Cape Town and Cape Point is supplied by large dams such as Steenbras (as seen here in satalite images dated December 2009)

‘Cape Town and Cape Point Drinking Water is Safe’ -

Or so Cape Town city authorities keep telling us. It has been hard to miss recently that the water quality seems less than desirable on the Cape Point Peninsula. There have been several times in the last few months that the water from the taps has had a distinctive ‘earthy’ smell to it. It is so strong a smell that it is still present even after boiling.

And it doesn’t stop at smell; you can definitely taste it in the water too.  There is a definite ‘essence of pond’ present, with delicate overtones of ‘damp earth’.

This isn’t the first time that the smell and taste has been present in the Cape Town and Cape Point drinking water. Reports from 2009 have a similar theme to them. It leads you to question whether the Cape Town water is safe to drink or not.

At first, without any further reports to go on, I was suspicious of the ongoing road works down main road, and whether they had contributed to the taste. It seems likely that anything compromising such a vital aquifer would undoubtedly affect the quality of water in the Cape Point Peninsula. However, the reports point to a much wider problem affecting more than just the Cape Point water supply- this is a city wide problem.

This doesn’t make me feel any better: in some ways it would be preferable if the Cape Point water supply was only being compromised by a leaking pipe as this would be very fixable.

Water integrity is essential to life anywhere on planet earth, none more so than in areas such as Cape Town & the Cape Point Peninsula.

We have a very dangerous set of circumstances when it comes to a good, secure fresh water supply. Cape Point and the city of Cape Town has a large metropolitan population with a healthy smattering of heavy industry; all situated in an area which at times can be considered as semi arid. Although there is a healthy annual rain fall it is very seasonal, making it essential that sufficient winter rainfall is captured to see us through the summer months, when it is likely that we will see little, if any, rain.

The natural habitat is very well adapted to such conditions; in fact, the majority of fynbos species do not rely on rainfall for their water supply. Many plant species in the Cape Point floral kingdom get far more water from capturing moisture in the atmosphere than they do from actual rain fall (hence the prevalence of feathery leaves and fronds.)

Unfortunately we are not so well adapted to life without water. Apart from anything else much of our industry is heavily reliant on having copious amounts of water ‘on-tap’ and that is before the needs of agriculture are taking into account. The fact that the average Cape Town family gets through 37000 liters a month does not help the situation.

Recently a combination of  factors ranging from natural weather cycles, pollution, sun spot activity, melting ice caps and butterflies beating there wings in Brazil have led to a reduction in winter rainfall in the Cape Point area, putting serious pressure on Cape Town’s water supplies through the summer months. This obviously is worst at the end of summer, beginning of autumn, as this is when the dams are at there lowest.

Year on year the Cape Town dam levels have been peaking lower and lower, rainfall has dropped, and demand has risen. To date we have not run out of water, and only certain water restriction have been required, but the party cannot go on forever unless something changes, and it seems likeliest that it is us that must change our habits.

Ultimately we run the risk of severe water shortages if action is not taken, though at present it is unclear whether the current change in rainfall patterns for the Cape Point Peninsula and Cape Town are permanent or not.

The lowering of dam levels is already affecting us, with biological changes in the dams’ ecosystems giving rise to all sorts of unforeseen knock-on effects.

A reduction in the water surface areas, higher levels of sun strength lead to an increase in the level of bacteria, algae and other microbes in the dams. When a large enough concentration of these microbes dies they produce a substance called ‘geosmin’.

Geosmin is the substance that causes all earthy smells, from leaf mold to the smell after rain fall. Sometime its smell is welcomed, not so in the drinking water.

The jury is still out in the scientific world as to whether geosmin is a health hazard. At high enough levels all things are toxic (even the water itself highly poisonous at high enough levels- in fact, as a high school science project an American pupil convinced his local town that they should ban a substance called dihydrogen monoxide, after pointing out all the dangerous features of the substance- google it, its funny). What is in some doubt is the level at which the substance becomes hazardous to health.

