Innholdsfortegnelse for 14-Feb-19 i You South Africa

HEALTHY COMPETITION Thank you for the article on the new banks in South Africa (YOU, 24 January). It’s long overdue here. The big five will have competition and be forced to lower their fees. Other banks will soon follow. This way of banking is being used internationally. The kids and family from abroad always joke with us regarding our banking systems. This is the 21st century, the way forward is quicker transactions, no queues and no going into the bank personally, unless it’s serious. It saves time and money. Thank you for keeping us informed. REGINA ISAACS, EMAIL SOME GOOD NEWS Recently our domestic helper’s aunt had quite a severe stroke, which affected her speech and mobility. The aunt looked after our helper’s two children – one in high school…

I enjoyed reading Nikki Whitfield’s experience of Dry January (YOU, 7 February). I did Sober Spring last year in September and October and even though I started having a few glasses of wine again afterwards I don’t drink nearly as much as I used to. Like Nikki, I’ve realised I don’t have to have alcohol to have a good time and I feel healthier and thinner – more like I’m the boss of booze, not the other way around. CLEANED UP, CAPE TOWN ■ I grew up as a child watching my father abuse alcohol every weekend. He’d become violent and pick fights with my mother. The idea of fleeing home would cross my mind. My mother was a teetotaller. She was unemployed so perhaps she persevered and stayed in…

THE rumour mill went into overdrive when the pictures first appeared. Had Céline Dion found love again – and with a sexy toyboy who couldn’t be more different from her late husband? It certainly looked like it. The 50-year-old singer and the 34-year-old hunk were all over each other at the recent Paris Fashion Week, getting up close and personal in the front row where she put her hand on his knee, held his face in her hands and gazed adoringly into his eyes. On the streets of the city of love the PDA continued as she held onto his arm, looking happier than she had in a long time. But it seems there’s nothing romantic between the French-Canadian pop star and Pepe Muñoz. The Spaniard, who used to be…

TIRED – the word doesn’t even begin to describe how Erica van Heerden feels. It’s only the beginning of the year and already she’s bone-crushingly exhausted. There are many nights when 8pm rolls around and she realises she hasn’t had a moment’s rest all day. From the time her alarm clock goes off at 5am the mother of two from Johannesburg is on the go – packing lunch boxes, making breakfast, getting kids Laurell (14) and Dante (7) off to school. Then after a tough day at the office it’s more slog at home: school assignments, cooking dinner, loading the dishwasher. But it isn’t all this that leaves her feeling frazzled every day. It’s all the other stuff. The mental to-do lists, the dozens of niggly little things that need…

IT’S one of the fastest-growing industries in the world – worth a staggering R87 billion at the most recent count. People are joining gyms, signing up for yoga and forking out for everything from boxing to Pilates and personal trainers. And the fitness business, once the domain of the toned, the trim and the chiselled, is finally expanding to include people who don’t fit the conventional mould. As these inspirational women show, you don’t have to have be stick-thin to be strong and fit. JESSAMYN STANLEY (31) Her strength, skill and flexibility are any yoga lover’s dream. But when she started sharing photos of herself in a series of staggering poses, people were amazed – and not because of her talent. “It was people being like, ‘Wow, I didn’t realise…

PINK & RED This trendy colour combination graced the runways of Oscar de la Renta and Isabel Marant this season. Both colours are vibrant, so combining them makes a bold statement. LILAC & GREY Wearing these colours together creates an elegant balance between the femininity of lilac and the sophistication of grey. YELLOW & GREEN Yellow brightened up the runways this season, with designers such as Max Mara and Balenciaga opting for the happy hue. Wearing yellow with green creates a cheerful, energetic look. PASTEL GREEN & PEACH Match soft greens with peach for a fresh summer look. Different shades of these colours add interest to this combo. STOCKISTS ACKERMANS 0860-900-100; CHARLES & KEITH 0860-104-764; COLETTE BY COLETTE HAYMAN 021-937-5436; CONTEMPO 011-402-5513, CONTEMPOSHOP.CO.ZA; EDGARS 0800-203-925; EXECUSPECS 0860-109-289; FOREVER NEW 021-419-4552;…

