SA Rocks

UPDATE:

The winners are:

Michelle Alexander

&

Lynn Fester

But worry not. I offer the readers a great consolation prize!

If you book your tickets through Computicket and use the special code: “Taste” you’ll get a 2 for 1 special! Correct, if you use “Taste” and book through Computicket you get a buy one get one free vibe. Its just that easy.

If you live in the gorgeous city of Cape Town and you are going to be around between 24-28 March and you’ll be near Rhodes High School, Mowbray then this is a competition for you!

SA Rocks is giving away two sets of two tickets to two lucky winners. Yes, that is a lot of two’s. I know!

A bit of background: 16 of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants will once again serve their fabulous signature dishes to those discerning food lovers.

Celebrated chefs from Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek will be participating, promising an extraordinary experience for everyone. The Chef’s Theatre, Wine Route and Beer Academy will add to a delicious day – or night – out, sampling exquisite food and drink.

For all the festival information go to www.tasteofcapetown.co.za

To win all you have to do is place your answer to the following question in the comments section and a winner will be drawn from the correct answers!

The Question (it’s not a tough one):

Where is this years Taste of Cape Town event being held?

Popularity: 6% [?]

That’s correct, not only can you do good for Africa but there is a little incentive in it for you too! You can win a celebrity dinner if you simply enter the Breadline Celeb competition.

Breadline Africa, a local charity that believes in giving a hand-up not a hand-out, wants to take you out to dinner with one of your favourite local celebs. All you need to do is to make a small, or big, donation towards alleviating poverty in Africa and you could win an evening out with Just Jinjer, Heinz Winckler, Sasha Martinengo or 94.7 Highveld Stereo’s Bailey Schneider.

The competition runs from 1 – 28 February 2010, and to enter simply donate to Breadline Africa via SMS (36010) or its website, www.breadlineafrica.org/celebs. The more you donate, the better your chances to win the prize. And don’t forget to choose which celeb you would like to meet if you win: you do this by including the correct code (JINJER, HEINZ, SASHA or BAILEY) if you enter by SMS, or checking the appropriate tick box if you enter online.

Four lucky winners will be whisked off for a fun-filled evening with a top SA celeb, or group of celebs, who are also doing their bit to eradicate poverty in Africa – for once and for all. Flights are included, and you’ll get an exclusive culinary experience with one of your favourite local celebrities!

Breadline Africa is involved in a range of projects across Southern Africa, all aimed at helping communities become sustainable and enabling them to help themselves. Most of the projects involve placing refurbished shipping containers in disadvantaged areas to be used as classrooms, soup kitchens, clinics, libraries or ablution blocks.

Popularity: 4% [?]

KuduClub, in collaboration with the ATKV, Jukebox, kykNET, Rapport and OFM, are offering one lucky family the opportunity to bring a loved one home for Christmas.

Recognising that returning home to spend the festive season with the family is what all homesick expats long for, KuduClub – the online subscription channel that dishes up the best in South African entertainment – conceptualised the Tuis vir Kersfees campaign.

Now one lucky individual and his/her companion stands the chance of winning two return tickets back to South Africa on 22 December 2009. The KuduClub team will fetch them in their current country of residence and bring them home. There is nothing like a warm South African Christmas surrounded by loved ones, when you’ve spent the last few knee-deep in snow.

Says Andries Vrey, General Manager: Afrikaans (DStv Online): “The number of expats who log onto KuduClub.com to watch Jukebox and request songs for their friends and family back home, has opened our eyes to the fact that there are many South Africans spread across the world who would love to be home for a sunny Christmas. The festive season is a time when families come together and celebrate, and the KuduClub community are no different. We are pleased to offer the lucky winner of Tuis vir Kersfees the opportunity to spend Christmas at home”.

To enter the competition, SMS* the word KERSFEES and your name to 34585. Or visit www.kuduclub.com to enter online.

* R2 per SMS. Free SMS’s don’t apply.

Competition closes soon (Nov 25th 2009) so get your entries in ASAP!

Popularity: 6% [?]

This competition has been running for a week or two over at Afrigator and now SA Rocks is jumping on the band wagon. And why would we not jump on board to help you, our loyal readers, win a dinner with the incredible band, The Parlotones.

