Tag Archives: kykNET

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 1 April

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and wine news headlines

*   Standard Bank is to support the newly created Standard Bank/Top 10 Chenin Blanc Challenge for a three year period. Entries open on 1 July, and each of the 100 members of the Chenin Blanc Association may enter their wines. The Top 10 wine producers will receive R20000 each, and are expected to reinvest the prize money to benefit their workers and workplace. (received via media release from Waterford Communications)

*   Chanticleer Holdings, the South African company owning four Hooters franchises, is reported to pay close to R9 million in the USA to settle a ‘putative class action alleging it lied about its South African restaurants’ financial statements being audited before an ill-fated $10,1 million initial public offering’! 

*   Entries are invited for the 2014 Lilizela Tourism Awards, Western Cape Tourism Minister Alan Winde has announced.  Provincial winners are selected, who go forward to the national finals. The Minister said: ‘This competition is a good measure because tourists are the ones voting. Great service is one of the key factors in repeat visits and the Western Cape’s establishments have set a high standard for service excellence. After a great Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 3 March

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   The financially struggling SAA is losing even more money to interest on loans for its new fleet, which it cannot receive delivery of as Minister of Public Enterprises Malusi  Gigaba has rejected the proposal for not meeting the infrastructure development policies!

*   The KWV wine range has featured in The China Post, the year of its establishment being the same as the year of the late Nelson Mandela’s birth.

*   Three Ships is running a Facebook campaign from 13 March, awarding 300 bottles  of 5 Year Old Premium Select whisky live every second, within 5 minutes, to its loyal customers who know their whisky brand.  Fifteen questions have to be answered about Three Ships within 5 minutes.  A 10-day run up to the competition will provide background information to the Three Ships brand and to its distillery James Sedgwick.  (received via media release from De Kock Communications)

*   The last Stellenbosch Street Soiree this summer takes place on 12 March, from 18h00 – 20h00, Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 22 October

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Du Toitskloof Wines is the official wine sponsor of Seasons 2 – 4 of Kokkedoor, the Afrikaans cooking program filmed in Prince Albert and broadcast on kykNET.  Teams of amateur and experienced chefs are ‘paired’ in teams of two, and are eliminated over the duration of the series. (received via media release from De Kock Communications)

*   At the Aviation Association of Southern Africa Conference held last week, the question was raised about SAA being a Government-funded airline.  It was suggested that it be sold off to a commercial operator, and that the government should make the operation of all airlines financially viable.

*   The First Lady of Equatorial Guinea, Mrs Constancia Mangue de Obiang, Continue reading →

Stellenbosch honours Nelson Mandela with new urban art!

Madiba Stellenbosch Town Hall Whale Cottage PortfolioI was working late last Thursday and had the TV on kykNET (having watched Chef Reuben Riffel’s new ‘5 Sterre met Reuben’ fresh herb cooking program) when I saw an eTV news broadcast, which reported on a toi-toi demonstration outside the Stellenbosch Town Hall at the inauguration of the new urban art installation.  The local ANC branch members were protesting against the R800000 spent on the new art work erected by internationally renowned Stellenbosch-based landscape artist Strijdom van der Merwe in honour of former President Nelson Mandela.

When I arrived at Clos Malverne on Friday morning, to attend the opening of the pop-up art exhibition ‘A Void in the Landscape‘, I bumped into Strijdom, recognising him from the TV news broadcast, and we had a long chat about the Stellenbosch Town Hall transformation, and the publicity it had received as a result of the demonstration. Strijdom’s artwork ‘Heaven is a place on earth’, angel Strijdom van der Merwe Clos Malverne Whale Cottage Portfoliowings erected on street lamp-shaped posts in the Clos Malverne vineyards outside the restaurant, is part of the Clos Malverne exhibition.

I had wanted to meet Strijdom ever since Casparus Restaurant opened two years ago, as photographs of his urban art are exhibited in the restaurant, which once was my favorite.  The Continue reading →