Your deduction may not exceed 10% of your taxable income after the deduction of other tax rebates such as retirement annuities and pension contributions. Say you earn R10 000 a month and contribute R900 a month to a retirement annuity and R100 a month to the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa). Your annual income is R120 000 and your annuity payment is R10 800. The amount on which the 10% is calculated is R120 000 minus R10 800, which is R109 200. Ten percent of this is R10 920. As your R100 monthly donation to Cansa comes to just R1 200, the whole R1 200 will be permitted as a deduction from the tax you have to pay. If your donations in a single year exceed 10% of your…

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE VARIOUS ARTISTS In a year filled with great superhero movies this animated Spider-Man adventure was an unexpected delight, and its soundtrack is as amazing as the movie that inspired it. It’s presented as if it’s the playlist of one of the film’s teen heroes, Miles Morales, and features Vince Staples, Nicki Minaj, Aminé, Juice WRLD, Jaden Smith and the hit Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee. Other standouts are the hype track What’s Up Danger by Blackway & Black Caviar, and Scared of the Dark by Lil Wayne and Ty Dolla$ignfeaturingthelate XXX Tentacion.…

REPLICAS Sci-fi thriller. With Keanu Reeves (LEFT), Alice Eve and Thomas Middleditch. Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff. 13V. After his wife, Mona (Eve), and three children die in a car accident, Will (Reeves) – a scientist at a secret bio-technology company – decides to bring them back to life. But this causes various moral quandaries and puts his new family in danger. Replicas has a striking central concept that could’ve made for a compelling film, but sadly the movie has various issues that prevent it reaching its full potential. The acting is lifeless while Nachmanoff seems unsure whether he’s making a drama, action film or sci-fi thriller, and Replicas doesn’t convince in any of these genres. Despite the promise of something new, this feels like an inferior copy of better films.…

Intelligent, manipulative, strong and fierce – that’s how actress Jane de Wet describes Lexi Summerveld, the character she plays in The Girl from St Agnes. Yes, she’s the girl from the title: a beautiful, popular student who’s found dead at her all-girls boarding school. Landing such a great role in a series with an all-female crew and alongside seasoned actors has been amazing, the 22-year-old actress says. “What a privilege! For two months, I committed myself to soaking up and assimilating the knowledge, experience and wisdom offered both on and off of set. I got to witness actors like Rob Hobbs and Ty Keogh in action. It was a chance to learn, doing work I love, while living in the company of co-actors who are now family.” Jane graduated from…

Cupid and a heart pierced by an arrow Cupid, the winged cherub with the bow and arrows, comes from Roman mythology. He’s the son of Venus, the goddess of love. When one of his golden arrows pierces someone’s heart, that person falls in love with the first person they see. Lovebirds are so called because they sit close together in pairs like a couple in love would do. Doves symbolise loyalty and love because they mate for life. Red roses Roses were the favourite flowers of Venus, the goddess of love, and red is a strong colour that symbolises strong feelings such as love. The X as the symbol of a kiss In the middle ages not many people could write, so to sign their names they drew an X…

Farmers in areas where rainfall has been low over the past six years often have to leave their farms, says Professor Ferdi Meyer, head of the Agricultural Economics Association of SA. “In the past six years we’ve had four drought years in specific areas. Some farmers are under immense financial pressure and a farmer can cope with only so many droughts.” He explains many farmers use refinanced bank loans to keep afloat. “If they’ve had two droughts and they want to sow again, they need a lot of capital. For example, an average farmer in North West wants to plant 1 000ha of maize. They had a small harvest the previous year and they don’t have enough money to sow. They’ll have to borrow R3 million to R4 million. “If…

