Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-08-14 i Pretoria News Weekend

Ooh la la! Not since Napoleon snatched the crown from the hands of Pope Pius VII at Notre Dame in 1804 and declared himself emperor has Paris seen such a spectacle. Famously blasé about anyone famous, Wednesday saw a change of tune in the city as thousands dashed out of boulangeries to grab a spot at the Parc des Princes to salut le nouveau prince de Paris, football legend Lionel Messi. There were fireworks, riot police dressed like Robocop, throngs of screaming fans, even scuffles that needed to be pepper-sprayed down. For all the hysteria, their fleet-footed messiah appeared on the stage outside the stadium for just a few moments, disappearing as fast as a camera flash. The most that could be said: Messi mania had turned Paris into a…

Quentin Tarantino refuses to help his mother financially after she mocked his writing ambitions when he was younger. Although the 58-year-old writer and director is now one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, he is still bitter that his mother Connie – who turns 75 next month – did not support his writing dreams and he vowed at the age of 12 never to share his fortune with her. Speaking on The Moment podcast, which is hosted by Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman, Tarantino recalled his mother siding with his teachers after he got in trouble for writing screenplays at school. He said: “(She) was b******* at me about that... and then in the middle of her little tirade, she said ‘Oh, and by the way, this little writing career’, with the finger…

The Internet has redefined shopping behaviour across the globe. However, when it comes to buying jewellery online, a few things should be kept in mind. Ashish Vijay, co-founder and CFO, Miorah.com lists some points: Buy only certified or hallmarked jewellery The benchmark to follow while buying gold online is to look for Hallmark certification. Customers need to make sure that the gold they buy is from a Hallmarked jeweller. Return and after sales service policy should be in favour of customer To remain relevant in this changed environment, retailers should ensure that the product return policies and after sales follow up is aligned with customer satisfaction and customers should always check the return and exchange policies on the shopping platform before placing orders. Weight and colour according to the price…

As we observe August – designated as National Women’s Month – it is opportune to reflect on the importance of education and empowerment, of both women and men, and their partnership in achieving gender equality. Although, there have been visible improvements in the last few decades to ensure equal education and opportunities for girls and boys, various forms of discrimination against girls still persist. In many cultures, girls have a lower status and enjoy fewer rights and opportunities than boys in their families and their communities. There has been some improvement in terms of access to education, but boys still get preference to girls in terms of schooling. According to the Baháí Writings: “The happiness of mankind will be realised when women and men co-ordinate and advance equally, for each…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE IFP wants the local government elections to be held over three days to minimise the number of people gathering to cast their votes on each day. IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa has told the Constitutional Court that that the party supports the Electoral Commission of SA's (IEC's) application to have the local government elections postponed until February 2022, as recommended by a panel headed by retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, last month. The commission has approached the apex court to have the municipal polls scheduled for October 27 to be moved to February next year, largely due to Covid-19, though the IFP wants the elections to be held no later than May 2022. According to Hlabisa, a four-month delay from October this year to February 2022…

AFROSOUL singer Zahara has struck the right note with her much anticipated fifth album Nqaba Yam. It officially dropped yesterday and has already secured the number one spot on iTunes. Taking to Twitter, the multi-awarding winning artist revealed the news while thanking her fans. “We did!!! #NqabaYam is number 1 #1 iTunes. This one is for every single person who has streamed my new album today, Ndiyabulela (thank you) #ZaharaDay,” posted Zahara. Zahara says that her latest body of work serves as the feel-good sounds many people have yearned for in the midst of a global pandemic. In her 12-track album, the multi- platinum selling musician is letting her guitar skills do the talking while taking listeners on a sonic stroll in a botanical garden. Zahara says she has connected…

Zambians went to the polls on Thursday to elect the president, 156 members of parliament and 117 district council leaders. The elections took place in an increasingly contentious environment. Edgar Lungu, who has been president since 2015 after his predecessor, Michael Sata, died in office, has shown increasingly autocratic tendencies. He was running for a controversial third term that opponents argue is unconstitutional since he already has been elected twice, in the 2015 and 2016 general elections. The run-up to the polls has been characterised by accusations that the voters’ register has been manipulated to disadvantage strongholds of the main opposition party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), led by veteran politician Hakainde Hichilema. He lost in 2016 by only just over 100 000 votes in an election deemed…

