Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-02-25 i Pretoria News Weekend

It is January 2003 – many years before I began researching popular music professionally – and I’m flicking around the music channels on TV. Disillusioned by the usual paint-by-numbers chart fodder and ready to call it a day, I chance upon the video for a new song called In Da Club by a rapper called 50 Cent. The video shows a van driving through a desert on its way to the “Shady/Aftermath Artist Development Centre”, where lab-coated rap legends Eminem and Dr Dre observe a “patient” through a Perspex screen. The patient in question looks like he’s just burst off the pages of a comic book. With all bulging muscles, smouldering stares and chiselled good looks, he’s hanging upside down from a pull-up bar as he performs eye-watering stomach crunches.…

SOUTH Africa might be a resilient nation, but there is no doubt that the country is currently facing some of its most monumental challenges in modern history. From excessive load shedding, distressingly high crime rates, widespread corruption and high rates of unemployment, South Africans are continuously confronted with bad news. But a new news team is determined to shift the narrative and invoke some positivity into the lives of the nation’s viewers. Feel SA, founded by journalist heavyweights Tanya Nefdt and Shahan Ramkissoon, want to shine the spotlight on inspiring South African stories and the positive impact its citizens are making. “Our goal is to help and inspire people, and like the rest of South Africa and the world, we have all experienced tremendous loss, and our country is hurting,”…

While rare diseases may not take centre stage, like illnesses such as tuberculosis and diabetes, with 1 in 5 South Africans living with a rare disease, organisations and patients have pleaded for better access to medical treatment. With a staggering 3.7 million South Africans reportedly living with one of 7 000 rare diseases, organisations assisting those living with such diseases have shone the spotlight on the difficulty of living and receiving medical treatment in South Africa, on the eve of the country observing Rare Diseases Day on Tuesday. Patients and experts who attended a webinar hosted by non-profit organisation Rare Diseases South Africa (RDSA) and Takeda Pharmaceutical highlighted how the biggest struggle for patients with rare diseases was access to treatment, as not only were rare diseases usually not covered…

THE 36TH AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 18 and 19 has come and gone. The summit took place in a milestone year for continental governance as it coincided with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the first of a decade of the AU Agenda 2063. The OAU is the predecessor of the AU while the Agenda 2063 offers a vision for and practical steps in transforming the African continent by 2063. As such, the meeting of the heads of state and government provided an opportunity to reflect on how far the continent has come and to chart the way forward towards the goals agreed upon. Indeed, the theme of this year’s gathering, “Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African…

Budget 2023 is as good as we could have hoped for, given current economic conditions. The National Treasury has lifted the expected government debt trajectory, but, importantly, it continues to map a path to fiscal sustainability and a lower government debt ratio in the long term. ESKOM CRISIS Christie Viljoen – Senior Economist, PwC South Africa South Africa’s power challenges are severely affecting economic growth and jobs at a time when the country urgently needs to recover from the after-effects of the Covid-19 crisis to retain its competitiveness and attractiveness. Indeed, load-shedding is the number one brake on economic and employment growth. As reported in our January 2023 South Africa Economic Outlook, PwC estimates that power cuts reduced potential real GDP growth by five percentage points in 2022. This cost…

Tinder and other dating apps have come to define modern dating, and notoriously so. Users download the Tinder app to their phones or other devices and can then view the profiles of potential dates nearby. If they think someone might be a match, they swipe to the right on their touchscreens to show interest. If the other person swipes right too, a chat can begin, which might lead to an in-person meeting. This initial introduction involves minimal information – a photo and some basic details about yourself. The result is that romance and trust are sometimes assumed to be missing from the dating process. Added to this are fears of harassment and scams as well as uninspiring (and often sexually aggressive) Tinder opening lines like, “Wow, your clothes would look…

STATE-OWNED North West Transport Investment, which operates the North West Star buses, has broken its silence about developments at the company after a service provider walked away with bus keys due to non-payment. This left commuters in Hammans- kraal and Atteridgeville stranded. The spokesperson for the entity, Freddy Sepeng, said the problem of the non-availability of buses had been sorted and R10 million was paid to the service provider on Thursday. The entity has a contract with the Gauteng government, which subsidises it for transporting commuters. Sepeng said: “We had problems and they were sorted out three weeks ago.” However, despite the payment made to the service provider, there was still an outstanding debt estimated to be in the region of R40m, he said. The Pretoria News understands that the…

