Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Ebrahim Patel announced the business categories which are allowed to reopen their businesses from 1 May this morning. The most exciting announcement, contrary to the timing projections circulating prior to today, is the permission to allow food delivery from restaurants. Buying local was encouraged by Minister Patel. A curfew will be introduced, from 20h00 to 5h00 daily.
This is one of the hardest blogposts I have written, with a moral dilemma of being an invited guest at what one expected to be a social highlight for the year. The Gala Dinner for Cape Town hosting World Design Capital 2014 turned out to be an embarrassment in poor organisation and food! We trust that Cape Town Design NPC, the company operating the year-long design accolade, will forgive its frankness.
The Gala Dinner was the first substantial function organised for World Design Capital 2014, the New Year’s Eve concert having been an event shared with the City of Cape Town, and was intended to be for all the people of Cape Town. Only 270 guests were invited to the Gala Dinner, and included Cape Town Mayor de Lille and Stellenbosch Mayor Conrad Sidego; Minister of Science and Technology Derek Hanekom; sponsor company representatives such as Media24 Chairman Ton Vosloo; members of the diplomatic corps; top designers; members of the Board of Cape Town Design NPC; and a large media contingent, both local and international. Given the calibre of the guests, the fact that almost everything was wrong with the evening was an embarrassing disaster! The dress code was formal with a touch of yellow, given the World Design Capital 2014 colour for the year. The men seemed better in adding the yellow touches via gold or yellow ties and bow ties, while the ladies struggled to find something yellow in their wardrobes, including Cape Town Design NPC CEO Alayne Reesberg. Surprising
was how many guests wore jeans and open shirts, despite the dress code specification.
The dinner was set up in a temporary structure for the Guild Fair, the decor exhibition which is running in conjunction with the Cape Town Art Fair at The Lookout in the V&A Waterfront. Tables seating 20 guests each were set up in long rows, with no 
decor other than sets of three yellow/gold Monkeybiz beaded animals on the tables. The last time I was in the neighbouring The Lookout venue was for the Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards in November, and the New Media Publishing team had done a fantastic job in decorating the massive venue. On Friday night there were no design features at all, and lighting was big industrial spotlights, Continue reading →
All purchasers of tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup are presented with a “2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Official Ticket Guide”, which contains 42 pages of information about the ten stadiums as well as all the rules and regulations, in heavy legal terms, pertaining to entering the stadiums and watching the matches.
The rules are the following:
1. Lost tickets will not be replaced
2. Stadiums are open three hours prior to matches (4 hours for the Opening and Final matches). Ticketholders are urged to arrive as early as possible
3. Tickets are not sold at the stadiums nor can be collected from there.
4. “…Ticket Applicants may not sell, offer for sale, resell, donate or otherwise transfer their Ticket in any way, without the specific prior written approval of FIFA”.
5. Items that one may not bring into the stadium include fireworks, helmets, weapons, hammers, flammable spray cans, laser pointers, umbrellas (interesting, given the winter weather likely for Cape Town particularly!), all for security reasons, nor “alcohol or drugs”, “bottles, cups, jugs or cans”, or anything in Tetra packaging.
6. One may not stand on the seats or “climb on any structures”; throw any items on the pitch; block or obstruct walkways, entrances or emergency exits; access any prohibited areas; or “act in a confrontational manner to other spectators or stadium officials”.
7. Importantly, one may not leave the stadium during the match at all, nor in the interval, to buy some food at McDonalds in Cape Town, for example, as one will not be let back into the stadium – there is no pass or system to record that one arrived with a ticket.
8. One should expect security checks, including “submitting to inspections, body checks, and removal of items that are prohibited to use , possess, hold or bring into the Stadium on match days”
9. Flagpoles and banner poles are prohibited. Flags bigger than 2 x 1,5 meters are prohibited.
10. Clothing or promotional items with visible branding supporting ” racist, xenophobic cause, charity, or ideological concern” is prohibited.
11. No animals are allowed!
12. No “ladders, stools, (folding) chairs, boxes, cardboard containers, large bags, rucksacks, suitcases or sportsbags” are allowed.
13. Large quantities or rolls of paper are prohibited!
14. Branded vuvuzelas are prohibited.
15. Only cameras with rechargeable batteries are allowed. Video cameras are prohibited.
16. “Computers or other devices used for the purposes of transmitting or disseminating sound, pictures, description of results of the results via the internet or other forms of media” (would this include i-Phones and Blackberries?)
17. One is requested to not litter
18. Smoking is not allowed inside the seating area or on the pitch. There are designated smoking zones.
19. One may not enter the pitch.
20. Payment inside the stadiums for any food, drinks etc. can only be made via VISA credit card or cash (this implies that one cannot pay with any other credit card brand!).
21. One may not arrive at the stadium under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
22. Material of any recordings of any kind of any matches can be used by FIFA free of charge, yet one is prohibited from recording any matches other than for “private use”.
23. No promotional items or clothing worn on a match day in a stadium may promote a brand
What is interesting is that there is no reference to food being brought into the stadium, being prohibited, according to media reports.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com