allthingscapetown

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The Journey of Alderwoman Rhoda-Ann Bazier

This documentary focusus on Rhoda-Ann Bazier's journey to becoming an Alderwoman. It includes the challenges she has faced along the way, who she is and what she stands for. Women in politics needs more recognition to show other women that they can achieve their goals as well and that hard work does indeed pay off.

#alderwoman #Youtube

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Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre- Observatory

By Ilhaam Darries

Drugs is an unfortunate part of our reality and many adults and even children become victims to drug use. However, there are places that try to prevent and help people stay away from drugs and one out of those many places is the well-known Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre (CTDCC) in Observatory. In 1985 the CTDCC opened its doors to the public for the first time to provide outpatient programmes to whoever needed it. The CTDCC now has a total of three centres which is situated in Atlantis, Mitchells Plain and Observatory.

Caption 1: CTDCC Logo

The Variety:

Many people are not aware that drugs come in many more forms than just the usual cannabis, alcohol and tik. The CTDCC’s website shows the different types of drugs categorized into three main categories which is namely Stimulants, Depressants and Hallucinogens. Stimulants includes drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy whereas Depressants would include drugs such as heroin, alcohol and Mandrax, etc. Hallucinogens would include drugs such as magic mushrooms and LSD. It is always the best option to abstain from using drugs because of its addictive nature, any drug could be a gateway drug to wanting to experiment with more “stronger” drugs and when you try to get yourself out of it, it might be too late. The CTDCC helps with educating people on the different types of drugs because for each drug they list how it is used; what users experience; symptoms of the drug use; the effects it has on the user and lastly what happens if the user stops using the drug. Many young people may think that it is cool to do drugs and to show off that they tried cocaine, but the sad reality is that there is high chance he/she may get addicted after one use.

Statistics of the ethnic groups (2013-2017):

As a coloured it is always sad to see that it is my people with the highest percentage of drug use. I feel that gangsterism plays a huge role when it comes too drugs and unfortunately in most of the coloured areas such as the Cape Flats, gangsterism is present. In the 2013 CTDCC ethnic group statistics, it showed that the majority of clients were coloured (77.%) and the second most clients were black (14.5%), and the least number of clients were white (8.2%). Comparing the 2017 CTDCC ethnic group statistics to 2013 ethnic group statistics, it showed slightly different results where the majority of clients were still coloured however with a slight decrease to 74% and the second most clients were still black however with an increase to 17% and lastly, the least number of clients were still white with a decrease to 8%. Although the totals of clients are high, it is good to see that many people are seeking help. No matter what ethnic group one may come from, abstaining from drugs is always the best option.

Can the CTDCC help you? :

It is easy to fall into drug use, whether it be peer pressure or “fun”, drugs are more powerful than one may think it is. No one should ever feel embarrassed about seeking helping especially if it is for your own well-being. The mission of the Centre is to “Treat and rehabilitate substance users and those directly affected to bring about Transformation and Recovery.”, thus resulting in the CTDCC offering several services such as Treatment, Prevention, Family and Drugs, Referral Procedures and lastly Training. Each service will of course be different from each other thus it is always best to know what exactly you need help with, whether it be prevention, getting treatment to stop drug-use or just educating yourself. Since the CTDCC is an outpatient centre, it takes a lot of discipline and motivation from the person seeking help because it means that the person is still exposed too their usual environment and they still have access to whatever drug they are trying to get away from. The CTDCC can help in many ways however, your willingness to stop and to seek the help you need plays a vital role when trying to make a change.

Caption 2: Staff at CTDCC- Observatory

On the road to recovery:

At the CTDCC Observatory branch, one of the clients who is a 38-year-old tik addict in recovery started off his story by admitting that he was aware of his problem but could not see how big his problem actually was. He stated that through listening to the counsellors, it has helped him. He wrote, “After the lecture on Denial (and behaviour to make excuses) a light went on for me and I could better understand and acknowledge the addict behaviour in my life. It became easier to accept what I was. This made it easier to understand the earlier lectures and apply them to my life.”. He ended his story by mentioning that he became more accepting of being an addict and that he can go safely through life with the help of his loved ones.

