Animal invasions
The guardians of Table Mountain’s fauna will have some sympathy with their counterparts on the Isle of Man, a piece of land on the Irish Sea that’s twice the size of the Cape Town park. In the 1930s, a few Himalayan tahr, a large even-toed ungulate, escaped from the Groote Schuur zoo and multiplied on the mountain. Its invasive grazing, especially on the fragile fynbos, contributed to erosion and habitat loss for indigenous species. Culling was the solution, and only a few survive. The Isle of Man has a similar problem with wallabies, a pair of which escaped a wildlife park in 1965, creating the biggest population — more than 1,000 — outside Australia. One of the marsupials caused a car crash, and another recently had to be rescued from the sea.
G20 victims
A delegation from Vietnam attending the G20 in Joburg at the weekend were victims of robbers in Sandton before catching a flight home, an incident described by Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi as “South Africans being South Africans”. The group was robbed while shopping at Checkers, according to provincial police chief Lt-Gen Tommy Mthombeni. Clearly the delegation had not been briefed on the benefits of the supermarket chain’s Sixty60 delivery service.
A new take on clutter
The Renaissance city of Florence offers great art and food, the latter often enjoyed outdoors on its piazzas. But city officials have declared war on al fresco dining after locals complained that it causes street and visual clutter. Under new rules coming into force next year, outdoor seating will be banned along 50 streets within the historic centre, and stricter regulations will be imposed on more than 70 additional locations. Some Florentines say the rules do not go far enough, while restaurateurs say the restrictions will undermine their businesses.
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