CONSTANTIA | WYNBERG
Tuesday, 1 September 2026
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People’s Post
PREPAID SMART ELECTRICITY METERS
New meters installed “Prepaid is never more or less”
NAMHLA MONAKALI
NAMHLA.MONAKALI@NOVUSMEDIA.CO.ZA
T
he City of Cape Town is appealing to residents to be on the lookout for its workers as it ramps up the new prepaid smart electricity meters in the Claremont, Kenilworth and Wynberg areas. The free and compulsory rollout is currently underway until September. According to the City, property owners who do not comply may face disconnection. Residents will receive a letter in their post box with an appointment date. They have 14 days to respond. Installation takes about an hour. Xanthea Limberg, Mayco member for energy, said the meters help residents manage costs. “One of the most important things for residents to know is that electricity costs are the same irrespective of the type of meter used. The meters do not supply electricity, they just measure usage,” she said. “The new meters make it easier for residents to manage their electricity costs as they can see their usage in real-time. Importantly, they allow qualifying residents the opportunity to switch to the affordable subsidised Lifeline Tariff, which includes free basic electricity units.” The Lifeline Tariff is available to qualifying low-income households. It includes a set amount of free power each month. However, some residents in areas where the rollout has already taken place have reported problems. Prepaid tokens have been rejected with messages such as “used,” “old” or “duplicate”. These residents fear losing money. SCAM WARNING
The City has warned residents to verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a contractor. All authorised workers must carry a City-issued identification card. It must show the City logo,
Mikhail Manuel the staff member’s name, photograph and a work order number. Ward 59 councillor Mikhail Manuel, for Claremont, Kenilworth and Newlands, said residents had not yet raised concerns about the rollout. He said residents generally raised three concerns when moving from credit to prepaid. Some believe it costs more. Others see no reason to change if the current system works. Some also question convenience. “The tariff is exactly the same. Prepaid is never more or less,” he said. “The benefit is that you can see how much you are spending as a household. “ Manuel said the meters were City-owned and the programme was compulsory. “We need to trust that the meters are up to date. The shift is necessary to see what you spend.” He said no token errors had been reported in his ward. There had also been no reports of suspicious people posing as contractors. “Ask to see a City badge, or call me or the contractor so I can check on the City system and verify very quickly.” Manuel said residents were generally well informed about the rollout. Meanwhile, Emile Langenhoven, Ward 62 councillor for Wynberg, said the rollout had been smooth in his area. “I haven’t received complaints, nor any feedback from residents,” he said. Bishops Court, Constantia, Plumstead, Southfield and Diep River are scheduled for the next phase from October to December. Residents who missed their appointment or want to confirm their status cshould call 0860 103 089. They can also email electricitycustomer.support@capetown.gov.za
.
A City of Cape Town contractor installs a new prepaid smart electricity meter outside a Claremont home. INSERT: The new prepaid smart meter shows real-time usage, allowing residents to track their electricity spending. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
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2 NEWS
PEOPLE’SPOST | Constantia|Wynberg Tuesday, 1 September 2026
20% of Gr 4s can ‘read’
M
ore than 914 000 South African Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in any of the country’s 11 official languages, according to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls).
That figure represents 81% of the cohort. It places South Africa last among the 57 countries and regions assessed in the most recent study, released in May 2023. The country also recorded the steepest decline among the 33 participants with comparable trend data. The proportion of learners unable to read for meaning rose from 78% in 2016 to 81% in 2021, erasing a decade of slow gains. In 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa set a national goal: every 10-year-old should be able to read for meaning by 2030. Four years out, the trend is moving the other way. People’s Post is published by WP Media, a subsidiary of Novus Media.
