Table of contents for 2022-02-23 in Post

Latoya Newman latoya.newman@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s own queen of the gowns, Aunty Shamilla, will stage her first live performance in the UK in March. Titled The Gown, the comedy special will run at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on March 19. The alter ego is a character of comedian/actor Prev Reddy. He announced his UK tour last week. Since her birth on social media and three consecutive sold-out shows in South Africa in 2019, Aunty Shamilla’s persona and taste in gowns has won her legions of fans. In an interview with POST, Reddy said The Gown explored Shamilla’s life over the past two years, with an insight into the woman behind the gown, and the many colourful characters that surrounded her. He said going overseas was part of the plan,…

AASHIR Narandas is a third-generation jeweller and spokesperson for Narandas Jewellers, which has been manufacturing and retailing jewellery since 1915. Although bridal jewellery demand continues to rebound from a Covid-hit global economy, Narandas said the demand was still below pre-pandemic levels. “We are seeing a move towards brides opting to wear fewer pieces, but more substantial wearable pieces. Covid-19 placed additional pressure on proposers and weddings, with the size of weddings decreasing significantly. This has negatively impacted the purchasing of wedding jewellery, especially gold sets. We do, however, expect a return to grand weddings this year,” he said. Trends Narandas said yellow gold was making a comeback, with modern, lightweight and more versatile jewellery set designs, with a hint of tradition, becoming increasingly popular among brides-to-be. “It remains a custom…

Ingredients: 138g (2/3 cup) Crossbow brown or black lentils 3-5 medium beetroot, grated 1 clove garlic 2 small red onions, chopped 375ml (1½ cups) bread crumbs 3 free range eggs 5ml (1 tsp) Dijon mustard 10g fresh coriander, chopped olive oil 6 ciabatta rolls, halved and toasted To serve: mayonnaise or yoghurt sliced avocado sliced baby tomatoes watercress Method: Preheat the oven to 200°C and grease a baking sheet. Cook, drain and rinse the lentils. In a food processor mix the lentils, beetroot, garlic, red onion, breadcrumbs, eggs, mustard and coriander. Blend until smooth and the mixture starts to come together. Season with salt and pepper and shape the mixture into patties. Set out on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Heat the olive…

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Add this dish to your menu for a meat-free Monday meal or cook this for a special dinner. Serves 4. Ingredients: 750g baby sweet potatoes oil for drizzling salt and pepper to taste 380g (2 cups) Crossbow brown lentils 15ml (1 tbs) olive oil 2 onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 10ml (2 tsp) grated fresh ginger 75g Thai red curry paste 500-750ml (2-3 cups) vegetable stock 1 x 400ml can coconut milk 30ml (2 tbs) fish sauce (optional) 30ml (2 tbs) lime juice 125ml (½ cup) chopped fresh coriander 2 cauliflower heads, cut into steaks To serve: fresh mint fresh coriander chopped chilli Method: Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Halve the sweet potatoes, drizzle with olive oil and season, roast for 40 minutes until…

Charlene Somduth charlene.somduth@inl.co.za JEANINE Pillay wanted a better life for her family, but she was killed during a robbery in Welbedacht, Chatsworth, on Saturday morning. Pillay, 29, a creditor’s clerk, from Unit 9 in Chatsworth, was shot in the chest and died at the scene. Ronald Govender, her cousin, said Pillay was employed in the automotive repair and maintenance industry. “The company was having their weekend stock take because their financial year-end was drawing near. “They arranged for some employees to be picked up from their homes. The company’s driver picked Jeanine up just after 4am.” He said they were travelling in a bakkie with a canopy. Govender said Pillay was seated in the passenger seat. “They drove to Welbedacht to fetch two other workers, a woman and a man.…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2022 State of the Nation Address underscored the problematic role that government agencies and others had played in state capture and the 2021 civil unrest. The unrest and looting that followed the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court sparked widespread violence and destruction of property, and resulted in the deaths of more than 350 people. Most of the violence took place in two economically important provinces: KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The violence took place in the context of rising levels of crime and unrest related to poor service delivery and deteriorating socio-economic conditions in poorer households. These were exacerbated by harsh Covid-19 lockdown regulations. The latest quarterly crime statistics showed that criminal offending has continued to increase. There’s also been a growing sense of…

