A 22-year-old Chinese tourist went up Table Mountain on Saturday afternoon to celebrate her birthday, got caught out by the early winter sunset near the Fountain Ledge scramble on the India Venster route, and called emergency services with 5% battery left on her phone. She could not share her GPS location before the phone died, but she had described her surroundings well enough for WSAR teams to narrow the search. The cableway extended its hours to get rescuers to the summit fast. At one point, teams stopped the cable car mid-run and called out into the dark below. She called back. They found her cold but fine, wrapped her in a warm jacket and a head torch, and wished her a happy birthday. Operation concluded 9:47pm. WSAR emergency number if you need it: 021 937 0300.

On Saturday night at the Jack Black Brewery Taproom in Woodstock, the 2026 African Beer Cup crowned its winners after 244 entries from 16 African nations. Woodstock Brewery walked away with Best Beer in Africa for its Funky Monk's Wild Sour Ale, plus four further medals. Starke Brews took the most medals overall with 10 across hop-forward and dark beer categories, while Soul Barrel in Franschhoek, Afro Caribbean Brewing, and Darling Brew also had strong nights. The continent sent competition too: Ghana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Tanzania all took gold in their categories. Cape Town was, by any measure, the centre of African beer on Saturday evening.

Today, Day 106, Jason Vanporppal rolls into the City Bowl Skatepark at 3pm to finish what he started in Uganda: 5,500 kilometres on a skateboard, across Africa, to raise funds for a permanent skatepark for Ugandan kids who currently skate on dirt roads with whatever boards they can find. What nobody predicted was what South Africa would do in response: schools let kids out to cheer him on, families lined highways with handmade signs, strangers offered beds, food, and police escorts, and his videos racked up millions of views. A Los Angeles skateboarder accidentally held up a mirror to this country, and what stared back was something worth seeing. Finish line at City Bowl, 3pm. Go if you can.

Monday nights run lean on new events. Two confirmed for tonight. If you know of something we missed, reply and tell us.

Joon at 40 Palmer Road in Muizenberg is a neighbourhood café run by mother-daughter duo June and Lindsay Homan. Sandy-footed surfers, dogs, and small children are all equally welcome here. Eggs bennie in the morning, thin-crust pizzas when the evening rolls in, a backyard courtyard out back. The kind of place where nobody checks if you overstay your table. Open Mon–Sat 8am–9pm, mains affordable.

The Bo-Kaap Museum at 71 Wale Street is one of the oldest surviving houses in Cape Town, built in 1763, now an Iziko museum dedicated to Cape Malay culture, domestic life, and the dress and customs of the community that gave the neighbourhood its character. R35 well spent, and considerably quieter than the street outside it. Mon–Sat 9am–4pm.

Okja is fully plant-based, which sounds like a caveat until you find out they have an ex-Michelin-star pastry chef making everything in the cabinet. Two locations: the original on Victoria Road in Camps Bay (opened 2020), and the Kloof Street spot where the pastries live. Italian oat milk across the board, serious matcha, and the kind of coffee that makes you reconsider your usual order. 77 Kloof Street and Victoria Road, Camps Bay.

Quote of the Day

“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”

Nelson Mandela

That’s your sip, Brews. Go be useful somewhere.

CPT Brew