Competition rules are below:

Afrigator / Parlotones Hands on Wine dinner competition rules

These rules (“these rules”) govern entries into the Afrigator / Parlotones Hands on Wine dinner competition (“this competition”). If you enter the competition you agree to be bound by these rules. Should you elect not to be bound by these rules, your entry will not be considered as a valid entry into the competition.

This competition is being run by Afrigator Internet (Pty) Ltd in conjunction with Hands on Wine (Pty) Ltd, A company called it and The Parlotones band (“The Organisers”).

In order to enter this competition and be considered for the prize, you must:

own a blog that you regularly maintain (“your blog”);
ensure that your blog has been registered on Afrigator.com;
create a blog post (“your blog post”) on your blog, before the closing date, that mentions the Giant Mistake wine somewhere in the content of the post;
post a link back to the Giant Mistake wine website located at http://theparlotoneswine.com on your blog post.
By entering this competition you confirm that you are at least 18 years of age.

This competition ends at midnight on the 31st of October 2009. The winners of this competition (“prizewinner”) will be selected on or before 7 November 2009 and will be notified by the contact email address supplied when registering on Afrigator.com as well as on http://blog.afrigator.com. If the prizewinner fails to contact us the judges will be forced to allocate a new winner for the competition.

This competition is only open to residents of South Africa.

There are two prizes available for this competition.

Dinner with The Parlotones band at a venue in Johannesburg
Dinner with The Parlotones band at a venue in Cape Town
Two different entrants are entitled to winning a prize. One prizewinner residing in Johannesburg and one prizewinner residing in Cape Town will be selected to attend the prize in the city they reside in.

Transport to and from the venue does not form part of the prize and is for the prizewinners own account.

Accommodation in Cape Town or Johannesburg does not form part of the prize.

The outcome of the competition is subject to the decision of The Organisers of the competition, whose decision is final, and no negotiations and or correspondence will be entered into after the fact.

Participants enter the competition at their own risk and The Organisers bear no responsibility for any loss, damage or harm suffered as a result of participation in the competition.

If The Organisers are unable to deliver a prize to a winner or if a winner fails to claim the prize then the prize concerned shall be forfeited.

The Organisers reserve the right to redistribute all unclaimed prizes if not claimed after one week after being given away.

Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or any other prize, nor are they transferable to any person other than the prizewinner.

No employees and immediate family of The Organisers nor their PR or advertising agents are allowed to participate.

The Organisers reserve the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend, alter, amend or close the competition as necessary.

The participants entering or taking part in this competition authorise The Organisers to publish any or all the details of the participant and or to take pictures of the participant without any liability on the part of The Organisers and or remuneration due to the participant.

If you are the prizewinner of the competition, you will need to make yourself available to attend the dinner (“claim the prize”) on a date specified by The Organisers. Should you not be able to claim the prize on the date specified then The Organisers will be forced to allocate a new winner for the competition.

No personal information will be disclosed to third parties without the user’s permission.

In the case of any disputes regarding these rules the decision of The Organisers will be final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into.

The laws of the Republic of South Africa govern this competition. You consent to the jurisdiction of a Magistrates Court in the Republic of South Africa, which has jurisdiction in respect of any dispute arising out of any aspect of this competition.

The Organisers may amend these rules from time to time in writing without notice to you. It is your responsibility to check for updates and amendments to these rules. To the extent these rules constitute an agreement between you and The Organisers, you agree that these rules may only be amended, in writing, by The Organisers.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Something that has severely upset me over the years (yes, severely) is the lack of options for men everywhere. In fashion, grooming, shopping centers and general stores it’s all female-orientated.

Well, Mantality is different. It’s one for the guys. In a time when online stores are popping up all over the show its refreshing for me to see one targeted to the men in the audience.

The genre of products available is mightily impressive: Face, Hair, Health, Sex, Stuff, Gifts, Scents and many more. They allow for a wide variety of choice for the suave online male shopper.