Humans are capable of detecting very low levels of geosmin, measured in parts per trillion, so although there way be a very strong taste and smell in the Cape Town water supply, it is not an indicator of massive levels of the substance.

The Cape Town water authorities have been quoted in several media sources as stating that levels are in the region of 10-15 ng/l, in which ng is a nano gram, or a billionth of a gram. They state that at this level the water is safe to drink.

That my nose wrinkles at the smell of the water and I am reticent to drink it suggest that my body thinks differently.

Can I safely drink the water supplied by Cape Town and Cape Points’ reservoirs?

Probably.

Do I want to drink water that smells like it was soaked with dead leaves?

Not really.

I find it unacceptable that authorities can so flippantly treat the issue-‘oh, it’s perfectly safe to drink.’ Great, is that what I pay rates for? If I wanted earthy water I could have a tub in the garden.

So what can you do about the smell and taste of the Cape Town and Cape Point water?

First, boiling won’t make any difference! Geosmin is very resilient and not technically alive so boiling doesn’t get rid of it: I know because I have tried and I could still taste it in my tea!

If you really do feel that there is a danger to your health and have more money than Rockefeller then you could buy bottled water. Bottled water to me is one of the biggest cons of the 20^th Century (Evian spelt backwards is Naïve). If you think about a company that is tapping into natural springs in a specific location, how can they increase production to cope with a global demand?

What seems to be working just as well is a good old fashioned water filter. These are readily available and do not have to cost the earth. We have been using one in our kitchen for years now, and if for some reason you taste the tap water after you have gotten used to filtering it tastes disgusting at the best of times. Right now I am even using the filtered water for the kettle, as boiling is not removing the earthy taste from the Cape Point water supply. We have one of those fancy jobs that sits under the counter with a dedicated tap; water is filtered through a canister full of filtering agents which effectively scrubs the water clean.

One of the big ongoing conflicts on the Cape Point Peninsula is that between humans and baboons. It is sad and tragic that Cape Points two simian neighbours cannot live in peace, learning from each other. Wisdom dictates that one proves their humanity and strength, not by proving your dominance but through understanding, patience and accommodation.

That this is not the case with our relationship with the Cape Point Baboon population is a clear indicator of the sickness within the current human condition. Strength is linked to success that is in turn linked to material possession. Hence our willingness to destroy an intelligent, complex species so that we may claim complete control of those areas of the Cape Point Peninsula that we wish to call our own.

Make no mistake, these are highly evolved, intelligent, social animals. I recently came across a report into a study done into the ability of baboons to read. And it turns out that they may have the word recognition abilities of a 3 year old!

The research is being conducted by French behavioral scientist Jonathan Grainger. Baboons are shown combinations of letters on a computer screen. They are trained to recognize patterns in these letters, finally being able to discern which patterns make up words and which do not. The success rate of the baboons is 75%, which is roughly equivalent to how a human three year old would perform.

This does not mean that the baboons of Cape Point are going to be stealing your copy of the Cape Times, they lack the abstraction of thought needed to associate patterns with objects and memories. However it does point to the fact that our Cape Point neighbours are far more intelligent than previously thought.

Such research surely shows that our biggest lesson to learn if we want to survive as a species is not that we are the dominant creature on earth, with a literal God given right to rule all other creatures, but that we are merely on a scale of intelligence that we should be at the top of.

And we need to start acting like the most intelligent creature on the planet rather than the barborous thugs that we prove ourselves to be on the Cape Point Peninsula. Recent programmes using paint balls to supposedly frighten away baboons from Scarborough leave me saddened. What the baboons thought was going on is anyone’s guess, but it is impossible to believe that there has not been some kind of psychological trauma. And what did the children who witnessed this show stupid brutality learn?

