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ISIDLAMLILOCLAIMSTOPHONOURSATTHEATREAWARDS

Multi-award-winning Isidlamlilo/TheFireEater wasthe biggestwinner at this year’s Cape Town TheatreAwardspowered by CapeTalk, held at the Baxter TheatreonSunday 5July. Sinceits premiereatthe 2022 National Arts Festival,the productionhas toured throughout SouthAfrica and Europe to sold-out houses andravereviews with performances at the National Arts Festival, Elizabeth SneddonTheatre(Durban), The Market Theatre(Joburg), HiltonArts Festival (KZN), NoordezonFestival of Performing Arts (Groningen Netherlands), TheKampnagelInternational Summer Festival (Hamburg,Germany) and La Bâtie -Festivalde Genève (Switzerland).The electrifyingone-woman showbrought to life by MpumeMthombeni and theatre-maker Neil Coppen, scooped Best Production Award, whileCoppen walked awaywithBestDirector.Itwas also recognised as the Best NewSouth AfricanScript, BestSound Design, Original Music, Soundcape or LivePerformanceamongothers. Best setdesign and Best lighting design. Mthombeni walked away with Best PerformanceinaRevue,Cabaret or One-Person Show. Picturedare allthe winners of this year’s awards. Read moreonpage7 PHOTO:JEFFREYABRAHAMS

Sjudg ph government hadfailedtoliveupto theirconstitutionalmandate,toprovide aﬀordablehousing andspatial justiceto thosewho need it most.

On Thursday 2Julythe apex courtfound the WesternCapegovernmentand City of Cape Town failed in theirconstitutionaldutytoaddressapartheid-era spatialinequality.

Thecourt took issuewitha site in SeaPoint, theold TafelbergSchoolbuilding, whichprovincialgovernmenthad sold in 2015,a decision thecourt regarded as unlawful Social housinglobby groups NdifunaUkwazi

sp qu yt gh bl housing.

Sheila Madikane,Reclaim theCityactivist, describedthe ruling as avictory forpoor and working-classcommunities

“Itwas adifficult 10 yearsthatwewere fighting. Some thoughtwewere fighting alosing battle. Butbythe will of Godwekeptthe faith. I always said we wouldwin this battlenomatter howlongittook.”

Shesaidthe judgment aﬃrmed that public land should be used to addressa pervasive housingcrisisratherthanserve privateinterests.“OurReclaim theCitysloganreads ‘Land forpeople, notfor proﬁt’,soitwas theobliga-

tion of theCityofCapeTownand theprovincial government to allowpoorpeopletohavethe land.But they wanted to play that gambling game with us so they candowhattheywant.”

Madikane said aﬀordablehousing solutions must go beyond social-housing models,arguing that current rental schemesremainedout of reachfor many low-income families

“Wedon’t want social housingbecause it doesn’tworkout formanyofus. If onerents asocialhouse andcan’t paythe rent then one is chuckedout.Theymustmakeituseful and aﬀordablefor everybody.”

,w ng,say gpub “mustnot be viewed as acommodity”.

“Thisisa landmark judgment that will tell governmentsacrossthe countryand municipalities that public land is notsomething to be sold.Itshouldnot be viewed as amerecommodity.Itmust ﬁrstbeprioritised forits social value. It must be used to addressinequalities andthe harshrealities of ourpast.”

TheCitysaiditnoted theConstitutional Court’s ﬁndingthatall spheresofgovernment must work together on releasinglandfor aﬀordable housingand stressedthatthisresponsibilityshouldalsoextendtonationalgovernment andits well-locatedproperties.

‘Bliste ’not just alk

Sportis asource ofhope

Sportisoften describedasa game, butfor millionsof people it is much more than that.It is asourceofhope, pride, identity and unity.

In SouthAfrica, whereour historyis marked by division andinequality, sport hasrepeatedlyproven itsability to bringpeopletogetherinways that politics andsocial programmesoften cannot. It remindsusthat despiteour differences,weshare common dreams andemotions. Just afew weeksago, thenationcelebrated when Bafana Bafana made SouthAfrican football historyby reaching theFifa WorldCup knockoutstagesfor the firsttimewhenthey defeated SouthKorea 1-0intheir finalgroup game