Whom To Contact EDITOR Thulani Magazi
( 021 910 6530
* thulani.magazi@novusmedia.co.za JOURNALIST Kaylynne Bantom
ADULTS LEFT BEHIND
Adult literacy tells a similar story of averages
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hiding gaps. South Africa’s adult literacy rate stood at 91,15% in 2024, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) Institute for Statistics. However, the Department of Higher Education and Training reports that 3,9 million adults remained functionally illiterate in 2022, concentrated in North West, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The World Literacy Foundation (WLF) estimates the cost to South Africa’s economy at approximately US$5,13 billion a year in lost productivity, foregone earnings and reduced workforce participation, applying Unesco’s economic model for illiteracy. Earlier WLF estimates have ranged as high as US$6,7 billion. Illiteracy is not only a South African problem. Unesco estimates that 739 million adults worldwide cannot read. The WLF works across
five continents to close that gap, one classroom, one book and one reader at a time. “South Africa has the researchers, teachers and programmes that know how to close this gap,” said Andrew Kay, CEO and founder of the WLF. “Those voices belong on the world stage.” OXFORD SUMMIT CALLS FOR PAPERS
This research will feature at the World Literacy Summit at Oxford University in March next year. Researchers, policymakers and teachers from more than 85 countries will meet under the theme “Literacy in a Connected World”. Literacy specialists working on South African reading outcomes, mother-tongue instruction, foundation phase teaching or adult education are invited to submit a paper or presentation proposal. The deadline is 30 August. The WLF operates in 54 countries with a mission to eradicate illiteracy by 2040. According to the foundation, 92% of online donations go directly towards books, learning spaces and literacy programmes for children and adults in need.
Reinvent yourself before life reinvents you NAMHLA MONAKALI
A JOURNO’S VOICE
JOURNALIST
* namhla.monakali@novusmedia.co.za
3,9 MILLION ADULTS ‘ILLITERATE’
Today, Spring day, is the start of days become longer as we enter the final stretch of the year. For many of us, it is a reminder that another year is moving quickly and that perhaps some of the things we promised ourselves in January have not happened. But perhaps September is a better time to take stock than January ever was.
We often treat the beginning of a new year as our only opportunity to change. We make resolutions, set goals and convince ourselves that we will become different versions of ourselves from 1 January. Yet life does not wait for January. Life changes in the middle of the year, in the middle of a career and sometimes in the middle of plans we were certain would work out. A job disappears. An application is rejected. A relationship ends. Money becomes tight. A business fails. A qualification takes us somewhere we did not expect to go. We discover that the career we worked so hard to build no longer makes us happy. Sometimes
the uncertainty is external. Sometimes it is internal. You simply wake up one day and realise that the person you have become is no longer comfortable with the life you are living. That is where reinvention comes in. Reinventing yourself does not necessarily mean throwing your entire life away and starting from scratch. Sometimes it means repositioning yourself. It means asking: Where am I now? Where do I want to go? What do I need to change to get there? The qualification that once seemed like the key to a particular career may no longer be enough. But experience matters. So does adaptability. Perhaps you do not need to start over. Perhaps you need to present yourself differently. Update your CV. Learn the skill you have been putting off. Build a portfolio. Apply for the position you keep telling yourself you are not qualified for. Speak to someone working in the field you want to enter. Take the course. Start the side project. Position yourself for the opportunity before it arrives. Too often, we wait until we are forced or desperately need change before preparing for it. There is also something else that holds many of us back: age. We have created timelines for our lives as though everyone receives the same instruction manual. By 25, you should know what you want. By 30, you should have a successful career. By 35, you should own a home. By 40, you should have everything figured out. But I’ve lived long enough to see life does not work that way. Some people find their calling at 22. Others at 42. Some build successful careers and later realise they want something completely different. Others have to start again because circumstances leave them with no choice. There is no expiry date on ambition. We should also be honest about what reinvention can do. It cannot protect us from uncertainty. You can make sensible plans and still lose your job. You can work hard and still be overlooked. You can prepare carefully and still have life disrupt your plans. Reinvention is not pretending that these things do not hurt. It is refusing to believe that a setback has to become your identity. Perhaps that is what makes a new season such a useful metaphor. Spring does not ask whether winter was successful. It simply arrives. We should give ourselves the same permission. If the career you chose no longer fits, you can reconsider it. If your goals have changed, you can change them. If the version of yourself you created years ago no longer reflects who you are, you can let it go. You do not need to have the next five years figured out. You need to know what you are willing to do next. So perhaps the question is not whether you have achieved everything you wanted this year. Perhaps it is: Are you positioning yourself for the life you want next? There are still months left in the year. More importantly, there is still time. Life will continue to change whether we are ready for it or not. We may not be able to control what comes next, but we can decide whether we remain stuck in what no longer serves us. Sometimes reinvention is not about becoming someone new. It is about becoming ready for who you are still capable of becoming. And there is no better time to begin than now.
