Fond farewell to "Father John"

Fond farewell to "Father John"

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Words of condolences are pouring in from all over Cape Town and oversees for well known and much loved Father John Oliver, the “Guitar playing minister.” Father John, who famously ran around with a placard reading, “Hoot if you love the Princess,” sadly passed away in his sleep in the early hours of Thursday July 4.

“He loved his two children, Sarah and Joseph,” said Emma Oliver, his wife for 32 years, “and he was very supportive of me and everyone else whom he met. He was the kind of person who would see the possibility in you and who you would become. He had the ability to take anything, no matter how glossy it was, and make it better.”

Ms Oliver said that Father John’s hobby was the Van Blommenstein Park in Zeekoevlei. “He took that piece of derelict land and rehabilitated it to the point that it is now a wonderful park, complete with tennis courts and a picnic area.”

Father John lived with his family at Zeekoevlei for many years and was a founding member of the Princess Vlei Forum(PVF), a non-profit organization set up to look after the bio-diversity of the wetlands in the area. “This land is on loan to us from God, and we must hold it in safekeeping for our children and our children’s children,” he used to say.

According to Mea Lashbrooke, of the PVF, Father John played a crucial role on the PVF Executive Committee. She said that he knew and loved the neighborhoods so much and that his understanding of the wetlands as an essential eco-service was at the heart of his decision making regards the Vlei’s future, especially in light of tabled plans to build a controversial mall on its banks.

“I witnessed how his determination in all matters pertaining to social and environmental justice was characterized by flexibility,” Ms Lashbrooke said. “He taught me that issues could be overcome if the door was left open for negotiation. He knew that not one single person had the answer, but that together a solution could arise. He gave me strength to voice my opinions.”

According to Ms Oliver, Father John, who retired three years ago, was working on the service that was going to be held in the Cape Town City Hall for Mandela. He was the co-ordinator for the religious leaders and after completing his work on the project, on the night he past away, he told Ms Oliver that he was hoping it would be amazing.

Father John had Fathered St Mark’s Church in District Six for 18 years until his retirement and his passing away was a shock for Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

Speaking from oversees, the Archbishop said that it was hard to take Father John’s passing away in; but that he was comforted by the certainty that Father John now knew the fullness of joy of resurrection life. 

The Archbishop said that his thoughts went out to Father John’s wife, Emma, and their two children, Sarah and Jospeh. He prayed that God would surround them with His tender love, comfort and strength and that they would know that it was OK to weep on God’s lap and to share their grief with Him. 

“His is surely the welcome of a good and faithful servant,” the Archbishop said. “He has devoted so many years, and given so much energy and dedication, to his unstinting love for God, for God’s people, especially the poor and needy, and for God’s creation. I thank God for all he has been for us in Cape Town and beyond – for his long service at St Mark’s in District Six, for his unflagging socio-political commitment, for his music ministry, for his ever-ready camera!”

The Archbishop said that Father John was instrumental in bringing together and encouraging people of different faiths to persevere in their commitment to uphold all that is  good, true, just and holy and to oppose all that would diminish the flourishing of all God’s children. “I have lost a brother in Christ, a respected Colleague and fellow-labourer in the vineyard of the Lord, as well as in the muddy Vlei’s of Cape Town.

Father John’s influence extended beyond the confines of his religious duties and passion for the environment, as Esme′ Kennel, the Chairperson of the Board at Fisher Centre for Mentally Ill and Intellectually Challenged Persons in Grassy park well knew.

“He walked into the Centre one day in February 2012,” said Ms Kennel, “and said that he walked by everyday and wanted to know what we do. That same day he joined us, becoming an active Board member.”

Ms Kennel said that Father John, quickly gained a reputation for being wise, articulate, supportive and quick to offer advice where needed or to recommend someone else who might be of better assistance. He helped the Centre get legal support and organized a person to assist them with the implementation and running of the garden project at the centre.

“From the start he supported our first "high Tea" by paying for a table of guests from his church even though he himself could not attend,” said Ms Kennel, adding that they were hoping that he would play his guitar at their musical/cultural event to be held later on this year. “His passing has left a huge gap in our midst and we are going to miss him. We pray that his soul may rest in peace and we want to extend our deepest condolences to Ms Oliver and Family. “

“I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Father John Olivier,” said Alderman Patricia De Lille, the Executive Mayor of Cape Town. “On behalf of the City of Cape Town, I would like to extend my condolences to his family and friends, and wish them strength during this difficult time.”

Alderman De Lille said that she would always remember Father John as being one of the most distinguished religious leaders in the City of Cape Town, especially for his ability to use the gospel to mediate wherever divisions existed in different communities.

According to Alderman De Lille, he played an instrumental role uniting religious leaders in the City and Province through the formation of the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum,

of which he was the Acting Chair. “His pursuit for reconciliation, unity and social justice will be sorely missed,” she said.

Neil Major, who has a fynbos nursery in Zeekoevlei, said Father John was passionate about nature and particularly fynbos. “His death is a sad loss because he was a person who wanted to preserve nature. He wanted the wetlands to be rehabilitated and he had a particular interest in the Cape Flats fynbos.”

The funeral service will be held at St Mark’s, District 6, on Thursday July 11 at 10am. The family requests that, instead of flowers, indigenous plants be donated to continue Father John’s work at Van Blommenstein Park. For donations of plants, contact Neil Major at 076 473 7095. A memorial service will also be held on 20 July at St George’s Cathedral at 10am. 

