Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-08-07 i Sunday Independent

Women’s Month presents an opportunity for all South Africans to pause and consider the strides that are being made towards gender equality in all spheres of society. While we should have fewer male-dominated industries by now, it is important to celebrate the women who are thriving in industries that are traditionally “run” by men, with the view to motivate more women to get involved. In celebration of female pioneers in business, this piece highlights three entrepreneurs who are challenging the status quo in their sectors and being recognised for their exceptional talents, skills and sheer determination. Nneile Nkholise | After completing her Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Wits, Nneile Nkholise obtained her Master of Engineering degree, specialising in mechanical engineering. That’s when her planned career trajectory…

You would either have been living under a rock or just arrived from Mars not to have noticed that the townships of Tembisa and Kagiso, on opposite ends of the Rand, were aflame this past week and more. Kagiso exploded after the rape of eight young women, part of a film crew shooting a video on the dumps of disused mines in Krugersdorp, now rightly known as Mogale City. The perpetrators were allegedly illegal miners, known colloquially as zama-zamas. To their credit, the police swooped on the outlaws, notorious for terrorising the neighbouring community of West Village, and arrested just over 80 of them - and still counting. But you’d swear our rulers live on another planet. In his address to the Presidential Social Sector Summit at Birchwood Hotel in…

On the eve of the first visit to South Africa by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, described by political analysts as a bid to restore relations fractured under the administration of former president Donald Trump, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) has talked up the relationship between the two nations. Clayson Monyela, the head of public diplomacy at Dirco, said yesterday South Africa and the US enjoyed historical and cordial relations, saying that the South Africa-US Strategic Dialogue was a structured bilateral mechanism designed to serve as a platform through which the two countries were able to review the bilateral relationship, consider new areas of co-operation and exchange views on matters of mutual interest. This dialogue had stopped under the Donald Trump administration. “Our relations with…

From Page 1 Frazer belongs to the dominant ANC faction, the Talibans, that won overwhelmingly. Her inclusion in the PEC also received support from the ANC Women’s League, where she once served as its spokesperson. Bani is seemingly an underdog for the position, given her little experience in political leadership. She was elected as a provincial legislature member, chairing the sport and recreation committee after the 2019 general elections. Bani’s political backing came from various branches of eThekwini and the ANC Youth League. Before her appointment to the legislature, Bani was a senior official in eThekwini Municipality under the Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit. She led the ANC student organisation Sasco as a branch secretary at the Durban University of Technology. She was also a chairperson of the ANCYL in…

The survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) living in rural and semi-rural mining areas of South Africa are often abandoned and left destitute with no financial means and other key forms of support. Some of them can be found in the “platinum belt” of Rustenburg, North West. A report released by Statistics SA to Parliament in 2019 found that men outnumbered women by 12 to 10 in mining areas. This has created a potent mix of historical structural violence in which women, especially those with children, are dependent on male partners for survival. Add the visibility of LGBT+ people who may be exposed to homophobia, the violence can become difficult to monitor. The director and project manager of Kitso-ke-Lesedi, Tau Motlhaping, said: “Several male workers from provinces across South Africa and…

Multi award-winning transgender activist and media personality Yaya Mavundla intends to use her new fashion collection, Queer Comfort, to raise funds for transgender women to be able to access hormones and education through her foundation, A Woman Like Me. “I have seen the waiting list of transgender women to get hormones with no luck. It is very long. I know what the wait does to someone’s mind and self-esteem because all you want is to take hormones so your body can develop how you want it to be. When one does not have access to that, it becomes a huge struggle,” said Mavundla. Mavundla said she wanted to reach as many transgender women as possible to provide them with proper knowledge about the transitioning process. “I do not want a…

An argument made sharply by many radical African scholars is one against the false claim that colonialism brought all knowledge in different fields of learning into the continent. Colonial historiography is based on the fallacy that Africa and other continents – the Americas, Asia, and Australasia – were tabula rasae on which colonists scripted the gift of knowledge. Some scholars, such as Cheikh Anta Diop (The African Origin of Civilisation: Myth or Reality) and George James (Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy) went further, to try to show that some of the greatest philosophical and scientific knowledge systems can be traced to Africa. Of course, some of their ideas have been heavily contested as being “politically useful mythology” that fails historical and scientific scrutiny. Whether these rebuttals against…