NEWS 3
PEOPLE’SPOST | Constantia|Wynberg Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Valley clean-up planned A
NAMHLA MONAKALI
Sentinel Ocean Alliance’s Parley AIR Station on Hout Bay Main Beach serves as a community upliftment space and plastic-free zone for youth ocean programmes.
Hout Bay non-profit organisation (NPO) that has taught 1 646 children to swim since 2021 has moved its valley-wide cleanup from World Cleanup Day to the end of October.
Sentinel Ocean Alliance (SOA), founded in 2018 by big-wave surfer Frank Solomon, said the change would allow more partners to take part. The event, now called “Welcome to Summer: Uniting the Valley Cleanup”, will bring together residents, community organisations and local businesses to care for the valley’s neighbourhoods, waterways and coastline. SOA managing director Marguerite Hofmeyr said the decision followed discussions with community partners “Coordinating around our partners’ schedules will allow us to make it a much more inclusive community event,” she said. Final details, including the date, partners, cleanup locations and registration, will be announced on SOA’s social media channels.
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
44 830 learning engagements. It has provided 33 564 meals, employed 25 community members and supported 226 neurodiverse learners. The organisation runs on about R4,5 million a year, covering coaches, transport, meals, equipment and safeguarding. Its model has been replicated in Mozambique, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Jeffreys Bay.
FROM SURF CLUB TO YOUTH MOVEMENT
SOA began as a small surf club offering water-safety lessons after Solomon asked why young people living beside the ocean were not learning to swim in it. “Many children in Hout Bay live within sight of the ocean without having a safe or supported relationship with it,” Hofmeyr said. The organisation now operates from the Parley AIR Station on Hout Bay Main Beach and runs five core programmes: Parley Ocean School, Turn the Tide, the Indigo Programme for neurodiverse learners, Ocean Sentinels, and a coach development programme. THE NUMBERS
Since 2021, SOA says they have reached 19 810 young people through 2 084 sessions and
BUILDING LIVELIHOODS
Employing community members as coaches extends the benefits beyond the children taking part. “Our coaches bring local knowledge, language, trust and lived experience into the work,” Hofmeyr said. “Young participants can see people from their own community leading programmes and building livelihoods through the ocean.” Sentinel Café on Hout Bay Main Beach employs local youth and generates income for SOA’s programmes. “Nonprofit organisations are particularly vulnerable when they depend entirely on grants and donations,” Hofmeyr said. “Developing our own sources of income is important.”
Free day entry to some parks The 21st annual South African National Parks (SANParks) Week is set to take place from Monday 7 to Sunday 13 September. The initiative provides South African day visitors with free access to participating national parks. However, for Kruger National Park, West Coast National Park and Augrabies Falls National Park free access will be from 7 until 11, excluding the weekend. Namaqua National Park, the Boulders Penguin Colony Section of Table Mountain National Park and the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway are not included. To qualify for free access, South Africans must present their identity documents whilst children below the age of 18 will not be required to provide identification. The free access does not include accommodation, guided activities, game drives or other tourist activities as these carry their normal fees. Since its inception in 2006, SANParks Week has become one of SANParks’ flagship public awareness initiatives, attracting hundreds of thousands of day visitors and helping to strengthen public appreciation of South Africa’s national parks and the vital role they play in conservation. Last year, over 105 000 visitors took advantage of the free-access initiative. Individual parks may also have different entry conditions and visitor limits. For respective dates on when different parks will be observing SANParks Week and allowing free access visit: https://www.sanparks.org/ events/sa-national-parks-week-2026 The 21st annual SA National Parks Week is set to take place from Monday 7 to Sunday 13 September. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
REGISTER THROUGH THE SENTINEL OCEAN ALLIANCE WEBSITE OR SOCIAL MEDIA
Sentinel Ocean Alliance provides ocean education, water-safety and leadership programmes for young people from Hout Bay’s coastal communities.
