A blog by Wandisile Sebezo

Plett Tourism and local radio station MCFM have joined forces to launch iKasi Life – a series of stories written and shared by a Plett Tourism feature writer, Wandisile Sebezo.

The new iKasi Life segment will air every Saturday morning at 11:00 am, starting from 1 May 2021, bringing all things Plett; from community initiatives in Kranshoek and inspiring stories out of Kwano, to the Plett film industry and the Plett Winelands, and tales of suspense with Plett’s adventures and ...more

Words by Wandisile Sebezo

Plett Tourism in partnership with the WESGRO hosted 31 tour guides from the Cape Tour Guide Association (CTGA) during their tour of the Cradle of Human Culture. The Garden Route section of the tour started in Stilbaai, where they visited the Blombos Cave.

They then made their way to St Blaze Cave in Mossel Bay which was followed by a trip into Plettenberg Bay to visit Nelson Bay Cave (also known as Nelsons Cave) at Robberg Nature Reserve. On the last day, they proceeded to Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn.

On arriving in Plett on the ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo

March marks exactly one year since COVID-19 took the world by storm, disrupting life as we know it and ushering in a ‘new normal’.

I don’t know about you - besides being scared, I was also excited - we were venturing into new realities my 31-year-old self has never seen before. So, it was a tale of two cities, to steal from Charles Dickens.

I came across this picture on my Facebook memories from March 2020. I remember it was soon after the President announced the enforcement of lockdown regulations. Not knowing what to anticipate, many people went ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo

I’m on Cairnbrogie, a farm just next to the Griqua Settlement of Kranshoek, 15 minutes away from Plett, to learn about horses. But these are not just any horses - they're a special breed. The people who are looking after them call them the “Heritage Horses”. Or, more to the point, the Griqua Horse Herd.

Pleasantries done, my energetic tour guide apologises for not being able to offer me coffee, and without wasting time goes straight to the point; “How do you want to do this?” she asks. I say “let’s talk and walk”. I follow her ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo

In times where it's every man for himself, it’s really rare to find people doing amazing work for the betterment of others and the community they live in, but if one dares look deep enough, you come across initiatives like the Toy Project in Plettenberg Bay, down in Green Valley, where women empowerment means community development.

“The Toy Project is a skills-and-employment initiative for previously unemployed women living in the Groenfontein Valley outside Calitzdorp in the Little Karoo, and the Wittedrift community outside ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo

Plett is known for its amazing beaches along a beautiful coastal line. Hey, we have even won awards for it. What is hardly said is that we also boast caring and good people who will go the extra mile when helping those in need.

One such project that reflects this can be found in Kranshoek. It is run by ‘People of Love’, a special project where locals come together to work the land in a sustainable manner and are able to feed themselves and their families. The project is based on four key pillars which include vegetable gardens, ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo

In a joint venture between Plett Tourism and Bitou Municipality, the Plett Summer season kicked off when the two entities hosted the largest radio station in the Garden Route – Eden FM on Monday the 7th of December.

Eden FM’s mobile station arrived on Sunday afternoon and all necessary arrangements were made to ensure a smooth sailing process, and the van subsequently parked at the Taxi Rank in Central Plett where it broadcasted live between 06h00 to 09h00 and again from 12h00 to 15h00.

Plett Tourism was represented by Acting CEO Patty Butterworth and Plett Tourism’s writer more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo

Since opening its doors in 2018, N2 Lounge has been championing social causes, from Cancer Awareness to raising money for sanitary towels for girls, and this time, to put bread on the table for those less fortunate.

“Umntu ngumntu ngabantu - a person is a person through other people. That is why charity is so close to our hearts,” say the owners of N2 Lounge, Shaun and Melony.

COVID-19 has seen the closure of many small businesses and loss of jobs. As a result, many people couldn’t feed their families. For small tourism dependant towns such as Plett, this meant that the lack of tourism activity dealt a huge ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo

Township life is sophisticated in all its respects. One of those is the kind of music enjoyed by those inhabiting these areas. In the 90’s there was Kwaito, then house, and then Gqom which took many dance floors by storm. Now, South Africans are dancing to a different kind of tune – Amapiano.

It’s not easy to decide where exactly it fits, if you listen to it carefully, though, you get a bit of deep house and an upbeat jazzy piano vibe. It’s thought to have originated in Pretoria. In our part of the world though, it’s at Malibu’s Tavern where you’ll get the most of it.

There is a new twist, ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo

EXCITEMENT has been running high since news landed that local Plettenberg Bay opera singer Mike Bhayibhile has been awarded a prestigious scholarship to the Berlin Opera Academy.

Over a strong black coffee at my house in Kwano, the singer couldn’t hide his delight as he sat down to tell me all about it.

Significantly, his recorded concerts for this year’s virtual Plett Arts Festival played a pivotal role, having served as vocal audition in Berlin.

Mike, 40, was born in Mdantsane, East London. His family moved to Plett in 1998 in search of greener pastures. He completed his school career at Murray High, and by this time ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo | Photos courtesy Wilhelm Vincent

It was a cosy Thursday night on the 1st of October, down at Emily Moon where about 50 Plett locals gathered for a night of wine, wood-fired pizzas, a movie, and a chance to chat away with one of South Africa’s foremost film directors, Oom Koos Roets, who was with his wife Eunice.

The reason? To raise funds for an upcoming short film set to be shot in Kranshoek, which is in itself a heritage site as it is home to one of South Africa’s oldest tribes from the Khoi and San – The Griqua.

The short film celebrates a traditional ...more

A blog by Wandisile Sebezo.

About a hundred or so Kwano residents flocked to Sishuba Street, the main street of Kwano, to celebrate heritage day, and I caught the glimpse of the activities.

The 24th of September is heritage day in South Africa and South Africans never run short of ways to express their culture, be it food, clothes, dance or music - the people living in the Southern tip of Africa are just proud people.

The people of Plett were not to be left behind. This free heritage event was organised by Kwano Crime Prevention Unit, a community-led organisation with the sole mission of ...more