Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-04-01 i Pretoria News Weekend

In Mzansi, actresses are no longer playing second fiddle to their counter- parts. It took some time, in comparison to when such changes were made in the US industry, but the pervading woke mindset plays an integral part in the evolution of roles on SA screens. This fact is most heartening and undeniable, especially when you look at shows like Lioness, Queen Sono, Lockdown, Isono, Gomora, Savage Beauty and DiepCity, all helmed by formidable women. And Gail Mabalane (née Nkoane) is now a part of this trailblazing shift after being cast as Zenzi Mwale, a domestic worker who is failed by those around her and takes matters into her own hands, in Netflix’s 6-part series, Unseen. For those who feel that they know her range as an actress based on…

Gym wearables, such as fitness trackers, waist trainers, and ankle weights, offer many benefits to gym fanatics. These products help track your physical activity, monitor your heart rate and improve overall fitness levels. A healthy lifestyle can prevent many lifestyle illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, cancer and obesity. Fitness trackers can monitor an individual’s physical activity and provide feedback on their progress toward their fitness goals. According to a study in the Journal of Medical Systems, fitness trackers were found to be effective in encouraging physical activity among individuals, which led to improved health outcomes. Waist trainers, on the other hand, are wearable devices that are designed to compress the abdomen and provide lower back support during exercise. While some individuals claim waist trainers help them lose weight, there is…

Gauteng Economic Development MEC Tasneem Motara has welcomed Air China back to South Africa, as the Chinese airline resumes its weekly flights to OR Tambo International Airport. The airline’s last flights to South Africa were before the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected direct flights between the two friendly nations. “The Beijing-Shenzhen-Johannesburg three times per week service is significant because it is back to its pre-Covid schedule after three years. More importantly, the flights will also restore the economic ties that benefited from the flights between the two cities,” said Motara. The provincial government said China was one of Gauteng’s important markets for trade, investment and business, and leisure visitors. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, visitor numbers from the Asian economic powerhouse were at 120 000. South Africa is one of the first…

THE Land Rover Defender line-up is now complete. Continuing the tradition of naming the variants according to the chassis length, the new Defender 130 closes the circle. Not that the new Defender 90, 110 or 130 have a chassis mind you, because they’re now built around a very strong monocoque structure, but they have stuck with the iconic predecessors’ heritage and history. The Defender is also the only vehicle in its segment that’s not built on a ladder frame chassis which is part of the reason why it’s so comfortable on and off-road. Land Rover claims it’s three times stiffer in terms of structural rigidity than its rivals, and that’s saying something. That’s by the by, but it does show what’s possible when the engineers were tasked with a foreign…

When it comes to corporate travel, 88% of the global business sector views addressing climate change as the number one priority area for action. Considering that aviation accounts for around 2.5% of global CO2 emissions and that 78% of travel managers worldwide expect their corporate travellers to embark on more business trips in 2023, there is a need for businesses to ensure consistency in their green motives. According to Bonnie Smith, GM Corporate Traveller, tackling the effects of climate change is still possible without eliminating business development. “Offsetting your travellers’ carbon footprint, implementing a no-print travel policy, and activating alerts on various booking platforms to receive notifications regarding the most sustainable routes, are just a few ways to maximise corporate travel sustainability,” said Smith. If you’re interested in taking your…

During working hours they wear high heels, lipstick and linen suits … but in their leisure time they don hiking boots, wetsuits and safety harnesses. They don’t care if their hair gets wet, their mascara smudged, or their acrylic nails take a beating. During the week they rule the boardroom, on weekends they tame the wilderness. Zip-lining, sky-diving, rock-climbing, white-water rafting, abseiling, bungee-jumping: it’s a case of “have the gear, take the plunge”. A new LinkedIn group, From High Heels to High Hills, provides a networking platform for these women to make it easier to find like-minded friends and colleagues and leverage special offers and excursions. “Women, especially black women, are feeling more empowered,” says psychologist Sharon Munyaka. “We no longer feel we need to ask permission. If we want…

The plan was to interview Delroy Lindo about his career, to let the journey- man actor point out the road signs that had led him from a Tony nomination for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone in 1988 to Oscar buzz for Da 5 Bloods in 2020 – and all the traffic between. Lindo caught the acting bug when he was 5, and for nearly the same number of decades, he has made a go of it professionally. But like so many well-laid plans, his career didn’t work out quite as expected. As is the case with so many of the characters Lindo inhabits – whether it be the Trump-loving Vietnam veteran Paul in Da 5 Bloods or the attorney Adrian Boseman in The Good Fight – the actor stakes his…

