Not all Super-Heroes wear Capes

Not only has the Covid-19 virus impacted local industry never witnessed before in South Africa, shutting down local businesses at all at levels leaving some companies with no option but to shut down completely.

On the other end of the spectrum, people earning a living just to make ends meet have not only lost their income but their means to put food on the table. The struggle to make ends meet is a daily one and in the true spirit of community, feeding stations have been set-up in townships and on the Cape Flats by concerns citizens.

News of the plight of the poor spread fast and food producers leapt into action to assist where they could e.g. local retailers made donations of fresh produce, bakeries donated bread and dairies provided milk and yoghurt etc.

Renowned photojournalist Brenton Geach said, “When a tiny girl from Village Heights, Lavender Hill, arrives alone to queue to collect her soup, then leaves alone afterwards, it raises serious questions about the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown and relevant official interventions.

Currently, the only help the poor in the area are receiving is from private donors who are supporting the selfless citizens who feed the hungry on a daily basis. If that runs out, however, then what?

In my experience in these areas since the lockdown was announced, people are struggling – more and more. Everyone is penniless, hungry and angry – a dangerous combination. The truth is that the food kitchens cannot cater for everyone in need, so thousands are left to go hungry, concluded Geach“

This statement is a true reflection of what is happening amongst poor communities where heroes do not wear capes but are hunched over large pots with serving spoons in hand at the end of long queues of hungry and desperate children looking to receive the only meal they may get today.

One such organisation heard the rallying cry for help are a few locals who set-up a” The Covid-19 Bread Drive” and with the help of Sasko a local bread producer is assisting several kitchens in the local townships to feed the poor.

Wayne Weber said, “We decided to share a “Call to Action” appeal and asked the community to get involved by donating as little as R7.50 to purchase a loaf of bread to feed the hungry. This appeal was also sent out to fresh produce merchants to support the cause and pledge essential donations.

The response we received was overwhelming, in the first ten days of operation we were able to reach 15 areas to feed more the 8 500 people.

We  work closely with local community leaders across the Cape Flats and Township, distributing much-needed bread and fresh produce to the needy.”

Their service is selfless, very day these good Samaritans are amongst many local heroes who set out before the break of dawn to deliver and assist food kitchens.

To the staff manning the many feeding stations, We Salute You!

To assist or for more information contact:                                              Wayne Weber – +27 71 354 0917 or                                                                        Karen Heeger – +27 83 386 0615 / karen@karenheeger.com

#Covid-19 #CPTnColour #TogetherweCan

Mountain fires re-routes the Cape Town Cycle Tour

Mountain fires re-routes the Cape Town Cycle Tour .

The World largest timed cycle race, the Cape Town Cycle Tour takes place on Sunday March 08 2015.

Last year, more about 35 000 riders participated in this event drawing a huge number of cyclist from all over the South Africa and the world. The Cape Town Cycle Tour is the first event outside Europe to be included in the International Cycling Union’s Golden Bike Series.

It is one of the few cycling events that allows non-professional cyclist to ride alongside professional cyclists.

The recent mountain fire in the Cape have made parts of the Cape Town Cycle tour route unsafe.

After the recent mountain fire that has devastated much of the route, the organizers have decided to re-route the race Cape Town Cycle Tour, shortening it from a looped 109km to a circular 47km.

Areas along the route from Muizenburg down to Cape Point and along the Atlantic side of the mountain such as Chapmans Peak Drive have made parts of the mountainside unsafe as the fire has destroyed large tracts of vegetation. The heat from the intensity of the fire has caused loose rocks to tumble down the mountainside initiating Disaster Management to close some roads along the route.

Riders will now leave the City Centre down the M3 highway to the turn-around point at the Ou Kaapse Weg turn-off returning back to Green Point along the M3.

The Cape Town Cycle Tour Route for 2015.

This event has attracted riders from all over the country and the world and organisers have taken their safety into consideration when making the route changes.

The Cape Town Cycle Tour has not forgotten the less fortunate and in the past 4,000 riders representing more than 70 charities opted to ride for a worthy cause.

About the Cape Town Cycle Tour.

Started in 1978 with only 525 cyclists by two local cyclist passionate about the sport.

The Cape Town Cycle Tour is owned and staged by the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust and it is the largest, timed cycling event in the world. It also celebrates its 38^th year in 2015 when, on the morning of Sunday, 8 March, 35 000 cyclists will line up to ride the 109km route through some of the world’s most spectacular scenery that includes the iconic Table Mountain as a backdrop.

