hwbblog

Public Relations Global Network, conference in Cape Town

2012-02-04T12:28:00.002+02:00

HWB welcomes the Public Relations Global Network to its 20th anniversary conference in Cape Town, 19-21 April 2012.

HWB welcomes all to 2012!

2012-02-04T12:24:00.002+02:00

Best wishes to all HWB clients for the holidays

2011-12-14T11:19:00.003+02:00

Influence of Demographic Changes on Corporate Strategy: HWB client, AT Kearney on CNBC Africa

2011-11-03T13:30:00.002+02:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJpWr17Gtg&feature=player_embedded

36 Hours in Cape Town with New York Times

2011-10-30T17:08:00.005+02:00

Read this week in the New York Times about Cape Town as a destination.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/travel/36-hours-in-cape-town.html?emc=eta1

Youth from Soweto, Cape Town, Durban join “climate caravan” through Africa

2011-10-28T18:27:00.002+02:00

Young activists from Soweto, Durban and Cape Town will help to blaze a new trail of awareness about climate change through Africa over the next month, as they travel from Nairobi to Durban in a “climate caravan”.

The caravan of 185 young African activists will arrive in Durban in time for a mass climate change rally hosted by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. This rally will be the climax of the “We Have Faith – Act Now for Climate Justice” campaign, led by African faith leaders, with support from their constituencies and many non-government organisations.

The rally will take place on November 27 - the day before world leaders start the COP17 climate talks in Durban. The “We Have Faith” campaigners, including the activists on the caravan, are demanding that world governments reach a just, ambitions and legally binding treaty to curb climate change at the talks in Durban.

Eight South African activists, from YMCA branches in Cape Town, Durban, Soweto, will fly to Nairobi on Sunday November 30 for the start of the caravan. The travellers aim to collect “We Have Faith” petitions and raise overwhelming support for the rally, on their journey.

They will also host several free music concerts on the way, including in Nairobi and Soweto, to highlight the danger of climate change and the need for world leaders to take action. In Soweto, rap star HHP will be one of the main artists, together with DJs from YFM radio station in Johannesburg. “This is a wonderful, amazing opportunity,” said caravan participant Davina Dawn of Kuils River, Cape Town. “I’m representing not only South African youth, but young people all over the world, as we speak out against climate change.

“We’re all coming together as one nation to make the world a better, cleaner place. This caravan is going to make us all aware that climate change is real, and if only we stand together and work together, we really can make a difference.”

Said Ayanda Mabanga, who lives in Phoenix, Durban, and works at the Student YMCA in suburb Glenwood: “Youth care about things like music, more than about serious issues like climate change – but they would care, if they really understood how important it is.

“This campaign is going to be fun. We will be using music to get young people really interested. And we really need to get this message out there.”

Nomakhaya Makhoba of Orlando East, Soweto, says local youth are well aware of climate change “because we never know what season it is in South Africa, because the weather is so strange. It’s affecting all of us, every day.

“We are so taking this issue on board, especially in Soweto,” she said. “There’s going to be a big concert here, and I hope to be singing in it, as I am a vocalist.”

“I’m so so happy – just ecstatic - about going on this caravan,” she added.

South African rap star Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP) is among the artists who will perform at the Durban rally in Durban, at which Archbishop Tutu will hand over tens of thousands of campaign petition. The chair of COP17, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, has confirmed she will receive the petitions, and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change executive director Christiana Figueres has confirmed her attendance.

For more information about the “We Have Faith” campaign, log on to www.havefaithactnow.org , follow us on Facebook (the “Have Faith – Act Now” community) and Twitter (“COP17ActNow). Watch the YouTube video of Archbishop Tutu’s call to world leaders after signing the petition on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmqoltsY5yU .

For interviews with the youth, phone:

Soweto: Nomakhaya Makhoba - O790407074
Durban: Ayanda Mabanga - O793587862
Cape Town: Davina Dawn - 073 714 0245 / Rufus
For more information about the caravan, phone:
Silje Ander of Norwegian Church Aid on 072 731 7279
For information about the “We Have Faith” campaign, phone
Jo-Anne Smetherham on 082 813 6444 OR
Illa Thompson on 083 326 3234.

COP17 Multi-faith Rally

2011-10-26T23:12:00.008+02:00

Join world faith leaders, HHP, Lewis Pugh and many others at a multi faith rally and free concert - in sending a clear call to political leaders of the world that for the sake of the planet and in obedience to our creator, COP17 must arrive at an agreement based on moral principles.

Tickets are available from the Shark Tank ticket box, as of November 11. Contact Diakonia Council of Churches on +27 31 3103500 or email oliver.meth@diakonia.org.za

See facebook for event details and a message from Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=268438723197951

Cape Town names its neighbourhoods

2011-10-26T22:55:00.002+02:00

Join the move to name the downtown and surrounding areas of the City.

http://www.nameyourhood.co.za/cape-town/our-panel/

2011-10-26T22:38:00.003+02:00

In an impassioned challenge, religious leaders today urged the South African government to start slashing the country's carbon emissions immediately in order to break the international logjam in climate talks and help save life as we know it.

"The government should do the right thing and set an example," said Bishop Geoff Davies, one of several faith leaders who spoke at the launch of the pan-African campaign called "We Have Faith Act Now for Climate Justice", at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town.

The campaign consists of a petition to world leaders attending the COP17 talks in Durban in December, a youth caravan that will leave Nairobi in early December bringing petitions from many African countries, and a mass rally at the King's Park Stadium on November 27 - the day before the international COP17 climate talks start in Durban.

http://www.cop17-cmp7durban.com/

World Design Capitals explains why Cape Town is selected as Design City 2014

2011-10-26T22:34:00.001+02:00

The City of Cape Town lies at the southwestern tip of Africa, uniquely nestled between Robben Island and the majestic Table Mountain range, two national heritage sites. Since the end of apartheid, this city, now three times the size of New York and home to around 3,6 million people, has undertaken the process of redesigning itself. As South Africa’s oldest city and having recently hosted the first World Cup on African soil, Cape Town now has first class infrastructure and a cosmopolitan lifestyle. With the highest standard of living of all South African cities, this gateway to the African continent is rich in heritage, innovation, diversity and creative talent.
http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/world-design-capitals/future-capital-cape-town/

Cape Town wins design bid

2011-10-26T22:19:00.003+02:00

Cape Town has been named World Design Capital for the year 2014, ahead of fellow short-listed cities, Dublin and Bilbao. The sought-after accolade was awarded to the Mother City this morning at the International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress in Taipei.

With more than half the world’s population now living in urban areas, design has become an increasingly fundamental tool to make cities more competitive, attractive, liveable and efficient. The World Design Capital designation is a city promotion project that celebrates the accomplishments of cities that have used design as a tool to reinvent themselves and improve social, cultural and economic life.

http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/

Extracts from the Cape Town World Design Capital 2014 Bid Book can be found on www.capetown2014.co.za

View Cape Town’s winning video, premiered in Taipei at the IDA Congress, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrcFSbYSEko and the video that helped Cape Town to clinch the World Design Capital 2014 title at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoFLtHMWssY

Other platforms for support include a Facebook page: Cape Town for World Design Capital, a Twitter feed: CapeTown2014 and the Twitter hash tag: #WDC2014.

Cape Town & Beyond for the PRGN 2012

2011-09-16T23:24:00.007+02:00

PRGN delegates to the 20th anniversary conference in Cape Town in April 2012 can view a video here about Cape Town as a destination for vacation and more. The event will be hosted by HWB Communications and Sun International.

This video courtesy Cape Town Tourism, the Official Site for Cape Town, South Africa the City's official destination marketing, visitor and industry services agency.

http://www.capetown.travel/

Cape Town for PRGN business 2012

2011-09-16T23:22:00.008+02:00

PRGN delegates to the 20th anniversary conference in Cape Town in April 2012 can view a video here about Cape Town as a business destination. The event will be hosted by HWB Communications and Sun International.

This video courtesy Cape Town Tourism, the Official Site for Cape Town, South Africa the City's official destination marketing, visitor and industry services agency.

http://www.capetown.travel/

MyCiTi to serve Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain

2011-09-10T19:48:00.006+02:00

Relief is in sight for weary commuters living in the Metro South East, which includes Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain.

The City of Cape Town is planning several MyCiTi bus services for these areas, including an express service between Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain and central Cape Town.

These plans are outlined in the latest MyCiTi project report, of July 2011 which will be presented to the Transport, Roads and Stormwater Portfolio Committee on Friday morning.

New MyCiTi services are also planned for transport corridors between the Metro South East and the southern, northern and West Coast suburbs, as there is high passenger demand but no rail service along these routes.

The express service is planned to start by April 2014 and will continue until the Passenger Rail Association of South Africa finishes its planned modernisation of the Khayelitsha-to-CBD service. At that stage, the express service will be re-evaluated.

The aim of the new services is to complement the rail service as well as to serve other corridors of high demand.

View frack attack here

2011-09-10T19:41:00.003+02:00

This music video was produced by Treasure Karoo Action Group, with lyrics and vocals by Cape Town artist Quintin "Jitsvinger" Goliath. Pete O'Donoghue and Travys Owen did the sound and the animation. The video was produced by Pippa Ehrlich.

A press release, with the lyrics and English translation, is available at http://www.hwb.co.za/media-article.php?id=436

For more information, visit treasurethekaroo.blogspot.com or email martin@hwb.co.za

Hip-hop the soundtrack to TKAG anti-fracking campaign

2011-09-10T19:35:00.006+02:00

Anti- fracking video closing on on 3000 views!

A hip-hop music video about the dangers of fracking in the Karoo was launched in Cape Town today. Treasure Karoo Action Group (TKAG) produced the animated video, along with vocalist and writer Jitsvinger (a.k.a. Quintin Goliath) as part of their campaign to create awareness about why hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) should not be allowed in South Africa.

http://themediaonline.co.za/2011/07/hip-hop-the-soundtrack-to-tkag-anti-fracking-campaign/

HWB to attend Chicago conference of PRGN

2011-09-10T19:28:00.004+02:00

HWB will be attending the conference of the Public Relations Global Network as its only African member. The conference will be taking place in Chicago from 23-25 September.

PRGN Tweet Chat -- There will be a global communications Friday 24 September via social media through a Twitter Chat. Aaron Blank @SeattleBlank, at The Fearey Group, is coordinating the event.
#PRGN Twitter Chat

Friday, September 24, 2011

6 pm – 7 pm (US Central time)

#PRGN

HWB welcomes new client AT Kearney SA

2011-09-10T19:22:00.002+02:00

HWB welcomes its newest client, AT Kearney SA.

http://www.za.atkearney.com/

A.T. Kearney is a global management consulting firm, focusing on strategic and operational CEO-agenda concerns. It was founded in 1926, and its head office is in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is regularly ranked among the top 15 in Consulting Magazine's annual ranking of the "Best Firms to Work For."

The firm operated within the United States since its founding in 1926, until 1964 when it opened its first international office in Düsseldorf. A.T. Kearney now has 55 offices in 38 countries.

HWB welcomes its newest client, Juta & Co

2011-07-25T08:05:00.003+02:00

Juta is South Africa’s leading provider of trusted legal and regulatory information and the largest local publisher of quality student textbooks in the fields of Commerce, Accounting, Communications, Social Science, Health, Education and the Law.

Cape Town shortlisted 2014 World Design Capital

2011-06-28T11:00:00.002+02:00

The Mother City has passed through the straits of waiting to be included in the final round of this worldwide urban design competition. We are competing directly with the cities of Dublin and Bilbao for the title that will be announced in October in Taipei.

While we’re basking in our success, let’s also remember that now is when the real work begins.We have a bid book detailing the reasons why the ICSID team (those from the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, who judge the World Design Capital bid) chose to come to Cape Town, but it will take the combined energy of everyone involved in design to convince the delegates that we are worthy of the title. While the future is waiting, history is watching. To echo the sentiment of Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana,MD of Cape Town Partnership, winning the award – and the world’s recognition of how far we’ve come and how we’re using design to uplift the lives of everyone in the city – will be a really, really wonderful way to celebrate two decades of democracy. 2014 marks this anniversary.

