Table of contents for 2022-10-12 in Post

225g cake flour 150g corn flour 2tbs oil ½t salt 500ml water 60g ghee, melted Syrup 200ml water 250g sugar 1tsp rose water In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, cornflour, oil, salt and water. Mix until the batter is smooth and lump-free. Pass the batter through a sieve to ensure there are no lumps. Transfer the batter to a squeeze bottle. If the bottle’s opening is too large, secure the top with cling film and make an opening with a toothpick. Place a large frying pan on medium heat and using the squeeze bottle, pour the batter into the pan in a spiral pattern, working from the inside out. You will notice that the spirals begin to dance around, free themselves from the pan and curl up. When…

750ml fresh cream 180g ghee – clarified butter, melted 250g icing sugar 1tsp cardamom powder 1tsp rose water 750g Klim – full cream instant milk powder Pistachios and rose petals for sprinkling Weigh and sift all the ingredients and set up next to the stove. Place a heavy based pot on medium heat. Pour in the fresh cream and ghee. Add the icing sugar and mix well. There should be no lumps. Add the cardamom powder and rose water and mix until well combined. Add the Klim in 3 additions, mixing well after each addition. Once the mixture is smooth and lump free, decant into the rectangular dish. Add a sprinkling of pistachios and rose petals. Place the platter lid over the dish and allow to set in the…

MOST Muslims celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad on the 12th day of the third month of the Islamic calendar, Rabi’ al-awaal – which started on the evening of October 7 in 2022. Muslims view the celebration, Mawlid al-Nabi or the Mawlid, like many Islamic celebrations: as a sign of respect and adoration of Muhammad, believed to be God’s messenger. According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad was a righteous man born around AD 570, whom God designated as his final prophet. He learnt God’s message by heart and recited it. Later on, the verses were written down to preserve the text – what is now the Qur’an. Most countries with majority Muslim populations commemorate the prophet’s birthday each year. The most colourful celebrations are in Egypt, with Sufi dhikr poetry…

AN invitation to a 40th matric school reunion made me reminisce about growing up in the ‘80s. I matriculated in Phoenix in 1982. That time was about eating sugar cane fresh off the fields and not worrying about diabetes. Lamb chops cost around R6.99/kg compared to today’s price of R149 to R189/kg. Toothpaste was R1.19 for a standard tube compared to about R12.99 today. Real estate was a kill. A standard four-bedroomed house cost around R68 000 and a new Datsun 120 cost about R40 500. Technology at the time was a curiosity. Growing up in Phoenix was a memorable experience for us teenagers. Us boys seemed to centre around school, sport, dress, music and girls. For those of us who survived the rigours of academic pursuits, reaching matric was…

WITH reference to the column “Leicester’s unrest: origins may not be within community” (POST, October 5-9). I have friends from various religious groups and relatives who have lived for decades in both Birmingham and Leicester. I have first-hand reports of what transpired on September 17. The columnist from The Conversation, Chris Allen’s assertion that Hindu men walked in predominantly Muslim areas with masks, hoodies and balaclavas chanting “Jai Shree Ram”, which is synonymous with Hindu nationalist violence, is wrong. He said Hindus perpetrated the violence in Birmingham and Leicester. It was a huge Muslim mob that started the violence during the holy period Navaratri by attacking Hindu temples, pulling out holy flags, and then proceeding to burn them. Hindus obviously retaliated. Forty-eight Muslim youth were arrested and detained. No Hindus…

SANYUKTA Singh is a 20-year-old fashion enthusiast whose clothing brand, S The Label, is a celebration of contemporary ethnic wear. It amalgamates traditional Indian elements and modern/Western fashion. Singh, a final-year marketing and media student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, was listed on Forbes Africa’s 30 Under-30 list earlier this year. The magazine’s list acknowledges some of the region’s most successful entrepreneurs under the age of 30. POST asked Singh for Diwali fashion and styling tips: Q: What are the popular colours for Diwali? A: It’s definitely all things colourful, bright and printed. Floral prints have made a comeback in a variety of colours and hues such as deep pink, bright reds, navy, turquoise and teal. This Diwali is about making a statement with colour in a way that is…

