 (large) onions
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (to your taste)
• freshly ground pepper
• salt
• mixed (italian) herbs
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 chicken stock gel pot
• 1 tbs butter
• tomato paste
• 2 tbs cooking oil
• 1.5 cups of water

Ethiopian Airlines to continue operating several one-time services in September 2012

Ethiopia's flag carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, updated its "one-time service" schedule to several countries through which the airline is currently celebrating the arrival of the brandnew Boeing 787 Dreamliner.     
Ethiopian Airlines will operate flights to the following East/Southern African and European destinations as well as to Israel, India & Dubai (ex Addis Ababa):

• Johannesburg on 04 Sept 2012
• Frankfurt on 06 Sept 2012 > new: 29 Sept 2012 FRA departure on 30 Sept 2012
• Mumbai on 07 Sept 2012 (08 Sept 2012 from BOM)
• Dubai (ET600/601) on 07 Sept 2012, 13 Sept 2012, 18 Sept 2012 (DXB departure on 08 Sept 2012, 14 Sept 2012, 19 Sept 2012) > new: 27 Sept 2012
• Entebbe – Kigali on 08 Sept 2012
• Milan Malpensa – Brussels on 09 Sept 2012 (10 Sept 2012 from BRU/MXP)
• Dar es Salaam – Lilongwe on 11 Sept 2012
• Tel Aviv on 15 Sept 2012 (16 Sept 2012 from TLV)
• Rome – London Heathrow on 17 Sept 2012
• Cairo – Stockholm on 19 Sept 2012 (20 Sept 2012 from ARN/CAI)
• new: Nairobi on 23 Sept 2012
• new: Addis Ababa – Harare – Lusaka – Addis Ababa (daily between 01-27 Oct 2012, except for Sundays)
• new: also read: Ethiopian Airlines to operate daily flights with the Dreamliner to Washington D.C.

From 20 Sept 2012, Ethiopian Airlines will operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the Addis Ababa – Rome – Washington Dulles – Addis Ababa route on a daily basis, replacing the Boeing 777-200LR aircraft.

South Africa: 373 rhinos killed by poachers so far in 2012

According to the latest statistics released by South African National Parks (SANParks), South Africa has lost 373 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of 2012.
Kruger National Park remains the hardest hit by poachers, having lost 229 rhinos since the beginning of this year. Limpopo has lost 43 rhinos to illegal poaching; the North West province has lost 40 and  KwaZulu-Natal 34 rhinos.
The number of individuals arrested in connection with rhino poaching is 199. Of those arrested, 176 are at the level of poacher, 10 are receivers and 13 are couriers.

Latest rhino poaching figures (as of 04 September 2012): 

• Kruger National Park (SANParks) - 229 rhinos poached
• Mapungubwe National Park (SANParks) - 3 rhinos poached
• Gauteng - 1 rhino poached
• Limpopo - 43 rhinos poached
• Mpumalanga - 18 rhinos poached
• North-West Province - 40 rhinos poached
• Eastern Cape - 3 rhinos poached
• Free State - 0 rhinos poached
• KwaZulu Natal - 34 rhinos poached
• Western Cape - 2 rhinos poached
• Northern Cap - 0 rhinos poached

Namibia: Fish River Canyon - "The Beauty of the Irrational" (video)

The Fish River Canyon in Namibia is one of the most stunning landmarks in Southern Africa. The largest canyon in Africa and the 2nd largest canyon in the world is about 160km long, up to 27km wide and in places almost 550m deep.
The short film "The Beauty of the Irrational" follows Ryan Sandes, a South African Ultra-Runner, as he returns to the Fish River Canyon to run the 5 day, 84km, Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail in the fastest time possible. He completed the run, self-supported, in amazing time of 6h57min!

The Beauty of the Irrational from The African Attachment on Vimeo.

The Fish River Hiking Trail starts from the main view point near Hobas, and ends about 84km further south at the Ai-Ais Hot Springs Spa. No facilities are available and hikers sleep outdoors for the entire trip which usually takes 3 to 5 days to complete. The hike is usually only open from 01 May to 15 September, as temperatures in the canyon can exceed 45°C in summer and flash floods may occur. All hikers must have a medical certificate to attempt the hike. Groups must consist of at least 3 participants older than 12 years.
Kudos @ The African Attachment for the great film!