There is certainly a conflict between the Cape Point Peninsula’s two simian neighbours, and short of eradicating one of the two antagonists (lets face it, it would be the baboons that would have to go, I can’t imagine how the rich land owners of the Cape Point could be convinced to move to the cape flats) there is never likely to be a perfect peace. However, is that the limit of our imagination, intelligence, humanity and compassion; that our only solution to the problem is to flex our muscles and use force to remove the baboons. That it was an abject failure is easy to see, that it will be tried again- probably inevitable.
Do we in fact defer our own supposed intelligence by not seeking a peaceful, coefficient solution so that we coexist in relative harmony with the baboon populations of the Cape Point Peninsula.

Should we in fact be reassessing our definitions of intelligence? Our ability to learn, read and write, add numbers and communicate through complex language are merely highly developed functions of our own instincts and survival tools. And many of these traits are shared by our Cape Point neighbours.

Are the Cape Point Peninsula baboons not also intellegent?

They certainly seem to be giving us the run around, seemingly making us resort to our only fall back- violence and brute strength.

So who is the  Cape Point s most intelligent simian?

An Angulate Tortoise

The weather is changing into autumn here on the Cape Point Peninsula, something that always seems to surprise us Capetonians. A decidedly chilly South Easter meant that our usually Saturday morning trip to Fish Hoek beach was replaced by a walk up the bridal track around Black Hill (above Glencairn- click this link for a guide to this walk).

This is one of my favourite walks on the Cape Point Peninsula, especially with a three year old in tow; although it has plenty of ups and downs, and spectacular mountain vistas, the paths have a gentle slope and are well marked.

By far the biggest draw for this walk however is that it is by far the most likely place on the Cape Point Peninsula (outside the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve anyway) that you are going to see wildlife of some type or another.

This isn’t always the case in many areas of the Cape Point Peninsula; in fact, some walks feel somewhat desolate for critters. There are always plenty of colourful and noisy birds around, but a lot of the larger wildlife is nocturnal, making it very difficult to believe it is there, other than by the increasing amount of road kill and any footprints that don’t have ‘Nike’ in the middle of them.

For some reason the area above Glencairn is a very lucky place for me to see the Cape Point Peninsula’s wildlife. I was once lucky enough to see the resident troupe of Baboons frolicking at the Lewis Gay Dam (a sight that would make even the most ardent anti-baboon activist rethink there beliefs), and snake and mongoose are also around there.

However, by far the most abundant and obvious resident of the area are the Cape Point Peninsula’s two endemic species of Tortoises.

The tortoise population was hit hard in the series of fires that ripped through the area above Glencairn a few years ago. I went up there the week after the fires and was very saddened by the number of burnt out carapaces littered around the place. It is a natural process (even though the fires in this case were thought to be arson) but it still isn’t a very pleasant thought to think of the poor animals unable to get out of the way in time. Before the fires the tortoises seemed to be like boulders, you couldn’t take two steps it seemed without tripping up over one; and that was just the ones on the paths. So you have to think that this was nature’s way of culling the population.

After the fires the numbers seemed to be a lot less, certainly it was a lot rarer to spot one, even after the vegetation had started to grow back. Now it seems that either they have returned to the area or the numbers are starting to increase, because on our trip we saw plenty of them, though they were all the smaller species that lives on the Cape Point Peninsula.

There are two species of tortoise that live on the Cape Point Peninsula and they can both be seen above Glencairn.

Cape Point Peninsula’s largest tortoise

The larger of the species is the Leopard Tortoise, and the least likely to be seen. It is an introduced species, originating from eastern parts of South Africa it is capable of growing as large as 72cm, though I have never seen anything in this area over 25cm. There name suggests a beautiful shell full of distinct spots, which isn’t the case. They have a dull, sandy brown and olive mottled shell the main feature of which is that it is very domed and rounded at the base. Adult tortoises only have one natural predator- fire.

Cape Point Peninsula’s smaller tortoise

An Angulate Tortoise- note the 'angular' skirt at the base of the shell

You are much more likely to see the other species on the Cape Point Peninsula in the area above Glencairn. The Angulate Tortoise is much smaller than the Leopard Tortoise, having a maximum size of 20cm, though you are more likely to see them between 10-15cm. There is also a much smaller sub species called the Parrotbeaked tortoise (8cm), though I lack the field craft to tell whether what I am looking at is anything other than a small Angulate.

