A statement from Fikile Mbalula, South African Minister of Transport 15 January 2020 Prasa (the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa) has suffered blows from many years of mismanagement and deteriorating corporate governance. Today it is a broken organisation, struggling to provide an efficient commuter and passenger rail service. Overcrowded trains, ageing infrastructure, old rolling …
There is something so special about a long-distance train journey. You travel through so much more than geography. It feels like you can see time, the seasons, emotions, history, your life … unfolding … slowly. As you rock and roll gently through the countryside you see the scenery and the light change. You can feel …
A 10-point guide to resisting the South African railway service’s best efforts to ruin what should be one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world. Forget images of train travel from a bygone era. Banish those pictures of elegant couples sipping Earl Grey or G and Ts as they rock and roll gently …
The more things have changed the more they have stayed the same since the days when it was one of ‘Sun King’ Sol Kerzner’s original palaces of relaxation and fun in the nominally independent Bantustans of apartheid era South Africa. The resort – set on 750 hectares of natural bush on the Indian Ocean Coast, where the sun always seems to shine – continues to offer a haven from the chill and the rest of reality outside. …
Star Alliance is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a worldwide competition celebrating cultural connections made by travellers in which entrants stand a chance to win a million frequent flyer miles. Jeffrey Goh, Star Alliance chief executive, said: “As part of our 20th anniversary, we are celebrating the strength of human and cultural connections. In order …
A connection, a picture, a story is worth a million miles Read More »
Sometimes one goes there and back just to see how far it is, this was a day like that. A steam train trip from Cape Town to Ceres and back on a hot, still Saturday in November made us feel that we had all the time in the world to do nothing but chill, chat, …
Western Cape vineyard Vergelegen was among wineries celebrated on Thursday night at the 2017 international “Best Of Wine Tourism” awards ceremony at the Sao Bento da Vitoria Monastery in Porto, Portugal. The awards are sponsored by the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, a network of global cities in the northern and southern hemispheres that include …
Cape Town Tourism’s chief executive, Enver Duminy, this week talked about “affordable luxury” as he welcomed the news that the Mother City had been named best-value best value long haul destination in the world. The UK Post Office Travel Money Report 2016, released earlier this month, measures countries based on the price of a basket …
Cape Town overtakes Bali as best value for long haul Read More »
By Siphelele Dludla “Zikomo”, the local way of saying thank you in Lusaka, always evokes a smile when said by a foreigner, Zambians rightfully laying claim to the title – Africa’s Most Patriotic Nation. The colours of the national flag are in evidence everywhere. From taxis and buses to public dustbins and even curtains in homes, …
Janni Younge’s production of The Firebird will open in Cape Town and pop in at Grahamstown before turning the tables on that big, brassy exporter of showbiz, LA, with a run at the Hollywood Bowl, where the production will be accompanied by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As if there was not already magic enough in …