Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-04-23 i Pretoria News Weekend

THE National Zoological Garden, Pretoria Zoo, has welcomed its second southern giraffe calf in just 19 months. Baby Gio was born on April 11 to mom Momosa, and both are in great health. Gio’s older brother, Tiego, had to be hand-reared because Momosa was not feeding him as she was a first-time mom. But this time around, Momosa has accepted Gio and the baby is suckling well, said Marcel Singh, deputy director of communication at the zoo. Tiego was born in September 2020 and is in the camp with Momosa, along with dad Bonita and little Gio. The sex of the little calf is yet to be determined. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, giraffe as a species are listed as vulnerable on the the…

TEMPERATURES may be dipping with winter around the corner, but this is not enough to keep former chief of Naval Staff, retired Rear Admiral Robert “Rusty” Higgs, out of the water. He once again has his eye on the next aQuellé Midmar Mile, having been swimming in this prestigious event for more than a decade, starting in 2011. “I want to inspire people – young and old – to unshackle themselves and to get out and do things outside their comfort zone. Swimming, and especially doing the Midmar, is something I can recommend,” Higgs told the Pretoria News. Higgs, who was once close to former president Nelson Mandela and who was chosen as a military pallbearer for Mandela’s funeral in December 2013, is a well-known name in military circles.…

DESPITE having the right qualifications and skills required, new graduates need to pay attention to what to include in their CVs when they can enter the job market, says the Independent Institute of Education's Dr Rufaro Mavunga. She said new graduates found themselves in the unique position of having entered higher education with certain expectations for their student years and career path. “If you are a recent graduate who has never worked a day in your life, writing a CV and a cover letter may seem like a daunting and intimidating task,” she said. “There is, however, so much information available on so many platforms such as recruitment websites that provide tips on how to write a winning CV." Mavunga said it was also crucial to read job descriptions carefully…

DJ EDIT SA, real name Kennedy Mudzuli, is back with a smashing new Afro-tech single titled Riye Riye. It is yet another giant leap in the music industry for the Pretoria DJ, music producer and recording artist, who is still basking in the glory of his last project, the Afro Storm EP. The new single is strictly for the dance floors, following in the same path as DJ Edit SA’s previous hits such as Ko Davin, Mukwevho, K-Squad Anthem, Morning Glory, Ndo No Lenga, Zorbel and Afro Storm. Riye Riye is the first release in 2022 by DJ Edit SA, an experienced journalist who balances his fast-growing music career with his day-job as deputy editor of the Pretoria News. Just like in the past two years, the May 6 release…

The floods caused by rain have devastated much of KwaZulu-Natal. Hundreds of people have been confirmed to have died and others are still missing. The areas most affected by the floods include eThekwini, uThukela, uMgungundlovu, King Cetshwayo, Ugu, iLembe and uMzinyathi districts. President Cyril Ramaphosa called the floods a catastrophe of enormous proportions which South Africa has not seen before when he addressed the nation this week on the situation. He said that many homes were destroyed, damage would amount to billions of rand and about 40 000 people were negatively impacted by the floods. It is true that some of the communities affected have lost their homes, jobs, transportation and even family members. Family breadwinners were possibly injured or died. Children may have become orphans. These people are now…

Talk about crises, plural. Just when we were starting to put the Covid-19 pandemic behind us, Russia plunged Europe into devastation not known since World War 2. We have also had to contend with rising inflation, locally and globally, with central banks taking measures to curb it by raising interest rates. How have these factors played out for investors? Let’s check how the markets, and the most popular unit trust fund categories, fared to the end of March. Equities Looking at the local charts for the first three months, the FTSE/JSE All Share Index began the quarter (and the year) at 73 709 points and ended it at 75 497, about 2.4% up. But the journey has been hair-raising: it hit a peak of 77 536 on March 2, then…

