People's Post Claremont/Rondebosch E-edition 3 February 2026
See It Again surgedhome to win theprestigiousWorld Sports Betting Cape Town Met Gr 1over2000m at the Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday 31 January. Veteran jockey Andrew Fortune and trainer Justin Snaith completedaremarkable comeback after 454days without awin. Thecrowd at Kenilworth erupted as thefavouritestormed past rivals,claiming “Met
Severetrafficcongestionisexpected to continue in Claremontfor up to sixweeksafter an emergency lane reductionwas implementedonStanhope Bridge following thefailure of aretainingwall.
TheCityconfirmedthatonlyone lane in each directionremains open to trafficafter an existingretaining wall on thesouth-eastquadrant of theStanhopeBridgefailedonMonday26 January.
Thelanereduction hashad asignificantimpact on trafficflow,particularlyduringpeakpe-
plementedtoensurepub csafety. he lane reductiononStanhopeBridgeinClaremont is an emergencyinterventionafter theexisting retainingwallonthe south-east quadrant of the bridge failed.”
He confirmed no injuries to workersorthe public were reported.“To ensure thesafetyof workers, pedestriansand motorists, theaffected area on andbelow thebridgewas immediately cordoned off.”
EarlieronMondayafternoon,one lane was closed following apartial collapseofa supportingembankmentbeneath thebridge, resulting in heavytrafficcongestioninand outofthe Claremontcentral business district
Although onelaneremainedopenatthe time
supportingembankment
motoristsexperienced extended delays
Road usershavebeen advisedtoavoid the area wherever possible.
Duetothe complexnatureofthe anticipated repairsreinstatement of theretaining wall couldtakeuptosix weekstocomplete, if all went accordingtoplan.
“Weapologise forthe inconveniencetomotor-
wo as soon as possible.
TheCity’sUrban Mobility Directoratebegan work on Stanhope Bridge last year as part of the MyCiTi Phase2Aconstructionproject Construction work on thebridgeisexpectedto continue untilthe endofnextyear.
AbdulLatief, arepresentativeofthe CID, said residentsshouldexpectdisruptions as theCity movesahead with theproject
“There will be hiccups alongthe way, includingcongestionthatwillaffectpeak-hour traffic. Unfortunately, this will notbethe last inconvenience.However,thisisa majorupgrade aimed at preparingfor thefutureoftransport.Public meetingwillbeheldonTuesday 10 February , becausewewillbeaffected.”
ReadyDturning tables
KAYLYNNEBANTOM
The name ReadyD brings to mind legendaryturntables, packed dance floorsand nearly four decadesof influenceinthe musicindustry.
Deon Daniels, betterknown as GrandMaster ReadyD,has been entertaining forthe past 39 yearsand wasformerlypartofgroupslike Prophets of Da City andBrasse VannieKaap. ReadyD wasselectedasone of 12 champions forthe 16th editionofthe Cape Town Carnival taking placeinGreen PointonSaturday21 March.
JayDouwes, Cape Town Carnival Chief ExecutiveOfficer, says theinitiativecelebrates individualswho arealready making adifference andusing theirstories to inspireothersthrough thecarnival’ssub-themes.
This year over 1500 performers will showcase theirtalentunder thetheme “FollowYour HeART.”
Danielssaysbeing raised in amusic-filled home ignitedhis passion forthe art.
“Wewerelucky to have ahi-fiwitha record player andthat’show Icould relate to thevinyl When Isaw aHip Hopmusic videofor thefirst time Iwas blownawaybythe fact that someone wasscratchingrecords.Inthatsamevideo there were kids breakdancing anddoing graffiti art.”
He says that whilehis career hashad many highlights,startinga non-profitorganisation (NPO), sharinghis knowledgewithyoung peopleand travelling theworld standout as some of hisproudestachievements.
Danielssayshehas also been actively involved in theradio industry forover17years
“I have produced musicfor TV andmovies. When Istarted,I didn’t know on what journey this role wasgoing to take me.All Iknewwas that Iwantedtoshare this skillofmakingmusic
OVER 1500 PERFORMERS WILL SHOWCASETHEIR TALENT UNDER THETHEME
‘FOLLOW YOUR HEART’
with as many people as possible.”