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4 NEWS
PEOPLE’SPOST | Constantia|Wynberg Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Wildlife trade-social media link
S
ocial-media platforms are fuelling an illegal wildlife trade that is growing faster than it can be policed, according to a major global review co-authored by a University of Cape Town (UCT) researcher.
The study, published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, found that thousands of animal, plant and fungal species, including many threatened with extinction, are being traded through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Researchers monitoring online activity for six weeks in mid-2025 found more than 1 600 primates advertised for sale across the four platforms. Birds, snakes, frogs and orchids are increasingly traded the same way. Dr Annette Hübschle, chief research officer and co-lead of the Global Risk Governance Programme in UCT’s Faculty of Law, is the study’s only Africa-based co-author. Her contribution brings a Global South and community-centred perspective to a field that has largely focused on detection technology and enforcement. “The online illegal wildlife trade is not simply a technology problem that can be engineered away,” said Hübschle. “It spreads across platforms faster than any single company or country can police it, and it represents a growing, evolving threat to biodiversity.” AFRICA IN THE TRADE ROUTES
Africa features prominently in the trade routes the study documented. Between 2010 and 2021, roughly 800
veld.”
ONLINE TRADE SPANS THE ENTIRE TRAFFICKING CHAIN OF SALEABLE GOODS
FIVE STRATEGIES
000 African grey parrots were traded internationally. Researchers monitoring public Facebook accounts of exporters in Togo found more than 200 species advertised for sale. The review found that online trade spans the entire trafficking chain, from harvesters and intermediaries locating specimens through social media to direct-to-consumer shipments that bypass large-scale smuggling networks. A COMMUNITY-CENTRED RESPONSE
Hübschle argues that enforcement alone will not solve the problem. The study’s call to centre communities draws on her 2025 chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Wildlife Crime, which extends the “harmscapes” framework developed by the Global Risk Governance Programme at UCT. The framework treats wildlife harm as something produced across diffuse, interconnected sites rather than a series of discrete crimes to be policed and asks who is positioned to act at each of those sites, including actors that state-led responses typically overlook. “Much of the current response is enforcement-heavy and modelled on Global North regulatory systems,” said Hübschle. “But communities,
Dr Annette Hübschle, chief research officer and co-lead of the Global Risk Governance Programme at UCT, is the only Africa-based co-author of the global review published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity. PHOTO:SUPPLIED
local practitioners and frontline conservation actors are often the first to notice emerging code words, shifting routes and the unintended harms of punitive approaches.” LESSONS FROM THE SUCCULENT KAROO
Hübschle’s fieldwork in the Northern and Western Cape, part of the Safeguarding Succulents project, offers a concrete illustration. Conophytum, a succulent genus targeted by international collectors since 2019, has seen its illegal price collapse by up to two orders of magnitude over three years as the number
of harvesters grew and the market became oversupplied. Rather than ending the problem, the price collapse is pushing harvesting towards other plant genera and reptiles. “On the ground we’re seeing communities read these shifts in real time, and in some cases propose their own solutions, including access-and-benefit-sharing models, before formal policy catches up,” said Hübschle. “That local knowledge is exactly what a whole-of-society response needs to draw on, whether the trade is happening in a Cape Town Facebook group or a Succulent Karoo
The authors set out five complementary strategies: AI-assisted monitoring and detection; stronger platform policies and content moderation backed by independent audits; whole-of-society coordination among technology companies, regulators, non-governmental organisations and affected communities; demand-reduction campaigns informed by behavioural science; and international policy frameworks such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) and the EU’s Digital Services Act. Lead author Prof Enrico di Minin from the University of Helsinki said addressing the trade is “complex but not insurmountable.” Co-author Dr Neil d’Cruze, from Manchester Metropolitan University, said the harms mirror those of traditional wildlife trafficking but can unfold at greater speed and scale. GAPS REMAIN
The study identifies major gaps in the evidence base, particularly around how online trade routes are documented in the Global South. It calls for research that better reflect the regions most affected by wildlife trafficking and its consequences for biodiversity, conservation and public health. For Hübschle, stopping illegal wildlife trade online will require more than taking posts down or closing accounts. The people who live alongside the targeted species must have a meaningful role in shaping the response.