In March this year, international credit bureau TransUnion was the target of a criminal hacking group in a data breach that saw the culprits access the personal information of 54 million consumers. It was just one of what’s worryingly becoming a series of large consumer database breaches. Identity theft is not a new danger, but the techniques criminals use are constantly evolving in their sophistication. It makes sense when you consider that personal data has been dubbed “the oil of the digital era”, as the most valuable and most vulnerable commodity. It’s no longer enough to be vigilant at the ATM or protect your bank card from being skimmed. Collecting information from, say, your driving licence and municipal bill, a criminal is equipped with the information to assume your identity…

MUSIC festivals are not just about the performances. For many, it’s a showcase of the best festival style. Fashion is a part of everything we do. From the choices we make when going to work, to when we decide on the outfit we will wear at a music concert. Coachella is arguably the biggest music festival stage in the world, one where artists around the globe clamour to perform. But we look forward not only to the performances, but to what the attendees will be wearing. So when Luthando Shosha, aka Loot Love, shared that she was going to Palm Springs for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, we wondered how she’d interpret festival chic. Gone are the days of Daisy Dukes and boots. Festival chic is all…

THE High Court in Polokwane has sentenced Zimbabwean national Andrea Imbayarwo to two life sentenced in a South African prison for the rape and brutal murder of 55-year-old British national Christine Robinson. Imbayarwo, who worked for Robinson as a general worker and gardener, was also known as Andrew Ndlovu when he was living in Limpopo. Limpopo spokesperson for the SAPS, Lieutenant-Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said Robinson, a businesswoman and owner of the Rra Ditau Lodge in Thabazimbi, Waterberg District, was killed in 2014. “The accused, a 32 years old Zimbabwean national, was sentenced to two life imprisonments for raping and killing Christine Robinson. This horrendous crime was committed during 2014,” said Ledwaba. Robinson was found lying in her bedroom on July 30, 2014, at around 7am. The police were called and…

ONE of Africa’s biggest churches, the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), is reopening tomorrow for the first time since the country went into national lockdown to curb the spread of the Covid-19 in March 2020. The announcement yesterday was welcomed by thousands of its members who felt they were being starved of their faith, most noticeably by not making the annual pilgrimage to Moria for the third year running. Millions of ZCC followers are known for descending on Moria outside Polokwane every Easter in what is known as the largest gathering in the country, to listen to a sermon by the church leader Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane. Both the ZCC and St Angenas ZCC complied with the lockdown regulations in March 2020 when President Cyril Ramaphosa imposed lockdown alert level 5. The…

TURNING one year old with a newly- mended heart is not an everyday story – but it is one which little Atang Baloyi will still be talking about for many birthdays to come. This little girl is the most recent beneficiary of the Heart to Heart Campaign, a corporate social investment match-funding initiative of Medipost Holdings and the Netcare Foundation to help children who need urgent life- saving heart operations. This brave little warrior smiled brightly when she saw her birthday cake – and all this a mere two weeks after a hole in her heart was repaired earlier this month. “When we learnt that our baby girl had a hole in her heart, I think I had a nervous breakdown. The heart is not something you can live…

EFFORTS are being made to rescue Liliesleaf Farm, the historic museum that closed down last year following a financial crisis. Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said work was in progress to get Liliesleaf, located in Rivonia, back on track. He replied to written questions from EFF MP Nonhlanhla Mkhonto. She asked if any intervention had been put in place to permanently remedy the crisis at Liliesleaf. Mthethwa replied: “Yes, a turnaround strategy is being implemented by the Liliesleaf board to permanently remedy the crisis. “Furthermore, a team comprising the department, Liliesleaf board and Freedom Park is implementing a process towards the declaration of the Liliesleaf Museum as a cultural institution in accordance with the Cultural Institutions Act, 119 of 1999.” Declaring Liliesleaf a cultural institution would render it eligible…