SWIMMING pools in Pietermaritzburg have been closed for more than two weeks. Unfortunately, ratepayers and residents in Pietermaritzburg have no choice but to cool off in rivers, dams, lakes and streams unlike those living in Durban where there are beaches with protected swimming areas. Recently, while our swimming pools were closed, three lives were lost through drownings. We have seven public swimming pools that are managed by the Msunduzi Municipality. These were once in pristine condition. In addition to the pools being closed for prolonged periods, the city is also poorly managed. The street lights don't work, the roads have potholes, and at some busy intersections the robots don’t work. I suppose the closure of swimming facilities had to be on this list of service delivery failures. Ratepayers are really…

IT IS upsetting to read in the mass media and see visual clips of young Muslim female students being victimised, locked outside college gates and excluded from classes in Karnataka, India, for wearing a cloak and a headscarf commonly known as hijab. India is a country that advocates diversity, inclusiveness, pluralism, rights such as religious freedom and supports female education, thus to dehumanise Muslim women in such a manner must be condemned and stopped. It is against the constitution of India, which promises equality for all. In numerous speeches, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reaffirmed his commitment to developing India into a prosperous, peaceful and free country for its various customs, languages, religious and indigenous groups. In spite of Modi’s promises, it is clear the Bharatiya Janata Party, under his…

I WISH to highlight some of lies and half-truths concerning the hijab conspiracy in Karnataka. There is no hijab ban in India. There is one in government schools in the state of Karnataka where all students have been observing the prescribed uniform dress code since 2004 when it came into force until December 31, 2021, when a few Muslim girls turned up wearing hijab, instigated by an extremist organisation. The school authorities reminded the six or so girls that there was a prohibition on the wearing of overt religious symbols or clothes in educational institutions. The girls insisted on wearing the hijab. This resulted in Hindu students coming to school in their religious garb, especially the saffron shawls. It is worth noting that there is no reference to hijab wearing…

Nadia Khan nadia.khan@inl.co.za RAYEN Siveshan Chetty, who was previously convicted for murder and attempted murder, intends on starting his life afresh. The 27-year-old of Mobeni Heights was recently acquitted of all charges in the Durban High Court. His conviction and 15-year sentence were set aside. In September 2020, Chetty, who worked in the shipping industry, was found guilty and sentenced for the murder of Salma Sheik, 43, and the attempted murder of her husband, Afzal Sheik, 48. The court at the time had found Chetty guilty of knocking into his then girlfriend's parents following a dispute at their home in Woodhurst, Chatsworth, in August 2017. Following his sentencing, Chetty, via his legal counsel, handed over a petition to the Durban High Court to appeal his conviction. In December 2020, he…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za SINCE retiring from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in August last year, Reservoir Hills resident Kishor Singh (61) has been on a mission to promote tennis. Through the Tennis for Change project, Singh holds training sessions at the Jeevan Kara Tennis Centre in Reservoir Hills from Monday to Friday. The sessions are held every afternoon apart from Wednesday’s session which is for women and takes place in the mornings. Singh is assisted by Keenan Pillay and Sagren Moodley, who he says go the extra mile to ensure that the project is a success. The ladies sessions are open to all ages with the current age range of participants being 22-71 years. A school project, which was recently launched, has been well received with more than…

You have heard the saying that all that glitters is not gold. Dalip Rajcomar is a second-generation jeweller and the owner of Golden Jewellers. They manufacture 9 carat, 18ct and 22ct gold and diamond designer jewellery and brand watches. Rajcomar said that over recent years, a number of factors had contributed to how people bought jewellery. Cost of living “We have found that affordability became questionable. This was even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Since the pandemic, we have seen increases in unemployment and cuts in salaries, and people can barely survive, particularly the working and middle class. We have also found that those in the upper earning brackets have become selective in how they spend. So post Covid-19, the jewellery industry was going downhill slightly, but this was the…