If you’re curious about Cape Town Partnership’s role as curatorof this momentous exercise, follow the earlier Creative Cape Town stories tracing the steps of the bid process.

http://www.creativecapetown.net/the-latest-on-world-design-capital-2014-bid-%E2%80%93-in-short-were-listed/

Cape Town top international destination, Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice 2011

2011-06-28T10:56:00.002+02:00

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations-cTop25-g1

PR is the second most stressful job

2011-06-14T17:51:00.001+02:00

The Huffington Post: We don't need April to be labelled Stress Awareness Month to know how stressful the American workplace can be. And with fears of a double dip recession only adding top of the usual demand of performing your job at a high level, it's worse now than ever.

A recent survey conducted by CareerCast asked respondents to rank 200 different jobs based on the level of stress. To quantify workplace anxiety, the survey asked respondents to rate eleven stress factors found in the workplace: outlook/growth potential, travel, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, own life at risk, life of another at risk and meeting the public.

What they found was that stress can show itself in a number of ways. For real estate agents, it's the unusual hours, while the responsibility of caring for others, as in occupations like emergency medical technicians and airline pilots, can foster more palpable stress. Among newscasters and corporate executives, instead, it's the expectations of the job that induces performance anxiety.

Here are the top ten most stressful jobs according to CareerCast.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/25/top-ten-most-stressful-jobs_n_852722.html#s268530&title=2_Public_Relations

A new slant on student accommodation

2011-06-02T10:39:00.002+02:00

Forward-thinking developer John Schooling of STAG is reinventing the term "student digs" with the introduction of STAG Student Lodge, an innovative, hi-tech design for student accommodation that is smart, chic and affordable—and very cool and very 21^st century.

There's a reason why "student digs" conjures visions of crowded apartments with mattresses on the floor and skanky kitchens, and it's not just because students lack domestic skills. The main reason is because the country is short of more than 100 000 student "beds". Statistically, this means that each year more than 15% of the student population struggle to find accommodation.

STAG CEO John Schooling says the solution to the problem required thinking beyond traditional bricks and mortar—a building method STAG has been involved in for more than 24 years. "Generally, in South Africa, we have seen bricks and mortar as OK, that it's upmarket and and anything else is downmarket. But if we look internationally, traditional building methods are not the norm."

John points out that Australia has been using light-weight steel structure construction technology for more than 70 years: South Africa's building regulators only recognised it as acceptable two years ago. Stag plans to utilise this technology to help address the student accommodation shortage.

"To build 100 000 rooms with bricks and mortar will cost anything between R32-billion to R62-billion," says John. In 2008, STAG designed a traditional, upmarket student "residence" for a local university, and they did it for R272 000 per bed—dramatically lower than any other building costs. But, as STAG discovered, this was still too expensive and that's when they began to explore new technology.

STAG wanted a 21st century solution to the problem. "We had to establish ground rules," explains John. "First, there would be no compromise on quality. It could be different and alternative but it had to be top quality and environmentally sympathetic.It needed the correct thermal qualities, sound proofing and to conform to fire regulations. We also strongly believed that a student, whether in Stellenbosch or Mpumalanga, deserves a quality student experience."

The outcome was STAG Student Lodge, using innovative, hi-tech, cost-effective design technology. STAG took the proposal to the University of Stellenbosch and it was agreed that they could build a prototype. "What we had looked for was a high-quality environmentally friendly, cost-and-time effective approach. We did this by optimising two things: first, architectural design. We moved the student to the centre of the design process and asked what does he or she need to have a quality learning experience? Second, we had to focus on the materials we used as well as the design—it needed to be cool. And, finally, we had to optimise an alternative product through product innovation."

On 1 March, they started construction in Stellenbosch. The other extreme advantage of modular light-weight steel structure technology is the speed with which a building can be constructed. John estimates that the three-storey, 30 bedroom STAG Student Lodge at Stellenbosch took eight weeks from start to finish, whereas traditional methods take more than eight months. "We needed a solution that solves the problem now," he says.

John stresses that the technology is "not a cheap solution—it's a time-and-cost effective solution, based on student needs". The end results, though, are designer smart, hi-tech, innovative student digs with an energy efficient, minimal carbon footprint.

Spier top achiever at international wine competition

2011-05-19T09:23:00.003+02:00

For the second year running, Spier was South Africa’s top achiever at the prestigious ConcoursMondial de Bruxelles – a leading international wine competition. The results were announced last night. A total of 7,386 wines and spirits from 49 countries competed in Luxembourg from May 6-8 before a hand-picked selection of some of the world’s foremost tasters.

Less than one percent of the entries were awarded a Grand Gold Medal, and Spierwas one of three South African wine farms to achieve this top honour for its Private Collection Shiraz 2008. It also achieved five Gold Medalsfor Spier Creative Block 3 2009, Spier Creative Block 5 2009, Spier Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Naledi Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 and Groote KaapViognier 2010. A further five wines received Silver Medals.

A total 2,145 medals were awarded this year and preliminary results indicate that France retains its leadership position with 628 medals, followed by Spain (436 medals), Portugal (235 medals), Italy (184), Chile (136), South Africa (78) and Australia (43).

“We are delighted with our results and see this as a real accolade to the quality of our wines,” says Spier Cellar Master FransSmit. “It is so encouraging to see South African wines performing so well in general at this prestigious competition.”

Treasure Karoo Action Group (TKAG) welcomes cabinet moratorium on fracking

2011-04-22T21:35:00.005+02:00

The Treasure Karoo Action Group (TKAG) welcomes Cabinet's decision today to invoke a moratorium on fracking; we were confident from the start that they would make the right decision and follow international best practice in this regard.

Cabinet clearly realized what other countries have realized the issue of fracking is too complex to be decided on by one single authority or one single department. A multi disciplinary team must look at an issue of this magnitude.

From our side, we will now make sure we cooperate with and give all the assistance we can to government as they make sure that every aspect of the environmental impact assessment is taken care of. We have a wealth of evidence and research in our possession which we will gladly share with government.

The TKAG remains firm on its position that fracking should not happen anywhere in South Africa.

Treasure the Karoo Action group has emerged as the co-ordinating body, representative of a broad range of stakeholders who are concerned with the plans of Oil and Mining companies to extract shale gas from the Karoo basin. Popular support can be followed and joined on Facebook and at www.treasurethekaroo.blogspot.com]

Getting read for MyCiti

2011-04-22T21:30:00.002+02:00

The City of Cape Town is alerting drivers that traffic signals will change along certain stretches of the R27 when the MyCiTi bus service starts running. This week the new signals are being unveiled and will be operational by the end of the week.

Next week, MyCiTi bus drivers will start testing buses on the R27 and drivers are asked to be alert to the new traffic signals.

City spokeswoman Kylie Hatton emphasized that delays caused by the buses will be marginal and that the greatest threat to delays at intersections is increased traffic which is exactly why MyCiTi is being introduced. "We are urging residents near the new service to use the bus service when it starts wherever possible, to help allay the rising traffic congestion in the area," she said.

The City is aiming to introduce the service in early May, subject to the conclusion of negotiations with the new vehicle operating companies and the obtaining of licenses to operate the buses. There are three aspects to the changes in traffic signals:

a. At intersections: To accommodate MyCiTi buses and pedestrians, the intersection layouts had to be modified and signal phasing and timing plans adjusted. Great care has been taken over the design of the intersections, to maximise capacity for the buses and pedestrians as well as cars.

b. Along the R27 from Racecourse Rd to Blaauwberg Road, and CBD on Hertzog Boulevard: Right-turn traffic will be stopped while the buses go straight through these intersections. Thereafter, right-turn traffic is given a flashing green arrow.

c. At the intersections between the R27 and Milnerton Road, Boundary Road, Loxton Road and Blaauwberg Road: Here there are "pre-signals" - traffic lights 60m upstream of the signalised intersection. These pre-signals are in place where the bus lane stops and the bus must enter normal traffic lanes. At the pre-signals, the traffic lights change five seconds before those at the intersection, turning red for normal traffic and green for the bus. This allows the bus to be at the front of the queue at the signalised intersection, and to enter the bus lane easily when the lane begins again.

"There is one simple rule, which applies here as on all roads - that drivers must stop when they see a red traffic light or a stop sign," Hatton said. "Drivers will now have to be on the look-out for the new traffic signals."

A trip by bus from Table View to the city centre is expected to take half an hour, in peak-hour traffic or at other times of the day and will cost users R10 for a one-way trip.

The digital pile up

2011-03-13T21:21:00.000+02:00

SOME facts of life are just plain counterintuitive. It can be too cold to snow. Heavy things float. Martinis have calories.

Here’s another one with significantly greater import: Electronic information is tangible. The apps we use, the games on our phones, the messages we incessantly tap — all of it may seem to fly through the air and live in some cloud, but in truth, most of it lands with a thump in the earthly domain.

Because electronic information seems invisible, we underestimate the resources it takes to keep it all alive. The data centers dotting the globe, colloquially known as “server farms,” are major power users with considerable carbon footprints. Such huge clusters of servers not only require power to run but must also be cooled. In the United States, it’s estimated that server farms, which house Internet, business and telecommunications systems and store the bulk of our data, consume close to 3 percent of our national power supply. Worldwide, they use more power annually than Sweden.

But it’s not the giants like Google or Amazon or Wall Street investment banks that are responsible for creating the data load on those servers — it’s us. Seventy percent of the digital universe is generated by individuals as we browse, share, and entertain ourselves.

And the growth rate of this digital universe is stunning to contemplate.

The current volume estimate of all electronic information is roughly 1.2 zettabytes, the amount of data that would be generated by everyone in the world posting messages on Twitter continuously for a century. That includes everything from e-mail to YouTube. More stunning: 75 percent of the information is duplicative. By 2020, experts estimate that the volume will be 44 times greater than it was in 2009. There finally may be, in fact, T.M.I.

Proliferating information takes a human toll, too, as it becomes more difficult to wade through the digital detritus. We’re all breeding (and probably hoarding) electronic information. Insensitive to our data-propagating power, we forward a joke on a Monday that may produce 10 million copies by Friday — probably all being stored somewhere.

Despite the conveniences our online lives provide, we end up being buried by data at home and at work. An overabundance of data makes important things harder to find and impedes good decision-making. Efficiency withers as we struggle to find and manage the information we need to do our jobs. Estimates abound on how much productivity is lost because of information overload, but all of them are in the hundreds of millions of dollars yearly.

In the corporate realm, companies stockpile data because keeping it seems easier than figuring out what they can delete. This behavior has hidden costs and creates risks of security and privacy breaches as data goes rogue.

In addition, large corporations face eye-popping litigation costs when they search for information that may be evidence in a lawsuit — so-called e-discovery — that can add up to millions of dollars a year. Cases are often settled because it’s cheaper to just pay up. With so many resource challenges facing them, most companies postpone the effort and cost of managing their data.

Technological innovation usually carries with it the seeds that spawn solutions. The demand for power by big and small players alike is driving development of energy alternatives and data center innovation. Artificial intelligence and other more sophisticated information retrieval processes are making a dent in the cost of e-discovery and can also help rid companies of their stockpiles. Advances in cloud computing and virtual storage will help consolidate applications and data. But it might still be a question as to whether the planet can continue to feed our digital appetite. Improvements in the digital highway usually just lead to more traffic, and we’re in danger of data asphyxiation as it is.

Is there anything we can do? No one wants to give up the pleasures and benefits that the digital domain provides. But we can at least wake up to the toll that it’s taking and search for solutions. We can live a productive digital life without hoarding information. As stockholders and consumers, we can demand that our companies and service providers aggressively engage in data-reduction strategies. We can clean up the stockpiles of dead data that live around us, be wiser data consumers, text less and talk more. We can try hitting delete more often.