WE EACH can play a positive role in building a better community. An essential requirement for transforming our communities is through providing a balanced education. Another important requirement is promoting the common good through serving others. An element of a balanced education – currently neglected to a great extent at home and at school – is moral and spiritual education. Can we not as individuals and families become instruments in helping to bring such education to our communities? “Successful education”, in the words of the Bahaí International Community, “will cultivate virtue as the foundation for personal and collective well-being, and will nurture in individuals a deep sense of service and an active commitment to the welfare of their families, their communities, their countries, indeed, all mankind”. Through a balanced education…

Bill and Rudi Weissinger remain covid- cautious. They’ve had three shots of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine. They wear masks at the grocery store and avoid large gatherings. When Bill recently offered a friend a fist-bump rather than a handshake, the friend said, “Oh, still?” Yes is the answer, and most of their friends in Friday Harbor, Washington – an island community – are similarly vigilant. The Weissingers want to get another booster shot. They’re in their mid-seventies and eligible. But they also plan to travel to France later this year. Boost now? Boost later? “Our fear is if we get the booster now, it will have faded by then,” Bill says. Most Americans aren’t trying to time their next booster for an overseas vacation, and many people in low-wage jobs…

What can we expect from the markets in the coming months: should investors be taking precautions with their investments or seizing opportunities? In his investment note dated April 4, Old Mutual Wealth investment strategist Izak Odendaal writes: “While we are still trying to figure out the short- and long-term implications of the ongoing pandemic, we must now also consider how the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine will change the global economic and political order. The world has faced two profound crises in the space of two years. They will cause far-reaching change, but what exactly? Understanding the present is hard enough. Predicting the future is well nigh impossible.” He says that one likely consequence will be an increased focus on resilience and security of supply over speed, efficiency and cost.…

Leaving your beloved pet behind while you embark on your next adventure, post lockdown, can be heartbreaking. However, with an increasing number of travellers looking to bring their furry companions along, as well as an increasing number of accommodations and airlines catering to those with pets, there’s no reason your furry adventurers can’t join in the fun. Booking.com shares top tips: Select accommodations using smart filters Pet owners can use Booking.com’s “pet-friendly” filter to find pet-friendly accommodations and ensure their pet has a comfortable stay. Also look for reviews on the website or app to learn about other travellers’ and dog parents’ first-hand experiences at the accommodation. Please read the fine print to confirm the pet fee. Be sure staff are known for loving, not just accepting, pets! When short-listing…

THE Watches and Wonders expo in Geneva may have ended on April 5, but life for the timepieces that made their official debut is just getting started. The new products from 38 leading watch brands, showcased to an audience of nearly 22 000 visitors, not only signal new directions for the brands – they’ll be showing up in your social media feed, too. Chanel | J12 Diamond Tourbillon Caliber 5 Building on the success of its J12 ceramic watches, which made their debut in 1999, Chanel offers its first flying tourbillon –a difficult complication that minimises the effects of gravity on timekeeping. Naturally there’s a sizeable 0.18-carat solitaire diamond plopped right on top. Bulgari | Octo Finissimo Ultra Not only is this the world’s thinnest watch, at 1.8mm, there are…

AN INFERTILE single man’s hopes to become a father were dashed when the court turned down his application in which he challenged sections of the Children’s Act that barred him from concluding a surrogacy agreement if his sperm is not used. The act requires that for a surrogacy agreement to be valid, there must be use of the gametes of both commissioning parents, or if that is not possible, at least one of the parents. The applicant, referred to as DW in the Pietermaritzburg High Court judgment, could father a child with a surrogate only if his sperm was used, the court ordered. But DW said that was not possible as he was relying on sperm from donor 6293 of Fairfax Cryobank. The court pointed out that Section 294 of…

THE need for menstruation awareness has gained momentum all over the world, with more and more individuals and organisations stepping up to help women and young girls who are in need of sanitary pads. Ahead of World Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, Dignity Dreams is planning a Dress Red Charitea and Dress Red civvies day at schools. People are encouraged to wear red in their offices, book clubs, running groups, or as a group of friends, and can choose any day in May. All funds raised on that day will be used to provide at-risk women and girls with a Dignity Dreams pack. The CEO of Dignity Dreams, Sharon Gordon, said most women were never told what a period was and why it happened, had no education about the…

