Cape Town to Host Opening Ceremony of Indian Premier League Cricket Tournament

Houtkruis Die Musical

Martin Luther het sy 95 stellinge teen ‘n kerkdeur vasgenael en skielik kan jou geloof jou jou lewe kos! Nooit tevore het so veel afgehang van ‘n enkele keuse nie. Te midde van boere-opstande en monnikgesang speel twee verhale van liefde hulle af teen die agtergrond van verraad en vergifnis. Dit is waaroor Houtkruis, die grootste Afrikaanse musical tot dusver gaan. Musiek wissel van verwerkings in Gregoriaanse gesangstyl tot groot treffers soos Die Via Dolorosa, Hierdie Kind, en, U Ken My. Die stel en dekor is kunstig geskep en aangevul met pragtige gekleurde glasvensters. Hierdie groot-skaal musical toon die grootsheid van God se liefde en roep op tot ‘n nuwe manier van glo. Kom beleef dit self tot 4 April in die Kunstekaap Sentrum - slegs 20 minute se snelwegrit van Niederheim B&B. Stel: Anrich Herbst, Jolette Odendaal, Franna Benade, Elzette Marschalk, Rouel Beukes and Alban Pieterse Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door, and suddenly your beliefs could cost you your life! Never before has so much depended on one decision. Amidst peasant wars and chanting monks, two passionate stories of forbidden love weave their way through betrayal and forgiveness, to bring life to Houtkruis - the biggest hit ever in Afrikaans Gospel music history. With music reworked into Gregorian chant style and also including other big hits such as Die Via Dolorosa, Hierdie kind and U ken my, with expertly crafted sets and decor, and beautiful stained glass windows - this large-scale musical will show you a new way to love, a new way to believe. Come and experience it for yourself.

Artists Cast: Anrich Herbst, Jolette Odendaal, Franna Benade, Elzette Marschalk, Rouel Beukes and Alban Pieterse.

“Voices” bring tribute to IL Divo

The Barnyard Theatre, just round the corner from Niederheim B&B, is again staging a winner. The group Voices will be performing an IL Divo tribute on 20:00, 30 March, in this fun filled theatre at the Willow Bridge shopping centre. As usual guests can bring their own snacks which they can start enjoying from 18:30 at the tables in the theatre. Ticket sales will be in aid of Jonathan Wood (7) of Goodwood, who has been diagnosed with autism. (Book with Ursula on 084 599 2004).

Long time acquintance Sanderina Kruger won ten gold medals

Ms Sanderina Kruger, 60 year old (or should I rather say “young”)  granny of Welgemoed, a long time acquintance of the Nieder-Heitmanns of Niederheim B&B, has recently won ten gold medals at the South African Masters Swimming Championships held in East London. She broke two world records, namely in the 100m and 50m freestyle and was awarded the Victrix Lodorum. She managed to equal times that she swam as a teenager. Sanderina’s daugther, Jana, is an accomplished national gymnast and a school friend Marietjie, daughter of Eshter and Jan Nieder-Heitmann. Jana is also a swimmer lately. Apart from Sanderina, six other members Cape Town Masters Club living in Bellville also brought back medals. They practice close by at the virgin Active, where Jan also regularly joins the squad - however in the slow lane.

NiederHeim B&B binne stapafstand van NGK Sinodale Oornaghuis in Bellville

Die NG Kerk van Wes- en Suid-Kaap se sinodale sentrum is deesdae geleë in Bellville se middestad. Niederheim is ‘n skamele 3 Km hiervandaan in die naaste spogwoonbuurt, Loevenstein. Wat meer is, is die NG Kerk se Oornaghuis wat goedkoop basiese huisvesting bied gerieflik binne stapafstand van hierdie luukse B&B. Dit maak dit ideaal vir persone wat verskillende begrotings vir akkommodasie het maar tog naby mekaar wil wees ter wille van saamry. Niederheim het ook ‘n ruim konferensielokaal wat ideaal is vir groepe tot 14 in grootte.

Cape Town a leader in the fight against global warming

South Africa is waking up to the challenges of the global crisis of climate change. The Climate Change Summit 2009 is being held this week (starting 3 March 2009) where about 600 delegates from all sectors of our society are meeting to discuss ways in which our country can change from one of the world’s least energy effective countries to the leader it should be. Even though we are only responsible for 1.5% of the planet’s human-made greenhouse gas emissions, we nevertheless count among the twenty worst polluters in the world with our high per capita CO2 release.

Cape Town is especially susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change, with particular risk to its coast line, economy, service delivery, resource sustainability and its most vulnerable communities.

Cape Town has a newly formed Climate Change Thinktank consisting of renowned academics and specialists who will assess climate change and its effects and will lead proactive response. It was established by the City with funding from the Royal Danish Embassy, in partnership with the University of Cape Town’s African Centre for Cities and sustainablee Energy Africa. It represents over 30 top academics and specialists from a numbr of Cape Town institutions. The city aims to be a leading local authority in its response to climate change. The city council has already adopted an Energy and Climate Change Strategy, and has established an Energy Committee.

As a sign of practical steps in the right direction, the City of Cape Town’s electricity department has won this year’s top prize for managing the most environmentally friendly vehicle fleet in South Africa. By managing part of its fleet of 740 vehicles in an intentionally green fashion, a massive 22% reduction in fuel usage has been procured. This approach is to be extended to the rest of the 6000 vehicles of the City of Cape Town’s fleet.

Niederheim B&B is in its modest way a leader in this regard. We invested in a large solar water heating system, which limits the use of electricity to overcast days. And even though our establishment is well illuminated both outside and inside, we mainly use low energy fluorescent bulbs. Our north facing windows ensure optimal solar warming of the rooms in winter while our trellised vines keep the scorching summer sun out. The net result is that we use less than a mere 20 kwh per day in summer.

One can only hope that the current rise in the price of electricity will be accompanied by the necessary incentives and legislature to build more energy efficient and to effect a large scale switch over to solar energy.

Bed and Breakfast accommodation growing in popularity

The popularity of B&B accommodation is steadily growing in the north of Cape Town as part of a world wide phenomenon. The reasons for this are manifold. This type of accommodation offers both business people and tourists the homeliness of a house in a normal residential area. It softens the away-from-home feeling of the itinerant professional and executive person. Especially women appreciate the added safety of a home. For tourists it offers direct and personal contact with local people and an intimate experience of and look into their particular way of life. For European tourists Niederheim offers the possibility of a first hand experience of how their colonial heritage has transformed itself into an integral part of the rainbow nation of South Africa. Esther and Jan Nieder-Heitmann with their Dutch, German, French Huguenot and Irish ancestry and their Afrikaans (Cape Dutch) home language adds to the richness of such an experience. And last, but definitely not the least, for cash strapped people everywhere braving the global economic storms of 2009, B&B accommodation like N-H offers the same luxuries for which hotels would easily charge twice as much.