As the ANC prepared for its policy conference, which was held in Nasrec, Johannesburg, from July 28 to 31, there were high expectations about its outcome. When the conference concluded its business, the extent to which it succeeded in achieving its goals became the subject of debate. On the one hand, some painted a glossy picture, arguing that the conference brought hope for the future of the ANC and the country. On the other hand, there was a divergent view that delegates failed to come up with something new; they repeated old policy positions. For ease of reference, it is of cardinal importance to reflect on at least eight of the policy positions that were agreed to by the conference. The approach will make it easier to test the two…

Last week, at least 15 people died in protests demanding that UN peacekeepers leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The week before, the military junta ruling Mali halted troop rotations for the UN mission there and ejected the mission’s deputy spokesperson. These incidents highlight the deep-seated crises of consent and legitimacy unfolding in these missions. The UN mission in the DRC –Monusco (Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) – has the government’s weak consent to operate and wield force, but it has failed to build legitimacy and consent among the ordinary people who are most affected by the conflict. The government has been trying to get the mission to leave since 2010, and the UN has been in the process of drawing the mission…

THE return of former Kolpak players to South African cricket has been a source of fierce debate within the local system, but Proteas coach Mark Boucher believes “it has definitely added a different dimension” to his team. The Proteas are enjoying a hugely successful tour of the UK, having drawn the ODI series with world champions England 1-1, before claiming their first-ever white-ball series triumph with a 2-1 T20I victory over that country. They followed it up with a resounding 2-0 T20I series win over Ireland in Bristol on Friday. After already witnessing the impact of Duanne Olivier (Yorkshire) and Simon Harmer (Essex) within the Proteas Test side over the home summer, it was the turn of Rilee Rossouw (Hampshire) and Wayne Parnell (Worcestershire) to leave their imprint on the…

Like many couples, Charlotte Grand and her husband Jeremy struggled to conceive. After being diagnosed with “unexplained infertility” three years on, they embarked on IVF and eventually had two sons. But before that happened, Grand started learning about how to nourish her body to help bolster her fertility as best she could from the inside out. She found what she learned so compelling that she left her job in fashion and trained as a nutritional therapist – going on to write the nutrition and lifestyle cookbook The Fertility Kitchen and creating the Instagram channel @thefertilitykitchen. “Food is the most powerful ingredient to create optimal fertility,” Grand says. “It provides the building blocks for new cells, so a preconception diet quite literally lays the foundations of your future child’s health. “Your…

On Friday, 29th July 2022, the country heard of the horrible news from the West Village in Krugersdorp, where eight (8) women were gang raped by ten (10) illegal black foreign nationals – the same thugs that are glorified as “Zama-Zamas”. In fact, to continue to refer to these heartless thugs as Zama-Zamas is not only to glorify them but to encourage others to continue with their illegal, criminal and thuggish activities in our communities with impunity. It is so unfortunate that we continue to hear reports that these illegal activities have been reported to the law enforcement agencies several times and no action was taken to decisively deal with the illegal activities in the area. The script remains the same in all communities, illegal incidents are reported to the…

From page 1 Professor Landry Signé, Senior Fellow at the Arizona State University and a Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University, said the trip would strive to advance the relationship and Blinken would announce Biden’s US strategy for sub-Saharan Africa. “Moreover, launching the strategy while visiting leaders in Africa is an important milestone in the US relationship with African countries and sends a strong message of respect by recognising that African countries are geostrategic players and critical partners on the most pressing issues of our day.” Blinken will deliver his address announcing and describing the US strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa at the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa Institute auditorium tomorrow at 3.45pm. Yesterday, Monyela noted that the US was South Africa’s third-largest trading partner with more than 600 US companies operating…