The Angulate is a much more interesting tortoise to look at. Unlike the leopard tortoise it has a much flatter profile to its shell, presumably making it better adapted to the coarse, bushy fynbos. Also, the shell forms what looks like a skirt at the base (the leopard is distinctly rounded in the belly). The shell is very distinctive when out in the open (though they are still tough to see in the bushes), with each segment having a thick olive border surrounding a central sandy brown square(ish). The ‘skirt’ has a pattern of alternating sandy-brown and olive triangles. Male Angulates have a horn-like projection on their lower shells, just below the throat, which they use in combat to try and overpower their rivals (a slow motion WWE presumably, and it must be quite a sight to see). The Angulate used to be endemic to the whole of the Cape Town area; however, increased urban sprawl has seen much of its habitat destroyed, especially on the Cape Flats, where they have all but disappeared.

Cape Point Peninsula Tortoises Under Threat

Although the tortoises of the Cape Point Peninsula only have one natural predator to worry about (fire) they still are in danger from the planets apex killer-Homo sapiens sapiens.

As previously mentioned, the spread of our cities has greatly reduced the natural habitats of the Cape Point Peninsula’s tortoise populations. However, they do seem to be doing quite well in the areas that are left to them.

More worrying is a recent development around the East Asian traditional medicine nonsense. Not content with decimating Africa’s rhino populations so that they can get better erections it now seems that some part of the tortoise is considered to be worth ‘harvesting’. There have been several reported incidents of tortoise poaching on the Cape Point Peninsula, a seriously worrying development. It seems unlikely that we will see the same level of armed protection afforded to the areas tortoise population as is being put in place to attempt to save the rhino. And with the tortoise being so easy a target (a rhino is a dangerous animal, can’t see a tortoise trampling a poacher to death) it will be seen as an easy way for impoverished locals to make some money.

Whilst the area does have an anti poaching infrastructure it is aimed at other species in more imminent danger of extinction, such as the abalone (also East Asia). What we do have in this area, that the rhino protection doesn’t, is its proximity to large urban areas. It is one of the very things that is threatening the population that could save it. Urban areas adjacent to natural habitats mean lots more eyes and ears to detect potential poaching activities. Cell phone reception in these areas makes it very easy to report suspicious activity to the authorities, and we should take advantage of this modern technology if we want to stop this before it becomes a major problem.

Report suspected poaching to the authorities immediately

I advise anyone who walks in the mountains of the Cape Point Peninsula to carry a cell phone with them that has all the emergency numbers programmed into it. Apart from reporting anything suspicious it might also save your life one day. I know that carry anything valuable is seen as a risk, but seriously, you can get a fully functioning phone from PEP for under R100, and it comes with a starter sim, so you can even have a separate number, and leave your fancy iRaspberry at home, along with pointless phone calls that can wait an hour while you relax, distress, enjoy the beautiful nature of the Cape Point Peninsula and maybe be a better, less angry individual when you drive to work the next day! Oh, and save the Cape Point Peninsula’s tortoise population into the bargain. Of course you can also take your fancy phone along and take some great pictures, which you can send to me and I can put on the website.

Just Nuisance, Simon’s Town’s most famous dog, is sending a Birthday invitation to all dog lovers. Come and join in the Birthday Parade, Sunday April 1st. All well behaved dogs and owners welcome to meet at The Foundry, in the Yacht Club Car Park at 10h15 for departure by 10.30 for “walkies” around the waterfront to Jubilee Square.  On Jubilee Square there will be a birthday cake and prize giving at the statue of Able Body, Just Nuisance, RN. All dogs will be automatically entered into the competitions: categories include “Dog Most Like Just Nuisance”; “Dog Least Like Just Nuisance” and “Best Dressed Dog and Owner”, plus a Lucky Draw. Lots of prizes on offer for Dogs and Owners alike.

