In a response that might lead to further artefacts being returned to Africa, a German museum has said it would return to Namibia a 15th-century navigation landmark that Portuguese explorers erected on the coast.
The navigation landmark is the padrao or stone cross erected at what soon became known as Cape Cross, north of Walvis Bay, by the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão in 1486.
Cão had sailed the African coast seeking a way into the Indian Ocean and reached as far south as 22°10 S before turning back.
Before doing so he left his final “marker” on a small headland that as early as 1500 was being shown on maps as “Cape Cross”.
The next explorer to pass that way was Bartolomeu Dias who succeeded in becoming the first European to round the southernmost tip of Africa when he sailed into the Indian Ocean in 1488.
Dias went only as far as a little north of Algoa Bay before turning back, leaving the glory of opening a trade route to India to Vasco da Gama whose sailing along the east coast on Christmas Day, 1497 left us with the name of “Natal”.
The stone cross at Cape Cross remained a useful marker to all navigators. Carved from sandstone and weighing more than a tonne most were able to withstand the ravages of time, but not always of man. Some are thought to have been destroyed by the inhabitants of the land on which they were planted by a European race claiming the land. Others, like that at Cape Cross, were later removed elsewhere.
The padrao at Cape Cross was one that remained in situ until the 1890s when the occupying Germans removed it to Germany. In 2006, the cross went on display at the the German Historical Museum in Berlin.
In 2017, Namibian authorities began requesting its return, which has been acceded and which might prove to be the start of a return to Namibia of other artefacts and even human remains.
Namibian ambassador to Germany, Andreas Guibeb, described the return of the cross as “important as a step for us to reconcile with our colonial past and the trail of humiliation and systematic injustice that it left behind”.
German culture minister Monika Gruetters said the restitution of the stone cross of Cape Cross was a clear signal that Germany was committed to coming to terms with its colonial past.
“For too many decades, the colonial time has been a blind spot in our remembrance culture,” she said.
The museum pointed out that while it has agreed to return the 533-year-old cross, despite it not being of African origin, it acknowledged the outstanding significance an artefact like this padrao had on the people of Namibia and the special contribution it could make on site in the future of understanding Namibia’s history.
The cross, it said, highlighted how “descendants from Europe and Africa can engage in dialogue that does historical justice” to it.
The Cape Cross padrao is 3.5m high and weighs 1.1 tonnes and, as with the others, was intended to be seen from out at sea.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2], [3]. Image sources: [1], [2].
South African National Blood Service Launches a New Drone-Based Blood Delivery System
The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) has launched a new drone blood delivery service at the North Eastern Radio Flyers in Sandton.
Its Tron drone has a range of over 100km and can travel at up to 180km/h – but can also travel as slowly as 60km/h if necessary. The wing-design is incredibly efficient, added the SANBS, allowing for long travel with minimal power usage.
Designing the drone
“We had a discussion with the department of health to discuss how to help people in rural areas, and hence the drone project was born,” said SANBS CEO Dr Jonathan Louw.
He said that when designing the drone, there were seven criteria:
After a six-month process, the SANBS decided to partner with the organisation they deemed to be the best option: Quantum Systems.
Far-reaching benefits
Louw said the SANBS is incredibly excited by the opportunities that this new drone delivery system offers patients in need. “We believe this will be a milestone in the history of blood transfusion, not only in South Africa, but in the entire world.”
The SANBS will now conduct a series of test runs, and once the Civil Aviation Authority gives them the necessary licensing, they’ll look to expand into multiple provinces including KZN, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape.
How it works
The Tron drone can either be controlled by a pilot or fly autonomously. Before it takes off, it conducts a series of security checks to ensure that it is ready to fly. Once these checks have been done, the drone will take off. Crucially, the Tron is designed to fly at a height that will not interfere with aeroplane traffic.
The drone also relays HD-quality video to the control centre, ensuring that its flight path and trajectory can be monitored at all times. The design of Tron is such that it lands smoothly, avoiding any damage to either the drone or the blood sample – even if it needs to make an emergency landing.
Pictures of the Tron can be seen below.
To find out more about the SANBS, visit their website here.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].
The South African Revenue Service Has Increased The Tax Return Threshold
SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter presented his plans for the 2019 tax season on Tuesday morning (4 June), including the announcement that taxpayers earning below R500,000 are now no longer required to submit returns.
This is an increase from the previous threshold of R350,000. However, SARS said that taxpayers still need to meet the following criteria:
Kieswetter said that the taxman would be especially hard on those that miss their payment deadlines.
“We continue to encourage taxpayers to convert to online filing. This makes the submission of returns simpler and convenient but also facilitates our overall objective of improving voluntary compliance”.
South African taxpayers should beware of simply ignoring their normal tax filing obligations due to the recent tax threshold change, according to North West University professor Herman Viviers.
“People should be very wary not simply ignore filing their normal tax returns as there is always the possibility of getting a tax refund due to additional tax deductions and/or tax credits only allowed upon assessment,” Viviers said.
He added that people should also take into account their retirement annuity contributions and medical schemes when considering filing their tax return, as they will need to declare these to claim back tax on these payments.
“Individuals will lose out on these deductions and tax credits if they do not submit their tax returns,” Viviers said.