A special meeting in honour of Reverend John Oliver will be held on Sunday 14 July and is open to religious leaders of all faiths who value and wish to protect the Princess Vlei. The meeting begins at 1pm and will be hosted by the PVF at The Jolly Carp, 38 Sasmeer Road, Sasmeer Estate in Retreat. Interested parties are asked to RSVP Petrina Roberts for catering purposes. Email Ms Roberts at menngos@mweb.co.za or sms her on 074 302 3254.

Words and images by Clinton Wittstock

Freelance writer and photographer

Article appeared in the Constantiaberg Bulletin

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Blood donor's labour of love

Blood donor's labour of love
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Ellen Fedele donates blood because she knows it can save a life. “I am doing this knowing that I am tangibly helping someone to stay alive,” said Ms Fedele on the occasion of her 100th blood platelet donation.
“I met a young man who suffers with Aplastic Anaemia and his mom said he is being kept alive by the donations of blood platelets he receives,” Ms Fedele said.
“When I found out that his blood group was A+, like mine, the thought occurred to me that it could be my blood keeping him alive, and that is a very spe- cial thought because he is a very special person.”
Ms Fedele said that donating blood was a 16th birthday wish come true for her.
With only one kidney, the young Ellen first needed the permission of her then doctor to go ahead with her donations, which he gave. According to Ms Fedele, one needs to be 17 years of age before being allowed to donate blood in the Western Cape but in Gauteng, where she was living at the time, 16 is the accepted entry age.
According to Ms Fedele, her parents, who were always thinking about the welfare of other people,

donated blood on regularly when they were younger. She said that it was their example that inspired her to get involved herself.
“I donated ‘whole blood’ for many years but switched over to donating blood platelets four years ago,” she said, explain- ing that in a normal blood donation a donor will donate a pint of their blood every two months. This blood is then used for patients who need blood after an acci- dent or operation.
“To donate platelets, technically known as Aphaeresis Donation, you get hooked up to a very expensive machine that draws out your blood and separates it into its constituent plasma, red cells and platelets,” Ms Fedele said.
“The platelets and plasma are extracted for use and the rest is transferred back to the donor,” she said.
Platelets play a vital role in clotting blood and preventing excessive blood loss and are used to treat patients with leukemia, aplastic anaemia and other blood disorders.
Ms Fedele said that although there are many places in the Western Cape to donate blood, the only place to donate platelets in the Western Province is the headquarters of the Western Province Blood Transfusion Service (WPBTS) in Pinelands.
She said the procedure takes much longer than a normal blood donation.
“It takes up to two hours a time, but the side-effects are minimal in comparison. I sit in a comfortable chair, watch a movie and get given a sandwich and a coffee and afterwards pop right of the chair and carry on with my day like nothing has happened,” Ms Fedele said.

However, to donate blood platelets one has to be dedicated, Ms Fedele continued to explain.
“You have to be a regular blood donor, have a blood platelet count above a certain amount, be healthy, above 50kg and not have very high or low blood pressure. Then, each time you donate platelets you have to fill in a form, answering questions

about whether or not you have had your ears pierced, had a tattoo, engaged in risky sexual behavior, etc,” Ms Fedele said.
“I live my life from month to month thinking; ‘Is this ok for my donations?’ because I don’t want to jeopardise my chance to make a donation,” Ms Fedele continued.
“All the effort is worth it though,” she said, “it is a small price to pay in order to save the life of someone.” 

Words and images by Clinton Wittstock

Freelance writer and photographer

Article appeared in the Constantiaberg Bulletin

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Capturing sleepers and chasing dreams

Capturing sleepers and chasing dreams

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Chasing trains and shooting them is not your normal run of the mill hobby but then nor is author John Cornell, who almost paid for his life pursuing his past-time.

“I was chasing a train, traveling on a railway service road and the road made an unexpected right angle turn across the tracks,” Mr Cornell said, explaining that it was an unmarked crossing. “Before I knew it I was on the tracks with the train screeching as it tried to brake. My friend said we must jump. He jumped but I was stuck in the car and so the train smashed into my car and squashed it as it pushed it across the tracks,” Mr Cornell said, adding that he was lucky that the train had managed to slow down enough, otherwise things could have been far worse for him.

“I have always been fascinated by trains,” said Mr Cornell, who has his Ph.D in Nuclear Physics. “It is in the genes. My grandfather, John William Cornell, was a Signalman(like his father), then a Station Master and finally Vice District Controller on the LMS railway,” Mr Cornell explained.

According to Mr Cornell, his father was interested in model railways and he can remember spending hours with his dad building a huge model railway layout, with individual sleepers and brass rails all laid by hand.

At Rondebosch Boy’s High Mr Cornell developed an interest in photography and Physics and later, while studying Physics at UCT, he became the Chairman and Life Member of the Photographic and Film Association. 

Between getting married, raising a daughter and pursuing his career as a Nuclear Physicist, Mr Cornell had little time for his hobbies but during the eighties he once again picked up his passions for trains and photography in a pastime that combined them both - photographing steam trains.

“Funnily enough, I don’t really enjoy traveling on the trains themselves,” Mr Cornell said, “but I love chasing them by car and then taking photos of them,” he explained, saying that he used three different lenses to capture his images, a 28mm wide angle lens, a 200mm zoom lens and a standard 55mm lens.