While some will be tempted to argue that it won’t make much of a dent, we have to give it a shot. As with any conservation effort, it’s the small actions of a large group that end up making the difference.

Shelley Podolny works for a company that advises corporations on information management. NYT 13 March 2011.

Feast and festivities at the Spier Wine Harvest Festival

2011-02-16T07:45:00.000+02:00

On Saturday 26 February, Spier will celebrate the grape harvest on the banks of the Eerste River, in front of its acclaimed farm-to-table restaurant, Eight. The restaurant will be transformed into a market offering delectable treats to create the ultimate picnic, while the adjacent lounge will offer tastings of Spier’s award-winning premium wines.

Grab an old-fashioned basket and fill it to the brim with homemade breads, cheeses, dips, salads and cold meats. Relax with your picnic and bottles of wine under the trees while the kids play interactive games including puppet shows, magicians, face painting and popular vineyard tours via tractor. For the more energetic adults, boules and croquet will take place on the bamboo lawn.

In the Private Collection Lounge, Spier’s new MCC will be on offer with oysters, while the award-winning Spier Creative Block blends will be available for tasting outside on the stoep.

Spier’s celebrated Cellar Master, Frans Smit will bless the harvest and his winemaking team will lead the charge in the annual grape stomping challenge! Three bands will play during the day, filling the air with bluesy tunes.

The Spier Wine Harvest Festival runs from 10h00 to 16h00 and costs R60, which includesa wine glass and five tickets that can be used either for wine tastings or games. Tickets can only be purchased at Spier on the day.

For further info, visit www.spier.co.za or call 021 809 1100.

SAIIA ranked best think thank in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2010: GLOBAL SURVEY

2011-02-03T16:08:00.006+02:00

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) has been rated the best think tank for 2010 in Sub-Saharan Africa. In an annual survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, SAIIA was also nominated among the top 75 think tanks globally, out of 6480 think tanks from 169 countries invited to participate in the process.

SAIIA National Director, Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, welcomed the commendation saying: “We are delighted to receive this honour for the second successive year, especially because it comes from peers across the world. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of our donors, partners, members and SAIIA staff.”

In its fourth year of publication, the “Global Go-To Think Tank” report seeks to recognise the leading public policy institutions and highlight the contributions these organisations make to governments and civil society globally. The selection criteria consider a range of factors, including, the organisation’s academic reputation, access to policymakers, media reputation and the overall output of the organisation.

Citing the United Nations Development Programme, that identifies think tanks as “[the] bridge between knowledge and power,” the 2010 Global Go-To Think Tank report also identifies a number of trends and challenges in the sector. These include how global partnerships have improved trans-national co-operation which “maximizes expertise and minimizes redundancy across countries.”

Global Go-To Think Tank 2010 [PDF]

(Tim Hughes is research fellow at SAIIA and a director of Diplocom Communications International, jointly owned by ReadDillon and HWB) http://www.diplocom.com

Dealing With Assange and the WikiLeaks Secrets. Bill Keller NYT writes

2011-02-01T07:58:00.001+02:00

This past June, Alan Rusbridger, the editor of The Guardian, phoned me and asked, mysteriously, whether I had any idea how to arrange a secure communication. Not really, I confessed. The Times doesn’t have encrypted phone lines, or a Cone of Silence. Well then, he said, he would try to speak circumspectly. In a roundabout way, he laid out an unusual proposition: an organization called WikiLeaks, a secretive cadre of antisecrecy vigilantes, had come into possession of a substantial amount of classified United States government communications. WikiLeaks’s leader, Julian Assange, an eccentric former computer hacker of Australian birth and no fixed residence, offered The Guardian half a million military dispatches from the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. There might be more after that, including an immense bundle of confidential diplomatic cables. The Guardian suggested — to increase the impact as well as to share the labor of handling such a trove — that The New York Times be invited to share this exclusive bounty. The source agreed.

Was I interested? Read on: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/magazine/30Wikileaks-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Living with Fire – Addressing Global Change through Integrated Fire Management

2011-01-31T22:39:00.002+02:00

Scientists, fire management experts and government policymakers from countries around the world will gather at Sun City in South Africa's North West province, in May for the hottest event on the international firefighting calendar.

The Fifth International Wildland Fire Conference will take place from May 9 – 13. The theme is “Living with Fire – Addressing Global Change through Integrated Fire Management.”

WILDFIRE 2011 will be held under the auspices of the United Nations’ International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Topics to be discussed at the conference include adapting to climate change in a post-Kyoto protocol period; the Mega- Fire phenomenon; cutting-edge technologies in fire detection, monitoring and fighting; how fire management programmes can help alleviate poverty in South Africa and elsewhere; how communities in many countries are preventing and fighting fires that would otherwise cause devastation, and the progress made in drawing up international agreements and guidelines for managing wildfires.

The conference, funded with assistance from the South African Government, will be held under the auspices of the United Nations’ International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the Food and Agricultural Organisation. WILDFIRE conferences only take place every fourth year with past conferences have taken place in Seville, Sydney, Vancouver and Boston. 2011.

Please join the Wildfire 2011 Facebook page.

To do so:
Open your own Facebook page.
in the "search" line at the top of the page enter "Wildfire 2011".
The new page will open. Press the comment: "like"
Or comment on a posting
This will enable you to receive our daily updates and learn more about Wildfire 2011
Anybody can become a member of this Facebook page. We will also communicate with delegates through this Facebook page and introduce them to information about South Africa and the conference.

HWB guested at JB Met

2011-01-30T18:00:00.005+02:00

HWB on CNN iReport

2011-01-28T15:05:00.007+02:00

iReport —

Former South African president, Nelson Mandela, was admitted to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg on Wednesday for what the Nelson Mandela Foundation called "routine tests".

It's been all-over the press and media for the last two days, but with no clarity on the matter. It's now said that authorities should just be completely open with the media/press on Nelson Mandela's hospitalisation and that they should provide
regular updates.

"They are opening themselves up to rampant speculation by not keeping the press informed," said Evelyn Holtzhausen, chief executive of Cape Town-based HWB Communications.
"The first rule of public relations is to keep the press informed."

Since then there has been a string of visitors to the former president, including his former wife, Winnie Mandela, who was seen leaving the hospital in tears earlier today.

There has been a lot of speculation since the word got, but whatever the case may be, I'm sure of one thing...the whole South Africa or more likely the whole world, are hoping & praying for Mandela's speedy recovery.

Be Open on Mandela, say PR gurus: HWB leads media on advice

2011-01-28T08:28:00.002+02:00

(This is an edited extract of a news item that moved on the SAPA news wire today, January 27, 2011)

Authorities should be completely open with the media on Nelson Mandela's hospitalisation and provide regular updates, public relations experts said on Thursday.

"They are opening themselves up to rampant speculation by not keeping the press informed," said Evelyn Holtzhausen, chief executive of Cape Town-based HWB Communications.

"The first rule of public relations is to keep the press informed."

He was speaking as scores of journalists continued to camp outside Johannesburg's Milpark Hospital, where Mandela was admitted on Wednesday for what the Nelson Mandela Foundation said -- in a two-sentence statement -- were "routine tests".

Since then there has been a string of visitors to the former president, and a brief statement from the African National Congress giving no further information of substance.

Holtzhausen said that from a PR perspective, Mandela was an internationally-renowned statesman, and there was an obligation on his minders to keep the people of South Africa and the rest of the world aware of what was happening to him.

The media ought to respect his need for privacy, but at the same time he was a very public figure.

"They should be issuing bulletins regularly," he said.

Holtzhausen, himself a former journalist, said that from what he had seen, the media had certainly been respectful, and had not indulged in speculation.

He said he spoke on Wednesday to the editor of a large-circulation South African newspaper, who had said they was aware of the need to handle the issue very sensitively.

"There is responsibility [on the side of the media], but it's also up to the gatekeepers of Mr Mandela to show recognition of the critical role the media play," Holtzhausen said.

Holtzhausen said the number of high-profile visitors and family members who have been to see Mandela in hospital gave rise to the suspicion that his stay involved more than just "routine tests".

Source : Sapa /dbm/th

A historic literary moment: the long-overdue movement to abandon Caps Lock.

2011-01-10T21:16:00.001+02:00

THE END IS NIGH. That's the message Google sent last week when it unveiled its new laptop, the Google Cr-48 notebook. The computer has all kinds of new features—Chrome OS, a simplified design, and free broadband. But perhaps the boldest change is Google's decision to ditch the Caps Lock key. In its place is a Search button, denoted with the image of a magnifying glass. Users can still designate the search key as the Caps Lock—they just have to take the time to change a few settings. But the default is that if you want capital letters, you have to hold down Shift.

What's most shocking about Google's announcement isn't that it's scrapping Caps Lock—it's that the button has lasted this long. Caps Lock originated with typewriters. The first typewriter to include both upper- and lowercase letters was the Remington No. 2, introduced in 1878. (Before that, typewriters printed only in uppercase. Stop shouting at me, writers of the 19^th century!) Uppercase letters were typed by holding down a "shift" key that would literally shift the carriage so that a different part of the type bar—the part on which a reverse uppercase letter was printed—would hit the ribbon. The problem was, it was hard to hold down the shift key for more than a few letters. So typewriter manufacturers added a "Shift Lock" button that would keep the carriage elevated until the button was released. It was a useful innovation: Typewriters didn't have options for italics or bold or underlining, so capitalization was the only way to emphasize words. By Christopher Beam Slate.com

Welcome to 2011

2011-01-10T08:19:00.001+02:00

The offices of HWB have re-opened for the year.

2011 will be the year of HWB Digital

2010-12-13T10:43:00.003+02:00

2011 will see the launch of HWB Digital which will handle the social media platforms for new and existing clients. We look ahead with this viewpoint from socialmediatoday.com:

We can expect to see the rapid development (and disappearance) of new tools and concepts over the next few years. Today Twitter is on top of the microcontent heap, but tomorrow it may be identi.ca or Plurk--or perhaps standalone microblogging won't end up being sustainable to a large audience. In the Social Network world, consumers have already shifted from Friendster to MySpace to Facebook, and all three sites continue to seek new tools (and business models) to draw and keep users.

The explosion of social concepts will continue with multiple tools and sites competing to solve a wide array of overlapping needs--social documents, crowdsourcing, video sharing and editing, geolocation, customer service networks, wikis, social bookmarks, product ratings, lifestreams, and social concepts we can't even yet imagine. It will be a dizzying and confusing time as organizations track, assess, test, implement and reject different Social Media sites, tools and approaches.

We'll come to appreciate (as we did with the Internet) that Social Media is not monolithic; it is not a single set of tools or strategies that every organization can simply plug and play. Best practices are still evolving, but soon it will be understood there are no simple checklists. Brands and organizations will share some similarities in the way Social Media is adopted, but there will be important and strategic differences that reflect and help to create points of differentiation.

Much like in the era before the Internet matured and tools converged, companies that stay abreast of the rapid changes and embrace small risks will gain competitive advantage, evolving their tactics and programs as Social Media evolves. Those that sit on the sideline and wait for it to get sorted out will quickly find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.

Every relationship consists of three components: The two parties and the environment in which the relationship develops and is maintained. We've thus far explored two of the three components--your customers and the Social Media environment--but what about you? With rapid changes coming to consumers and the Social Media world, how will your enterprise change?

Memo to business owners: Christmas is coming

2010-12-03T22:14:00.005+02:00

Cape Town customer service guru and HWB client, Natalie Schooling reflects on the holidays and the holiday from customer service:

I’ll be the first to admit that owning and running a business keeps one pretty busy. And I’ll also concur that as a business owner, sometimes it seems like you’re juggling so many responsibilities that you can lose track of time as it whooshes by.

But despite all the busyness of business, it doesn’t seem possible that the owner or manager of a company could miss the fact that every December, with alarming regularity, the holiday season is going to roll around and their customer numbers will swell for a month or two.

