Table of contents for 2022-07-20 in Post

1¼ cup (250ml + 60ml) brown lentils, rinsed and soaked in water for 30+ minutes a glug of oil 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped ¼ tsp asafoetida 1 tbs (15ml) freshly minced garlic ½ tbs fresh ginger, minced 1 tbs (15ml) curry powder (Pakco Masala) 1 tsp Kashmiri mild chilli powder 1 tsp (5ml) cumin powder ½ tsp (2.5ml) turmeric powder ½ tbs (7.5ml) garlic powder 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ chopped canned tomatoes 6 x 250ml cups boiling water 1 tsp (5ml) salt ½ tsp (7.5ml) vegetable stock powder (Ina Paarman’s) 90g baby spinach leaves 1-2 red chillies, sliced spring onions to garnish Wash and soak the brown lentils in cold water for about 30 minutes. If the lentils are not soaked, the cooking time…

IN CCTV footage that has gone viral on social media, Prathima Junglee is seen standing in front of her home’s prayer area with her hands joined. Then a white car parks next to their fence. Four men jumped over the front gate to gain access to the property. The 69-year-old then turns and stares into a gun. Recalling their encounter with the robbers last week, Junglee’s son, Devan Bagwandin said he was grateful his family were not harmed. “Just keep your hands up and head down. Give them what they want. Don’t fight for material things,” he advised. As the CCTV footage continues of last Tuesday morning’s robbery, some of the men are seen walking ahead – towards Bagwandin and his wife, Suvika. They were praying at the side of…

THORNTON Pillay is the first Indian South African winemaker. Pillay, 30, of Lotus Park in Isipingo, started Thornton Pillay Wines (Pty) Ltd in 2020. He and his wife, Lee-Ann, developed their own selection of wines, under their brand name, Thornleigh. At the weekend, he received an award in the youth entrepreneurship category at the second Tamil Business Warriors (TBW) awards 2022 at the Sibaya Casino and Hotel Conference centre. “It has taken 10 years to finally break through this industry and gain recognition for my achievements. I’m grateful to the TBW for their support,” said Pillay. He was inspired to pursue a career in agriculture after watching his parents, Yasmin and Sagie, who worked in the fruit and vegetable distribution sector. “The passion for agriculture developed at a young age.…

THE future is technology, says Dr Mark Christopher Jacob, the principal of Greyville School. The school held a coding tournament on Monday as part of its Mandela Day initiative. Coding4Mandela was held at the Orient Islamic School hall for selected schools in Durban Central. Jacob said similar events were held throughout the country with the same agenda. “The aim was to reach at least 6 000 learners. Durban Central hosted 150 of these learners from 10 schools neighbouring Greyville School, which caters mainly to disadvantaged and refugee learners.” He said coding was a necessary skill for the development of young people, which was why the school introduced it as an extra-curricular activity. “Coding basically deals with the writing of computer programs such as websites and apps. We, however, recognise that…

KUBEN Mari, who aims to help grade 11 and 12 pupils prepare for their exams, has released a text book, National Benchmark Test Mathematics Sample Questions. This is the first educational book Mari, a teacher for 24 years, has written. He said that a few years ago, matric pupils had asked him to help them prepare for their national benchmark test (NBT). Mari then compiled a list of questions gathered from previous pupils who wrote the test. At that stage, he said, he did not consider publishing a book. “As the question bank increased, I realised I could publish a book so that more learners would be exposed to the content I accumulated over the years.” Mari, of Phoenix, said the book would test the learner’s readiness in three areas…

AS COMRADES, family, friends and people from all walks of life gathered at the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg on Sunday to bid farewell to Jessie Duarte, the diminutive dynamite of the Struggle against apartheid continued her work. Duarte, the late deputy secretary-general of the ANC, had asked that both Muslim and Christian prayers be said at her funeral service. It was her last small but significant way to promote unity in diversity. It was her way, perhaps, to hand over the baton to the mourners to say, “we still have a lot of work to do in this area”. Duarte surprised – and surely angered – many within and without her party and the greater tripartite movement when she called out publicly in 2019, the “tribalistic and racist” tendencies that…

I was recently watching Wimbledon and wondered why no South Africans participated in this cream of tennis tournaments. And then I saw the name, Kruger, on the screen. Could she be a South African? To my surprise, I saw RSA written next to the name Isabella Kruger. Yes, a South African girl was in London taking part in the Wimbledon Junior Championships. Her father was a rugby player but she chose a refined, elite sport. Just as my hopes were raised to see a South African in Wimbledon, they were dashed when Kruger went crashing out in the quarter-finals to Victoria Mboko from Canada. But all was not lost. Making an even greater impact in the sporting arena was Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur, raising the flag for her country…