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NEWS 5
PEOPLE’SPOST | Constantia|Wynberg Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Show love and adopt a family pet
T
o shine the spotlight on thousands of pets that are abandoned or in need of new homes, People’s Post has teamed up with TEARS Animal Rescue to help some of these four-legged pets get new homes. Once a month we will publish several dogs and cats up for adoption.
TEARS is a pro-life non-profit organisation (NPO) established in 1999 to rescue, treat, rehabilitate, reunite and re-home lost, abandoned, abused and neglected companion animals and to educate pet owners and the youth living in the four under-resourced communities. The NPO remains the only facility in the Cape Peninsula’s far South available seven days per week, including an after-hours mobile clinic service from 16:30 to 19:00 with limited veterinary care. TEARS treats hundreds of animals for various conditions, illnesses and injuries.
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6 NEWS
PEOPLE’SPOST | Constantia|Wynberg Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Local author shines a spotlight on a n***** M
LAUREN O'CONNOR-MAY
ia Arderne created the distance she needed to recover from traumatic experiences by shifting them onto a n***erige book character named Lucian. “It helps to have a protagonist because you can externalise yourself and your experiences,” she writes. “It’s easier to have a character go through the tougher stuff. It doesn’t have to be so intense.” However, the author picked up some secondary trauma while researching the barbarism of an apartheid-era torturer for her latest novel, How to Stop Being a Naai. “I ended up reading the TRC transcript,” she said. “I read the whole thing. I haven’t recovered.” The result is a story that takes dark turns but still maintains the laughout-loud satirical humour the title promises. “I wasn’t trying to get super heavy with it,” Arderne says. “But I ended up going down rabbit holes and becoming deeper and more sincere at places I didn’t really expect.” WHO IS MIA ARDERNE?
Arderne is a young writer based in Mowbray. Her debut novel Mermaid Fillet, was long-listed for the Sunday Times/CNA Literary Award in 2021 and taught as a prescribed text at the University of Cape Town from 2022 to ’24. She has also written a young-adult romance, A Thousand Eyes on You, and several short stories. How to Stop Being a Naai is her third book, which she wrote after a period of
AUTHOR MIA ADERNE WANTED HER CHARACTER LUCIAN TO REPRESENT THE WEAKNESSES THAT EVERYONE HAS. being “institutionalised,” working on her mental health. WHAT IS HOW TO STOP BEING A NAAI ABOUT?
