IkapaPlaces

29/10/2024

Our latest LocalPlaces newsletter is out! Read it all here: https://mailchi.mp/f43a26f38bce/year-end-again , and be informed of what we have installed for you this year-end and holiday season.

LocalPlaces - Johannesburg & Cape Town
Explore and learn with us.

We are ready to host you for exceptional storytelling dinners and other events in hidden gem venues such as the Red Room at JSE Newtown (above) and Sibling in the Bo-Kaap (below).

27/10/2024

Telling the history of Cape Town is no easy task. As it is complex, contested, controversial, astonishing and surprising all at the same time. To pinpoint the most important events that shaped this city are nearly impossible, as there were so many of significance.

“For me the most significant dates are the 1510 Battle of Salt River between the local Khoe people and the Portuguese ship fearers – the first documented conflict between local African people and Europeans passing by. As well as the discovery of diamonds in what today is Kimberly (1867) and gold in what is today Johannesburg (1886). It was these mineral discoveries that led to British occupation of the entire region and the fast development of Cape Town into a city,” states LocalPlaces storyteller, Gerald Garner.

“Other significant dates that come to mind involve the construction of Cape Town’s first habour, the Alfred Basin, that was completed in 1870 and the construction of the modern harbour during the 1930s, which involved the infilling of the sea as the habour was dug deeper. The sand and rock got dumped in what today is the foreshore to create nearly 200 ha of new land out of the sea, changing the shape of the city forever.”

So many historic events have shaped and reshaped Cape Town. Come and hear this fascinating story at a LocalPlaces storytelling dinner, hosted at Sibling in the Bo-Kaap every Thursday evening. With only 6 dinners remaining for this season - between 7 November and 12 December, it is essential to book straight away to experience a magnificent storytelling dinner.

14/10/2024

A LocalPlaces Cape Town Storytelling Dinner is simply extraordinary. It provides you with insight and new understanding of the remarkable story of Cape Town and South Africa. A perspective-changing and inspiring experience.

Gerald Garner’s storytelling delves into the complex and contested events that have shaped Cape Town as it is today. It makes you understand the reluctant and fragmented, but splendorous city. A place that has evolved from ancient times with wide grazing plains and verdant valleys, through the era of international competition for new shipping and trading routes. To the establishment of a vegetable garden and a fence. With consequent conflict and the arrival of refugees, farmers, slaves and scholars.

As a byproduct of international conflict and competition, a city emerged that found itself at the center of the Scramble for Africa. From war and industrialization, a metropolis grew only to be ripped to pieces by apartheid. Through the struggle to the dawn of democracy, from overcoming its past to imagining a new way for Cape Town as an African city of the future.

It is the story of Cape Town, South Africa and Africa, set within the context of international relations. It is astonishing, perplexing, shocking and inspiring all at the same time!

Available in two themes:

Cape Town’s Astonishing Background Story
– From ancient times to the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910.

Creation of Contemporary Cape Town
– The 20th & 21st centuries, from 1910 to 2024.

Hosted at Sibling Louw and Lou in the Bo-Kaap with public dinners on Thursday nights for our Summer Season till 12 December. Private group event bookings welcome at any time for lunch or dinner.

03/10/2024

Getting ready for another fantastic LocalPlaces Cape Town Storytelling Dinner at Sibling Louw and Lou in the Bo-Kaap tonight. When are you joining us. Bookings are now open for Wednesdays and Thursdays between 23 October and 15 December 2024.

01/10/2024

If there is only one thing you do in Cape Town, then it must be the LocalPlaces Understanding Cape Town walking tour. It will provide you with insight and understanding of the history and make-up of this fascinating city. In fact, it will make you understand the entire South African story. With this knowledge, you will enjoy the rest of your visit to the city and country much more and make better sense of it all!

This leisurely, 4-hour walking tour is easy and slow, covering about 3,5km, with the focus on the background history and context of the city. It provides you with insight into how the city, and South Africa as a country, has come into being. It is the best introductory tour of the city as its history and layout will suddenly make perfect sense to you.

It is a tour for the curiously minded, but it also includes plenty opportunity for sightseeing, photography, experiencing the vibe and ambience of the city – and even a stop or two for drinks and sampling a local delicacy along the way (any food and drinks for your own account).

Available Monday till Saturday as an open tour in the morning at 9am, subject to availability. And as a private group tour at all other times.