Mr Cornell said that there is a rich history around steam train travel in South Africa. “Cinders from the burning coal in the steam train would set farm land alight and farmers would sue the then Transnet. Transnet eventually converted many of their trains to oil burning steam trains. They would still get claims though from unknowing farmers who would set their own land alight,” Mr Cornell said.

Mr Cornell has documented these stories and many others in his limited edition book, “Steaming into the 21^st Century: Photographing Steam Trains in South Africa.” “The sad fact is that many of these locomotives may never run again, and many of the railway lines featured in the book are now closed and abandoned,” Mr Cornell said. “Many of the photographs record scenes which will never be repeated and are now a part of the glorious history of steam trains in South Africa.”

To find out more about steam trains in South Africa and or the book, contact Mr Cornell at dr.jc.cornell@gmail.com

Words and images by Clinton Wittstock

Freelance writer and photographer

Article appeared in the Constantiaberg Bulletin

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Choir girl sings her way to the top

Choir girl sings her way to the top

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Leandra Abrahams, 15, a pupil at Zwaanswyk High School, walked away with the top honours at the recent “Thee Unseen Stars” competition after delivering a scintillating performance that had the audience on their feet.

Held at South Peninsula High School on Friday June 21 2013, this was the third season of the competition but it was the first time that Leandra had taken part in it. “I was very surprised when they announced that I had won because the thought of winning had never crossed my mind; I did not enter to win but to have fun and because I just love singing,” Leandra said.

Leandra was up against nine other talented acts, including a “Glee Club” group, that she too was a part of. According to Leandra, she loved being a part of the Zwaanswyk High School Glee Club and was sad that the group had to endure technical problems in their final performance.

“We are extremely proud of Leandra because of the attitude she had throughout the competition, she put her friends and her performance in the Glee Club first,” said Donita Abrahams, Leandra’s mom, “but when she came on and sang her solo song we were blown away.”

Up until a week before the competition, Leandra was going to perform “Hometown” by  Adele but in the end opted to sing “At last” by Beyonce. According to her, the song suits her voice. Having sung it a few times at weddings, she is comfortable singing it too. It was a last minute change that paid dividends, the judges remarking that they loved her song choice, her stage performance and her attire.  

Strangely enough, at her semi-final performance the judges had commented that she had no mic control and that her stage performance was lacking. Leandra went away and worked on those points and came out a winner.

“I can’t believe it, she is only 15 and the control that she has over her voice is incredible,” said Sanet Ziller, the Arts and Culture teacher at Zwaanswyk High School. “What makes it even more amazing is the fact that Leandra has never been for any kind of vocal training,” Ms Ziller, who is an accomplished musician herself, said.

Besides Leandra, Zwaanswyk High School had a strong showing in the competition.  In fact half of the ten final spots were filled by Zwaanswyk High School acts. Soloists Kim Samuels, 13 and Nicole Speek, 14, both delivered good performances as well as the “Glee Club”  and Emile Peterson, 17, brought an energy to the stage with his dance routine. Rudi Ward, an ex-pupil, took third place for his dynamic dance routine.  The second place went to 20 year old Jean Cito, a singer and guitarist.

According to Leandra, she is hoping to further her career as a singer. At her young age she has already written and recorded a song. “I wrote it for my grandpa who passed away two years ago,” Leandra said, explaining that she got her talent from him and that he had always encouraged her to sing in church. 

“I began singing at my church, the Sterkfontein AFM, in the worship band but now I sing solo, Leandra said, adding that she is now looking for a band that she can work with.  “I love working with people, it is so much better than just singing to a backtrack.”

Words and images by Clinton Wittstock

Freelance writer and photographer

Article appeared in the Constantiaberg Bulletin

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Bergvliet Pupil has way with words

Bergvliet Pupil has way with words

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A Grade 11 pupil from Bergvliet High, Triston Liebenberg, 16, entered the inaugural Paperight Young Writers Anthology competition and walked away with the top honours. 

“This was the first writing competition that I have entered, so I was very surprised when I heard that I had won,” Triston, who won the category for essay writing, said. 

High school pupils from all across South Africa submitted their original pieces in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho into one of four categories; short stories, essays, poetry and illustrations.

From over a thousand submissions, 65 young writers were selected to appear in the Anthology. Then, one overall winner in each category was selected by a panel of esteemed judges, including poet and academic Sarah Rowan, Dr Hedley Twidle of the UCT Department of English Language and Literature, Professor Russell Kaschula of Rhodes University’s School of Languages, and art curator Gabi Ngcobo.

“The Paperight Young Writers’ Anthology was conceived as a way for us to help spark a culture of writing in our country, in the places where it must be allowed to grow – our schools,” said Anthology editor Sibabalwe Oscar Masinyana, adding that the Anthology also tries to fulfill a wish of a learner who protested in 1976, by allowing learners to popularly express themselves in their own languages – a right that is still not adequately reflected in South African media or publishing. 

According to her father, Shane Liebenberg, Triston has a special gift. “She wrote the winning essay in two hours, putting life into perspective in a way I could never do,” he said, “I am very proud of my daughter and her accomplishments,” adding that she is already half way through writing a novel.

Speaking about her winning essay, titled “Reflections,” Triston said that she was encouraged by her English teacher, Elizabeth Van Niekerk, to write a piece for their schools on-line magazine, “The Mighty Pen.” “My teacher really liked what I wrote and so too did my mom. My mom thought it would be a good idea to enter the essay as a way to get exposure as a writer. The piece details the different stages of life, ending with reflections or life lessons,” Trsiton said.