So, if it is a known fact that this festive season boom is going to happen every year, why is it that so many retailers, restaurants and customer service businesses seem to get caught with their pants down every December?

If there’s one thing that can quickly take the ‘festive’ out of festive season, it’s terrible service caused by the failure of a business owner to make adequate preparations to meet the sudden growth in customer numbers.

It’s impossible to say whether this failure by so many businesses to staff up and train up in preparation for the holidays is the result of greed, poor management, or simply oversight, but regardless of the cause, the result is always the same – unhappy customers who vow not to spend their hard earned cash there ever again.

I’m no financial guru, but surely if the short-term costs of hiring and training a few more staff members results in happier customers and return business for years to come, this would constitute an excellent investment.

As a consumer myself, and someone with a passion for customer service, there are a few things my experience of the silly season has taught me that I think other business owners would do well to consider:

Just because people are relaxed and on holiday doesn’t mean they will tolerate (or, for that matter, deserve) poor service, long waits, bad products or cold food.

The increased customer numbers are temporary. So while you may not see the impact of poor service on your bottom line immediately, a bad service experience now will mean a loss of business, and profits, later.

There’s always a way to keep your service levels up. If you can’t staff up, reduce the burden some other way. Most restaurant patrons, in particular, would be more than happy with a smaller menu if it means the kitchen can cope with orders and maintain high standards.

Make maintaining service excellence a priority. If you have to incentivize your staff to smile, despite their massive workload when everyone else is on holiday, do it. Your bottom line will thank you.

But possibly the most important consideration of all for retailers and service business during December and January is to avoid the temptation of seeing this time as a short-term cash cow, and rather view it as a brilliant opportunity to expose their offerings and brands to a much larger market than they can during the other 10 months of the year. And when this market exposure is accompanied by excellent service and a positive customer experience, the long-term benefits could be massive.

Think of great service as the gift that keeps on giving – mostly back to you and your business.

Connect with N'lighten http://www.nlighten.co.za/

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Spier Hotel celebrates ten year anniversary

2010-11-30T07:42:00.004+02:00

The 4 star Spier Hotel celebrated its 10^th Birthday this past week end.

As one of the biggest employers in the Stellenbosch area, the success the hotel has enjoyed over the past 10 years has been of huge benefit to the region.

Spier used this milestone to reflect on the history of the heritage estate - one of the oldest wine farms in the Cape - where it has come from, where it is today, and its vision for the future.

The Enthoven family hosted a celebration for 300 invited guests. The Hotel was transformed into a mystical wonderland, reflecting the vibrant and conscious energy for which the historic wine farm is renowned.

Prominent choreographer, Jay Pather presented an exquisite outdoor dance piece that reflected on Spier and the region's past, present and future.

The avenues and courtyards of the village-style hotel came to life with these performances and dazzling displays of light.

When the 155 bedroomed hotel was built in 2000, care was taken to complement Spier's heritage buildings, and the design is reminiscent of the historic Bo-Kaap and Mediterranean villages where pedestrians have right of way, and the hotel was one of the first in South Africa to be awarded the Fair Trade in Tourism SA accreditation in 2004. In 2007, Spier won a prestigious Condé Nast Traveler World Saver Award, as well as a Gold at the Virgin Holidays Partners in Sustainability Award.

www.spier.co.za

Spier’s Frans K. Smit 2006 vintage has been awarded 5 stars by Platter

2010-11-30T07:29:00.003+02:00

Read more about Spier's award winning wines.
http://www.spier.co.za/our_wines/awards/2010_awards/

Spier’s flagship wine named after Cellar Master Frans K. Smit get a 5-star rating.

Spier’s Frans K. Smit 2006 vintage has been awarded 5 stars by the prestigious Platter Wine Guide 2011. Spier’s Cape Winemakers Guild Merlot 2008 and its Private Collection Chenin Blanc both received 4½ stars.

The Platter Wine Guide is internationally recognised as South Africa’s leading consumer wine handbook. It is an authoritative reference guide that covers all aspects of wine in the country, giving ratings and tasting notes for thousands of local wines. Of the 58 5-star rated wines, 30 were white and 28 were red.

The previous vintage of Frans K. Smit(2005) was also rated 5 stars in last year’s Platter guide, and this wine is still available for sale. Frans will only release the 2006 vintage to the market when he feels it is ready.

“The 2006 growing season proved to be the coolest of the three vintages so far,” says Frans. “This led to the production of a blend with very fresh natural acidity. The deep purple-red colour of the wine is testament to this, as are the strong tannins – both of which indicate that this particular vintage will age incredibly well.”

True to his belief in the role of consistency, Frans looked to the same vineyards he had used in previous years. The selected grape varieties were aged in French oak barriques for 16 months before the first tasting and re-tasting took place, and then another 27 months to gauge the aging potential of the wine.

The final blend shows more diversity than the preceding year, largely due to the cooler ripening phase. At 29%, Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch and Darling still sits at the heart of the blend, while Paarl’s exceptional Shiraz makes up a further 21%. The remaining 50% is made up of equal parts of Cabernet Franc, Pinotage, Malbec and Merlot.

MyCiti around Cape Town

2010-11-30T07:26:00.002+02:00

Thanks to Bruce Sutherland, the city's official photographer, for the incredible job he did for us last weekend. Assisted by Cape Town Traffic he followed two of the MyCiTi buses around town, and took some incredible pictures.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=225617504133

Public Relations Global Network Announces Addition of Two New Agencies

2010-11-20T00:20:00.002+02:00

Public Relations Global Network (PRGN; www.prgn.com), the international network of independent public relations agencies, announced the addition of two new members in India and Russia. The worldwide network now numbers 40 independently-owned public relations agencies on six continents. The PRGN members approved the new agencies at its semi-annual meeting in Mexico this month.

Joining the ranks of PRGN are Perfect Relations in India, and CROS Public Relations and Public Affairs in Moscow, expanding the network's global reach and capabilities in two of the world's fastest growing economies.

"We are thrilled to welcome Perfect Relations and CROS into our fold," said PRGN president Patricia Pérez of VPE Public Relations in Los Angeles, CA. "The primary beneficiaries of our new agencies in India and Russia are our clients who have ready access to the wealth of resources, specialized skills, and local connections our PRGN members provide."

"Our focus next year will be to market our regional scope and make it convenient for companies to work with us whether they are looking for representation in one country or one continent," continued Pérez. "Another priority is to make sure PRGN members are on the cutting edge of technology and adaptability as social networks reach their markets. While social media proliferation varies by country, its influence is clear." Bulldog Reporter's PR Agency News

Communications team's site visit of the West Coast route for MyCiti

2010-11-19T10:27:00.003+02:00

View images of the new West Coast route for the MyCiti, Cape Towns new Integrated Rapid Transport scheme:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?aid=306969&id=541135800&page=2

PRGN selects Cape Town for 2012

2010-11-07T01:51:00.004+02:00

The prestigious Public Relations Global Network has selected Cape Town as the host city for the 2012 conference.

Cape Town was selected at the PRGN conference in Cancun today. The conference also voted in new members "Perfect Relations" from India and "CROS Public Relations & Public Affairs Company" from Russia.

HWB is the only PRGN member from Africa. http://www.prgn.com/

Stephen Fry Kinetic Typography - Language

2010-10-21T18:56:00.002+02:00

Donate your old jeans and help create jobs: Men on the Side of the Road & G-Star Raw joins forces

2010-09-30T12:57:00.001+02:00

That old pair of jeans in the back of your cupboard will save you money, and can also be used by someone looking for work.

A partnership agreement was announced last night (Wednesday) at the first birthday celebration of G-Star Raw’s store at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The store is inviting members of the public to bring their old jeans to the shop and exchange them for a discount on their next purchase.

Over the next 12 months, all denims handed in at G-Star Raw’s Waterfront shop will be passed on to MSR (Men On the Side of The Road), a non profit organisation that acts as a market place for skilled, unemployed workers. In return, donors would receive a 15% discount on any denims they purchase from G-Star Raw.

Lara Sanan, spokesperson for G-Star Raw hoped that people would make use of this opportunity to support MSR.

“We thank G-Star Raw for this vote of confidence in the important work we do,” said Peter Kratz, MSR’s national director.

Customers in seven cities can hire MSR members on a part time or contract basis, that are able, trustworthy and skilled in particular areas. MSR have verified all their skills and workers have identity cards on them at all time.

With unemployment at critical levels, MSR aims to facilitate the placement of skilled and semi skilled workers in part-time or full-time work. For as little as R120 per day potential employers can hire a reliable and trustworthy worker.

Call 0861 WORKER (0861 967537) or visit MSR.org.za for more info.

MyCiti artworks

2010-09-30T12:53:00.000+02:00

Call to Artists and Designers –
Commissions for producing original artwork
for MyCiTi Bus Stations in the City of Cape Town’s
Integrated Rapid Transit System

First round submission deadline:
13:00H 19 October 2010

Background: The first IRT stations were completed in time for the FIFA World Cup with bus stations at the Airport, Civic Centre and Stadium. Three large artworks were successfully commissioned for each of these main stations. The smaller stations are currently being completed for the rollout of services to the West Coast along the Atlantis Corridor. There is now the opportunity to integrate artwork into the entrance areas of these smaller bus stations.

Concept: The commissions provide an opportunity for the City of Cape Town to partner with design schools in the city to showcase the talents of local artists and designers in the promotion of the MyCiTi bus service. The artworks should help give an identity to the bus station along the route, taking inspiration from their unique locations, historical and geographic contexts. The artworks will have a limited lifespan of four to five years where after they may be replaced with new works.

Participants: All designers and artists are invited to present proposals. Invitations will be extended to design schools to encourage their students to participate. These schools include, but are not limited to:

• Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Design
• University of Cape Town, Michaelis School of Fine Arts
• University of Stellenbosch
• AAA School of Advertising - Cape Town
• City Varsity, Film, TV & Multimedia School
• College of Cape Town
• Ruth Prowse School of Art
• Stellenbosch Academy of Design & Photography
• Vega, The Brand Communications School - CT

read more: http://myciti-art.blogspot.com/

New Companies Act implementation delayed

2010-09-30T11:26:00.003+02:00

The Department of Trade and Industry ("DTI") today announced that it was postponing the implementation of the new Companies Act until 1 April 2011.

Johannesburg - The implementation of the Companies Act and the Consumer Protection Act have been delayed until April next year to give the government and others time to get ready to comply with the legislation, the department of trade and industry said on Tuesday.

The decision was made after Minister Rob Davies assessed the "level of readiness of the administrative processes required for smooth implementation", and requests by affected parties to prepare properly for compliance with the laws, the department said.

"This will enable the department to finalise all processes required to effectively administer these two pieces of legislation.

"The department is in the process of finalising regulations which will give effect to both pieces of legislation, and the postponement will allow time for more consultation with stakeholders before finalisation."

The ministry said it recognised that the laws would have a significant impact on business practice. The postponement would allow affected parties to adjust their operations.

The legislation had been due to be implemented in the last quarter of the year.

However, there were repeated warnings that business needed more time to prepare to adhere with the onerous requirements in the Consumer Protection Act in particular.

It was argued that companies would have to make a vast financial investment to devise new sales and marketing, pricing, refunds and accounting policies and procedures; conduct extensive staff training; review and reconsider all contracts and product labelling; and purchase or upgrade information technology systems. fin24

Cape Town Book Fair ads nominated

2010-09-07T22:42:00.004+02:00

The advertising campaign put together for the CTBF has been nominated as a Loerie Award finalist to see it go to Cape Town Book Fair - "Where the Story Begins"

Circulation figures for half year mark 2010

2010-08-29T21:44:00.002+02:00

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) has released circulation figures for the second quarter of 2010 (April to June) and the stats makes for some interesting reading and serves as an indicator of the health of specific consumer publications.

FinWeek and the Financial Mail meanwhile continue to battle it out for top circulation spot in the weekly business segment. FinWeek has a higher paid-for circulation (25 562) than FM (24 139) and pushes more free bulk circulation than its rival thus, ensuring top spot with a circulation of 28 358 (down from 31 817) to FMs 26 224 (also down from 27 253).

