1. SPOILT FOR HOLIDAYS South Africa, a world in one country, with spectacular landscapes, natural beauty and a wide variety of sightseeing. We also have the second highest water fall in the world, the world’s biggest man-made urban forest, the world’s biggest green canyon ...and so much more. 2. NATURAL BEAUTY South Africa has the oldest game reserve in Africa (Hluhluwe), on Table Mountain there are more plant species than the UK or New Zealand. At iSimangaliso you can view the biggest land mammal (elephant) , the oldest land mammal (rhino), the biggest sea mammal (blue whale), the oldest fish (coelacanth) and the most dangerous mammal (Hippo) all in the same reserve on the same day.  All this and we have only mentioned three of the many, many reserves. 3. WORLD CLASS RANKING The annual revenue generated by the tourism industry has now overtaken that of the gold industry.   South Africa has won world awards in almost every category from various international organisations and readers including: world’s best hotel, world’s best game reserve, world’s favourite city, world’s best hotel, worlds most outstanding golf destination, world’s leading luxury train, world’s best family beach  .... and so much more.  4. MINERAL WEALTH South Africa has an abundance of mineral wealth.  When comparing the world reserves South Africa is ranked #1 for the following: platinum (88% of world reserves), manganese (80%) Chrome (72%) Gold (40%) and Vanadium (32%).  This translates to future economic potential and wealth for the country. 5. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY We have world class engineering and scientific technology.  We have the world’s largest (and only) producer of liquid fuel from coal, the deepest mine in the world and the most commercialised nuclear reactor in the world. The third largest telescope in the world can be found in Sunderland. 6. ECONOMIC STABILITY The countrys economic policies protected us from the global economic meltdown and meant that South Africa felt the impact significantly less than other countries.  A recent survey by The Economist in the UK revealed that South Africa was the best performing housing market over the longer-term in the world. 7. EARNING POTENTIAL In South Africa you have a higher earning potential and significantly more opportunities for growth and development.  According to the ‘Hay Group’s World Pay Report’ which measures average disposable income, South African managers are amongst the top earners in the world – ahead of New Zealand, Canada, France, Denmark, Sweden and the UK.   A recent survey of travel destinations revealed that South Africa was the cheapest city in the world to have beer, a coke or a meal for two...even with the wine. 8. SPORT Not only do we have the number one ranked rugby and cricket side in the world, but we have top sportsmen in almost every other sport including, surfing, golf, athletics, sailing and swimming.  The Comrades Marathon, the Dusi Canoe Race, the Midmar Mile and the Cape Argus are all the largest races of their kind in the world. 9. UNIQUE AND RICH CULTURES We are a vibrant nation, a nation with a sense of humour and a determination to succeed.  Our diversity ensures continual excitement and provides a richness to our culture and our heritage.  We have our own music styles, our own dance styles – even our own movie industry.  In fact at the 2010 Oscars we saw South Africa showcased with Charlize as a presenter, Morgan Freeman nominated in the South African story ‘Invictus’ and Johannesburg featured in District 9. 10. INTERESTING TIMES As a South African we have contributed to making history. We can tell our children we lived in the times of Nelson Mandela and witnessed the miracle of the Rainbow Nation. We still face many challenges yet, over and over again, we have shown the world how we can overcome even the most difficult of situations.  As South Africans we can each play a significant part in reaching our potential as a nation.

Good Day, The purpose of my letter to you is to address the following issue. My son plays for the schools senior Rugby Team. Since he was in primary school he always had the opportunity to represent the school in Rugby. During all of this time we as parents always advocated to him about playing the sport as a sport and always ensure he understood that winning is not everything and that he should never ever engage in any unfair play in order to win or in order to be the better player on the field. My husband also plays a pivotal in the provincial Rugby union as well so I am sure you can understand where we are coming from. The past game played this is the game I wish to bring to you attention the total unfairness demonstrated on the field by the game referee. He was not being i’m partial but rather very on sided, an allowed the opposition team to have full advantage during most of the game. Blatant bad tackles as well as unfair play was most of the time not taken noticed of or purely dismissed. This type of behaviour cannot be good for the sport, and will give the youngsters the impression that it is ok to do this. Please can you ensure that this matter is taken up with the correct channels within the Rugby board? We are not the least impressed on how the game was handled and we strongly feel that our son was at most times the victim and he was being he target for the day. Your urgent assistance in this matter will be highly appreciated

