Table of contents for 2023-04-26 in Post

THE second instalment of the hit Tamil film, Ponniyin Selvan 1 (PS1), is set for release in cinemas this week. Ponniyin Selvan 2 (PS2) is an Indian epic historical action-adventure film directed by Mani Ratnam. It is the second of two cinematic parts based on the novel, Ponniyin Selvan. The first part of the film (PS1 in 2022) was about the early days of Chola prince Arulmozhi Varman. The second part tells the story of how he became the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I (947 CE – 1014 CE). Elavarasan Varadharajan, the promoter of Kavin Media, which brings Kollywood/Tamil releases to South Africa, said the story of PS2 was based in 10th-century Thanjavur, with the Chola dynasty emperor Sundara Cholar (Prakash Raj) and his sons, Adithya Karikalan (Vikram)…

His James, a film by local writer/filmmaker Joe Spirit which highlights challenges faced by the LGBTI community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex), is racking up accolades and attention. The film stars Mlungisi Ndebele (Isibaya, Uzalo and House of Zwide), Sithandiwe Kgoroge (Generations) and Samantha Govender (Imbewu: The Seed). His James has been nominated for numerous awards, the most recent being six nominations in the African Emerging Film-makers Awards 2022, where Spirit won best screenplay and best feature film. His James will premiere on Nigeria’s Accelerate TV Plus, a subscription video on demand service, in June. Spirit said His James was a tribute to the LGBTI community. “It is for youngsters and older folk, who have been forced by societal norms’ to be who they are not. It is for…

blueberry purée: 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, plus a handful of fresh for decorating, if desired ¾ cup water ½ cup granulated sugar 1 tbs cornstarch 1/8 tsp fine salt 2 tsp fresh lemon juice In a saucepan over high heat, stir the blueberries, water, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer until the purée thickens. Remove from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes. Blend the purée on medium-high speed until thick and pourable. Pour the purée into a 2-cup glass measuring cup with a spout and mix in the lemon juice. Set aside 3 to 4 tablespoons of purée in a bowl. cake: cooking spray or softened butter, for greasing the pan…

non-stick cooking spray 340g cream cheese, at room temperature 3 cups heavy cream ¾ cup cherry preserves 2 tbs kirsch (a clear spirit made from distilling sour cherries found in liquor stores) 50 thin chocolate wafer biscuits 2 cups stemmed, pitted and halved sweet cherries, plus optional stem-on cherries for decorating Grease the sides of a round 23cm springform pan with cooking spray. Line the sides with baking paper. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Turn off the mixer, add the heavy cream, cherry preserves and kirsch and whisk on low until incorporated. Gradually increase the speed to medium-high and whisk the mixture until it holds stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread a layer of…

THE average teacher in South Africa earned in the top 5% of South Africans in 2019, according to a report published by Stellenbosch University’s Research on Socio-Economic Policy (Resep). The report also revealed that, on average, teachers had higher hourly wages than at least 70% of all formal sector-paid employees. If teacher salaries are adequate, why is South Africa’s public education system still struggling to improve educational outcomes? Over-crowded classrooms aside, are the right candidates being drawn to teaching as a profession? Arguably the biggest influence on poor educational outcomes are low entrance requirements to study teaching at a tertiary level. Resep’s Teacher Demographics Policy report revealed that Bachelor of Education degrees had lower entrance requirements than other degrees and that most students enrolled for teaching degrees performed significantly worse…

SHOPRITE has announced that SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) gold card beneficiaries can switch their cards to a Shoprite money market account. This comes after the provisional liquidation of the SA Post Office (Sapo). Sapo was placed under provisional liquidation in February leaving Sassa recipients unsure about how they would receive their grant. “It is unfortunate that this particular provisional liquidation order relates to a debt that had since been settled,” said Sapo. As of last month, Sassa gold cards have begun to expire. “In March, 159 466 gold cards expired. “There are 861 952 cards expiring this month, more than 2.7 million cards next month, and more than 1.8 million in June,” said Sassa. In light of the demand for new cards to be issued or renewed and…