Triston said that she was inspired by a fellow school-mate, Ashleigh Fawthrop, 17, to start reading and then to start writing. “Ashleigh is an inspiration to me because even though she is dyslexic and suffers from ADHD, she is busy writing her own book,” Triston said, adding that her favourite authors are LJ Smith and Rachel Mead, who both write about the supernatural. 

“I am glad that I won this competition because it has opened a door for me to start thinking about perhaps studying English after school so that I can become a journalist, or maybe write a book or two of my own,” Triston, whose other interests include photography and fashion, said. 

The Anthology features a foreword by award-winning writer Niq Mhlongo, author of Dog Eat Dog, After Tears, and, most recently, Way Back Home.  “Everyone has a story inside their heads,” Mhlongo writes in the Anthology. “But the challenge is how to get it out in a way that will make other people want to read them.”

The Young Writers’ Anthology was made available from the 10th of June through Paperight registered outlets and selected independent bookstores. To find your closest outlet, visit www.paperight.com/outlets. The Paperight Edition of the Anthology will cost approximately R60, depending on the printing charges of the individual outlet.

Words and images by Clinton Wittstock

Freelance writer and photographer

Article appeared in the Constantiaberg Bulletin

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Pupils argue their way to the top

Pupils argue their way to the top

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Three teams from the Southern suburbs clinched a place at the final round of the 2013 third annual National Schools Moot Court Competition after competing at the western Cape provincial round held at the Cape Town Magistrates Court on Saturday May 25.

Teams from Bergvliet High, Livingstone, Heideveld High, Bridge House, Springfield, Immaculata, Pelican Park High, ID Mkize, the Cape Academy for Maths, Science and Technology competed for one of the four spots up for grabs. Amazingly, more than 60% of these schools are from the Southern suburbs in Cape Town.

A Moot competition is a role playing exercise where participants are provided with the facts of an imaginary case which involves human rights issues. Working in teams of two, participants are then requested to write two short essays, defending each side of the story, using the South African Constitution. The best essays are chosen and the authors given a chance to present their cases in court.

“It was seriously nerve wracking initially,” said Sasha Holloway(16), who represented Springfield. “The judges ask hard questions, rapid fire; you have to watch out for confusion or signs of agreement and adjust acordingly.”

The competition played out in three court rooms with six schools competing at a time. The remaining three competing schools paced the hallways, eagerly going over their cases with their team members, while they waited their turns. With only four teams going through to the final national round to be held in Pretoria and Johannesburg in August from the 9th to the 11th, 2013, tensions ran high. 

Each court room had a panel of five judges presiding over proceedings and judging the teams presentation of their case, whether as a defendant or applicant. “The competition was very good, I would think twice about taking some of them on in court,” said Junaid Baig(31), an attorney at Halday Attorneys.  

Mr Justin Mc Bride(40), an attorney at Marais, Muller and Yekiso was encouraged by Mr Baig, who was a judge at last years competition, to volunteer his time to be a judge at this years competition. “I was very impressed by the standard of competition, these teams could give more than half the practicing attorneys a run for their money,” Mr Mc Bride said.

Representing the Cape Academy in Constantia, Zakariyah Toyer(17) and Kurt Lee Tamon(17), did their school proud. “We really enjoyed the experience, we have learnt a lot,” they said.

In the end though, the team from Immaculata High School took top honours with the teams from Bergvliet High School coming in a close second. Springfield Convent took the third place and the only school not from the Souther suburbs, Bridge House in Fraanschoek, took the last spot.

“Preparation, lots of preparation is the key for success at the national rounds,” Mr Baig said. The winning team at the national rounds will receive financial support towards their first year to study law at a South African university of their choice.

Words and images by Clinton Wittstock

Freelance writer and photographer

Article appeared in the Constantiaberg Bulletin

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Maths whizz kids off to Bulgaria and Hong Kong

Maths whizz kids off to Bulgaria and Hong Kong

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James Falconer(13) and Tristan Collis(13), both Grade 7 learners at Sweet Valley Primary School, are just a few weeks away from competing in separate international maths competitions to be held oversees.

Mr Falconer, who will be competing at the annual International Maths Competition(IMC), leaves for Bulgaria on Friday June 28. The competition, which is being held for first time in South-Eastern Europe, will take place in the beautiful seaside city of Burgas from Sunday June 30 to Friday July 5.

“I never dreamt that I would get to go oversees for maths!” Mr Falconer said, “so I am really looking forward to the trip; not just for the maths but also because I am going to meet people from all over the world.”

His school friend, Mr Collis, qualified to compete at another international maths event, the Po Leung Kuk Primary Mathematics World Contest. Held every year in Hong Kong, the organizers of the event, Po Leung Kuk and the Hong Kong Institute of Education, hope that the competition will stimulate primary school students’ interest in mathematics and provide a cultural and academic exchange opportunity for the young contestants.

“I am definitely looking forward to it, I am going to Hong Kong!” Mr Collis exclaimed, adding that he was excited about the things he would see, all the new cultures he would be exposed to and the new food he would get to taste.

Both Mr Falconer and Mr Collis, who had to get through two qualifying rounds to make their respective teams, have to attend weekly training sessions, held alternately at Elkanah House and Bishops Primary School. Participants in both competitions are given Mathematics training in problem-solving, lateral thinking, numeracy, geometry and critical thinking.

According to Doug Falconer(45), James’s dad, the standard of maths in the Asian countries is of a much higher level. “In Asia, Grade 7 learners are doing Grade 9 and 10 maths already, so these Monday training sessions have been invaluable.”

