Cape Town Named The Best Food City In The World!

'We have changed the game': Cape Town crowned best food city in the world accreditation Noluthando Ngcakani Comments Comments add bookmark Bookmark 08:11 Cape Town is officially the world's best food city. Cape Town is officially the world's best food city. Cape Town has been named the World's Best Food City in the 2024 Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards, scoring an impressive 95.65 and surpassing culinary destinations like Tokyo, Rome, and Porto. The accolade highlights the city's unique blend of African, Dutch, Malay, and Indian culinary influences, celebrated by local chefs and restaurateurs contributing to its diverse and innovative food scene. Chefs and restaurateurs anticipate the accolade will elevate Cape Town's global standing, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and culinary excellence. Cape Town has been crowned the World's Best Food City in the 2024 Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards. The city, sprawling with tasty corners and crevices, is proud of its intricate and often complex food story, which adds to its charm. With a tantalising 95.65 score in the prestigious competition, Cape Town bested culinary hotspots like Tokyo, Rome, and Porto, cementing itself as the world's culinary capital. Millions of global travellers ranked the award based on the foods on offer in cities, as well as on quality, service, and overall experience. Cape Town's unique blend of African, Dutch, Malay, and Indian influences made it the top food city. Its rich cultural heritage has shaped the city's culinary landscape, resulting in diverse flavours and cooking styles. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bo-Kaap Kombuis (@bokaapkombuis) One example of its vibrant heritage is Die Kombuis, a landmark eatery in Cape Town's historic Bo-Kaap neighbourhood - where owner Yusef Larney and his wife, Nazli, have been serving authentic Cape Malay cuisine for more than 19 years. Larney expressed his excitement about the city's recognition, telling News24 Food: "Cape Town deserves it - it speaks to the diversity of our people and how we can stick together." He built his business brick-by-brick, transforming a once humble two-bedroom house in the Bo-Kaap into a four-storey building that is home to a guesthouse and bustling eatery. "I have had a dream [of opening a restaurant] since high school." Die Bo-Kaap Kombuis is Larney's celebration of his Cape Malay roots and its bold and aromatic cuisine. Cape Malay cuisine first took shape in the 17th century when the Dutch East India Company brought enslaved people from Indonesia, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries to the Cape. Larney says these enslaved people played a significant role in shaping the region's culinary landscape, adding: Cape Malay cuisine is a melting pot of history and a labour of love. When the Dutch came here and displaced people from Malaysia and Indonesia and brought them here as enslaved people. "They mixed with indigenous people from here; not only were their bonds born from that, but also this merging of different flavours." The Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. READ| The story of Cape Malay cuisine as told by proud chefs Home of the culinary innovator The city's culinary scene is not just about tradition. It's also a hub of innovation, with chefs like James Gaag of La Colombe inspired to push the boundaries of fine dining. Gaag believes the award will further elevate Cape Town's global standing on the international fine dining stage. "As with any award, it does come with a fair amount of pressure to maintain high standards - but this isn't an industry you get into if you can't handle a little pressure. "We are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining options in the city - of course, fine dining has a special place in my heart - but I do love that no matter what you're craving, you'll find it in Cape Town." Edge Africa co-founder Absie Pantshwa echoes Gaag's sentiments, adding these awards should aim to give African ingredients and culinary techniques on the international stage. Pantshwa and award-winning chef Vusi Ndlovu founded Edge Africa, a culinary collective committed to showcasing Africa's culinary glory. READ| Ex-cop goes from serving his country to serving up traditional meals at his restaurants "We are opening up our minds more about what is available around us than looking outside of the country and continent. "We have always been focused on the African ingredients narrative, cooking over fire and giving the ingredients we have around us the respect they deserve. It's about providing a voice to African ingredients and growing." View this post on Instagram A post shared by EDGE Restaurant (@edge.africa) Pitso Chauke, the owner of Pitso's Kitchen, expressed his excitement about Cape Town's culinary diversity, comparing it to a blend of Europe and Africa. The Limpopo-born food entrepreneur is a former Cape Town detective who quit the police to follow his culinary passions, opening his first restaurant at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock in 2016. "It's so exciting. We all know this place is so diverse - like Europe and Africa in one place. It is fascinating. About seven years ago, I read an article about Cape Town not having African cuisine, 20-something years after apartheid - now, looking at it, we have changed the game." Forgotten gems South African cookbook author Errieda du Toit further emphasises the broader impact of Cape Town's recognition in the culinary world, highlighting the rising prominence of African cuisine. "I know that part of Cape Town's food magic is rooted in its powerful diversity. The city increasingly shows a much larger diversity. I think the recognition and nature of the award will further encourage growth in the diversity of its food offerings." Du Toit also points out while Cape Town offers a rich culinary experience, much remains to be done to promote the food offerings in the rural areas of the Western Cape. sleepwalking chef Celebrity chef and food writer Errieda du Toit says she’s been sleepwalking for years – and then creates the weirdest dishes. (PHOTO: Supplied) She hopes the award will encourage more people to explore these areas, which offer incredible produce, scenery, and people. "I feel that we have a long way to go in what we offer tourists outside the city - our countryside. I am not talking about the Stellenbosches and the Elgins that come with the West Cape - these platteland dorpies I find when I go there; they cater for every palate." The top ten Cape Town, South Africa. Score 95.65 Milan, Italy. Score 95.20 Valencia, Spain. Score 95.00 Tokyo, Japan. Score 94.78 Porto, Portugal. Score 94.48 Hong Kong, China. Score 93.94 Bangkok, Thailand. Score 93.71 Rome, Italy. Score 93.33 Singapore. Score 92.90 Sydney, Australia. Score 92.50