A GROUP of Pretoria runners will join others across the country next month to run 400km in a bid to raise funds to help needy children to at least have a pair of school shoes and sanitary pads. They embarked on this cause because “it takes a village to raise a child”, according to Prince Vulithuba Bandile Sangoni, 38. He was born in Qokolweni village in Mthatha and has lived in Pretoria for the past 20 years. Sangoni is the founder of the Icon's Journey Marathon Foundation, which aims to assist children in rural and township areas with sanitary pads, sports kits and school shoes. Initiated by the Promote Sport for Social Change foundation, the 400km Iconic Challenge was born after Sangoni was inspired by the 100 participants running…

IT IS often said that boys are neglected, and girls are prioritised. To address the imbalance, Boys Mentorship South Africa founder Mpumelelo Buthelezi started the programme to show youngsters the right direction in life. He said there were often no programmes created for boys. “We need to create a safe environment for our boys where they will be treated equally and given the same opportunities as girls… at home, in society and in the house of God,” said Buthelezi. “The relationship with others will be defined by how they see their parents, teachers and people around them interact with others.” He said the programme was for boys between the ages of 12 and 18, and encouraged them to make choices that would positively impact their lives. In 2012, Buthelezi started…

HEIN Prinsloo-Curson’s book, You Are Noah, was central to an exhibition in London this week alongside works by some of Britain’s most famous fine artists, including Wendy Kimberley, who has paintings in the Royal Collection. The exhibition showcases book covers from children’s fiction, picture books and young adult fiction, to cultural history, biography and memoir, political satire, poetry, science fiction and fantasy. TV’s real life Barbie, Rachel Evans, who went to support the book, said in a Barbie world there was no war, climate change or threats to animals. “I wanted to try to bring some of that into the real world through the Noah’s Ark Foundation because we all have a part to play in looking after the world we all live in.” Hein was born in Johannesburg, he…

The future of South African municipalities may look bleak, but the potential to become beacons of service delivery and good governance remains for this sector. But this optimism is somewhat muted by municipalities operating on autopilot. With a myriad of legislative and executive role clarifications, it is hard to understand why many municipalities sleepwalk through decisions that often impact the trajectory of service delivery and residents’ lives. The situation worsens when a complete disregard for the principles of good governance underscores autopilot-type decisions. The recent placing of Mangaung Metro and the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality under national intervention in terms of Section 139(7) of the Constitution indicates the significant financial and service delivery failures of local government. Given that the mandatory intervention by the national government follows the failure to…

With employment opportunities especially scarce for transgender and gender-diverse refugees and migrants, a Johannesburg skills development programme equips them with versatility and hope. Located in the back of a seemingly abandoned business premises on a busy street not too far outside Johannesburg’s inner city is the room Leona Sibanda calls home. No bigger than 20m², the room has a bed, positioned behind a curtain serving as a makeshift room divider, a kettle and two-plate stove and, in pride of place in the centre, her sewing machine. A transgender woman, originally from Zimbabwe, Sibanda fled to South Africa after fearing for her life following the disappearance of another trans woman who had been a close friend. Arriving in Johannesburg shortly before South Africa’s first national Covid lockdown was implemented, the 33-year-old…

Life staging is a well-known approach to investing that largely centres on managing your finances and investments according to the different stages of your life. The premise is relatively simple, plan in advance and invest early enough so you can essentially fund your big life stages. While this might sound fairly straightforward in theory, the reality is that life doesn’t happen in a “vacuum”, in that there are a host of outside stimuli that need to be accounted for, particularly if you’re investing as part of a family. Given that more couples are combining their finances, we’ve decided to highlight four typical life stage events that families experience, and offer some insights into the various considerations that they should take into account when planning their investments. Married without kids While…