LocalPlaces - Johannesburg & Cape Town
Explore and learn with us

26/09/2024

What could be better than combining delectable South African farm-style cuisine with mesmerizing historic storytelling for an unforgettable night of togetherness in a beautiful Cape Town venue? This is exactly what a LocalPlaces Storytelling Dinner at the Sibling private kitchen studio in the Bo-Kaap entails. It will leave you perplexed, intrigued and inspired!

Public storytelling dinners available as follows:
Thursday nights: Part 1: Ancient times till 1902
Wednesday nights: Part 2: 20th & 21st Centuries (1902-2024).

Menus include delicious items such as Namaqualand Lamb Stew, Butterbean Chicken Curry, Paptert with Tomato Smoor & Spinach, Honey Glazed Pumpkin, Traditional Cape Beef Mince Bobotie, Kingklip baked in a Malay-inspired sauce, and of course, Chef Louw's super famous Malva Pudding.

Fascinating stories in Part 1 about a storm that wiped out a British fleet of ships and caused the construction of the Alfred Basin, Cape Town's first harbour. As well as the Angol-Zulu War and the imprisonment of King Cetshwayo in the Cape Castle, and the Scramble for Africa marked by British occupation and expansion into Southern Africa.

Coupled with stories from earlier times: The Mapungubwe Kingdom, the San and the Khoi people, Portuguese ships and the Battle of Salt River. Followed by competition between Britain and the Netherlands on the sea trading routes, as well as the emergence of France as a serious competitor with the Cape's occupation switching between the Dutch and British. To the industrial development of Cape Town and South Africa after the discovery of further north of diamonds and then gold. And the devastating South African War (Anglo-Boer War) when Cape Town grew into a formidable city.

In Part 2, stories cover the emergence of the Union of South Africa, the dreaded Land Act of 1913, the First World War, the era of fast industrialization, urbanization and the emergence of Fascism and Nationalism in the 1920s and 30s, with architecture switching from British Victorian and Edwardian to the International Art Deco style. On to the 2nd World War when South Africa fought with the allied forces against Na**sm, only to adopt the hated, discriminatory Apartheid System after the war in 1948. Followed by the struggle against apartheid spilling over into the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960 and South Africa leaving the British Commonwealth, declaring a republic. While the ANC adopted an armed struggle and a strategy of sabotage. The Rivonia Trial and the imprisonment of the leaders on Robben Island. The economic boom of the 1960s, which resulted in the modernist, brutalist city that included the destruction of District Six. The struggle gaining momentum in the 1970s with the Soweto Uprising spreading across the country and Sanctions against the National Party government installed in the 1980s, as well as the War in Angola costing a fortune. With Apartheid finally crumbling in 1990 and democracy installed in 1994, we ask how the Cape Town of today is, and what is the future of the city.

Gain new perspectives, learn with us. And enjoy a scrumptious meal in an astonishing Cape Town venue.

Storytelling by Gerald Garner of LocalPlaces
Venue and cuisine by Sibling Louw and Lou.

22/09/2024

Delectable cuisine, inspired by farmlands north of Namaqualand, served at Sibling private kitchen studio in the Bo-Kaap. This is part of the menu for the LocalPlaces Cape Town Storytelling Dinners hosted at Sibling.

Namaqualand 'Vaalvleis' Lamb Stew.
Bean, Chickpea & Cauliflower Curry.
Beetroot salad
Honey-glazed Pumpkin.
Paptert with tomato and spinach.

Open for Summer Season bookings till 15 December 2024

22/09/2024

Nothing can be more enjoyable than a night of farm-style South African cuisine, served in an astonishing city venue and combined with mesmerizing storytelling about the history and making of Cape Town and South Africa.

Experience this at a LocalPlaces Cape Town Storytelling Dinner, hosted at the Sibling private kitchen studio in the Bo-Kaap.

Join us for our Summer Season dinners till 15 December. Sibling will be closed from 15 Dec - 13 Jan as the chefs are booked for private cheffing over the festive season. This means there are only 8 weeks of storytelling dinners to go! Book now as seats are limited.

16/09/2024

LocalPlaces Cape Town Storytelling Dinners at Sibling Louw and Lou in the Bo-Kaap

Thursday evenings: Part 1 – Ancient times to 1902
Wednesday evenings Part 2 – 1902 to 2024

Private group lunches or dinners (minimum of 10 guests) can be booked for any other time or day.

