The third annual Attractions Africa conference, the continent’s premier attractions management event, heads to the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Cape Town – Upper Eastside from Wednesday 8 to Thursday 9 June, 2016.  

Delegates of the conference will be treated to a two day programme, comprising international speakers sharing trends, benchmarks and best practise, as well as local examples of excellence, cases studies and white papers presented by local attraction managers.  

This year’s thrilling presentations include a case-study of the Homo Naledi discovery by Michael Worsnip of Maropeng a’Afrika Leisure; a talk by the Cape Town Cycle Tour’s David Bellairs about the marketing, communication and reputation management needed for the world’s largest cycle tour; a look into community participation in Attractions building by the rising star Siphiwe Ngwenya of the Maboneng Art Experience and more.  

An educational opportunity for attraction managers as well as a platform for information sharing and the recognition of common challenge, Attractions Africa is a collaborative effort between some of the continent’s top attractions including Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Two Oceans Aquarium, SAB World of Beer and Cape Point.

  Now in its third year, the Attractions Africa conference has become a highlight of the tourism calendar:

  “A conference of this magnitude brings together leaders and their peers within in the attractions management industry and provides invaluable learnings for those on the frontline of providing amazing visitor experiences at their establishments. Whether you are a museum, an art gallery, a hotel, a mega event, a restaurant or a theme park, we want you to join us for this must-attend educational event, “says Sabine Lehmann, Attractions Africa chair.  

Join us at the Attractions Africa conference:  

Registration for Attractions Africa 2016 Conference is OPEN. A discount rate for early registration is offered and will run until Friday 13 May 2016, so be sure to get in there fast and book your spot. Register online with a credit card or request an invoice.   To register and for more information about the Attractions Africa conference, please visit www.attractionsafrica.co.za or call +27 (0)21 683 2934.

First show sold out, additional show added

The Imagine! Family Magic Spectacular, South Africa’s BIGGEST magic show returns to the charming Artscape Theatre in the Mother City on Saturday 28 May, 2016 and tickets are already vanishing faster that you can say “Abracadabra!”

Presented by the College of Magic, Cape Town’s only magical arts organisation, in association with the Artscape Theatre, Imagine! is a  beguiling adventure for the young and the young at heart. Whilst tickets for the first show at 12pm have vanished in a blink of an eye, an additional show at 3pm has been added to the line-up.

A magical extravaganza you’ll never forget, Imagine! features South Africa's top children's entertainers in a fantastical world filled with incredible illusions, dazzling magic, hilarious antics and fun-filled fantasy for the whole family. Boasting a cast of over 50 enthralling illusionists, jugglers, mimes, clowns and more, the show will once again be directed by Chad Findlay.

Celebrating 36 years of teaching the art of magic and its allied arts as well as vital life-skills to children and adults in 2016, the College of Magic, a non-profit organisation and the only one of its kind in the world, is thrilled about the public’s palpable excitement for the Imagine! Family Magic Spectacular:

“Magic has an amazing ability to bring people together for an unforgettable experience. To see the overwhelming demand for our show by Cape Town’s families and magic fanatics has been a welcome surprise and we look forward to entertaining all of you at the Artscape Theatre”, says College of Magic director David Gore.

Proceeds from the show will be used in aid of the organisation’s Umlingo Outreach initiative which provides holistic life skills to young people in need.

Limited tickets are available for the Imagine! Family Magic Spectacular at the Artscape Theatre on Saturday 28 May, 2016 at 3pm. Tickets are from R130 with discounts for family bookings. Book yours at Computicket before they vanish!For more information about the show and the College of Magic, please visit www.collegeofmagic.com or call +27(0)21 683 5480.

In December 2014 Carly Santiagi released her book “Light Up Your Sex Life in 7 Days: A Woman’s Guide To Better Marital Love-making”©. This book is published by CreateSpace, an On-Demand Publishing LLC part of Amazon.com Inc. It is available as both a paperback and an eBook (Kindle). 