Deloshni Lingham LET’S chat about the dreaded homework problem. It’s only February and I am seeing more and more parents and children already feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and frustrated with the homework load. My heart goes out to the kids – it’s a lot of pressure for them and parents, too. I wanted to share some tips to hopefully help to make a difference in the day-to-day grind. I think most importantly we must remember that children won’t learn if they don’t think for themselves and make their own mistakes. Parents can make suggestions and help with directions but it’s a child’s job to do their homework and to learn. Here are some tips: Homework is part of the learning experience so it’s crucial that kids do their own homework.…

Ingredients: 4 corn on the cobs 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil 4 baby leeks, finely chopped 2 celery sticks, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock 570g (3 cups) Crossbow brown lentils salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste fresh parsley to serve Method: Slice the kernels off the corn cobs. Heat the oil in a pot over medium-heat and soften the leeks and celery. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Stir in the lentils and vegetable stock and simmer for 45 minutes until the lentils are tender. Add the corn kernels and remove the soup immediately from the heat. Stand to cool slightly. This ensures that the corn does not overcook and is still sweet and crunchy when you eat it.…

Suitable for vegetarians. Family and budget-friendly Kasi-style flavours in this warming and nutritious soup. Serves 4. Ingredients: 450g mixed red, green and yellow peppers 6 tomatoes 30ml (2 tbs) olive oil 2 onions, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves 2 chillies, sliced 2 carrots, grated 1 celery stick, finely chopped 400g (2 cups) cooked Crossbow red speckled beans 100g tomato purée pinch of sugar 250ml (1 cup) vegetable stock salt and pepper to taste First prepare the chakalaka: Heat the oven to grill and roast the peppers and tomatoes until blackened and blistered. This works well when cooked over hot coals as well. Immediately remove and set aside in a cling-wrapped bowl for 10 minutes. When cool, peel away the charred skins and discard along with the seeds and stems from…

Nadia Khan and Janine Moodley METRO police will be on alert this week after a TikTok dance challenge by some high school pupils turned dangerous. Several videos have gone viral on social media of pupils participating in a new craze – the TikTok #SchoolbagChallenge. The challenge uses the amapiano song Umlando (which means history in English) by artists TOSS, 9umba and Mdoovar. Initially, the pupils swopped their school bags for other unconventional items, including cooler boxes, prams, trolleys and shopping bags. The challenge then turned to pupils dancing on school property during their lunch breaks. In the videos, some of the boys wore women’s clothing. But since Friday, pupils at some schools have taken the challenge to extreme levels on the streets of Chatsworth, Phoenix, Newlands West, Reservoir Hills,…

AFTER the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour in December 1941 and filled the US with a terrible rage, the commander of the attacking armada quipped: “I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled it with terrible resolve.” The retribution against Japan that followed is recorded in history books. Upon reading the front page of POST “Leave our hijab alone”, together with the editorial “The blood that runs through our veins is the same”, I lapsed into tears and depression. I think retribution will come for those evil men and women who are instigating Islamophobia in India. History will condemn with the harshest of sanctions. The courts in India better step up to the plate. After the judgment on the Babri Musjid issue, betrayal is foremost in their narrative.…

THE supreme court said it would protect the constitutional rights of every citizen and take up at an appropriate time the decisions of the high court. This means that the matter is being heard, and a decision will be made in due course. India is a sovereign nation and has an independent and respected judiciary. Without looking into the merits of the religious instructions to wear a neck scarf inside the classroom, the school allows learners to wear the scarf outside the classroom. At a practical level, it helps with imparting of knowledge through a god-given right of speech, hearing and eye contact. One does not become a lesser Muslim if the scarf is not worn at the time of instruction. India, being a secular country, places emphasis on education…

