Innholdsfortegnelse for 30 January 2025 i You South Africa

MY FIRST child’s matric was very stressful. For me, that is – she was pretty blasé about it all. I had sleepless nights fretting about her results and when I did sleep I’d have nightmares. One particularly bad one was that she hadn’t written any exams at all but had hung around at the river near the school with her friends. In my defence, my first child is responsible for my every grey hair even though (in her defence) she’s turned out pretty well. On the day the results were released I went to the school to get them. Did she come with me? She did not. She had a waitressing job and was on the breakfast shift and told me I could come and tell her if I wanted…

>SPIRAL Keyword clue: GENTLE SONG Starting with clue No 1, fill in the grid in a clockwise direction with four-letter words working your way to the centre of the spiral puzzle. The last letter of each word becomes the first letter of the next. If you have correctly filled in the grid there should be a seven-letter keyword reading across from clue No 8. 1 Hiatuses2 In a second3 SAPS uniform colour4 Sign of tiredness5 Small cut6 Springbok Vincent’ssurname7 Raining ice8 Dalai . . .9 Literature and music, eg10 Lusatian11 Infant12 Yin and . . .13 Cheap ornament14 Flat, circular object15 Young whale16 Pack to capacity > SUDOKU These number puzzles are quite simple. Place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that the same number appears…

SNOW LEOPARDS are beautiful, fluffy creatures that dwell high in the icy, rocky mountains of Asia. Their thick fur keeps them warm, and their long tails help them maintain balance. Snow leopards are so shy and silent that they are incredibly difficult to spot – which is why they are sometimes called mountain ghosts. They can leap great distances too – up to more than 15 metres! But don’t worry; they’re not aggressive toward humans – their favourite snack is a mountain goat. PRACTICAL PAWS SILENT STALKING The thick fur on their paws helps snow leopards move silently, ensuring their prey doesn’t hear them approaching. It also prevents them from slipping on rocks. NATURAL SNOW BOOTS Their broad paws spread their weight evenly as they walk on snow, helping them…

1 THE BRAD SWINDLER A French woman has been scammed out of $850 000 (over R16 million) by a fraudster who had her believing she was helping out the actor BRAD PITT. The scammer generated various fake AI images of the A-lister in hospital and told the 53-year-old woman he needed money for a transplant. The real Brad (61) got wind of the scam and sent a warning to fans. “This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks,” he said in a statement. 2 TREVOR’S FUNNY EX TREVOR NOAH’s ex, JORDYN TAYLOR BRAFF, has been taking a few swipes at the South African comedian in her new reality show, claiming that he actually stole some of…

IT’S a busy household: five dogs, four kids, two men, one mom – and it’s this mom who keeps it all together, ruling the roost with lots of love and a healthy sense of humour. You need to keep your wits about you when you have so much on your plate, Jo-Leen Geldenhuys tells YOU when we visit her at her home in La Mercy, Durban. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. If she could, Jo-Leen (34) would be married to both the men who share her home and she hopes one day the law will allow it. The law is sexist, she says – it allows only men to take more than one wife. She wants to create awareness around polyamorous relationships and show it’s possible to…

WHEN you’re two of the most famous people in the world there’s always going to be gossip and rumour about you. An innocent glance or an animated conversation with someone could be taken as flirting, even signs you’re in the throes of a red-hot hook-up. If you aren’t seen in public together for a while you’re headed for Splitsville and if one of you decides to skip an event or go away on their own, it’s practically divorce-papers time. Welcome to what’s going on right now in the world of Barack and Michelle Obama, the former first couple of the United States who are slap-bang in the middle of much marriage speculation. Their only joint public appearance since August was when they went out to dinner in December and things…

1 ON OUR RADAR 10 THINGS ABOUT FLO The British R&B trio – singers and songwriters STELLA QUARESMA, JORJA DOUGLAS AND RENÉE DOWNER – have released a string of singles, starting in 2022, but it’s been a long wait for their debut album, Access All Areas, which dropped at the end of 2024. 1 The trio racked up 54 million streams of their track Cardboard Box on Spotify from 2022 and went on to win the rising star award at the 2023 Brit Awards. 2 Collaborations with British rapper Stormzy and American rapper Missy Elliott followed, with the tracks Hide & Seek and Fly Girl, respectively. 3 Their debut album recalls the sounds of girl groups from the 1990s and early 2000s such as TLC, En Vogue, SWV, Destiny’s Child…

THEY may look fun in the movies but snowy environments can be some of the harshest places on Earth. Food and shelter become almost impossible to find and temperatures often drop far below freezing. And yet there are animals who have developed and adapted to be able to survive in these conditions. Snow-covered regions can be found all over the world, from the frozen tundra of the Arctic to the towering peaks of the Himalayas and the vast, empty expanses of the Antarctic. These places are known for their freezing temperatures, strong winds, and icy surfaces. For a human being to survive in these types of environments, you would need layers of warm, insulating clothing and access to shelter with a constant supply of heat. Not to mention a few…