When asked why she wrote this book, Carly says “So many married couples suffer in their relationship because of low sex drive by one or both partners. Sex only makes up 10% of the marriage but if something is amiss in that department it causes 90% of the problems. My aim is help women and their husbands to work on conquering some problems they might face by following practical steps discussed in my book.” 

In psychoanalytic theory libido is a term that is used to describe the energy that is created by survival and sexual instincts. According to Sigmund Freud, libido is the driving force of all behaviour. Psychotherapist Christine Webber says that it is important to realise that libido or sexual desire is a completely different thing from the physical arousal in the genitals. Many women who have no libido are actually able to become physically aroused and have orgasms. What these women do find difficult is to feel passionate and a desire for sex. 

Married for 12 years with two sons under the age of 4 years, Carly has experienced an array of difficulties in her marriage. She and her husband have put time and effort into working together to solve their problems. Because of this Carly has empathy for people who experience the same kind of problems in their relationships. This book is her way of transferring what she has learned to others to help them along on the path to recovery and a happy intimate marriage.

Habitat for Humanity welcomed its International Board of Directors, comprising delegates from over 70 countries, to Cape Town, their chosen venue for the 2015 Annual General Meeting.  

The AGM coincided with Habitat for Humanity’s Desmond Tutu International Build in Pelican Park in Zeekoevlei. Through partnership with The Power Group, the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government, Habitat drew teams both locally and from the USA to help build homes and the community of Pelican Park.  

On Wednesday 4 March, the Directors enjoyed a full day out in Pelican Park, guided by John Bailey, chairman of the Pelican Park Owners Association, itself borne out of the support of Habitat and its partners. Specific challenges highlighted on the day included the urgent need for more schooling, the integration of individuals from different socio-economic backgrounds into a cohesive community, and the eradication of crime and drug abuse.  

The Directors met with local families and community leaders. They were able to witness, visit and learn first-hand about some of the solutions and projects Habitat for Humanity in partnership with the community and other stakeholder partners  are rolling out around Pelican Park, such as:  

1. The “Garden of Eden”, a hydroponic food garden project allowing community members to grow fresh vegetables within a minimal space.
2. The Nedbank Foundation EduTainer, a well-stocked ‘instant classroom’ for use as a daycare for 27 children, which came about after Nedbank representatives saw the need for such a facility while participating in a Habitat Team Build, pulled the necessary resources together and made it a reality The collaboration between Habitat for Humanity, the City of Cape Town, and the Pelican Park Owners Association around making the Zeekoevlei Wetlands Nature Reserve into a conservation and recreation destination for local families.
3. The Pelican Park Neighbourhood Watch’s work in reducing crime and assisting addicts enter rehabilitation programmes.
4. A series of workshops operated through Habitat for Humanity’s Social Facilitation Programme, to assist new home owners moving into the area to integrate into the community.  
5. This Social Facilitation Programme allows Habitat to bring about sustainable change in the lives of the new homeowners, instilling a sense of ownership to establishing a cohesive and vibrant new community.  

John Bailey told the group, “Habitat for Humanity is not just a shoulder for us to lean on, but a brother and sister to partner with. We are so grateful for their dedication and input into the community.”   For more information about Habitat for Humanity, or to get involved, please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 021-657-5640.

Ends.  

Issued on behalf of Habitat for Humanity Contact: Adrienne Burke

Tel: +27.21.657.5640
Cell: +27.79.155.8404
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

National Debt Advisors                                 
Tel. 021 007 1688

http://www.nationaldebtadvisors.co.za/

National Debt Advisors Makes a Donation to the Brothers for All Ex-Offenders’ Programme  

Cape Town, Western Cape: The National Debt Advisors team took a daytrip to Langa Township on Friday, 13 March to visit the Brothers for All Coding Centre and make a donation of 10 desktop computers, after the Centre was burglarised.  