IT’S time, if you’re a woman, to unleash your secret negotiating power and harness it for your financial freedom. That could mean advocating for a salary increase, or haggling with your insurer for better premiums. Whichever form it takes for you, put it into practice and start enjoying the rewards of deciding not only where your money comes and goes, but how much, too. Statistically, women are less likely to initiate salary negotiations in the workplace compared with men, and according to a recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology, it can be attributed to, among other factors, a fear of social backlash. It makes sense: in many cultures, girls are taught to prioritise the welfare of others, to maintain relationships, and to be accommodating. In her own practice,…

Martin Hesse THE cost of group risk cover – the life, disability and funeral cover you receive as part of your employee benefits package with your employer – is likely to rise because of Covid-19, and employers are encouraged to be flexible and accommodating with staff who are suffering from “Long Covid”. These were two take-outs from a recent Hot Topics webinar by Alexander Forbes, which focused on group risk cover and Covid-19 in the workplace. Belinda Sullivan, head of corporate consulting strategy at Alexander Forbes, said the pandemic had placed a greater focus on the importance of employee benefits, which have two components: retirement savings and group risk cover. Many employees rely on these benefits, which they may not be able to afford in their personal capacity. Being…

VODACOM has thrown its full support behind South African professional golf with the announcement of a significant donation to permanent Sunshine Tour caddies to help alleviate the economic pressures they have suffered during the coronavirus pandemic and specifically the hard lockdown of professional golf in 2020. During the first Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament at De Zalze Golf Estate this August, the mobile network company announced a R409 500 donation to the Sunshine Tour and specifically for the South African Caddie Association (Saca), which will be used to help support all professional caddies approved by the Tour. The donation comes after Vodacom confirmed the return of the Vodacom Origins of Golf series to the Sunshine Tour’s schedule in 2021 and 2022 after it had to be postponed last year due…

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson insists there is “nothing weird” about showering three times a day, after a fan questioned his daily routine. The 49-year-old actor recently shared his daily routine, which includes a cold shower in the morning, a warm shower after a workout and a hot shower in the evening. However, after someone commented: “This is … weirder than not showering?” Johnson replied: “Nothing weird about this, my friend. I work out twice a day and then I go to work for 12+ hours. I shower 3xs. Easy to understand.” The Rock originally shared his bathing regime following recent revelations from the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Kristen Bell, who admitted they don’t see the need to wash regularly. In response to a fan on…

Sacha van Niekerk sacha.vanniekerk@inl.co.za Influencers and celebrities who flaunt their luxurious lifestyles online in a new trend called Insta-bragging are now being targeted by criminals. Social media is a platform for sharing the ins and outs of everyday life. But, while the average person may share selfies with friends or cute pictures of latte art, those with money have far more glamorous lives – and it’s most apparent from their social media accounts. From the pristine Louis Vuitton orange boxes tied with blue ribbon and nestled in the back seats of convertibles to snaps of fresh manicures featuring diamond-encrusted watches and tagging the location of 5-star hotels when travelling – scrolling through the profiles of celebrities and influencers is comparable to paging through a catalogue boasting the most coveted…

Val Boje val.boje@inl.co.za WELL-known government communicator Marco Granelli has succumbed to Covid-19 complications. Granelli, 53, was the senior marketing communications manager at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). His last posts on social media in mid-July were to encourage people to register online for the upcoming municipal elections. Granelli, who matriculated at Ronde- bosch Boys’ High in Cape Town, studied journalism at Rhodes University. He started his career in 1991 as a reporter at the Pretoria News where he met his wife, photographer Patricia Hagen. He took time off to complete an MBA at Wits and moved into government media communication, rising to marketing and communications manager at Sars where he worked for nine years before moving to the IEC in 2013. According to family, Granelli was admitted to hospital in…

