CPT Brew – 13th October | Paddlers Win Gold, Turtle Training & Weekend Events

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South Africa’s paddlers topped the ocean racing world championships in Spain, and Cape Town’s firefighters came home from George with 21 medals.

A three-flippered turtle called Amber is already training for the wild. Your weekend has a piano recital, a wellness festival and a soul gig lined up.

Here's what's brewing.

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Headlines

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South Africa's paddlers topped the medal table at the Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in Spain, collecting six gold medals and the Nations Cup ahead of Australia. The junior boys swept the top four places, with Sam Mocke winning his third straight junior world title.

Cape Town's firefighters came home from the Toughest Firefighter Alive competition in George with 21 medals, 17 of them gold. A squad of 23 took on more than 300 rivals in heavy gear, with one day topping 34 degrees. Your Monday suddenly feels soft.

Meet Amber, the newest three-flippered turtle at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation's Turtle Conservation Centre. The juvenile hawksbill was rescued from a Betty's Bay beach, dehydrated, weak and missing her front right flipper. Just three weeks later she was diving, eating well and training for a return to the wild, and the critically endangered survivor has already been adopted by the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation.

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Events

4 plans

Fri 16 Oct 19:00 Quicket	Jean-Philippe Sylvestre brings solo piano to Youngblood on Bree Street. The Canadian pianist has played the Berlin Philharmonie and Vienna's Musikverein. A quiet evening for anyone who needs one.
Sat 17 Oct 09:00 From R120	Shanti Wellness & Lifestyle Spring Festival takes over a Hout Bay estate for the weekend. Hourly classes, a wellness market, a kids' programme and live music to close Saturday. Children under 12 get in free.
Sat 17 Oct 20:00 R218	Luh'ra plays The Athletic Club and Social with her full band for the first time since 2024. Alternative soul with golden guitar. Doors close at 22:30.
Race week 11 to 18 Oct 42K R700	The Nelson Mandela Marathon starts at the Grand Parade and winds through District Six, the Company's Garden and Bo-Kaap. Only the 42K still has spots, so everyone else can cheer from the pavement.

Hidden Gems

3 finds

Hundred Percent Cafe on Lower Main Road in Obs has 4.7 stars from 65 reviewers, which is a quiet kind of endorsement. A neighbourhood coffee stop that hasn't gone loud yet. Get there before it does.

Coffee on Orange sits on the corner of Orange and Rheede in Gardens and holds a 4.9 across 104 reviews. That is the sort of score that makes a detour feel sensible. Consider this your excuse.

Pekish is a halal spot on Upper Orange Street in the City Bowl, rated 4.9 by 86 diners. Worth a lunch break if you're tired of the usual rotation.

Fact of the Day

In 1932 the Australian army sent soldiers with machine guns to cull emus wrecking Western Australian wheat farms, then withdrew when the birds proved too hard to hit.

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CPT Brew – 13th October, 2026

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