The fact that I grew up in a coloured community and saw many people turn into completely different people all because of drugs is heart-breaking. Adults and Children will have different reasons for using drugs, it may even be reasons that someone may not understand but through being there for them by getting help instead of turning a blind-eye, it will have an impact on their lives, and it will help in many ways. I feel that nobody deserves to lose themselves to drugs, especially if they are struggling to end their drug-use. The CTDCC’s vision is to be able to transform people in a transformed environment. I stand behind the CTDCC’s purpose because so many people are searching for help and looking for a way out, but they do not know how. If you are or know anyone that is in need of help or assistance or even awareness, the email address to contact the CTDCC is: [email protected] . The telephone number for the CTDCC:

Observatory: 021 447 8026

Mitchells Plain: 021 397 0103

Atlantis: 021 571 7180

The Whatsapp numbers are:

Observatory:072 755 1913 or 063 087 2435

Mitchells Plain: 073 875 0548

Atlantis: 063 247 2918

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References:

Potts,A. 2021. CTDCC. Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre. [Online] The Cape Town Drug Counselling Center CTDCC | PUBLIC (drugcentre.org.za)

Western Cape Government. 2021. [Online] Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre (Observatory) | Western Cape Government

CTDCC. 2017. Annual Report. [Online]. Available at: http://drugcentre.org.za/download.php?pdownload=yes&pfilename=uploaded_files/stats/ctdcc_annual_report2017.pdf[Accessed 1 October 2021].

CTDCC. 2013. Annual Report. [Online]. Available at: http://drugcentre.org.za/download.php?pdownload=yes&pfilename=uploaded_files/stats/ctdcc_annual_report2013.pdf[Accessed 1 October 2021].

CTDCC. 2021. Figure1. [Online]. Available at: Observatory Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre - Bing [Accessed 2 October 2021].

CTDCC. 2021. Figure 2. [Online]. Available at: Sober and Sexy | Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre [Accessed 2 October 2021].

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Elections 2021 or 2022??

A lot of uncertainty has been spiraling around on whether the local elections will take place this year or not.

Decisions around the 2021 Local Government Elections has caused some degree of suspense within the provinces of South Africa. Because of the global pandemic, many important events had to be moved or cancelled therefore the date for the elections has no official date yet.

Because of Covid-19, many feel that the elections would not be a fair one this year thus the people of all provinces are waiting for the final judgement from the constitutional court.

According to an article from SABC (2021), Glen Mashinini which is the Commission Chairperson stated, “The application is also launched on an urgent basis because there is a need for certainty on the preparations for the municipal elections. The Commission and electoral stakeholders are currently in an untenable position where preparations are proceeding for 27 October whilst at the same time anticipating the outcome of the Constitutional Court application for a possible deferral of elections to February 2022,”.

Concourt hearing on LGE 2021 begins on Friday - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.

In an official statement by the South African Government, Dlamini Zuma made remarks on calling for a set date for the elections and in the statement the legal opinion made mention that “If the Court postpones the elections, the Minister would not have acted in contempt of court. Proclaiming the election date for 2021 would only be prohibited if there is a court order postponing the elections to February 2022.”. Thus, meaning that the people of South Africa must wait on the court to decide on a whether the elections would be moved or not.

Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma: Local Government Elections | South African Government (www.gov.za)

According to an article by allAfrica (2021), it states that “Efforts are under way to postpone South Africa's local government elections, set for October 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”. People of South Africa must wait in anticipation for the set date to be confirmed once final decisions based around many factors has been confirmed.

South Africa: To Postpone, or Not to Postpone? South Africa's Local Elections Hang in the Balance - allAfrica.com

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Why blogging is important for student journalists

Blogging can play a big role in a student journalist’s life since it gives them the opportunity to be able to write whatever content they want to write about. I feel that with blogging a student can become more comfortable and confident with their writing since they are producing their own content that can be viewed by many people.