The programme equips inmates, ex-offenders and vulnerable youth with computer coding and entrepreneurial skills, with a view to breaking the poverty-crime cycle that so many young South Africans are caught in. The Brothers for All Coding Centre was launched in September 2014 by rehabilitated ex-offenders, Sihle Tshabalala and Mzi Duda, who manage and run the Centre.  

Founder of Brothers for All, Sihle Tshabalala said of the Coding Centre,

‘All of these computers are used to teach coding. It’s the first school in the continent that offers a computer science curriculum that is done in the township.’

CEO of National Debt Advisors, Sebastien Alexanderson addressed the students, explaining

‘The minute we found out that you guys had your computers robbed, we thought, let’s help out’.  

The goals of this particular programme overlap with those of NDA, as they too are looking to provide South Africans with a better quality of life by improving their financial situations. Subsequently, NDA decided to donate their spare PCs to Brothers for All in support of equipping ex-prisoners with marketable skills, so they don’t have to resort to crime to support themselves financially.      

Contact NDA at http://www.nationaldebtadvisors.co.za/contact-us/

To make a donation to Brothers for All visit http://www.brothersforall.org/donate  

National Debt Advisors is a NCR regulated debt counselling firm offering official debt counselling and personal debt management services, as well as financial advice and budgeting guidance. NDA helps individuals all over South Africa to reduce their current debt, through a new restructured payment plan with their credit providers. 

Event organiser Kinetic has confirmed that industry-giant Performanta has signed on as platinum sponsors for this year’s anticipated 6th edition of their successful flagship event; the IT Leaders Africa Summit.

The event, taking place from 18 - 19 March 2015 at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg, is set to go beyond your usual routine business conference, evolving to deliver on a more exciting, topical, trendy and current platform, utilising both the latest technologies coupled with the latest in conference trends internationally.

Together with Performanta, the event aims to deliver an expert-lead agenda that features an educational conference program backed by the latest in technology workshops and demonstrations. 

Performanta’s workshop; Safeguard your organisation now, your wallet will thank you later; focuses on measuring your organisation against the industry on 10 information security and privacy measures, derived from real-world assessments.

Performanta Consulting was established by Anthony Olivier 4 years ago, aligning information security consulting services to the Performanta Technology & Services stable. Performanta Consulting has provided services to primary South African banks, insurance companies, brokers, mining companies, service and retail organisations. Their key differentiator: senior, qualified, experienced consultants, integrated frameworks and fair pricing. Furthermore, the team has assisted in addressing security problems in seventeen African countries and has a thorough understanding of the continental landscape.

As thought-leaders in the industry, they are amongst the most active South African participants in industry conferences, blogs and podcasts.An expert-led advisory panel will lead the summit with industry giants Robert Sussman, co-founder and joint-CEO of Integr8; Hugo Timmerman, Head of IT Southern Africa at British American Tobacco; and Tunde Coker, MD of Rack Centre (A Jagal Group Company).

The event also features over 35 speakers, keynotes, panel discussions and numerous educational workshop sessions hosted by key industry providers, all sessions led by some of today’s most notable individuals who are shaping the IT landscape in South Africa and beyond.

Speakers, just to name a few, include; David Visser, CIO of Coca-Cola Southern Africa; Anthony Hlungwane, Group IT Director of Mr Price Group; Sal Laher, CIO Eskom; Rocky Gwewera, Global Head of Infrastructure Architecture at Sasol; Stephan Ekbergh, CEO and founder of Travelstart; and Sunil Joshi, MD and CEO of Neotel.

Some sponsors and partners include; Telkom Business, HP, Performanta and Blue Coat Systems, SITA, Airwatch, Kofax, Dimension Data, Neotel, Meso Systems, Sage Pastel Accounting and ERP Africa, and Blackberry.

For more information on the event to register to attend or to sponsor, visit www.itleaders.co.za or contact the event organisers Kinetic on +27 21 180 4700.Follow the event and stay up to date on Twitter. @ITLeadersAfrica and join in on the conversation using #ITLAfrica.

