A fire broke out on train opposite the Glencairn Quarry.
Now spread to Glencairn heights above gun club. It is now burning in surrounding vegetation.
Spreading rapidly around to Cockburn Close, Glencairn Heights
GALLERY: Glencairn Quarry Fire
Glencairn
Wildfire: Glencairn Expressway
Firefighters are battling a blaze on the mountain slopes at the Glencairn Expressway, the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services said.
Initially six firefighting vehicles were called to the scene, near Stone Haven Estate at 13:00, spokesperson Liezl Moodie said.
This had since been increased to 10. They were being helped by Table Mountain National Parks.
City and Table Mountain National Parks helicopters were water bombing the areas inaccessible to ground crews.
Water Saving Tips
The City of Cape Town is currently implementing Level 2 Water restrictions. This is due in part to the low dam levels. It is everyone’s responsibility to save water.
Here are some useful tips on how you can save water:
Save water throughout your home
- Ensure all taps are fully closed – a dripping tap at 1 drip per second wastes up to 30 litres a day – that is equivalent to 10 000 litres a year.
- Replace tap washers regularly and fit tap aerators to restrict and spread the flow. This saves water yet feels like you are using the same amount of water.
- Ensure your plumbing system is regularly checked for leaks and engage a plumber when necessary.
Save water in your garden
- Water your garden before 09:00 or after 16:00 (or even later on hot summer days). Avoid watering during windy periods and only water your garden when necessary.
- Re-use your bath and sink water to water plants and lawns. Professional greywater recycling systems are also available for purchase.
- If you have an overflow pipe that drips into the garden, place a bucket beneath the drips and use the saved water to water pot plants.
- Mulching flowerbeds keeps down the weeds and holds moisture in the soil for longer.
- Use a mulching lawn mower that allows clippings to be finely cut and blown back into the lawn.
- Don’t mow lawns below 4 cm in length, as this reduces root depth and lawns are more likely to burn in summer.
- Use a trigger nozzle with automatic shut-off on your hose when you wash your car, and use short bursts of water – this can save up to 300 litres each time. Or, to save even more water wash your vehicle using a bucket of water.
- Use a trigger nozzle with automatic shut-off on your hose when you water your garden.
- Check and maintain your irrigation system regularly, to ensure no water is running to waste, or that paved areas are being watered.
- Adjust your irrigation system for the season and switch it off during rainy weather – even if it is borehole or wellpoint water.
- Watering the garden less frequently, but deeper (for longer) encourages a deeper root system, which results in stronger plants. This practice can make water-wise plants out of most established plants.
Save water in your kitchen
- Ensure washing machines or dishwashers have a full load before running them.
- Rinse glasses, cutlery and vegetables in a basin of water, rather than under a running tap, and reuse the water for pot plants or in the garden.
- Rinse water can be reused for the next cycle of washing up before being discarded.
- Keep a bottle of drinking water in the fridge so that you don’t run lukewarm water down the drain when waiting for it to cool.
- Run tap water into a bottle when waiting for it to heat up.
- Thaw frozen foods in the fridge, sunlight or microwave rather than placing them under running water.
Save water in your bathroom
- Close the tap when brushing your teeth. This saves up to 20 litres per month. Use a mug of water to rinse your toothbrush.
- Plug the sink when shaving rather than rinsing your razor under running water. This saves up to 45 litres per month.
- A half-filled bath uses about 113 litres, a 5-minute shower uses about 56 litres. Shower rather than bath, if you have to bath make it a shallow one or share it.
- Reuse bath water in your garden.
- Install a new water-saving toilet or put a clean, sealed plastic container filled with sand in the toilet cistern. This could save you up to 7 300 litres each year.
- A toilet leak can waste up to 30 litres an hour – check if your toilet is leaking by adding a few drops of food dye to the cistern. If the colour seeps into the bowl, you have a leak, which should be fixed as soon as possible.
- Install a water-saving shower head, take shorter showers, don’t run the water at full force and turn off the shower when soaping or shaving.
Save water in industries, businesses and schools
- Automatic flushing urinals are the ultimate water wasters. If they cannot be replaced immediately, turn off the water after hours and over weekends – schools doing this have saved up to R5 000 on their annual water bill.
- Flush valves should flush for just two to four seconds and urinals for six to eight seconds.
- Regular maintenance of toilet fittings will save unnecessarily flushed water.
- Ensure your plumbing systems are regularly checked for leaks.
- Use a broom to sweep forecourts and other paved areas. Do not use a hose for this purpose.
- Potable water must not be used to dampen building sand or other building material to prevent it from being blown away.
Original Source: Cape Town Green Map
Glencairn – Passage of Time
Flickr – “I found an old photo at my folks place and thought it would be interesting to see if I could re-create it. Not quite sure where my folks found the photo but it’s dated some time around 1930, given the buildings (and lack thereof).
It took me a few hours of scrambling around the Elsies Peak area to locate the exact spot. What’s really interesting to note is the longevity of lichen species. It appears that the rock nearby has become more eroded but I suspect that whoever processed the shot overdeveloped this area to bring out detail and not leave a dark strip.
The difference in lenses is also apparent. My shot was taken at 17mm while the one below appears to be true 35mm. Mine was taken in the early afternoon and the one below probably mid morning judging by the shadows.”
Halloween Safety Tips
This Saturday is Halloween, so dress to scare and remember that children in Glencairn often like to dress up for Halloween and go ‘trick or treating’. If you would like to participate and have them ring your doorbell, please decorate your gate with something “Halloween-ish” (e.g. an orange balloon, jack-o-lantern etc.) and have your bowl of treats ready.
Walk Safely
- Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
- Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
- Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
- Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
- Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to
the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings. - Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Trick or Treat With an Adult
- Children under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult supervision. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, they should stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in groups.
Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe
- Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
- Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
- Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
- When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.
Drive Extra Safely on Halloween
- Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
- Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
- Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
- Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
- Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
- Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.
Motorists encouraged to renew vehicle licence discs online
Motorists whose vehicle licence discs will expire on 31 October 2015 and are renewable by 21 November 2015 will not be receiving renewal notices. The City of Cape Town asks motorists to act proactively to ensure that the necessary arrangements are made and to renew discs online.
The National Department of Transport’s (DOT) transfer of the Electronic National Traffic Information System (eNaTIS) to the Road Traffic Management Centre has also affected motorists whose licence discs expired at the end of September 2015 and are renewable by Wednesday 21 October 2015. This transfer has been the reason that motorists have not received notices to renew their annual motor vehicle licences.
Motorists are requested to check their current licence disc for the expiry date and if it is due to either:
Renew your licence online:
- Please go to http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/eservices/Pages/default.aspx
- Under the Motor Vehicle Licensing tab, click on ‘register’ (for new applicants) or ‘login’ (for those already registered for e-Services)
- You will be prompted to complete an online registration form and will be required to upload the necessary documents
- The application process takes three working days for new applicants and two working days for applicants who are already registered
- Phone the City’s Call Centre on 0860 103 089 to find out the amount owing should you not know the licence amount due
Or
Renew your licence at your nearest vehicle licensing office:
Take your identity document, complete a green Application for Licencing of Motor Vehicle form (ALV form), and renew your licence at the counter.
As a rule, motorists receive a 21-day grace period in which to renew their licence discs from the end of their renewal period.
‘The City apologises for any inconvenience and is doing everything in its power to ease the discomfort of motorists. We ask that the DOT and the Road Traffic Management Centre resolve the transfer of the eNaTIS as soon as possible and that this problem is sorted out before November, which is traditionally the busiest month of the year for motor vehicle disc renewals,’ said the City’s acting Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Alderman Belinda Walker
Issued by: Media Office, City of Cape Town
Increased shark activity with the arrival of spring
The City appeals to all beach and ocean users to be aware of the expected increase in in-shore shark activity over the spring and summer months. Typically, shark sightings start in late August, and continue through to April, with most sightings being reported in mid-summer.
‘White sharks are present in our waters all year round and beach users should be aware that there is always a small possibility of encountering one of these animals. However, surfers are asked to be especially vigilant in the stretch between Sunrise and Macassar Beaches during the spring and summer months, as research has shown that the shark presence in these waters increases at this time of year.
‘Please always remain alert while enjoying the ocean. I thank our City staff and our partner, the Shark Spotters, for all of the hard work that is currently underway to ensure that our residents can enjoy a safer beach experience,’ says the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Environmental and Spatial Planning, Councillor Johan van der Merwe.
The Shark Spotters Information Centre at Muizenberg Surfer’s Corner is open to the public from 08:00 to 18:00 seven days a week. The centre provides up-to-date information on sharks and marine ecology, basic first-aid, general public assistance and emergencies, storage of valuables and lost property.
In addition, the Fish Hoek shark exclusion net will again be deployed for the annual Fish Hoek Spring Splash on 6 September 2015.
The exclusion net has proven to be an effective shark safety measure, by creating a physical barrier that prevents sharks from entering the bathing area. It will be in full operation during the 2015/2016 summer season.
On days that the exclusion net is deployed, the operating hours will be from 09:00 to17:00 and may occasionally be extended to allow for lifesaving training or events. The Shark Spotters will keep beach users informed about the deployment of the net via Twitter and Facebook, and signage is displayed when the net is deployed.
For more information on the latest shark sightings and research, please visit www.sharkspotters.org.za or follow the Shark Spotters on Twitter (@SharkSpotters) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/SharkSpotters).
Fill a Bag, Win a Board
It’s that easy to win a surfboard in the Tuffy Beach Clean-Up competition. Fill a Tuffy bag with litter collected from your favourite beach and send the evidence to comps@zigzag.co.za, which will put you in line to win a brand new board sponsored by Firewire and Share the Stoke Foundation each month until the end of January 2016.
Chas Everitt False Bay will be keeping stock of Tuffy bags whilst the initiative is running at their Fish Hoek office for those that need them. Contact Scott Tait on 076 156 2619 for more information.
Find out more about our Tuffy Beach Clean-Up competition – in which you can get rewarded for your good enviro-deeds by winning big.
Chas Everitt signs deal with Gumtree
Everyone knows Gumtree. Gumtree is primarily a Classified Portal founded in the UK, AUS, NZ and SA. In 2005 it was bought by the global giant eBay. They are SA’s #1 Classified Site, the 6th biggest Website in SA. Their focus on a simple mobile interface and a easy to use App is paying dividends and their across the board popularity is increasing. Their App is the 11th most downloaded App in Android free Apps.
Real Estate
Due to their size Gumtree is also now 2nd in SA on Property after Property24 and better than PrivateProperty. Gumtree attracted over 1 300 000 visits in June (P24 2 400 000 and PP 1 100 000).
Gumtree are about to launch a major drive into real estate sales the from August 2015. With the traffic and eyes they control, their funding via eBay and their already being a Top 10 site, they are a major player.
Our Marketing Solutions ensure maximum exposure to qualified buyers. As from this week all Chas Everitt listings are now on Gumtree.
This is the One
If you are looking for a plot with views then look no further. This mountainside plot situated on Glencairn Heights below Elsies Peak has enviable position with unrestricted sea views.
The land is a generously sized and has a slight gradient that starts from the street and slopes down onto the land. Read more about this Glencairn plot for sale.
For more information contact Scott Tait on 076 156 2619 or email scott@everitt.co.za