Although blogging can just be a fun activity for student journalists, it can also turn out to be something big which can result in the student landing a job for their impressive work or it can even become a viable source that news outlets can use.

Because of the digital age we are currently in, blogging will have many benefits for the future journalist since one can even build a career on just blogging. According to Khanyi Writes (2018), “Blogging is an extraordinary route for us young journalism students, to work on creating and to make a network familiarity for ourselves”.

With becoming more comfortable with ones writing, especially as a student journalist, I feel that this would only empower one to want too to do better and provide better content for the audience and this would also help boost one’s confidence to get a job in the field without hesitating that their work is not good enough for the audience.

At first, I was very unfamiliar with the whole idea of blogging but as I went along with it, I do feel that it has improved my confidence regarding the way I write, and it could help me improve with the parts that I do struggle with.

Who I am and what I wish to achieve with my blog:

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Brent Meersan The Reviewer

Brent Meersan is a South African Journalist, Writer, and the Chairman of the Cape Town Press Club. He was born in Cape Town, 1967. Meersan has written countless reviews for many different things which can be found in a column in Mail & Guardian. Meersan started his career as a News photographer and spent most his time travelling, he then went on to critiquing performing arts for Mail & Guardian which covered various forms of art. He now lectures at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in the Film and Media Studies Department.

Brent Meersan at his book launch.

In Meersan’s review “Bitten by the food bug”, he mentions that he has published his first novel and he has even reviewed over 200 shows for Mail & Guardian as a theatre critic, that is quite impressive that he has reviewed so many shows before! After Meersan started writing about food, strangers started approaching him and asked, “Have you been writing for the Mail & Guardian?”. His work has become well known amongst readers. Strangers would even come up to him in restaurants and refer to whomever he was dining with as “Munchkin”, which Meersan indeed does because he always refers to the person he dines with as “Munchkin”. The fact that people noticed that he has a name for someone he dines with is enough to show that he is a recognized reviewer. Meersan picked up that Capetonions only seemed to be interested in restaurant reviews. He further stated that “Cape Town is without question the most sophisticated, diverse, food-conscioys city in Africa. It’s the perfect playground for a restaurant reviewer.”. There are many different cultures in Cape Town therefore many different dishes and different styles of dishes. Meersan has spent R1150.00 on one of his most expensive dishes that he has reviewed and although Meersan reviewer, it is a bit crazy to spend that much money on a single dish. A reader commented on that price and said that Meersan made them choke on their own vomit and further questions Meersan by asking if he knows how much mielie meal,bags of sugar, bottles of cooking oil and cans of pilchards that would buy. Spending that much money on a dish is bonkers, one can spend that money buying more useful food items however it is understandable in Meersan’s case as a reviewer. He is a quite a humorous reviewer as well because in 2011, he made up his own restaurant for April’s Fool’s Day, Taboo. However, he did not receive a good reaction from readers and hopes that he has been forgiven. It is funny that he took the risk to have a bit of fun even though it potentially could have ruined his career.

In Meersan’s review, “Confused but Content” he speaks about the Italian cuisine. The Italian food was the first regional cuisine to go global, from pizza to ice-cream, Italian dishes is the world’s favourite cuisine, and I am sure nobody would want to argue with that. Restaurants that are not even Italian serves Italian and I assume that is where the confusion comes in. Meersan states that In South Africa, Italian eaters are of the oldest restaurants in the country and that the restaurant owners are mostly from the second generation.