Summary: On the heels of SAA being named “Best Airline in Africa” by Skytrax for its 12th consecutive year, SAA has also been awarded “Best Airline in Africa” and “Best Business Class to Africa” by Business Traveler.  

Johannesburg. 15 January 2015 – South African Airways (SAA) is proud to receive, once again, both “Best Airline in Africa” and “Best Business Class to Africa” awards from top US travel magazine, Business Traveler.  

Readers of the US-based magazine are world-class experts in the business of travel who know quality when they experience it.  South African Airways were selected among a variety of top travel products and services.  The awards were presented to SAA at a ceremony held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, CA on 8 January 2015. This recognition comes on top of Skytrax naming SAA “Best Airline in Africa” for the 12th consecutive year.  

"It is a distinguished honour to receive these awards and we thank all Business Traveler’s readers who chose us as their favourite airline in Africa,” says Nico Bezuidenhout, SAA Acting Chief Executive.  

“This further demonstrates SAA’s commitment to excellence and reinforces our belief, in keeping with our Long-Term Turnaround Strategy, that an outstanding customer experience is what makes a great airline.”  

South African Airways offers the most flights from the U.S. to South Africa with daily non-stop service from New York-JFK Airport and daily direct service from Washington, DC-Dulles Airport to Johannesburg, South Africa.  

About South African Airways (SAA) South African Airways[Link to http://www.flysaa.com] (SAA) is the leading carrier in Africa, serving 57 destinations, in partnership with SA Express, SA Airlink and its low cost carrier, Mango, within South Africa and across the continent, and ten intercontinental routes from its Johannesburg hub. It is a member of the largest international airline network, Star Alliance. SAA’s core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low cost carrier; and Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA. SAA is the winner of the 'Best Airline in Africa’ Award in the regional category for twelve consecutive years and the winner of ‘Service Excellence Africa’ for three years. Mango and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa’s most on - time airlines.  

For more information contact:

SAA Group Tlali Tlali, Spokesperson (Manager: Media Relations)

Tel: +27 11 978 2298 082 333 3880

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Great news for the South African National Culinary Team is that the City Lodge Hotel Group will be taking care of their accommodation needs as they prepare for next year’s IKA Culinary Olympics taking place in Erfurt, Germany!

This means that the eight member team – three from Johannesburg and five from Cape Town – will be able to get together for practices as they build up to the big event which takes place from October 22-26 in 2016.

If the Joburgers go down to Cape Town, they will be able to stay at any City Lodge Group Hotel – if the Capetonians come up to Joburg, they will be able to stay at any City Lodge Group Hotel.

As Heinz Brunner, manager of the SA National Culinary Team, says: “Travel is necessary to ensure that the team can practise together and then go back to their restaurants and perfect their dishes through including them on their own menus.” The team will practise at different venues every two months.

“We are training hard, developing an exceptional menu and working as a team to produce world-class food that represents South Africa’s culinary scene with excellence. We couldn’t do this without our fantastic sponsors and partners. A huge thank you goes to the City Lodge Hotel Group for their support as our accommodation partner and to Imperial LSC as our headline sponsor.”

Commenting on behalf of the City Lodge Hotel Group, Peter Schoeman, Divisional Director, Sales and Marketing, said: “It is a privilege for us to assist our Springboks of the food world as they prepare to represent our country in the world’s ultimate culinary challenge.”

The competition will see national teams from across the globe compete in categories such as Hot Kitchen, Cold Table and Pastry.

South African Airways in North America launches “Go See Southern Africa” campaign in collaboration with tour operators, hotels and safari lodges in an effort to encourage and increase tourism to SA.

Johannesburg, South Africa – SA Airways in North America has launched a special campaign that focuses on the great experience and value travel that is on offer when travelling to Southern Africa.

Cape Town and the Kruger National Park can ready themselves as these are very popular South African destinations for tourists from North America.

The “Go See Southern Africa” is a collaborative campaign with participation from leading tour operators, destination tourism organisations, hotels and safari lodges that aim to generate increased awareness about travel to Southern Africa.  All parties are working together to offer tourists an attractive, value-added programme.

