While plenty of people took the opportunity of the beautiful weather to spend some time in the Franschhoek restaurants and surrounds; the real heat was felt inside venues where hot topics such as The In-between 80s, Freedom of Information, and On Being Bolshy were debated to overflowing houses.

A third of the events sold out completely, with some reaching capacity well before the festival began.The inaugural Book Week for Young Readers took place this year, meaning that in the week prior to the Literary Festival, each of the 130 classrooms in the Franschhoek Valley received a visit from one of 50 children’s authors, who read to and interacted with over 4 000 learners.

As visiting writer Gus Silber tweeted, it’s “A wonderful festival of words and ideas.”

Captive audiences at the 2012 FLF. Image: Jesse Kate Kramer

Author: Fiona Gordon
Website: http://www.flf.co.za

“We are hoping that the publicity surrounding the grounding of Eihatsu Maru last week serves as a warning to our local maritime industry. Although this particular vessel has been freed, the current bill for salvage operations sits at about R6 million,” says Mike Brews, Chief Operating Officer from Associated Marine, a division of Santam, South Africa’s largest insurer.

It is not clear whether the vessel, registered in Tokyo, is insured or not. If not, the South African public will be held responsible for the tab.

Local ship owners need to understand the potential consequences for their ships and their business if they are found in a similar situation without being fully insured.

“A grounded ship without insurance can be arrested, as well as its cargo, until the debt is cleared or a guarantee is arranged. In the case that the debt is not cleared, the ship and its cargo can be sold to defray expenses,” warns Brews.

Brews also cautions that the South African maritime salvage industry may be influenced negatively by the increase in the number of strandings along our coastline. The tugs involved in marine salvage are faced with special risks in the course of business and therefore must be fully insured.

“Part of the rating process of salvage vessels takes into consideration the average number of salvages likely per year and the risk and the potential for damage. If the risk of exposure to these types of incidents is on the rise, the local industry may feel the knock on effect,” concludes Brews.

Earth Summit 2012 will be the fourth Summit of its kind and represents a milestone in ongoing international efforts to accelerate progress towards achieving sustainable development globally.

2041, a company dedicated to the preservation of the Antarctic was founded by Robert Charles Swan, OBE, FRGS – the first person to walk to both Poles.

In 2002, at the 2nd World Summit on sustainability held in Johannesburg, World Leaders gave Robert Swan a global 10 year mission: to inspire young people, industry, and business on the issues of energy conservation, renewable energy, and to promote the positive roles individuals and business can play in the road to world sustainability. Robert will report back at the June 2012 World Summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Yacht ’2041? and the Voyage for Cleaner Energy were born from this mission to inspire people throughout the world.

The Voyage for Cleaner Energy yacht relies on a bank of eight solar panels, two wind vanes, a biodiesel fueled engine and alcohol stove to run all the electronics, fridge, freezer and leisure items onboard. At scheduled stops the Voyage for Cleaner Energy yacht takes school and other interest groups onboard for a short sail and point out the energy saving measures onboard that allow them to live off grid.

The yacht is en-route from her last unscheduled port of call, Port Elizabeth, where Skipper Conor Fogerty and crew were royally treated and picked up additional sponsorship to help them with their mission. Let’s hope that Cape Town can do the same or better.

Swan wrote the book – The Earth’s Last Wilderness – A Quest to Save Antarctica.

Voyage For Cleaner Energy 2041 leaves Port Elizabeth for Cape Town

The winners were selected after 180 finalists – drawn from more than 5,500 entries – presented their business concepts to 18 provincial judging panels, who selected a total of 11 national finalists.

Another four special category awards were allocated; these included best woman entrepreneur, best youth entrepreneur, best job-creating entrepreneur and best entrepreneur with a disability.

The winners were announced at a gala function in Sunninghill, Johannesburg on Tuesday by the Chairman and CEO of Seda, Mr Lindo Mngomezulu and Ms Hlonela Lupuwana.

The national winner, Adesh Naidoo from Kwa-Zulu Natal, Clean Street, won a laptop, software, R50 000 in cash, plus R600 000 in business support value from Seda.