The police are public employees who enforce the law and maintain law and order. They work to prevent crime and to protect the lives and property of communities. They do this by patrolling the streets, assisting with problems, directing traffic, finding lost people, and helping during floods, fires and other disasters. The police form part of a national criminal justice system, which includes courts and prisons. They enforce criminal law, which covers murder, robbery, burglaries and other crimes, and they arrest suspected criminals. They also serve as witnesses in court trials. The police do their jobs to the best of their ability and I trust and salute them because they are always there for us. BRUCE CHINNIA Phoenix…

ATTEMPTS have recently been made to steal from the Isipingo Police Vehicle Pound on Refinery Drive. Aidan David, chairperson of the Isipingo community police forum, said criminals had twice attempted to steal car parts. He said the first incident was earlier this month and the second last weekend. “Police investigations indicate that certain criminals from the neighbouring informal settlements are turning to the pound as a means to obtain car parts to sell to other vehicle owners,” said David. He said the first attempt was foiled after the police were alerted to their activities when they entered the pound. “The criminals fled when they realised the police were on to them.” David said a group of people again entered the premises last Saturday. “Police pursued the criminals and a shoot-out…

PUBLIC servants have described the government's proposed wage increase of 2% as pathetic. Earlier this year, the Public Servants Association South Africa (PSA) proposed a 10% wage increase for public servants to the Department of Public Service and Administration. Claude Naicker, the spokesperson for the PSA, said the department did not agree to the proposal and, earlier this month offered a 2% increase to all public servants. “The PSA was not interested in the offer and declared a dispute at the bargaining council. “The matter is at a consultation level. We will meet with the government to mediate a way forward. “We have asked the bargaining council for a date on which the matter can be heard and we are awaiting feedback.” He said at this stage the union wanted…

THE recent hikes in the cost of lamb, beef and chicken have prompted some consumers to turn to pork as a protein alternative. Since May, the average price of beef has risen by 13%, mutton and lamb by 4.7% and chicken by 12%. Pork is about half the price of beef and a third of the cost of lamb. Arnold Prinsloo, the chief executive of Eskort, which manufactures products such as pork sausages, hamburgers and bacon, said: “South Africans are a meat-loving nation, but consistent price increases for beef and lamb mean that these will soon be a luxury few can afford. “Notably, a 0.5% rise in interest rates combined with an electricity hike and ongoing fuel price shocks mean that many consumers have already reached the financial breaking point.…

ECONOMISTS say there is no reason for South African motorists to panic after Brent crude oil prices increased by 4.65% to $105.8 per barrel on Monday. Layton Beard, the spokesperson for the Automobile Association (AA), said the movement of oil prices on a daily basis did not indicate an immediate increase or decrease in petrol prices. “The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy normally looks at oil price as an average over a month period. The average it gets in terms of the upward or downward movement of oil within the month is then what determines whether there will be an increase or decrease in petrol in the following month.” Beard said it was too early to determine whether this would have an impact on motorists. Dawie Roodt, the founder,…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay at AC Milan for at least one more year after the veteran striker signed a new one-year contract with the Italian champions on Monday. “AC Milan is pleased to announce the renewal of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's contract until June 30, 2023. The Swedish forward will continue to wear the number 11 shirt,” the club said. Ibrahimovic, who turns 41 in October, has signed a deal which will net him around one million euros ($1.02 million) in fixed salary, with large bonuses linked to appearances and achievements. The Swede is out of action until at least early next year after having had the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee reconstructed in May. The former Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United forward said in May he endured…

South African men’s football has quite evidently been on the decline since the mid-2000s. Bafana Bafana have not qualified for a World Cup competitively since 2002. While they played in the 2010 showpiece on home soil, they gained entry into the event as hosts. Banyana Banyana have however been proving to the men’s team what they could have been. The national women’s football team advanced to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) final following their 1-0 semi-final win over Zambia in Morocco on Monday. They will play Morocco in the final on Saturday. The South Africans will be the favourites to win a first ever continental title. Morocco have been brave in the tournament but will be playing in the final for the first time. In addition to being…

a splash of oil 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled 1 celery stalk (about 20cm piece,) cut into chunky pieces 3 cups (750ml) boiling water 1 tbs (15ml) vegetable stock powder 300g medium head broccoli, washed and trimmed 1 small green chilli, adjust according to heat tolerance (optional) salt to season 3 red dry red chillies, pan roasted and roughly crushed 2 tbs cashew nuts, pan roasted and roughly chopped into small pieces Heat the oil in a big pot. Add the onions, garlic and celery stalk. Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the boiling water. Spoon in the vegetable stock powder. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. To the boiling broth, add…

