Table of contents for 2023-05-03 in Post

4 extra large eggs 300ml castor sugar 500ml flour 15ml baking powder 250ml warm milk 80ml oil 5ml vanilla essence FILLING: 125ml raspberry jam 250ml cream, sweetened and whipped icing sugar for sifting raspberries for decorating Beat the eggs and castor sugar until very thick, pale and doubled in volume. Sift the flour and baking powder. Combine the milk, oil and vanilla essence. Add to the egg mixture alternately with the sifted dry ingredients. Divide the mixture between two base-lined and greased 20cm cake tins. Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Remove and cool in the tins for 5 minutes and then turn out on to a rack. FILLING: Spread the one half of the cake with raspberry jam,…

BASE: 200g digestive biscuits 100g butter, melted Combine the biscuits with the butter and mix well. Press into the base of a 22cm spring-form cake tin and place in the freezer to chill. FILLING: 3 x 250g thick cream cheese 180ml castor sugar 10ml vanilla essence 60ml Irish cream liqueur 250g sour cream 4 eggs 80ml-100ml raspberry or smooth strawberry jam 10ml warm water 15ml icing sugar Beat the cream cheese and castor sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla and liqueur. Add half the sour cream and mix until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well blended. Pour the mixture on to the chilled base. Add the water to the jam to thin it slightly. Swirl about 45ml through the cheesecake mixture. Wrap…

500ml cake flour 15ml baking powder 80ml cocoa powder 125ml castor sugar 100g butter 50g skinned hazelnuts, lightly toasted and chopped 150ml buttermilk 1 egg milk for mixing Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa and castor sugar into a bowl. Rub the butter into the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the nuts. Combine the buttermilk and egg, and add to the dry ingredients with a little milk if necessary. Mix to form a dough that is soft but not sticky. Knead lightly until smooth. Roll out the dough to 2.5cm thickness and cut out with a scone cutter. Place the scones on to a greased baking tray and brush the top with a little milk. Bake at 200°C for 10-12 minutes. Remove and cool. Top with cream and…

Ash Ramraj is grateful to be home in Durban. The Morningside resident had a harrowing experience as he and other South Africans fled war-torn Sudan. Ramraj is a business development manager for a car company in Sudan and arrived in the country on March 11. About a month later, fighting broke out between two military factions battling for control of the North African country. As the fighting raged on and escalated, Ramraj feared for his safety. “It was scary and nerve-racking. From inside my home, I could hear the explosions as well as the fighters outside. “I was lucky to have friends, other expats and colleagues living in my building. It made it somewhat easy for us to communicate, especially when it came to giving each other safety tips. “We…

The SAPS K9 Search and Rescue team that rescued a 90-year-old victim and recovered more than 200 bodies following the earthquake in Türkiye, have been recognised for their bravery and sacrifice. Brigadier Vimla Moodley accepted a Medal of Supreme Sacrifice from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on April 25, on behalf of her team. Moodley, 51, had been tasked with leading the SAPS K9 team which included five sniffer dogs and their handlers. They were one of the first few rescue teams to arrive in Türkiye, and successfully assisted in the rescue of the 90-year-old woman who had been trapped under the rubble for nine days. Moodley said it took an hour to get to the victim. “It was on February 13. We were…

The Seeing Auschwitz exhibition opened in Durban last month. It invites visitors to reflect on the horrors of the Holocaust committed at Auschwitz. This complex of more than 40 concentration and extermination camps were established by the Nazis near the German-occupied town of Oswiecim in occupied Poland during World War II. The Seeing Auschwitz exhibition was conceived and created by Musealia Touring Exhibitions, together with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, in collaboration with the UN and Unesco. The exhibition is presented by the Durban Holocaust and Genocide Centre in KE Masinga Road. Seeing Auschwitz was originally developed for observance of the UN’s International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, and was exhibited at the UN’s headquarters in New York, Unesco’s main premises in Paris, and UN…

OVER the long weekend a number of incidents of vehicles plunging into sinkholes on roads in Overport and Umbilo trended on social media. In Overport alone, at least four cars had to be towed away after getting stuck in a hole on Peter Mokaba (Ridge) Road. Another incident occurred in Umbilo Road on Saturday, when a vehicle fell into a large hole in the early hours of the morning. The hole had no hazard or warning marks or signs around it at the time of the incident. Imtiaz Syed, a PR councillor and chairperson of eThekwini Secure, said there were no barricades around the two large holes in Peter Mokaba Road when a Mercedes-Benz and a Mini Cooper plunged in on Sunday night. Syed, along with members of eThekwini Secure,…

Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland's astonishing scoring feats for Manchester City have been a "surprise", with the Norwegian on the cusp of breaking the Premier League's single-season goal record. The 22-year-old netted his 34th goal of the league campaign in Sunday's 2-1 win at Fulham, drawing him level with joint Premier League single-season record holders Andy Cole and Alan Shearer. Haaland's strike at Craven Cottage was his 50th goal of the season - he holds the all-competitions record by a Premier League player since the top flight was rebranded in 1992. With a potential 10 games remaining for treble-chasing City this term, Haaland could even pass Dixie Dean's all-time English record of 63 goals set in the 1927/28 season. The Everton player's mark of 60 top-flight strikes during that campaign…

DOMINIC Calvert-Lewin could be a real weapon in Everton’s desperate battle to avoid Premier League relegation, manager Sean Dyche said after the striker returned to the scoresheet in a chaotic 2-2 draw at Leicester City on Monday. The injury-plagued Calvert-Lewin’s penalty to put his side in front – his first goal since October – and gave Everton a cutting edge they have sorely missed. He also wasted a glorious chance before half-time, but Dyche was delighted to have him back in the groove, even if the draw did little to alleviate Everton’s relegation fears. “Dom missed one, but looked sharper and quicker and will be a real weapon for us. His true fitness is coming back; he looks strong and alert,” Dyche, who replaced sacked Frank Lampard at the end…

500ml flour 25ml sugar 15ml baking powder 80g butter, cubed 1 egg 125ml-150ml buttermilk beaten egg for glazing Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder into a bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Combine the egg and buttermilk, and add enough to the flour to make a dough that is soft but not sticky. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly with your fingertips to make the dough smooth. Pat or lightly roll out the dough to 2.5cm thickness. Cut out with a scone cutter and place on a greased baking tray. Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake at 200ºC for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Once cool, serve with jam and cream. Makes 12.…

150g butter 250ml castor sugar 3 eggs 5ml vanilla extract 500ml flour 7ml baking powder 3ml bicarbonate of soda 200ml plain yoghurt 1-2 nectarines, finely chopped 100g raspberries pink and white butter icing extra sliced peaches and raspberries for decoration Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla essence. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the yoghurt. Fold in the nectarines and the raspberries. Spoon the mixture into paper-lined muffin pans and bake at 180°C for 20-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Remove and cool. BUTTER ICING: 125g butter 625ml icing sugar, sifted 5ml vanilla essence…

125g butter 250ml castor sugar 3 eggs beaten 5ml vanilla essence 375ml self-raising flour 125ml ground almonds 200ml buttermilk 80ml fresh granadilla pulp Cream the butter and castor sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla essence. Combine the flour and ground almonds and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in the granadilla pulp. Spoon the mixture into paper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 180ºC for 20-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Remove and cool on a rack. Top with meringue topping. MERINGUE TOPPING: 180ml castor sugar 80ml water 15ml liquid glucose 3 egg whites 5ml vanilla extract Combine the castor sugar, water and liquid glucose in…

ARUN Gandhi, the grandson of the late Mahatma Gandhi, died in the early hours of Tuesday in Kolhapur, India. The journalist, author and peace activist was 89. According to a Facebook post by his niece, Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie, Arun Gandhi was born on April 14, 1934, at Phoenix Settlement, Durban – the farm founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1904. He was the second child of Manilal and Sushila Gandhi, and brother of Sita and Ela Gandhi. In 1956, he left South Africa to take his father’s ashes to India. He was not allowed to return home because he had married an Indian citizen and under the laws of the time, he was not allowed to bring his wife and children to South Africa. He worked as a journalist for the Times…

During the month of April, tertiary institutions in South Africa have been conferring degrees on young graduates. Thousands of young, educated and skilled adults are now job seekers in a country that is presently characterised by a declining economy, deepening inequality, and brain drain. Research has indicated that the formal sector which currently employs approximately 10 million South Africans does not have the capacity to employ young graduates. Youth unemployment is at the highest it has ever been, and many young graduates have no choice but to join the informal sector to earn a livelihood. The South African Quarterly Labour Survey reported an unemployment rate of 64% of South Africans between the ages of 15 to 24 years. South Africans have also been encouraged to become self-starters, entrepreneurs, and innovative…

South Africa’s 2024 national and provincial elections are regarded as a realistic opportunity for coalition governments to be formed in some provinces and also at the national level. This would mark a dramatic change from the present situation in which coalition governments have only been formed at local level. Electoral trends since 2016 underscore these expectations. The ANC lost its majorities in metropolitan councils in Gauteng and Nelson Mandela Bay. Its majorities in the national and provincial legislatures also declined. But support for opposition parties did not escalate at the same time. Voter turnout continued its declining trend. In the coalition debate, an important permutation is about who would constitute the coalitions. One option that’s been talked about with increasing intensity is a coalition between the ANC and the…

