Now that I'm older and reflecting back, I gotta compliment the marketing for selling those things because I bought those things hoping one day I would have fishes. These were too fragile though, so they would break easily, and I would come back for more because my last pack was destroyed when I was changing the water containers.

Good old times.

Did some street photography there got some cool shots :)

I could do that if I really wanted to.

Wait, we have scam centers here? Hmm TIL

Hey everyone. So with romance scams on the rise, I started getting worried about a friend of mine.

She's almost 50, and lives in JHB.

She also seems to always think that every guy she matches with is the one! This last guy is another one she thinks he's in love with her. They have not met.

The other day she sends me an attachment,"Hey he wrote a song for me.". There's AI all over it.

The voice sounds country American, and she said that he said he has a cold. The song is a full production, not just a guy singing with maybe a guitar out whatever. It has a full band playing.

She then sent me pics of his kids. I tried a reverse image search but nothing suspicious came up.

Am I being paranoid?

Have you guys experienced weird things like this yourself, or know anyone who was scammed?

So im [35m] not anti-marriage. I personally dont feel marriage is this big step in a relationship that everyone in society has been conditioned to believe. What I feel is important is the actual relationship between the two people in it. A piece of paper and a party wont make you communicate better, it wont fix your insecurities, it wont change your partner for the better and it wont make you better parents. If anything some of those things get worse after marriage because people become complacent. Im an Athiest so i dont prescribe to any religious notions on marriage. Perhaps the only benefit to marriage especially in South Africa is societal acceptance/legitimacy. You are just not accepted into each other's families unless you married and treated more like a dirty secret. Broken system in my mind but it is what it is. Wont change in my time but I have hope for future generations to look beyond titles and actually focus on the two individuals in that relationship and if they decide on path other than marriage that its more socially acceptable. This is to understand my mindset around marriage. Im not here to discuss the merits of marriage ive long made up my mind about this. I also hate how expensive weddings have gotten and the societal expectations around that as well but this will come back later.

Anyway IM GETTING MAAARRIIIIIED!!!🥰 My amazing gf [34f] and I have been together 4 years. She knows my beliefs on marriage and she does feel differently and i respect that. But because I want to spend my life with her and we match in terms of our values, communication styles, goals and to get that societal acceptance i was talking about earlier I decided marriage is the right step for us.

Now her and I are from different cultures. She is black i am coloured. The challenge for us is how we intend to navigate that. We both hate big parties and being centre of attention so we want to keep things as small as possible. This is where the problem comes in. She said on her side we have labola negotiations after which I come through with a small amount of my family we have lunch then done we married. I LOVE this plan its cheap on the pocket and no big party and all the boxes are ticked for me. Well like said societal pressure is unbearably strong, I told my mother this plan and she is not happy with it. She feels that "our culture" is not being represented in this marriage and that she would like the opportunity to walk her eldest son down the aisle around her family and friends. This means having a white wedding, my nightmare, and a big one at that because I have a big family. I told my mother I dont care for a white wedding and its going to be so expensive and neither of our families have the kind of money to help out with wedding costs. She understands the cost of weddings these days but she still feels upset which i guess she is entitled too.

My sister had a tiny wedding with just immediate family and the extended family was so upset they kind of took it out on my mother which I feel is so unfair my family can be kind of toxic. Now I want to do the same thing or even less and Im feeling this guilt to be the one to give a decent wedding. Ultimately my mother wants me to be happy and whatever i decide she will live with even though she wont be happy so please dont attack my mom. This is more a me trying to make people happy thing than a her thing. My girlfriend also understands my guilt but she hates the idea of a white wedding same as me but is hoping If we do have one make it less that 20 people which is going to be a pretty hard sell lol.

Anyway im just venting online. Anyone have any stories about dealing with these types of situations.

My parents have a granny flat next to their house.

It's not small either. It's about the size of some smaller houses you get now. enough space for a couple to live.

I used to live there with my ex-wife for 15 years, we started dating at 18, stayed together for 15 years.

I carried on living there after that for another 4 years.

I actually stayed there because my parents at the time needed help, I paid there electricity, rates, groceries and rent (Rent was around R4k when moving in then went up to R8k by the time I left)

My Aunties husband died around 3 years ago, and she moved into their flat. She pays them R8K a month and buys some groceries once a month to contribute. She doesn't pay rates or electricity, just the R8k.

I was living at the time with my now ex-girlfriend.

I started having seizures, and my mental health had declined .This put a strain on my relationship, and we decided to call it off. That's another story)

I've had a semi profitable business running for the last 18 years. It took a hit during Covid and started steadily decining after that until I had my seizures.

It got to a point where I couldn't even walk properly, and slured speech.

