Table of contents for 2022-03-02 in Post

sharron duff ARIES (March 21 – April 19) Give yourself a break and acknowledge that you are doing the best you can. You may need to watch your health this week, especially your blood sugar levels and lethargy. Be confident in your choices and try not to worry about the small things. Lucky colour: grey. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) There is money around you this week, so make the most of this. There is also abundance in charity, and others offering you help and support. There could also be an offer of a promotion or a change in duties at work. Lucky colour: green. GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) There are celebrations around you this week with family and friends. This could also be within your community…

filling ½ cup Meyer lemon curd (recipe below)) ½ cup cream cheese, cubed, at room temperature cake 1 tbs solid shortening 3¼ cups plus 1 tbs flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp kosher salt 12 tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature 1½ cups granulated sugar 3 large eggs 2 tbs finely grated zest and ¼ cup juice from 2 Meyer lemons 2 cups regular or low-fat buttermilk Glaze 2 cups confectioners sugar 2 to 3 tbs fresh Meyer lemon juice The cake can be stored under cover at room temperature for up to 3 days. filling: Whisk together the Meyer lemon curd and cream cheese until smooth. cake: Combine the shortening and 1tbs flour in a small bowl to create a paste. Generously coat the…

Staff Reporter THE biggest crisis in Europe since World War II seemingly took a turn for the worse on Monday. According to a Reuters report, ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine failed to reach a breakthrough. At the time of going to print, negotiators had not said when a new round of talks would take place. On Tuesday, Reuters reported: “Russia faced increasing isolation over its invasion of Ukraine, with fierce resistance on the ground denying President Vladimir Putin decisive early gains despite heavy shelling and a huge military convoy outside the capital, Kyiv. “Ukrainian officials reported a Russian bombardment of Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, had killed dozens of civilians. It was not possible to independently verify the casualty figures.” The bbc.com reported that away from the battlefields, economic…

Janine Moodley janine.moodley@inl.co.za A final order has been granted in favour of a former acting municipal manager in Newcastle after defamatory and racist posts were published about him on Facebook. Vish Govender, now the strategic executive director of community service in the Newcastle Municipality, made an application for the respondents, businessmen Lekgotla Monareng and Sakhile Mkhwanazi, to remove the offensive posts and to refrain from further posts. In one post, purportedly from Monareng’s Facebook page, he referred to Govender as racist, corrupt, and an anti-African Asian boy. In the comments section of the post, Mkhwanazi allegedly wrote: What’s the story with k**** boy who has no regard for blacks? In another post, Monareng calls for the IFP (the governing party in the municipality) to fire Govender. He allegedly wrote: The…

POST REPORTER THE Karnataka High Court in India has reserved judgment in the hijab ban case that led to violent protests and the closure of educational institutions in the country. The matter was adjourned by a full Bench last week, but it gave permission for written interlocutory applications by individuals and organisations to be submitted, Indian media houses reported. The hijab case centres on whether Muslim girls have the right to cover their heads when they are in class. Some female students went to court following riots when they refused to take off their scarves as they had always done, before entering the classroom. The court issued an interim order forbidding the use of headscarves by Muslims and saffron shawls by Hindus following the inter-religious conflict. The matter garnered publicity…

NOW that some reports have emerged from different sources concerning the July uprising/riots, very little or no action is being taken or even considered. It was strange that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) was tasked to carry out investigations on the insurrection that resulted in large scale destruction, looting, rioting and even loss of life – let alone the heavy losses to the economy. Some of my friends and relatives have not received compensation to date. How did this body get the nod/mandate to do this iniquitous work? Who has funded this body for this exercise? How much did it cost? And when will we see the final report? Maybe another wishy-washy report will be coming soon. From my own experience, the SAHRC has a dubious record of…