He added that if people are uncertain about whether to submit their return, they should consult with a registered tax practioner to determine if they are compliant with the Tax Administration Act.
The tax season will officially start on 1 July for eFiling, and 1 August for other types of filing. Submissions need to be in by 31 October for walk-ins, and 4 December for online filing. For more info about personal income tax, visit the SARS website here, and to register for eFiling, click here.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2], [3]. Image sources: [1], [2].
Germany to Return 15th Century Navigation Landmark to Namibia
In a response that might lead to further artefacts being returned to Africa, a German museum has said it would return to Namibia a 15th-century navigation landmark that Portuguese explorers erected on the coast.
The navigation landmark is the padrao or stone cross erected at what soon became known as Cape Cross, north of Walvis Bay, by the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão in 1486.
Cão had sailed the African coast seeking a way into the Indian Ocean and reached as far south as 22°10 S before turning back.
Before doing so he left his final “marker” on a small headland that as early as 1500 was being shown on maps as “Cape Cross”.
The next explorer to pass that way was Bartolomeu Dias who succeeded in becoming the first European to round the southernmost tip of Africa when he sailed into the Indian Ocean in 1488.
Dias went only as far as a little north of Algoa Bay before turning back, leaving the glory of opening a trade route to India to Vasco da Gama whose sailing along the east coast on Christmas Day, 1497 left us with the name of “Natal”.
The stone cross at Cape Cross remained a useful marker to all navigators. Carved from sandstone and weighing more than a tonne most were able to withstand the ravages of time, but not always of man. Some are thought to have been destroyed by the inhabitants of the land on which they were planted by a European race claiming the land. Others, like that at Cape Cross, were later removed elsewhere.
The padrao at Cape Cross was one that remained in situ until the 1890s when the occupying Germans removed it to Germany. In 2006, the cross went on display at the the German Historical Museum in Berlin.
In 2017, Namibian authorities began requesting its return, which has been acceded and which might prove to be the start of a return to Namibia of other artefacts and even human remains.
Namibian ambassador to Germany, Andreas Guibeb, described the return of the cross as “important as a step for us to reconcile with our colonial past and the trail of humiliation and systematic injustice that it left behind”.
German culture minister Monika Gruetters said the restitution of the stone cross of Cape Cross was a clear signal that Germany was committed to coming to terms with its colonial past.
“For too many decades, the colonial time has been a blind spot in our remembrance culture,” she said.
The museum pointed out that while it has agreed to return the 533-year-old cross, despite it not being of African origin, it acknowledged the outstanding significance an artefact like this padrao had on the people of Namibia and the special contribution it could make on site in the future of understanding Namibia’s history.
The cross, it said, highlighted how “descendants from Europe and Africa can engage in dialogue that does historical justice” to it.
The Cape Cross padrao is 3.5m high and weighs 1.1 tonnes and, as with the others, was intended to be seen from out at sea.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2], [3]. Image sources: [1], [2].
Cape Town, Its International Airport, and Port of Durban Among World Travel Awards 2019 Winners
The 26th World Travel Awards ceremony was held in Mauritius over the weekend, and Cape Town, the city’s International Airport, and the Port of Durban, were among the winners for Africa.
The Awards, established in 1993, aim to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.
For 2019, regional gala ceremonies were held in North America & the Caribbean (Jamaica), Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE), Africa & the Indian Ocean (Mauritius), Europe (Madeira, Portugal), Latin America (La Paz, Bolivia), and Asia & Oceania (Phu Quoc, Vietnam).
Cape Town won in the category of Africa’s Leading Festival & Event Destination 2019, for the second year in a row. For information on Cape Town, visit Cape Town Tourism.
Cape Town International Airport won in the category of Africa’s Leading Airport 2019, for the third consecutive year. For info about CTIA, visit their website here. The airport has major redesigns scheduled in order to lengthen its runway to accommodate larger aircraft, in an effort to maintain Cape Town’s capacity for tourism.
Cape Town featured once again, with Table Mountain winning in the category of Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2019. Info about Table Mountain can be found here.
Among other South African winners was the Port of Durban, which won in the category of Africa’s Leading Cruise Port 2019, for the second year in a row. For information about the Port, visit its website here.
Durban also won in the category of Africa’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination 2019, for the third consecutive year. Information about Durban can be found on the city’s tourism website here.
Other categories and respective winners for 2019 included Africa’s Leading Airline (Ethiopian Airways); Africa’s Leading Brand (Ethiopian Airways); Africa’s Leading Business Travel Destination (Nairobi, Kenya); Africa’s Leading Conference Hotel (Radisson Blu, Kigali, Rwanda); Africa’s Leading Green Hotel (Aberdare Country Club, Kenya); and Africa’s Leading River Cruise Company (Zambezi Queen Collection).
For the full list of winners for the African region, click here.
Recently, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke about how he believes tourism is the new gold in Africa. Speaking at the conclusion of the Africa Travel Indaba in Durban, President Ramaphosa hailed the continent for being a tourism hub saying, if nurtured well, the sector would benefit not only individual countries, but also its citizens.
For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.
Sources: [1], [2], [3]. Image sources: [1], [2].