Val Boje val.boje@inl.co.za FROM President Cyril Ramaphosa to Romans Pizza, these are some of the top searches in South Africa, according to Google Trends. To celebrate 15 years of Google Trends, Google looked back on the most searched-for topics between July 2006 and July this year to see people’s interestS globally and by region. The most searched for lyrics in July 2006, when Google Trends launched, was Rihanna’s Unfaithful; 15 years later it was Walker Hayes’ Fancy Like. The most searched for actor then was Oprah. Now it is young Olivia Rodrigo. Searches from South Africa were also dominated by overseas celebrities with interest in gospel music. All of me by John Legend took the top spot, followed by Hallelujah (originally recorded by Leonard Cohen). Adele’s Hello lyrics come in…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za A FILE meant for the public protector's office, containing evidence and confidential information about Msunduzi municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, was found three years later dumped in the trash in Durban. The file contained an official complaint by Pietermaritzburg city councillor Rienus Niemand in 2018. He hand-delivered the whistle-blower’s report to the provincial public protector’s office. Niemand said he followed up with an investigator assigned to his case and was promised the matter was being investigated. “When I called the investigator informing him that the file was found in the trash somewhere in Durban, he was shocked and still adamant that the file was in his office,” Niemand said. According to Niemand, the ACDP councillor in Msunduzi since 2016, his complaint related to corruption in the municipality. The municipality…

Thabo Makwakwa thabo.makwakwa@inl.co.za MULTI-TALENTED singer and actress Simphiwe Dana says she is not the “usual celebrity” who turns a blind eye to issues affecting the country. Speaking to the Daily News on Wednesday, Dana said she had the utmost respect for the older generation of musicians and performing artists who used their craft to speak against injustices that people were subjected to. “I belong to the generation which spoke truth to power and never cared about being shut down through withdrawal of endorsements. My work is my art and my art speaks to different issues. “What made mama Miriam Makeba and her generation so amazing was the fact that they used art to fight. Hence, some of them ended up in exile but continued to fight for the people in…

Charles Matseke and Koffi KouaKou THE Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique is a victim of insurgency. Last month, the world witnessed a catastrophic attack on the Mozambique town of Palma. The death toll remains unknown and a heightened international attention to the crisis swamped global media headlines. In its report detailing the atrocities committed by insurgents in Cabo Delgado, Amnesty International called on the AU to help put an end to the human rights abuses. It asked the AU’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) to urgently “assist the government of Mozambique and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to put a stop to the continued violations of international human rights and humanitarian law”. Similar calls were made in Africa and around the world. Unfortunately, Mozambique’s poor response and SADC’s…

BANK Zero, the app-only mutual bank and brainchild of former First National Bank (FNB) chief executive Michael Jordaan, finally went live this week, three years after receiving its banking licence. The bank was originally due to launch in 2019. The launch was postponed to last year, and delayed further due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Bank Zero chief executive Yatin Narsai said this week the app was now available to customers via the waiting list process on the bank’s website. To join the bank, you need to add your name to the waiting list, and applications are being staggered. “We are responding as fast as possible. This process helps us for now as we continue to operate the bank while working from home – a world first,” said…

MIHLALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za The start of the PSL season “under the new normal” must be bittersweet, given that while the campaign will begin behind closed doors, one of the opening matches will be between Soweto’s oldest rivals Orlando Pirates and Swallows FC. As the MTN8 gets under way this afternoon, with Golden Arrows hosting SuperSport United in the curtain raiser at Princess Magogo Stadium (3pm kick-off), all eyes will be on the “original Soweto derby” when Pirates host Swallows in Orlando later. The two Soweto giants are expected to produce a thriller. Not only are bragging rights up for grabs, but either side can take a step closer to claiming the season’s first honours – just after four rounds of matches in the Wafa Wafa competition. The Buccaneers know the…

Sacha van Niekerk With silver placid lakes and rose-hued palaces, Rajasthan is a state situated in northern India that has a very royal history – one that is making quite the splash in modern times. From ruling the runway of big-name brands to embarking on fabulous fashion ventures with the purpose of uplifting local women and children, this royal family from India is dominating in all aspects of their lives. Having slipped under the radar of international media for quite some time, a recent feature in high society bible, Tatler, as well as a new book on the history of Jaipur’s royals, has put them on the map, drawing the attention of people from all corners of the globe. Get to know the royals of Jaipur's palace: Princess Diya Kumari…