JE-RRY! Je-rry! Je-rry! The chanting from my fellow audience members as they punched their fists into the air was deafening. This was 2012, when I had assumed that taking a seat at the taping of The Jerry Springer Show, one of the most bizarre, absurd spectacles in America, would be an entertaining way to pass a few hours. A friend and I had taken a train from New York to Stamford, Connecticut, where the show was recorded from 2009 to 2018. Things took a strange turn from the moment we entered the studio. Floor managers appeared to segregate the audience by race. White attendees were directed to seats front and centre, everyone else shoved to the back and sides. Unease pooled in our stomachs. Once the cameras started rolling, things…

IT’S like they’ve been friends for years – playing golf, cracking jokes over burgers, watching sport. But these are no ordinary guys. One is the president of the United States and the other is the world’s richest man. Ever since Elon Musk stepped in to bankroll Donald Trump’s presidential campaign last year, they’ve been inseparable. They’re so close Musk has even coined a term for himself: “First Buddy”. But commentators are worried about the sway the tech titan has over the president – particularly after it emerged that, in addition to helping Trump pick his new cabinet, he’s also advising him on policy and sitting in on conversations with world leaders. Trump even created a new department for Musk (53) to run: the department of government efficiency, which will tackle…

INSIDE THE HAMAS-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE Israel frees Palestinian prisoners EMOTIONAL reunions took place on the West Bank as the first 90 Palestinian prisoners were freed by Israel as part of a historic ceasefire deal with Hamas, marking the end of the 15-month conflict in Gaza. Three Israelis, all women, were freed by Hamas in Gaza City, with a video showing the hostages being given bags reportedly containing gifts and souvenirs, including a “captivity certificate”. Israeli forces have begun gradually withdrawing from central Gaza, allowing displaced Palestinians to return home. As part of the agreement, 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid were allowed into Gaza daily to meet urgent needs. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, however, that Gaza’s health challenges ahead are immense as residents faced rising disease and malnutrition. “Only…

SHE felt sad as she packed her life into suitcases, loaded them into her car and watched as the city she loved disappeared into the distance. As Michelle Botes drove away from Joburg in 2022, she knew she’d never return. Having been told she had cancer and that it was incurable the veteran actress had decided to spend what time she had left in Cape Town with her son, Daniel Roberts, and his wife, Noleen. “It was special to have her with us,” says Daniel (31), who works at a restaurant in the city. “She had her own room, and I slept on the floor next to her bed to spend more time with her.” On the morning of 21 December, as Michelle drifted in and out of consciousness, they…

THE YEAR of the snake is one of great change and chance. There will be historic developments, major agreements and some political turbulence. There are likely to be scandals but more positively the economy, arts and fashion will be buoyant. For the individual, the year of the snake can offer much scope. It is a year which encourages personal development and giving more attention to lifestyle balance. By taking action, surprising benefits can often follow. To discover your prospects, look up the animal ruling your year of birth. As each Chinese year begins late in January or early February, if you were born around this time you need to check the actual year dates to find the sign you were born under. RAT 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008,…

WE TALK ABOUT How your brain ‘washes’ itself as you sleep WE ALL know how important sleep is for our well-being. It plays a huge role in everything from our mood to how well we think. Now new research has given scientists a deeper understanding of sleep’s impact: it not only refreshes our minds, it also quite literally “washes” our brains. A study involving mice has provided insight into how this “flushing” process happens and confirmed that deep sleep phases are vital for keeping our brains healthy. This cleaning process is based on something called the glymphatic system. Think of it as a brain irrigation system that moves cerebrospinal fluid around to flush out waste products, including harmful proteins that build up while we’re awake. Studies suggest that this cleaning…

SUGAR-WHITE beaches, waving palm trees, ice-cold beer, magical diving and fishing spots, friendly people – the country has long been a sought-after holiday destination for South Africans, a tropical paradise right on our doorstep. But the picture in Mozambique, which experienced a promising economic boom just a few years ago, now looks alarmingly different. The country has become a virtual no-go zone for tourists as scenes of unrest after the recent elections play out regularly on our screens – and the country is bleeding economically. We look at what’s going on and how it affects SA. LONG-TERM CHALLENGES Mozambique’s crises “largely stem from systemic corruption under Frelimo”, says David Matsinhe, a Mozambican professor of African studies at Canada’s Carleton University. “Decades of mismanagement, embezzlement and patronage have left institutions weak…

PEOPLE often do a double-take when he tells them he’s a new dad but he doesn’t mind – and at 74 he’s more than ready to handle nappy changes and be on daddy duty around the clock. After all, Errol Tobias is accustomed to taking on challenges – he’s been doing it almost his whole life. In 1981 he made history by becoming the first black Springbok, taking to the field as a centre against Ireland at Newlands at age of 30. Fast-forward several decades and his life continues to evolve and surprise in ways he never imagined. Just last year, Errol and his 30-year-old partner, Ro-Andria Sylvester, welcomed their first child together. He admits he was taken aback when he found out Ro-Andria was expecting “because I’m at such…