TheirdisappointingdefeattoCanada in thelast32ofthe competition, which sawthembowingout of thetournament, serves as aperfect example. As the final whistleblew, millions of SouthAfricans experiencedthe same feelingofheartbreak. In that moment,we were notdivided by language,religionor social status.Wewere simply SouthAfricans supportingour team This is theunique powerofsport.It createsmoments wheredifferences disappear,evenifonly fora while. It allows strangerstocelebrate together,comfort one anotherand believein somethingbiggerthan themselves.Whether it is football, rugby, cricket, athleticsor netball, sporthas theability to unite communities around a commonpurpose SouthAfricahas witnessedthispower before.The 1995 Rugby WorldCup remains oneofthe greatest examples of sportpromoting national unity. When theSpringboks lifted theWebbEllis Cup, it wasmorethan asportingvictory.It became asymbolof reconciliation Forsome, thesports fieldbecomes aplace of opportunityand hope rather than despair. Thetruevalue of sportcannotbe measured by trophies alone. Itsgreatest achievementliesinits abilitytounite people, inspirehope.

Gang te

KAYLYNNEBANTOM

The WoodstockCommunity PolicingForum (CPF)saysgang-related shootings continue to plague the area,withthe latest incident claiming thelifeof37-year-old Hadiya Henderson.

Accordingtopolice, themotheroftwo was standing outsidea public toilet in Aberdeen Street on Saturday 27 June when shewas approached by an unknownman

Provincial police spokesperson Capt FC van Wyksaid: “Anunknown male suspectwalked up to herand conversedfor afew minutes before drawinga ﬁrearmand ﬁring oneshotat herface.”

NSRIcampaig

KEANANHARMSE

Ateamoften localvolunteersare ensuring that youngboysand girlsinMuizenbergare equippedwiththe swimming andsurvival skills they need andtohelpcurbthe number of drowningstakingplace on Cape Town’s beaches.

This initiative is knownasthe National Sea Rescue Institute’s(NSRI)SurvivalSwimming Programme andiscurrently taking placeatthe Muizenberg MunicipalSwimming Pool

Children andadultsare taught four essential skills whichinclude:breathcontrol,orienting in water, ﬂoating,and moving at least ﬁve metres to safety,all in ashort 20-minutesession at no charge to theparticipants.

Thegoalistoequip vulnerable individuals, especially children under“14,withthe skills needed to surviveiftheyfallintodeep water.

At thebeginning of 2020,the NSRI launched itsSurvivalSwimming Programme, whichwas inspired by severalstories involvingchildren drowning ametre or twofromsafety.

Qualiﬁed NSRI instructorsand trainedvolunteersleadthese classes.

During the2025-’26festive season,the City of Cape Town recorded ﬁve fataland 23 non-fatal drowningsalong itscoastline

Allfatal incidentsoccurredoutside of designatedbathing zones, with zero fataldrownings reported at municipalswimmingpoolsor patrolled, lifeguardedbeaches

People’s Post spoketoMuizenbergSurvival Swimming School Coordinatorand volunteer, Matthew Guiney on hislovefor teaching swimming lessonsfor thelocal youthinMuizenberg.

Afterspending40years as ateacher,hesays thefocus is on simple butessentialskills

“After 40 years, andI just felt Icould tryand give back abit.I’vealwaysbeen involved in coaching sportand lifesaving

“The aimistoteach little kids from theage of six, basically,and we’vehad quitea fewadults as well, on what to do if youfallintowater so that youdon’t drown.

“That’swhy it’s called survival swimming.It’s notreally competitivestrokeswimming, but we teachthemhow to hold theirbreath, howto ﬂoat, howtoget to theside, becausemostofthe littlekidswho drownare within ﬁve metres of

Bestentrepreneursclaim prizes

KAYLYNNEBANTOM

CapeTown’snextgenerationofentrepreneurstook centre stageand claimedtop honoursatthe 10th edition of the#YouthStartCT EntrepreneurialChallenge, closingthe programme’s biggest andmostcompetitiveedition yet.

Paul Whitehead, founderofMajor John in Woodstockand CandiceShunmoogamof GWIN in Parkwood,claimed thetop prizes in theExistingBusinessand Business Ideascategories respectively

Thechallengeequipsyoung people aged 18 to 35 andexistingsmall businesseswiththe skills, networks andresources needed to launch, strengthen andgrowsustainable businesses that addresslocal challenges andcreatejobs.

This year attractedmorethan700 entries forexistingbusinessesorbusinessideas,145 of whom metthe criteria to participateinthe training andmentorshiprounds.

Theparticipantscamefrom77communities across Cape Town,including Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Observatory, Kraaifontein, Delft, Langa, Mfuleni, Nyanga,Philippi and Gugulethu.

