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Lazanou Wine Farm

Josef Lazarus and Candice Stephanou bought the farm in May 2002 when it was operating as a wholesale indigenous plant nursery. At the time it had just one vineyard of 0.6 hectare (Vineyard 1), the original Chenin Blanc planted in 1987, which won the award for the Best White Wine and Best Wine Overall in the 2009 Nedbank / WINE Magazine Green Wine Awards. During the next few years the farm was converted into an organic wine farm. Lazanou Organic Vineyards is situated in the picturesque Wellington valley approximately 45 minutes drive from Cape Town, South Africa. The altitude of the farm is 119 meters above sea level. Lazanou Organic Vineyards is one of the smallest wine farms in South Africa. The full extent of the farm is 8.48 hectares, of which 5.54 hectares are under vineyards. The rest of the farm includes a cow and sheep pasture, a few small olive groves, a fruit orchard, an earth dam, a bird sanctuary, various buildings and most importantly a number of biodiversity zones. Lazanou Organic Vineyards is Certified Organic by EcoCert against the European Union (Regulation 834/2007) organic standards for crop production and wine processing. The farm and cellar is audited every year to ensure that these standards are maintained. No herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used on the farm. The soils are continuously improved through extensive composting, mulching and planting of nitrogen fixing cover crops (green manuring) during the winter months. Compost is produced on the farm using our own cow manure, earthworms and organic materials from the farm. Snails are controlled by our ducks and chickens. Lazanou Organic Vineyards is more than an award winning wine farm. It is a way of life where owners Josef Lazarus and Candice Stephanou and their two children Noah and Hannah endeavour to live a relatively self-sustainable life style. Their Jersey cow produces the milk that is use to make butter and cheese. Offsprings from their cow, sheep, ducks, chickens and wild guinea fowl, keeps the freezer filled with meat for the family and farm workers. Table olives and olive oil is produced from their own olive trees and honey from their four beehives while the extensive vegetable garden produces most of their veggies all of which is shared with guests at their popular Open Days at Lazanou Organic Vineyards. Corporate social investment (CSI), is a form of corporate social responsibility, which is a company's overarching approach or strategy for improving the social, environmental and economic well-being of their community or society at large. ... A company may offer employees paid time off to volunteer at a local charity. CSI has become a major marketing tool / ploy for many companies including wine farms. Gone are the days when companies just did ‘good’ because they were ‘good’, without wearing their ‘goodness’ on their sleeve for everyone to see. Given the small size of Lazanou Organic Vineyards, we unfortunately just do not have the financial resources to buy ‘goodness’. However, apart from the fact that our four employees earn an above average wage and that we share the organic produce of the farm with them, the past and current life’s work of Lazanou Organic Vineyards owner Josef Lazarus, has been, and still is, dedicated to contributing to society and improving the lives of others. Click here to read more. The farm includes a variety of soils suitable for the cultivars planted. Soils types include Escort, Klapmuts, Oakleaf, Tukulu, Vilafontes and Westleigh.
Geolocation
18° 59' 34.8", -33° 35' 52.8"
References
http://www.lazanou.co.za/lazfarm.htm
Further Reading
http://www.greggsplatter.co.za/product-category/lazanou-wine-estate

James Pearce Park, East London

James Pearce Park is situated in the Suburb of, Stirling. It is a recreational park offering tennis courts and wide open spaces for families to picnic, ride bicycles and walk their dogs. James Pearce Park is next to Nahoon and is located in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape, South Africa. James Pearce Park has a length of 0.88 kilometres. From family outdoor picnics, kiddies playdates and parties, to weight training, exercising and photographic shoots – it is all happening these days at James Pearce Park and East Londoners are loving it! This once extremely popular family friendly park experienced a marked decline in the last decade, attracting the ‘party crowd’ who displayed undesirable and sometimes criminal behaviour such as prostitution, drugs and in a number of cases, sexual assault/rape, resulting in the surrounding community avoiding this public green space for safety reasons. Part of BCM’s Integrated Development Plan and driven and by the local Ward Councillor and the community, James Pearce Park has seen the introduction of security fencing, as well as the appointment of a security company that have 2 security guards situated at the entrance to the park. Alcohol has been banned from the park and the security guards record the details of all who enter the park, and check the vehicles for alcohol. This has gone a long way to deterring the undesirable elements, removing the alcohol bottles and associated litter, once again making it a safe place for the East London community to visit. The installation of 4 pieces of outdoor weight training equipment (the other 9 pieces are under tender for installation), and outdoor kiddies play equipment has once again reinstated this green space as a desirable family destination. Runners, exercise enthusiasts, families and the general public are once again returning to this space, and the city is much richer for it. James Pearce Park … why not give it a visit next time you are in the area? The park is now open daily from 7am – 5pm, and only club members with stickers are allowed to enter after 5pm.
Geolocation
27° 56' 9.6", -32° 59' 34.8"
References
http://za.geoview.info/james_pearce_park,135180461w https://www.triphobo.com/places/east-london-south-africa/james-pearce-park https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/daily-dispatch/20190727/281599537100515 http://southafrica.bedandbreakfasts.net/propertysearch.asp?location=James+Pearce+Park https://www.dispatchlive.co.za/politics/2019-07-26-stringent-plans-to-secure-popular-james-peace-park/ https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/48286004-james-pearce
Further Reading
https://www.triphobo.com/places/east-london-south-africa/james-pearce-park https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/daily-dispatch/20190727/281599537100515

Sonderwaterkraal

Sonderwaterkraal is a populated place and is located in Namakwa District Municipality, Northern Cape, South Africa. The estimate terrain elevation above seal level is 407 metres. Approximately 1,118 km South-West of Pretoria, the country's capital. The landowner wishes to develop 21 hectares Rooibos cultivation lands at Sonderwaterkraal.
Geolocation
19° 3' 25.2", -31° 50' 56.4"
References
http://za.geoview.info/sonderwaterkraal,3361362 http://trip-suggest.com/south-africa/northern-cape/sonderwaterkraal/
Further Reading
https://sahris.sahra.org.za/cases/rooibos-tea-cultivation-sonderwaterkraal-farm-9510-nieuwoudtville

Mandela's release - what a day this was in our history

We worked frantically through the night to call together out activists and put all the logistics in place for a normal rally: designed and printed pamphlets and posters, distributed them, organised transport, sound systems, marshals to control the crowd, all the usual things.

But because we only heard about the release on Saturday evening, we were just not able to track down any of the companies from which usually hire walkie talkies, so we had no means of communication the next day – and it was long before the days of cell phones!

Statement fron Anant Singh on the 30th Anniversary of Nelson Mandela's Release from Prison

The 11th of February 1990 will be remembered as one of the most significant days in the history of the world.  It was the day that dramatic change took place – the apartheid regime released Nelson Mandela after he served 27 years in prison.  Today, 30 years later, we celebrate this watershed event that changed South Africa forever.
 
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Pixie Benjamin

Pixie Benjamin was a strong anti-apartheid political activist and prisoner banned from South Africa during Apartheid. She endured harsh punishment under censorship and racist laws. Her political involvement already occurred in England, where she and her husband allowed African National Congress (ANC) activists to stay while they were rounding up political supporters.