BHARATHRI Tugh, a former teacher, has been making strides in food security by promoting Food and Trees for Africa’s eduplant initiatives at schools in South Africa. Tugh said 300 schools had been empowered by the organisation to become hubs for food security. Food and Trees for Africa aims to empower schools and communities with agricultural skills and create awareness on ways to mitigate climate change. Tugh, the programme manager and education associate at the organisation, has been taking eduplant skills and knowledge to schools since 2016. “Selected schools undertake a two-year structured programme where they are empowered with knowledge and skills on how to be food secure through permaculture and agroecology. This is a holistic approach to teaching learners and community members how to use their natural resources for planting,”…

NAVA Naidoo was inspired by the stories her parents told her as a child, and this led her to write her first book, Soul River. The 60-year-old mother of two and a secretary at New West Secondary said: “I have been a secretary for more than 40 years in nine schools, 36 years of which have been at New West Secondary. “My love for reading was inspired by my parents. They were great storytellers. My dad grew up during the second World War and story times in our home were exciting. He shared war and conspiracy theories with us. “As children, we were amazed by our parents. They were humble and did not have much but they had a thirst for knowledge and would read any newspapers and magazines to…

AS A scholar of Islamic ethics, I’m often asked: “What does Islam say about abortion?”. It is a question that has become even more salient since the US Supreme Court reversed 50 years of constitutional protection for the right to get an abortion in the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation ruling on June 24, 2022. This question really needs to be re-framed because it implies a singular view. Islam is not monolithic, and there is no single Islamic attitude about abortion. The answer to the question depends on what kinds of Islamic sources, scriptural, legal or ethical, are applied to this contemporary issue by people of varying levels of authority, expertise or religious observance. Muslims have had a long-standing, rich relationship with science, and specifically, the practice of medicine.…

THE one-party domination is broken as the people have spoken by voting in the local government elections. The results are good for our developing nation, bringing in a new reality as people are tired of empty promises by the political parties and ward councillors. The three big parties – the ANC, DA and the EFF – have lost millions of supporters nationally. The president has called on all political leaders to work together and put aside their differences in a spirit of co-operation and common purpose and in the interest of the people of South Africa. Among the duties of leadership is the ability to respond to changes and reality. Leaders with vision must build a more inclusive and constructive path, not only for their followers but for the…

WHILE watching a clip of the minister of police unleashing a racial tirade against Ian Cameron, of the civil rights organisation Action Society, in Gugulethu, Cape Town, which had gone viral on social media, I thought this had to be a madman possessed. But on sober reflection, the minister, Bheki Cele, like many of his Cabinet cronies, could not handle the heat of criticism and the facts presented to him, so his verbiage at Cameron was nothing more than pure inanity. It was disgusting and a poor reflection of a man entrusted with protecting the citizens of this country against rampant and horrific crime. This did not come as a surprise though. His glaring impotence to act decisively during the July 2021 unrest, to prevent the destruction unfolding in the…

WITH reference to the letter “We must learn to listen to the people” (POST, July 13-17) by Shameen Thakur- Rajbansi, the leader of the Minority Front. I am saddened when you try to play politics. Please stop, because we, Indians, will not be foolish any longer. Based on the subject matter, it's sad when politicians, like yourself, listen to people only while campaigning for the elections. We have serious problems in this country in terms of service delivery. Your party gives the ANC-led government 100% support, yet our streets are flowing with raw sewage. I was a Struggle fighter for democracy, but surely not a corrupt, filthy, collapsed economy and a racist South Africa. Fix our once beautiful city and then country before you give advice. NETHRAJ RAMPERSAD Chatsworth…

THE domestic worker accused of killing Umzinto actress Ashrika Seeripat has abandoned her bail application. Seeripat, 42, was allegedly suffocated to death during a robbery at her home on July 7. Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo, a provincial police spokesperson, said it was alleged that Seeripat and her domestic worker were accosted by unknown men at gunpoint who demanded cash. “It is suspected that the victim was suffocated. Her body was found lying on the side of the bed.” The domestic worker, 54, was arrested and charged with murder. She appeared in the Umzinto Magistrate’s Court on Friday last week for a formal bail application. Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in KwaZulu-Natal, said the accused had abandoned her bail application. “The matter has been postponed to the first…