ForWhitehead,winning theExistingBusiness category wasmorethanjusta title.

The33-year-old founderofa premiumlightingand furniture business said theprogramme gave himfresh insights into entrepreneurship, despitealready having spent12years building hisbusiness.

“I have been in business formanyyears,but throughthisprogramme Ilearned so much aboutthe basics of running abusiness. The training wasbeneﬁcial.I gottoworkwithfellow competitors, andthe futureislookingbright,” he said

Whiteheadencouragedaspiring entrepreneurs to take part in theprogramme,sayingitoﬀers invaluable skills andlearningopportunitiesfor anyone lookingtostart or grow abusiness.

Paul Whitehead of MajorJohn

Artscape launchesWomen’sFestival

The annual Artscape Women’sHumanity Festival (WHF)willtransform Cape Town into apowerful platform fordialogue, healing, activism andartisticexpression underthe theme APlace ForAll, with thesub-theme: WomeninAction, VroueinAksie and AbafaziKwintshukumo, starting with the launch tomorrow evening(8July)

Thefestivalcoincides with twosigniﬁcant milestones;ArtscapeTheatre Centre’s 55th anniversaryand the70thcommemoration of thehistoric1956Women’s March. Running throughout Women’sMonth,the festival brings together theatreproductions, dance, music, exhibitions, ﬁlm,intergenerational conversations, workshopsand public discussionsthatchallengesilence,celebrate resilience andadvocatefor asociety whereall citizens areequal

THEFESTIVAL

IS ABOUT HUMANITY AND DIGNITY

WOMEN'SHUMANITYWALK

Thefestivalwillonceagain host theAugust9 Women’sHumanityWalkfromthe CivicCentre to theArtscapecomplex

This year’s walk will also honour Sophie Williams-De Bruyn, oneofthe leadersofthe historic 1956 Women’sMarch.The shortened version, less than 100m,ofthisiconicwalk will be accessibletoPersons with Disabilities Following theWalk, allparticipantswillgather on thePiazza stepsfor amomentofsilence, riptapefromtheir mouths andshout “stop thesilence”, symbolisingthe need to breakthe silencearoundwomen’s voices.Thiswillbe followedbyaninterfaithblessing WomanZone’sEverywomanProject is workingontwo textileartworkstocommemorate the55years of theArtscapebuildingand 70 yearsofthe Women’sMarch.“In aworld where

exclusion, violence andinequalitycontinue to silencemanyvoices, theArtscapeWomen’s Humanity Festival remainscommitted to creating aspace whereevery person feels seen,heard andvalued. This festival is about humanity,dignity andcollectivehealing.The Marchtothe UnionBuildings made apowerful statementagainst allodds,thousands of women risked theirlives to protestagainst theDompas. We must askourselves:where arewetoday? Personswithdisabilitiesremaininvisible and excluded.Pro-women workingenvironments areyet to become thenorm. Andthe LGBTQ+ community remainsunder threat.Augustis ourmomenttoreﬂectonhow farwehavecome andhow farwestill need to go in realising thehuman rights forall that areembeddedin ourConstitution.”The Festival continuesto standasone of SouthAfrica’sleading cultural movementsadvocatingfor equality,inclusivity

Davids andMartinNeethlingtakeaudiencesona nostalgictripdownmemorylane. ABFABisbackbypopular demand;its more sa showcase of thebest Africa.Bones is adocuhe repatriation of there”Baartman andthe ﬁght, elateDiana Ferrus, to ca in 2002 eature acriticalpanel aWalter. unfoldingdocumentary ved, loved, learned, fallen ain. Thandi Swaartbooi, mble WomenUnite,will mbaproduction. check www.artscape purchased viaWebtickets.

Woodland caper at Joseph Stone

She’sbold, she’sclever andshe’s coming to Cape Town The Cunning LittleVixen, Cape Town Opera’s (CTO)latestfamily-friendlyproduction, promises athrilling woodland adventure packed with stunning costumes,physical theatreand unforgettablecharacterswhen it opensatthe Joseph StoneAuditoriumin Athlonethismonth Performances will take placefrom Tuesday21toFriday 24 July at 11:00, with twodaily showson Saturday 25 andSunday26Julyat11:00 and14:00. Aimedat families,learnersand ﬁrst-time operagoers, this quirky andfun production blends engaging storytelling, physical theatre, strikinganimalcostumes andimaginative visualstooﬀer an accessibleand memorable introduction to opera. Thestory celebrates theideathatkindness andbravery canbe powerful .TicketscostR80 per person and are availablethrough Webtickets.