Cleo, Cosmo, Elle, Fair Lady, Glamour, Marie Claire and a number of other female interest titles all saw drops in circulation. Cosmo shed nearly 10% of its circulation. Move! dropped by nearly 12%. O - The Oprah magazine brought more bad news for Associated Magazines with a decline of 17%. Ideas/Idees and Essentials both managed slight gains, as did Your Family and Soul. Woman and Home saw a respectable increase of nearly 5.4%.

Among the Afrikaans giants, Rooi Rose gained ground, upping circulation to 118 395 (from 107 568) while Sarie fell from 139 031 to 132 646. Finesse declined to under 90 000 while Leef experienced a mini aneurysm with a decline of nearly 20%.

In the home category, Elle Decoration experienced a serious drop to under 20 000 copies. House & Leisure fell by nearly 13%, SA Home & Garden fell by 11.6% and SA Garden/Tuin Paleis fell by nearly 20%.

Food & Home Entertainment, meanwhile, showed positive growth, as did Top Billing.
On the newspaper front nearly all the dailies lost circulation. The Cape Argus, recently rocked by the brown envelope scandal, declined steeply from 60 394 to 52 304. The Daily Sun dropped from 501 734 to 433 224, or by more than 13%. The Star declined from 162 935 to 154 092.

The Citizen broke the sector's losing streak and increased its circulation from 64 685 to 71 757. Son, Isolezwe and Volksblad all saw small improvements.

On the weekend front, the relaunch of City Press in May this year couldn't save it of a drop of 9.5%. Rapport fell by nearly 10% while the Sunday Times declined by more than 8% to 462 372 from just over the half million mark.

Isolezwe ngeSonto showed everybody that the vernacular is growing, with an increase of more than 22% to 67 483. Tabloid Sondag grew from 34 146 to 47 124 and Sondag Son came in at 64 290 with its first ABC results. The Sunday Independent grew to 40 041.

Ilanga also showed growth, climbing from 98 224 to 102 995. The Mail & Guardian declined from 51 166 to 45 745 and UmAfrika fell from 27 819 to 19 576. biz-community.com

Implosion of Athlone Cooling Towers

2010-08-22T16:40:00.005+02:00

The implosion was four minutes earlier than scheduled, it was raining and the light was poor, nevertheless, here is this amazing footage, the best video of the day.

credit: Sarin54 YouTube

Athlone Cooling Towers demolished this weekend

2010-08-21T00:01:00.007+02:00

Cartoon: Cape Argus

The City has identified two areas from which a limited number of people could view the implosion of the two cooling towers at Athlone Power Station namely the Clyde Pinelands Sports Club and Rhodes Memorial. Visit http://tinyurl.com/2uctajw

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154050117943296

Athlone was previously known as West London and had its name changed to 'Athlone', in honour of the Earl of Athlone, who served as Governer General and Commander in Chief in South Africa in the 1930's. He was also a member of the British Royal family (an uncle to King George IV) and was married to Princess Alice, (the granddaughter of Queen Victoria).

Almost 70 years after the Earl of Athlone arrived here, Athlone really grew into a melting pot of different cultures. The Athlone City Centre is filled with a daily hub of grocers selling their fresh delicious fruits and Veggies, to residents selling bric 'n brac. It has become an example of how different cultures can join together and become a single society. http://www.athlone.co.za/heritage/history/2212200501_history.php

SA journalists fight proposed media laws

2010-08-09T11:55:00.000+02:00

South African journalists have launched a campaign to fight what they say is an attempt to curtail media freedoms in a nation known for one of Africa's freest and most open Constitutions.

In a declaration published in all main Sunday newspapers, the South African National Editors' Forum said media restrictions proposed by the African National Congress threatened free expression that was the "lifeblood" of the country's democracy since the end of apartheid-era rule in 1994. Those proposals include a new media law and a special tribunal for journalists.

One major newspaper even began running small notices alongside important stories that tell readers, "you would not be reading this story" if new media laws are passed. Mail & Guardian.

http://www.sanef.org.za/

Exhibitors Promise To Return To Book Fair

2010-08-09T11:43:00.001+02:00

Exhibitors pronounced the Cape Town Book Fair a great success on the closing day of the fair yesterday. Sales were better than expected, they had made valuable contacts in Africa and internationally and they would return next year, many of the publishers and authors said.

33 488 people visited the fair and there were 273 exhibitors. More than 200 journalists attended.

The Cape Town Book Fair thanks all exhibitors, trade visitors, authors and everyone who was part of this great experience, for participating in the 5th edition of the Cape Town Book Fair.

This year's Cape Town Book Fair had a lot of "firsts" on offer, one of them being the Trade Day that was dedicated to exhibitors and trade visitors exclusively. The Pickn Pay Chef's Theatre presented great chefs on the public days of the Fair.

Information about CTBF 2011 will be available shortly.

Overseas media on the World Cup

2010-07-18T22:26:00.002+02:00

On the outward journey, we wondered if South Africa would be worthy of the World Cup. We left for home today with the uneasy feeling that the World Cup had not lived up to the welcome and the facilities provided by its hosts.

They gave us their vast and spectacular new stadiums, their best shot at building an integrated transport system from scratch and their kindness and consideration at just about every turn. We gave them a rubbish final from which only the winners could take genuine pleasure.

read on: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/12/world-cup-2010-real-legacy

Plus more coverage:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0714/1224274658288.html

Mandela Day 2010: Make SA work, and fix our schools

2010-07-15T11:40:00.005+02:00

Members of the public can donate money towards the restoration of local schools, as their way of commemorating Mandela Day 2010.

On July 18 this year, all South Africans have been invited to give 67 minutes of their time to projects that honour the life and spirit of Nelson Mandela.

The NGO Men On the Side of the Road (MSR) has thrown its full support behind the Mandela Day campaign. MSR is a marketplace for casual workers where men gather at organised collection points in seven cities across South Africa.

MSR has decided to focus on the restoration of schools, as a way of linking with the education theme of this year’s Mandela Day.

“Not everyone can give their time to the Mandela Day campaign. Instead, why not donate 67 minutes of their earnings,” suggested Peter Kratz, national director for MSR. “Our registered painters and builders in seven cities can be called in to fix local schools in dire need of a facelift. The money donated by members of the public will make this restoration work possible and cover the costs of hiring workers and purchasing materials.”

Customers in seven cities can visit MSR collection points if they are looking for workers, on a part time or contract basis, that are able, trustworthy and skilled in particular areas. MSR have verified all their skills and workers have identity cards on them at all time.

With unemployment at critical levels, the MSR aims to facilitate the placement of skilled and semi skilled workers in part-time or full-time work. For as little as R120 per day potential employers can hire a reliable and trustworthy worker.

Kratz hopes that members of the public will nominate a school in their community which is in need of restoration work. The money they donate will be used for work on that specific school, to help make quality education a reality for its learners.

Donations can be deposited at Standard Bank, account name MEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, account number 070-956-383 (reference MD).

Call 0861 WORKER (0861 967537), email info@employmen.co.za or visit www.employMen.co.za for more info.

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. MSR is a client of HWB.

Nobel Laureates, Tutu, Soyinka at Cape Town Book Fair

2010-06-15T12:25:00.005+02:00

The 5th annual Cape Town Book Fair kicks off on 30 July with a day for the trade, a new innovation for the fair. Then from 31 July to 2 August this popular event opens to the public. Over the past four years tens of thousands of visitors have flocked to the CTBF to meet authors, take part in discussions and listen to lectures. This year the CTBF will be opened by Archbishop Desmond Tutu who will be launching his Children’s Storybook Bible at the Fair – a launch that will go out live to publishers around the world from the Cape Town Convention Centre.

Professor Wole Soyinka will be the keynote speaker at the opening – two Nobel Laureates on one stage. This year the CTBF is focusing on trade and on being the book fair in sub-Saharan Africa. There will be publishers from around the world at the fair, including a large delegation from Arab countries.

Another innovation is the test kitchen where some of our finest cooks will be demonstrating their work. With a special programme for children in the Children’s Zone, a feast of books and authors there is something for everyone at the CTBF.

Join the Facebook group to take part in discussions and competitions and add your voice to the discussion http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cape-Town-South-Africa/Cape-Town-Book-Fair/277677959363?v=app_2347471856&ref=ts

More information available at www.capetownbookfair.com.

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. The Cape Town Book Fair is a client of HWB.

Historic Napier retirement village launched in the Overberg

2010-06-15T10:15:00.004+02:00

A complete renovation of a 1907 school in the historic Overberg village of Napier into a retirement complex was announced this week. Purchase prices and monthly levies are far below that of similar schemes in Cape Town.

The Napier Retirement Village is complete and ready for viewing with occupation from around September 2010. The village will offer several choices for the retired person, with a wide range of accommodation types at differing prices starting from R442 000. The project operates on the Life Rights system of ownership. The health care at R6900 will be run on a not for profit basis which is half the price of Cape Town.

On sale and ready for occupation are 25 assisted living units, plus a further seven terraced houses. Purchasers requiring more independent environs can buy traced houses from R599 000 or one or two bed cottages priced from R745 000.

Nic Border, spokesman for the developer Prescient says, "this is a unique property that offers people the chance to retire to the Overberg at prices that are nearly half that of what people are currently paying in Cape Town. Napier Retirement Village has the advantage of being complete and ready for occupation with full healthcare services and a well-equipped, beautifully restored Victorian club house, while surrounded by a genuine kind-hearted and supportive community. A professionally managed Health Care Centre offers a full range of nursing services covering a wide range of needs. "

"The town of Napier is one of those picturesque stress free villages that are perfect for retirement and in close proximity to the other villages and towns in the area such as Hermanus, Standford, Swellendam, Bredasdorp and Arniston. The historic school building has been given a new lease on life and has been restored and converted to serve a whole new purpose.

http://www.napiervillage.co.za/

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Prescient Properties is a client of HWB.

KAP International appoints HWB

2010-06-15T09:54:00.002+02:00

KAP International Holdings Limited has appointed HWB Communications Pty Ltd to assist them with Public Relations and media strategies. KAP is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa under the Diversified Industrial sector, and is a holding company of subsidiaries and associate companies invested in a portfolio of diverse manufacturing businesses. These include fresh and processed meat, maize milling, leather products, footwear, speciality fibres, bottle resin, automotive products and towelling products.

http://www.kapinternational.com

Victim empowerment in SA: visit the blog and comment

2010-06-03T15:37:00.002+02:00

TAKE THE POLL

We’d like to hear your stories. If you have been a victim of crime in South Africa, tell us what it was like.

Use as much or as little detail as you’d like. Did you have a good experience with the police? Did you receive information about your case? What was the worst thing about the experience? Did you feel empowered after reporting your crime? Did you report your crime?

We want to know how your experience could have been better so use the comments here to tell us hhttp://victimempowermentsa.wordpress.com/

On the bus! HWB joins media and City Councillors on ride to new airport

2010-06-01T11:13:00.003+02:00

Cape Town is World Cup Ready!

2010-05-31T19:22:00.002+02:00

Albie Sachs italk to Futuregrowth clients

2010-05-19T12:41:00.003+02:00

Watch this interview for more on Albie Sachs
http://fora.tv/2010/01/21/Albie_Sachs_The_Strange_Alchemy_of_Life_and_Law

Press release issued by Futuregrowth at talk given to clients:

The Constitution of South Africa is a significant barrier to risk, according to Albie Sachs, the lawyer and former exiled political activist, who last night called on South Africans not to devalue the hard-won freedoms that are entrenched in its framework.

Sachs, who two decades ago was among the people who drafted the Constitution, was speaking to members of the investment community at an event hosted by Futuregrowth Asset Management.

“The Constitution is bearing up remarkably well. When you have a robust and strong foundation as we do, it can be of enormous significance to the life of a society; it can contain the tensions and fears that could otherwise tear the country apart.”