Arderne said the book began as a personal guide of nine steps to becoming a better person. The cover synopsis describes Lucian as a “Philanderer. Alcoholic. Sell-out.” “Lucian stumbles his way through nine steps, from ruthless self-acceptance to ultimately channelling his inner naai,” it reads. “In other words, he will try anything except go to actual therapy.” Curiously, Arderne said the character of Lucian is based on herself, “... maybe more than I would like to admit.” She also drew on her own family history. “I drew quite a bit on the paternal line of my family because I learnt some toxic behaviour from them. A lot of those people are no longer with us. I was, like, speaking to ghosts a little bit.” The process was both healing and painful. “There’s an element of that which was maybe more healing than traumatising. And there’s also a mourning; like, you grieve for these people again when you mine those relationships and those memories.” The book also went deeper than expected. Research for a character named Archie led her to explore
apartheid-era South African Defence Force soldiers, how they interacted with one another and the kinds of crimes they committed. In the end what started out as a satirical selfhelp book turned into a novel that explores morality through deeply flawed characters. “You could replace that word,” Arderne says, referring to the title, “with morality or a measure of morality. We all have lines that we get to where we’ll say ‘now this is over the line for me. This is immoral for me.’ I wanted Lucian to represent the weaknesses we all have. He’s representative of my weaknesses, people’s weaknesses.” NOT A SELF-STEP BOOK
Publishing the book came with a lot of surprises for Arderne. The first was the interest from her editor. “I spoke to my editor and my publisher almost, like, in jest and she was, like, ‘okay, send it through.’ I did. It was just a guide. It was just nine steps. And then she was, like, ‘look, I think you need to add a character.’ So Lucian came.” The next surprise was people’s reaction to the book. “I have a lot of people who want to buy it for other people in their lives because they have n***s in their lives that they think need this help,” she said, adding that she frequently needs to remind people that this is fiction and not a real self-help book, despite
a disclaimer inside the book . “It says on the cover it’s a novel, but I think it reads as a self-help book. I really hope they’re not expecting real advice. I mean, I’m not a psychologist.” Social-media posts also attracted a lot of surprising ire. “Some guys are quite defensive about Lucian. A lot of the men commenting were, like, ‘why are you dragging this guy?’ not realising it’s a fictional character. ‘You’re defending someone who’s not real!’ “And then I have all these Lucians in my comments, just lots of guys named Lucian who were not happy with me. And I’m, like, it’s just a name.” Mia said she chose the name because it was one of her favourites, ironically. “The Lucians of the world are not happy with me, man. They are not happy with me at all!” Conversely, women have commented on the social-media posts lambasting the character as a “f**cker”.
The cover of Mia Arderne’s third book.
WELL-RECEIVED
Overall, Arderne said the book has been well received and sales at the recent launch were good, but she jokes it may well have been because of the “provocative” title. The most common reflection, though, is that the book is funny. “Most of the feedback I got was that it was quite funny, and yet my writing isn’t generally funny. So it’s been quite cool to hear that.” Mostly, though, people have said they related to the characters, especially Lucian. “People tend to sympathise with Lucian more than I would have thought,” Arderne said.
Mia Arderne is a young writer from Mowbray.
Advertorial
UCT Actuarial Talent Shines at Miway’s Annual Hackathon
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n a rapidly evolving business landscape, creativity and innovation have emerged as key drivers for corporate success. To meet the demands of a competitive marketplace, many forward-thinking companies have shifted their recruitment strategies, placing a greater emphasis on attracting and cultivating diverse skill sets, and unconventional thinking. Miway’s annual Actuarial Hackathon, held for the sixth time this year, has evolved over the years and aims to identify prospects who can turn “complex situations into extraordinary solutions” while offering participants an opportunity to put the theoretical knowledge from their studies into practice. The Actuarial Hackathon, an invitation-only, one-week modelling marathon recently took place and saw participants apply their minds to developing the best pricing strategy based on a provided dataset. This year’s constituent comprised of final year and Honours students, as well as graduates in actuarial science, data science and related fields. This year the Hackathon ceremony awarded winners in two categories, Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Profit. During a celebratory prizegiving session at the culmination of the event, Travis Dellar student/graduate from the University of Cape Town clinched the MSE first
place, Gorata Mpotoane from University of Johannesburg, scooped MSE second place, and Jolan Govender from Wits University took the MSE third-prize. Under the profit category, Simama Notha from Wits University took first prize, alongside Karabo Moeng from University of Pretoria who took second prize and Gorata Mpotoane winning third prize. Congratulating all the winners was Christiaan Marais, Head of Actuarial at Miway, who sees the Hackathon as an ideal platform for identifying individuals with a knack for problemsolving, unorthodox thinking, and the ability to generate innovative ideas that can drive growth. All the winners succeeded in building effective pricing models and demonstrated resourcefulness and perseverance in formulating a unique and compelling solution. As this has been the case in previous years, the Actuarial Hackathon provided Miway with the ideal opportunity to test candidates' problem-solving abilities but also to provide insights into our commitment to creativity, collaboration, and out-of-the-box thinking. As part of the experience, participants had the chance to interface with experienced actuaries and gain a practical demonstration of Miway’s hybrid working model. For these participants, the Hackathon provided
Simama Notha (Profit 1st), Karabo Moeng (Profit 2nd), Christiaan Marais, Head of Actuarial at Miway, Jolan Govender (MSE 3rd) and Gorata Mpotoane (MSE 2nd, Profit 3rd). a window into the working world and allowed them to sense-check their thinking with team members who had the opportunity to share their insights and transfer knowledge.” “The Hackathon presented quite the challenge; where students were required to use a combination of programming, data analysis and statistical modeling to formulate a solution. The competition provides an ideal way to test theoretical knowledge while allowing students to gain a practical understanding of how it applies to a real-world scenario.” Adds Marais.
