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HISTORICAL FACTS: Western cape | History Defined

Bird and tortoise fossil tracks on South Africa’s coast – latest findings are world firsts

The south coast of South Africa’s Western Cape province is a rich source of fossil tracks and traces – clues suggesting what this environment may have been like many thousands of years ago.

The Conversation

Elite schools in South Africa: how quiet gatekeeping keeps racial patterns in place

In South Africa, children’s admission to a particular public school is decided by province. Each provincial education department manages its own digital admissions system. The Western Cape province introduced an online admissions portal in 2018 which became fully operational in 2024. The aim was to make school placement more transparent.…

The Conversation

Dinosaur tracks, made 140 million years ago, have been found for the first time in South Africa’s Western Cape

Dinosaurs have captured people’s imagination ever since their bones and teeth were first scientifically described in 1822 by geologist and palaeontologist Gideon Mantell in England.

The Conversation

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South Africa’s famous fynbos must be preserved – but burning invasive plants on site isn’t the best strategy

Invasive plants and trees were introduced to South Africa from as early as the 17th century for a range of commercial, subsistence and ornamental uses. Today, every area of the country has been invaded by a variety of these plants. The most species are found in the Western Cape, Eastern…

The Conversation

'This turnaround is incredible': Corbin Bosch as MI Cape Town storm into SA20 playoffs

MI Cape Town delivered a stunning performance at Newlands on Wednesday evening, securing a dominant victory over Sunrisers Eastern Cape and booking their first-ever spot in the SA20 Playoffs. Their resounding win set up a high-stakes Western Cape showdown against table-toppers Paarl Royals in Qualifier 1 at St George's Park…

The Times of India

Rock painting is the oldest image of an African rail, a bird that may have had a special meaning for the San people

The African rail (Rallus caerulescens) is a handsome bird, with a blueish breast, red legs, eyes and bill, prominent barring on the flanks, chestnut upper parts, and long toes. It also has a characteristic trilling call. This wetland dweller is only found in sub-Saharan Africa, with a concentration in South…

The Conversation

‘Cape of Storms’ – climate researchers explain Cape Town’s recent extreme weather

A severe storm hit South Africa’s Western Cape province between 6 and 9 April 2024, with extreme winds gusting at up to 135km/h. The storm left a trail of destruction across Cape Town and surrounding areas – at least 1,500 people were left homeless after the high winds fanned fires…

The Conversation

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Thirty years after apartheid, South Africa’s failed housing promise

Ahead of key elections, hundreds of thousands in need of homes in opposition-run Western Cape languish on waiting lists.

Al Jazeera

A mystery disease hit South Africa's pine trees 40 years ago: new DNA technology has found the killer

In the 1970s and 1980s, pine trees growing in various forestry plantations in South Africa’s Western Cape province began to die in patches. These trees succumbed to a mysterious root disease and the patches expanded gradually. Spontaneous regrowth of seedlings in the patches died dramatically.

The Conversation

South Africa's destructive storm surges: geoscientist reveals the 3 factors that drove them

A series of powerful tidal surges battered coastal areas in South Africa’s Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces over the weekend of 16 September. One person died; cars, homes and businesses were damaged. The Conversation Africa asked Jasper Knight, a geoscientist who researches coastal processes, to explain what happened.

The Conversation

South Africa's great white sharks are changing locations – they need to be monitored for beach safety and conservation

South Africa is renowned for having one of the world’s biggest populations of great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Substantial declines have been observed, however, in places where the sharks normally gather on the coast of the Western Cape province. Sharks congregate at these locations to feed, interact socially, or rest.

The Conversation

South Africa's ANC controls eight of nine provinces - why the Western Cape will remain elusive in the 2024 elections

The African National Congress (ANC), which governs South Africa, finally held its postponed Western Cape provincial elective congress in June. This was after painstaking years of electing branch and regional executives. The new executive is the first elected ANC Western Cape provincial executive in six years.

The Conversation

Drink up, it’s closing time: South African study calculates that limiting opening hours will save lives

South Africans are among the heaviest drinkers in the world. The country has the highest per capita rate of alcohol consumption in Africa. Excessive drinking is especially widespread in the Western Cape. Research estimates that per capita alcohol consumption in the province is between 30% and 40% higher than the…

The Conversation

Festivals, fashion and feather bandits: why ostrich plumage is still worth its weight in gold – a photo essay

In the 19th century the prized feathers were more expensive by weight than gold. Today, from Strictly Come Dancing to the humble feather duster, demand remains high – and is largely met by farms in South Africa’s Western Cape

The Guardian - UK

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The Conversation

Woman King is set in Benin but filmed in South Africa - in the process it erases real people's struggles

The latest film by director Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Woman King, is about a legendary all-woman African army in the 1800s, the Amazons of Dahomey. It takes place in what is today the Republic of Benin in west Africa. It wasn’t filmed in Benin, but in South Africa, in the KwaZulu-Natal…

Daily Mirror

Incredible moment boy, 9, catches enormous 23 stone shark while fishing with dad

Nine-year-old Xandré de Beer tussled with the bronze whaler shark for two and a half hours after hooking the huge 23st beast at Dana Bay in Western Cape, South Africa

Daily Mirror

Rarely seen giant squid with huge eye and parrot-like beak washes up on beach

A giant squid, believed to be one of the most elusive creatures on the planet, washed up on the shore of Scarborough Beach in South Africa's Western Cape earlier this week

The Conversation

Mass shootings in South Africa are often over group turf: how to stop the cycle of reprisals

In just two days in early July, 25 people were shot dead in four separate incidents at taverns across South Africa. In one of these shootings, in Soweto, 16 people lost their lives.

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The Conversation

Killer whales are hunting great white sharks in South Africa's waters

Great white sharks have long been at the top of the food chain in parts of South Africa’s oceans. In their peak winter hunting months, around 1,000 great white sharks a day could be observed off the coast of the Western Cape province. But in 2017, great white shark carcasses…

The Conversation

Here's how much learning South African children lost in the pandemic

When a state of disaster was declared in South Africa in 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic, a hard lockdown was instituted and schools were shut. This was followed by varying periods of lockdowns, school closure and rotational timetables to maintain social distancing across different grades.

The Guardian - UK

The big picture: a moment of tenderness on the Western Cape

Behind Anne Rearick’s bittersweet shot of two young friends in the South African countryside lies a tale of hope and tragedy

ABC News

Josh Frydenberg says Omicron is 75 per cent less severe than Delta and other COVID variants. Is that correct?

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the Omicron variant is 75 per cent less severe than other novel coronavirus variants. Is that correct? RMIT ABC Fact Check investigates.

The Conversation

Zebrafish research reveals green rooibos tea's anxiety-busting properties

Rooibos tea is a uniquely South African product. The plant, Aspalathus linearis, grows mainly in the Cederberg area of the country’s Western Cape province. And it’s not just a tasty beverage. It is caffeine-free; research has proved that it has anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also been found to ease pain and…

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