Adesh is a passionate and determined entrepreneur, who plans to take his concept – a special green-friendly litter bin that provides advertising revenue for the city, to every municipality in South Africa. The judges believe that Adesh has the drive and business acumen to launch this product, even in the highly competitive media sector, and unanimously gave him their highest score.

Prizes for the national runners-up include: R10 000 in cash, all runners-up share R240 000 business support value from Seda:

1. Palesa Moeketsi from Western Cape – Chesa Communications: Palesa’s media company has pioneered the concept of simultaneous syndicated programming to a network of small community radio stations, thus opening up a whole new marketing channel to advertisers. The judges believe that Palesa’s unique community radio syndication business is not only innovative but is poised to grow as this media sector expands – her passion and energy should also be a major factor.
2. Bokao Theka from North-West, Canvas Products: Bokao has taken a simple, borning product – canvas – and created a range of high quality canvas products from laptop bags to lapas. This business, say the judges, not only has national potential, but shows great entrepreneurship from someone who started as a cleaner.
3. Lizelle Beukes from Gauteng, Arrero Premium Car Fragrance: The fragrances are based on designer aromas, and not the typical “fruity” smells currently available. As people spend more time in their cars, and as the average age of cars on the road increases due to high new car costs, this is a way for people to keep a new car sensation for longer. The judges believe Lizelle’s product could really take off, as people hold on to their cars for longer in a recession, and spend more on beautifying them for the long haul. Branding is the key, and that’s what the judges have recommended Seda’s business advisers focus on.

Esteemed and award winning writers such as Breyten Breytenbach, Gert Vlok Nel, Deborah Steinmair and Danie Maraishave have previously performed in the intimate atmosphere of the old homestead art gallery, which is situated in a centuries-old garden in the centre of Durbanville.

On 24 May from 19:30, acclaimed poets Gus Ferguson, Karin Schimke and Finuala Dowling (winner of the Ingrid Jonker, SANLAM and Olive Schreiner Prizes for Poetry) will be Painting With Words at the Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery in Durbanville.

• Gus Ferguson: A publisher, poet and cartoonist whose work the Witness describes as “witty and playful, demonstrating the writer’s verbal agility (and) idiosyncratic humour. Intelligent, original, informed, Ferguson’s work never fails to arrest attentions”. Gus Ferguson is a major figure in South Africa’s poetry circles. His published works include the poetry anthologies Snail Morning (1978), Doggerel Day (1982), Carpe Diem (1992), The Herding of the Snail, with Niki Daly (1995), Icarus Rising, Light Verse at the End of the Tunnel (1996), Stressed-Unstressed (2000), and Arse Poetica (2003). He has also published the cartoon collections Love Amongst the Middle-Aged and Waiting for Gateau
• Finuala Dowling: David Medalie in the Sunday Independent had this to say of Finuala Dowling: “the reader is drawn in by the humour, the pathos, the wry stoicism: but also by the tongue-in-cheek mischievousness, the evident delight in the swirl of words.” Finuala Dowling is an award winning poet and novelist. Her first volume of poetry, I Flying, won the Ingrid Jonker Prize and her second collection, Doo-Wop Girls of the Universe, was joint winner of the SANLAM award. Her third volume of poetry, Notes from the dementia ward (2008) won the Olive Schreiner Prize and was also short-listed for the University of Johannesburg Award and the Herman Charles Bosman Prize.
• Karin Schimke: A widely published journalist and columnist, and the Cape Times books editor. She also works as a writing tutor and mentor, an author of non-fiction, children’s books and short stories. She edited Open, an anthology of erotic short stories written by some of South Africa’s best known women writers. Her poetry has appeared in South Africa Writing, New Contrast, New Coin and Carapace magazines, and two poems have been anthologised. Her first collection of poetry was published by Modjaji in March this year, and is entitled Bare & Breaking.

The Painting With Words poetry evenings also serve as a platform for upcoming poets with an opportunity for open mic readings after the featured poets have performed.

Seating is limited and booking essential via the Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery on 021 9764691.

Intimate Stranger

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The wine believed to be South Africa’s oldest red blend celebrates its 80th birthday this year. Chateau Libertas was launched in 1932, by an American medical doctor, adventurer and former Texas Ranger, who had gone into winemaking when he moved to Stellenbosch. Not a year has gone by since in which the wine has not been made.