emerged as a powerful tool for attracting and cultivating innovative talent, diversifying perspectives, and fostering a culture of creativity within organisations. As this trend continues to gain momentum, it will reshape the corporate landscape, enabling companies to unlock new levels of innovation and drive sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive world.
Creative recruitment drives such as Miway’s Actuarial Hackathon have MMMWWW-QK010926
NEWS
PEOPLE’SPOST | Constantia|Wynberg Tuesday, 1 September 2026
7
Woefie Wandel back September KEANAN HARMSE ncreased admissions in abandoned stray dogs and added strain at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA in Grassy Park, has inspired the launch of their annual fundraising dog walk that will assist the animal sanctuary with pet food and operating costs.
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The annual Woefie Wandel dog walk and Pet Fair returns to Reddam Field on Sunday, 20 September, in Green Point Park, as the number of dogs entering SPCA care reaches 13 417. People’s Post spoke with SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham who unpacked the needs and pressures they’re experiencing at the facility. A morning out with your own dog will help fund food, veterinary treatment, shelter, protection and responsible rehoming for dogs arriving at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, she added. “That support is urgently needed. During the past year, the number of dogs admitted to the SPCA rose from 10 577 to 13 417, representing an increase of 26,9% in just one
PREPARING ONE DOG FOR ADOPTION COSTS THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE SPCA R7 143 The dog play park located behind the Cape of Good Hope SPCA in Grassy Park is appealing for volunteers to assist them with dog walks. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
year. Dogs now account for almost half of all animals admitted by the organisation,” Abraham said. Each dog must be received, assessed and cared for. Some need immediate veterinary treatment. “Others require rehabilitation, behavioural support or time in the adoption kennels while the right home is found. The cost begins the moment they arrive,” she
added. “The SPCA does not make money by rehoming animals,” says Abraham, but has to raise funds to make their responsible rehoming efforts possible. “On average, preparing one dog for adoption costs the Cape of Good Hope SPCA R7 143. This covers food, clean bedding, veterinary care,
behavioural assessment and support, infection control, daily attention and follow-up after adoption. The SPCA must fund that care before an adopter is found,” she explained. The dog walk will help fund the food, veterinary treatment, shelter and daily care those animals depend on. The SPCA in Grassy Park is also appealing for volunteers to assist
them with dog walks. On the day participants can choose a relaxed 1,3 kilometre walk or a longer 19 kilometre route through Green Point Park. The day will also feature the Absolute Pets Pop Up Shop and Pet Spa, stalls from leading pet care brands, training demonstrations, a photo booth, food stalls, a mini funfair, spot prizes, grand prize draws and popular competitions including Happiest Dog, Best Lookalike and Mutt of the Year. The SPCA Mobile Clinic will provide free rabies vaccinations. Microchipping will be available for R150, giving pet owners an affordable way to improve the chances of being reunited with their animals if they are ever lost. Very Important Pet Parent tickets cost R220 with parking or R180 without parking. Each ticket includes admission for one person and one dog, together with a gift bag valued at more than R1 500. General entry costs R80 per person and R60 per dog. Tickets are available at www.quicket. co.za/events/388637-woefie-wandeldog-walk-pet-fair-2026/#/For more information email comms@spca-ct. co.za.