Here is what some recent guests had to say about the experience:

“Morning Gerald, thank you for a magnificent evening. That helicopter view of SA history was extraordinary. Delicious food and lovely venue too. Well done! My husband is raving about you and the evening in general!” – this group has already made a second booking for Part 2!

“Hi Gerald, last night was just wonderful. I loved it so much and have received the loveliest messages from everyone to say how much they enjoyed it too. It really was a magic, fascinating evening. Thank you so much to you and the team. I don’t know when last I enjoyed an event so much.”

14/09/2024

Summer season loading for LocalPlaces Storytelling Dinners at Sibling!

Exciting news! Bookings are open for the summer season of LocalPlaces Storytelling Dinners at Sibling Louw and Lou private kitchen studio in the Bo-Kaap. Enjoy the most sought-after immersive experience with mesmerizing storytelling and delectable cuisine. Perfect for locals and tourists alike.

So much to learn and discover about the astonishing story of Cape Town and South Africa. Listen with bewilderment and admiration to our history - so complex and shocking, but also inspiring and delightful. Get to understand the city and country you are living in or visiting. No scriptwriter could ever have imagined this story!

From ancient societies to storms and sunken ships. From lost ship pilots to desperate harbour construction, we narrate how Cape Town became a city. From indigenous agricultural societies to the arrival of new farmers. From slavery, conflicts and battles to industrialization and the Scramble for Africa. From massive wars and foreign occupations to the forging of a nation. From an agricultural settlement to a British colonial city and beyond, onto a modern industrial city in the Union of South Africa. From famous resistant leaders such as King Cetshwayo, Prophet Makhanda Nxele and the Rivonia Struggle Heroes to the dark days of Apartheid and the dawn of democracy. And on to 30 years later, when we imagine the future of Cape Town post 2024.

Public storytelling dinners (guests can book per seat) available in two parts:

Thursday evenings: Part 1 – Ancient times to 1902
With a menu that include delicacies such as Namaqualand Lamb Stew and Butter Bean Chicken Curry, as well as vegan alternatives.

Wednesday evenings Part 2 – 1902 to 2024
With a menu that includes delicious Traditional Cape Bobotie and Kingklip in a creamy Cape-Malay inspired sauce, as well as vegan alternatives.

Private group lunches or dinners (minimum of 10 guests) can be booked for any other time or day.

A corporate lunch or dinner option with a shorter storytelling focusing on the history of 10 astonishing buildings and places in Cape Town is also available.

It is a privilege to host guests at Sibling, an erstwhile industrial building dating to 1903 on the edge of the Bo-Kaap. We honour the Bo-Kaap community by starting the dinner with delicacies (Samoosas and Dultjies) sourced from a famous local establishment. While Sibling is not Halaal certified, the meat is sourced from Halaal establishments, while the many vegetarian and vegan side-dishes cater for most dietary requirements. In line with the neigbourhood character, Sibling does not sell alcohol. Guests can therefore bring their own wine and enjoy a superb evening without paying restaurant prices for those!
Here is what some recent guests had to say about the experience:

“Morning Gerald, thank you for a magnificent evening. That helicopter view of SA history was extraordinary. Delicious food and lovely venue too. Well done! My husband is raving about you and the evening in general!” – this group has already made a second booking for Part 2!

“Hi Gerald, last night was just wonderful. I loved it so much and have received the loveliest messages from everyone to say how much they enjoyed it too. It really was a magic, fascinating evening. Thank you so much to you and the team. I don’t know when last I enjoyed an event so much.”

For all the details on prices, menus and what to expect from the experience, click on this link to visit our website: www.localplaces.co.za/cape-town-storytelling-dinners/

To make an enquiry or to book your seats, send a WhatsApp to +27 82 894 5216 or email to [email protected]

09/09/2024

Did you know? LocalPlaces hosts private immersive events, experiences and tours in both Johannesburg and Cape Town – perfect for a business year end function. It is September already and now is the time to plan your year-end event.

From walking tours to foodie and bar tours by bus, and storytelling dinners we are ready to host you. Find more info on our many options on www.localplaces.co.za

CAPE TOWN EVENT IDEA
While settle for a standard lunch or dinner in one venue only? Let us create a customized foodie tour for you, taking in several venues with storytelling, food tastings and drinks included. Travelling by bus between venues. We have done this for up to 80 guests already!