Lesley Shackleton         Margaret Silk
STCA                           Simon’s Town Business Association

Its dark, the traffic signals at 17th and Quarry are brightly lighting the scene as they rhythmically change through a well thought out sequence, and so one has to assume that they working equally as efficiently minutes before. A white van is stopped across the junction, facing down towards 17th avenue-after,  one assumes, having done a 180: a car of dubious quality is stopped on the Fish Hoek side of the junction. The van has a huge dent in the drivers side rear quarter, I didn’t get as far down as to see the front of the car, but from the amount of glass on the road, there can’t be much left.

A massive skid mark bears witness to what surely happened, and judging by what the driver of the van was saying on the phone it seems clear. The car, which we heard pass our house at high speed ignored traffic signals, failed to break in time and ploughed into the van that was pulling out of 17th Avenue. Or it could equally have been the van that pulled out under a red light- they can argue about that to the police (I would say the insurance company, but it is unlikely that both parties will have any).

Either way another completely avoidable accident at a junction that has an undeserved reputation. Yes, there is a high accident rate, but it is not the junction that is the problem, nor the road. How much more visibilty is required than a long stretch of straight road, bright lights, street lights and even a new overhead gantry. It isn’t the road, the signals nor the junction layout that is at fault here, but the mindless bafoons who still insist on driving like they don’t care. The sooner we start taking driving seriously, remove unsafe vehicles and drivers from the road system the better! More cameras, more traffic cops, heavier penalties which are harder to deal with.

Luckily this time no one was seriously hurt but it is only a matter of time before there is another fatality on Kommetjie Road.

I am normally upbeat about Fish Hoek, its a nice place to live, and I chose it over a number of other places in the world. Sometimes though a minority of it’s citizens can send me over the edge and make me question the thought processes of my fellow residents.

There is a lot of debate on the Cape Point Peninsula, and Fish Hoek in particular about the use of shark nets to make the beach safer to use. The pros and cons of this enterprise are firmly dividing the town- its a question of cost, versus effectiveness: marine conservation and increased tourism. I don’t want to get into that one here, however my ire is related to the pro camp, who are convinced that negative publicity around the shark attacks is keeping people away from Fish Hoek beach and that the erection of the nets will help to bring people back to the once popular spot.

I personally do not want to shout those people down, they are mainly local business owners who see the revenue generated by tourists as the potential saviour of the town. This may be the case, I certainly have no statistics to form any kind of argument for or against this line of thinking.

Again, this is not the reason for my anger and despair!

On Saturday morning we had a family trip to the beach: its a regular been a regular thing this summer to walk down to the beach, calling at the library on the way. My three year old daughter causes havoc and mayhem, runs herself into the ground and then we get to have a quiet Saturday afternoon as she sleeps it off.

We mainly spend our time in the corner of Jaager’s Walk, or if the tide is in we sit on the steps infront of the cafe. The beach seems clean and it seems to be a family area. On Saturday we left by walking along the sand, exiting by the trek net boats.

Already, whilst walking along the shore line we had had to negotiate our way around a floating lump of faeces of undetermined species. Whether this had come from a straining (no pun intended) sewerage system or was the result of some animal (I’m no scatologist but it  looked like a two legged animal had done it) using the sea as a toilet I cannot say, but really…

That wasn’t the end of it though. As we got to the ramp I narrowly averted my daughter from stepping in a supersized pile of dog poo (I’m trying to keep the literature clean here, if not the subject matter).  This I managed to bury in the sand with my daughter’s plastic spade. Just as we were bemoaning that we hit the top of the ramp to be met by a mine field of squishy problems. It was everywhere!

And that is one of the main entry points to the beach, a lot of people park that side. That is their first impression of our lovely beach, a stinking pile of poo that the locals don’t even care about.

And that is my point. The sharks are there, and there is little we can do about that than manage the situation, but surely it is not too much to ask that the locals (for it is mainly locals who walk their dogs on Fish Hoek beach) take better care of this wonderful asset that we have.