The national government has earmarked R566,5 million for this financial year for agriculture, including drought relief, says Senzeni Zokwana, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The agriculture department approached disaster-management coordinators in the various provinces, requesting they identify projects that need funding. Officials also visited the provinces to try to establish the scope of the drought. The National Treasury approved R255 million for six of the drought-ridden provinces, while R300 million was allocated to the LandCare agricultural sustainability programme. But although the government is providing drought relief, there’s simply not enough money in the budget to aid farmers, says Professor Ferdi Meyer, head of the Agricultural Economics Association of SA. “There’s also no effective distribution system to see that money is fairly allocated and gets to where it needs to…

HE’S been one of sport’s most eligible bachelors from the time he started making waves in the world of international swimming. But Chad le Clos has always been too busy training and travelling for serious love. Now all that has changed since he set eyes on a beautiful brunette from Jeffreys Bay. “I hadn’t wanted a girlfriend before the 2020 Olympic Games. But how could I let her go?” says Chad (26), playing with a lock of 21-year-old Jeanni Mulder’s hair. Chad and Jeanni, an international model, are now very much an item and pack on the PDA when we meet them at the luxury flat in Sea Point, Cape Town, that the swimming sensation has called home for a while (YOU, 25 May 2017). “This is the first time…

CO-STARS of Empire actor JUSSIE SMOLLETT were left reeling after the 35-year-old was viciously attacked by two men. He described being beaten and having a noose tied around his neck and an unidentified chemical was thrown at him outside a Chicago restaurant a few weeks ago. The masked men reportedly yelled, “Aren’t you that fa**ot Empire n***a? This is a MAGA country!” MAGA stands for Make America Great Again, a slogan adopted by President Donald Trump. Jussie got himself to a nearby hospital where he was treated before being discharged the next morning. Terence Howard, who plays Jussie’s dad in the show, told Good Morning America that cast members heard about the attack while shooting on set. “Jaws dropped to the ground,” he said. “Then when we learnt there’d been…

‘Happy birthday to the sweetest baby!’ – KIM LITTLE CHICAGO WEST probably won’t remember her first birthday but when you’re part of the Kardashian clan it’s go big or go home – even if you’re a kid. So to celebrate her youngest daughter’s first birthday, reality TV star KIM KARDASHIAN (38) threw her an Alice in “One-derland” bash complete with a topiary maze, an elaborately decorated three-tier cake featuring a giant grinning Cheshire cat and actors dressed as Alice, the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter. Chi-Chi, as she’s affectionately called by her family, was adorable in a white dress with matching flower hair-clips and black boots. The tot’s siblings, North (5) and SAINT (3), cousins and friends, including John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s kids, Luna (2) and Miles…

The ink on singer BRITNEY SPEARS’ neck (ABOVE with ex KEVIN FEDERLINE) should have read “God” in Hebrew but was misspelt and later removed. The one on her hip was meant to be the Chinese symbol for “mysterious” but she ended up with “strange” instead. Actress ASHLEY GREENE should probably have paid more attention to the details. She has the phrase “Life’s a dance” tattooed on her left foot – just a pity she left out the apostrophe. Retired footballer DAVID BECKHAM had his wife’s name permanently inked in Sanskrit on his left forearm. But Victoria’s name is slightly misspelt and written as “Vhictoria”. Posh couldn’t have been too pleased about that! When singer CHRISTINA AGUILERA wed music producer Jordan Bratman in 2005, she had his initials printed in Hebrew…

A WAY TO HEAL INSIDE I’M AN 18-year-old boy whose mother passed away 11 years ago. Our stepmother really makes life miserable for my sister and me. She’s paranoid, throws words like stones and treats Dad like a possession. She even refuses to buy my sister sanitary pads and this has led my sister to date older men in order to get money for these products. I’ll be doing Grade 12 this year and I’m looking forward to leaving school so I can leave this house. Every time I feel unhappy at home I read my YOU, which helps me clear my head. My friend, YOU, has helped me get over a lot simply by reading it, as I’m sure it has done for many people out there. I read…

Can’t get enough of word games? Always on the hunt for a good puzzle? YOU Blockbusters No 19 is packed with crosswords, anagrams, codebreakers, sudokus and more to give your brain a great workout. Or when time is short and you have only a coffee break, try YOU Quick Puzzles. It has a wide range of brain games, including spirals, crisscross puzzles, spot the difference and more! Get your copies in store, at youstore.co.za or from Johan Terblanche on 021-406-4962 or at johan.terblanche@media24.com.…

