You never have to ask a CA this question 😂

There’s a bit of a fight brewing over the future of Papegaaiberg Nature Reserve, and considering it’s basically sitting on Stellenbosch’s doorstep, this is probably something we should be paying attention to.

During two recent BioBlitz events, residents and scientists headed into the reserve armed with cameras and phones to record as many different species as possible.

The good news: there’s still some pretty special biodiversity up there.

The not-so-good news: apparently we’re not doing a particularly brilliant job of looking after it.

Prof Ruan Veldtman from SANBI and Stellenbosch University says the reserve is facing illegal dumping, invasive alien plants and a lack of municipal management. More importantly, Papegaaiberg contains some of the last remaining Renosterveld, with less than 5% of this vegetation type reportedly left in the Western Cape.

And this isn’t exactly a new complaint.

Back in 2023, a petition calling for better protection and security at the reserve gathered 9,832 signatures. A later public participation process also reportedly found support from residents in Stellenbosch, Onder Papegaaiberg and Kayamandi for protecting and securing the area.

The Municipality says an action plan was agreed on in 2024 covering things like fencing, access control, signage, illegal dumping and tourism. Some community representatives, however, say they weren't aware of the meeting and argue that little has happened since.

It all feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.

We spend enormous amounts of money creating parks, trails and green spaces in towns around the world.

We already have one.

Perhaps we should just look after it.

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Stellenbosch has picked up a couple of bragging rights in the Kfm Best of the Cape Awards.

🥓 The Meeting Place on Dorp Street was voted Best Breakfast Spot in the Western Cape.

✂️ Skêr Barber Co. on Bird Street was voted Best Barber in the Western Cape.

And these weren't exactly uncontested titles. This year's awards attracted more than 18,000 nominations and over 440,000 public votes across 30 categories.

Even more impressive is that both businesses have been here before.

The Meeting Place also won Best Breakfast Spot in 2024, while Skêr has now won Best Barber two years in a row.

So there you have it.

Come to Stellenbosch and we'll make sure you're well fed and beautifully groomed.

What happens after that is entirely up to you. 😂

Always lekker seeing independent Stellenbosch businesses getting some recognition beyond our little bubble.

If you have small children, you’ll eventually discover diseases you had absolutely no idea existed before becoming a parent.

Enter Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.

A name that sounds like something a farmer phones the vet about.

Then your child gets it.

The little spots on the hands and feet? Fine.

It’s the mouth sores that turn your normally snack-obsessed child into someone who regards a yoghurt like it has personally offended them.

They don't want to eat.

They don't want to drink.

They definitely don't want to sleep.

And suddenly your bedroom becomes a 24-hour field hospital run by two people who have absolutely no medical qualifications and haven't slept properly since last week.

At 2:17am you’re standing in the kitchen in your underwear, one eye open, trying to remember:

“When did we last give the Panado?”

“I think 11?”

“No, that was Nurofen.”

“Are you sure?”

“Wait... WHAT DAY IS IT?”

You start keeping notes on your phone like you're managing an ICU.

01:10 - medicine.
01:47 - crying.
02:15 - water rejected.
02:42 - parent questioning all life decisions.
03:06 - everyone finally asleep.
03:11 - other child wakes up.

And then, after several days of absolute carnage, they wake up one morning and casually ask for toast.

Completely fine.

Running around.

Laughing.

Meanwhile, the parents look like they've just returned from a six-month deployment.

Parenthood really is beautiful.

But some weeks are more beautiful than others. 😂

There’s a question that seems to arrive approximately four minutes into every function.

“So... what do you do?”

It’s such a strange question when you think about it.

We’ve barely established each other’s names, but already we need to know how the other person makes money.

Not:

“What are you interested in?”

“What do you do for fun?”

“What makes you happy?”

No.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

It sometimes feels like we’re quietly gathering information so we can work out where to place this new human being in our internal social filing cabinet.

Doctor. Ahhh, interesting.

Owns a business. Okayyy.

Teacher. Lovely.

Accountant. Responsible.

Unemployed. Suddenly notices someone they know across the room.

I’ve decided the next time someone asks me at a function, I’m going to start making things up.

“What do you do?”

“Night entertainer.”

Then just take a sip of wine and offer absolutely no further explanation.

Or:

“I breed racing pigeons professionally.”

“I’m in competitive ferret grooming.”

“I import sand.”

“I can't really talk about it. Government stuff.”

Although there is one profession where you don't actually have to ask.

How do you know if someone is a CA?

Don't worry.

They'll tell you.

Usually somewhere between their name and their second sip of wine. 😂

Maybe at the next function we should try a different opening question:

“What do you enjoy doing when you're not working?”

You might actually find out something interesting about the person.

We’ve somehow made being busy a measure of success.

“How are things?”

“Crazy busy.”

And we say it almost proudly.

I’m all for working hard. Get shit done. Build things. Chase ideas. Make money. Have goals.

But I’m starting to think there’s something unhealthy about needing to feel busy all the time.

Every gap gets filled. Every quiet moment needs a screen. Every walk needs a podcast. Every drive needs a phone call. Even sitting down for ten minutes can make us feel like we should be doing something.

Maybe one of the more important things we can learn is how to be still.

To sit with our own thoughts.

To slow our minds down.

To stop feeling guilty when we’re doing absolutely nothing productive.

Because you can have a successful business, a full diary and a hundred things happening around you, but if there’s constant chaos inside your head, what exactly are you working so hard for?

Work hard.

Get shit done.

But work just as hard at finding some peace within yourself.

Being busy and being fulfilled are not the same thing.

Wednesday ☀️🌤️ | 20°C / 11°C
A pretty decent spring day. Partly sunny, mild and mostly dry. The sort of weather that tricks you into thinking winter has finally packed its bags.

Thursday 🌧️💨 | 18°C / 12°C
Winter has not packed its bags. Showers are expected, potentially heavy in the morning, with the wind picking up later. Other forecasts put the rain chance around 85–90%, so keep the umbrella close.

Friday 💨🌤️ | 20°C / 11°C
The rain clears out again, but it looks windy. Clouds giving way to sunshine with a fresh south-easterly breeze. Not bad, provided your hat has a chin strap.

In short: ☀️ Wednesday → 🌧️ Thursday → 🌤️ Friday.
Classic Stellenbosch spring. Three seasons, 72 hours.

As always, thanks for reading. If you spot something in town worth knowing, reply and tell us. Half the best Stellenbosch stories begin that way.

See you around town,
Stellenbosch Brief

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