by SFT | Sep 2, 2026 | Notes From The Editor, St Francis
Earlier this week, I made the mistake of asking readers for help. After several weeks of this particularly persistent flu, I had reached the stage where conventional medicine appeared to have done all it could, so I put out a fairly urgent appeal for old-fashioned remedies.
Thank you. The response was magnificent, but, unfortunately, none of it was publishable. There were several suggestions involving alcohol, a couple involving substances that may or may not be entirely legal, and remedies which, if followed precisely, would probably cure the flu by killing the patient.
So I have developed a new treatment plan: I am going out. This happens to coincide with a particularly busy weekend around here, with the Belgian Beer Festival at Cape St Francis Resort, the Dress Up Beer Run, Henry Ate, Dalin Oliver, Brandon Peel and plenty of other reasons to leave the house, see actual human beings and remember that there is a world beyond tissues, cough mixture and green mucus (sorry).
There is one slight complication in all of this, which is that I don’t drink. I haven’t had a drink for just over 400 days, which is occasionally inconvenient because I still think drinking is quite cool. I know that is probably not the approved way of discussing the subject. We are meant to talk about alcohol in sensible terms involving moderation, units and responsible choices, but the fact remains that drinking brought me some extremely good times.
It also brought me some spectacularly bad mornings, missing sections of evenings and conversations that seemed profoundly important at 1 am and turned out, in daylight, to have been utter crap. Stopping was one of my better decisions, but that doesn’t mean I have suddenly developed an objection to everybody else having a few. Quite the opposite. I remain entirely supportive of other people’s right to get woozy.
A Belgian Beer Festival full of people drinking Belgian beer, therefore sounds excellent, and I shall simply be the irritatingly sober bloke watching proceedings deteriorate with complete clarity. I may be high.
Either way, after several weeks of being sick, working through it, complaining about it and generally becoming bored with my own company, I think getting out amongst St Francis might be the best medicine available. I am probably not in peak festival condition, but there is a lot happening this weekend, and I intend to see some of it.
by SFT | Sep 2, 2026 | St Francis
There appears to be very little chance of anyone going home hungry.
There will be Belgian beer, German beer, live music, a Beer Run, big-screen rugby, a chilli-eating competition and looming large over proceedings, an impressive commitment to sausage.
Throw in the Springboks against the All Blacks, and Saturday afternoon in Cape St Francis is beginning to look rather well organised.
First, Run For Your Beer
Proceedings get underway at 13:30 with the dress-up Beer Run through Cape St Francis Resort. Entry costs R50 and fancy dress is encouraged, which should remove any lingering expectation that this is an elite athletic event.
From 14:30, the afternoon moves into Munich Beer Festival mode, with an Oompah band, German beer and festival food carrying things through to 20:00.
Somewhere in amongst all of this, attention turns to the big screen for the Springboks against the All Blacks.
Beer festival. Boks. All Blacks. Big screen.
Saturday is gaining momentum.
Belgium Takes Over
At 20:00, the Belgium Beer Festival takes over and runs until midnight, with live music from Me & Mr Green and Belgian beer moving firmly into the spotlight.
Food is a fairly substantial part of the arrangement. Festival tables include organised seating and dinner, with Belgian sausage platters and eisbein on the menu.
Tables cost R4,500, or R450 per person, including organised seating and dinner. General festival tickets are R200.
And Then There Are The Chillies
Anyone who gets through the Beer Run, the rugby, the beer and the sausage and still feels the day needs another dimension can enter the chilli-eating competition.
Quite what happens when Belgian beer, eisbein, chilli and competitive instinct meet in one human being is beyond the remit of St Francis Today.
What we can confirm is that Cape St Francis Resort has put together a sizeable Saturday: two stages of beer festival, live music, big-screen rugby, a dress-up run, a chilli competition and an unreasonable amount of sausage.
Which, frankly, sounds about right.