I know this sounds like an advert for Mantality but I am just so blimming excited that there is a male-orientated store that I can’t help it. This SA initiative makes me proud and makes me happy. I am not being sexist when I say that I found a place online that I could call a shopping haven.

From the Mantality about section:

Mantality.co.za is the only place online where today’s South African man can get everything he could ever need and more. From men’s skin care and grooming products, to health and sport supplements, to fragrances and hair care products – whatever you’re after Mantality.co.za is there for you.

The idea for Mantality came about as a result of there being little to no shops (let alone online stores) dedicated purely to the more modern, style, health and image conscious man of South Africa. Most of the time South African male shoppers needed to buy their amenities from online stores in the UK, US and abroad. This proves to be not only expensive (as you are eligible for import duties upon arrival) but also quite a hassle – because you shouldn’t have to wait, approx 20 working days, for a package that may or may not actually arrive.

Because I am so excited about Mantality I had to contact the founder, James Mew and see what I could organise for all the SA Rocks male readers (Don’t worry ladies I’ve got something in the pipeline for you too)!

All you have to do is answer this simple question (the answer can be found at Mantality):

When ordering from Mantality.co.za, how long can one expect for their order to be delivered?

c) 10-15 working days

Simply email me: editor@sarocks.co.za or James: james@Mantality.co.za or drop your comment below with an email address and your answer!

This is what the prize looks like:

And this is what it consists of:

American Crew Fibre 100ml

Opti-Men Multi vitamin 90’s

To the value of R1095!

The competition will run for two weeks on SA Rocks so leave your comments pronto!

Popularity: 5% [?]

I have been asked to judge a competition. I always like being asked to judge things, it makes me feel, well, important. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen but nonetheless I am judging a photography competition.

JustSouthAfrica.co.za is hosting a competition.

From the site:

Finding South Africas best photos. Submit your photos, 5 judges will evaluate them and all nominees can use the nominated badge on their website. Monthly winners can add their winning badges and get their winning photo printed on canvass.
First Prize 900 x 600 print on canvas,
Second Prize 600 x400 canvas print
Third Prize 400 x 300 print.

As many of you know I set up an SA Rocks Flickr group a while back. The response to that group has been quite impressive. The group has amassed over 3000 photographs of incredible quality. So if you are interested in taking part simply visit justsouthafrica.co.za and get registered and going.

As the blurb above states, five judges will all login and vote on the photographs as they are uploaded. The prizes are pretty good if you ask me and will look fantastic on your wall if you win. So get snapping.

And just for some motivation here are some photographs that I’ve taken in the past while studying photography at Rhodes University:

Popularity: 8% [?]

Extra, Extra, Read all about it!

BigBlue is holding the 3rd annual Makhulu Polane design competition and the entries are open.

I don’t usually blog about competitions that people run but I really dig this particular competition.

It’s run by a clothing brand/company called BigBlue. They dig SA designers and want to help them make a name for themselves and get a start in the industry. So they are offering R20 000 and the winning design in stores on T-shirts nation wide!

This years theme is Funny-Galore and the judges are asking you to make them laugh. Let’s be honest, in SA there is a lot of stuff to laugh at if you are looking at the world through a humourous eye!

From the press release:

The 2008 Big Blue Makhulu Polane opens for entries on 18 August, closing date for submissions is the 1 September 2008. This year’s design theme is ‘Funny-Galore’ – the funniest, smartest, coolest design will win R20 000 in cash and will be sold in all Big Blue and Kitsch & Kool stores nationwide for two months.

Since it’s inception in 2006 this original Big Blue idea has become a great success; this award winning online marketing initiative is unique in that it reached both online and offline audiences and translated into real in-store sales. Winning designs from 2006 and 2007 sold out and were reprinted several times and a number of the top 10 2007 Makhulu Polane designs are still being printed and sold. View last year’s ‘AfroKaaner’ designs at http://www.bigblue.co.za/makhulu07_winner.html

The competition is not limited to submissions from registered students or designers but is open to anyone who feels they have a unique t-shirt design. Designs do not need to be digitally created – they do need to be submitted via the Big Blue website www.bigblue.co.za – hand drawn illustrations can be scanned and uploaded.

