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Between April 2023 and September 2023, the first and second quarter reporting periods of the Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety’s (POCS) Court Watching Briefs (CWB) unit, show that a staggering 243 cases monitored during this period at 25 courts, linked to 58 South African Police Services (SAPS) stations across the province, …
We put five questions to each of the five independent candidates
South African music producer/engineer, Ciaran De Chaud (27) enters 1416 North La Brea Ave Hollywood for work each day. It’s the historic location of Charlie Chaplins’ 1917 studio and today it operates as Henson, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities collaborating with artists like Taylor Swift, John Mayer and The Rolling Stones. De …
Premier Alan Winde noted the introduction of legislation in the United States of America that will see the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), benefitting several African nations, including South Africa. “This is a step in the right direction. AGOA has been critical for the Western Cape and South Africa. It has …
Radisson Hotel Group (www.RadissonHotels.com) brings the renowned Radisson brand to South Africa's "Mother City" with the rebranding of Park Inn Cape Town Foreshore to Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore. Strategically located just minutes away from the International Convention Centre (CTICC) and the famous Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore marks the Group's third Radisson property in South Africa.
Positioned at the heart of Cape Town's city center, Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore is the perfect destination for travelers visiting South Africa's oldest city for both business and leisure. The hotel's prime location places it just a stone's throw away from world-renowned tourist attractions and the bustling business district. Following an eight-month renovation, Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore's120 rooms now boast a fresh and modern decor that creates a relaxing environment for guests, as well as magnificent views of the prominent, Table Mountain and the city center.
Tim Cordon, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East, Africa and South East Asia Pacific at Radisson Hotel Group says, “We are thrilled to debut our rapidly expanding Radisson brand in Cape Town, which marks our third Radisson property in South Africa. With its strategic location nestled among the finest leisure attractions and business addresses and boasting one of the best rooftops in the city, it was a natural choice to refurbish and elevate the hotel to our Radisson brand standards. Radisson is renowned for striking the perfect balance between work and play, and we're confident that our guests will experience nothing but the best during their stay at Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore.”
Upon arrival, guests are welcomed to the newly re-energized reception lobby and foyer. Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore is home to South Africa's first Filini restaurant, following the restaurant's success at Radisson RED London Heathrow airport. Filini offers a delectable dining experience of fresh, simple, and delicious Italian-style cuisine, from starters to decadent desserts. The restaurant's open-plan kitchen creates a dynamic and interactive dining setting, while the hotel's vibrant Harald's Rooftop Bar & Terrace is the perfect spot to unwind and enjoy uninterrupted views of Table Mountain and the cityscape. The bar and terrace also feature a perfectly positioned plunge pool to complete the hotel's rooftop experience.
“At Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore, we are dedicated to offering our guests the perfect balance during their stay. Our new offering and amenities will bring added value to the Foreshore area, catering to both business and leisure guests, where from nearby or from abroad. We're excited to welcome back our guests and provide them with an even better experience, thanks to our updated features and added comfort, designed to ensure our guests have a great night's sleep and overall stay,” added Angus Spurr, General Manager.
Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore offers a diverse range of business and meeting amenities to its guests, including versatile meeting and event venues, secure indoor parking, and complimentary access to a state-of-the-art gym. The 125-square-metre meeting space is elegantly designed and can accommodate up to 120 guests theater-style or 140 guests in a cocktail setting, and provide a perfect blend of functionality and sophistication, making them the ideal choice for hosting events and meetings.
Click for here (https://apo-opa.co/4aVeHwk) for more information and to book.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Radisson Hotel Group.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Saadiyah Hendricks,
Area PR & Social Media Director, Middle East, Africa and the Mediterranean
Radisson Hotel Group
Saadiyah.hendricks@radissonhotels.com
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Connect with Radisson on:
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RADISSON HOTEL GROUP:
Radisson Hotel Group is an international hotel group, operating in EMEA and APAC with over 1,320 hotels in operation and under development in +95 countries. The international hotel group is rapidly expanding with a plan to significantly grow the portfolio. The Group's overarching brand promise is Every Moment Matters with a signature Yes I Can! service ethos.
The Radisson family of brands portfolio includes Radisson Collection, art'otel, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels.
Radisson Rewards (https://apo-opa.co/48eby8X) is Radisson Hotel Group's loyalty program, which delivers an elevated experience that makes Every Moment Matter. As the most streamlined program in the sector, members enjoy exceptional advantages and can access their benefits from day one across a wide range of hotels in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.
Radisson Meetings (https://apo-opa.co/49xBHAD) provides tailored solutions for any event or meeting, including hybrid solutions placing guests and their needs at the heart of its offer. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: Personal, Professional and Memorable, while delivering on the brilliant basics and being uniquely 100% Carbon Neutral.