“In the beginning the extra lessons were very difficult,” said the young Mr Falconer, “I thought, ‘where’s the maths, its just words?’ But now I’m used to it. We are also learning the basics of trigonometry and working with circles, which is very interesting.”

Mr Collis agreed with Mr Falconer, “The training is very interesting, the maths is exciting and I love being extended. It is so exciting knowing that I will compete against world class mathematicians.”

The experience comes at a cost though. “Some sucker is going to have to pay R23000,00 to get their kid oversees,” Mr Falconer, James’ father, quipped to another parent at the ceremony to announce the teams. “I should have known my boy was going to be selected,” he says in hind-sight.

The young Mr Collis and Mr Falconer are not just maths whizzes though, both have shown themselves to be resourceful young men. For his part, Mr Falconer spent his holidays looking after peoples gardens while they were away on holiday, walking dogs and washing cars. For his efforts he managed to save up a R1000,00 towards his trip. A friend of his, Hannah Nelson(13), who stays in Oxford, England, graciously contributed a £100 towards his expenses from the money that she earned through babysitting.

Mr Collis is not sure of the job he will end up doing one day, but he hopes to combine his two passions, maths and computers. To help further his dream and pay for his trip he managed to sell an old fridge he was given on gum tree and has put a lot of effort into selling tickets for a fundraiser his mom, Chanel Collis, and James’ mom, Caren Falconer, have organized.

“We have arranged for Robert Brain, an accredited Life and Business Coach, Saskia Wild, the founder of Simply Sorted and Relda Budge, a Skincare Therapist, to chat about de-cluttering your thinking and getting what you want out of life over a cup of coffee and freshly baked muffins,” said Mrs Collis.

The fundraiser, which is being held a the 1st Bergvliet Scout Hall in Bergvliet, takes place from 3pm to 5pm on Saturday June 8. “Interested people can get more information or register at www.events.potion.co.za,” said Mrs Falconer, adding that there were limited seats available.

Words and images by Clinton Wittstock

Freelance writer and photographer

Article appeared in the Constantiaberg Bulletin

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Wine farms "pillars of local economy"

Wine farms "pillars of local economy"

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Michelle Isaacs(33) never finished school but is a rising star in the local wine industry. In 1998 Isaacs began working on the Klein Constantia Wine Estate as a Vineyard Technician,   pruning vines, harvesting grapes etc. A mere 15 years later she holds the prestigious portfolio of Exports and Dry Goods Manager.

“I worked hard and learnt everything I could wherever I worked,” Isaacs said, “and I jumped at every opportunity to learn something new.”

Isaacs is part of a new generation of wine farm workers benefitting from reformed philosophies within the Constantia Wine Farm Industry. “We realized a long time ago that community upliftment would play a vital role in determining our long term success,” said Alan Wickstom, the Cellar Door Manager at the Klein Constantia Wine Estate.

According to Wickstom, The Klein Constantia wine farm was the first wine estate in South Africa to help their employees own their own property. “We bought a parcel of land in Westlake, built houses on it for our employees, helped them get bonds from a bank and taught them the basics of owning a home and paying it off,” he says with pride. 

Isaacs was one such employee to benefit from this scheme. “My husband also works on the farm and we paid our bond off, sold the house for a profit and bought a bigger home in Muizenberg last year.” 

“We put a lot of time and money into training our staff,” says Wickstom. “The more knowledgeable and proficient our employees have become, the more pride they have taken in their work, which is vital when you consider that a good vintage year is totally dependent on what they do out there in the vineyards.”

It is no wonder therefore that more than 80% of Klein Constantia’s 75 strong workforce have been employed on the farm for more than 15 years. In the bigger picture, Klein Constantia contributes approximately 6 million rand to the local economy in the form of wages. This pales in comparison to Groot Constantia Wine Estate which foots an annual wage and electricity bill of 10,8 million rand.

“It is not just in revenue generated by wine sales, wine tasting and through the injection of money into the community through wages that we contribute to the local economy,” says Jean Naude, General Manager of Groot Constantia Estate, “tourism is another big spin off we have.”

According to Naude, Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Steenberg, Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig, Constantia Glen, Eagles Nest, Beau Constantia and Silvermist, which make up the Constantia Wine Route, have all gone to great lengths to portray Constantia as a great destination for oversees tourists. 

“We ourselves advertise the quality and sophistication of our multiple award winning wines, the natural beauty of our wine farm, its tranquility, its historical background and early Cape Dutch architecture,” Naude says, “but we don’t stop there; we highlight the beauty and safety of Constantia as a whole, the other wine farms, Kirstenbosch Gardens,

the closeness to the city and the double decker sight seeing bus route which runs through Constantia.”

Naude explains that the portrayal of Constantia as a collective whole is a major drawcard of people to the area, creating a steady flow of customers for the wine farms, local B+B’s, hotels, restaurants, travel guides and for local businesses.

Tim Scarborough, owner of Klein Bosheuwel Guest House in Constantia, says he loves sending his guests to Groot Constantia wine farm because he knows that they produce quality wines. In the last year alone Groot Constantia has won 5 international gold medals, once again drawing the international community’s attention to Cape Towns very own wine route.

Rick Bartlett, owner of Constantia Stables guest house in the heart of Constantia says that his close proximity to the wine farms in Constantia affects his business in a very positive way. “At least 20% of all my visitors, especially Europeans, come to me specifically because they want to visit the wine farms on the Constantia Wine Route,” Bartlett says, explaining that much of his advertising oversees highlights the fact that three or four of the best wine producing estates in South Africa are right on his doorstep and that they are the oldest and most established wine farms. 