THE variety of colour and culture is what makes the world a more beautiful place to live in. It is because of our diversity that our rainbow nation is so special. Differences are not only in our human family, but are apparent throughout the whole of nature. For example, a beautiful garden is normally made of flowers of different colours, and shrubs and trees of different types and sizes. The Bahai Writings state that: “The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord”, and emphasise that “If you meet those of different race and colour from yourself, do not mistrust them and withdraw yourself into your shell…

When birds and people go quiet in the afternoons at Church Square in the heart of Pretoria, sneakers creak and sweat hits the ground. Adults and children have been meeting at Church Square every day at 6pm for aerobics, stretching and strength training routines. Their goal it to improve all elements of fitness; an activity that has also proven to enhance their mental, emotional and spiritual wellness. Founded by fitness coach Katlego Moloya, 32, the Church Square Fitness Club has been mesmerising people in the CBD for five years and in that time enticed many residents. Some people were impressed by the choreography and rhythm displayed by the members, who transitioned between dance styles without even signalling each other, while others joined purely for health reasons. Their level of fitness…

The last week of January was characterised by many events. While President Cyril Ramaphosa was addressing delegates at the basic education sector lekgotla at the Sandton Convention Centre, a pupil was fighting for his life in Alexandra township after being stabbed by a fellow pupil. A week before the terrifying incident, another pupil had been killed by a pupil at another school in Gauteng. Two weeks after the adjournment of the lekgotla, a teacher was stabbed by an intruder at a school. The intruder held the teachers hostage and demanded to see the principal. The stabbed teacher retaliated by shooting the victim. All the incidents took place at schools and in the presence of pupils and teachers. As usual, the Gauteng Department of Education issued a media statement and the…

On February 24, last year, the day that Russia first attacked Ukraine, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation stood out as one of the first South African organisations to categorically condemn the invasion. It is what our founder, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, would have done. But it was an action that was not universally welcomed. Many felt that we should rather take a “wait and see” approach; potentially position ourselves, or at least South Africa, as neutral in order to play a role in being able to negotiate peace. From the outset, we felt it was naive and unjust to equate supposed “neutrality” with being able to play a role in bringing about peace. As the Arch so clearly put it: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you…

As a nation, we know that our financial literacy is sorely lacking. The topic is broad, but those involved in financial education identify an understanding of interest rates, inflation, compound interest and diversification of risk in financial decision-making to be markers and measures of financial literacy. So where do we fall in these areas? Based on a sample set of 3 067 interviewees for a survey commissioned by the Financial Services Conduct Authority (FSCA) in 2018, only 16% of respondents understood the idea of inflation, with less than half able to answer a simple question about interest, and just more than a third able to answer a question about compound interest. Without this challenge being addressed, as a country chasing growth and prosperity, the goal can increasingly seem far off…

THERE is a book on the rise and fall of Springbok coaches called The Poisoned Chalice and it reveals the psychological torture that coaches undergo in one of the toughest jobs in sport. The author, Gavin Rich, suggested that when the coaches sip from the chalice, they incur not mad cow’s disease but Mad Coaches’ Disease (MCD). MCD is easy to detect because the symptoms have been obvious from the early post-isolation coaches – think the thousand-yard stare of Ian McIntosh – right up to the madcap antics of Rassie Erasmus on social media. It was Rassie’s recent spat with Nick Mallett – at 3am in the morning he angrily questioned Mallett’s comments on a TV show – that reminded me of how Bok coaches have behaved bizarrely over the…

Travelling can be stressful, and nothing is worse than forgetting the item that gives you permission to explore the wonders of the world. A woman wrote to Reddit’s “Am I The A**hole’ forum if she’s one for ditching her friend at the airport after she (the friend) had forgotten her passport. “When we arrived at the airport she had forgotten her passport, so she had to go back home to get it,” she wrote. “We were already stressed for time to making our flight so I didn’t go back home with her and just checked in.” Her friend didn’t make it back in time and missed the flight. The two were supposed to spend a long weekend in New York but only one went. ‘’I'm now being called an a**hole…