THE number of games being crammed into the global cricket schedule is “madness” and more players could follow Ben Stokes in quitting the one-day format, said former England captain Nasser Hussain. Stokes, who helped England win their maiden 50-overs World Cup in 2019, announced his shock retirement from one-day cricket on Monday, saying playing all three formats of the game had become “unsustainable” for him. Hussain wants the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) to look at the “absolutely crazy” calendar and make changes to ease the strain on multi-format players like Stokes. “It is disappointing news to say the least but it is a reflection of where the cricketing schedule is at the moment,” Hussain told Sky Sports. “It is madness for players. If the ICC just keep putting on…

THE rock and surf facets have been on fire! The bait anglers have had a lot of success, but the lure anglers have had an absolute blast. The North Coast has seen a lot of action for both bait and lure anglers. The bait anglers have caught a lot of different species while scratching around broken rock structure. Stumpies, kob and a hoard of reef fish have been the main targets. Chokka, sardine and pink prawn are the best baits for this type of fishing. The anglers keen on spinning have seen fantastic results in the early morning throwing spoons. The main targets have been snoek but the kingies and garrick have jumped on to the lures with equal vigour. The Durban anglers have seen their share of some spinning…

Duff is a psychic medium, soul coach, spiritual mentor, healer and animal communicator. She has been connecting with spirit for more than 20 years and runs her business, Quantum Soul, from Waterfall in KwaZulu-Natal. Watch her weekly predictions on GlowTV on Sundays after 8pm with Denver Naicker on the Get Real Show. She can be contacted at 072 986 5514 or email sharron@quantsoul.com ARIES (March 21 – April 19) Your hard work is paying off and you are working towards great success, but there is still work to be done. Find a balance between work and play. Watch the chest area this week. Lucky colour: olive green. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) It’s time for change and leaving the past behind you. This week is all about breaking cycles…

a splash of oil 1 small onion, finely diced ½ cup (125ml) leeks, finely sliced ¼ cup (60ml) celery stalks, finely sliced 1 small carrot, sliced 1 red chilli, sliced (adjust according to heat tolerance). 1 tbs (15ml) fresh ground garlic ½ tsp (2.5ml) fresh thyme 250g punnet mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ¼ cup frozen peas 1 tbs vegetable stock powder (Ina Paarman’s) 1 tsp (5ml) miso paste (vegan) 1.250ml boiling water 1 cup (250ml) noodles broken into pieces (I used wholewheat spaghetti) salt and pepper to season Heat the oil in a medium pot. Add the onions, leeks, celery, carrots and chilli. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon in the garlic, thyme and mushrooms. Stir it. Cover and cook for 8…

THE Sannyasa Spiritual Council of South Africa will hold an Agnihotra Yatra, a universal prayer procession for peace, harmony and healing, from this week. The council, the highest national institution of Hindu Monastics (Sannyasis/Swamis), aims to strengthen the community in prayer and unity. On Saturday, the procession will start at 9am from the Shree Marie Amman Temple in oThongathi (Tongaat) to the Sivan Sabay in Verulam. On Sunday, the march will start at the same time but from the New Jagganath Puri (Hare Krishna) Temple in Phoenix to the Woodview Hindu Dharma Sabha Ramayam Mandal in the area. On July 30, the procession will start at 9am from the Montford Shree Siva Soobramoniar Temple in Chatsworth, through Merebank and then to the Isipingo Dharam Mandir. For more information, visit…

SOME education stakeholders believe the norms and standards amendments to the Basic Education Law Bill proposed by the Department of Education will remove dignity in teaching and learning. The minimum norms and standards for public school infrastructure obligate the department to deliver on infrastructure development. This entails electrifying schools, abolishing pit latrines, providing better sanitation facilities, and ensuring schools are more secure. The new amendments made the department less accountable for service delivery on infrastructure development. The amendments do not compel the department to eradicate pit latrines at schools, provide security like perimeter fencing or walls around toilet facilities. Thirona Moodley, chief executive of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) in KwaZulu-Natal, said: “By not taking responsibility for making changes to school infrastructure, the department is taking…