Chateau, as it is affectionately called, occupies such an entrenched position in the history of so many South African wine lovers that it has assumed an almost iconic status. At a charity auction held in 1985, a bottle of the 1940 vintage was knocked down for R20 000.

Admittedly a gesture intended to garner publicity it nevertheless did demonstrate the esteem in which the wine was held. At last year’s Nederburg Auction, a trio of bottles from 1961 went for R20 000, the equivalent of R6 666 a 750ml bottle, while a six-bottle case of the 1965 sold for R14 000, and a six-bottle case of the 1967, for R8 800.

The origins of Chateau Libertas are as straightforward as the wine itself. Dr William Charles Winshaw wanted a wine to enjoy with food. It was considered good for the digestion and part of a healthy lifestyle. The problem was there wasn’t much choice on the local market in the years between the two World Wars and most of what was available was sweet and fortified. That prompted him to create for South Africans a tasty, lightly wooded dry red blend.

Whether it aided his own digestion or impacted on his health is hard to say, but he worked till the age of 92 and died when he was 96.

Born in 1871, Winshaw was a runaway from Kentucky, USA, who left home at 12. He liked to tell the story that he made his way down the Tennessee River in a canoe with an old hobo. He had many encounters, including meeting Buffalo Bill (aka Colonel William Cody) and at 22 became a Texas Ranger. That was before he went on to study medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans. When he graduated, he settled in New Mexico and met a man buying mules on behalf of the British fighting in the Anglo Boer War. He reckoned the time was right to see some more of the world, so he took the job of accompanying the 4 000 animals on their journey to Cape Town. Once he landed, he was ready for action. He delivered the mules and joined the British fighting forces in 1900.

He loved South Africa and made the country his home. After practising medicine for some years, he turned his hand to winemaking, experimenting in his kitchen. Before long he was supplying a growing group of regular customers, prompting him to start the Stellenbosch Grape Juice Works in 1909. He did very well until an oversupply in a depressed market after World War I saw his business collapse in 1921. Undaunted, after a break, he started a new business, buying the Stellenbosch farm Oude Libertas and establishing Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery (SFW) in 1925. This venture proved far more enduring and was the birthplace of many South African wines that are still household names to countless South Africans today. Chateau Libertas was one of his favourites.

SFW merged with Distillers Corporation in 2000 to create Distell.

Winshaw believed that if he could produce something well-priced, well-made and accessibly styled, even people who weren’t accustomed to wine would see the appeal of his offer. He soon had 80 000 followers, who were buying his blend at a shilling a bottle.

An advertisement in The Wine Book of South Africa (1936), urged readers “When travelling by rail or motor (to) insist on being served” his special blend with their meals. He advised them to “please complain to the Management” if it wasn’t available and assured them that this was a wine “not to intoxicate but give just the right stimulation to the digestion needed by travellers”.

Chateau Libertas was such an ambassador for South Africa that when the British Royal Family visited in 1947 it was served at the official state banquet. It also made an appearance when Viscount Montgomery of Alamein came in 1954 and once again, in 1960, to honour British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan of “Winds of Change” fame.

Originally conceived as an elegant Cabernet Sauvignon-based, wood-matured blend, Chateau Libertas is still made with the same objectives. However, these days it has more of a ripe berry fruit profile to suit contemporary tastes.

Those who have been involved in making the blend will attest that there has never been a fixed recipe. The overriding criterion has always been to remain loyal to the original intention of the wine: to please with an approachable, well-balanced and layered combination of fruit and wood and the structure to age. Cinsaut was a component of the blend until the turn of the century but with the dramatic reduction in plantings that is no longer the case.

The current blend still features Cabernet Sauvignon but also Shiraz, Merlot, Ruby Cabernet and even Petit Verdot.

Says Jackie Olivier, marketing spokesperson for the brand: “Everybody loves its open-hearted burst of juicy ripe fruit backed by a touch of wood. Smooth and delicious, it makes a great match with so many foods. Try it with smoked meats, hearty pastas, pizza, grills, roasts, casseroles, stews.”

The wine is sold nationally and retails for around R34 a bottle. In our student days it was sometimes available at under R10.00 a bottle – aaah the price of fame!

Dr William Charles Winshaw's Chateau Libertas has stood the test of time.