Now I know that all dog owners pick up after their dogs- like no motorist ever speeds down Kommetjie Road, but the time has come to stop being cowards about bringing to task those in our town who do not care about its natural resources. If you see someone ignoring the fact that their dog has just left a mark on the beach, tell them it is unacceptable; if they get funny about it, ignore you or are rude- so what, at least you did your bit. Bad things happen because good people do nothing is how the saying goes, and not only that- it is my personal observation that good people eventually copy what bad people do, if they think they can get away with it.

There is a core of people out there who genuinely don’t care about the world, or anyone else in it. You can talk to them until you are blue in the face, they just don’t see anything wrong in what they do, but the vast majority of offenders are just lazy, and hoping not to have to bend their backs- they just can’t be bothered. If they were brought to task in a none aggressive way then they will usually just do what they are asked, again, because they can’t be bothered with the confrontation.

Why should we allow this minority of idiots ruin the lives (and livelihoods) of the rest of us. We should worry about any negative publicity about our town, but it is a waste of time and money to put in shark nets in an attempt to pull back the punters, if they then arrive and are greeted by a dog toilet. It may be much easier, cheaper and effective to put in place a beach patrol- a neighbourhood watch for the beach. This could be an extension of the shark spotters, and include at least one police official, especially at busy times. Anyone transgressing bylaws should be first politely asked to comply (for the benefit of other beach users), if they are abusive or uncooperative then the law enforcement officer should escort them from the beach and administer any necessary penalties. Neighbourhood watch seems to be very effective in urban areas, why not the beach?

Make the most of this view, it could be the last time you see it...

A Cape Point development that needs stopping

I was at the Kalk Bay Fish Fare on Saturday morning. Whilst there I came across a group of people who were getting people to sign a petition. Not being someone who will sign anything for no reason I asked what it was for.

It turns out that someone has applied for planning permission to build garages on land between the railway line and main road, next to the row of cottages that marks the last habitation on the sea side of Main Road.

...what it could all look like if the garages are built

The proposal is for 7 garages and according to the artists impressions available will block much of the view across Fish Hoek Bay looking towards Simon’s Town.  This will further degrade an area already struggling to look tidy (the tidal pool is already completely unused due to vagrants using it as a toilet and bathing area, and general place to pass out drunk). It seems like a particularly stupid and pointless development and so I agreed to feature it on the site.

Apart from the visual impact on the area, imagine the potential for accidents with garage users trying to pull out at a blind corner into speeding traffic!

You just can’t get past the fact that it will make a horrible addition to the scenic potential of that stretch of road.

The details as supplied at the site

The sign promises great entertainment and it comes with an added joy of a trip to Kalk Bay, always a highlight to anyone either visiting or residing in the Cape Point Peninsula area.

The weather looks set to spoil events (this is not a weather warning, or prediction, I am only going by what I heard Candice telling me on E news- don’t want to go to prison!) with the possibility of light showers, but I am a hardy northerner and a few sprinkles of water don’t scare me.

Hope to see you at the Holy Trinity Church from 10.30 till 6pm.

Shark Attack off Fish Hoek Beach-know the signs

Tourism is in a general slump in the area which is inevitably having a knock effect for the rest of the economy. Certainly the portrayal of Fish Hoek beach as being a place that you will get eaten by a great white shark will not have helped in bringing people to the area if they are looking for a beach holiday, however, following the latest attack my own evidence was that there was a massive influx of people ‘shark spotting’.

And at the end of the day it seems that this is more about creating the right image for Fish Hoek than about finding any practical solution to the problem.  For one, from what I understand of the proposal for shark nets at Fish Hoek beach they are intended to cover only a small area of the beach (the proposal I read said that they would protect an area the size of two football pitches). Recent attacks have been occurring in areas that would surely be outside the netted area. If you erect shark nets at Fish Hoek beach I will guarantee that someone arrogant fool will want to swim outside them (the last attack occurred even though there was a general warning of increased shark activity) . Should they then be attacked the problem would be doubled because not only would we have the negative publicity of the attack, but also that the nets are totally ineffective.

