Cape Town - The African Mirror

Mar

2023

Cape Town residents hold night vigil after German tourist disappears

RESIDENTS of Hout Bay community, close to South Africa's tourist capital Cape Town, held a candlelight vigil evening as the search continued for a 22-year-old German who went missing during a hike last month. Five South African suspects, aged between 20 and 25 years, were arrested after being found in possession of items that belonged to the missing Nick Frischke. They appeared in court on Tuesday facing charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances. Among the items found was a credit card, police said, adding that investigators believe it was taken during a robbery. The case has been postponed until March…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Da Costa wins Africa’s 1st ePrix in Cape Town

SPORT

ON a beautiful sunny afternoon, right under the Table Mountain, Antonio Felix da Costa made history by winning the ABB FIA Formula E world championship - The Cape Town ePrix - and the first on African soil. The street race was filled with drama, with several key drivers, including championship leader Pascal Wehrlein, crashing out. Da Costa, driving for Porsche, drove a bold race and impressed with his brave overtaking skills after starting 11th, to register his first win in the championship. The victory also delivered glimpses of the ability of Da Costa, who won the championship in the 2019-20…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

FE: High-speed Cape Town E-Prix ready to challenge drivers

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE fifth leg of Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E championship takes place in Cape Town, and all eleven teams are ready to attack the high-speed circuit. The teams warmed up to the track with their second and final free practice session on Saturday Morning, with Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy ending on the top, beating out Maserati’s Edoardo Mortara in second by 0.307s, followed by NIO 333’s Dan Ticktum in third. The fast track allowed for Cassidy to set a new all-time fastest Formula E lap, at a speed up of 154.37 km/h. The South…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Cape Town has found a permanent solution to water scarcity: Wastewater

NEWS

BIÉNNE HUISMAN, BIRD STORY AGENCY SOME Capetonians might find this hard to swallow, but within five years, the city’s residents and visitors are set to drink purified sewage water. But before it’s piped back into homes and businesses as tap water, it will go through stringent recycling processes. “It’s very safe,” says Michael Killick, Cape Town director of bulk services for water and sanitation. “We’ll have our own laboratory with control and monitoring systems throughout the process. We’ll test for herbicides, pesticides, and contaminants of emerging concern, which are hormones, even caffeine, pharmaceuticals, and E.coli. So we’ll be able to…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

South African police conduct mass raid in Cape Town crime hotspot

NEWS

RIFLES in hand and dogs in tow, hundreds of uniformed police descended on townships and settlements in Cape Town for a two-day raid on one of South Africa's most violent areas. High rates of unemployment and drug abuse in the crime-ridden Cape Flats area have fuelled activity by gangs who the City of Cape Town said extort protection money from residents. More than 750 officers, canine units and helicopters were deployed in the raid on Wednesday and Thursday. Several people were arrested, authorities said. Thomson Reuters Foundation

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

Cape Town eyes Africa’s top spot in financial hubs

BUSINESS

CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY CAPE TOWN is one step away from claiming Africa’s number one ranking as the continent’s top financial centre, thanks to ‘significant’ improvement on its ranking and rating scores over the last year. The latest Global Financial Centers Index shows that thanks largely to its improved Fintech ratings, Cape Town has toppled seven cities across the world to improve its rankings from position 62 in September 2021 to settle at number 54 globally. Cape Town is now one rank shy of Casablanca (53) after Morocco’s port city - which has held the top Africa spot since…

Dec

2021

By The African Mirror

No cruise ship cheer for Cape Town tourism amid Omicron alarm

NEWS

WENDELL ROELF THE docking of the Europa passenger liner in Cape Town on Tuesday was meant to be a ribbon-cutting celebration marking the official start of the cruise ship season in South Africa's top tourist hub, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But international travel curbs on southern Africa, where the new Omicron coronavirus variant was first identified, have blown expectations of a bumper tourist season out of the water. The multi-storey, white luxury liner is the first to dock at Cape Town since South Africa imposed a total ban on all cruise ships entering local ports in March…

Aug

2021

By The African Mirror

See the top 10 Miss South Africa finalists

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO MISS South Africa will crown their new queen after Shudufhadzo Musida’s covid-19 interrupted reign comes to an end. The pageant announced their top 10 contestants vying for the prestigious title and crown, which will be crowned in Cape Town’s Grand West Arena. The top 3 winners from the group will also represent the country on three international pageant stages: Miss World; Miss Supranational and Miss Universe. This year’s judging panel consisted of four former beauty queens: Melinda Bam (Miss SA 2011), Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala (Miss SA 2010); Tamryn Green (Miss SA 2018) and Liesl Laurie (Miss SA 2015). The…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

S. African women risk assault to reach work as taxi violence surges

NEWS

KIM HARRISBERG SOUTH African language tutor Debbie Odumuko has already survived a shootout in a grocery store since fighting between rival taxi drivers resurfaced in Cape Town in early July. But walking alone at night alongside the highway to get home now that most taxis have stopped running has left her equally terrified of being assaulted. Getting to and from work has become risky for Odumuko, 49, but the thought of staying home and not being able to feed her four children kept her up at night as she lay in bed listening to gunshots fired between taxi gangs. "I…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Cyber attack disrupts major SA port operations

NEWS

ZANDI SHABALALA and TANISHA HEIBERG A cyber attack has disrupted container operations at the South African port of Cape Town, according to an email seen by Reuters. Durban, the busiest shipping terminal in sub-Saharan Africa, was also affected, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Cape Town Harbour Carriers Association said in an email to members, seen by Reuters: "Please note that the port operating systems have been cyber-attacked and there will be no movement of cargo until the system is restored." Transnet's official website was down on Thursday showing an error message. Transnet, which operates major…