The campaign follows recent misinformation concerning travel to the entire continent, which has created a hesitation for future travel planning.  

SA Airways, as the predominant airline from the U.S. to Southern Africa, has taken a leading role in developing the “Go See Southern Africa” campaign in an effort to emphasise the great experiences and the great value that abounds for travel throughout the region. 

South African Airways offers the most flights between the U.S. and South Africa, with daily nonstop service from New York-JFK Airport and daily direct service from Washington, DC-Dulles Airport to Johannesburg.  From its Johannesburg hub, SAA, and its regional airline partners, offers convenient flights to over 55 business and leisure destinations throughout the African continent. In conjunction with the campaign, numerous SAA tour operators and travel service providers are promoting very affordable packages and unique value-added offers to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and other destinations within the region.  

Travellers are invited to visit Southern Africa as “now is a great time to explore Southern Africa with the extremely favourable exchange rate for the U.S. Dollar and the very affordable offers that are being promoted by SAA and our participating tourism partners in North America,” says Nico Bezuidenhout, SAA Acting Chief Executive.

“Cape Town is the most popular onward destination in SA for North American tourists.  A large majority of the travellers from North America visiting South Africa come to Cape Town, with many more travelling to the Cape from points other than North America – Johannesburg.

“In addition to Cape Town, other very popular spots for American visitors are the Kruger National Park, the Western Cape (including wine country) and the Garden Route.  South Africa is a multi-destination vacation for most Americans.  They don’t just visit one destination.  They visit several, particularly Cape Town and the Kruger National Park, or Cape Town, the Kruger National Park and Victoria Falls.

” The “Go See Southern Africa” campaign will be featured during 2015 with various offers by SAA and the participating travel partners being promoted throughout the year.  

For a list of participating tour operators that are offering special air-inclusive packages to Southern Africa, visit: www.flysaa.com/cms/US/GoSeeSouthernAfrica.html. The campaign will also be prominently featured in SAA’s advertising, marketing promotional programmes and social media throughout 2015.  Consumers and travel agents will be encouraged to follow the campaign through SAA’s social media channels using the hashtag:  #GOSEESOUTHERNAFRICA  

About South African Airways (SAA)  South African Airways is a Star Alliance member that offers flights to 38 destinations worldwide. Domestically, SAA operates 544 flights a week between Johannesburg – Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth. Regionally SAA offers 24 destinations across the African continent and its international network creates links to all major continents from South Africa through 10 direct routes. In the regional category, SAA has received the Skytrax ‘Best Airline in Africa’ Award for 11 consecutive years.                                               

Issued by SAA Communications

For more information, contact:

Tlali Tlali This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+27 82 333 3880  

Our ongoing efforts to grow out footprint in South Africa and selected countries are bearing fruit.

At our interim results announcement on February 18, we updated the market on the progress we are making.

Here’s a rundown of what’s in the development works.

In South Africa:

• We fully opened the 149-room City lodge Hotel Waterfall City Hotel at Midrand in February
• The 148-room City Lodge Hotel Newtown (downtown Johannesburg) is well underway and will open before the end of 2015
• The 90-room Road Lodge Pietermaritzburg will commence in February and is scheduled to open in November

Elsewhere in Africa:

• Earthworks are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2015 for the 169-room City Lodge Hotel Two Rivers in Nairobi, Kenya, and for the 147-room City Lodge Hotel Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
• A financial feasibility study is being conducted into the possible development of a 150-room City Lodge Hotel in Kampala, Uganda.
• A memorandum of understanding (subject to conditions) has been entered into for the possible development of a 140 to 150-room Town Lodge in Windhoek, Namibia
• Negotiations are at an advanced stage for the development of 150 to 160-room City Lodge Hotel in Maputo, Mozambique.

The bottom line is that we will soon have more great locations to meet your business and leisure accommodation needs – both in SA and elsewhere on the continent!