09/09/2024

“Cape Town only grew up and became a city by the time of British occupation and colonial government. Before then, it was really an agricultural settlement. It was with the discovery of diamonds and the establishment of Kimberley that Cape Town started to industrialize and expand. The most spectacular growth came by the time of the discovery of Gold in the Transvaal and the consequent Anglo-Boer War.

Walking around Cape Town’s inner-city today, there are plenty of British Colonial Victorian and Edwardian buildings dating to the late 1800s and early 1900s still standing, with only a few examples of Cape Dutch architecture from earlier.

One of the most significant buildings in this regard, is the city’s first theatre, the African Theatre, later converted to the St Stephen’s Church. It stands on Riebeeck Square along Bree Street. Built in 1800 during the first British occupation of Cape Town (1795-1803), the African Theatre briefly became the Afrikaansche Schouwburg or Komediehuis during Dutch Batavian rule from 1803 to1806, before the Cape became British again in 1806. In 1838 the Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed Church purchased the theatre to create a congregation for freed slaves.

Today the building still houses the church but at times it apparently also hosts theatre productions, while the retail and storerooms below the church along Bree Street is again filled with eateries, bars and retailers – as it was when it was a theatre.”

- Gerald Garner of LocalPlaces

Did you know that LocalPlaces hosts regular storytelling dinners at Sibling kitchen studio in the Bo-Kaap? Part 1 dinners focusing on ancient times till 1902 on Thursday nights. Part 2 dinners focusing on 1902-2024 on Wednesday nights. Private group dinners can be booked for any other night. Or you can listen to the same fascinating stories on a LocalPlaces walking tour. Explore and learn so much more about Cape Town, and South Africa, with us.

- The building is visible in the middle left of the accompanying picture.

11/08/2024

We have completed the first month of LocalPlaces storytelling dinners at Sibling in the Bo-Kaap already. What a wonderful privilege to host four dinners so far, meeting incredible people, sharing exceptional South African food and telling the history of Cape Town and South Africa along the way. Thank you to everyone who has joined us so far.

On Friday we hosted an international tour group for a private dinner. They had been travelling through South Africa for three weeks already. They proclaimed Chef Louw Kotze’s food the best they had in their entire time in this country!

It really is a meal to cherish. Starting off with a hearty, creamy roasted tomato and red pepper soup, with coconut cream. Then, to pay homage to the Bo-Kaap, guests devour Cape Malay-style vegetable samoosas and dultjies (chilli bites) sourced from a famous community establishment.

The main course is served homecooked style, in the middle of the table as a delicious feast. Guests, after all, genuinely get to eat in the home of Louw and Lou! The food is casual but exquisite. encompassing slow-cooked Namaqualand lamb, stewed with onions, red wine vinegar, coriander seeds, salt and pepper. The purest, simplest and most delicious meat! As well as a melt-in-the-mouth white bean and chickpea curry, topped with roasted cauliflower. Add to that fragrant white rice, crispy green beans with tomato smoor, and the showstopper, roasted, honey-glazed pumpkin.

However, it is the malva pudding of which guests cannot get enough. The creamiest malva pudding I have ever tasted! As stunning is the raw dark chocolate cake. Goodness, it is a meal that will make you long for Sunday feasts with family and friends. Reassuring comfort food, prepared to the highest culinary standards!

A great bonus of dining at Sibling is that it does not have a liquor license, and guests can therefore bring their own wine along. A perfect excuse to enjoy some of best, premium Cape wines with your meal, without paying a fortune on site!

The storytelling is presented by Gerald Garner, the Cape Town-based raconteur and guide of LocalPlaces. The storytelling is intense and detailed and leave you astonished by the complex, contested, controversial and fascinating history of Cape Town. It will make you understand this city and country so much better.
LocalPlaces Cape Town Storytelling dinners are split into two parts. Part 1 is presented on Thursday nights and covers the history of the city from ancient times till 1902. Part 2 storytelling dinners, focusing on the 20th and 21st centuries (1902-2024) will start on Wednesday nights as of 11 September – and be complemented by a fish-based menu. Private group dinners can be booked on any other night of the week.

Be sure to join a LocalPlaces Cape Town storytelling dinner. A night of absolute enjoyment and astonishment, that will leave you inspired.

20/07/2024

What guests had to say about our first LocalPlaces Cape Town Storytelling Dinner, hosted at Sibling in the Bo-Kaap:

"What a truly special evening we had. We both loved everything and everyone. We feel so privileged to have been there in the intimate space. That food was sublime and just loved Gerald."