The other 80% of Bartletts guests come because of the total package Constantia offers them - the wine farms, the beauty, the history, architecture and the closeness to Kirstenbosch Gardens, the city and many beautiful beaches. “At least five of the farms,” Bartlett adds, “have top quality restaurants which I book for my guests as far as 6 months in advance.”  

Another way in which the wine industry in Constantia contributes to the economy is through its support of local industries. “As far as possible we always try to support local Constantia businesses,” Wickstom says, pointing out as an example how their clothes are made by a local clothes manufacturer. Michelle Isaacs benefits from their support too.

“After work, my husband, a friend of ours and myself make packets for the bottles of wine and other merchandise sold at the wine farms,” Isaacs says, “which Klein Constantia and other wine farms allow us to sell at their shops.”

Wickstom explains that their success is directly related to the success of the other wine farms and businesses in Constantia.  “We share the philosophy that if we work together we are better off than working alone,” he says, “we feel our customers out to find out what they really want and so we often send our visitors to a neighboring farm to taste their shiraz or whatever might be particularly good there or to a restaurant we think they will enjoy. If they leave with a great impression of Constantia we all win.”

Words and images by Clinton Wittstock

Freelance writer and photographer

Article appeared in the Constantiaberg Bulletin

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Wetlands given a hands up

Wetlands given a hands up

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“Dumping and littering doesn’t just spoil the beauty of the wetland but kills life and puts people at risk, especially children,” said Sara Best(25), an Environmental Manager with NCC Environmental Services.

Ms Best was speaking to The Constantiaberg Bulletin at a community event organized by NCC to clean the wetland up. Responding to their public invitation, 29 locals, including children, members of the US consulate, students and employees of NCC turned up on Thursday May 23, to lend a helping hand. 

According to Ms Best, the wetland is vital to the community because it cleans the water and provides a natural home to a diverse assortment of fauna and flora. When too much dumping and littering occurs in a wetland, the waterways are clogged up and water contamination and E coli can become a real threat to people, plants and animal life. 

“A Pollsmoor Prison employee recently made an anonymous phone call, complaining that she was not able to drive across the stream that runs through the wetland and the Pollsmoor property because it was blocked to overflowing by dirty nappies and other rubbish,” Ms Best said. “Around the same time I saw kids from the community playing in the park. It might seem like innocent fun but these kids could become seriously ill.”

According to her, each household in the community has one rubbish bin but because many people live in the backyards of these homes, the one dustbin becomes inadequate. People then just dump their garbage instead of paying or making another plan to have it removed.

Mr Jim Emery(48), the Facility Manager of the US Consulate, said that he and his two colleagues had responded to the invitation to volunteer because they wanted to help improve the neighbourhood. “The consulate overlooks the wetland so we can see how it is getting spoilt. A few endangered leopard frogs also live in the park, so it’s vital that we keep the wetland pollution free,” he said. 

This is the third time this year that NCC have organized a community clean-up of the wetland. After having been the Environmental Control Officers on duty while the boardwalk across the park was being built, Ms Best said NCC decided to focus most of their Corporate Social Investment(CSI) efforts in 2013 on cleaning and protecting the Westlake wetlands.

“Our hope is to educate and inspire the local community to take ownership of the wetlands themselves,” said Linda Mare(31) of NCC, “and a big strategy of ours is to hold talks with learners at the local schools. If they know what a wetland is, how important it is, what insects, birds, animals and plants live there then perhaps they would realize how damaging it is to throw their sweet papers or cans on the ground.”

A young man who knows just how damaging littering can be is a learner from Westlake Primary, Thanda Goqo(12). When he and three of his friends, Breyton Aarendse(12), Deswill Malgas(13), both of Westlake Primary and Jose Steyn(13) of Constantia Primary saw people cleaning the protected area up, they immediately volunteered their services.

“When other kids throw their rubbish down I tell them it is unhealthy and that they need to pick it up for their own good and the good of others,” the young Mr Goqo explained.

Ms Best added that other than the reaching out to the youth in the area, they were hoping to find someone in the community who would be willing to start a recycling scheme. “That person could start small, making money by collecting cans, glass and paper; but it would eventually grow into something much bigger,” she explained.

The City of Cape Town had also made an effort to protect the wetland from being polluted by erecting fences all along the boardwalk and around its boundary. These efforts have been hampered by panels of the fence being broken, giving people access to dump their garbage, or stolen to be sold for scrap metal.

On the day of the clean-up, other than general littering, mounds of building rubble lay in heaps all over the wetland as well as household items like a whole carpet. According to Ms Best, the City of Cape Town has been very good in coming alongside the community to help protect their wetland. “At the time of the last clean-up, 10 fence panels were missing or broken, but thankfully Talcott Persent of the City of Cape Town made an effort to replace or fix them,” Ms Best said, pointing out that one or two panels were already missing or broken. 

NCC is planning to do another two or three clean-ups this year. Those members of the public or businesses in the area who would like to get involved can contact Ms Best via e-mail: sarab@ncc-group.co.za 

Words and images by freelance writer and photographer Clinton Wittstock

Article appeared in the Constantiaberg Bulletin

Thursday May 30 2013

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Parent Centre reflects on 30 years

The Parent Centre in Wynberg reflects on 30 years

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Constantiaberg Bulletin

“Countless lives have been saved or transformed through the love and dedication Parent Centre employees have shown the public over the years,” said Venecia Barries, the Director of the Parenting Centre.