The former judge said that because of this framework and the entrenched freedom of expression, all South Africans had the right to enjoy being who they were in a free country, but could ask to what extent the experiences of pre-democratic lives were an influence when making objective judgments.

“The matrix of the constitution and the hopes and idealism that inspired it should be what influences the way we make our judgments on people.”

“The combination of a robust economy together with this idealistic constitution makes me very optimistic about South Africa,” he said. “We are sustaining our constitution and the country is functioning even though we have setbacks including crime and a heartbreaking degree of unemployment.”

Andrew Canter, Futuregrowth’s chief investment officer, describing Sachs as a “man in the mould of Mandela”, said that the integrity of the constitution was a strength South Africans could draw on in the present uncertain climate.

“Without this, there would be risk,” he said. “It is more than 20 years since Abie Sachs argued that the constitution should identify rights to housing, water, healthcare and a clean environment and it is against this background that Futuregrowth has been channeling pension fund money into long-term sustainable growth.”
Futuregrowth, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary as an asset manager, has played a pioneering role in development funds for the past 15 years.

A number of once-emerging businesses have gained leverage from its funds including SA Taxi, the Trust for Urban Housing (TUFH) and Capitec Bank. Futuregrowth was Capitec’s first third party lender when it started gearing up and was also the first private sector investor in Nurcha, the construction finance company. This month a new funding partnership with Nurcha was announced which enables Futuregrowth’s retirement fund clients to invest in on-the-ground service delivery, for the first time.

Futuregrowth managing director Paul Rackstraw said that company’s track record of socially responsible investment (SRI) showed that social impact and investment performance were not mutually exclusive. In the newest pioneering initiative, Futuregrowth is launching an agricultural fund which will contribute substantially to land reform in South Africa, providing opportunities on three million hectares of fallow land.

“Development funds are having a beneficial impact on the lives of thousands of ordinary people in South Africa,” said Rackstraw. “We are launching another agricultural fund with international money and hope to get further funds from institutions in Africa and South Africa.”

Groote Schuur Community Improvement District moves closer

2010-05-17T18:27:00.000+02:00

Cape Town Mayor and W Cape MEC hand over the keys to new housing

2010-05-14T09:30:00.007+02:00

The Cape Town Community Housing Company's Morgen's Village 3 was recently visited by Cape Town Mayor, Dan Plato and the MEC for Human Settlements Bonginkosi Madikizela. Here they are pictured handing over the keys to a new house to the new occupants.

CTCHC http://www.ctchc.co.za is a social housing organisation that has housed 10 000 people in Cape Town in recent years. Launching in July 2010 will be West Cape, a new GAP housing development aimed at families with joint income around R15 000 per month.

From left to right: Bonginkosi Madikizela, MEC for Human Settlements, Anastacia Nefdt and her husband, Byron Nefdt with Mayor Dan Plato in front of the Nefdt's new house in Morgens Village 3, developed by Cape Town Community Housing Company in Mitchell's Plain.

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. CTCHC is a client of HWB.

HWB welcomes Mediation & Transformation Practice - SA as new client

2010-05-14T09:08:00.003+02:00

HWB is happy welcome the Mediation & Transformation Practice (MTP), is an African-based organisational transformation unit as a new client. The organisation embraces the values of democracy, constructive conflict resolution and development of people and society.

Managing Director, Craig Arense says "We are committed to professional conduct, service delivery, speedy and reliable establishment of peace options and the values of democracy." Craig's resume includes work as an experienced peace negotiator and conflict solutions developer. He has facilitated workshops and training programs in Indonesia, Beirut, Sierra Leone, USA, Belgium, Jamaica and Sweden.

Albie Sachs talks to Futuregrowth clients

2010-05-14T08:47:00.004+02:00

Former South African constitutional justice Albie Sach spoke on 12 May to selected guests, clients and media at an event hosted by Futuregrowth Asset Managers, a client of HWB. Justice Sachs spoke about his life in exile, the creation of the South African constitution and about his new book, The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law.

His book can be ordered online here http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Alchemy-Life-Law/dp/0199571791 and read about Justice sachs here http://www.constitutionalcourt.org.za/site/judges/justicealbiesachs/index1.html

Dates and venues for public meetings about Athlone Power Station site

2010-05-03T11:18:00.003+02:00

Affected communities and the people of Cape Town have a chance to have their say about what the site will be used for once the towers come down. Come to these meetings and make your contribution. If you are a special interest group, two days have been set aside for your submissions as well. The blog will continue to communicate more information this week. Also see the facebook page.

Venues for public meetings:

10 May Pinelands Community Centre, St Stephen’s Road, Pinelands 7pm to 9pm

11 May General Public Meeting Mowbray Town Hall 7pm to 9pm

12 May Athlone Community Athlone Community Centre 7pm to 9pm

13 May Langa Community Langa Civic Hall 7pm to 9pm

25 May Special interest groups Room G1 5th Floor, Podium, Civic Centre

27 May Special interest groups Room B 5th Floor. Podium, Civic Centre

Sandi Schultz raises R45 000 for Rape Crisis in Celebrity "Survivor"

2010-04-26T21:01:00.003+02:00

Big thank you to Sandi Schultz who raised R45000 for Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust in Celebrity Survivor Show.

Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust is a NGO that believes in challenging power imbalances in society on which sexual violence is based. We seek to confront and prevent sexual violence and empower survivors through working with individuals, communities and other social structures in order to provide accessible services. Please do contact us for advice or assistance. Rape Crisis can be reached by phone or email.

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Rape Crisis is a pro bono client of HWB.

HWB wins Cape Town Book Fair

2010-04-18T21:25:00.002+02:00

WELCOME to the new edition of the Cape Town Book Fair! In its 5th year we want to add a strong trade element to this extremely popular book fair for the general public. We have a whole world of new things on offer: the trade day, the new book titles list for exhibitors to promote their exhibits well before the fair, more of Africa and more of the world in Cape Town. We look forward to welcoming you in Cape Town in July 2010!

Claudia Kaiser
Interim Director Cape Town Book Fair

Read full press release here: http://www.capetownbookfair.com/press-and-media/1/releases-and-news/92/%E2%80%98repositioning-of-fair-with-strong-trade-element%E2%80%99#start

"Repositioning of fair with strong trade element'

Cape Town Book Fair means business at LBF's Market Focus South Africa

South Africa is the Market Focus country at the London Book Fair (19 - 21 April 2010). It's an opportunity for the South African Publishing industry to showcase its rich diversity and to introduce this year's Cape Town Book Fair (CTBF) as an event "where books mean business," according to CTBF Director Claudia Kaiser.

A host of South African publishers and authors will be at the London Book Fair.

Kaiser said that this year's CTBF would be repositioning itself, "as a fair with a strong trade element. The fifth anniversary of the CTBF will be a celebration of its success with the public, but it will also be a repositioning of the event to include a strong trade and professional element. We invite all interested colleagues to attend our presentation on the CTBF at the Networking Area of the South African stand. Highlights of the fair will be presented, including the professional day with its exciting programme, as well as other innovative business tools."

Brian Wafawarowa the Executive Director of the Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA) said one of the strengths and growth points of this year's CTBF was "that there would be about 15 African publishers at the CTBF through a grant from the Goethe Institut South Africa. We want to establish the CTBF as the entry point into publishing in Africa and through the trade and professional programme acknowledge and engage visitors from the rest of the world and showcase the vast potential that exists for doing business in the African market."

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. CTBF is a client of HWB.

HWB recommended by New York Fire Chief

2010-04-13T08:20:00.002+02:00

HWB recently worked with the New York City Fire Department Incident Management Team. Ronald Spadafora, Deputy Assistant Chief of the Fire Department in the City remarked "The media communications class HWB gave last month at the Working On Fire Academy was very informative and will prove helpful to me now that I have returned to New York. I feel privileged to have been in attendance.

"In my capacity as an Incident Commander in the greatest city in the world (my opinion), I am confronted by the television and print media all the time. Knowing how they think and what their time constraints are will assist me during interviews. I will also convey the knowledge gained to inexperienced Public Information Officers on our FDNY Incident Management Team.

"They also must realize what the priorities of the news media are and how to develop a rapport with journalists who cover fire operations. As you stated in your lecture, cultivating a relationship with writers can pay off handsomely in getting the public to favorably understand what the fire service is doing.

Paddy Gordon appointed manager of Table Mountain National Park

2010-04-10T21:17:00.002+02:00

Experienced conservationist, Paddy Gordon has been appointed Manager of Table Mountain National Park, (TMNP) SanParks has announced.
Prior to his appointment, effective from April 1 this year, Gordon was the Northern Area Manager (North) of the park, responsible for the area from Constantia Neck to Table Mountain.

He has also acted as interim manager of the park from time-to-time.

Gordon also developed TMNPs Visitor Safety Program in response to the growing challenge of securing visitor safety. SANParks subsequently adopted his principles towards the formulation of a Corporate Visitor Safety Strategy.

“We are very pleased to announce the appointment of a person of Paddy’s caliber to manage this iconic national park.” said Cape Cluster Regional Manager Gary de Kock.

“Paddy was appointed after a lengthy process aimed at identifying the right manager for the park. He has a difficult task, particularly as the park is so integrated into the City of Cape Town where everyone watches every move you make and has a public opinion about what you do or do not do. We are confident that Paddy will acquit himself well ”.

“I am honoured to have been appointed”, said Gordon. “Table Mountain National Park is a national asset as well as being a World Heritage site. The fact that close to 4 million people visit the park every year attests to its popularity with local and international visitors.

“I take my appointment very seriously and I will do all in my power to preserve this spectacular park for today’s visitors as well as those who want to enjoy what the park has to offer in future. I see role as a custodian of a national treasure,” he said.

Born in Somerset West, Gordon has always had a love for nature and the outdoors. “It was instilled by his father, Peter an educator, who frequently used the local Helderberg to extend the development of his learners beyond the confines of the classroom.”

Unable, because of apartheid, to attend an institution that provided specialized training in conservation, Gordon did a Bachelors of Science Degree, and furthered his studies with postgraduate qualifications in Science, Education and Business Management. Gordon joined SanParks in 1989. He was the first black appointee to professional conservation. He has subsequently worked in a total of five national parks with stints as Park Manager, of the Mountain Zebra National Park, near Cradock and Park Manager of the Richtersveld National Park in Northern Namaqualand.

“I see one of my major challenges in this new post is to strive to meet the requirements of a divergent population whose enjoyment of this asset has to be accommodated within the mandate of protecting a world renowned biodiversity heritage. “ he said.

Gordon is married to Emelda and they have three children Robyn, Chelsea-Lee and David.

Issued on behalf of SANParks (Table Mountain Nation Park)
By HWB Communications Pty Ltd

HWB Tweet: Cape Town City International Soccer Challenge

2010-04-10T10:48:00.002+02:00

Groote Schuur Community Improvement District (GSCID needs your support

2010-03-02T20:06:00.004+02:00

DOWNLOAD THE GSCID PROPOSED MAP HERE http://www.hwb.co.za/media-article.php?id=210

The Groote Schuur Community Improvement District (GSCID) team is working hard to generate support from commercial property owners in the area to sign up for the GSCID.

University of Cape Town (UCT) has already committed itself to sponsoring R4.5 million towards the establishment of the GSCID as well as signing up their 53 properties in the area at a recent public meeting.

One of the largest property groups in South Africa, Growthpoint Properties Limited, has also pledged its support for the GSCID. David Stoll, Regional Manager of Growthpoint Cape Town said: “As a board director of the Claremont CID (CIDC) I’ve seen firsthand the value that City Improvement Districts (CID’s) bring to an area. Not only do they preserve the cleanliness and safety of an area but also promote the upgrading of public space while enhancing property values.

“It makes sense for us to be part of this initiative, particularly as many of our property portfolios fall within other CID boundaries such as the CIDC and City Central Improvement District (CCID). We are excited to be part of the GSCID and what it will bring to this area,” said Stoll.