At Radisson Hotel Group we care for people, communities and planet (https://apo-opa.co/3SC295s) and aim to be Net Zero by 2050 based on the approved near-term Science Based Targets. With unique solutions such as 100% carbon neutral Radisson Meetings, we make sustainable hotel stays easy. To facilitate sustainable travel choices, all our hotels are becoming verified on Hotel Sustainability Basics.
The health and safety of guests and team members remain a top priority for Radisson Hotel Group. All properties across the Group's portfolio are subject to health and safety requirements, ensuring we always care for our guests and team members.
For more information, visit our corporate website (https://apo-opa.co/42k6te0).
ABOUT RADISSON:
Radisson is an upscale hotel brand that offers Scandinavian inspired hospitality, which enables guests to find more harmony in their travel experience. With natural surroundings and unexpected delights, Radisson inspires the art of being in the moment. We are committed to helping our guests find the right balance for their stay, removing the discomforts travelling may bring and enabling them to switch off and relax, using our Yes I Can! attitude to ensure satisfaction of every guest. Radisson hotels can be found in suburban and city settings, near airports and leisure destinations. Guests and professional business partners can enhance their experience with Radisson by participating in Radisson Rewards, an international loyalty program offering exceptional benefits and rewards.
Radisson is part of the Radisson family of brands, which also includes Radisson Collection, art'otel, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels.
For reservations and more information, visit our website (https://apo-opa.co/3SkREDo).
Michael Weeder, who has spoken out against Israel’s bombardment of Palestine, retires as Dean of St George’s Cathedral
CENTURION: David Wiese and Dayyaan Galiem shared six wickets before an astonishing unbeaten 90 by Rivaldo Moonsamy helped resuscitate the...
Juma Igiranieza was brutally assaulted during an unexpected raid
Over 281 000 people intercepted from unlawfully entering SA
The Border Management Authority (BMA) has successfully intercepted and prevented more than 281 000 people from unlawfully entering South Africa since the initial deployment of border guards last year.
“It is in this celebratory mode of 30 years of democracy, coupled with the first anniversary of the BMA that we are presented with an opportunity to reflect on the benefits of moving away from a multi-agency approach to an integrated border management platform under a single command and control,” said Commissioner of the BMA, Dr Mike Masiapato.
The BMA celebrated its first anniversary on 1 April this year.
“To this end, the BMA has taken full control of all immigration, health, agricultural and environmental functions across all ports of entry, with the departments retaining responsibility for policy and legislation,” Masiapato said at a media briefing held on Sunday.
However, the access control function across the ports of entry remains co-implemented between the border guards and the South African Police Services (SAPS) due to the capacity challenges confronting the BMA.
Masiapato presented the report on the authority’d 2024 Easter plan, which ran for 10 days starting from 26 March to 4 April 2024.
During the Easter period, the BMA facilitated 1 136 250 travellers across South Africa’s 71 ports of entry. This was a 24% increase, with 222 391 more travellers facilitated and registered compared to last year.
Operations
The Commissioner revealed that 3 841 people attempting to enter South Africa illegally were intercepted.
He said that there was a decrease in the number of undocumented and unaccompanied minors arriving at ports of entry during the Easter period of 2024.
Although this was a positive development, the agency intercepted five children at the Beitbridge port of entry on 28 March 2024.
The children were handed over to the Department of Social Development and have since been returned to their home country.
He also shared about the incident involving a child at the Grobler’s Bridge port of entry where a woman was attempting to exit South Africa to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) via Botswana.
“The supposed ‘mother’ did not have a passport but was carrying an Emergency Travel Document, which was issued by the embassy of the DRC and the child was completely undocumented. They were both handed over to the colleagues of the Department of Social Development who processed and took them to the place of safety within Limpopo.”
In addition, eight penalties were issued to some bus companies found transporting illegal migrants in various ports of entry to the value of R270 000.
“At this point, we would like to send a stern warning to all conveyers to desist from transporting illegal migrants in or out of South Africa.”
The border guards also managed to intercept and deny entry to about seven cargo consignments of meat worth about R9 294 551 which were destined to enter South Africa through the port of Cape Town due to non-compliance.
They also seized about 748 kg of non-compliant regulated agricultural products at various ports of entry.
In the period of 10 days, BMA health specialists screened about 91 743 travellers for various infectious and or communicable diseases and seized about 120 tablets, 57 658 mg of medications, 59 530 ml of cosmetics and about 50 insulin injections.
The guards working with the SAPS arrested about 143 individuals for committing various crimes and transgressions within the ports of entry and the border law enforcement area.