THE article “Leave our hijab alone” (POST, February 16-20) refers. Ela Gandhi, the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, should do her research before giving her views. The hijab issue in Karnataka is not about tolerance or intolerance, freedom of choice or anything she was talking about. It is about whether a school should impose a common dress code or uniform on all learners. Six learners, who feel the school has no right to forbid the wearing of hijab, have taken the matter to court. Justice Krishna Dixit said at the outset: “We will go by reason, by law, not by passion or emotions. We will go by what the constitution says.” According to the chief minister of Karnataka: “There is a rule in the constitution regarding uniformity in schools and colleges.…

Charlene Somduth charlene.somduth@inl.co.za THE IEC has postponed the ward 13 by-election in Umdoni, which was set to take place today. The decision was made after the DA filed urgent papers with the Electoral Court. The party claimed that around 235 additional voters were added to the voters roll during the registration weekend in January 2022. The ward comprises Hazelwood, Riverside Park, a portion of the CBD, and the NPA, Msholozi and Sanathan informal settlements. During the local government elections in November, the ward was won by Ravinand Samlall Maharaj. He was a DA councillor at the time. But shortly after winning the ward, Maharaj joined the ANC, prompting the by-election. Dean Macpherson, an MP and the KZN chairperson for the DA, said many, if not all, of the added voters…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za THE racially-transformed Springbok rugby team that won the World Cup in Japan in 2019 can trace its origins back to the brave work performed by one of the pioneers of non-racial sport in South Africa, Ebrahim Patel, pictured, who died this week at the age of 78 after suffering a stroke. Patel had covertly worked behind the scenes in South African rugby in the late 1980s to pave the way for the reunification in 1992 of the various rugby bodies in the country that had been split for over a century along apartheid lines. It was only fitting that along with Danie Craven, Patel was the joint president of the new rugby body that saw the re-introduction of the Springboks to the rugby world. In that same…

OWN Correspondent THE couta and tuna have been keeping the offshore anglers busy. The north has been the place to go but the local waters have held some giants. Vidal has come alive with fish and although most of the fish have been on the smaller side, the big fish are there. The shallower areas have held most of the smaller fish, so if the giants are what you are after and you don’t mind waiting it out, head to the deeper water. Bait of choice has been an open category up north with most dead baits and live baits getting bites. Try get your hands on some good mackerel and sardines just to be sure. The Durban waters have also seen good couta around the Bluff mainly but…

Ingredients: 900g lamb knuckles 30-45ml (2-3 tbs) lamb spice mix 30-45ml (2-3 tbs) canola or olive oil 2-3 large leeks, thinly sliced 100g dried apricots, optional 60ml (4 tbs) tomato paste 2 X 410g cans chopped tomatoes 30ml (2 tbs) chutney 1 bay leaf 500-750ml (2-3 cups) beef stock 285g (1½ cups) Crossbow brown lentils Method: Coat the lamb pieces in the spice rub, then allow to sit for 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high and sauté the lamb for 10 minutes until browned on all sides. Add the leeks and cook for 2 minutes, then the apricots (if using) and cook for another 2 minutes, followed by the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, chutney, bay leaf and 2 to 3 cups beef stock and the…

Charlene Somduth charlene.somduth@inl.co.za THE Equality Court has ordered a Chatsworth evangelist to apologise to the Hindu community for hate speech. Simeon Bradley Chetty appeared in court on Friday with Ram Maharaj, the president of the South African Hindu Dharma Sabha. In June 2020, Chetty posted a video on Facebook of him testifying about his conversion from Hinduism to Christianity at an open-air church service. Chetty said: “My father was a Telugu, my mother was a Tamil and while they were growing up they said, you know what? “They have no meaning. They worship idols. They worship other gods, but I am here to tell you that the name of Jesus is above every other name. “Let me ask you this question: Why would a Telugu man worship Jesus? Why would…