Mrs Barries said that she was proud of the Parenting Centre’s legacy, and was over-joyed to be a part of the May 2012 celebration commemorating its 30 years of service to communities of Cape Town.

“A man who once participated in our parenting training workshops made a heartfelt confession,” recalls Mrs Barries.

“My sons were only seven, ten and 13 years old at the time I attended the workshop,” the man, who prefers to remain anonymous, said. “Shortly after completing the course I overheard one of my sons asking my wife what had happened to me because I wasn’t shouting at or kicking them anymore. She told him that I had realized that children were human beings too.”

Another case that has stuck with Mrs Barries is the story of a desperate woman. Pregnant at the time and overwhelmed by the thought that she was not going to be able to look after the child, this lady walked down to the train station and was waiting to throw herself in-front of the next train. Miraculously however she came to hear about a talk the Parent Centre was going to give about parenting. Filled with hope she attended the meeting where she received the love and encouragement she needed to carry on living and to give her child a chance at life.

The Parenting Centre runs several programs to help soon to be parents, parents, care givers and educators deal better with the complexities and rigours of giving birth, raising and educating children.

“A large part of our success has been that our focus from the beginning has been to equip people to be better parents, care givers or educators through providing them with information, support and parenting skills,” Mrs Barries said, adding that there tag line over the years has been - “Helping children through parents”

“In actual fact, many of our current employees are people who have first hand experience of the power of our interventions, myself included. I attended one of our courses when my daughter Gabby was just one years old and it transformed the way I parented through the years,” said Mrs Barries

The Parenting and Community Empowerment and Support(PACES) programme consists of a 7 week Positive Parenting Programme and an 11 week Parenting and Leadership Training course.

The Positive Parenting Programme aims to help parents become more positive about their parenting roles by equipping them to understand why their children behave like they do and how better to meet their child’s needs. The Parenting and Leadership Training course is designed to better equip professionals, parent leaders, community workers and leaders in parenting and leadership skills already working in the field.

The Parenting Centre also offers a Parent Infant Intervention Home Visiting Programme. “We hope to prevent child abuse, neglect and abandonment through this programme,” said Mrs Barries. “We go to the home of expecting moms five times during their pregnancy and then 15 times after the birth to make sure these women are as equipped as possible to give birth and then to be able to look after their new born baby.”

Another popular programme offered by the Parenting Centre is the Teen Parenting Programme. Teen biological parents and caregivers are given the support, love and skills training they need to be a good parent. “It is so sad,” said Mrs Barries, “ many of these parents are just children themselves and are often parents because of rape or because their parents have died of HIV AIDS.”

Looking forward, Mrs Barries, herself a trained social worker, is hoping to expand the reach of the Parenting Centre into as yet unreached communities. According to her, many people living in the suburbs of Cape Town do not know that help is available to them. “We have a team of professional psychologists, social workers, pediatricians, marriage counselors and more who are all wanting to help people in need,” Mrs Barry said.

To take advantage of the services offered by the Parenting Centre or if you would like to get involved, please e-mail them at: reception@theparentcentre.org.za or give them a call at 021 762 0016

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Family's dream trip around the world

Herman and Candelaria Zapp and their family of four's dream trip around the world.

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Constantiaberg Bulletin

This year Alethea Cocotos(44), a Constantia local, took a risk and opened her home to a South American family of 6 virtual strangers. As a result her life has been changed forever.

“About a year ago my uncle phoned me to tell me about this family traveling the world in a vintage car,” Cocotos said. “So I looked them up on the internet, was totally inspired by what I read and so bought their book, ‘Spark your dream,’ which I read cover to cover.”

Herman Zapp(42) and Candelaria Zapp(40) left Argentinia 13 years ago to fulfill a childhood dream of theirs to travel to Alaska. The initial plan was to backpack there and then return home to make way for their second dream: to have children. 

“As it turns out, we neither backpacked nor did we return home to have children, all four of our kids were born on the road and each on a different continent,” Candelaria Zapp says. 

Pampa(8) was born in the USA, their second son, Tehue(5), in Argentina, their princess, Paloma(3) was born in Canada and their third boy, Wallaby(1) was born in Australia.

“I was reading the last chapter of their book when my father called,” Cocotos recalls, “and he told me to quickly turn the telly on. It was a news clip about the Zapp’s arriving in Durban for the next part of their journey to the top of Africa.”

Cocotos is a single lady and is, by her own admission, rather shy. Going against her nature though, Cocotos e-mailed the Zapps, inviting them to her home in Cape Town. “I knew I stood a good chance of them accepting my invite because I knew from reading their book that they were a family who followed their hearts.”

So to her great delight, her risk payed off and on May the 6th, 2013, the Zapp’s arrived at her doorstep in their green 1928 Graham Paige car. “When I first met them, I just wanted to hear about their travels, where they had been and what they had done,” Cocotos says, “but the more that I have gotten to know them, the more I have become intrigued with the way that they look at life as opposed to just their travels.”

“Our journey is a heart journey, not a head journey,” Mr Zapp once told Cocotos, “if it were a head journey I would still be stuck in an office working my life away, just dreaming about this journey.”