Ramsay

Quilters at work is one of thehighlights.

TheDivalicious Dames showsees drag-mime artists Ramsay Davids and Martin Neethling take audiences on anostalgic tripdownmemory.

CT 61st theatreawardsrevealed

The winners of the61stCapeTown TheatreAwardspoweredbyCapeTalk were announcedatan intimate,elegant ceremony at TheBaxter TheatreonSunday(5July)

Formerly knownasthe FleurduCap Theatre Awards,the Awards have recognised artistic excellenceinthe performing arts sector formore than sixdecades

Embarkingonthe next eraofits existence, the oldest theatreawardsinthe countryhavea new name –the Cape Town TheatreAwards. Anew non-proﬁtcompany (NPC)has also been established forconvening theAwardsinthe future.

“Weare sincerelygrateful to Distelland Heineken Beveragesfor enabling us to honour Cape Town creativesfor 60 years,”saysAfrica Melane,chair of theCapeTownTheatre Awards Panel.

“Weextenda heartfeltthank youtoCapeTalk forsupportingthe Awards.The stationand Primedia Broadcasting hold theviewthata thriving performing arts sector is essentialto acosmopolitancitylikeCapeTown, andthis resonateswithus. Thesupport enablesusto navigate theevolution of theAwardsgoing forward.”

“Withthe wealth of outstandingtalentwe have in theWestern Cape –anincredible65 productionswereeligiblefor considerationin 2025 –competition wasstiﬀ.Wesaluteour theatre makers andencourage them to keep pushingthe boundaries andovercomingobstacles to continue creating theirwork. We congratulate allthe nominees andwinners,” says Melane.We

FORMERLYKNOWN,FOR SIXDECADES,AS THE FLEUR DU CAPTHEATRE AWARDS

also extend aheartfelt thankyou to Boschendal whocameonboard as apartner this year,” he says

Theeligibleproductions included sevenoperas,three children’s productions(twomusicals andone opera),24student productionsand 55 othermainproductions, ﬁve of whichwere musicals

The2025LifetimeAchievement Awardwas presentedtoNigel Vermaas,who wasrecognisedfor hisimmensecontributiontothe performing arts andbroadcastingasanactor, director,and writer forstage andradio dramas Vermaas is also adocumentary makerand host of an arts andjazzradio show,all this with his instinctiveand dramatic ﬂair.

Thefulllistofwinners of the61stCapeTown TheatreAwardsare: Awardfor most promisingstudent:Scarlett Pay| LAMTA

Best newSouth Africanscript: Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater| Neil Coppen& MpumeMthombeni Best newdirector: Samuel Jumat| ’n Pandok se Liefde Best theatreproductionfor children and youngpeople: MoanaJr- SonwaSakubaInstitute forthe Performing Arts (SSIPA)

Best performancebyanensemble: Cats |

Nigel Vermaas wasawarded aLifetime AchievementAward at the 61st Cape Town TheatreAwards, poweredbyCapeTalk. PHOTO:JEFFREY ABRAHAMS

Best performanceina revue, cabaretor one-person show:Mpume Mthombeni| Isidlamlilo/TheFireEater

Best performancebya supportingactor in a musicalormusic theatreshow: CarloDaniels | RandallSimons| Colleen TheMusical Best performancebya supportingactress in a musicalormusic theatreshow: TankisoMamabolo| Matron Mama Morton |Chicago

Best performancebyanactor in amusical or musictheatre show:JonathanRoxmouth| Billy

Flynn| Chicago

Best performancebyanactress in amusical or musictheatre show:Cindy AnnAbrahams| Grizabella |Cats

Best puppetrydesign: Adrian Kohler and William Kentridge| FaustusinAfrica! Best lighting design:Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater| Tina Le Roux

Best setdesign: Isidlamlilo/TheFireEater | Greg King

Best costumedesign: Cats |JohnNapier

Best sounddesign, original music, soundscape or live performance: Isidlamlilo/TheFireEater |Tristan Horton

Best performancebya lead actressina play: RolandaMarais| Hedda |Hedda Gabler

Best performancebya lead actorina play: BenAlbertyn| Tom| Speelgoed vanGlas| The GlassMenagerie

Best director:NeilCoppen| Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater

Best production:Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater |Empatheatre in associationwithThe Baxter TheatreCentreand theNationalArtsFestival Awardfor innovation in theatre: Shakespeare SchoolsFestivalSouth Africa

Lifetime achievementaward:Nigel Vermaas