AS A business adviser, Marlini Moodley strives to empower people to realise their dreams of succeeding in this field. With this in mind, she recently penned a book that showcased the success of women entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship for Women: The African Dream is a compilation of stories of entrepreneurs who succeeded in business despite facing hardship and adversity. Moodley, of Glenwood, said the stories of nine women were told with the hope that they would inspire other prospective entrepreneurs. “I started writing the book before the Covid-19 pandemic. I was dragging my heels on this. Initially, I wanted to tell the stories of 20 businesswomen whose journeys are profound and compelling. Then, as I started writing, I decided to go with nine stories. These stories are of women who started their…

THERE are calls for the Eskom management and the minister of public enterprises to be fired. It is ludicrous to think that getting rid of André de Ruyter and Pravin Gordhan will help to keep the lights on. Many South Africans seem to forget what the ravages of state capture and corruption reduced the capabilities of Eskom to. For almost 10 years during the so- called Zupta era, the power utility was raped of its assets. This carefully orchestrated looting with impunity was similar to the shenanigans at other state owned entities such as Prasa, Transnet, SAA, and Denel. During this period of looting, there was little maintenance at Eskom and factors such as inferior coal supplies further exacerbated the deterioration of plant and machinery. How many recall that…

Besides my recent narrative on food security, we are faced daily with other challenges regarding its production and pesticide-residual consumption. That is food safety and fraud. Unbeknown to the average consumer and the uninformed, disregard for the regulations regarding the processing, manufacturing and packing of food products might pose health risks and even death for some. South Africa recently joined the rest of the globe in celebrating World Food Safety Day. With an expanding world economy, globalisation of the food trade, growing consumer demand, developments in science and technology, improvements in distribution modes and communication channels, and international trade in fresh and processed foods will continue to increase. Since the outbreak of listeriosis in 2018, polony manufacturers and marketers embarked on a drive to highlight the purity of their products.…

IT IS shocking to note from the media and social media that our beloved country is facing the worst crisis since 1994. We are in the midst of rising costs of living, political instability and possible mass-scale unrest due to Jacob Zuma’s forthcoming trial. What went wrong and who’s to blame? Well, the answer is obvious. It is when leaders forget their vision and conscience for greed and corruption. Unfortunately, the governing party has to take the blame for turning our beautiful county into ruins while our late Struggle leaders are probably turning in their graves because this is not what they sacrificed their lives for. It is a disgrace on the ANC that our people are still living in poverty, while the present ANC leaders are living the life…

POLICE officers are leaving the SAPS in droves with 1 300 detectives abandoning the force in four years. Stakeholders attribute this to work overload, the lack of resources, nepotism, and corruption within the SAPS. The DA said in an answer to a parliamentary question recently that Bheki Cele, the minister of police, had acknowledged there was a decline in the number of personnel in detective services. Andrew Whitfield, DA MP and spokesperson on police, said there were 1 300 fewer detectives across the country since 2018. This, he said, resulted in increased caseloads for other overworked colleagues. “During a recent oversight visit to a police station in Pietermaritzburg, a detective told me he had 280 dockets (cases). No detective should have to carry such an overwhelming burden. It’s no wonder…

THABANI Mthethwa is ready to serve eThekwini as the DA’s new caucus leader. On Monday, Dean Macpherson, MP and the DA KZN chairperson, announced that Mthethwa would replace Nicole Graham, who will pursue a Master of Business Administration degree in leadership and enterprise at the University of Sydney in Australia. The position of caucus leader was also contested by councillors Mzamo Billy, Shontel de Boer and Sakhile Mngadi. Mthethwa grew up in Jozini and matriculated at Mabandleni High School. He started his political career 30 years ago when he first served as a member of the IFP. Mthethwa then became a councillor under the National Freedom Party from 2011 before joining the DA in 2015. He is the former DA eThekwini chief whip and has served as a member…

FORMER Proteas Men’s captain Graeme Smith will head up South Africa's new T20 League. Smith, who resigned as Cricket South Africa’s director of Cricket in March, will oversee all aspects – both cricketing and non-cricketing. The League has incorporated satellite broadcaster, SuperSport, as one of its major shareholders. Among Smith’s first orders of business will be to develop the brand and confirm the participating franchises for the annual tournament, with the inaugural event scheduled to take place in January and February 2023. Reports from India have indicated though all six franchises that went under the hammer have been acquired by Indian Premier League owners. England batter Kevin Pietersen was also in contention to acquire a new franchise, but could not match the bidding price of the IPL owners. The Mumbai…