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WIN R10 000
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TEAMS BATTLE FOR LFA HONOURS HAZENDAL SHOWS THORNHILL HOW IT’S DONE
Nur Williams of Thornhill United (red) and Ali Davids of Hazendal United show pure intensity to gain possession of the ball during a Rygate LFA u-10 league match played at Johnson Road, Athlone, on Saturday 29 August. Hazendal won 2-0. PHOTO: RASHIED ISAACS,
Ncedo Mangqizo of Greater Philippi LFA outjumps Reagan Eybers of Cape District LFA to the ball during a SAFA Cape Town inter LFA u-18 knock- out match played at William Herbert Sports Ground, Wynberg, on Sunday 30 August. The Philippi based team won 5-4 on penalties after the scores were tied on 0-0 at regulation time. PHOTO: RASHIED ISAACS
GAVIN MANUEL INTERSCHOOLS LEGACY CUP
Schools ready for cup AVRIL FILLIES
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ourteen u-18 girls and sixteen u-16 boys from schools across Cape Town will participate in the Gavin Manuel Interschools Legacy Cup on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September at Chukker Road Sportsground in Kenwyn In the girls section Steenberg and Mondale high schools are the debutants, while Tafelsig, Blasc Adacemia and Zwaanswyk will contest the boys section for the first time. Bergvliet boys and girls and Steenberg boys
The launch is on Wednesday 13 September at 15:30 at Mondale High return after a one year break. Nigel Crowie, the eldest brother of former Bafana player Duncan, is the tournament director. His ties with the late Gavin Manuel goes back to their first meeting in 1979 and their friendship lasted until the passing of Manuel in 2015. Crowie met Manuel when he was a learner at
Cathkin High in the final of the Western Province Senior Schools Sports Union (WPSSSU) against Parkwood High and Manuel was the referee. Their parts crossed again in 1984 when Crowie qualified as a teacher. At that time Manuel was the convenor of soccer for the WPSSSU, and Crowie represented Mondale High School at a meeting held at Spes Bona High. Back then, all school sports codes fell under the single umbrella of the WPSSSU. “I was nominated and became the convenor of soccer in Mitchells Plain. “Manuel would organise planning sessions to ensure that every school was included and able to participate, especially in soccer,” says Crowie.
FOLLOW THE ACTION 2026 season finale
EPISODE #30
03 SEPT
FROM THE TRYLINE TO YOUR TIMELINE The Rugby Factory's final episode for the season, proudly brought to you by BOSSA, features a special farewell to Sean Erasmus. One of South Africa's most successful schoolboy coaches in recent years departs Paarl Boys High to take up the head coach role at Stellenbosch University. The episode celebrates Erasmus's remarkable achievements in school rugby and marks the end of an era at Paarl Boys High whilst looking ahead to his new challenge at university level.
Manuel was also the first to organise a WPSSSU soccer team to travel to the United Kingdom (UK), exposing learners to the world beyond apartheid South Africa. The launch is on Wednesday 13 September at 15:30 at Mondale High School. The following schools have confirmed their participation: Girls: Ocean View, Bergvliet, Muizenberg, Zeekoevlei, Steenberg, Wynberg High, Beacon Hill, Oval North, Portland, Mondale, Rocklands, Glendale and Strandfontein. Boys: Ocean View, Bergvliet, Zeekoevlei, Steenberg, Wynberg High, Beacon Hill, Oval North, Blasc Academia, Portland, Mondale, Rocklands, Glendale, Paramount, Tafelsig, Westridge and Zwaanswyk