The Belgium Beer Festival takes place at Cape St Francis Resort on Saturday, 5 September. For bookings and further information, email seals@iafrica.com, or contact Jason on 071 274 5725, Anita on 082 494 3755, or Kimon on 082 787 7700.
by SFT | Sep 2, 2026 | St Francis
Cape St Francis Civics & Ratepayers Association – September 2026
For several years, the Cape St Francis Civics & Ratepayers Association has repeatedly written to the Eastern Cape Department of Transport, including the Sarah Baartman District Roads Engineer, requesting urgent intervention on the R330 between Humansdorp and Cape St Francis.
The condition of this vital road has continued to deteriorate, with sections crumbling and increasingly dangerous potholes developing along the route. The R330 is particularly important to the Greater St Francis community as it is effectively our sole road link to Humansdorp and the outside world.
Despite numerous attempts by the Civics to engage with the relevant provincial authorities over the years, to date we have unfortunately not received so much as an acknowledgement or response to our correspondence from the Eastern Cape Department of Transport. This is extremely disappointing given the importance of the road and the increasingly dangerous conditions experienced by motorists who use it every day.
Community-funded pothole repairs
Faced with the continued deterioration of the road, the Cape St Francis Civics, together with concerned individuals from the greater St Francis community, have at various stages taken matters into their own hands by employing contractors to undertake emergency pothole repairs.
Considerable community funds have already been spent on these interventions.
The Cape St Francis Civics & Ratepayers Association alone has committed approximately R100,000 towards pothole repairs from the entrance to Cape St Francis and along St Francis Way.
31 August 2026 marked the start of the Civics’ second major intervention along St Francis Way.
Cape St Francis Community
Following the severe weather and flooding experienced in May 2026, sections of St Francis Way deteriorated significantly, with the condition of the road becoming increasingly difficult and potentially dangerous for motorists.
With no immediate provincial intervention forthcoming, the Civics felt that the community could no longer simply wait while the road continued to deteriorate and therefore once again appointed a contractor to undertake emergency repairs.
It is important to emphasise that St Francis Way forms part of the R330 provincial road and is therefore an asset and responsibility of the Eastern Cape Department of Transport rather than Kouga Local Municipality.
What is happening with the R330 rehabilitation tender?
There is, however, some hope on the horizon.
The Eastern Cape Department of Transport advertised a substantial tender for the rehabilitation of the R330 between Humansdorp and Cape St Francis, including St Francis Way. The tender closed on 28 April 2026.
The project is substantial, with bids reportedly exceeding R200 million and an anticipated construction period of approximately 26 months, reflecting both the scale of rehabilitation required and the importance and high traffic volumes of this route.
Unfortunately, more than four months after the tender closed, the Civics has still received no official update from the Eastern Cape Department of Transport regarding its adjudication or the anticipated appointment of a contractor.
There have been indications that the adjudication process may have been delayed, although the Civics has received no formal confirmation from the Department as to the reasons for any delay.
The appointment of the contractor is particularly important because the successful contractor will ultimately become responsible for the rehabilitation as well as ongoing maintenance and pothole repairs along the relevant section of the R330, including St Francis Way, for the duration of the contract.
Every further delay therefore leaves the community facing the difficult question of how long it can continue funding emergency repairs to a provincial road from its own limited resources.
Appreciation for local assistance
The Cape St Francis Civics & Ratepayers Association would also like to acknowledge and thank Kouga Local Municipality and our Ward Councillor for their willingness to assist with emergency repairs when approached and where circumstances have allowed.
We recognise that municipal budgets and resources are limited and, importantly, that the R330 and St Francis Way are not municipal assets. Responsibility ultimately rests with the Eastern Cape Department of Transport.
The community’s interventions should therefore not be seen as a long-term solution. They are emergency measures aimed at keeping an essential road reasonably safe and accessible while we wait for the responsible provincial authority to act.
The Cape St Francis Civics & Ratepayers Association sincerely hopes that the R330 rehabilitation tender will be adjudicated as a matter of urgency and that a contractor can be appointed and established on site as soon as possible.
Until then, we will continue engaging with the relevant authorities, monitoring the condition of St Francis Way and doing what we reasonably can, within our limited community resources, to protect this vital lifeline for Cape St Francis and the Greater St Francis community.
Cape St Francis Civics & Ratepayers Association HERE
Read more here: Kouga Local Municipality Events Calendar 2026/2027 – Looking Quite Exciting
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