The main beneficiaries of the Cape Town Cycle Tour are the Pedal Power Association (PPA) and Rotary Club of Claremont, which are equal stakeholders in the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust.

Increased global appeal and the events iconic status lead to the name change. Event organizers and owners, the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust (CTCTT) released a statement saying that due to global interest, the organizers and sponsors have come to an agreement on the name and logo change from the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Momentum Cycle Tour to the Cape Town Cycle Tour.

Cape firefighters battling against the odds

Cape Fire burns on the Southern slopes of the Cape mountain range. Pic Jacques Unshakable West

Its day three and still they persevere, the Cape fire-fighters have been battling a blaze that started in Muizenberg and traversed the mountain across Silvermine Reserve and Ou Kaapse Weg to Hout Bay, Chapmans Peak along the spine of the Table Mountain Nature reserve to Tokai Forest.

The fire above Noordhoek

Reports suggest that if this fire runs its current course the forest range in Silvermine and Tokai will be completely devastated before the flames are doused. Residents in Monkey Valley, Noordhoek and Tokai were evacuated from their homes yesterday as the fire services battled the blaze, five homes were destroyed by the blaze in Noordhoek.

Firefighters battling the blaze

Inaccessible mountainous terrain have made the task of fighting this fire even more difficult as hot dry summers and wind is assisting this fire to spread across much of the South Western Cape mountain range.

Relays of firefighting helicopters have been on duty since Sunday – pic Greg Hillyard

Relays of firefighting helicopters have been on duty since Sunday, as well as local fire fighters and volunteers from Working on Fire (WOF) and the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) based at Newlands Forest have been battling this huge blaze. Fire fighters have been flown in from as far as the Eastern Cape to assist local fire fighters. Members of the public have supplemented their ranks joining in the fight to control the blaze.

News just in, Pick n Pay branches across the City have donated a number of necessities for those fighting the blaze, with donations of water, rehydrate, sunscreen, lip-ice, hand-wipes, talcum powder, sunscreen, savlon cream, eye-drops, energy bars, citrus soda and food parcels.

Donations at the Lakeside Fire Station – pic Janine Nagel

The Western Cape Government, Disaster Management, Fire Rescue Services, Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) and Working on Fire (WOF) are however working around the clock to bring this mountain fire under control.

The Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) have been combating dangerous and often deadly runaway fires since the devastating fires in 1999 / 2000 in Cape Town.

The general public however should note that unless they can assist, to stay off the roads in and around the fire zone to ensure that the fire fighters can work unhindered by spectators hoping to catch a closer view of the fire.

The danger is apparent as this fire has already jumped gullies and roads; spreading in all directions, fanned by the wind.

We, the residents of Cape Town appreciate the efforts of all the fire fighters, volunteers, people who have donated goods and those who have set-up refreshment stations at various points along the mountain.

Note: The Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) have been combating dangerous and often deadly runaway fires since the devastating fires in 1999 / 2000 in Cape Town.

The VWS has 180 members at three stations (Newlands, Jonkershoek and the newly developing South Peninsula Station), and working closely with other emergency service organisations in wild-land fire management such as Table Mountain National Park, Cape Nature, Cape Town Fire & Emergency Services, Disaster Management, Winelands Fire Brigade, Stellenbosch Fire Brigade and Working on Fire has meant that the VWS has, to date, achieved over 39,000 active firefighting hours between its members and stations.

 

Fire Safety Tips and Rules (http://www.westerncape.gov.za)

• General Safety Rules:
  • ​Keep a well-maintained fire extinguisher in your house, and know how to use it.
  • If you have a garden hose, keep it rolled up and ready in case of a fire.
  • Where possible, have more than one exit from your house.
  • Have an escape plan, and make sure that the whole family knows the plan.
  • Do not park in the way of a fire hydrant (and remind your neighbours and visitors to do the same).

Safety around an Open Flame:

• • Keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.
  • Cut candles in half to prevent them falling over and use a candle holder.
  • Never leave an open fire – for example around a braai – unattended.
  • Do not let open fires, like a braai, get too big and out of control.
  • Monitor weather conditions. If the wind is strong, rather put the fires out until the wind calms.
• What if a fire breaks out in my house?
  • Warn people inside the house to get out safely.
  • Help people to get out and stay out of harm’s way.
  • If there is a lot of smoke, crawl out below the smoke to escape the fire.
  • Where possible, have more than one exit from your house, with clear routes to the door.

