DELFT HOUSING CRISIS AND FEEDING SCHEME FOR TENT PEOPLE!

Helena Andrews (42) receives her bread ration. She has two children to support. A baby girl of 3 months born on the streets in Delft and a 5 year old son.

Residents of the temporary tent dwellings in Delft outside Cape Town stand in queue to receive soup and bread from 'HDI Support' (Historically Disadvantaged Individual Support), who are currently contracted by the local government to supply food three times daily to the residents living in this informal settlement on the outskirts of Delft. It is rumoured that this food support will soon be stopped. (PICTURE © MARK WESSELS. 26/03/2008).

JAZZART DANCE THEATRE'S PERFORMANCE ART PIECE 'I AM CINNAMON'!

Jazzart Dance Theatre brings us another powerful art performance piece called 'I Am Cinnamon' performed at the Cape Town Station in Cape Town, South Africa. This performance is part of the Spier Performing Arts Festival for 2008 and sees Jazzart joining its fabulous contemporary dance work with live vocal accompaniment by Melanie Scholtz through the choreography of Sbonakaliso Ndaba. 'I Am Cinnamon' continues the success of Jazzart's other site specific performances and thus delves deeper into the endless possibilities of engaging with new audiences on their own turf, in this case the busy thoroughfare of the Cape Town Station. (PICTURE © MARK WESSELS. 01/03/2008).

WAKING TIME 2008!

A stirring performance art piece called 'Waking Time' comes to life with a selected group of performing artists in the Fountains on Heerengracht Street, Cape Town, South Africa. This performance is part of the Spier Performing Arts Festival for 2008 and sees various local artists joining together under the name of 'new collaborations'. This collaboration puts together the talents of Ruth Levin, Tanya Pixie Johnson, Mduduzi Nyembe and Mamela Nyamza amongst others to form a dreamlike play on consciousness. The piece tells about the struggle between dreaming life and waking life and how we are put off balance when our waking selves and our dreaming selves are out of touch with one another. The ultimate message that permeates through this evocative piece is that we need to align these spheres of ourselves and let them converge so that we can experience inner harmony. (PICTURE © MARK WESSELS. 01/03/2008).

PHILIP RABINOWITZ WAS THE FASTEST OLDEST MAN ON THE PLANET!

This picture and story serve as a tribute to Philip Rabinowitz who at the time this picture was taken was 104 years old and still going strong. Sadly though he passed away a week later.

Philip Rabinowitz formally of Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa is still the oldest, fastest man in the world and reached his 104th birthday milestone on the 16th February 2008. Philip currently holds the world record for being the oldest active competitive walker and secured his record in the Guinness Book of World Records under the category of Human Achievements already in the year 2000. He currently has the esteemed and accomplished privilege of holding the world records for the 100m and 200m sprints in his age group.  

As a member of the Spartan Harriers Athletics Club in Cape Town he proudly wore his age on his vest like a medal of honour printed in big, bold red numbers.

Philip Rabinowitz was born in Lithuania in 1904, one of seven boys. When he was 21 he left the country due to anti Semitism. After settling in South Africa, he managed to raise the money to pay for his family to join him there. All but two of his brothers, who tragically passed away in concentration camps, joined him. He met his wife in 1935 and they had two daughters Carin and Joyce.

Philip has always enjoyed exercise. When he was just 70 years old he decided to take up Karate. He jogged until he was 88 years old. Modestly he put his fitness down to a healthy diet, an active mind and to not worrying. A family member is quoted as saying that he was a truly wonderful person loved by everyone he met.

Other than walking daily he busied himself in other ways too. A bookkeeper by profession he helped his daughter Joyce, with whom he lived, in her pet food business with some bookkeeping and also assisted in the factory with a few basic chores.

Occasionally when he needed a little bit of help to get ready he found it in his friend Ignatius Galawe (35) who fondly lent him a hand. Like an excited, living, wound up automaton he tied his shoelaces and geared himself up for his walk, pacing up and down the office before heading out. When walking though he set off at an incredible pace and needed no help at all. One was left chasing after him as he happily strode up the bridge for his mornings walk and hardly broke a sweat. Perhaps we as the Human Race can learn more from someone like the legendary Philip Rabinowitz who is still the oldest, fastest human racing machine ever! (PICTURE © MARK WESSELS. 22/03/2008).

CHASING THE MOON - A LUNAR ECLIPSE WITH LIONS HEAD!

Chasing the moon silhoutted trees catch the early morning light on a ridge during a rare sighting of a lunar eclipse on Lions Head in Cape Town, South Africa. A lunar eclipse happens when the moon appears darkened as it passes into the earth's shadow. (PICTURE © MARK WESSELS. 21/02/08).

CAPE MINSTRELS CARNIVAL 2008!

Trumpeters of the 'V & A' Troupe from the Bo-Kaap trumpet out their tunes during band practice.

The Cape Minstrels Carnival for 2008 celebrates its 100th year as festive troupes of colourfully-costumed, face-painted, marching-minstrels from all over the Cape sing and dance and play their polished lively instruments. This welcome to the new year is one of the oldest cultural festivals in the country and for these folk it starts with their traditional 'Tweede Nuwe Jaar' celebrations. Under the fabled Table Mountain the sequined and the fantastic come and go in a flurry of vibrance and musical noise as competitive troupes battle to be the best. (PICTURE © MARK WESSELS. 02/01/2008).

KALAHARI LIGHTNING STORM IN THE KGALAGADI TRANSFRONTIER PARK!

An experience of a lifetime in the wild Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park situated in the Kalahari desert and bush of the Northern Cape, South Africa. It's encounters like these that remind us that our world is a vastly wonderful and beautiful place and its diversity stunning and breathtaking. Wild and true. Awesome and spectacular. Heart thumpingly fantastic. Loud and incredibly clear is the Call Of The Wild! (PICTURE © MARK WESSELS. 18/10/2007).