With the second UCT student, Dominic Giddy, murdered in the past 4 months on 12 February the urgency for the formation of a CID in this area is more vital than ever. UCT vice-chancellor Max Price said: “Our hearts go out to the Giddy family as they face this tragic loss. We spend millions on campus security to safeguard our staff and students against crime and we have been successful at driving crime down. We are a relatively safe campus yet our students and staff become victims in the areas around campus where they live.

“UCT is this year leading the way in establishing the Groote Schuur Community Improvement District which I hope will reduce crime in the areas bordering on UCT and covering most residences and digs.”

Anthony Davies, coordinator of the GSCID and formerly founder and Executive Manager of the Claremont Improvement District Company, said “This tragic incident highlights the urgency of implementing a CID in this area. We are in the midst of an intense campaign to fulfill the statutory requirements to establish the GSCID. We therefore appeal to commercial property owners to agree by voting ‘yes’ for its formation on or before 25 February,” said Davies.

The area under consideration is situated along and adjacent to the Main Road from Sans Souci Road at the Newlands swimming bath, to Anzio Road at St Peter’s Square in Observatory.

Special Rating Area’s (previously known as CIDs) are established in terms of a City of Cape Town By-Law. In the case of the GSCID, levies will be charged to commercial property owners in order to fund this work. Residential property owners will not be required to pay the levy, but benefit from a cleaner, safer, more pleasant environment. UCT proposes to partner with commercial property owners within this area to establish the GSCID.

For more information or to download the consent form visit www.gscid.co.za or contact the GSCID office directly on 021 671 9462.

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. UCT is a client of HWB

Tweet this news: The Southern Most Tip of Africa

2010-03-02T20:02:00.001+02:00

Did you know there's a contest to find the best way to symbolize southern most tip of Africa?
agulhas@hwb.co.za

Visit the HWB Press Room

2010-03-02T20:00:00.002+02:00

Visit the press room on the HWB website to see the latest press releases

http://www.hwb.co.za/press-releases.php

HWB'S Jennifer Crocker profiled in The Times

2010-02-22T13:20:00.003+02:00

Click on the article to enlarge.

Report: Firebreaks set for Outeniqua Mountains

2010-02-16T11:46:00.002+02:00

FIREFIGHTERS from six Working on Fire (WoF) teams will start cutting firebreaks today in the Outeniqua Mountains above the Garden Route Dam in George.

This is to eradicate old and alien vegetation and it will be followed by controlled burns starting in three weeks time, to improve water run-off into the catchment area of the dam.

Due to extreme drought conditions in George, the dam level has dropped to 18,2% and has been stretched to supply Wilderness residents with water after the Touw River stopped flowing last week.

Eden disaster management head Gerhard Otto said yesterday it was decided to use the extra WoF teams brought in from KwaZulu Natal and the Free State last week to help contain fires between Bitou and Still Bay.

Read the full text of this report at http://www.theherald.co.za/article.aspx?id=531642

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Working on Fire is a client of HWB

Join Evelyn online

2010-02-16T11:43:00.002+02:00

Evelyn Holtzhausen's fortnightly column from the Cape Times has moved to its own online home. Follow Evelyn's thoughts at this blog address:

http://evelynjh.blogspot.com/

Spier launches its new Creative Block Wines

2010-02-02T08:59:00.003+02:00

Spier Wines last night debuted its Creative Block wines to the Cape Town media. Creative inspiration for the branding is taken from Spier's patronage for the arts. Guests were invited to assemble their own collections from the range of unique blocks of art - all created under Spier's tutelage.

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Spier is a client of HWB

No more awe fatigue after hearing a whale breathe close to me

2010-02-01T17:35:00.004+02:00

EVELYN HOLTZHAUSEN'S SECOND LAST COLUMN FOR URBAN EDGE, CAPE TIMES.

Compassion fatigue. Can you believe it ? What next?

I heard the term for the first time this week. I don’t think that Mother Theresa ever got it, but then she was a Saint. Or did that only happen after she was so totally compassioned out that she had to leave the planet? I suppose you get it from being too compassionate or maybe for being compassionate for too long. I am not sure that there are degrees of compassion. Its like you cant be half pregnant, either you are or aren’t.

The more, it seems, that more we move away from responsibility for our actions the quicker it appears that labels are invented to legitimise whatever behaviour it is that we elect to adopt.

My mother was once asked whether she knew that I was attention deficit, or had ADD, because I am always on the move. “No,” she replied “ there is nothing wrong with Evelyn, he has always had ants in his pants.”

Ants in the pants, or an ant in the pant, as they may say in Cape Town, transforms from a quirk into a deficit with the simply addition of a label. On the plus side I suppose labels do provide us with guidance in getting a grip on things that go bump in the mind and which are often than not a lot more difficult to grasp than herding cats.

Vegetarian is also a label. For me a few days ago it translated directly into a reduction of stress. There I was paddling off Blauberg beach with John in the back of the kyak when I noticed a huge rock ahead of us. ”That rock wasn’t there last week” I remarked as I dipped my paddle into the icy water. “Because it’s not a rock,” said John. “It’s a whale, with a calf!” “But don’t worry, “ he added as my shoulders hunched with tension, “ Whales are vegetarian” So we kept our distance, playing “find the whales” as they disappeared underwater then remerged here and there for a puff of air.

And what awesome experiences to be so close as to hear a whale breathing. Reason enough I would argue never to suffer awe fatigue.

Carolyn, who knows these things, read from a book on the subject after I told her of my encounter. “If whale shows up,” she read, “ it means express yourself through your voice by singing, humming, or chanting simply the pure joy of doing so…”

Indeed. I recalled a moment of joy recently when the group with whom I was hiking stopped at a secluded waterfall in Table Mountain National Park.The water falls down a steep rock face into a funnel-like gorge creating a wonderful echo chamber. Yoga teachers, say that the chant of Aum, calms the mind, it is the the sound with which the universe vibrates. So we did that at the foot of the waterfall. It was a wonderful uplifting spiritual experience.

Compassion fatigue, I wonder, does that mean we get too tired to care ? I hope not.

evelyn@hwb.co.za

Iconic Ideas Competition for Africa’s Southernmost Tip in Agulhas

2010-01-28T09:19:00.005+02:00

A continent-wide competition has been launched to mark Africa’s real Southernmost Tip, at L’Agulhas, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans converge.

The area where the southernmost tip falls is a nature reserve owned by South African National Parks (SANParks). Nearby is the historic L’Agulhas lighthouse precinct, which will also be upgraded to include a new visitors’ centre. Over the past year, the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) has been involved in projects to beautify the area, most notably through the erection of a boardwalk and benches.

The ‘Iconic Ideas’ competition, launched by DEDAT in partnership with SANParks, will run from the 26^th of January until the 10^th of March 2010. The competition will be calling on all people of Africa to create or design an iconic concept to celebrate the continent’s most southerly point. It should be a structure or symbol that can blend well with the surroundings at the Agulhas National Park, without causing damage to the environment. It should have continental significance, and be something that people can identify with. Mostly, it should encourage an environment where people can re-connect, spiritually or otherwise.

Anyone interested in entering the competition should send their concept idea, written out in no longer than one A4 page and a drawing (if necessary). Entries can be emailed, posted or faxed, all clearly marked as SOUTHERNMOST TIP OF AFRICA COMPETITION - please send entries to finmin@pgwc.gov.za/ Ministry of Finance, Private Bag X9165, Cape Town, 8000/ fax (+27)21 483 3892. For the competition brief, click to http://www.hwb.co.za/media-article.php?id=191

Read full press release here
http://www.hwb.co.za/media-article.php?id=191

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Southernmost Tip is a client of HWB

Spier's "Eight" farm to food restaurant gets rave reviews

2010-01-27T18:00:00.005+02:00

READ THIS REVIEW IN FULL FROM THE LINK BELOW

"Before the word gets out, I thought I’d share my addiction to the latest restaurant to open on the Spier Wine Estate in Lyndedoch Road, Stellenbosch. Eight at Spier serves good wholesome breakfasts, brunches and lunches on the grounds of the popular weekend destination. The restaurant is child-friendly, affordable, and one of very few restaurants with a green ethos where environmental consciousness and commitment to the Earth is a high priority. Most of all, the restaurant lacks pretentiousness, and easily ranks as one of the best places to get a decent, healthy breakfast over a weekend …"

Address: Eight at Spier, R310 Lynedoch Road Stellenbosch
Telephone: +27 (0)21 809-1100

Read full review: http://blog.sa-venues.com/provinces/western-cape/eight-at-spier/
Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Spier is a client of HWB

What an earth is a mobisode?

2010-01-27T13:42:00.002+02:00

HWB is getting ready for Mobile TV. One of the New Media frontiers for communications and media relations.

Cell phone networks introduced the technology in December 2009. Programmes are streamed live to cell phones off the 3G network, while still leaving phones able to operate as phones. Viewers will watch short sequences called "mobisodes" while on the move.

HWB client, Futuregrowth warns on investment returns in 2010

2010-01-21T13:36:00.003+02:00

Read full text of the article here http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=91608

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. The Futuregrowth is a client of HWB.

HWB and the papers

2010-01-20T17:54:00.004+02:00

Each day of the week, 365 days a year HWB reviews the entire printed media in South Africa to check for reports that are of significance for clients, review press releases that have been placed by us and to do media evaluations.

Contact HWB for a media proposal for your business - we have unparalled media access across the print and broadcast media world and also offer a full service addressing New Media including social networking and Twitter. In our staff of media specialists we have former magazine and newspaper editors and journalists.

Happy Birthday Evelyn

2010-01-20T17:53:00.001+02:00

2010: South Africa's Big Year

2010-01-11T11:01:00.004+02:00

Friday 1 January marked the beginning of the most important year in South Africa since 1994, President Jacob Zuma said in his New Year message, calling on all South Africans to work together make the 2010 Fifa World Cup "one of the most successful projects we have ever undertaken as a nation".

South Africans made history in 1994, when the country held its first democratic elections, Zuma said.

"We embarked on a phase of reconciliation and forgiveness, and worked hard to build one nation, united in its diversity ... We have proven to the world that it is possible to emerge from a horrible conflict, and work together ... to build a successful, peaceful, stable, multiparty constitutional democracy."

The year 2010 "is our next critical moment," the President said. "We have won the greatest marketing opportunity of our time, the rights to host the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup."

http://www.southafrica.info/news/newyear.htm

Zimbabwe prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai at IJR press conference

2009-12-04T11:31:00.004+02:00

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai wants his countrymen to return home to take part in the reconstruction of the country. This was the theme of his comments at a press conference held yesterday hosted by the Insitutute for Justice and Reconciliation, a major client of HWB.

Tsvangirai told journalists in Cape Town that he was having to convince sceptics that had a role to play in rebuilding the country.

"My message is that this is the time to consider taking part in the reconstruction phase of Zimbabwe by Zimbabweans who are in the diaspora," Tsvangirai said.

He said the Zimbabwean diaspora constituted almost four million skills of various attributes needed in Zimbabwe for its reconstruction.

"I am here to convince the sceptics who are quite wide ranging, including my own countrymen. This is not a salesman's job. It is real serious patriotic challenge to all Zimbabweans to come and really create a Zimbabwe we demand and deserve."

Extracted from Times Live
http://www.timeslive.co.za/news/article219622.ece

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. The IJR is a client of HWB.

Message from Rape Crisis

2009-11-23T20:46:00.001+02:00

You might like to follow the progress of our bus by following the daily blog posts on http://www.rapecrisis.org.za/ - please comment as you go and send this link to others. The crew on the bus really value the supportive comments they get from around the country and the world!
Love, Kath

Kathleen Dey
Director

Stop the Bus Campaign 2009

2009-11-23T20:41:00.004+02:00

In an effort to encourage communities to create safe relationships and safe spaces to prevent rape and sexual violence Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust is launching their Stop the Bus campaign during 16 Days of Activism.