The State Of Democracy In The World-Adriaan Basson

Letter from the editor: Truth, trust and Trump in a time of AI   ADRIAAN BASSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dear Subscriber, I write this letter from London where I am attending the Thomson Reuters Foundation's annual conference on trust. The conference gives a glimpse into the state of democracy and freedom of speech globally, and the latest developments in technology affecting public trust. This year's conference had a specific focus on the explosion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – generative AI in particular – and its impact on society. It is clear to me that we are at the beginning of an historic era of change in how society works and interacts, not unlike the beginning years of the internet. It is wise not to make too many hard predictions or bets on how AI will (or won't) change the world, suffice to say it is happening every day, on every connected device and will only intensify for the rest of our lives. AI isn't good or bad – it is both – and I listened to many forces for good talking about the incredible opportunities AI will create to improve the world for millions of people. We all need to stay on top of the developments of AI in our industries and how it will impact the future of work, health, finance and communication. AI will fundamentally shape and influence our relationship with facts and the truth – and this is where journalism and News24 comes in. I leave London with the distinct belief that quality journalism – digging through the garbage (a word used aplenty in relation to the poor use of AI) in search of the magical truth – has an even bigger role and purpose in this brave new world. "AI is having a profound impact on society and democracy. AI is clearly the new battleground for trust," said the foundation's impressive CEO, Antonio Zappulla. What does this mean for the average South African citizen who wants to stay on top of the latest developments in news, business, sport and entertainment? It means that you simply cannot depend on social media platforms like Facebook, Google, X, WhatsApp or TikTok for credible, trusted content. Viral messages forwarded on your community WhatsApp group are likely false. We saw shocking examples of how these platforms are used by agents of disinformation to spread lies, fears and influence agendas. Which brings me to the US presidential election on 5 November. There was a tangible tension in the conference hall that the re-election of former US president Donald Trump could intensify attacks on the truth, democracy and freedom of speech. These fears aren't unfounded. During his first term, Trump illustrated his disdain for the facts when they don't suit his agenda and labelled credible sources of news, critical of his presidency, as "fake". This had a chilling impact globally, also in South Africa. It has become commonplace for South African consumers on social platforms to glibly call articles or publications they don't agree with "fake news". This poses an immediate and immense challenge for those of us who pride ourselves on factual, fair reporting as journalists. Firstly, we have to up our game and ensure that our journalism is top notch. This counts for every single journalist working for News24. Yes, we will make mistakes, but we need to limit this to the absolute minimum, acknowledge when we have erred and uphold the best standards of quality reporting as outlined by the Press Code. Secondly, we have to admit that we cannot compete with the big platforms like Facebook, X and WhatsApp on their terms. They are not interested in the truth; they are owned by a handful of dollar billionaires in Silicon Valley who have little interest in the public good or creating better societies. They will increasingly use AI to feed algorithms for the highest bidder. This means we have to be better, smarter and more innovative on our own platforms. Lastly, when and where we experiment with AI tools in disseminating the journalism we gather, we need to be upfront with you, our readers, that AI was involved and always ensure that a human editor signs off on any piece of content AI has touched. The opportunities for using AI to distribute and enrich our quality journalism are immense and we should not shy away from embracing technology for the good. My promise to you is that we will do this in a way that is ethical and transparent. It remains an enormous pleasure and privilege to work as a journalist in a democratic country that enshrines freedom of speech in its Constitution. As we were congregating in London, 320 journalists globally remain imprisoned while more than 100 have already been killed this year, largely in the Middle East. We cannot do this alone. Your subscription to News24 enables us to stand firm in the face of misinformation and those who abuse technology to divide and destroy democracy. Adriaan