EYEBROW PENCIL + SPOOLIE It’s all about the brows these days as ever more products hit the market promising fuller, neater eyebrows. The spoolie, initially designed to brush out clumpy mascara on lashes, is now being used by beauty experts to brush brows into place. Use it with an eyebrow pencil for brows that are on fleek. ANTIOXIDANT SERUM + BROAD-SPECTRUM SUNSCREEN The antioxidants found in the serum help to prevent skin cell damage, and also to improve the skin’s appearance. Broad-spectrum sunscreen protects the skin from both UVA and UVB rays from the sun. Using the two products together helps the skin get the most from the antioxidants while being protected from sun damage. EYESHADOW PRIMER + EYESHADOW To make your eyeshadow last, invest in an eyeshadow primer. As…

WHY IS SHE FORCING HIM INTO AN AFFAIR? Q My husband had an affair with a woman he met on a business trip. When I found out about it he promised me it was over and said he wanted our marriage to work. When he ended things with her she phoned me and told me my husband is hers and she’ll get him in the end – and I’m starting to believe her. Three times now I’ve discovered that he’s been with her. When he goes on business trips she meets up with him wherever he goes. So it’s far from over. Each time I’ve confronted him and he says the same thing every time – that it’s not him who’s keeping the affair alive, that she’s the one who…

THURSDAY ■ WATERCOLOR POSTCARDS ★★★ 2013, 115 min, PG13, e.tv, 23:00. Drama. A failed actress returns home to Texas to say goodbye to her terminally ill mother. There she meets an eccentric former American footballer player. Bailee Madison, Laura Bell Bundy. ■ A RISING TIDE ★★★ 2015, 98 min, 13VSL, M-Net, 02:30. Drama. After Hurricane Sandy destroys a young chef’s family restaurant, he decides to take big risks in business and in love. Hunter Parrish, Ashley Hinshaw. ■ AN UNCOMMON GRACE ★★★ 2017, 90 min, 13V, M-Net, 04:24. Drama. After a tour of duty, an army nurse returns to her grandmother’s farm in Amish country where she gets involved in solving a murder. Jes Macallan, Sean Faris. FRIDAY ■ FLICKA 3: BEST FRIENDS ★★★ 2012, 90 min, A, e.tv, 14:30.…

MOST writers prefer to work somewhere quiet – preferably a study where they can be alone with their thoughts and won’t be disturbed. But Tony Park has a different approach: when writing his bestselling novels he likes to be in nature – perhaps camping in the middle of nowhere or sitting in a car in Tanzania, watching thousands of wildebeest thunder past. Maybe this is why his bestselling books set in Africa are so vivid and resonate so well with his readers. It’s been more than two decades since the Australian quit a successful job in public relations in Sydney to focus on his writing but even though he recently released his 16th novel, Scent of Fear, he says he still gets a kick out of walking into a book…

Dean’s body was found on 25 May 2017 and was buried in August 2017, General Andre Wiese, commander of the Tshwane East cluster, confirms. “It can take months to bury the body of a pauper.” He adds that a thorough record is kept of where the body is buried and in which coffin. “So if the body is identified, we know where to find it.” Within two hours of being exhumed in November, Dean’s body was taken for DNA testing before being released to the Jafta family for burial, Wiese says. “We know the body is Dean’s but need to prove it as part of the formalities, with the DNA results which will be released in the court case.” The original investigating officer was negligent in trying to establish the…

John Mailovich (56) owned a farm in Limpopo until 2011 when the drought and wildfires forced him to sell. “After the last fire I couldn’t pay back all the debt,” he tells us. “I made my calculations and decided to sell.” He then found work on other people’s land before joining an agency that finds farmers jobs in the USA. For the past four years John has been working on contract in Nebraska, mainly harvesting silo fodder, returning to SA only every now and then to touch base with his family. “You need to make a plan,” he says. “You can either sit on your backside or you can get up.” John works hard and misses his family but says he’s learnt a great deal about productivity from the Americans.…

