XOLISA MVULA
Singer
A self-described “vocal expressionist,” Ms. Mvula, 21, grew up singing, and by the time she was a teenager had decided that she would try to make a life out of it. After boarding school in Grahamstown, she headed to Cape Town for college and started performing her own music on weekends at clubs and events in a style she describes as New Age Soul. But while Cape Town is filled with people who love to be entertained, they tend not to be paying connoisseurs. Which is why Ms. Mvula is currently in Johannesburg where she plans to study with Sibongile Khumalo, one of the few South African singers who has captured an audience both at home and abroad. As for Cape Town, the place she considers home, she has a long to-do list for visitors.
DAY TRIP First: Kirstenbosch Gardens (www.sanbi.org), where you’ll see couples and friends and families having picnics and throwing Frisbees, playing soccer, watching live performances. It doesn’t look real, that’s how beautiful it is. Don’t miss Signal Hill at sunset — it is one of the most exhilarating experiences. Take a cab up and bring a picnic. And you definitely need to head to Camps Bay, the Miami of South Africa. Oh my gosh, the beach — the water is a bit cold, but the beach is beautiful. There’s always entertainment — someone climbing a tree or walking a tightrope or something ridiculous. There’s always music.
SHOPPING The Waterfront (www.waterfront.co.za) is Cape Town shopping at its best. The harbor is right there, and there’s always some form of entertainment — a clown or a jazz band. And then there’s Canal Walk, which is the biggest mall in Cape Town; wear comfortable shoes.
If you want to go more off the beaten path, Kloof Street has a great bohemian vibe, with lots of cafes and cool stores. Also check out Long Street; at its end is a place called the Baobab Mall (at 210 Long Street). It was renovated to be completely eco-friendly, and there are a lot of cool shops you won’t find anywhere else. There’s the best vintage clothing store there and a great second-hand bookshop, Baobab Books (baobabbooks.book.co.za).
RESTAURANT Mzoli’s (27-21-638-1355). People fly from Durban, Joburg, everywhere to eat there. It’s addictive — a butcher shop where you buy raw meat and have them grill it for you. It’s off Klipfontein Road in Gugulethu — a ghetto — which gives you another view of Cape Town life. D.J.’s come, play their music, and you’re eating your meat and your salsa and your gravy. It gets packed. I’m talking about, like, 300 cars packed. It can be a bit overwhelming. There’s also Royale (273 Long Street; 2721-422-4536) on Long Street. Amazing burgers.
LOCAL TREAT Texies Seafoods (texies.co.za). They are all over Cape Town. It could look a bit scary, but after you taste that fish and chips, you’ll understand why you have to go there.
NIGHT OUT Depends who you are, but if you’re not afraid to slum it, hit Long Street and hit it hard. Go into the nooks and crannies, from Zula Sound Bar (196 Long Street; zulabar.co.za), where people from all over Cape Town perform, to the Waiting Room (273 Long Street), which has three levels and a great view from the roof. You might also check out Marvel (236 Long Street), which has been around for decades, though some consider it a little dodgy. If you’re a pub type of person, hit the Dubliner (251 Long Street). It gets crazy up there. They have karaoke. People in Cape Town love karaoke. Like, they love karaoke.
ANGIE BATIS
Art director and cafe owner
For a while now, Ms. Batis said that she and her friends — fellow Johannesburg professionals — lamented the fact that in their corner of this fast-paced city there was no place to just hang out and linger. Taking it upon herself to address that predicament, three months ago she, her husband and a friend opened Wolves (wolves.co.za), a combination coffee, cake, book and record shop that also hosts art exhibits, live music (Thursdays only) and board-game playing. Now Ms. Batis, 30, divides her time between Wolves, her blog (superduper.co.za/lucky) and her job at the BBDO advertising agency. Her to-do list for visitors ranges from checking out an out-of-the way vintage shop to swinging through trees.
DAY TRIP If you can go to the Drakensberg, go. It’s a magnificent mountain range about a four-hour drive from Johannesburg and a great place to take a canopy tour, which means that you swing through trees on heavy-duty cables. You can also go hiking, fishing and horseback riding through the mountains. Another great day trip is a town called Parys, about an hour and a half out of here — a quaint historic town with awesome antiques stores everywhere and little restaurants. Even nearer is the Lion Park, about 40 minutes north of from the city. You can see lions in their enclosures and even cuddle with a cub.
RESTAURANT Pimento (Oxford Manor, Corner of Oxford and Chaplin Streets; 27-11-268-0869). It serves quite a lot of delicious stuff, from pizza to fillet steaks to pastas. My favorite is the lemon chicken cream peppadew pasta; it makes my face very happy.
SHOPPING There’s a shop called Deer Hunter in Greenside (135 Greenway Road; 27-82-496-9253) that specializes in vintage and old South African bric-a-brac. The owners go all around the country gathering things for the shop. They’ve got collectible records, paintings, clothes — even ’80s action figures. You’ll go in there and remember what it was like to be a kid. Also, there’s a little part of town called Kensington where there is an awesome street called Queens Street with quite a few antiques stores.
NIGHT OUT A quirky nightclub in Newtown called the Woods (66 Carr street Newtown; 27-11-838-9915) is always a lot of fun — a good place to have a drink and a dance. There’s also an old pub called the Radium Beer Hall, which has been around since forever. There is often live jazz, and you can buy really cheap food and cheap booze (282 Louis Botha Avenue; 27-11-728-3866).
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: June 6, 2010
A picture caption this weekend with the cover story about five of the nine cities hosting the World Cup in South Africa misspells the given name of one of the residents reporting on their favorite haunts. She is Almi Simpson, as the article correctly notes, not Almie.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: June 20, 2010
The cover article on June 6 about the World Cup in South Africa, with reports from six residents about five of the host cities there, misspelled the name of a pizzeria in Johannesburg and the neighborhood in which it is located. It is Lapa Fo in Emmarentia, not Lapa Flo in Emmerantia.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: July 4, 2010
The cover article on June 6 about the World Cup in South Africa, with reports from six residents about five of the host cities there, misstated the name of a coffeehouse in Pretoria on Church Square. It is Cafe Riche, not Cafe Rouge.
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