“The majority of these individuals served as facilitators of illegal activities around the ports of entry and were therefore charged for aiding and abetting. Interestingly, one individual was arrested at Lebombo port of entry to Mozambique while in possession of 13 passports attempting to bribe an immigration specialist with some banknotes which were placed in between the pages of the individual passports.”
In addition, about R641 of dagga with the value of R2 602 500 was seized and destroyed in both Grobler's Bridge port of entry to Botswana and Caledonspoort port of entry to Lesotho.
Another joint operation by officials of the SAPS, South African Reserve Service (SARS) and BMA included 217 master cases of counterfeit cigarettes with the value of R3 351 690 at the Lebombo port of entry from Mozambique en route to South Africa.
Other operations include the interception of 573 items of counterfeit alcohol, 272 pairs of counterfeit clothing and parts of a Toyota Hilux 4 x 4 worth R150 000.
“As the BMA, we remain committed to robustly confront the complex challenges associated with border management across all modalities, ranging from sea, land and air,” said the Commissioner. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Sun, 04/14/2024 - 12:17
Over a million travellers processed over Easter period
The Border Management Authority (BMA) facilitated about 1 136 250 travellers across the country’s 71 ports of entry over the Easter period.
This represents a 24% increase or 222 391 more travellers than last year, the BMA announced on Sunday.
This as the BMA’s Commissioner, Dr Mike Masiapato, announced the results of the 10-day Easter plan implementation that ran from 26 March to 4 April 2024.
Masiapato identified OR Tambo International Airport, the Lebombo port of entry to Mozambique, and Beitbridge port of entry to Zimbabwe as the top three ports that processed the majority of travellers with a total of 528 042 individuals.
“In fact, OR Tambo facilitated the most travellers at 217 855, followed by Lebombo at 157 069 and Beitbridge at 153 118 travellers,” he said at a media briefing held at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) head office in Pretoria.
He added that at the Cape Town harbour had seen an increase in the number of holiday makers boarding cruise ships for various destinations, according to border law enforcement officials.
The BMA also processed about 36 675 private vehicles, 1 893 minibus taxis, 1 309 buses and over 2 621 aircrafts at various international airports.
It also handled 252 vessels across seaports of which 119 were for crew changes through the off-port limit mechanism.
“This has to do with the facilitation of crew changes for vessels that have not docked at the port. During the implementation of this plan on people movement, we deployed proactive preventative measures for the speedy detection of non-compliances on the set port protocols.”
The Commissioner revealed that 3 841 people attempting to enter South Africa illegally were intercepted.
Of the 3 841, about 2 403 did not have any documents, 1 019 were refused entry for being “undesirable”, while about 419 were found to be “inadmissible” to enter the country due to various reasons.
“The majority of those arrested without documents were intercepted at the vulnerable segments of the borderline. They were processed, declared undesirable for five years, and were deported.”
According to Masiapato, most of the “inadmissible” individuals had invalid passports, fraudulent visas or simply failed to produce relevant documents such as valid yellow fever certificates.
“We would like to indicate that the success of this Easter operations can be attributed to the consistent implementation of all proactive measures and those include effective corridor management which was done in full collaboration with the respective local traffic authorities. As such, none of our key arteries leading to any of the land ports of entry experienced any kind of congestion.”
He also expressed his gratitude to all motorists for observing traffic laws and adhering to the instructions of traffic authorities.
He also applauded the Stockpoort port of entry for processing and recording data of all passengers who were on the bus en route from Botswana to Moria in Limpopo for the Easter pilgrimage.
“Despite our limited resources, our officers continue to work tirelessly to ensure the smooth flow of legitimate travellers while upholding the highest security standards. We are extremely proud and appreciative of the resilience of our border officials in rendering a stable service in very difficult conditions,” he said.
Earlier this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Botswana counterpart, President Mokgweetsi Masisi visited the site of the bus crash which claimed the lives of 45 Botswana nationals.
The only survivor of the crash was an eight-year-old child. SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Sun, 04/14/2024 - 11:39
Thuli Madonsela is one of more than 100 signatories
Catch all these blockbusters at Ster-Kinekor’s IMAX cinemas for an immersive cinema experience There’s nothing that beats watching a blockbuster movie in the cinema… except if you’re watching it on the biggest screen for a fully immersive sound and picture movie experience. With nine state-of-the-art IMAX cinemas at select sites around the country, Ster-Kinekor has …
Somerset West, 11 April 2024 — In an inspiring showcase of business transformation and success, Lindie Malan ActionCOACH extends heartfelt congratulations to Social Happiness, a leading digital marketing agency based in Somerset West, on their phenomenal journey of growth and achievements. Under the guidance of ActionCOACH’s business coaching and the visionary leadership of Tamsin Hayley, …
Watch the biopic on the big screen at select Ster-Kinekor cinemas from 12 April “I want people to hear my voice, and just forget their troubles for five minutes…” – Amy Winehouse The release of the movie, BACK TO BLACK, gives cinema audiences a never-before-seen glimpse into Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame and the …
The Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled the sale of the site for private development was lawful
Cape Town welcomes legend Abdullah Ibrahim for a concert
Cape Town's Abdullah Ibrahim is set to perform at a sold-out concert at the City Hall tonight, 12 April 2024, after a five-year hiatus.