He believes hiscraft cannever be fully replaced by artificialintelligence(AI).
“WhenI speakabout scratching Imeanyou arebringingmoreofa humanelement into the music. Howyou executethe scratching techniquehas gottodowithyourexpression.AIcan also scratchbut youare able to tell if it’s human or artificial.”
Danielssaysbeing aDJisa skill.
“You must be able to read thecrowd andthe energy andcreatethe energy as well andtake people on ajourney.”
AccordingtoDaniels,staying eagertolearn andexperimenting with musicare what keep himmotivated
Danielssayshefeelshonouredtobepartof thethisyear’sCapeTownCarnival. He made aguest appearance with localrapperYoungsta CPTinlastyear’sevent
“I am excited. It givesmeanopportunityto participateinsomething that Ifeel is specialfor Cape Town.Being giventhe freedom to do what Idoand representthe cultureand bringsome additional elements to thecarnival. We will be bringing custom cars to theevent –torepresent theroadsafetyprogrammesour organisation does.”
He says audiencescan look forwardtobeing takenona hip-hopjourney Danielsencouragesaspiringcreatives to believeinthemselvesand to be committedtotheir craft. “Build your ownpresence. Youngpeople arebeing exploitedbecause they arehappy to play at acluband getpaidverylittlefor value. “Don’t undervalue yourself.Bepreparedfor late nights andremembernotwo events arethe same.”
Novusmedia,which publishes People’s Post, is aproud printmedia sponsorofthe carnival
ArtsandCulturefundingopportunitiesavailable
TheDepartmentofCulturalAffairs andSport in theWestern Cape invitesapplicationsfor its annual arts andculture funding Fundingisavailable across keyareas,includingculturaltourism,literature, film, language promotionand preservation,and theperformingarts. Applications will closeonMonday9 Marchat 23:59.
RicardoMackenzie,the WesternCapeMinisterofCulturalAffairs andSport,says: “The arts andculture sector playsa crucialrolein theWestern Cape in creating jobopportunities, bringing visitors to ourprovinceand growing ourlocal economy. We have awealthoftalent in ourprovinceand we arecommittedto supportingour localartists andorganisations in this sphere to ensure they cancontinuetheir work.”
Applicants areencouragedtosubmittheir requests at least24– 48 hoursbeforethe deadline Late applications will notbeconsidered. .Thecriteriaand categories forfunding,as well as application forms,areavailableonline at https://www.westerncape.gov.za/cas/service/ arts-and-culture-funding
Toagewithgracethroughseasonsofchange
expect from someonewho just turned 100. Shesat in hercouch whilst herwalkerstood at her knees
Theseare wordsfromFreda Naidoo, agreat-grandmother from Fairways that Irecentlyinterviewed fora storyuponreaching 100years of age. Aweek later, Ifind herwords of advice forthose wishingto live ahealthy andprosperouslife stillechoand intrigue my mind whetherI’m drivingtothe office or daydreamingonthe balconyofmy apartment.
During theinterview,I found myself dumbstruck at thesheer optimism andinfectioussense of humour Naidoo displayedasshe shared herstory
As Iapproached herhome, Isaw herexoticallydecorated porchwith shrubs whilst agroup of cats layon herstoep in theafternoon sun. Upon introducingmyself, she greeted me with theutmostrespect andenthusiasmone wouldnot
Once Iswitchedonmyvoice recorder andthe interviewunfolded, Ifelttransported to asimpler time wherethe flowoflifewas allowed to move at amoremoderate, yet oppressive pace,considering it was theheightofapartheid
Isaw hereyesgleamed as she recalledher fond childhood memories of aforgottenversion of Piketberg, whereshe wasborn. Sheenthusedwithchildlike delightasshe told me abouther mother’s love forbakingcakes At theage of 23 shegot married, as most of ourgrandparentsand parentsdid at that time,and started herlifeasa furrier when she movedtoDiepRiver
However, notlongafter their move,tragedy struck when she, her husbandand 12-year-olddaughter, were forcibly removedand ordered to move to Fairways duetothe GroupAreas Act.