Zelda Venter ALMOST 10 years after being diagnosed with heart failure at the age of only 29, electrician Johan van Wyk is regaining strength. Van Wyk has become the first person in South Africa to have the latest state-of-the-art mechanical heart device implanted in his chest. With no donor heart available for the life-saving transplant he desperately needed, new technology provided the final option for the young father and husband. “You never know what an asset your health is until you are put in a situation like this. It came as a real shock to discover that I had a serious heart problem at such a young age,” said Van Wyk, now 38. Earlier this year, he and his family were devastated when his health suddenly sharply deteriorated, placing…

NOKWANDA NCWANE THE University of Pretoria (UP) has launched a chatbot that gives students 24-hour access to free, preventive mental health resources to supplement traditional one-on-one counselling. University students are particularly vulnerable to mental health struggles as they are often living away from home for the first time, navigating new social groups, and having to study independently. The Student Counselling Unit offers its 50 000 undergraduate and postgraduate students support resources to optimise studying, make the best career choices, and better manage their well-being. The university said more students than ever before were disclosing mental health illnesses. The services, which include cognitive training, academic help, individual consultations, workshops, and webinars, are used by 16 000 students each year. Seeing first-hand the positive effect its services have on students, especially as…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za POLITICAL parties have been arguing on whether to proceed with the inquiry on the removal of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, after agreeing that Parliament must appeal the decision of the Western Cape High Court. Parliament’s rules committee met yesterday to discuss the implications of the High Court judgment that some of the rules on the removal of heads of chapter nine institutions were not constitutional. The court had made findings against the involvement of a judge in the independent panel and the legal representative of the public protector. Mkhwebane had urged Parliament to halt the inquiry into her fitness to hold office after the judgment last month. ANC MP Bulelani Magwanishe said Parliament should not proceed until the appeal was done. “If we are going to appeal,…

Kennedy Mudzuli kennedy.mudzuli@inl.co.za LIMPOPO DJ and producer NativeDust described himself as a good person who is always smiling. Born Amogelang Mahlare, he grew up in Lebowakgomo – and before he started making music, he had long fallen in love with Afro house and deep tech. "I was young, but somehow these genres touched my soul. I was inspired by Da Capo Riderfiver02 and Caiiro. “On the side of deep tech, I followed The Godfathers of Deep House and KingTouch.” “In 2016, he shared my dream of producing the two genres to my friend Thatso. “He introduced me to the production side of music, and that is where it all started. “After a year I made a hit called Redemial Love. It was so well received that I decided to make…

WITH the third wave of Covid-19 infections slowly winding down in Gauteng, many elderly residents of the Eastern Cape are worried that their province could be next in line for a surge in infections. Most of them fear the Delta variant of the coronavirus, saying “it kills fast”. Residents over the age of 60 in Zixinene village in kwaMathole, Middle- drift, are particularly concerned about the third wave. Retired teacher Gosa Salusalu, 61, said: “We have seen people die in large numbers in 2020, and there is no way to ignore the instructions. Whether you have cultural or religious beliefs, it is wise to be vaccinated. “In fact, I even decided to take my 94-year-old mother to get the vaccine at Middledrift Health Centre. The process was smooth. I could…

WE’VE all heard the fable. Once upon a time, there were three sisters. One kept her money in a functional leather wallet, the second in a Louis Vuitton purse, and the third kept hers tucked under her bra strap … It’s a little outdated, don’t you think? The reality is that the story of women in finance is not a fairy tale. Most women do not get to the “happily ever after” part in their money journey. Yet, despite the constant challenges they face, women also turn out to be great investment heroes. Part of what makes the relationship between women and money so complicated is the myriad characters that a woman must play. During any stage of her life, she must be nurturing and protective as a mother, daughter,…

IT OFTEN happens that trustees do not actively participate in trust matters on an on-going basis – such as when soon-to-be-ex-spouses do not want to face one another in trustee meetings, or when people simply rely on an (invalid) clause in a trust instrument to abdicate their responsibility as trustee. Here’s a closer look at what our law allows. Alternate trustee A trust instrument may allow the use of an alternate trustee in the event that an appointed trustee cannot attend a meeting or is temporarily absent and cannot participate in the trust’s affairs. Even if the trust instrument allows for the use of a temporary alternate trustee, the actions by the alternate trustee may be null and void for the following reasons: u Section 6 of the Trust…