“The world is running out of water and the consequences are dire,” reads a comprehensive report on water by news website Quartz. “Populations are increasing and water sources are limited. Urbanisation is increasing and there’s also climate change.” In 20 years many countries will be struggling to provide enough water to meet demand – and water will be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th. Water-saving tech needs to be developed and increasingly used, agricultural economist Professor Johann Kirsten says. Agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo agrees climate change is a problem but says the world is not in a crisis in terms of water shortage.…

Farmers are also battling international markets, policy uncertainty, safety and security issues and challenges such as poor infrastructure for water delivery, roads and basic services, Agri SA’s Christo van der Rheede says. “Overseas, farmers receive financial support from governments or subsidies to enable them to stay competitive on the international market. That creates an expectation among SA farmers who get little to no government support. “The uncertainty around government policies about land restitution is halting investment in agriculture. Safety issues on farms add fuel to the fire and the poor condition of local roads lead to delivery delays – in some places commodities can’t be transported by road at all.” ‘Overseas, farmers receive subsidies to enable them to stay competitive’…

Walking the talk He might be a foodie but there are a few things J’SOMETHING has never been interested in trying – until he took his aunt on an adventure to experience “real South African food”, that is. The Mi Casa frontman treated his aunt Zezinha, who’s visiting from Portugal,to magwinya (vetkoek) and amanqina (chicken feet). It was the first time J had tucked into chicken feet, he revealed, even though his wife, CORDELIA “COCO” GODI, loves them. “These walkie talkies were kind of butterflied and drenched in the most delicious sauce I’ve ever tasted,” the Jika singer wrote on Instagram. “Do yourselves a favour . . . get to know your culture but also get to know the cultures of others. This is how we become better humans.” Khumo…

She sits fiercely on the cover of Glamour magazine and the message she’s sending is clear: it’s time to move on from her ex, rapper G-EAZY (29). But not to someone new – singer HALSEY is channelling her energy into her craft. “The biggest lesson I learnt was to make art, not headlines,” she says. “Because it can become quite easy, in the social-media generation, to go from being a musician to becoming a personality.” The Alone singer and the You Got Me rapper first called it quits in July last year after a year together. They briefly rekindled their romance a month later but by October it was over for good. Late last year the 24-year-old singer was spotted getting cosy with rocker YUNGBLUD (20) but an insider quickly…

WE SHOULDN’T need just one day in the year to tell our partners we love them. That’s always been my feeling about Valentine’s Day even though I know many embrace it and even love the cheesiness of it. My husband and I recently celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and as I reflect on the decade since we said “I do”, I think of the many ways we’ve shown how crazy we are about each other without doing the Valentine’s Day thing. It’s not about the big gestures, really. It’s the little things that tug at the heartstrings and cement those bonds every day. The affirmations that come out of nowhere, random acts of kindness, gestures that mean little to others but mean the world to me. It’s knowing each other…

To Neo, the tech entrepreneur who has come up with the Pele SmartLockers (YOU, 31 January): you’re an amazing man. Thank you so much for using your talents to help others. I’m a state patient myself, and really struggle with the medication collection queues. GRATEFUL ADMIRER, SMS Casper de Vries, you look fantabulous with your new hair (YOU, 31 Janaury)! Enjoy it! LORNA, SMS I’ve just read the list of names of the top taxpayers in England. The list of the top South African taxpayers would make for interesting reading. We might also discover which of our billionaires and millionaires are avoiding or evading paying tax. BJ, SMS I’m thrilled with the news that Charlize Theron and Brad Pitt might be an item. I can’t think of a couple who…

TO HIS many fans he was the greatest artist who ever lived, a genius whose talent is as timeless as the moonwalk he delivered with a style all his own. To his detractors he was a sinister character who used his fame and fortune to woo young boys, showering them with treats and attention, then sexually molesting them. These claims are nothing new, of course. When he was alive Michael Jackson – who died in 2009 aged 50 – was dogged for decades by allegations of child abuse. But a bone-chilling new documentary has cast fresh light on the dark side of the singer’s soul – and it could tarnish Michael’s legacy forever. Leaving Neverland recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, USA, and features content so graphic…