Nigeria Suffers Its 6th Nationwide Power blackout

Nationwide Blackout As National Grid Collapses Sixth Time This Year Like Comment Oct 16, 2024 98 views By: Our Correspondents Source: Daily Independent The national power grid on Monday experienced another collapse, marking the sixth time that the coun­try has being plugged into darkness this year. According to data ob­tained from the Nigerian System Operator’s portal between 7:00p.m and the time of filing this report, the grid recorded an un­precedented zero mega­watts (MW). Data gleaned showed that all 22 generation companies (GenCos) were down. Advertisement This collapse marks the sixth grid disturbance in 2024, adding to challenges that have long plagued Ni­geria’s power sector. Despite the widespread impact of the blackout, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had not stated to confirm the oc­currence, leaving the pub­lic and stakeholders in the dark about the source and resolution of the newest crisis. generation grid international utility business Discussions

South Africa: 28 Million People On Grants With Only 7.4 Million Tax Payers Paying The Bill

South Africa has 28 million people on grants – but only 7.4 million taxpayers Daily Investor • 14 October 2024 Social grants The South African Social Security Agency’s (SASSA) annual report for the 2023/24 financial year revealed that it pays grants to 28 million South Africans. In turn, the National Treasury’s 2024 Budget Review shows that 7.4 million individuals in South Africa pay income tax. SASSA CEO Busisiwe Memela told Parliament on 11 October 2024 that South Africa serves two groups of clients. The first group is their ‘core clients, which are traditional grant recipients, and the second is recipients of the Social Relief Distress (SRD) grant of R350. Memela said 19 million South Africans receive grants, including older people, children, people with disabilities, war veterans, and people in distress. 55% of these grant recipients are from four regions – KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo, and the Eastern Cape. There are also 9 million SRD grant recipients, which started during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Memela told Portfolio Committee on Social Development members that South Africa has 28 million grant recipients. Put differently, approximately 45% of South Africa’s 64 million population benefits from social transfers. Social development is the third-largest line item in South Africa’s 2024/2025 national budget, with R387 billion planned to be spent this year. This amount includes R107 billion in old-age grants, R89 billion in social security funds, and R86 billion in child support grants. The budget further includes R73 billion for other grants, R22 billion for provincial social development, and R10 billion for Policy oversight and grant administration. National Treasury said R1.17 trillion is allocated for social grants and welfare services over the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) period. Social grants constitute 81.8% of spending in this function over the medium term, including helping women, youth and people with disabilities. Expenditure on social grants, excluding the SRD grant, will increase from R217.1 billion in 2023/24 to R259.3 billion in 2026/27. The SRD distress grant will receive R33.6 billion in 2024/25. Provisional allocations for social protection will be added to the fiscal framework in 2025/26 and 2026/27. Tax revenue to fund social grants Tax revenue to fund South Africa’s budget comes from three main sources: personal income tax, value-added tax (VAT), and corporate income tax. Personal income tax is the largest contributor to tax revenue at R739 billion, followed by VAT at R467 billion and corporate income tax at R303 billion. However, South Africa faces a challenge. It has only 7.4 million personal income taxpayers, while the state supports 28 million people through grants. The National Treasury’s 2024 Budget Review revealed that 7,409,406 people earn a high enough salary to pay income tax. There are 6.8 million registered individuals in South Africa with taxable income below the income‐tax threshold of R95,750 per year. The biggest contributors are people who earn above R1.5 million per year. They contribute R236 billion, or 32%, to personal income tax revenue. What is concerning is that there are only 197,866 people in South Africa who earn over R1.5 million. This means that 2.7% of people who pay personal income tax account for 32% of all collections from this important revenue source. Even more concerning is that South Africa’s expenses, particularly related to social grants, are increasing much faster than tax revenue. For the past decade, the government has consistently outspent its revenue, and it expects to run a deficit of R347 billion in the current financial year. To fund these deficits, the government takes on more debt. South Africa’s debt-to-GDP ratio is around 75%, growing from 2% to 3% annually. This is unlikely to stop. President Cyril Ramaphosa said in July that the government plans to use the SRD grant as the basis for some form of a Basic Income Grant. “We will use this grant to introduce a sustainable form of income support for unemployed people to address the challenge of income poverty,” he said. Creating a permanent basic income grant will add billions to the budget annually, which the country cannot afford. Renowned economist Dawie Roodt said South Africa’s growing debt burden is the biggest threat to the country’s future. “We are heading for a financial crisis in South Africa. The state owes too much money. We cannot afford to spend like we do,” Roodt said. Maybe someone far cleverer has the answer to where the money will come from to repay the debt. Or, is the plan of this government to knowingly default on its debt repayments? Warm regards Cliff photo CLIFF HALL indlovu@axxess.co.za 0827810544