MR BEAST is facing mixed reactions to his latest viral TikTok in which he claimed to gift a waitress a new car – wrapped in logos promoting his businesses. The world’s most-followed YouTuber, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, posted the 42-second clip earlier this week, in which he asks a waiter named Amy about the biggest tip she has ever received. “Like $50” (about R900), she replied. Mr Beast handed Amy a set of car keys and asked: “Has anyone ever tipped a car?” Her jaw dropped the moment he pulled out a car key and handed it over to her. At first, Amy accused him of lying, so he took her outside to prove her wrong. Amy’s shocked reaction to her new car was captured on video, and…

When we think about rings, bracelets and earrings, we picture women wearing these items. From celebrities dripping in jewels on the red carpet to fashionistas staying on trend, jewellery has mainly been designed for women. However, these days, thanks to celebrities like Harry Styles, Lenny Kravitz and Johnny Depp, it’s become more and more popular for men to adorn themselves with jewellery. As it was singer Styles is famous for his single-strand pearl necklace and pearl earrings, while rock star Kravitz knows exactly how to layer neck pieces. Anything from a simple single chain like Justin Bieber, or a stack of solid silver rings, chunky watches and necklaces like Depp, the best-dressed men always incorporate some bling in their looks. Hip-hop artists and rappers are famous for their thick gold…

Private security firm, Fidelty ADT, is offering a R10 000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of escaped rapist and murderer, Thabo Bester. Also known as the “Facebook rapist”, Bester fled from the Mangaung Correctional Centre, managed by the G4S Correction Services (S outh Africa). “Help us bring this criminal to book. We are offering R100 000 to anyone who can provide us with information that leads to the successful arrest and conviction of Thabo Bester,” read the post on the company’s Facebook page. Bester was sentenced for the murder of model Nomfundo Tyhulu and the rapes of two women - all of whom he lured via Facebook under the pretence of being a model scout. Last year, the Department of Correctional Services issued a statement saying…

OSCAR Pistorius is not about to go home, the Department of Correctional Services said yesterday. The department said it received the decision of the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board on the parole consideration for the inmate following a hearing yesterday. “The board granted inmate Pistorius a further profile for August 2024. The reason provided is that the inmate did not complete the minimum detention period as ruled by the Supreme Court of Appeal (as per the clarification provided on March 28, 2023),” the department said in a statement. The parole board had earlier in the day conducted hearing into the bid by the former athlete to be released from the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre. The hearing took place at the same facility. Ahead of the hearing, the family of his late…

PRETORIA educator, speaker and author Thulaganyo Modisane commemorated World Kidney Day on March 9 with pupils at Dikgakologo Primary School in Winterveldt, where she educated them about kidney disease. Modisane stressed the importance of taking care of one’s organs, and explained how the kidney functioned. In 2020, Modisane was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which was a life changing moment for her – financially and holistically. This motivated her to bring awareness about kidney diseases, especially among the black community. As an advocate for World Kidney Day, Modisane started sharing information through her movement #Saveyourkidneys, in an effort to fight the silent killer: chronic kidney disease. “As a black South African woman, I find there is still a gap to be filled…

SUBSCRIPTION services and over-the-air updates are part of the future motoring landscape whether you like it or not. But is it fair to ask a customer to pay extra for something when the hardware is already installed in the car they’ve bought? BMW, for instance, has ruffled a few feathers by offering a subscription service in some markets for heated seats. Performance updates you can purchase later through software updates is another thing the motoring world will soon get used to. Tesla already does it and now Kia is offering something similar with its new EV9 flagship electric SUV. After revealing the vehicle’s concept car-inspired exterior and interior designs earlier this month, Kia has now spilled the beans on all the technical details, including performance and range. At the top…

Investing is a key aspect to creating personal wealth. Broadly speaking, an individual can select the stocks or bonds themselves, or outsource this to a fund or investment manager. Making the right choice when selecting a fund manager is key to long-term gains. This can be done directly into a unit trust or through a savings product, such as a Retirement Annuity, Tax-Free Savings Account, etc. The fund or investment manager plays a crucial role in helping individuals and families reach their financial goals. When trusting an investment professional to manage assets, it is essential to have a deep understanding of how the investment will be managed. This knowledge can help clients make informed decisions and ensure that their strategy is aligned with the overall financial goals set out…

Everywhere you look in the Toulouse team, there is either a French Test player, an overseas international, or a top-class foreigner. In stark contrast, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie are the only real Bulls contenders who might feature at this year’s Rugby World Cup. That is the enormity of the task facing Jake White’s side in tomorrow’s Champions Cup last-16 encounter at Stadium de Toulouse (4pm SA time kick-off), but it is one that the Pretoria outfit are not shying away from. “I knew, but what people saw last week … Look at the injection Kurt-Lee and Canan brought to us against Ulster, having not played for two months,” White said from the southern French city yesterday. “And if we could have 10 of those guys running out onto the…