I think I’m going to try and submit an entry and see how far it gets me! Give it a go.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Singita Sabi Sands, at the Kruger National Park, has been voted the world’s top hotel for 2008 in an online poll by Travel + Leisure magazine.

Bangkok was voted the world’s best city and the Galapagos were picked as the best islands, trumping last year’s winners Florence, Italy and Bali, Indonesia. source

That’s pretty much all the coverage I have seen so far. Thanks to Jen for the link!

Here’s a bit more about this incredible hotel – that also has a fantastic basic website and flash site.

Discover Singita South Africa

There are four Singita lodges in two very special parts of the country
Singita Ebony and Singita Boulders, are located in the Sabi Sands reserve – known for prolific wildlife and game viewing.

Singita Lebombo and Singita Sweni are in the Kruger National Park – close to the Mozambique border, in pristine wilderness with unique ecosystems.

Travel distance isn’t too shabby either:
Johannesburg/Singita Sabi Sand (5 hours 30 min) 500 km
Hazyview/Singita Sabi Sand (1 hour) 75 km
Nelspruit/Singita Sabi Sand (1 hour 45 min) 150 km

I’ve travelled further for less to be honest!

The prices are not cheap though and I suppose if you are visiting the best hotel in the world you don’t want to feel cheap.

The results were complied from votes by magazine subscribers in an internet poll which went live between January and March. Travel + Leisure will honour winners on July 24 in New York City.

The complete “World’s Best Awards” is available on www.travelandleisure.com. Following are some highlights:

Popularity: 3% [?]

Ed’s note: This post is a submission by Mike Smith.

If there is one thing South Africa has is sport – lots of it and the perfect environment in which to participate. The Sani2c is an example, a South African multi-day stage race that tours from the foot hills of the Drakensberg to the breaking sea at Scottbrugh – crossing South African lands of beauty and splendour.

What makes South Africa so special in sports events like this one, is not the fast paced competitiveness or the absolutely phenomenal organisation (although these things are resoundingly present), it’s the camaraderie, the people and the countryside. Only South Africa could host an event that traverses such diversified environments. From mountainous grasslands, through rough thorn-veld and on to the tropical vegetation of the South Coast. We have it all!

While passing through some of the most memorable of sites, the people are the key feature of the Sani2c. The one thousand competitors and over three hundred support crew not only make the race but resonate South African spirit. Laced with cultural diversity of language and situation, everyone is never the less a potential friend. When racing, the most you are likely to say to your partner or competitor is “how the legs”, “slow down” or many other four letter combinations that need not be recorded – nevertheless, these are the people who you can walk away from the event feeling like you know better than any friend!

The most astounding aspect of all, is that the race travels through some of South Africa’s poorest communities without trouble or a hint of danger. Considering the fact that millions of Rands worth of equipment makes its way through a population of little wealth one would expect a dismal response. Instead, the people of the area line the single tracks – screaming and shouting in support of the cyclists. Glen and Mandy Haw, the race organizers, are responsible for this to a large degree as they funnel money back into the communities.

South Africa is abundant with opportunities and the blessing of unsurpassed beauty. The Sani2c takes full advantage of this, allowing competitors to experience our countryside and reap rewards it has offer. Sport isn’t just something we have in abundance; it’s something we can use to develop this wonderful country.

Popularity: 7% [?]

I am not in the business of providing free advertising for companies. But I am in the business of promoting local startups and helping good ideas see the light of day. I like SpringLeap. I think the concept is great. I have bought T-shirts from online companies abroad and in fact am still waiting for delivery of some of those shirts.

So this comes as a breath of fresh air to me. SprinLeap is a startup that is giving locals and soon, internationals the opportunity to design their own shirts and get hold of them at relatively low costs.

Things seem to be going well and the founders are extremely positive about the future of their startup and the market in SA for startups. But don’t trust me, read it from them:

Tell me about Springleap and what it actually does for a user?

The concept behind Springleap materialised just over a year ago when eSquared noticed that we were constantly inundated by AMAZINGLY talented graphic designers and fine artists who want to see their incredible designs on t-shirts. The problem, as always though, is that the cost of doing one off t-shirts is very high. We therefore needed to come up with a solution that would empower these individuals and see their ideas and designs come to fruition.