Will Shark Nets at Fish Hoek Beach Endanger Marine Life?

The second problem is that shark nets at Fish Hoek beach will put a lot of other marine wildlife in danger. Official reports are trying to promote that any shark nets at Fish Hoek beach will be of a type that stops sharks from entering the area but is safe for all other types of marine creature.

I’m sorry, but I can’t buy into that. There has to be the potential for things getting entangled in the nets- in fact if you think about this, shark nets at Fish Hoek beach could actually attract sharks! A big statement, but think about this logically.

My mother’s family is from a small fishing village on the east coast of England. Every summer they had a very short salmon season. They used to lay out long lines of nets in the bay to catch salmon as they migrated up the coast. A large problem was that the netted fish attracted seals, who saw it as an easy meal. Exactly the same thing will happen with any shark nets at Fish Hoek beach. Fish will get caught in the nets, attracting seals. Following the seals will be the sharks, not to mention that great whites are also carrion feeders.

Presumably the nets will not be in the water when the whales are here, but we also have large marine mammals at other times, though it is rare for them to come in close to the shore.

Our marine ecosystems are already under immense pressure, it is impossible for us to know what negative impact placing shark nets at Fish Hoek beach could have on them. Something as mundane as a tiny jelly fish not washing up on the beach could have far reaching effects.

Shark Nets at Fish Hoek Beach could save the town

Of course, the other side of the coin is that the businesses of Fish Hoek need a shot in the arm, and the perception of safety for bathers could provide just that. In this case, do we need to put up with any negative environmental factors and see the erection of shark nets at Fish Hoek beach as a great way to revive the fortunes of the town?

It could do, and it could also lead to further investment in Fish Hoek, because I don’t want to be negative about a town that I love living in however, we need a lot more than just shark nets at Fish Hoek beach to make this an attractive destination for tourists. I have travelled the world and I have never seen a beach this popular with such little infrastructure. Not that I am advocating the erection of arcades and every fast food joint imaginable, but surely there is scope in the summer for a few vendors.

There has been a lot of positive work done recently to upgrade the beach, especially on the south side. The restoration of Jaager’s Walk and the upgrade of the toilet facilities is first class, maybe the logical step is to have shark nets at Fish Hoek beach. Who am I to say?

Just a final thought though. News reports on the shark nets at Fish Hoek beach are mentioning heavily that there have been two attacks since 2006, two of them fatal. Off the top of my head I can think of four fatalities on the railway between Fish Hoek and Muizenburg in the same time, and five fatalities on Kommetjie Road (just the Fish Hoek side) in the last three years (a billboard ad at the bottom of the Silvermine reserve a few years ago had the stat on it that more people die from tipping chairs backwards than from shark attacks.) Which only goes to show that this is more about media image than practical reality.

So I think it is time to change the poll on the home page:

Shark Nets at Fish Hoek Beach- Yes or No?

Have your say as to wether to have shark nets at Fish Hoek beach or not Poll on the right

I have received a most disturbing press release from the  Minister of Local Government,Environmental Affairs and Development Planning  (in full below). Apparently the humble tortoise is now the target of poachers. Luckily we live in a very busy, built up area so there are a lot more eyes and ears available than in rural parts of the country. Still, such things are only effective if we are all willing to be vigilant.

If you are in the Cape Point area report anything suspicious to the authorities IMMEDIATELY!

Lets make this a ‘not on my watch’ thing for the Cape Point Peninsula!

Here is the press release in full.

STATEMENT BY MR ANTON BREDELL,MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT,ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

DATE: 22 FEBRUARY 2012

EMBARGO: Immediate

MINISTER BREDELL CONDEMNS TORTOISE POACHING

Today in Cape Town, Mr Anton Bredell, the Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning condemned the actions of Chinese nationals that saw the recent killing of more than 40 rare tortoises for meat in Zimbabwe. The individuals involved are now facing possible deportation.

