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Cape Town named 10th best city in the world to travel to
C ape Town has been named the 10th best city in the world to travel to, and the best in Africa and the Middle East, in the Travel & Leisure 2016 World’ s Best Cities awards.
Cape Town shone at a ceremony in New York on Wednesday night, where it was voted the top city on the continent and in the top 10 best cities in the world. The US city of Charleston, in South Carolina, placed first.
Garreth Bloor, the mayco member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development, was thrilled with the accolade.“ I am deeply honoured and extremely proud that Cape Town was voted number 1 in the category‘ Top Cities in Africa and the Middle East’ in the Travel and Leisure 2016 World’ s Best Awards,” Bloor said.
“ Those of us who live in Cape Town tend to take the natural beauty of our city for granted. Such accolades make us appreciate our awesome surroundings once again. It is indeed humbling for all residents.” He said that with Cape Town becoming a hot destination for people wanting to work, live and recreate in beautiful surroundings, the city needed to cater to the rapid population growth.“ While we pride ourselves in being a well-run city, we still have work to do,” Bloor said.“ Cape Town has been one of the fastest growing cities in South Africa.
Housing survey points to weakening property market
Examining the second quarter 2016 FNB Estate Agent Survey results for residential market activity and demand perceptions of agents, it would appear that the second quarter once again points to housing market and possibly economic weakening coming.
This comes after a mild strengthening in the first quarter results, and it was that first quarter improvement that may have been reflected in mildly faster national average house price growth in the second quarter of this year.
The South African component of the FNB Estate Agent Survey is a survey of a sample of estate agents predominantly in SA’ s major metro regions. A key question asked of agents concerns their perceptions of residential market activity in their areas, a subjective question on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest level of activity.
The second quarter 2016 residential activity indicator declined to 5.77, from the previous quarter’ s 6.39. The cumulative decline has now become noticeable since the 6.73 high of the first quarter of 2015.
Nature reserve destroyed‘ for sea view’
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Visit www. reimag. co. za for daily news updates mhlanga residents are furious about the alleged unceremonious destruction of part of a protected nature reserve just so that a home could get an unobstructed view of the sea.
They blame a couple and two body corporate chairmen for ruining“ one quarter to one third” of the roughly 500m-long reserve, which is on the beach, just off Marine Drive, south of Umhlanga Main Beach.
The reserve has been part of a rehabilitation programme since it was severely damaged by high waters in 2009.
Residents and hotels in the vicinity have devoted time and money to protection of the reserve.
A resident, who insisted on anonymity, told The Mercury yesterday that residents- not only those occupying their complex- were shocked by the damage.
“ We saw people chopping down trees. When we asked what they were doing, they said the body corporate told them( to do it).”
They said the body corporate was not allowed to do this, and that clearing of vegetation from the reserve was illegal. Both complexes share one body corporate. But The Cove’ s chairman, Dudley Horn, told The Mercury they had acted in“ good faith” to remove an alien vine.
6 AUGUST 2016 SA Real Estate Investor www. reimag. co. za