Blue Rock lake lies very near to Sir Lowry’s Pass, about an hour’s drive from the city centre. It’s an outdoor adventure haven with a difference! Being the only lake in Cape Town with warm, crystal clear water and a depth of 60m means that no-one says it’s too cold to swim!

The property is divided into several areas, each focussing on activities that take place in and around the lake. The ‘main attraction’, so to speak, is the Cable System set up for water-skiing. The overhead cables make it possible for you to be clipped onto a cable and pulled around the lake on you skis, wake-boards, knee-boards and just about anything that you can enjoy being towed behind a (more traditional) boat. And if you fall, a boat comes to pick you up and take you back to the launching point again.

water skiing @ Blue Rock

There’s also a fufi-slide, and a number of areas where it’s safe to jump off the rocks and into the water. One such spot is 27m above the water! There is a ‘beach’ area where kids can play in the shallows. And Blue Rock even offers scuba diving and abseiling! Add a jungle-gym; volleyball courts and a great summer’s day and you have fun for the whole family! It’s definitely a fantastic outing, even if you don’t plan on going skiing or taking part in the other activities. Just lazing at the waterside, tanning or chatting and watching those brave enough to face the ramps on the water is fun enough.

If you get hungry, the Cafe and restaurant serves great food, but most people seem to take picnics along to enjoy under one of the many gazebo-type coverings dotted around the one side of the lake.

It’s a place you really need to visit, and enjoy, before the warm days of Summer are over.

The cable skiing system @ Blue Rock

“No Youth No Future” is branded in bold letters on the Ajax Cape Town mini-busses parked in the parking-lot at Ikamva. Granwald Scott is living proof of how seriously Ajax Cape Town takes this motto. Entering the Ajax youth academy as a young boy, he has shown how youth becomes the future, excelling as the current PSL Captain.That’s Cape Town chatted with him recently at Ikamva – Ajax Cape Town’s training grounds.

Ajax Cape Town PSL Captain - "Scotty"

How did you get into Football and end up at Ajax CT?

I was 9 years old at Wingfield Primary – and the teacher saw me play, and chose me to play in the U11 school side. I played U11 at Kensington AFC – And it was at Kensington, in the annual U15 Tournament, that Ajax Cape Town saw me playing. I was only 12 yrs old at the time. They invited me for trials but I didn’t make it. I went to a couple of other trials (in Johannesburg and at Hellenic FC) then came back to Ajax Cape Town for trials. I was chosen to play for the U15 at the age of 13.

Wow – so you’ve been here from the beginning?

Yes, since I was a youngster and only a year after Ajax CT was formed.

Was playing for the PSL always a dream for you?

No! Only when I got to Ajax Cape Town did I start following football. In these circles people talk about soccer all the time – and so it became a reality, watching the PSL players I realised that it was a possibility for me. Up until that time I told people I wanted to become a carpenter, like my uncle. (Granwald laughs)

And did you ever dream you would  be chosen as Captain?

Not by a long shot. I was surprized at being chosen, at my age and also there are players around me that I feel deserve it more but obviously Coach and the technical team around him saw something in me and chose me. It’s a challenge and taking on the responsibility makes me a better person, not just on the field, but also outside football.

How has being captain changed life outside of Ajax Cape Town?

When you’re young, you expect things to go your way; you’re selfish. I feel like a parent now, needing to look after my peers. And I’ve matured as a family man, too, making decisions for my family that show more maturity.

As part of the team – how do you feel the responsibility of being captain?

At first I think I took it a bit too hard on myself. The team wasn’t doing too well, and as captain I took it all on my shoulders, and I think it affected my performance. But after talking to some of the coaches and some of the guys, they said that being Captain should enhance my performance, not hinder it. Now I’m playing my own game again, and hope to be noticed again…

Where to from here? What are your dreams now and for the future?

Firstly, to stay injury free. I’m working on that with the medical team. I’d like to play all the games now, because I’ve missed a few, due to injury. I’d like to make the Bafana call-up again, and get an opportunity to go overseas by end of the season.

What message do you have for the Ajax Cape Town fans?

They must please stay loyal to the club, and support us. We always give our best for them, and appreciate them at matches. Even though our performances aren’t always up to scratch, we appreciate them staying behind us and rallying behind us.