TOMATO + BASIL PRAWN, TOMATO AND BASIL COCKTAIL WITH MELBA TOAST SERVES 2 PREPARATION: 15 MIN PRAWN COCKTAIL 200g cooked headless prawns 2 plum tomatoes, deseeded and diced 1 sun-dried tomato, finely chopped 30ml (2T) mayonnaise 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 1 small red onion, finely chopped grated zest of 1 lemon 15ml (1T) freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 bunch fresh basil, shredded salt and freshly ground pepper TO SERVE 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered fresh basil 4 slices Melba toast or bruschetta 1 Prawn cocktail Set aside four of the prawns for the garnish. Remove the tails from the rest of the prawns and roughly chop. 2 Mix the chopped prawn meat with the rest of the ingredients. 3 To serve Divide the prawn cocktail between two glasses.…

Navy & coral Mustard & green Pink & duck egg STOCKISTS @HOME 0860-66-66-74; EDGARS 0800-203-925; H&M 086 -069-0707; MRP HOME 0800-212-535; SHEET STREET 0800 203 681; SUPERBALIST.COM 086-002-2146; WOOLWORTHS 0860-100-987, YUPPIECHEF.COM 0861-987-743 WE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO PROVIDE ACCURATE PRICES BUT MISTAKES MAY OCCUR. YOU AND THE SUPPLIERS DO NOT BIND THEMSELVES TO THE PRICES PRINTED HERE.…

DO YOU often give money to charity? Or are you thinking about doing it? If so, it’s a good idea – and not only because you’ll be making a difference to someone else’s life. The money you contribute is also tax-deductible provided you follow the rules. We asked Vittorio di Glannatale of Ghias Accounting Services to tell us what you need to know about these deductions. 1 CONDITIONS FOR DONATING > The organisation you donate to must be registered with the South African Revenue Service (Sars) as a public benefit organisation (PBO). > Donors aren’t allowed to set any conditions for donating. For example, if the school you want to donate to is a PBO and you want your child to be admitted to the school, a donation could be…

AQUARIUS 21 JANUARY – 18 FEBRUARY Channel your vitality into a creative project The Sun’s yearly visit to your sign is coming to an end, which makes for a week to make the most of expressing your innate characteristics. Whether you want to pursue a professional goal, canvas for a humanitarian cause or fulfil a personal ambition, it’s a week to make hay while the sun shines. It’s an apt time to channel your vitality into creative and innovative projects, for personal pleasure as well as vocational gain. YOUR LUCKY NUMBERS 12, 24, 41, 44, 37, 50 PISCES 19 FEB – 20 MARCH With the Sun moving into your sign at the end of the week, a new personal year is dawning. It’s an apt time to reflect on the…

■ The 25-year-old has been making music for three years and started out busking on the streets of Dublin. ■ He has an EP out called Doves and Ravens and is set to release his debut album this year. In the meantime he has a compilation of his “best bits” on Spotify. ■ Dermot made it onto YouTube Music’s Ones to Watch 2019 list. ■ He counts Taylor Swift among his many fans. ■ He’s set to perform at California’s Coachella Music Festival in April alongside the likes of Childish Gambino, Solange, Khalid and Ariana Grande. ■ He’s a fan of hip-hop and says “good rappers deserve to be viewed as poets”. CRAZY FACT Eminem has become the only artist to have seven albums reach a billion streams each on…

HE’S carved out a solid career overseas and was about to head to the US when the call came about a lead role in a local production. And when Tyrone Keogh (36) read the script for The Girl from St Agnes he immediately knew he wanted to be a part of it. The eight-part series – which is Show-max’s first English-language original drama and has been picked up for international distribution – is set in a prestigious girls’ school in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and centres on the mysterious death of a popular student. We chatted to Ty, who played game ranger Jack van Reenen in soapie The Wild before going on to appear in Hollywood thriller 24 Hours to Live opposite Ethan Hawke, to find out more. Congrats on your…