A galaxy of South African living legends will take to the stage to sing for peace and harmony at A Concert for Refugees in Johannesburg next week The festival on August 12 at the Linder Auditorium in Parktown will feature musical greats Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, PJ Powers, Pops Mohammed, Neil Solomon, along with Thandi Ntuli, Lebo Mashile and Bienvenue Nseka and Msaki. “We all must play our part in creating more humane societies. It is extremely important to isolate those who practise and demonstrate xenophobic, racist and sexist tendencies,” said Mabuse in an interview with the Sunday Independent. “I am because you are. I am my brother’s keeper,” added the legendary singer, who promised to perform a special rendition of his classic Burn Out with Pops Mohammed at the show,…

Celebrations to mark the 75th year of India’s independence will see collaboration between the India Club and Soweto Shining Stars Youth Production (SSSYP) in a joint effort to enhance the role of arts and culture in the country. SSSYP “Dinaledi Tsa Soweto Community Project” will be on display as part of the much-loved India Day cultural carnival at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium next Saturday (August 13). “Our vision for the India Day Carnival is to create a platform that highlights the India-South Africa relationship. This is an event that celebrates cultural diversity and each year we aim to expose, educate and observe our unique cultural heritage. We hope to create a new platform for small businesses and artisans allowing them to network and market in a different space,” said India…

While channel-hopping this week, I happened to come across one of those inspiring and influential videos from experts on various topics including business, science technology and creative arts, commonly known as TED Talks. This time the TED Talk was led by Nigerian award-winning novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who was talking about literature and story-telling from an African perspective. In one of her comments, Adichie said, “it was important that stories about the heroes and heroines of the unheard and unseen of this world would be told”. Later that night I happened to watch a media interview with the Economic Freedom Fighters student leader Sihle Lonzi. During the interview, Lonzi told his life story. As a child he was brought up by his domestic worker grandmother – who took care of…

For the indigenous people of South Africa, paying attention to global events, and particularly the developments on matters pertaining to indigenous peoples, is an absolute necessity. There are clear examples of progress made abroad, which should undoubtedly be emulated locally. For example, a resounding call by Canada’s indigenous people for the Catholic Church to repeal the Doctrine of Discovery – a 15th-century order by the church giving permission to explorers to claim the land of indigenous people across the globe. A recent event that made international headline news was the recent visit, last month, to Canada by Pope Francis. As the incumbent head of the Catholic Church, the pope’s mission was to apologise for the gruesome revelations that came out of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The purpose of…

Following the gang rape of eight women by zama zamas, or illegal miners, in Krugersdorp on the West Rand, the communities stood up in protest in an action to exterminate the barbarism linked with the beastly men who violated maidens. It was a shocking incident which left the nation numb. Many of us hope the young women are still getting the necessary emotional support for, soon after, these horrific accounts of rape were eclipsed by the calls to root out illegal immigrants because many maintain that the zama zamas are mainly illegal immigrants, mostly from Lesotho. The twist this took on Thursday was that several foreign nationals were mistakenly identified as zama zamas. Ninenteen were rescued by police from an irate mob. What has become of our country when…

Unless profiteering from illness stops, corporations which are becoming richer even during disasters and pandemics, will continue to pressure governments to not advance pro- people policies. “Normalisation” of minting un- bridled profits from illness, is one of the reasons why health and social welfare programmes have failed to deliver equitably. Corporate accountability needs to be the lynchpin to advance progress on treaties like the pandemic treaty. Also, it is important to ensure UN agencies remain free of conflict of interest of any kind. The Covid-19 pandemic not only exposed how ill-prepared we were to respond to a public health emergency but also, showed if governments fail to address corporate capture of public policy, we will not be able to respond equitably, thereby making us all vulnerable in face of any…

After a tenure marred by various scandals, Prime Minister Boris Johnson relinquished his post as leader of the UK and the Conservative Party. When he made this announcement, attention immediately shifted to who would replace him as leader of the UK and the Conservative Party. The front runners to replace Johnson are former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and Mary Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. The front runners both served under Johnson, with Sunak at the forefront of British economic policies. Both Sunak and Truss are bidding for the leadership of the Conservative Party at a time when the UK faces a tumultuous period. The economy has not performed well owing to the effects of Brexit, the impacts of Covid-19, and the Russian…