IT’S no secret KwaZulu-Natal is a popular family destination. If you’re looking for fun at the beach, you go to Durban, Margate or Ballito. If you’re looking for a rural escape and adventure in the mountains, try the Drakensberg, the Midlands and Oribi Gorge. When it comes to history and culture, the Battlefields, Nongoma and Valley of a Thousand Hills offer the best cultural experience. Reading about places such as Sodwana Bay, Lake Jozini, Kosi Bay, Hluhluwe, Isimangaliso Wetland Park and Lake St Lucia sparked my interest as a child. It then became a dream to explore these places. So when the opportunity to travel to northern KwaZulu-Natal presented itself, I was thrilled. I wanted a safari, mountain and water experience. And guess what? uMkhuze has all three. Mkuze in…

Priyanka Chopra Jonas had “beef with people” in Bollywood. The 40-year-old actress enjoyed huge success in India before she made the switch to Hollywood, and Chopra has now revealed why she decided to leave the Indian film industry. Speaking on the Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard podcast, she said: “I was being pushed into a corner in the industry. “I had people not casting me for reasons … I had ‘beef with people’. I was tired of the politics. I was just like, ‘I need a break’” Chopra signed a record deal in the US in 2011. The actress – who is married to pop star Nick Jonas – said the deal opened doors for her in the US. “This music thing gave me an opportunity to go into another…

A woman who is 1.9m tall earned R4.5 million in one year posing as a “Sex Giantess” on OnlyFans. According to the Mirror, 34-year-old Penny says customers of her OnlyFans channel make several specific requests related to her height, including her role-playing. She said: “There is a massive fetish out there for tall women. It’s my height that stands out and makes me unique. If I wasn’t so tall, there is no way I would make so much money. “I make a lot of money through tips and PPV (pay-per-view) for requests on giantess content. “The men that find my height a turn-on love to spoil me and pay for what they enjoy, and I enjoy my work. “The most popular are custom role-playing videos that I am growing, and…

DRIVERS of the two biggest e-hailing providers, Bolt and Uber, are planning a strike to demand a better working environment from the app owners. Bolt failed to provide statistics on the number of drivers killed while on duty in the last three years. This is despite reports of attacks and killings of their drivers and some passengers being reported almost every week, and the companies admitting to being aware of the increase. In the past two weeks, it is reported that over five attacks took place. They included University of Johannesburg law graduate Euston Mnguni, 28, who was shot four times by passengers who hijacked him in Midrand. Gauteng Provincial SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said police are experiencing a hike in the attacks and hijackings of e-hailing vehicles…

In October 2010 there were massive strikes across France against pension reform. Activist Jean-Baptiste Reddé’s slogan “Ecoutez la colère du peuple” (Listen to the people’s rage) became world famous as the symbol that epitomised public sentiment. “More than a decade later France is again (there) because of President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed pension reform that plans to make the French work longer, by pushing back the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 or reducing pay-outs for early retirees,” Blessing Utete, managing executive of Old Mutual Corporate Consultants wrote in an op-ed on Ebnet this week. South Africa at the same time is also going through its most significant retirement reform in history. The National Treasury has already tabled the proposed “two-pot system”, scheduled to be implemented in March 2024, with…

THE fastest-growing world sanctioning body, the World Boxing Federation (WBF), hosted its convention in Cape Town a few days ago. Despite the prestige that goes along with hosting a world sanctioning body’s blue riband event, Boxing South Africa (BSA) failed to attend the event. They were given an invitation five months ago and failed to respond. It was only the third time in South African boxing history that a world-sanctioning organisation has its annual convention in Mzansi. BSA’s absence is puzzling even as the WBF has been the most active sanctioning body in the country and has provided many work opportunities for fight officials such as judges, referees, cornermen and timekeepers. Also, by staging title bouts many boxers have had a chance to fight for titles and become champions. It…

FORMER Springbok wing Courtnall Skosan is on the radar of the Stormers and Western Province to boost their wing stocks ahead of next season’s United Rugby Championship (URC). Apart from Leolin Zas, Seabelo Senatla, Angelo Davids, Suleiman Hartzenberg and Tristan Leyds, the Cape side currently does not have any other wings with experience and it’s starting to show at the back-end of the URC and Heineken Champions Cup. Leyds and Hartzenberg are relatively young when it comes to international club rugby and on top of that, Zas, Leyds and Davids are out injured, with the Stormers and Western Province (in the Currie Cup) unable to call on their services. And with Skosan being a free agent after agreeing to leave Northampton Saints at the end of the season to return…

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Besides the ocean, Table Mountain and an affluent aesthetic, it boasts a breathtaking sunset. KAYAK, a leading travel search engine, has launched the City Index for Mindful Travellers. This is an interactive guide designed to help conscious travellers make wise decisions when planning their next trip. The index analysed 167 cities in 63 countries across 28 factors to help travellers make more informed travel decisions. In its study, Cape Town came fifth in the ranking of the Middle East and Africa region. The Mother City is said to be less tourist-populated compared to many other popular destinations. “The city has a good share of properties which could be interesting for mindful travellers because they use practices such as…