Bredell has however praised the quick actions of conservation and law enforcement officials in that country who arrested the perpetrators.

Following these arrests, conservation authority in the Western Cape, CapeNature was tipped off that endemic tortoises are also being targeted for food in the Bredasdorp and Beaufort-West areas.

“CapeNature was informed that Chinese nationals in these areas also pay locals to collect not only tortoises, but also lizards and succulent plants.”

The Minister said: “The Western Cape, with its unique Cape Floristic Kingdom (fynbos), sees many attempts at biodiversity crime, most notably in the trade of insects, spiders, small animals such as tortoises and lizards, wild flowers and the illegal hunting of game.

However, the illegal collection of tortoises for food is also not completely new for our law enforcement officials.  CapeNature’s Head of Biodiversity Crime, Paul Gildenhuys said: “A successful prosecution took place in 2003 when six South Africans from Stilbaai were arrested for collecting 29 endemic tortoises, allegedly to make ‘potjiekos’.  They were sentenced to community service.

It appeared that international poachers specialising in tortoises were dealt a major blow by Western Cape law enforcement officials when the following arrests were made between 2001 – 2004:

•              Walter Grosser and Viteslav Tomascek (Both of Czech Republic), arrested in 2001 for possession of 23 geometric tortoises, 13 parrot-beaked tortoises and 16 angulate tortoises.  The animals were collected near Worcester.  They were sentenced to R93 500 or 54 months in prison.

•              Martin Kyskyn and Martin Juricek (both of Slovak Republic), arrested in Lamberts Bay area in 2004 for possession of 113 angulate tortoises.  They were each sentenced to R168000 or two years in prison.

•              Shinji Yamada and two others (all of Japan), arrested in Clanwilliam in 2004 for possession of 14 angulate tortoises.  They were sentenced to R108,000 or two years each.

•              Petr Motycka (Czech Republic), Marian Simek, Bohus Simek and Erik Kovacs (all of Slovak Republic), arrested in Doringbaai in 2004 for possession of 96 angulate tortoises.  These individuals were sentenced as follows:

             Motycka received a sentence of R48 000 or three years

             Simek, Simek and Kovacs each received sentences of R130 000 or five years.

•              Terutoshi Terada and Masato Araki (both of Japan), arrested in Vredendal in 2004 for illegal collection of 5 angulate tortoises (as well as lizards).  A plea bargain agreement was negotiated and each was sentenced to R110 000 or two years.

Up until now, no further similar reptile cases have been reported to CapeNature.

“As the custodians of biodiversity in the Western Cape we know that ordinary citizens can play an important role in fighting biodiversity crime: Many of our best tips come straight from the public. If you have any information on the illegal harvesting, transportation or smuggling of our natural heritage, please phone your nearest police station or nearest CapeNature office”, urges Bredell.

BACKGROUND

What should the public be looking out for?The collection of wild animals and flora is regulated by the Nature Conservation Ordinance.  No person may collect tortoises without a permit authorizing them to do so.  Tortoises found on any road should merely be moved to the side of the road in the direction which they are travelling.  Members of the public are encouraged to report any individual seen collecting tortoises to the SAPS or CapeNature.The Western Cape has 8 out of 12 types (species) of tortoises in South Africa. This makes the Western Cape the region in the World with the highest number of terrestrial tortoises species anywhere.

CapeNature is a public institution with the statutory responsibility for biodiversity conservation in the Western Cape. It is governed by the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board Act 15 of 1998 and mandated to: promote and ensure nature conservation; render services and provide facilities for research and training; and generate income.

Liesl Brink – Public Relations Officer: CapeNature Mobile: 071 688 2649 ;

Email: brink@capenature.co.za

Peter Pullen – Spokesperson Ministry of Local Government and Environmental Affairs

Mobile: 082 574 3773 ;Email: Peter.Pullen@pgwc.gov.za

Terrible stuff.

Cape Point residents and visitors- keep your eyes open and report anything suspicious immediately