Hervoice wasstirring andfilled herloungewitha haunting wisdom. Shewas theyoungestoffour siblings,all of whom have passed, andasI listened to her, Iwondered what theweightofher life felt like To comprehend thethought of witnessing so much change,trag-
edy, aWorld Warand countless advancements in technology
From theradio,tothe television, thefax machines,computers, cellphones, theInternetand now ArtificialIntelligence(AI).
Andyet as Irelived themisty momentsofher life with her, I couldnot detect an ounceofworry, regret,spite or bitternessofeither thepastorpresent ageinher voice.
Of course,she felt hurt being disrespected andoverlooked as an upcoming andyoung female evangelist by some of herpeersinthe 70’s,but shetook this criticismas fueltofeed herdedication, to live alifehonouring JesusChristand remainingperseverant
She is amothertofive children; hereldestdaughtersadly died when shewas forty. She experiencednochronic illnessesnor anyaddictiontoalcohol or smoking.
Hersharp andinfectioussense of humour wasevident as shetold me whyshe neversmoked. “I’lltell youexactly whyI neversmoked! Iboughta pack of cigarettesand told myself,‘todayI’llsmoke them!’ andthatnight thestrangestthing happened,”she told this storywithOscar-worthygestures andpassion.“As soon as Iput the cigarette to my lips,itflew outof my mouthand landed on thefloor
In herninetiesshe wasstruck by aQuantum taxi whiletrying to crossthe road,flungoverthe vehicle, crackedher skulltwice and suffered abrokenhip
Sherecovered in hospital forten months only to endure aruptured vein
Andyet she’sstill standing,still laughing andbakingtriflesfor Christmasand taking Ubersfor a weekly shopping When theinterview ended, Ifelt atremendoussense of gratitudeto be alive.
Hergrit, determinationand never-say-dieattitude will always remain with me wherever Igo. Before Ireached my car, sheheld my hand andlooked me in theeye andsaidshe sees aprosperous futurefor me
Theinspiration,the lessons we need to help us mature andappreciatethe present, cancomefrom theelders.
They arethe ones whohavesufferedand enduredlikegreat toweringtrees with deep rootsanchoring themselves throughthe seasons of rain,heatand uncertaintylife throws us as we tackle 2026 and theyears beyond
AJOURNO’S VOICE
KEANAN HARMSE
DJ Ready Djoinedbymayor GeordinHill-Lewisand other performers whowilltakepart in theCape Town Carnival. PHOTO:SUPPLIED
Lawenforcement officers areconducting regularinspections at Erin Subway andother problematicpedestriansubways in Rondebosch following servicerequestsloggedbyresidents
Ward 59 councillorMikhail Manuel said residentssubmitted15726 servicerequestslast year,withpedestriansubways amongthe most frequently reported concerns
“Law enforcementregularly inspectErinSubwayand thesurrounding ongoingproblematic Rondebosch subways. Allinresponsetoservice requests,” Manuel said
He thankedresidents foractivelyusing the City of Cape Town’s servicerequest platform, saying it playsanimportant role in alerting officialstoservice delivery issues
“Subways areone of thetop issues in our area,” Manuel said
As thenew year begins,Manuelencouraged residentstocontinuereporting problems, emphasisingthe importance of theplatformasa direct communication channelwithofficials. “Aswestart theyear, rememberthatthe service requestplatformempowersresidents with adirectlinktothe officials. So log, log, log,”he said Manuel addedthatresidents whoseservice requests arenot respondedtotimeously areencouraged to contacthim directly forassistance
“Ifany item hasnot been respondedto timeously, please feel free to reachout to me anytime,”hesaid.
Pedestrian subwaysinparts of Rondebosch
More ins Rondebos Applications openforyouth
Youngaspiringartists have an opportunityto gain exposure andexperiencethrough theCity of Cape Town’s Emerging Artist Programme, with applications nowopenfor this year and closingonFriday13February.