The German-based music maestro was born and raised in District Six and belongs to a golden generation of truly global jazz giants.
The City Hall concert forms part of Ibrahim’s international tour titled 'The Water from an Ancient Well'.
The limited events will include a highlight in Cape Town, where he first professionally performed aged just 16 at the iconic City Hall and includes Gauteng.
The tour coincides with an international feature film to commemorate Ibrahim’s 90th birthday in October 2024.
“It is a great honour to have Abdullah Ibrahim stage this special performance at City Hall, the venue where he made his professional debut as a 16-year-old.
“To enable this iconic homecoming performance by a local legend and globally revered musician, Cape Town has availed City Hall free of charge to Mr Ibrahim’s organisers and made a cash contribution of R250 000,” said Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
The limited events will include a highlight in Cape Town where he first professionally performed aged just 16 at the iconic City Hall.
The show begins at City Hall at 20:00 on Friday 12 April. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Fri, 04/12/2024 - 12:38
UCT land research centre says the trust is not compliant with legislation
Insufficient evidence against man accused of starting devastating fire that destroyed four houses
The 2024/25 fiscal year will see the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure’s contribution to the Provincial Energy Resilience Programme make significant advances in helping the Western Cape become less reliant on Eskom, and the first province to end load shedding. In March, the Provincial Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, announced that from its annual budget, …
Dear Editor “If you’ve lived in the Western Cape for the past fifteen years, you probably take it for granted that you drive on roads without potholes, that clean drinking water flows from your taps, and that your local taxes are not stolen. But if you had lived in another part of South Africa over …
[Cape Town, 10-04-2024] – Xaleads, a leading marketing software company, is excited to announce the launch of its innovative lead generation software designed specifically for small businesses. With the aim of leveling the playing field, Xaleads enables small businesses to market themselves with the same efficiency and effectiveness as Fortune 500 companies. In today’s increasingly …
With a bold approach to fresh, new, local, and sustainable, flavours and experiences In March 2024, Pullman Cape Town introduced a range of world-class, innovative dining experiences across ifs four in-house restaurants and bars. Spearheaded by Pullman’s new Director of Food and Beverage, Raynor Damons, and newly appointed Executive Chef Jerome Peters, this initiative reflects …
According to the most recent RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI), business confidence in the Western Cape is higher than any other province and higher than South Africa's business confidence level.
The BCI reported a 3-point uptick in confidence levels in Western Cape's from 2023Q4 to 2024Q1, improving from 37 points to 40, out of a possible 100.
Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger announced that “When we combine the BCI with the fact that 4 out of 5 (78.9%) of all net jobs created over the 5 years were in this province, we get a good indication that our economic action plan, ‘Growth for Jobs', which seeks to enable private-sector led growth to achieve a R1 trillion, jobs-rich, diverse, resilient and thriving economy, growing at between 4% and 6% by 2035 – is having an impact.”
“This is the third consecutive increase in business confidence in the province and the longest sustained increase in Western Cape business confidence since quarter two of 2018. It is also notable that the Western Cape business confidence far exceeds its provincial counterparts, Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal, who are at 23 and 18 points, respectively, for the same period,” Minister Wenger added.
“Make no mistake, we have a lot more work to do. But this tells us that the policies, plans and actions taken by the Western Cape Government to enable the private sector to do what it does best – grow and create jobs – are having a positive impact on businesses in the province,” she continued.
The Western Cape is showing resilience to national challenges, as seen in the divergence from the national trend and may be due to the strong tourism sector recovery, and spending in related sectors.
“The Western Cape Government is more determined than ever to attract and welcome business and investment to our province. We know that it's only with the right policies, the right plans and decisive action toward a clear goal of economic growth, that leads to prosperity. We will continue working to create more jobs that improve the lives of the people of the Western Cape as a priority,” she concluded.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Western Cape Provincial Government.
According to the most recent RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI), business confidence in the Western Cape is higher than any other province and higher than South Africa’s business confidence level. The BCI reported a 3-point uptick in confidence levels in Western Cape’s from 2023Q4 to 2024Q1, improving from 37 points to 40, out of a …