TWO buses transporting South Africans out of Sudan to Egypt arrived safely in the country on Tuesday afternoon. Since the armed conflict between rival factions of the military government of Sudan began on April 15, South African expats trapped in the country have been trying to escape. A power struggle erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group on April 15, which has killed more than 400 people and injured over 3 000. The clashes have affected hospitals and other services, and turned residential areas into war zones. Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco), has posted regular updates on the situation. By midday on Tuesday he said: “The two buses have safely arrived at the border with…

With sell-out crowds, beer-drenched celebrations and even a few “shoeys”, the LIV Golf rebel tour delivered on its promise to change the face of the game at its 12th event in the Australian city of Adelaide at the weekend. A field studded with 13 Major winners was enthusiastically cheered on by packed galleries and even the lack of local success did nothing to dull a festival atmosphere at The Grange Golf Club. “Everybody here in Adelaide has had just the best time,” said English former world number three Paul Casey. “They’re so starved of world-class golf. I think this is the best field they’ve ever had assembled in Australia outside of maybe a Presidents Cup or something like that. They’ve embraced it.” American Talor Gooch came out on top at…

Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez became the first player to score an FA Cup semi-final hat-trick at Wembley, as Manchester City swept aside Sheffield United 3-0 at the weekend. The last FA Cup semi-final treble was scored by Alex Dawson of Manchester United in 1958 – long before the semi-finals were moved from various venues to the national stadium. “Riyad is grumpy with me all the time when he does not play,” said City manager Pep Guardiola. “He is a big-stage player. I’m so satisfied for Riyad.” AFP Sport highlights African headline-makers in the major European leagues: ENGLAND RIYAD MAHREZ (Manchester City) Mahrez opened the scoring from the penalty spot late in the first half, after Daniel Jebbison’s panicked hack on Bernardo Silva. He then effectively settled the tie with a…

In less than a month, Tottenham Hotspur have fired two coaches, seen their director of football resign and potentially kissed goodbye any hope of a Champions League qualifying spot after a 6-1 demolition by Newcastle United in the Premier League. Such has been their capitulation that manager Antonio Conte’s parting words in a furious rant about a selfish squad lacking “the fire in your eyes to win” still ring true as Spurs fell to a humiliating drubbing at St James’ Park on Sunday. Eddie Howe’s Newcastle consolidated their top-four spot with the victory as they rose to third and may have simultaneously taken Spurs’ place among England’s elite as the London side stare at the prospect of not playing in Europe next season. That Tottenham are in fifth place owes…

Writer-director Ashwin Singh will stage two plays at the Playhouse soon. This includes High Stakes, Singh’s one-woman play starring classical Indian dancer Sivani Chinappan-Moodley. The production will run with Reoca Light, starring Rory Booth, which played to packed houses in Durban and London. The double bill forms part of the Playhouse Company’s New Stages Festival which takes place in three weeks. Singh said High Stakes was a more detailed exploration of the character Gita Singh who first appeared in his 2013 play, Beyond the Big Bangs. Gita is a businesswoman, a community worker, a widow, a grandmother and a gambler who is now in trouble because she owes money to a loan shark and he is coming to collect. Singh said: “After Beyond the Big Bangs ran in Durban and…

ACTRESS Ileana D’Cruz has announced on social media that she was expecting her first child. However, D’Cruz did not share the identity of her baby’s father. She posted a photograph of a black-and-white onesie on Instagram and wrote: “And so the adventure begins.” In another post, D’Cruz showed a close-up of a pendant with the word “mama” on it. She was formerly in a relationship with Andrew Kneebone. Even though it was unclear whether they married, D’Cruz referred to him as the “best hubby ever” However, it was reported in 2019 that they had parted. It is alleged that D’Cruz found love again in Sebastian Laurent Michel, a model and Katrina Kaif’s brother. |…

cake: ½ cup well-shaken buttermilk 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup pecan halves, plus more for decorating the cake (optional) ¾ cup canola oil or another neutral oil, plus more for greasing pans 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda, sifted 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground cardamom ¼ tsp grated nutmeg ¼ tsp ground allspice 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar 4 to 5 medium carrots, grated ¾ cup raisins, preferably golden Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180ºC. In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, fresh ginger and vanilla. Toast the pecans…

cake: non-stick cooking spray ½ cup plus 2 tbs coconut oil, melted 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature 80ml unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, at room temperature 1½ tsp baking powder ¾ tsp fine salt 1½ cups all-purpose flour 80ml shredded sweetened coconut (optional) Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 176ºC. Grease the sides and bottoms of two pans with the cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk together the oil, sugar and vanilla until combined. Whisk in the egg yolks and coconut milk. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the bowl one at a time, whisking after each. Fold in the flour and coconut. Divide the batter between the pans. meringue: 4 large…