SCENT OF FEAR By TONY PARK, Pan MacMillan  I must admit I’ve always avoided Tony Park’s novels because I assumed they were all skop, skiet and donder and mainly aimed at blokes. But from the first chapter of this book I was hooked. Scent of Fear plays out at the edge of South Africa’s Kruger National Park where Sean Bourke and his dog unit have their hands full combating rhino poachers who are resorting to increasingly dirty tactics. With a theme such as poaching a book like this runs the risk of becoming all worthy and serious, but thankfully Tony doesn’t fall into that trap. There’s so much more going on here. In addition to trying to outwit poachers Sean is still dealing with the trauma of having served in…

The steps farmers are taking to keep their farms running are specific to their area and type of agriculture, says Professor Johann Kirsten, agricultural economist and director of the Bureau for Economic Research at Stellenbosch University. Crop farmers follow a soil-preservation approach by, for example, trying to preserve the moisture in the soil by employing “minimum tillage or conservative tillage” methods – in other words not turning the soil too vigorously to save what moisture there is. “But you can do only so much with it and you still need good rain for a good harvest,” he says. The Karoo needs 10mm of rain a week between February and April for the drought to end in the region, he adds. Wheat-growing areas of the country need twice as much –…

South Africa is still the main food producer in Africa and that won’t change soon, agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo says. “We have many experts working on developing technology and sustainable agriculture practices. “We also have knowledgeable farmers with access to that technology.” Sihlobo is especially excited about new mealie hybrids that need shorter growing periods and are more drought-resistant. But he cautions there’s an urgent need for stakeholders in the government and agriculture to discuss climate change. “Ways are needed to create an environment in which farmers have access to resources in times of crisis.” SA has enough grain and livestock for national use, agricultural economist Professor Johann Kirsten says. “I can’t foresee that we’ll have to import large amounts of food in the foreseeable future.” But Agri SA warns…

HIS nickname might be the Angry Warthog but there’s no trace of anger or wild beast in the man waiting at the altar. If anything, Sharks hooker Armand “Akker” van der Merwe (27) looks more like a nervous schoolkid – even if he does tip the scales at 108kg and sports the kind of beard a high-school boy can only dream of. This is the day he’s been dreaming of for a long time: he’s finally marrying the mother of his child, the woman he fell for years ago after a coy flirtation that began with an exchange of emojis on Facebook. And when his bride appears at the doors of the chapel to the strains of Ellie Goulding’s Love Me Like You Do, all traces of tough guy disappear…

ELANA AFRIKABREDENKAMP AS TIANA With her flawless skin and sparkling smile she looks like the beautiful Tiana in The Princess and the Frog, but the presenter is also just as hardworking and focused. All she needs is a crown! TARRYN LAMB AS POCAHONTAS The former Blackbyrd lead singer’s flowing hair and olive complexion remind us of the historical heroine. KARLIEN VAN JAARSVELD AS BELLE The stunning golden gown the singer and Strictly Come Dancing winner wore for a stage performance last year brings to mind the ballgown Belle wore when she danced with the Beast in the classic Beauty and the Beast. TRACEY LANGE AS JASMINE The bubbly Tussen Ons and Bravo! TV presenter’s long dark hair, twinkling eyes and stunning figure strongly remind us of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin.…

Poor ARIANA GRANDE. When the pop star shared a now-deleted picture of her new tattoo on Instagram, her Japanese-speaking fans were swift to point out the cringe-worthy spelling error. The 25-year-old wanted to reference her single 7 Rings by tattooing the track’s title on her hand in Japanese. Instead, she mistakenly had the word for a Japanese portable grill inked. “Indeed, I left out [some characters] which should have gone in between,” she explained on Twitter before deleting the tweet. “It hurt like f**k ’n still looks tight. I wouldn’t have lasted one more symbol, lmao. But this spot also peels a ton and won’t last, so if I miss it enough I’ll suffer thru the whole thing next time.” The Grammy nominee then tried to fix the mishap with…