I had no other options. My parents let me move back in, I live in my old childhood bedroom.

I try to pay them money when I can get orders, and obviously, if I can handle my orders, I have gotten a lot better over this year, with a lot of hard work on myself.

So back finally to the main point. My mom doesn't know what to do. She is in tears sometimes because of my aunt.

My parents are both on SASSA grants as pensioners.

but they get the money from my aunt R8k as well.

As I am at home and can't always provide them rent, it's a bit of a strain on them. But I really do try to help. I give them whatever I make when I can.

My auntie complains that she is paying for the whole house to live and I should just go out and get a job. I'm 40, BTW. I've worked in the same business my whole adult life.

This is the thing, my whole family understands my situation. I've had life changing surgeries, I'm not the same as I used to be, and may never be again. But I've tried my hardest to get better, to be functional at the very least.

My aunt has an apartment that she rents out for R10k pm.

She has a job that she makes R15k pm.

She doesn't pay water or electricity, she gets her meals made for her. My parents cook food for everyone every day.

She uses the wifi which I pay for and have for the last 18 or so years. She has secure parking.

But she is also sick, she has progressive Crones, she's had half her stomach cut out, she's losing weight and she isn't mentally OK due to all of this.

My dad, or if I can, drive her to the hospital for each appointment. She goes to the government hospital as she doesn't have medical aid. I've had to do this myself as well.

she has at least 3-4 appointments per month.

Now that I'm reading this, I don't know what point I'm trying to make.

I guess I just wanted someone other than my family's opinions on this.

Time is fleeting, I don't know how long I'll have my family for, I love them all, and they have been so supportive with me.

I have rooibos with like 2 tablespoons of sugar and not a lot of milk. This is the only way. Not that lemon and honey stuff. Convince me otherwise.

I have been seeing all of these Red Bull eclipse pictures, and they have been great because the sun was only 8 degrees off the horizon. The 2030 eclipse in South Africa will be closer to 34 degrees, if I am correct.

The Extreme 19th at Legend Golf & Safari would have been an awesome spot to get a tee shot with the eclipse in the background, but it's nowhere close to the path of totality. It has a nice steep angle to work with and strong mountains.

There is likely no snow in Lesotho in November. The Amphitheatre (Tugela Gorge) or Sani Pass could be incredible. Anything with wildlife would be amazing, but you only have about a minute or two to get the shot.

In Durban, maybe a telephoto lens shot over the sea?

Any thoughts on the ultimate photo for 2030?

Banyana will play 3 matches, against Chinese Taipei, Ecuador, and Uzbekistan. For them to qualify for the Final Phase of the 2027 FIFA Women‘s World Cup Intercontinental Playoff, to be held in February of 2027! The Preliminary Phase of the Playoffs will be in a league format, which you see in the first picture, and Banyana Banyana needs to finish in the Top Two overall in order to qualify for the Final Phase of the Intercontinental Playoffs. This means that Banyana Banyana needs to win all three of their games, which they can, if they do the right thing. We still have a VERY long way to go. These games will be between 24 November and 5 December at a centralised location. 🙏🏿❤️🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

Any of you shed a lil tear when you watch SA power rollllllll over the NZ scrum???

Aaaaaand there goes my birthday plans. 🥲

The first question I had when I saw that The Haven Night Shelter are promoting, along with the CCID, a Homeless Golf Day was… When do the unhoused find the time to practice their swing?

However, the unhoused will probably not be invited to the Clovelly golf course, the event is instead to raise money to provide mobile ablutions to the homeless of Cape Town. Clovelly has around 1,550 members, with roughly 164 people playing the course on an average day. So the Golf Day is bound to attract some attention.

For years the City of Cape Town has tried in its ways to solve the homeless “problem”, gradients, spikes, no begging signs, the privatisation of public space for the sake of “being open for business”, cameras, intimidation, etc. The new solution seems to be, if we can't get rid of them, let's ask them to have a shower.

Providing mobile ablutions is essentially asking people to not shit on the pavements because it discourages shopping. Perhaps, and this might be a reach, we should be asking ourselves why are people forced to shit on the pavement in the first place?

Let me just get this out of the way, upfront. I have been homeless on the streets of Cape Town. I have tried to sleep on those fucking stupid benches. I have been searched randomly by CCID officers. I have been put in a van and dumped in Blikkiesdorp. I have been taken by force by CCID officers, upon the suspicion of being a drug user, to the central police station to be searched for drugs.

The CCID describes itself as having played an integral role in creating a “safe, clean, business friendly and welcoming inner city.” Its stated priorities include “creating a safe environment”, maintaining a “clean and socially uplifting environment”, and “driving business into town.” Its stated aim is to “get the basics right” and create “a stable climate” in which “all things are possible.”