Nowinits sixthyear, theprogramme creates opportunitiesfor visual artists, providing mentorship,skills developmentand exhibition opportunitiesfor around 200emergingartists each year —the vast majority youth. Throughthe City’s partnershipwiththe Investec Cape Town ArtFair, four emerging artistsare showcasedannually —and in recent editions,those artistshavesoldout
Theprogramme is forearly-career artists seekingpractical skills, mentorship andexhibition experience –only25slots areavailable Meanwhile, theArtsAweh! programme continues as afreecreativeafter-school initiative forlearnersagedfive to 17,offeringactivities includingdrawing,painting, photography, hiphop,dance,performance,poetry, clay and beading.
Participants canattend theprogramme from MondaystoFridays between 14:00and 17:00. Theprogramme is free, andparticipantsare suppliedwithall materialsand artsupplies.
. Emerging Artist Programme: Send an emailto emerging@capetown.gov.zaorvisit https://www capetown.gov.za
GardenVillage PrimarySchool in Maitland celebrated 100years on Friday 23 January, andtomarkthe milestonePinelands City Improvement District (CID)and community-development organisation Umanyano sponsored 100stationerypacks forlearners.
“Weare proudtosupport thelearnersand staff at Garden Village PrimarySchool,” said PinelandsCID.“This initiative reflectsa century of education, growth andcommunity impact, andwelook forwardtobuildinga positive, lastingpartnership with theschool.”
Umanyano added: “Itwas an honour to work hand in hand with theCID on this initiative andtocontributetoa moment that recognises both thelearnersand thededicated staff who continue to shapefuturegenerations.Weare grateful to have been part of this journeyand look forwardtoseeing thepositiveimpactit createswithinthe community.”
Theschool hasa long historyofachievements,
Lawprofwins topliterary prize
From gang lifetoguiding youthtowardhope
KAYLYNNEBANTOM
KAYLYNNE.BANTOM@NOVUSMEDIA.CO.ZA
“AsI waslying in the street Icried outand askedGod to forgive me formysins. Ifelta sense of peace. That’s when Isaw an angelatmyright hand.”
Mervyn Matthys(28), once ahardened gangster andnow asecond-year Unisastudent studying Information Science, recallsthe nighteverything changed, amomentofsurrender that transformedhis life andlefthim paralysedfromthe waistdown.
Matthys’lifehas been shaped by
trauma andheartache from an early age, drivinghim into aseriesofdestructivechoices
“I wasnamed aftermyfatherand theonlything Iinherited from him wasthe violentmemoriesofhow he used to abusemymother. Igrewup scared andlonely. Butmymother wasmysupport system,” he tells People’s Post
He says as a12-year-old he wasalreadyexperimenting with drugsand hadjoineda gang
“ItfeltlikeeverywhereI went Ihad asignonmyheadthatsaid, ‘bully me’. At school andinthe community, children wanted to bully me
“I hada choice:eitherallowpeople to do what they wanted to do with me,orI couldstand up formyself. Standing up formyselfgot me into a lotoftrouble.”
Matthys says witnessing what hisfather didtohis mother filledhim with anger, andhelashedout at others as aresult.
“WhenI gottohighschool,the bullies gotbiggerand were twicemysize. Icouldn’tfightthem. That’s when I joined agang. Once Iwenttoschool with 25 gang memberstoconfront thebully
“I knew it waswrong,but it felt good becauseI wasgetting even.This made me feel betterabout myself People wouldcommend me forwhat Idid.”
At 16 he wasfound guilty of stabbing someone. “The courtsentenced me to adiversion programme where Ihad to attend angermanagement classes. Iwas expelledfromschool.I couldsee thedisappointmentonmy mother’s face.Mymotherdid thebest shecould.I made thewrong decisions
on my own. ”
NIGHTOFSHOOTING
Matthys describes27May 2017 as a dayhewillnever forget.“On this day Icould feel deathwas in theatmosphere.Myfriendand Ilefta shebeen andwewerewalking in thestreet.It wasjustafter 23:45. Iheard avoice telling me to turn around.Almostlike Godwarning me.I turned around andsaw four guys approaching. We stoodstill andone approached us.Hewalkedstraighttomyfriend andpulledout agun andshothim repeatedly.”