Springleap is ultimately about empowerment. Whether you are a voter who is now empowered with a platform to cast your vote for a design that may ultimately be printed, or whether you are a creator who seeks recognition as an artist on both a public and a peer level (as well as financial remuneration and the opportunity to see your creative ability and talent come to life), Springleap prides itself in being proudly South African from the ground up. We are about positivity, job creation, showcasing designers, contributing to the community and the economy and showing the world that SA has something to offer other than gold.

How many people are involved?

In truth, everyone. Anyone from the artist to the voter to the South African cotton manufacturer and CMT to the retailer and ultimately the consumer who dictated the design in the first place.

We even have an amazing solution for wholesalers. Anyone with an online or offline retail store has the opportunity to stock the Springleap t-shirt range. Backed by HUGE marketing support and the guarantee of sure fire sales – we only manufacture the t-shirts with the most amount of votes online as dictated by the public – wholesalers would be silly not to get involved.

In a nutshell Springleap is broad-based empowerment solution for South Africans across every level.

To answer your question though , Eric Edelstein and Eran Eyal are the founders of Springleap.

Do you think it’s a good time to build a start-up in SA at the moment?

It’s always a good time for a start-up. Eric and I have been working in and with start-ups for approximately 13 years. The South African economic climate can make things a bit tricky at times, but necessity is the mother of all invention and we believe that there is always necessity and opportunity, you just have to be creative.

Is the online market in SA ready to make you some money? Let’s be honest, you don’t start something without the hope of some sort of financial gain.

We believe so. One only has to look at a recent Fin24 article to know that online is the way to go.

With awesome sites like SA Rocks who are constantly on the search for great South African content and working hard to make South Africans and people abroad aware of how much amazing talent and incredible business opportunities there are in South Africa, I think it makes online successes, exposure and of course mucho mula even more possible.

You mentioned that eSquared is involved in the project. How’s that relationship going?

Fantastic. The founders of eSquared are the same as for Springleap. We gave man-birth to eSquared 2 years ago and it has gone from strength to strength. We are constantly learning though, and retail is an amazing game to be in. eSquared will of course be stocking Springleap t-shirts and has taken a commitment to getting rid of all international brands in favour of some SA flavour.

Where are you all based in SA?

Durban and Cape Town. Eric heads up the Cape Town crew and I head up Durban where our manufacturing goes down.

Any plans to expand the site outside of SA?

Definitely! We are creating a first for South Africa: offer quality t-shirts that feature both local and international designers that will be sought after by both markets. By its very nature our online presence will lead to this sort of expansion. In fact we have already been contacted by retailers in both Canada and the US!

While using the site I noticed that a lot of the links simply take users to the “Register” page. Why? That’s really quite limiting in an age of openness and access to content.

Springleap is and always will be a very organic business model. We are constantly adding new features and pages as well as upping the prizes and the overall content. As we grow, so too will the experience of anyone involved with the site ranging from the manufacturers to the consumers.

Every week we will be adding a new functionality to the site. As a community centric site, expect loads of social interaction, the ability to blog and comment, competitions, creating and updating your profile etc. At present, this content is being generated so we are launching with the basic functionality for the time being which entails the ability to create a username and password and submit designs.

Is there anything else you’d like to add or say?

It’s an exciting time for everyone in SA and we welcome all comments, suggestions or even critique so please take the time to contact us through Facebook, eSquared or Springleap. You can also follow Springleap on Twitter: http://twitter.com/springleap and be the first to know when new functionality or competitions are added.

Thanks so much for taking time out of your obviously hectic schedule! Good luck with the project, I love the site design and concept.

Thanks for the interview – I am sure that we will be chatting soon and I am always happy to wax!

The only grip that I have with the site thus far is that I cannot actually find anything out about it unless I register. This is really quite frustrating. My suggestion would be for the site to give something (even an about section) to the users of the site before asking for too much in return. User Generated Content is fabulous and can be profitable but it needs to be a give, give relationship.

I am all for giving and have registered on SpringLeap! Maybe you should too?

Popularity: 5% [?]