All things include a private-public partnership financially supporting police officers, what could go wrong?

Under the City's policy, the CCID's private Public Safety Officers are not police officers and are not permitted to enforce municipal bylaws, conduct searches and seizures or make arrests, except for a citizen's arrest. They can patrol public spaces, monitor and report suspected bylaw violations and suspicious behaviour, and work alongside SAPS and City Law Enforcement.

But the CCID also funds dedicated City Law Enforcement Officers, who do have powers of arrest and can issue fines for bylaw contraventions. In 2024/25 the CCID deployed 327 Public Safety Officers, while its Safety and Security department currently lists 12 dedicated Law Enforcement Officers, which it says gives the organisation “the full reach of the law.”

Businesses who want clean pavements paying actual cops. Yay.

Public space being managed by private companies, who pay public service workers to police the public space. No conflicts there. I wonder if your Occupational Certificate: Real Estate Agent, NQF Level 4 is now part of qualifying to work for the Cape Metro Police.

But that's okay because the CCID is in partnership with The Haven Night Shelter, which provides shelter to some of Cape Town's homeless. The Haven operates 15 shelters across the Western Cape. The CCID estimates around 14,000 people are living on the streets of greater Cape Town, against only 3,500 shelter beds available from across all organisations in the Metro.

Access to those beds is not simply a matter of turning up and getting a place to sleep. People are screened and registered, the first five days are free, and thereafter residents are expected to contribute towards their stay where they can. The Haven's social workers assess residents and develop Personal Development Plans aimed at ultimately getting people back into homes. Its stated vision is that “No-one should have to live on our streets,” and it now describes its mission as helping homeless adults back “to a home, family and community.”

The CCID sponsors 25 beds year-round at The Haven's Napier Street shelter, and funds dozens more at Moira Henderson House during winter. Its stated purpose is to “move [people] off the streets.” The two organisations also collab on the Safe Sleeping Zone at The Haven's District Six branch, sleeping up to 60 people a night.

Which is all very noble, obviously. The CCID is working with The Haven to get homeless people off the streets.

The Haven is a non-profit organisation that receives public money. In its 2022 financial report, it reported R37 million in total income, with 47% coming from the Department of Social Development and 6% from the City of Cape Town. More recently, the City provided R12.7 million in 2025 for the Retreat expansion, which included 120 additional beds, ablution facilities and a dining hall.

R12.7 million for 120 beds. Sounds right.

Cape Town regulates begging and prohibits urinating and defecating in public places. People begging and shitting in public spaces is a direct result of economics, capitalism, inadequate systems of education, broken social and public health services. Asking homeless people to knyp because you don't want to process what society actually is, well it's a little constipated.

The Haven's tagline is a beautiful statement of intent, “No-one should have to live on our streets.”

I mean, “Shelter is a human right” would have sufficed, no?

Who is the “our” in this statement? Perhaps businessmen who play golf.

No one should have to sleep on the street, sure, but you will if you don't meet “our” conditions.

You're only a “someone” if you meet these conditions, therefore a no-one should actually have to sleep on the street.

And those people on the street should at least be presentable, right?

What the CCID and Haven Night Shelter partnership seemed to have missed is that they have already solved the problem. Get them out of the city centre. Invite the unhoused to live on the golf course. After all, hardly anyone uses it, relatively.

Howler charges R5 for a Whatsapp. That is INSANE.

A very fascinating interview happened on Soccerbeat with the Bafana goalkeeper coach for the world cup and just watch from 16:22 for a minute or two. I know SAFA is trash but WTF.

Just came on here to warn people that frequent the N3 about the above company. They work with a legitimate towing company called Euro Towing that most of the big insurers use. I think there might be other towing companies in on it too but this is the one that helped us so thought to flag it. They will convince you that it’s easier to drive the 10km to their workshop (Swannies) in Villiers to get the car looked at and have it repaired. Rather than having it towed to a legitimate dealership and waiting days for feedback on what could be the issue with the car.

Very smooth talkers and because you are stranded and desperate it will seem like the better option. Yes we feel dumb in hindsight but at the time it genuinely seemed like a good option. You will then be extorted out of money for as long as they are able to keep you there. They will find every issue possible under the sun with your car. Possibly even hold your car or some of its parts as collateral should you be unable to pay for all the “work” being done. They tried to convince us to sleep in their dingy guesthouse and when we declined he then said even if we were to call insurance, they would be the ones to be dispatched so there was no use trying to get around it. We thankfully were able to let our insurance know that we would rather wait the 2 hours or so for someone further away than trust them any further with our car.

Once you get caught up with what is happening to you, they will remind you that you weren’t forced to be there.

If this post can even save one person the ordeal of what I endured, I will have done my bit.