Good Day, The purpose of my letter to you is to address the following issue. My son plays for the schools senior Rugby Team. Since he was in primary school he always had the opportunity to represent the school in Rugby. During all of this time we as parents always advocated to him about playing the sport as a sport and always ensure he understood that winning is not everything and that he should never ever engage in any unfair play in order to win or in order to be the better player on the field. My husband also plays a pivotal in the provincial Rugby union as well so I am sure you can understand where we are coming from. The past game played this is the game I wish to bring to you attention the total unfairness demonstrated on the field by the game referee. He was not being i’m partial but rather very on sided, an allowed the opposition team to have full advantage during most of the game. Blatant bad tackles as well as unfair play was most of the time not taken noticed of or purely dismissed. This type of behaviour cannot be good for the sport, and will give the youngsters the impression that it is ok to do this. Please can you ensure that this matter is taken up with the correct channels within the Rugby board? We are not the least impressed on how the game was handled and we strongly feel that our son was at most times the victim and he was being he target for the day. Your urgent assistance in this matter will be highly appreciated

Good Day, The purpose of my letter to you is to address the following issue. My son plays for the schools senior Rugby Team. Since he was in primary school he always had the opportunity to represent the school in Rugby. During all of this time we as parents always advocated to him about playing the sport as a sport and always ensure he understood that winning is not everything and that he should never ever engage in any unfair play in order to win or in order to be the better player on the field. My husband also plays a pivotal in the provincial Rugby union as well so I am sure you can understand where we are coming from. The past game played this is the game I wish to bring to you attention the total unfairness demonstrated on the field by the game referee. He was not being i’m partial but rather very on sided, an allowed the opposition team to have full advantage during most of the game. Blatant bad tackles as well as unfair play was most of the time not taken noticed of or purely dismissed. This type of behaviour cannot be good for the sport, and will give the youngsters the impression that it is ok to do this. Please can you ensure that this matter is taken up with the correct channels within the Rugby board? We are not the least impressed on how the game was handled and we strongly feel that our son was at most times the victim and he was being he target for the day. Your urgent assistance in this matter will be highly appreciated