An open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa DEAR Mr President, Cyril Ramaphosa, in the aftermath of your State of the Nation Address, my crystal ball reveals nothing much will change for a while. In fact, it reveals that our dire situation will get worse as a lethargic and inept leadership steers us aground at almost every turn. The startling revelations by General Bheki Cele, the Minister of Police, at the South African Human Rights Commission hearings, that our intelligence agency withheld reports that could have helped the SAPS tackle the unrest of July 2021 is nothing short of stupefying. Is this the reason why we pay taxes? As president, are you not briefed regularly by the different security apparatus, including Crime Intelligence, so that, as commander-in-chief, you are in an…

IT IS a sad but well-known fact that the South Durban Basin is plagued by unemployment and impoverishment. The bright hopes of poverty alleviation, which the proposed dig-out port once promised, never materialised. Yet now there are voices rejoicing at the closure of the Sapref refinery, despite the obvious crushing socio-economic consequences involved. In recent media reports, those endorsing Sapref’s closure cite pollution and health issues. At the same time, however, they are content to suggest that Sapref relocate the refinery. Such a view suggests double standards because the same health issues they condemn would then be inflicted on some other community. It is also difficult to swallow the standard reference to negative health effects when since the apartheid years, the population of the neighbouring communities has grown enormously, while…

POST REPORTER Mahalingum “Dhaya” Govender, a political activist and teacher, died in a car crash in Kempton Park, Gauteng, last Wednesday. He was 61. His long-time friend, attorney Jerald Vedan, said: “Dhaya was a larger-than-life figure who loved socialising, music, cars and soul food. He exuded self-confidence and charisma and he had a steely determination in the pursuit of social justice. “Growing up in humble circumstances in Drakensberg Street, in Shallcross, Dhaya became a principal and ardent activist for the Congress Movement. He founded the Shallcross Youth Movement and he later become a housing lobbyist and administrator with Durban Housing Action Committee. “As an educationalist, he was a leading strategist and policy maker with the South African Democratic Teachers Union and he went on to lead the Education Labour Relations…

Janine Moodley janine.moodley@inl.co.za RUSSIA’S invasion of Ukraine has had a ripple effect on South Africa’s economy. This week, Grades 93 and 95 petrol increased by R1.46 a litre, while diesel increased by between R1.44 and R1.48 a litre. Layton Beard, the spokesperson for the Automobile Association, attributed the hike to rising international petroleum prices following the Ukraine invasion. He said depending on Russia’s military actions, the price could increase again next month “One silver lining, though, is that any potential increases will not be combined with increases to fuel taxes, as the minister of finance announced the General Fuel and Road Accident Fund levies would not increase this year,” said Beard. Mervyn Abrahams, the spokesperson for the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, said the spike in fuel would have…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za THE Proteas Women’s team will have their final warm-up match against England in the hope that facing the World Champions gives them the right momentum going into the World Cup in which they’re among the favourites. On Sunday the South Africans played India and one of the key figures in that match was fast bowler Shabnim Ismail. Ismail, who is widely regarded as the fastest women’s bowler in the world, struck Indian batter Smriti Mandhana on the head during the game – an incident that became the talking point on just what a dangerous bowler the South African can be. Mandhana was visibly shaken by Ismail’s blow to the helmet. She continued batting after being assessed by the India team doctors before retiring an over and a…

Superstar cricketer Virat Kohli will play his 100th Test behind closed doors with no spectators because of a coronavirus outbreak in the northern Indian city of Mohali, an official told AFP on Sunday. The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) host the first of the two Tests against Sri Lanka starting Friday and the spotlight will be on former captain Kohli’s landmark game. “It is unfortunate that we can’t have crowds in Kohli’s 100th game due to Covid cases in the city,” PCA secretary Puneet Bali told AFP. “But it is a historic occasion and we would felicitate the great batsman and also put billboards all across the city to celebrate the feat.” Local media reported 19 new Covid cases over the past 24 hours in Mohali. The virus has witnessed a…