Jamie Lynn Spears is feeling “bittersweet” over the Zoey 101 reboot. The actress, 31, is the younger sister of pop legend Britney Spears, 41, but became famous in her own right when she starred in the title role of the Nickelodeon comedy-drama about life in a boarding school. She took to social media on Monday to tease that the upcoming Zoey 102 follow-up movie to the show would not be possible without the love and support of everyone around her. Alongside a series of snaps, she wrote on Instagram: “Bitter-sweet feels. I truly love all of these humans. “The new era of Zoey would not exist without every person doing their part to create this magical experience, including our amazing fans. Gonna need way more than 10 photos to include…

The majority of tried-and-true strategies for improving your health are simple: if you want to lose weight, eat less and move more; if you want to increase your energy, get more sleep; etc. Some, though, are a little peculiar. Even though they may appear counter-intuitive, use these 10 suggestions to take your health to the next level. Instead of paracetamol, eat green apples It turns out that eating an apple a day can also prevent headaches in addition to keeping the doctor away. According to research by The Smell & Taste Therapy and Research Foundation, the smell of green apples lessens the severity of migraines. Researchers believe this may have something to do with the way that relaxing scents may ease tension and help individuals forget about their migraine agony.…

THE trustees of a retirement fund are not bound by the wishes of the holder as to who should receive the money – even if the holder stipulated those wishes on the beneficiary nomination form prior to death. This was once again confirmed by the high court sitting in Durban when the customary law wife of a deceased complained that she and her husband’s common law wife each received 40% of the pension payout of the deceased. To make matters worse, two of the deceased’s adult children from another relationship were each also earmarked by the fund to receive money, while a minor child from yet another relationship was due to also receive a portion. The parties are not identified as a minor child is involved. The customary wife turned…

Eersterust mother of two, Coleen Swartz, is pinning her hopes on making Pretoria proud by bringing home the Mrs South Africa title. Swartz crossed the first hurdle when she was earlier this month selected as a semi-finalist in this prestigious competition. Swartz, who can now add this accolade to her resume as she joins the class of 2023, is overjoyed at the chance of grabbing the crown. The semi-finalists were chosen at a national casting event held at Emperors Palace, in Johannesburg. Following the announcement, the semi-finalists took part in a jam-packed two-day conference filled with motivational talks, workshops, upskilling sessions, socialising and networking opportunities, and an introduction to the famous Mrs SA sisterhood. “I’m completely shocked and honoured,” Swartz said, after she had made the cut. Joani Johnson, the…

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime identified a total of 1 971 assassination cases in South Africa between 2000 and 2021. Many of those targeted and killed were whistle-blowers and human rights defenders who had exposed corruption and stood up for the human rights of their communities, as well as all the people in South Africa. The killings and threats have not ceased, and President Cyril Ramaphosa, during his State of the Nation addresses in 2022 and 2023, correctly pointed out that there was a need for greater protection of whistle-blowers in the country. He said the government was working to capacitate its witness protection unit and would introduce amendments to the Protected Disclosures Act and the Witness Protection Act to better protect informers. But the time for talk…

South African consumers have the South African Revenue Service to thank for the fact that their income tax burden will not increase for the 2023/24 tax year. So says Emil Brincker, director and head of tax and exchange control at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH), who was speaking at the law firm’s post-Budget webinar on Wednesday evening. He reckoned that had SARS not brought in more revenue than expected, the government may have been forced to increase tax rates. The SARS figures are impressive. According to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his Budget speech on Wednesday, tax revenue collections for the 2022/23 tax year are expected to total R1.69 trillion. “This exceeds the 2022 Budget estimate by R93.7 billion, and the 2022 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) estimate by R10.3 billion.…

My son is in matric this year, and I want to start an investment that he could take over when he eventually starts working and earning an income. I've thought of things like a retirement annuity (RA) or endowment fund, but am unsure what the best investment vehicle would be. What is your advice on which one to choose? Name withheld Robyn Laubscher, Advice and Product Specialist, PSG Wealth, replies: It is important to align the product you consider to the financial goal you would like to achieve. If access to the investment at any time is important, then you can consider a tax-free savings account (TFSA) or a discretionary investment in your son’s name. The benefit of a TFSA is that there is no tax within the product;…