“We absolutely loved your storytelling and the experience last night. Food to die for, and great company, we so enjoyed meeting the other guests as well. Thank you. We will certainly see you again.”

“Thank you so much for this wonderful evening. I’ve learned so much… and the food and company were so excellent. A truly enjoyable and memorable event. Thank you once again… and see you soon.”

It was a winner for sure! An event that will become super popular.

Join us for our regular storytelling dinners, hosted EVERY THURSDAY at 6:30pm sharp at the bespoke Sibling kitchen studio.
Be mesmerized by the astonishing history of Cape Town and South Africa, while devouring delectable homestyle cuisine. A night to cherish.

Booking essential!

14/07/2024

Only 4 days to go till the 1stt LocalPlaces Storytelling Dinner at Sibling in the Bo-Kaap. It is the first of our winter season storytelling dinners, taking place every Thursday evening.

Enjoy an integrated experience, involving astonishing storytelling, an exceptional and intimate venue, and extraordinary food served right there in the kitchen studio of Louw and Lou.

This is not merely another restaurant meal, but something far more personable, meeting the chefs and hearing the story of Cape Town and South Africa. It is entertaining and inspiring and will leave you with a new perspective of South Africa’s extraordinary diversity, heritage, people, places and cuisines. It is simply a must-do experience for anyone living in or visiting Cape Town.

Gerald’s storytelling delves into the complex and contested events that have shaped Cape Town as it is today. It makes you understand the reluctant and fragmented, but splendorous city. A place that has evolved from ancient times with wide grazing plains and verdant valleys, through the era of international competition for new shipping and trading routes. To the establishment of a vegetable garden and a fence. With consequent conflict and the arrival of refugees, farmers, slaves and scholars.

As a byproduct of international conflict and competition, a city emerged that found itself at the center of the Scramble for Africa. From war and industrialization, a metropolis grew only to be ripped to pieces by apartheid. Through the struggle to the dawn of democracy, from overcoming its past to imagining a new way for Cape Town as an African city of the future.

It is the story of the Bo-Kaap, of Cape Town, South Africa and Africa, set within the context of international relations in the world. It is astonishing, perplexing, shocking and inspiring all at the same time!

Winter Season Storytelling Dinners available every Thursday evening. Hurry! Only 4 seats still available for 18 July.

08/07/2024

A LocalPlaces Storytelling Dinner at Sibling is an extraordinary affair. A must-do experience that involves learning about the complex, fascinating and contested history of Cape Town and South Africa in the most captivating way. And enjoying simply delectable cuisine prepared in this bespoke Bo-Kaap kitchen studio.

Every Thursday evening at 6:30pm.

8 seats left for 18 July
12 seats left for 25 July
14 seats left for 1 August.

Book now, before seats are sold out!

05/07/2024

What a beautiful room! This is Sibling, the bespoke Bo-Kaap kitchen studio of Louw and Lou - and the venue of LocalPlaces Cape Town Storytelling Dinners.

Bookings are fast coming in for our winter season of storytelling dinners. Join us every Thursday from 18 July onwards. Or book a private dinner on any other night.

Get a new perspective on the on the captivating history of Cape Town and South Africa, complemented by the extraordinary cuisine of Chef Louw Kotze, assisted by Lou Louw.

05/07/2024

Days that shaped South Africa
To keep our guests intrigued and to offer you a glimpse into the astonishing stories we share during LocalPlaces tours and dinners, we are publishing a series on significant dates in South African history.

17 September 1860:
Construction of Cape Town’s first harbour

A storm earlier damaged a fleet of British ships anchored in Table Bay. Consequently, Lloyds of London refused to insure any British ships anchoring in the bay during winter months. The risk of windy storms was simply too high. For this reason, Queen Victoria sent her second son, Prince Alfred to the Cape in 1860 to oversee the excavation of a harbour where ships could moor safely. So started the construction of the Alfred Basin, the city’s first harbour and what is today the focal point of the V&A Waterfront.

Prince Alfred returned to the Cape in July 1870 to officially open the harbour. The timing was fortuitous from a British perspective. The harbour opened just in time for the 2nd Industrial Revolution, and the consequent Scramble for Africa - which in the case of Southern Africa resulted in rapid British expansion and occupation. Britain probably never would have succeeded at this, were it not for a harbour that could accommodate larger ships, for offloading industrial equipment and removing natural resources!

Read more online on Wikipedia, South African History Online and Cape Town Heritage.