OWN Correspondent THE shoal couta are around in large numbers. Hooking the fish is not the problem, beating the sharks is. The North Coast has seen plenty of fish from the boats and skis. The tuna has been big … really big. These fish have mainly been caught on live bait with mackerel being the bait of choice. Heavier fluorocarbon hook snoods and decent circle hooks are the way to go for these buses. The couta have not been shy to take most baits. Chartreuse and pink flashers have worked best on the dead baits while the humble green glow bead has been the ticket for the live bait trace. The Durban coast has seen a lot of action. The sheltered launch areas have made launching in even the biggest…

Charlene Somduth charlene.somduth@inl.co.za BIRTHDAY celebrations turned tragic for a Greenwood Park man after his wife was shot in the neck in the parking lot of The Pearls Mall in uMhlanga on Sunday. Chandra Smith, 25, a hairstylist, is recovering at home after a short stay at hospital. The incident, which was captured on video and went viral, shows Smith, a woman and two men walking towards a white VW Golf. Another woman is seated in the driver’s seat. The unknown woman gets into the front passenger seat while a man wearing a black shirt gets into the passenger seat behind her. Smith and the second man (wearing a white shirt) approached the driver’s side of the vehicle. Smith opened the back door and moments later fell on to her back…

Nadia Khan nadia.khan@inl.co.za A CHATSWORTH dad, who was convicted for killing one person and injuring three on the Day of Goodwill in 2018, has been sentenced to 12 years in jail. Lorenzo Sewram, 27, of Woodhurst, was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder in January 2019. On Thursday last week, the father of two was sentenced in the Durban Regional Court to 12 years’ imprisonment for murder and five years for each count of attempted murder. The sentences will run concurrently. It was alleged that a day before Malcolm Govindsamy, 35, and his wife, Magdalene, 39, of Montford, attended a party at a relative's home in Woodhurst on December 25, Sewram had an argument with the host. It was further alleged that there was an altercation between Sewram…

Janine Moodley janine.moodley@inl.co.za Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee has commended the police after a suspect believed to be the kingpin behind the kidnapping of businessmen in Gauteng was arrested. Last Wednesday, a 37-year-old suspect and three others were arrested at a house in Brackenhurst. The suspect was linked to the kidnappings of high profile businessmen from Gauteng and Maputo in Mozambique. Abramjee said: “There are many gangs operating and it’s good news that another syndicate has been arrested. This particular group is linked to three cases. The kidnapping task team is making progress and this is welcome. Lots of work still lies ahead. There seem to be many smaller gangs operating and police need to break their backbone also.” One victim whose kidnapping has allegedly been linked to the kingpin was…

Charlene Somduth charlene.somduth@inl.co.za MXOLISI Kaunda, the mayor of eThekwini, told the South African Human Rights Commission that the killing of African people in Phoenix, Durban, should be seen as an act of racism and dealt with as a criminal offence. He was testifying in Gauteng during the second leg of the commission’s hearings into the July unrest. The KZN leg was held last year. During the unrest, more than 350 people died nationally. In Phoenix, 36 people were arrested for the killing of 36 people. Those cases are pending in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court. Kaunda said the unrest was sparked by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma and that it escalated owing to the lack of police presence. “Many non-African communities took to the streets to protect their neighbourhoods…

AS RUSSIANS troops began their advance on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, Inna Sovsun, a member of parliament wrote that Russian soldiers were not just fighting the Ukraine army. “We have an army of 40 million,” she wrote on her blog. “Putin is fighting the entire country.” Her comments echoed those of Francois Pienaar in 1995, just before he held aloft the Webb Ellis Trophy following South Africa’s historic win over the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup. An interviewer remarked that the Springboks had “tremendous support” with about 65 000 spectators at the game. Pienaar responded: “We didn’t have 65 000 South Africans, we had 43 million supporters.” It is not just national pride that unites South Africa and Ukraine. Both countries share something unique – they are…