Political Turbulence in Tunisia

The Thumb and the Scale Tunisia Tunisia’s election campaign season kicked off Saturday, a day after mass protests erupted in the capital Tunis against President Kais Saied, who demonstrators say is trying to rig next month’s presidential vote, Reuters reported. Friday’s demonstrations were among the largest in the three years since Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree, a move opponents have described as a “constitutional coup.” Protesters accused the 66-year-old president of acting as a dictator and demanded the release of opposition politicians, journalists and activists detained for opposing Saied. The protests come weeks after the electoral commission – whose members were appointed by Saied – disqualified three major election candidates over alleged irregularities. Earlier this month, a court ordered the commission to reinstate the contenders, but the electoral body rejected the ruling. With the disqualifications, only three candidates remain in the Oct. 6 presidential election: Saied, Zouhair Maghzaoui, and Ayachi Zammel. However, Zammel was jailed last week over allegations of falsifying voter signatures, charges he said are politically motivated. Meanwhile, authorities have arrested more than 100 members of the main Islamist opposition party, Ennahda, ahead of the race, the Middle East Eye reported. First elected in 2019 on a campaign against corruption, Saied has come under fire for cracking down on the opposition and consolidating his own power, including rewriting Tunisia’s constitution to benefit himself, Africanews added. Despite his promise to set a new direction for the country, Tunisia’s unemployment rate has continued to rise, reaching 16 percent, one of the highest in the region, with young Tunisians bearing the brunt of the impact. Many of Saied’s opponents have accused him of undermining the democratic progress Tunisia made after the 2011 revolution.

A 92 Year Old Man Has Ruled This Country Too Long

No Day After Cameroon Cameroonian President Paul Biya is 92 and has ruled his Central African country for 42 years. Despite his age and length of time in office, however, he appears to have made no succession plans. Instead, he’s expected to run again for president in the Oct. 25 general election. His allies in parliament in the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement political party recently extended their terms and postponed their elections by a year to 2026, too. Meanwhile, Biya has banned opposition groups that might pose a threat to his rule, Human Rights Watch noted. Even so, Cameroonians are thinking about “life after Biya,” wrote World Politics Review. Many hope the corruption, electoral fraud, the suppression of dissent, the press, free speech, and civil society – authorities recently threw a rapper in jail for insulting a local official – might change when their president leaves office. Those Cameroonians also hope the economic stagnation that has gripped the country for years will be reversed. Economic growth in Cameroon has lingered at around 3 percent for 30 years – not an impressive rate for a developing country – due to bad governance and a lack of public and private investment, the World Bank noted. Foremost among the causes for this anemic growth is corruption in the country’s vital oil industry, where revenues have been flagging. Swiss commodity trading and mining company Glencore, for example, now stands accused of bribing Cameroonian officials for oil contracts, according to the Africa Report. Glencore pled guilty to similar charges in 2022. Separatists in the English-speaking western region of the county, who want to break away from the French-speaking areas, have also hampered growth in six out of 10 of Cameroon’s provinces. As Reuters explained, this conflict dates back to 1960 when French and British colonies were merged to become one country. Conflicts between Nigerian forces and Islamist militants such as Boko Haram have also spilled over the border in Cameroon’s north, further destabilizing the country and triggering refugee crises as people flee violence, added the Norwegian Refugee Council. These large-scale challenges result in problems that affect the services that people really need. A third of the doctors who graduate from medical schools in Cameroon, for example, have left the country in search of work elsewhere, reported the Associated Press. That’s especially true for nurses, who emigrate around the world to fill staff shortages. Earlier this year, Biya, noting the rising brain-drain, appealed to young Cameroonians’ sense of patriotism and duty to remain in Cameroon, saying leaving was “not the solution” to Cameroon’s problems, Deutsche Welle reported. Rather than solving the problems that lead young people to leave, Biya seems committed to ignoring them while focusing on retaining his control over his people, said leaders of the opposition party, the Social Democratic Front, in an interview with Voice of America. If reelected – as he surely will be – Biya will rule up to 2032. By then, he will be 98 years old, VOA noted. The issues that need to be addressed will linger for his successor to deal with. And the emigration will go on. “You can’t use moral appeal or patriotism to make people stay,” Tumenta F. Kennedy, a Cameroon-based international migration consultant, told DW. “Addressing the mass movement requires efforts on addressing the root causes of migration, such as political instability, economic hardship, lack of job opportunities and last but not the least, security concerns.”

Thousands Of Christians Targeted And Killed In Nigeria

Published 11 days ago • Nigeria • Updated 7 days ago Thousands of Christians ‘deliberately targeted’ and killed in Nigeria, new report says Left Center Right Bias Comparison A report by Open Doors International reveals that thousands of Christians have been killed and displaced in Nigeria since 2020 due to increasing violence. The report includes interviews with 292 Christians and humanitarian workers about their experiences from January to April 2024. The violence mainly occurs in Borno and Plateau, with 16,769 Christians killed from October 2019 to September 2023, primarily by Boko Haram and Fulani militants.