The campaign will run from November 22, to December 5, 2009. A bus on tour in the Western Cape will carry volunteer trainers, community activists and counsellors travelling to a number of communities conducting workshops, holding networking meetings, training and counselling on issues related to rape and sexual violence.

The links between sexual violence, HIV and substance abuse, highlighting the voices of rural communities and building stronger partnerships between urban and rural organisations will also be explored.

“We need to encourage people to speak out and not to deny the reality of rape and sexual violence. We cannot turn away from the horror of what is happening in our streets, back yards, schools, businesses, places of worship and homes when it comes to violence against women and children. We need to work together to change the society that we live in”, said Nazma Hendricks, Operations Manager, Rape Crisis Cape Town.

http://www.rapecrisis.org.za/

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Rape Crisis is a pro bono client of HWB.

Futuregrowth pathfinder in new BEE agricultural deal

2009-11-18T12:38:00.001+02:00

Targets for agricultural land reform moved a step closer today as South African Fruit Exporters (SAFE), one of South Africa‘s leading global fruit exporting and logistical services providers, announced a large empowerment transaction funded by Futuregrowth Asset Management.

The deal involves the sale of 50% of the equity from existing shareholders in SAFE to the United Farmers’ Fund Trust (UFF), a broad-based BEE trust with a focus on land reform and rural development.

A new joint venture will be formed together with SAFE and the UFF to be known as SAFE Farm Ventures.

James Howard, portfolio manager of Futuregrowth the main investor behind the UFF on this deal, said that the Futuregrowth Infrastructure Development Bond and the Development Equity Fund, on behalf of investors, had provided R25 million to fund the purchase of SAFE equity. “This transaction ticks all the blocks for institutional clients seeking to invest in the development of the country. The benefits of this particular deal include sustainable and profitable land reform with a guaranteed minimum return to meet the Funds' performance targets,” said Howard.

Read the full text of the press release from the HWB http://www.hwb.co.za/media-article.php?id=143

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Futuregrowth is a client of HWB.

Constantia Wine Estate - Eagles’ Nest - Wins Best Shiraz in the World

2009-11-16T16:07:00.004+02:00

Eagles’ Nest, a boutique vineyard situated on Constantia’s highest slopes, has won the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s (IWSC) International Trophy for the Best Shiraz in the 2009 Competition, announced on Wednesday.

Andrew Leaver, Commercial Manager of Eagles’ Nest, said: “We are delighted with this international acclaim. This is probably the most respected competition held on the international stage. The finest wines from every wine region in the world enter, making the winner, essentially, the best example of its cultivar in the world.”

The acclaim of the International Trophy for the Best Shiraz has previous only been bestowed on two other South African wine estates, Boland Kelder in 2001 and 2003 and Nederburg in 2007. Leaver said: “Both previous South African winners are from well-established estates, the 2007 Eagles’ Nest Shiraz is, however, only our vineyard’s second release.”

Consulting winemaker to Eagles’ Nest, Martin Meinert, who won Winemaker of the Year at the Investec Private Bank Winemakers Choice Awards with this Shiraz, said: “I am exceptionally proud of this wine. To my knowledge it is unprecedented that a small estate can win such international acclaim with its second release. The team at Eagles’ Nest are passionate about what they do, it is an exceptional wine estate to work with and I am absolutely delighted with this award.”

The IWSC entries are judged using professional blind tasting and detailed chemical and microbiological analysis. The awards will be celebrated at an IWSC function in London for 500 guests in November.

Eagles’ Nest vineyards were established after the devastating fire in 2000 destroyed the fynbos and natural vegetation on the farm, as well as 95% of the forestation, and the owners, the Mylrea family, decided to shift the focus of the estate to wine,” said Leaver. In the 1600s the farm had formed part of Simon van der Stel’s Groote Constantia that produced wine for the nobility in Europe.

According to resident winemaker, Stuart Botha, although the Constantia wine region is well known for its white wines, Eagles’ Nest has a unique terroir within the valley as it is situated on the highest slope in the Constantia Valley, making it more suitable to reds.

“We are concentrating on three cultivars, our prize winning Shiraz, Merlot which is award winning in its own right with four stars in the John Platter and ironically the cultivar our customers often prefer, and one white, our Viognier, which also won a Silver-Best in Class award at this year’s IWSC.”

The Eagles’ Nest Shiraz is a typical cool climate Shiraz with rich, fresh dark-plum colour and white pepper tones on the nose. It also won local acclaim with a Best Red Wine Trophy at the Investec Private Bank Winemakers Choice Awards.

Tastings at Eagles’ Nest are welcomed, but by appointment, please call 021 683 0487.
http://www.iwsc.net/pages/product_trophies/

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Eagles' Nest is a client of HWB.

2009-11-05T09:17:00.000+02:00

Read more about the Helen Suzman Foundation
http://www.hsf.org.za/

Ramphele's memorial lecture to Helen Suzman Foundation

2009-11-05T08:23:00.006+02:00

Read full text of the speech
http://www.hsf.org.za/past-events/helen-suzman-memorial-lecture

BY NOT protesting against the decay of social services and public schooling, all South Africans are to blame for high rates of crime and unemployment among youths, says businesswoman and anti- apartheid activist Dr Mamphela Ramphele.

Speaking at the annual Helen Suzman lecture in Cape Town this week Ramphele urged South African youth to engage in peaceful protest against the moral decay of society “as loud as we did (under apartheid) — even against laws that could have you shot”.

“We’ve had shocking statements made in our public sphere. What kind of ethics allows young people to say Kader Asmal should just lie down and die? In the Free State a young man said (University of Free State Rector Professor) Jonathan Jansen should be shot dead? For what? For making a decision?

“That’s the morality of the group which thinks this is a good thing. But what morals make you silent in the face of these words? We should really be outraged,” she said.

Ramphele said this was the result of allowing the schooling system to decay to a point where a high number of youths are not attending school anymore.

“And you wonder why you have higher electric fences and youths who will take your cellphone and come back to stab you. They are filled with rage. And you have failed them. We are responsible for the situation we are in now.”

Ramphele said these were all signs that SA was at a crossroads, struggling to emerge from the growing pains of its young democracy.

“The issue we are faced with is to rediscover the ideals so many people have dreamt of. We have to (acknowledge) that we have grossly underestimated what is needed to become a society.

“We underestimated the diversions in the journey, pre-1994, that has brought us here and the foundations of our democracy is only emerging now. But we are compelled to double our efforts.” Roux van Zyl Business Day

Read the text of news today about the speech
on Business Day
http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=86058

and then Independent Online
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20091104043857889C777366

And read about Mamphela Ramphele

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamphela_Ramphele

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. The Helen Suzman Foundation is a client of HWB.

HWB client Futuregrowth wins Mail & Guardian Award

2009-11-02T10:39:00.004+02:00

Futuregrowth, part of the Old Mutual Group has been awarded the Enterprise Growth Award from the Mail & Guardian. Specifically, the company's Trust for Urban Housing Finance was recognised for the funds it has made available for urban renewal projects in the CBD of Johannesburg and its surrounds.

The Trust's primary purpose is to provide finds in the short and medium term to refurbish buildings that are then rented out.

Read the full text of the article here http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-11-02-home-sweet

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Futuregrowth is a client of HWB.

Used cooking to reduce South Africa’s carbon emissions

2009-10-29T14:10:00.004+02:00

Trucks delivering concrete to Cape Town’s 2010 football stadium are using diesel enhanced by used cooking oil and poultry fat.

This was revealed this week by Bruce Thorndike, CEO of Biogreen Diesel, a renewable energy company that is pioneering the conversion of waste oil to a less expensive, pollution-free biodiesel.

As waste cooking oil is reused, the Free Fatty Acid content (FFA) increases, making it harmful to consumers and decreasing the quality of biodiesel that can be made. Often this oil finds its way into animal feed, pet food, or sold to unsuspecting consumers.

A safe alternative is to have this oil converted into a high quality biodiesel by a reputable company. Monthly tests on Biogreen Diesel’s finished product have certified that the company consistently produces high quality biodiesel that meets international standards.

“No other company in South Africa has set this as a norm,” said Jeff Theodor, a Director in Biogreen Diesel.

Although Biogreen Diesel only became operational earlier this year, the company also supplies biodiesel for Pick n Pay and Spar delivery trucks.

The company uses the first patented Jet Reactor, invented by Org Nieuwoudt, to convert waste oil from restaurants and retailers, to an environmentally friendly fuel that can be used as a mixture with, or a substitute for, diesel.

Biodiesel has a minimal impact on the environment. It is non toxic, has a higher flash point than mineral diesel so it is safer to handle, and has reduced exhaust emissions in comparison - 400L biodiesel exchanged for the same volume of diesel will reduce the Carbon Dioxide emissions by 1 tonne.

“Sixty percent of the brown smog that often sits over Cape Town is created by diesel emissions,” said Dave Morison, Production Manager of Biogreen Diesel, who has a background in atmospheric sciences. Switching to biofuels will help to reduce this pollution.

By using a biodiesel/diesel mix, Pick n Pay and Spar combined will reduce their carbon emissions by approximately 1000 tonnes in the Western Cape over the next year.

Biogreen Diesel, based in Cape Town, will open in Johannesburg in November and plans to expand operations to Port Elizabeth and Durban by mid-2010. http://www.supermarket.co.za/news_detail.asp?ID=1874

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. BIOGREEN is a client of HWB.

Spier Red Week Friday October 23rd to Saturday 31st

2009-10-28T15:33:00.004+02:00

Spier’s environs will soon be draped in brilliant shades of red, with the blossoming of 230 indigenous coral trees. In celebration of the event, and the arrival of spring, Spier will host its annual Red Week festival from Friday October 23rd to Saturday 31st.

Red wine tastings will be a focus of the festivities, with limited offers, special tastings and unusual food pairings showcasing award-winning blends and single-cultivar wines.

Red-spot specials at the luxury Spier Hotel will include a Red Revive package complete with dinner by candlelight, red wine and a red-related surprise. Restaurants will incorporate red themes into the dishes, bringing delectable ruby and scarlet tones to the table or picnic fare.

The conservation programs will be on red alert all week, with special activities planned to educate and enthuse.

Further information can be found at www.spier.co.za, or telephone 021 809 1100 for stay-over specials and more.

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa. Spier is a client of HWB

SA in top ten Tweeters

2009-10-19T18:39:00.003+02:00

Cape Town - Can't live without Twitter? Can't go through your day without tweeting about it? Well, give yourself a little pat on the back, because you have helped to tweet South Africa into the 10th spot of the world's top Twitter countries.

Yes, go on and tweet it: South Africa has become the 10th largest user of Twitter in the world.

According to Canadian research company Sysomos, South African Twitter users make up 0.85% of total online Twitter interaction, beating Japan (0.71%), the Philippines (0.64%) and China (0.49%) to a spot in the top 10.

The US is the winner by far with 62.14% of the world's users, followed by the UK (7.87%), Canada (5.69%) and Australia (2.8%).

Twitter attracts around 55 million unique visitors worldwide per month - 0.85% of this amounts to 467 500 SA visitors per month.

Since starting out as a side project in March 2006 in San Francisco, the popular social networking and micro-blogging site Twitter experienced explosive growth, attracting celebrity users such as Oprah, and a growing mountain of media and blog coverage.

In fact, according to Sysomos's study, 72.5% of all users joined Twitter during the first five months of 2009.

Sysomos analysed information disclosed on 11.5 million Twitters accounts to take an "extensive snapshot" of Twitter "that goes far beyond anything done to document Twitter's use, growth and demographics".

"While Twitter's growth has been well documented, we wanted to put the spotlight on how people use Twitter, as well as identify many of the key trends in their backgrounds, demographics and activity," said Nick Koudas, Sysomos' co-founder and chief executive in a press release. news24.com

Posted by HWB Communications, Cape Town's premier PR agency specialising in crisis communications & media relations in South Africa