I WAS born with ADHD. In other words, I was hyperactive, was learning disabled, and had weight and depression issues. I did not feel good about myself. I felt hurt, fear, anger, pain, isolated and unwanted. In 2020, when the pandemic started, I weighed 80kg. I felt miserable, depressed and slobbish. I got up one morning and decided to do something about my weight. I devised a workout and diet plan. My workout plan included bodyweight-only exercises (no weights), running, walking, jogging, yoga and meditation. I was creative with my diet. I was eating on the cheap and made do with what I had. At first it was difficult, but as time went on it got easier. I used the hurt, anger, pain and depression that I felt and directed…

THE outcomes of the National Water and Sanitation Summit are an attempt to address the water crisis facing South Africa. The 2002 National Water Strategy document warned that by 2025 South Africa would not be able to meet the water requirements of its population. Speaking after the conference, Professor Anthony Turton, a water expert, said South Africa ran out of water in 2002. Financial instability, ageing and inadequate infrastructure, contaminated dams, lakes and rivers, a lack of co-ordination by stakeholders, including government departments in the sector, have worsened the situation. The summit resolved to set strict timelines to improve the state of water and sanitation service delivery. Will Senzo Mchunu, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, be putting the resolutions of the summit on the Cabinet agenda? The impending…

IT IS amusing to read on the letters page (POST, February 23-27) educated people defending the right of the Indian education department in Karnataka, some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators and some school principals on the issue of the hijab. To make comparisons like “what next, the bikini?” is not only childish, but it shows that some people are losing their compass of arguing logically. By the same logic, what happens now that Saudi Arabia is in bed with the Indian government – allowing temples to be built in Jeddah and encouraging the Hindu culture to be taught at Arabian schools? If a Saudi princess decides to study in a school in Karnataka, will they insist she remove the hijab? That could really cause oil and arms deals to become…

Nadia Khan nadia.khan@inl.co.za FOR 162 days, Sandra Munsamy was held captive. For most of that time she was kept chained at the ankle inside a house in Mpumalanga. This week, during the trial of her alleged kidnappers in the Durban High Court, she broke down as she described her five months of terror. It started on May 30, 2019, when Munsamy, the chief financial officer for the family business XMoor Transport, was on her way home from work. It was around 5.39pm when she noticed she was being followed by a grey Mercedes-Benz car with Gauteng number plates. Testifying via camera from another room in the courthouse, the 46-year-old mother of two said as she was about to enter the M13 from Stapleton Road in Pinetown, a white BMW 1…

Nadia Khan nadia.khan@inl.co.za SOON after two brothers were sentenced for killing a man who allegedly stole a grass-cutting machine, they were granted leave to appeal their conviction and sentence. Anben Chinsamy, 44, of Ravenstone Place, and brother, Sugendran, 33, of Treehaven Place, both in Phoenix, were sentenced to 20 and 15 years, respectively, in the Durban High Court on Friday. Their victim, Seelan Pillay, was allegedly kidnapped, doused with petrol and set alight on May 10, 2019. He sustained second- and third-degree burns and died two days later. The brothers were arrested and charged with murder. Anben was also charged with kidnapping and defeating the administration of justice, but he was found not guilty of these charges last September. Warrant Officer Theagasen Naidoo and Constable Tristan Pillay, both of Phoenix…

Wendy Jasson Da Costa wendy.jdc@inl.co.za THE net is closing in on businessmen Atul and Rajesh Gupta after Interpol issued a red notice for the two brothers on Monday. They are wanted in connection with the R24.9 million Nulane Investment fraud case in the Free State. Interpol said a red notice was a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. Red notices are issued for fugitives wanted either for prosecution or to serve a sentence. This now means that police around the world have been alerted to help bring the Guptas back to South Africa to stand trial for procurement fraud related to the Free State Department of Agriculture. The red notices for the Guptas followed a request…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa always mentions land claims and restitution in his State of the Nation addresses. Why? Is it to fool the gullible to vote for a failing ANC? We have heard the same promises from Mandela and Mbeki to Zuma and the rest in between for 28 long years. So how have land claims gone down with the ANC since 1994? Why is it that the only beneficiaries so far seem to be their voters? The coloured community has been fighting for the right to District Six and the other lands they were kicked out from. Is this ANC punishment for them voting for the DA in the Western Cape, which is the only province the ANC cannot get control of or mismanage? What’s happening in KwaZulu- Natal and…