That’s Cape Town feels privileged to have spoken with one of Cape Town’s young stars. We will be watching his football career with pride and excitement.

Scotty

That’s Cape Town recently made a trip to Ikamva, the home of Ajax Cape Town, to talk with Riyaad Khan about the club’s Community Scheme. Riyaad, who heads up the Scheme, is clearly passionate about what he does. He made it clear that for him, it’s all about the community – being able to give kids from poorer, disadvantaged communities the chance to learn, and have fun at the same time.

Riyaad Khan heads up the Community Scheme

The Scheme was started in 2007 by the British High Commission, in partnership with Charlton Athletic Club and the South African Police Service (SAPS). When the concept (already running quite successfully in the UK) was presented to the board at Ajax Cape Town, it was quickly decided that the scheme would become part of the Ajax portfolio. There were 3 reasons for this: 1) it provided a vehicle for the club to give back to the local community; 2) it was something that no other PSL club was doing, which gave Ajax Cape Town a competitive advantage; and 3) the scheme also tied in with the Ajax philosophy/vision of youth development.

Riyaad, who had spent time working for the Charlton Athletic Club community scheme in the UK, happened to be at the right place at the right time, and was given the opportunity to start and establish the scheme here, in Cape Town, as part of the Ajax Cape Town team, as the Community Scheme Administrator.

There are 7 programmes in total running at any given time. Each of these programmes emphasises how Ajax Cape Town is committed to giving back, something not often seen in big-name PSL clubs. And, although the Community Scheme department is part of Ajax Cape Town’s own Corporate Social Investment, it has provided an already existing (and successful) platform for other companies looking for a place to invest in social upliftment.

Two of the Scheme’s programes that really stand out are: Kick ‘n Learn, and Hotspot.

Kick ‘n Learn is a programme that runs in local Primary Schools over 6 weeks. The school identifies 30 children who would benefit from a Life Skills and social development programme, and these learners meet with the Ajax Cape Town Community Scheme team once a week for one hour. The hour is broken into 2, with Life Skills being taught in the first half, and fun being had on the soccer field in the second half. The topics that are covered in the Life Skills component of the programme are varied, and include,   Nutrition; Safe Sex/HIV; Smoking; Drugs; Gun Safety; Fire Safety; and Emergency numbers.

Hotspots is a programme that the Community Scheme runs in conjunction with the SAPS. Dressed in Ajax gear, the policemen and Scheme team go to identified areas where young people tend to loiter and are prey to becoming involved in drugs or gangsterism. The team begins setting up physical, ball-skill type games and activities, and watch as the young people come and begin joining in. This happens every week at the same time, on the same day, for 6 weeks. Eventually, when a relationship with the young people is built, it is revealed that some of the team members are policemen. Giving young people a confidence in the SAPS creates community cohesion.

Recently, the Scheme has also begun working into schools in more affluent, privileged areas in Cape Town, as Riyaad feels that young people of all ages are exposed to the same kinds of pressures and temptations. They are just presented differently.

The aim of the Community Scheme, according to Riyaad, is primarily to birth in communities and kids’ lives a hope and love of life, without the need to rely on drugs, alcohol and gangsterism. Secondly, Riyaad hopes that the efforts of his team will result in a generation of South African football lovers, loyal to Ajax Cape Town. That’s Cape Town wishes him and his team all the best.

Artist's impression of a Green Point race

Having just recovered from the incredible 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cape Town is now waiting with baited breath to find out if the go ahead will be given for Cape Town to start hosting a Grand Prix race in future Formula 1 Grand Prix seasons. With the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix at the start of this year’s season, organisers were left with no choice but to look for alternative locations. A Grand Prix generates a wealth of income for all parties involved and if political problems persist in Bahrain, the race will be permanently moved. And Cape Town is the firm favourite for the post!

Bernie Ecclestone, the “Godfather of Formula 1″ has stated that Cape Town could expect a Grand Prix “within two years” and that they are “weeks away from signing” the contract that will secure a race in Cape Town.

There are three plans in the mix in terms of potential circuits. The first, and most popular is the Green Point idea: a Monaco style race which will run through the streets of the suburb and through Cape Town stadium with a similarly difficult chicane in the centre of the stadium.

There is also an idea to create an entitely new track near the airport, and the third is to create a new track on the West Coast.

Whichever they choose, we’ll certainly be there!