WHILE his contemporaries were pondering a future in teaching, law or medicine in the late 1960s, a young Clairwood man, Mariah Vengtas Bisetty, was writing his destiny. He had his sights firmly set on journalism, a field which only a couple of Indians had successfully penetrated just a few years earlier with groundbreaking jobs. Bisetty, who died last week (April 18) aged 75, had worked for The Mercury, POST’s sister newspaper, for 52 years, including after retiring in 2014. As a reporter, night news editor, and later, copy taster and sub-editor, he brought readers more than half a century of news. Having served under 10 different editors, Bisetty is also credited with mentoring generations of young reporters, some of whom have gone on to leadership roles. He started at the…

Japanese Grandmaster and triple world champion Manabu Murakami has returned to South Africa, once again offering workshops specialising in teaching fighting techniques and self-defence. He landed in Durban on Tuesday. Murakami, who is from Tokyo, said this was his 21st visit to South Africa. Hosted by Sonny Pillay Hanshi, president of Karate South Africa, Murakami will conduct several self-defence karate workshops in KwaZulu-Natal. “He (Murakami) has always remarked that he was impressed at the effort that our local karateka (students) make in order to improve their technical ability,” said Pillay. “I am delighted that a world-renowned karate expert is able to visit our shores once again this year. “Grandmaster Murakami is a much sought-after karate messiah who is annually globe-trotting, sharing and caring with local martial artists and enthusiasts.…

Some critics are already moving onto the next stage of the Siya Kolisi injury saga: Who should be the next Springbok captain? And who should wear the No 6 jersey at the World Cup? But we should not be ready to give up on Kolisi making an appearance at France 2023 just yet … IOL Sport this week reported that the Bok skipper was seeking a third specialist opinion yesterday, having received two others already which recommended surgery on his right knee that is sure to rule him out of the World Cup. The more conservative route is to avoid going under the knife and do rehabilitation on the knee ligament injury, which could see him be ready in time – but the problem may not be 100% fixed. But…

Emma Raducanu has given the first 5G tennis coaching session. The US Open champion has been named Vodafone’s Play Your Way to Wimbledon Ambassador, and part of this role has involved delivering the first lesson to two grass-roots players, Sam Clague, 14, and T’nae Diamond Paisley, 12, via hologram. The 20-year-old tennis player said: “The next generation of tennis starts with the future generation of players. Coaching Sam and T’nae in the first-ever 5G hologram lesson only scratches the surface with this type of technology and hopefully means coaches will be able to train the next Wimbledon champion wherever they are in the world.” Raducanu appeared via projection from Abu Dhabi to teach the teens, who were based in London. A survey commissioned by Vodafone exploring the future of technology…

Liverpool still have room for improvement despite a resurgence in recent Premier League games, manager Jurgen Klopp said yesterday as they look to secure a European qualifying spot after a poor season. Liverpool, who are seventh, have struggled with consistency this season, and were not at their clinical best in their 3-2 victory over bottom side Nottingham Forest over the weekend, and Klopp highlighted issues they needed to resolve. The Reds are unbeaten in their last four matches, and next play West Ham United, who are fresh off the back of a 4-0 win at Bournemouth as David Moyes’s side moved up to 13th. “We have to still improve. We can’t talk about consistency after winning two games, especially when you win a game like the last one,” Klopp said.…