Ducati’s French rider Johann Zarco clocked a new track record to grab pole for the British MotoGP in qualifying at Silverstone yesterday, as Aleix Espargaro took an honourable sixth after a high-speed crash. Zarco, who rides for Ducati’s satellite Pramac team, is joined on the front row for today’s race by Maverick Vinales of Aprilia, just 0.098sec behind, and Jack Miller on a factory Ducati. World champion and series leader Fabio Quartararo took fourth on the grid for this 12th round of the 20-race season. The French rider must serve a long lap penalty during the race as punishment for a collision with Espargaro at Assen before the break. Zarco claimed his second prime grid position of the season and eighth in MotoGP in style with a lap of 1min…

NO LONGER aimed only at students, in the past few years hostels have upped their game. Facilities have improved, rooms benefit from greater privacy, and the interior design could match some of the trendiest hotels. Try some of these European options for a stress-free short break this year. A&O Hostel Rotterdam, Netherlands On a mission to reduce its ecological footprint, A&O wants to become the first CO2₂ net zero European hostel chain by 2025. The 19th-century brick building features free wi-fi, satellite TV and tea- and coffee-makers, along with desks and sitting areas. Take advantage of a free breakfast buffet. Dogs are welcome, and bike rental is also available. How much: From £41.50 (about R850) a night (twin room, two sharing). Visit aohostels.com Swiss Youth Hostels Crans- Montana, Switzerland: Once…

What once was, and to an extent still is, considered a male-dominated industry, food and drink is being challenged every day, empowered, and inspired by a growing line-up of talented, motivated women. With August 9 marking National Women’s Day, we could not imagine a better time to highlight these stories of food and drink industry powerhouses. Kerry Kilpin – executive chef at Steenberg Raised on a pineapple farm in the Eastern Cape just outside of Bathurst, Kilpin is the executive chef at Steenberg Wine Farm and oversees two restaurants on the estate – the Bistro Sixteen82 and Tryn Restaurant. “My culinary skills were honed at the Silwood School of Cookery in Cape Town shortly after I graduated from Grahamstown High School in 2000. In 2003, I worked as an intern…

The family of a deceased woman from Koster in North West are at their wits’ end after trying, to no avail, to lodge a claim with her insurer since her death on October 12, 2020. Dorah Pelaelo Kgosiemang took out a R10 000 funeral plan with Discovery Life on April 2, 2014, at a premium of R110 a month. Born on January 25, 1970, Kgosiemang died of natural causes just under two years ago, aged 50. In her insurance policy, she had listed her daughter Dimpho and her two grandchildren as beneficiaries. “Three days after my mother passed on,” says Dimpho, “I phoned Discovery to lodge a claim.” All she remembers is that she was put on hold and a recorded voice told her the conversation was being recorded. Subsequently,…

Local chicken producers are crying foul over the free pass given to importers to bring dumped broiler meat into the country. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) this week gazetted its decision to suspend anti-dumping tariffs on chicken imports from five countries. But while the SA Meat Importers and Exporters Association lauded Minister Ebrahim Patel’s move, the South African Poultry Association (Sapa) said it would do “material harm” to the industry, which is already under pressure. According to figures released by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, the poultry industry produced more than 1.8 million tons of meat in 2019. Broiler meat is known to be the largest contributor to the industry’s output and is the preferred choice of protein for most South Africans. Given…

THE family of one of the four people killed during violent service delivery protests in Tembisa this week believes the 43-year-old man is a victim of a racially-motivated shooting. Pheta Molonyama, a local welder from the township’s Mashemong section, died after being shot by a white Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality Police Department (EMPD) officer on Monday. Family spokesperson Boitumelo Sekonyane said they believed that the only reason Molonyama was shot and killed was because he was black. “We have this increase of racism where when white policemen and white metro police officers enter our neighbourhoods, all they see when they look at black people are automatic criminals, thugs, illiterate vagabonds. That is what he saw when he saw Pheta. “To have no remorse in shooting him and no remorse in saying…