He says he frozefor amoment, unsure of what do andthenstarted running
“I didn’t getfar,I couldhearthe bullets flyingpastme. Iknewatthis pointthathewas shootingatme. I fell face first into theground. When I wanted to getup, Icould notfeel my legs.”
He says theperpetrator rantowards him. “The guyran towardsmeand shot me in thechest.I waslying in thestreetonmyback. He came closer leaned over me andpressedhis gun directly againstmychest andpulled thetriggerfive times. Butnothing came out. AllI heardwas thesound of thetrigger.”
AccordingtoMatthys,the gunman then fledleaving himfor dead
“I wasjustlying thereand watched them ranaway. Iturnedtosee if my friend wasokay, andI knew he was
gone.I couldn’t breatheproperly.” In adesperate moment,Matthys says he remembered hismother’s voicetelling himabout God “After Iprayed, Ifeltatpeace and that gave me theenergytoshout for help.” He explains that twopeople arrivedonthe scene. However, they were family membersofthe rival gang andtheyrobbedhim andhis dead friend
Matthys tells People’s Post when they left,hestarted calling forhelp. “Mymothereventually arrivedwith ablanket andknelt next to me.She didn’t expect to findmealive.She whisperedinmyear that Ineed to make rightwithGod.”
He hadtoundergo an emergency operationasmostofhis majororgans were damaged. “AsI waslayinginthe hospital beda fewdayslater,I could notdenythatitwas thehandofGod that savedme.”
Matthys says hisjourney to recovery waschallengingashehad to re-learn howtodothingsfor himself.
Aftera three-year legalbattle, the shooter wasfound guilty andsentenced to 25 yearsinjail.
“I wouldliketoteach children howtoreadand write. He hopesto become alicensedyouth minister andestablish ayouth centre in his community.I am abetterfatherto my kids than my father wastome. Thebad things that happenedtome pushed me to be thepersonthatI am today.”
Mervyn Matthys,oncedrawn intogang life,now uses his second chancetoinspire youth to choose abetterpath. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
ROCKLANDSTROUNCERANGERS
Young talented rugbyplayersattertiaryinstitutions across thecountry are gearingupfor thekick-off of the VarsityShieldand VarsityCup, on Friday 13 andMonday15 February respectively.
As usual, thetertiaryinstitutionsin theWestern Cape arerepresented in
eU vers yo he WesternCape (UWC).
Thetwo sideswillcompete against Madibaz, University of KwaZulu Natal(UKZN), SolPlaatje University, Wits,WalterSisuluand Fort Hare
In theVarsity Cup, defending championsIkeys andlosingfinalist Maties will carry theflag forthe Capetonians.
Otherteams competingagainst them areShimlas,Central University
CPUT areinactionagainst Madibaz at home in theiropening fixture and UWCtravels to theEastern Cape for thematch againstFortHareinAlice
In theVarsity Cup, Maties andIkeys both travel fortheir first matches. Maties travel to Bloemfontein to play
againstS as andIkeys si Tuks in Pretoria
Sincethe matchesare shownon television allthe bigunionsand franchises will have theopportunitytosee potentialplayers in action to sign for thedifferentunionsand franchise.
Many of therugby playersoftertiaryinstitutionsinthe past became SpringbokorBlitsbokplayers,representingtheir countryonthe global stage.
pe ng en eclubcompe on kicksoff on Saturday 22 Marchdue to theobligations in theVarsity Shield andVarsity Cup. THE FIXTURES: FRIDAY 13 FEBRUARY: . CPUT vMadibaz . Fort Hare vUWC
Ahapless Zayaan Kahn of Surrey Estate Rangers RugbyFootball Club (RFC)triestoget back on herfeet after being sent to theground by arampaging Rackelle Sabatini of Rocklands(RFC) during aday of rugby betweenthe clubsplayedinKenilworth on Sunday 1February. TheMitchells Plainbased club won34-0.