Jalen Hurts swears he still has the hunger to win a Super Bowl title even after becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback spoke on Monday, a week after signing a five-year contract extension worth $255 million, the NFL’s richest deal in average annual value. “Money is nice,” Hurts said. “Championships are better.” The 24-year-old Texan led the Eagles into last February’s Super Bowl, but he couldn’t lead Philadelphia to a second crown in six seasons, losing to Kansas City 38-35. That defeat has kept Hurts yearning for more from himself even with a king’s ransom in the bank. “I’ve just been on this constant quest to be the best player that I can be. With no limits,” he said. “Just trying to be the best…

Good nutrition before and during pregnancy may influence the pregnancy, the delivery and the health of mother and child later on. What you eat now will help your baby to grow healthily and give them the best start in life. We asked registered dietitians and spokespeople for the Association for Dietetics in South Africa (Adsa) to provide tips for healthy eating during pregnancy. Does eating for two mean doubling up your portions? “Additional energy is needed during pregnancy to support the growth demands of your baby. However, the saying ‘eating for two’ has been taken out of context,” says Cath Day, a registered dietitian. “During the first trimester, you don’t need any additional energy. This means that if you were maintaining a healthy weight before you became pregnant, you can…

THE days of leaving dogs at home with a pet sitter or skipping weddings are long gone. It’s crucial to recognise the significance of pets in Indian weddings, which are lavish affairs and cherished occasions to celebrate family and love. Our animal buddies have been included in the concept of family in recent years. It’s time to start using the term paw-parents instead of pet owners. More and more Indian couples are choosing pet-friendly weddings these days, making their children or furry pets an important part of their special day. In fact, when couples narrow down their ideal wedding site, the question: “is your wedding venue pet-friendly?”,has grown in importance. Pet-friendly weddings are not simply a fad. They are an emotional phenomenon. As a result, many wedding venues and…

After the generation of Meera Syal and Parminder Nagra, and the now-famous Archie Panjabi and Simone Ashley aka Kate Sharma of Bridgerton, Ritu Arya is the latest British Indian actress to grab world attention. Arya stars in Polite Society which opens in cinemas on Friday. Fans would remember her from her most recent popular role of Interpol’s Inspector Urvashi Das, forever in hot pursuit of the Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds’ characters in the Netflix comic-action drama, Red Notice. She rose to prominence in the UK with her role as Dr Megan Sharma in the British soap opera, Doctors, which earned her a British Soap Awards nomination in 2014. Arya starred with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as a character named Gail in the episode titled The Sign…

Epic Tails, the latest animated movie with a strong message from Studio- Canal, will release in cinemas nationwide on Friday. The film, a tale of adventure and bravery, follows the story of an unlikely relationship between Sam, a warm-hearted cat, and Pattie an intelligent, head- strong mouse looking for adventure. Sam is voiced by Christophe Lemoine and Pattie by Kaycie Chase. Sam adopted Pattie when she was young. They live in Lolcos, a port city in Greece that is protected by a golden fleece that gives the city its beauty, and provides the people with wealth and prosperity. The fleece was brought to Lolcos by Jason, an explorer. Despite the luxury of the city, Pattie longs to leave to explore the seas and neighbouring islands, like Jason. But Sam…

cake: non-stick baking spray 2½ cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp fine salt 1 cup unsweetened full-fat coconut milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar ¾ cup (170g) unrefined coconut oil, at room temperature 8 tbs unsalted butter, softened but cool to the touch 5 large eggs, at room temperature one bag sweetened shredded coconut, divided Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180°C. Coat two 20cm cake pans with baking spray, line the bottoms with baking paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk and vanilla extract. Combine the sugar, coconut oil and butter. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy,…

ETHEKWINI is facing growing resistance from ratepayers who believe the 2023 increases for rates and utilities will be unaffordable for most. Furthermore, they have questioned the value they receive from local government. The city, the only metro in KwaZulu-Natal, plans to increase property rates by 8.9%, electricity by 21.9%, water by 14.9% and refuse by 8%. The proposed increases will be voted upon in May or June this year. In the past, the ANC-led city has used its majority to push through increases despite protests from ratepayers. Now, 53 ratepayer bodies have come together under the banner of the eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (ERRA). On Monday, the groups held a protest against the proposed increases outside the Durban City Hall. They also handed over a list of demands. Included…