THE eThekwini Municipality has a few days of cash on hand. Previously, it had about two years of cash on hand. What went wrong? There is no need to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out. Apart from the looting, it seems that more than half of the municipal employees are not fit for purpose but are being paid exorbitant salaries with benefits. Some of them are incompetent and unskilled, and were employed as cadres. In other words, these cadres don’t have the know-how for the jobs they are employed to do but as long as they are politically connected, no one can touch them. How sick is this when there are millions of people in our country dying from poverty? Don’t some of these people in government…

INDIA is a crowded place where man and beast live cheek by jowl. With a population of 1.3 billion, it is second only to China. Land is at a premium. Yet, Indians have found a way to live in harmony with nature. They love animals, be it monkeys, snakes, cows, leopards or tigers. Yet, the leopard and the tiger often attack humans. The man-eating tigers of the Sundarbans kill 50 to 100 people a year, more than all the shark attacks around the world. Yet, they are protected. It is unlawful to kill a leopard or tiger in India. Even though these dangerous predators will not hesitate to attack people in the wild, Indians worship them. Recently, we witnessed how attached they were to their animals when one of the…

THE article, “Evangelist told by court to apologise”, (POST, February 23-27), refers. Simeon Bradley Chetty and other former Hindus have to take account of some basic facts concerning religion. A religion is only honest and intelligent if it takes account of the needs of all the world’s peoples. What is required of all people is to devote some time to apply their minds to the subject in as intelligent a way as is possible – under guidance if necessary. This is an ability given to a few people, who devote themselves to the task. The rest are content to go along with the crowds through gullible laziness and assume that by doing so they are meeting their needs. Very few Hindus take the trouble to study such texts as the…

Wendy Jasson Da Costa wendy.jdc@inl.co.za THE government has yet to bail out private pharmacies which are facing financial ruin because of their involvement in the nationwide vaccination campaign. Two years after the first case of Covid-19 was reported in South Africa, private pharmacies, especially in poor and rural areas, face possible closure because the government has not yet paid any of them for administering vaccines. Sham Moodley, a Merebank pharmacist who is also the vice-chairperson of the Independent Community Pharmacy Association, said about 800 to 1 000 private pharmacies nationwide were part of the vaccine drive. He said none of them had been paid to date because the special IT system that the government needed to determine their bills was still being developed. “If you did more than 80% of…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za PROTEAS spin king Keshav Maharaj was the most surprising inclusion in the South African team that beat New Zealand by 198 runs in Hagley on Tuesday. Given the history of spinners at Hagley Oval and their lack of impact at the ground, not much would have been expected from the Dolphins man. However, South Africa’s captain Dean Elgar had noticed that the surface was drier and less grassy than the seam-friendly green strip on which the first match was played. In addition, Elgar just likes to have Maharaj around; for his bowling, his effect on the dressing room and his tactical acumen. “Kesh is a banker of mine, I know what I get from him in a playing and competitive nature,” said Elgar. The left-arm spinner took…

FORMER Liverpool player Rigobert Song has been appointed Cameroon’s new coach in place of Toni Conceicao just three weeks before a crucial World Cup play-off. Song earned 137 caps for Cameroon during an international career spanning almost 17 years, competing at four World Cups and eight Africa Cup of Nations finals. He played club football in England at Liverpool and West Ham United, and also had stints in France, Germany, Italy and Turkey. The 45-year-old has been serving as coach of Cameroon’s under-23 team. Conceicao led Cameroon to third place at the Africa Cup of Nations finals last month but the Portuguese-born coach has been told his contract will not be renewed. “The upcoming assignments for our national team require a new orientation and a new breath,” said Cameroon Football…