The Zapp’s dream at first was to cross the Americas and travel to Alaska. That dream grew along the way and four continents later they are now staying in Cocotos’s one bedroom apartment in Constantia, poised to cross their fifth continent. “Their life philosophy has rubbed off on me,” Cocotos said, “I have determined in my heart to be more adventurous relationally and to be more spontaneous.”  

Cocotos said that a highlight of hers while having the Zapp family in her home was the trip that they took from Green Point to Cape Point in the vintage car. “It was amazing to see how people reacted to the car, how it drew people and opened their hearts to the Zapp family and then to see how the Zapp’s welcomed those people into their lives.”

“When you travel as much as we do, a mountain can become just another mountain, a beach just another beach, but the one thing that is always guaranteed to be different is people. It is the people we have met along the way that we have loved the most about our journey,” Herman and Candalaria Zapp say in unison.

“My father is helping Herman fix his car, and once it is ready, they will head off. I was hoping, rather selfishly, that it would need a lot of work so that they could stay longer, but my father says it is in a pretty good condition,” Cocotos said.

The Zapp family will be at the Porter Estate Market in Tokai on Saturday the 25th form 9am till 1pm and would love to meet anyone interested in speaking to them about their journey.

Words and Images by Clinton Wittstock, Freelance writer and photographer

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Changing the world two wheels at a time

Changing the world two wheels at a time

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“How can you expect a man who stays in a shack and wakes up everyday with rubbish on his doorstep, to care enough to even want to listen to someone speaking about the global problems we are facing?” Meshack Nchupetsang, the owner of Eyethu Cycle Shop asks.

In 2002 the answer to that question, triggered by adversity, came to Nchupetsang. A  downturn in the economy meant that he was retrenched, loosing his job as a Logistics Manager. At that same time he met up with people from The Bicycling Empowerment Network(BEN).

“You need to be able to build a bridge of communication with a person before you can begin chatting to him about the rubbish on his doorstep,” Mr Nchupetsang said. “When I heard about BEN, things just clicked; I knew then that bicycles would be the bridge for me into the Westlake and broader community.”

BEN is a non-profit organization whose main aim is to address poverty and mobility through the promotion of the humble bicycle. The organization collects donated used and low cost bicycles from China and European countries, like Britain, Germany and Holland and then distributes them to the people of low-income areas through the set up of Bicycle Empowerment Centers(BEC).

BEC’s are simply containerized workshops that are stocked with these bikes and tools needed for bicycle repairs and maintenance. A local person, preferably from a previously disadvantaged sector, is then given all the training and support needed to run the BEC as a business as well as being trained to service and repair all types of bicycles.

“I have always wanted to have a business like this; that has a global impact, that touches on fundamental issues like saving money, mobility, decreasing the carbon footprint and empowering people, both socially and economically,” Mr Nchupetsang said. “I pay for the shipping costs and import taxes of the bicycles, service them in my container and then sell bikes as good as new to clients for much reduced rates.”

“I recently sold a landmark 3000th bike,” Mr Nchupetsang said proudly, adding that 2500 of those were to residents in the Westlake area. Mr Nchupetsang, himself an avid cyclist, said that before he started his business he conducted a survey of the Westlake area and found that less than 0,5% of the population were using bicycles. Now, just 11 years later, according to Mr Nchupetsang, more than 87% of residents use bicycles to get to work or school, to go down to the shop to buy electricity or groceries and for sport and recreation.

Mr Nchupetsang reckons that, although most of his customers are elderly people and young people just starting off in life, he has seen a dramatic increase of learners beginning to commute to school on pedal power. “There was a time when it would just be me cycling with my children to school, but now there are many students riding to school everyday,” he said, adding that he is a firm believer in advocating the use of safety clothing, like helmets, and adhering to the road safety rules.

A constant source of joy for Mr Nchupetsang is knowing that his business is changing the lives of people in his community for the better. According to him, cycling is an accessible and cheap form of transport, is eco friendly and it is fun and promotes a healthy lifestyle.   

“I can put someone on the road for R400,00,” he said, adding that he also offers a 3 month lay-by option to help people own a bicycle.

Sometimes however, people are just too poor to pay for a bicycle or for repairs. Martin(he is known only as Martin), suffers from TB. He has been too sickly to hold down a permanent job and so has serious financial problems. “He brought his bicycle to me, it was in a terrible condition, just about unridable, and he asked me to fix it but said he had no money to pay for the repairs,” Mr Nchupetsang said. “So I agreed to fix it if he would come and help me clean up the yard at my business and home. His bicycle is as good as new now and he is getting better because he is able to get around and get some exercise. I am also teaching Martin to service his own bike,” Mr Nchupetsang explained, adding that he enjoys Martin’s company and that Martin is a very funny guy.

It is not just locally that Mr Nchupetsang has been able to be of a help to people. In 2005 he was fortunate enough to travel across South Africa with the National Department of Transport(NDT). “The NDT bought bicycles and then we went to the Eastern Cape and gave them to people in old age homes and to home based carers. These carers, mostly woman, would have to walk far distances to attend to their patients but now they can get to them much quicker and therefore see more patients in a day,” Mr Nchupetsang said, adding that the recipients of the bicycles also got basic bicycle safety and maintenance training.

Looking forward, Mr Nchupetsang is hoping to expand his business so that he can give locals an opportunity to work. “I would love to empower and train people to fix bicycles and to manage a bicycle shop, especially women,” Mr Nchupetsang said.

For more information about BEC’s, contact Mr Nchupetsang via e-mail: meshack.nchupetsang@gmail.com

Words and images by Clinton Wittstock, Freelance writer and photographer

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