Janine Moodley janine.moodley@inl.co.za DEVLYN Naidoo, the executive for Sars and other government agencies at the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF), has won an International Customs Day award from the World Customs Organization. In the process, he has become the first and the youngest Indian South African from the private sector to win the award since 1953. Naidoo, who recently moved from Chatsworth in Durban to Edenvale in Johannesburg, said the certificate of merit was in recognition for rendering exceptional service to the international customs community. Customs is an authority in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and controlling the flow of goods in and out of a country. Naidoo said 183 countries sent their nominations for candidates, and Sars nominated him. The 31-year-old, who also serves as a…

Wendy Jasson Da Costa wendy.jdc@inl.co.za THE Karnataka government in India says it has not been proven that wearing a hijab is an essential religious requirement of Islam. In a matter before the High Court, the state’s legal representative argued those pushing for the rights of Muslim female students to wear the hijab in class wanted to compel all Muslim women to cover their heads, not just those petitioning for the right to do so. The matter went to court after protests erupted when female students refused to remove their head scarves as they had previously done before entering the classroom. While a final legal decision is pending, the High Court’s interim order has forbidden the use of hijab, saffron shawls (worn by some Hindu males) and religious flags in class.…

WITH over one billion users around the world and already about 9.5 million – mainly the youth – in South Africa, TikTok is fast becoming the preferred platform for creative expression. Nobody would deny that the youth need outlets to express their creativity, and TikTok, which allows users to make and share short videos, has proved to be the ideal medium. Like other social media apps, TikTok is a source of entertainment and creates communities of like-minded people. Users have spawned several challenges since the service was launched in 2017, many of them harmless and which helped people pass downtime during the long lockdown periods spent at home. Cooking and baking challenges became popular during this time, with home-baked bread a trending theme. However, like with all social media, TikTok…

WITH reference to the story “Leave our hijab alone”. Every student at every educational institution anywhere in the world should know that enrolment means respecting the rules of the institution. If the rules forbid the wearing of a hijab or any other religious symbol, then the rules should be respected. Educational institutions are not places to advertise religious affiliation. Those who know the wider implications of wearing the hijab are familiar with with the facts as evidenced in history. No other nation in the world has suffered such incredible humiliation as India has suffered through partition. And as intelligent students of world religions know, there is no decent explanation for such an expression. The wearing of the hijab in controversial situations can never be regarded as religious behaviour. There are…

THE recent controversy over the wearing of hijab in pre-university colleges in the South Indian state of Karnataka, and also reported in last week’s POST, “Leave our hijab alone”, warrants a sober assessment of the facts. It must be devoid of emotion, propaganda, bias, slant, misinformation, disinformation, and at times downright lies. India is a constitutional democracy premised on its ancient Hindu civilisational roots, which believes in unity in diversity. Based on the strength of this noble sentiment and its strong Hindu ethos, all other religions have also flourished in India. The Narendra Modi government believes and practices in all its programmes: equality for all and appeasement for none. This is certainly a breath of fresh air as previous governments practised appeasement politics in favour of certain communities at the…

Wendy Jasson Da Costa wendy.jdc@inl.co.za A DIGITAL savvy police force armed with the latest technology could have gone a long way to controlling the unrest last year, the South African Human Rights Commission heard this week. During its Gauteng round of hearings into the violence and mayhem in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last July, the commission heard that the police were not ready for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Major-General Tommy Mthombeni, who was acting Gauteng police commissioner at the time, said the use of drones could have played a role in assisting them in their response. With drones, the police would have been able to deploy the right number of officials to various hotspots, he said. Instead, 49 officers were sent to the Jabulani Mall, while there were about 3…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za THE Proteas have had many “honest conversations” over recent months. The last one was when their “Fortress Centurion” was vanquished by India with the visitors defeating the Proteas by 113 runs in the first Test last December. The stern chats, led by captain Dean Elgar, had the desired effect as the Proteas turned the series on its head by winning the next two matches at the Wanderers and Newlands to defeat the World’s No 1 Test side 2-1. It is these experiences that deputy Temba Bavuma will hope the Proteas can lean on after their latest blow-out that saw them register the second biggest defeat – an innings and 262 runs – in South African cricket history last week in the first Test against New Zealand in…