750ml fresh cream 180g ghee – clarified butter, melted 500g chickpea (gram) flour 300g icing sugar 1tsp cardamom powder 1tsp ground almonds 250g Klim – full cream instant milk wild blossoms for sprinkling Weigh and sift all the ingredients and set up right next to the stove. Place a heavy based pot on medium heat. Pour in the fresh cream and ghee. Add the chickpea flour, in 2 additions, mixing well after each addition. Allow the chickpea flour to cook for 15 minutes. The mixture will be golden in colour and smooth in texture. Add the icing sugar and mix well. There should be no lumps in the mixture. Add the cardamom powder and ground almonds and mix until well combined. Allow to cook for 10 minutes. The consistency…

350g Gram (chickpea) flour, sifted 1tsp ground cardamon 2tbs melted ghee (clarified butter) A few drops of orange food colouring 200ml cold water ½tsp bicarbonate of soda oil for frying Sugar syrup 250ml water 450g sugar 1tsp rose water In a large mixing bowl, combine the gram flour, ground cardamom, ghee and food colouring. Add in half of the water and mix until well combined. Add the remaining water and additional food colouring if necessary. Mix until the batter is smooth and lump-free. Set the batter aside while you prepare the syrup. Combine the sugar, water and rose water in a large non-stick pan and bring to a boil. Once the syrup starts to thicken, remove from heat. Use while still warm. Place a non-stick pan on medium heat and…

“WE HAVE lost a stalwart in the community,” said Mohammed Amod, the owner of Solmed Pharmacy. Amod’s grandfather, Adam Essa, 86, died on Sunday afternoon after a head-on collision involving three vehicles in Peter Mokaba (Ridge) Road in Durban. He owned the building that housed Solly’s Supermarket and Hardware and Solmed Pharmacy, which he also owned, in Randles Road in Overport. One of Essa’s sons, Abdul Gany Essa, the former owner of Solmed Pharmacy, was in a stable condition in hospital at the time of publication. He was with his father in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Amod said he could not discuss what happened but said the family was still coming to terms with their loss. “Everyone is still quite shocked by this tragedy, and they…

MORE stolen cooking oil has been recovered following a robbery at the Willowton Group’s offsite warehouses in Kempton Park in Joburg. The group – that produces Sunfoil Sunflower cooking oil – said another suspect linked to the robbery was arrested on Monday. Armed men stormed the warehouse last Wednesday and held the employees at gunpoint. They then loaded three trucks, which were allegedly stolen, with R1.5 million worth of 2-litre cooking oil and fled. After opening a case with SAPS, a notice was shared by the Willowton Group on social media platforms. It offered a reward of R100 000 for any information that would lead to the successful apprehension of the perpetrators and/or recovery of the stolen goods. Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo, spokesperson for the Gauteng police, said officers from Gauteng…

It was about three and a half years ago, in May 2019, when Cyril Ramaphosa became president of our country. During his inaugural address at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria he said: In recent times, our people have watched as some of those in whom they had invested their trust have surrendered to the temptation of power and riches. They have seen some of the very institutions of our democracy eroded and resources squandered. The challenges that we face are real. But they are not insurmountable. They can be solved. And we are going to solve them. It was clear that Ramaphosa was referring to former president Jacob Zuma when he spoke of those who had surrendered to the temptation of power and riches. Ramaphosa promised us the dawn of a…

THE opinion piece by Chris Allen “Leicester’s unrest: origins may not be within community” (POST, October 5-9) refers. While he expresses his opinion in a largely objective manner from the perspective of a British citizen, in certain instances he writes about Hindutva in a way which reflects a limited and superficial understanding of this concept and ideology on his part. Hindutva is a combination of two words, “Hindu” and the Sanskrit word “tattva” (“thatness” or “essence”). Based on this, Hindutva is popularly translated as “Hindu-ness” and many Hindus simply think of Hindutva as the idea and practice of living a life according to Hindu teachings or a descriptor of being Hindu. Others see it as a “far-right wing ideology” and an imminent global threat to freedom, equality, and democracy. Allen…

THERE is a burgeoning international call by liberals, leftists and hate-ridden religious fundamentalists to attack Hindus for supporting the Bharatha Janata Party (BJP), and their ideology of Hindutva in India as well as globally. It has become fashionable too, to falsely equate Hindutva and its followers with Germany’s Nazism and Italy’s fascism of the mid-20th century. Underlying these campaigns is the belief that when accusations are spoken about with regular frequency and the louder the calls by its advocates, the more likely will be the inclination to believe this propaganda against Hindus, Hinduism and Hindutva. The latter is nothing more than an ideology that emanates from Sanathana Dharma, and remains committed to the benevolent belief that “God is one but the wise see and experience it through varying names and…