In the piece “Rethinking the National Arts Festival”, Meersan shows his concern towards the rate of unemployment amongst the youth and the poverty in Grahamstown. Grahamstown is a well-known place for its history, but one can agree with Meersan speaking about the festival while including the poverty in the area. Meersan writes, “The NAF employs 400 people for the festival period, for 75% of them it is there only job for the year. According to StatsSA, 13% of households have no income, a further 10% of households have an income of less than R9,600.”. It is smart how he is sensitive with both the NAF and the unemployed people. He manages to show how helpful the festival is towards the people in Grahamstown regarding the unemployment issues and he also mentions that it is the only job for the year for that people.

Brent Meersan incredible work is definitely a must read. He reviews without damaging anyone’s image, he does it is a way that can motivate people to do better. Brent Meersan’s impressive food blog can be accessed via this link- http://www.oncebitten.co.za/ if you are interested in checking that out, I would recommend it. After reviewing a few of Meersan’s pieces I came to the conclusion that is truly remarkable at what he does.

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Within the heart of Cape Town lies a Book Lounge

By Ilhaam Darries

Are you a bookworm? And do you live in Cape Town? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then The Book Lounge is just the place for you! A Book Lounge is situated at the heart of Cape Town, yes you heard right, A BOOK LOUNGE! After discovering this store, I was taken aback because looking from the outside, you would not expect much but… I was surprised. The Book Lounge is so warm and comfy that you may even consider it as your home away from home. Situated at 71 Roeland Street, Cape Town, The Book Lounge offers amazing books as well as tasty coffee and great staff that will accompany you with your visit at the store.

Figure 1 The Book Lounge Proudly showing off their name towards Roeland Street

After stepping into the store, it is almost as if you have entered another world where it is chaos on the outside yet peaceful on the inside. The store has huge windows facing Roeland’s busy street which adds on to how peaceful and cozy it is to be inside of the store where you are surrounded by books, coffee and nothing but good vibes. Something that I thought was really cool after my visit to the store is the fact that their coffee shop is DOWNSTAIRS!? That was something that surprised me because the Book Lounge is not that much higher than the street outside to be able to have a coffee shop downstairs. It was quite a fascinating sight to see. The Book Lounge opened up in December of 2007 and has attracted many people to pop in by the store since the inviting atmosphere never disappoints. The Book Lounge is not only for adults but for kids as well, the store welcomes people of all ages since it consists of hundreds of different types of books. The store also has an online option which means you can browse and order books at the comfort of your own home, office, etc. The store offers free delivery if your purchase is over R300 within 20km radius of the Book Lounge. Although it might be more convenient and safer to order books online because of Corana lurking in the air, you should definitely visit The Book Lounge at least once just to understand why people always return back to the store. The store does follow Covid-19 protocols therefore you would be required to sanitize your hands at the door, to have a mask on at all times and to ensure that you are maintaining social distancing from other people in the store. The Book Lounge is open from Mondays until Sundays however the times vary. From Monday- Friday the store is open from 09h00-17h00, on Saturday the store is open from 09h00- 16h00 and on Sundays the store is only from 10h00-16h00.

Figure 2 A customer in the front section of the store

Culture Trip had the following to say about the store, “Cape Town‘s Book Lounge is perhaps the cosiest and most iconic bookstore. It’s situated on a corner in the city’s East City district, and the passionate staff are always willing to lend their insights and opinions.”. The Best Bookshops in Cape Town, South Africa (theculturetrip.com)

If you ever happen to be in Roeland Street, take the time to give yourself a break to relieve some stress by getting a good book accompanied with an awesome cup of coffee. If you do not want to buy a book, then consider browsing through hundreds of different types of books and take in as much of the welcoming atmosphere before leaving the store. I can assure you that you would be planning a trip back to the store not long after leaving. This independent bookshop has a lot more value to it than just being a shop filled with books and coffee therefore I would recommend The Book Lounge to anyone especially if they are looking for quality books in a welcoming area. The Book Lounge should definitely be on any bookworms to visit lists. Make sure to give them a follow on their social media platforms: (7) Book Lounge | Facebook / The Book Lounge (@booklounge) • Instagram photos and videos / The Book Lounge (@book_lounge) / Twitter