LionThe lion is a well-muscled cat with a long body, large head, and short legs. Size and appearance vary considerably between the sexes. The male's outstanding characteristic is his mane, which varies between different individuals and populations. It may be entirely lacking; it may fringe the face; or it may be full and shaggy, covering the back of the head, neck, and shoulders and continuing onto the throat and chest to join a fringe along the belly. In some lions the mane and fringe are very dark, almost black, giving the cat a majestic appearance. Manes make males look larger and may serve to intimidate rivals or impress prospective mates. A full-grown male is about 1.8–2.1 metres (6–7 feet) long, excluding the 1-metre tail; he stands about 1.2 metres high at the shoulder and weighs 170–230 kg (370–500 pounds). The female, or lioness, is smaller, with a body length of 1.5 metres, a shoulder height of 0.9–1.1 metres, and a weight of 120–180 kg. The lion's coat is short and varies in colour from buff yellow, orange-brown, or silvery gray to dark brown, with a tuft on the tail tip that is usually darker than the rest of the coat. Lions are unique among cats in that they live in a group, or pride. The members of a pride typically spend the day in several scattered groups that may unite to hunt or share a meal. A pride consists of several generations of lionesses, some of which are related, a smaller number of breeding males, and their cubs. The group may consist of as few as 4 or as many as 37 members, but about 15 is the average size. Each pride has a well-defined territory consisting of a core area that is strictly defended against intruding lions and a fringe area where some overlap is tolerated. Where prey is abundant, a territory area may be as small as 20 square km (8 square miles), but if game is sparse, it may cover up to 400 square km. Some prides have been known to use the same territory for decades, passing the area on between females. Lions proclaim their territory by roaring and by scent marking. Their distinctive roar is generally delivered in the evening before a night's hunting and again before getting up at dawn. Males also proclaim their presence by urinating on bushes, trees, or simply on the ground, leaving a pungent scent behind. Defecation and rubbing against bushes leave different scent markings. There are a number of competing evolutionary explanations for why lions form groups. Large body size and high density of their main prey probably make group life more efficient for females in terms of energy expenditure. Groups of females, for example, hunt more effectively and are better able to defend cubs against infanticidal males and their hunting territory against other females. The relative importance of these factors is debated, and it is not clear which was responsible for the establishment of group life and which are secondary benefits. Lions prey on a large variety of animals ranging in size from rodents and baboons to water buffalo and hippopotamuses, but they predominantly hunt medium- to large-sized hoofed animals such as wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes. Prey preferences vary geographically as well as between neighbouring prides. Lions are known to take elephants and giraffes, but only if the individual is young or especially sick. They readily eat any meat they can find, including carrion and fresh kills that they scavenge or forcefully steal from hyenas, cheetahs, or wild dogs. Lionesses living in open savanna do most of the hunting, whereas males typically appropriate their meals from the female's kills. However, male lions are also adept hunters, and in some areas they hunt frequently. Pride males in scrub or wooded habitat spend less time with the females and hunt most of their own meals. Nomadic males must always secure their own food. Though a group of hunting lions is potentially nature's most formidable predatory force on land, a high proportion of their hunts fail. The cats pay no attention to the wind's direction (which can carry their scent to their prey), and they tire after running short distances. Typically, they stalk prey from nearby cover and then burst forth to run it down in a short, rapid rush. After leaping on the prey, the lion lunges at its neck and bites until the animal has been strangled. Other members of the pride quickly crowd around to feed on the kill, usually fighting for access. Hunts are sometimes conducted in groups, with members of a pride encircling a herd or approaching it from opposite directions, then closing in for a kill in the resulting panic. The cats typically gorge themselves and then rest for several days in its vicinity. An adult male can consume more than 34 kg (75 pounds) of meat at a single meal and rest for a week before resuming the hunt. If prey is abundant, both sexes typically spend 21 to 22 hours a day resting, sleeping, or sitting and hunt for only 2 or 3 hours a day. Both sexes are polygamous and breed throughout the year, but females are usually restricted to the one or two adult males of their pride. In captivity lions often breed every year, but in the wild they usually breed no more than once in two years. Females are receptive to mating for three or four days within a widely variable reproductive cycle. During this time a pair generally mates every 20–30 minutes, with up to 50 copulations per 24 hours. Such extended copulation not only stimulates ovulation in the female but also secures paternity for the male by excluding other males. The gestation period is about 108 days, and the litter size varies from one to six cubs, two to four being usual. Newborn cubs are helpless and blind and have a thick coat with dark spots that usually disappear with maturity. Cubs are able to follow their mothers at about three months of age and are weaned by six or seven months. They begin participating in kills by 11 months but probably cannot survive on their own until they are two years old. Although lionesses will nurse cubs other than their own, they are surprisingly inattentive mothers and often leave their cubs alone for up to 24 hours. There is a corresponding high mortality rate (e.g., 86 percent in the Serengeti), but survival rates improve after the age of two. In the wild, sexual maturity is reached at three or four years of age. Some female cubs remain within the pride when they attain sexual maturity, but others are forced out and join other prides or wander as nomads. Male cubs are expelled from the pride at about three years of age and become nomads until they are old enough to try to take over another pride (after age five). Many adult males remain nomads for life. Mating opportunities for nomad males are rare, and competition between male lions to defend a pride's territory and mate with the pride females is fierce. Cooperating partnerships of two to four males are more successful at maintaining tenure with a pride than individuals, and larger coalitions father more surviving offspring per male. Small coalitions typically comprise related males, whereas larger groups often include unrelated individuals. If a new cohort of males is able to take over a pride, they will seek to kill young cubs sired by their predecessors. This has the effect of shortening the time before the cubs' mothers are ready to mate again. Females attempt to prevent this infanticide by hiding or directly defending their cubs; lionesses are generally more successful at protecting older cubs, as they would be leaving the pride sooner. In the wild lions seldom live more than 8 to 10 years, chiefly because of attacks by humans or other lions or the effects of kicks and gorings from intended prey animals. In captivity they may live 25 years or more.

Leeu