South Africa 99 India 105/3; India won by 7 wickets South Africa has no right to go into next year’s World Cup qualifying tournament believing that they will simply be able to turn up and emerge with one of the two spots that would see them earn a berth at the 2023 50-over showpiece in India. Not with the way the Proteas have batted lately, with another embarrassing effort coming at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, where they were bowled out in just 27.1 overs. It was South Africa’s second lowest ODI total, and all but confirms that they won’t finish in the top 8 of the ICC Super League, and will thus miss out on an automatic qualifying spot for the 2023 World Cup. South…

250g semolina 100g desiccated coconut 50g sesame seeds 1tsp ground cardamom 75g unsalted butter, melted ½ tin condensed milk 3tbs milk softened butter, for rolling coloured coconut and crushed pistachios for coating coloured slivered almonds for topping Place a non-stick frying pan on medium to low heat. Add the semolina, coconut and sesame seeds. Mix well and fry for a few minutes. Once the coconut begins to brown, add the cardamom and melted butter. Mix until well combined and there are no visible dry bits. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the condensed milk. Mix until well combined. Pour in the milk, a tablespoon at a time and mix well after each addition. The milk acts as a binding agent and you will…

THE Gauteng Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) are searching for Swereen Govender. She allegedly swindled investors out of about R18 million in 2021 and is believed to be somewhere in KwaZulu-Natal. Captain Lloyd Ramovha, spokesperson for the Hawks, said it was alleged that in March 2021, Govender pretended to be a director of Aurum Line Pty (Ltd), a supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE). The company exists but Govender has no ties with it. “It is reported that through the use of this company, she lured and misled potential investors to invest in her venture. She promised high monthly returns on investments made, which never materialised. It is alleged that she swindled investors of R18m. The victims grew tired of empty promises as she did not keep her end…

RATEPAYERS are outraged after learning that government officials do not pay for water or electricity at their official ministerial residences at Bryntirion Estate in Pretoria. This despite earning an average of R200 000 per month. Moses Mishi, spokesperson for the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), said this was stipulated in the Ministerial Handbook, which contained guidelines for members of the executive. “The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is bound by government regulations to accommodate members of the executive. The DPSA sets out the provisions in the handbook. “The DPWI is responsible for the costs associated with the provision of water and electricity to any state-owned residence. These provisions are part of the package that comes with being a member of the executive as they are living…

AMICHAND Rajbansi was a colourful yet controversial politician. He made his mark in politics as a serial floor crosser. Now we have another Indian politician who follows in the footsteps of the infamous Raj. Visvin Reddy, leader of the one-member party African Democratic Change (ADeC), has been on an image-boosting campaign, writing several letters to the press criticising the ANC leadership. In one letter to POST, he prophesied the ANC would lose votes over the energy crisis. But just last year in the municipal elections he sold his vote to the ANC when he joined 16 other smaller parties and gave Durban on a plate to the embattled ANC. He had a golden opportunity to show his leadership qualities and galvanise the smaller parties to join and throw out the…

SOUTH Africa’s Kumba Iron Ore’s production and exports will be hampered by a strike at state-owned logistics company Transnet, the mining company said this week. Transnet, which operates South Africa’s freight rail network and all of the country’s ports, declared force majeure at its ports last Thursday after some workers began a strike over wages. “As a result of the disruption to Transnet’s rail and port services, the estimated impact on production is approximately 50 000 tons a day for the first seven days and thereafter about 90 000 tons a day. “Export sales will be impacted by about 120 000 tons a day,” Kumba said in a statement. Kumba, which exports the bulk of its iron ore to China, Europe, Japan and South Korea, expects to produce and export…

There are finally some decent inedibles for those looking for a fight as well as plenty of fish of the edible variety. The North Coast has seen most of the inedible action with the areas around Richards Bay seeing the most activity. There have been some big diamonds and a good number of sharks hooked along the far north. All these fish can be targeted using an FMJ trace and a 9/0-10/0 circle hook. Big fleshy baits with a lot of smell is the way to go. In the Durban area, Blue Lagoon in particular has fished very well with good numbers of grunter and shad being caught. The artificial anglers have had good success on paddle tails for the smaller kob in the mouth region. The garrick have been…