For more tips on how to prevent fires, you can visit the Fire and Rescue Services at the City of Cape Town’s webpage.

When reporting fires, please contact your Local District Municipality

• City of Cape Town: 107 or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone
• Overberg: 028 425 1690
• West Coast: 022 433 8700
• Eden: 044 805 5071
• Central Karoo: 023 414 2603
• Cape Winelands: 021 887 4446

 

Be sure to save the appropriate number on your cellphone and to teach it to your children.

 

Fire season razes the Cape

Its summer in Cape Town and with temperatures hitting the high 30’s and 40+ in some areas of the Western Cape it’s a perfect time to hit the many beaches in the Cape Peninsula but spare a thought for the for the firefighters of the Cape for whom its “High Season”.

A helicopter water bombs a bush fire on the Cape Flats.

On December 01, 2014 the Western Cape Fire Services officially launched Western Cape Summer Fire Season

Hot dry summers and high wind speeds across much of the Western Cape, causing wild fires to spread quickly and easily.

Fire fighters fight a township blaze.

With this in mind, the Western Cape Government, Disaster Management, Fire Rescue Services and Working on Fire (WOF) spent the winter months training to combat the many fires expected to raze the Cape this summer.

A fire in Hout Bay as seen from Wynberg, Cape Town.

At risk is the green belt of the Table Mountain Nature Reserve as well as the dry plains of the Cape Flats.

The mountain above Simonstown and Signal Hill have witnessed the most devastating bush fires in the Western Cape recently. Also in the mix are the many fires in our local townships that leave destruction and devastation in its wake.

On the morning of January 08, 2015, a fire broke out on Cape Town’s Signal Hill, the city’s fire and rescue department worked around the clock to contain the blaze finally damping the area before lunch time.

Days later on January 19, local firefighters battled 14 fires across the Western Cape, the largest blazes were in Steenberg, Strandfontein and Atlantis. Helicopters were called in to douse the fires with 76 firemen and 52 fire fighters of the Table Mountain National Park. They used 11 fire engines and four water tankers to prevent it from spreading.

Last year a candle started the fire that caused 25 shacks to burn down in Imizamo Yetho informal settlement in Hout Bay leaving many people homeless.

It’s been proved that 90% of fires are caused by human negligence, by being prepared and taking the correct precautions this high percentage can be reduced significantly.

The Volunteer Fire Services based at the Newlands Forestry Station

The Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) have been combating dangerous and often deadly runaway fires since being baptized through the devastating fires in 1999 / 2000 in Cape Town. With approximately 180 members at three stations (Newlands, Jonkershoek and the newly developing South Peninsula Station).

Working closely with other emergency service organization’s in wild-land fire management such as Table Mountain National Park, Cape Nature, Cape Town Fire & Emergency Services, Disaster Management, Winelands Fire Brigade, Stellenbosch Fire Brigade and Working on Fire has meant that the VWS has, to date, achieved over 39,000 active fire-fighting hours between its members and stations. For more info go to; http://www.vws.org.za.

Fire Safety Tips and Rules (http://www.westerncape.gov.za)

• General Safety Rules:
  • ​Keep a well-maintained fire extinguisher in your house, and know how to use it.
  • If you have a garden hose, keep it rolled up and ready in case of a fire.
  • Where possible, have more than one exit from your house.
  • Have an escape plan, and make sure that the whole family knows the plan.
  • Do not park in the way of a fire hydrant (and remind your neighbours and visitors to do the same).

• Safety around an Open Flame:
  • Keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.
  • Cut candles in half to prevent them falling over and use a candle holder.
  • Never leave an open fire – for example around a braai – unattended.
  • Do not let open fires, like a braai, get too big and out of control.
  • Monitor weather conditions. If the wind is strong, rather put the fires out until the wind calms.
• What if a fire breaks out in my house?
  • Warn people inside the house to get out safely.
  • Help people to get out and stay out of harm’s way.
  • If there is a lot of smoke, crawl out below the smoke to escape the fire.
  • Where possible, have more than one exit from your house, with clear routes to the door.

For more tips on how to prevent fires, you can visit the Fire and Rescue Services at the City of Cape Town’s webpage.

When reporting fires, please contact your Local District Municipality

• City of Cape Town: 107 or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone
• Overberg: 028 425 1690
• West Coast: 022 433 8700
• Eden: 044 805 5071
• Central Karoo: 023 414 2603
• Cape Winelands: 021 887 4446

Be sure to save the appropriate number on your cellphone and to teach it to your children.