BUSINESSES continue to be affected by interrupted power. Since last week Eskom has juggled between the higher stages of load shedding. By Tuesday the country was running on the stage 4 schedule, with a change to stage 6 from 4pm that day. The power utility is unable to meet the demand due to generation capacity constraints. Farhana Amod, the owner of Bollywood Jewels in Denis Hurley (Queen) Street in the Durban CBD, said: “The effects on running my eastern jewellery shop are mounting. There is a decline in clientele. “One of the reasons is that the robots don’t work, and this leads to chaos in town. Travelling here is just too much trouble. “However, the biggest concern is theft. We have generators to keep the shop lit and functioning, but…

Phoenix community activist Sham Maharaj is leading the charge to relaunch the civic association that was originally formed in 1978 when Phoenix was founded. He said the association dissolved when democracy was established in the country. Since the dissolution, Maharaj said issues in the area had taken a turn for the worse even though there had been pop-up civic associations. He said this made it difficult to know whether these pop-ups had the best interests of the community at heart. Maharaj said it was therefore decided to relaunch the original association. “A meeting was held recently to discuss the relaunch which is expected to take place in May. “We tried to get all of the previous members to come together and we formed a steering committee. “From the steering committee,…

Arsenal’s trip to Manchester City on Wednesday has been circled for months as a potentially decisive date in the Premier League title race, but the Gunners must now wrestle back a huge swing in momentum towards the defending champions. Mikel Arteta’s men travel to the Etihad five points clear at the top of the table, yet many see the title as City’s to lose, thanks to two games in hand and home advantage. Arsenal could have amassed an 11-point advantage in recent weeks to pile the pressure on City, as they try to balance their effort in a bid to win a treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. Instead, Arteta’s young guns have showed their inexperience of dealing with a title race in the run-in as three…

Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus insisted again on Tuesday his second offer to buy Manchester United still stands. Zilliacus said earlier this month he would not be entering a third round of bidding, accusing existing United owners the Glazer family of turning the process into a “farce”. But he said then his second-round offer remained on the table ahead of the deadline for third bids to be submitted on April 28. And he reiterated his position on Tuesday, saying on Twitter: “As said when I announced that I would not do a new third-round bid, I have today informed the bank handling the sale of United that my bid from round two stands. My bid does not have a cap. The final price is subject to negotiations with the sellers #ManchesterUnited…

Fabio Cannavaro, John Terry and Tim Cahill are among the former football stars swopping the dressing room for the classroom on a course hoping to put more players in positions of power. The Fifa Diploma in Club Management is in its second year and aims to teach “the latest practical know-how and insights” on how to run a football club. Course participants must work for a club in an executive or managerial position, although exceptions are made for active players such as Spain’s Juan Mata and Brazil’s Fernandinho. Cahill, who retired in 2019 after playing in five countries and winning 108 caps for Australia, serves as chief sports officer for Qatar’s Aspire Academy and is also a board member at Belgian side Eupen. He believes the course can help him…

THE SOUTH African Football Association (Safa) cannot afford to drop the ball now that its bid for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup hosting rights has passed the first hurdle. Hours after Fifa acknowledged South Africa’s expression of interest in hosting the event, Safa took possession of the bidding agreement. This is a document from Fifa that sets out the key principles of the bidding process, and which must be observed by the interested member associations. Apart from South Africa, there are three other bids – from the Brazilian Football Association; a joint expression of interest from the Royal Belgian Football Association, the Royal Netherlands Football Association and the German Football Association; as well as another joint effort from the US Soccer Federation and the Mexican Football Association. These four…

Tony de Zorzi will lead a 15-man SA ‘A’ touring squad to Sri Lanka, Cricket South Africa (CSA) revealed in a statement yesterday morning as part of the association’s “overall strategy to increase the depth of players within its pipeline”. The team will play three one-day and two four-day matches against their island nation’s counterparts, starting with a limited-overs encounter on June 4. Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad will provide guidance from the dug-out. Players that have been selected include the exciting Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs, both of whom have been touted as future mega-stars of the game. A handful of Test players will also travel to Sri Lanka, including Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne and Gerald Coetzee. “The squad reflects the next crop of players that are emerging from…