At least one global tourism destination has its eye on South Africa following buoyancy in the local tourist accommodation sector as reported by Statistics South Africa. Dubai Tourism has joined partners across the hospitality, medical, entertainment and retail sectors to interact with key trade partners in South Africa in a multiple city roadshow next week. Some of the organisations that will accompany the delegation to South Africa include hotels, hospitals and other stakeholders in the Dubai Tourism ecosystem. “As Dubai continues to welcome tourists from around the world, we are focused on accelerating momentum even further driven by the vision of our leadership to make Dubai the world’s most visited destination and the best city in the world to live in and work,” said Issam Kazim, chief executive officer of…

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed major issues for the South African healthcare system, including resource depletion and staff shortages, a lack of access to care, and a need for healthcare systems reform. Regent Business School, in partnership with Siemens Healthineers, is determined to provide an opportunity to 40 participants to develop innovations to challenges in the South African healthcare system. Participants from various fields of healthcare, IT, engineering and business will develop innovative processes and products that will make a valuable impact on healthcare in the country. The participants will benefit from building innovative expertise, work on challenging and demanding local topics, engage with key opinion leaders, work in diverse multi-disciplinary teams, use the same templates and processes of Siemens designers, use the Regent iLeadLab for project development and start-…

As we celebrate national women’s month, it is important to pause and evaluate progress that has been achieved towards the economic empowerment of women in South Africa. The national government has put in place an enabling policy and legislative framework for promoting gender equality in all spheres of our society. However, gender inequalities continue to be the norm because of centuries of social programming that has deeply entrenched beliefs about superiority or inferiority of certain groups based on their gender or race. These inequalities have persisted because the majority of people accept racial and gender inequalities as the normal social order. Family structure, religion, cultural institutions and media continue to play a major role in perpetuating racial and gender inequality in society. The South African government should be commended for…

Three days before Tunisians voted on a new constitution their president promised would propel them into prosperity, Nori Saif sat on a bench downtown, rattling off the prices smugglers charge to sneak young men into Europe. The cheapest journey, he said, would be around $1 200 (R20 000). A smuggler with a better guarantee could cost more than $3 000. As for the vote? “I only heard about it yesterday,” he said. “We have no hope. Nothing will change.” Eleven years ago, masses of civilians gathered on this same avenue in Tunis, calling for autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali to step down. It worked. Ben Ali fled the country and died in exile. Tunisia began the long process of remaking itself as a democracy – the only one to survive…

Aleksandar Mitrovic twice put the hosts ahead, but Darwin Nunez came off the bench to make a huge impact on his Premier League debut. The Uruguayan, who arrived at Anfield in a deal that could rise to €100 million (R1.706 billion) from Benfica, flicked home to level at 1-1, and then teed up Mohamed Salah for an equaliser 10 minutes from time. Liverpool’s season had got off to a flying start by getting the better of Manchester City to win the Community Shield in what was billed as an early showdown between the two title contenders. However, the Reds were punished in the first hour. Mitrovic scored 43 goals in as many games last season as Fulham romped to the Championship title, and gave Liverpool an early warning as he…

Cape Town: Akani Simbine’s issues with his start again affected him negatively in yesterday’s Diamond League event in Silesia, Poland. The South African champion stated after the Commonwealth Games 100m final that he was “struggling with my start at the moment”, which played a part in him finishing second in defence of his title in 10.13 seconds, as he ended behind Kenya’s champion Ferdinand Omanyala (10.02) at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. Yesterday, the 28-year-old speedster again battled to get out of the blocks, with Jamaican Ackeem Blake and American trio Trayvon Bromell, Marvin Bracy and Christian Coleman getting the jump on him. It was too much of a gap for Simbine to make up, and despite trying hard to get back into the race, he faded to eighth place…

IF one were to grade the South African women’s team’s tour to England out of 10, the mark would be 1.5. That would match the results ‒ one win against Sri Lanka, and a draw in the Test match ‒ of a disastrous tour that flipped the narrative about the Proteas, who, not so long ago, were a feel-good story for Cricket South Africa amidst the administrative implosions and subsequent controversy unleashed by the Social Justice and Nation-building hearings. The Proteas won seven out of 12 bilateral series between the 2017 and 2022 World Cups. They reached the semi-finals in both of those tournaments, finishing second on the log after the round-robin phase in the last tournament in New Zealand earlier this year. In the T20 format, they shook off…