RESIDENTS in the DA-led uMngeni Municipality have lamented the ANC’s proposed move to merge it with the Mpofana and Impendle municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. The ANC is trying to do this through the municipal demarcation board, an independent body that determines the boundaries of municipalities in South Africa. The latter two municipalities are governed by the ANC and are neighbours to the uMngeni Municipality, which has 120 000 residents, making it a small municipality. Should all three municipalities be merged into one, it would mean the ANC would be in charge of a bigger municipality in the region. Last week POST visited the area and spoke to residents in Howick. Minenhle Zuma, 20, of Sphumelele township, said there had been a noticeable change since the DA took over the uMgeni Municipality.…

Durban Funworld officially closed its doors this week after 75 years of creating memories. While some local residents say they will miss the iconic beachfront amusement park, others believe it is time for a change. Selvan Pillay, of Phoenix, said he had been going to the park since he was a child, but it was the right decision to close the establishment. “Some of my favourite childhood memories are from Durban Funworld. My family and I knew the place as Newtons, and we would go during school holidays. I loved going on the cable car, which gave us an aerial view of the entire park. “As much as it’s sad to see it close, the reality is it needs new, modern infrastructure. Possibly a new theme park on par…

RED BULL Sergio Perez 1, Max Verstappen 2 Saturday Sprint winner Perez won from third on the grid, taking the lead when Verstappen pitted on lap 11, just before the safety car was deployed. It was his second win of the season, sixth of his career, and left him six points behind Verstappen, who has also won twice. Perez is the first to win twice in Baku and five of his wins have been on street circuits. Verstappen led from lap four, but was third after his pitstop. He passed Leclerc again at the safety car restart on lap 14. Red Bull remain unbeaten this season. The podium was Verstappen’s 81st, one more than Ayrton Senna. ASTON MARTIN Fernando Alonso 4, Lance Stroll 7 Alonso’s run of successive third-place finishes…

Europe’s top football nations face a broadcast blackout for this year’s Women’s World Cup unless media can improve on their “disappointing” offers for the rights, Fifa President Gianni Infantino said. Offers from “Big 5” European countries were not acceptable to football’s world governing body and a “slap in the face” of the players and “all women worldwide”, Infantino said. The Big 5 nations are Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. “It is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the Fifa Women’s World Cup,” Infantino said at a World Trade Organization meeting in Geneva. “Therefore, should the offers continue not to be fair, we will be forced not to broadcast the Fifa Women’s World Cup into the Big 5 European countries.” The World Cup, being co-hosted by Australia and…

Shortly after professional runner Erika Kemp finished the Boston Marathon on April 17, she opened her Instagram account to dozens of direct messages – many from black women. They thanked her for serving as an inspiration and congratulated her for making history. The women, like Kemp, understood what she had just accomplished. By finishing her debut marathon in 2 hours 33 minutes and 57 seconds, Kemp, 28, now tops an exclusive list of black American female marathoners to break the three-hour barrier. Surprisingly, she is only the 30th black woman born or raised in the US to make the list, which is compiled by Gary Corbitt, a historian for the National Black Marathoners Association. The stories of the runners, and the fact that relatively few black American women have broken…

160g butter 250ml castor sugar 1 egg 5ml vanilla extract 430ml flour 60ml cocoa powder 15ml red food colouring 3ml vinegar Cream the butter and castor sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat well. Sift the flour and cocoa powder and add to the creamed mixture. Combine the food colouring and vinegar and add. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to 5mm thick and cut out into desired shapes. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake at 180ºC for 10-15 minutes until firm to the touch. Cool on the tray. FILLING: 125g butter…

MAHENDRA “Guyjie” Naidoo of Mere- bank in Durban has been selected to participate in the South African Blackball Pool Championships. It takes place at Gold Reef City in Johannesburg from May 8 to June 7. Naidoo, 45, works as a telephonic client training and technical support consultant at LexisNexis South Africa. He matriculated from Ganges Secondary School in Merebank in 1996. He lives with his aunt in Merebank. Naidoo has a human resources management qualification from the Durban University of Technology, which he received in 2008. He also received a qualification from iStudent Academy in 2018 for IT technical support and an electronics, appliances, TV and VCR servicing qualification from the Omnitec Institute in 1997. Naidoo, who is the captain of the Renaissance Sports Club, said his love for…

The morning sun drenches Durban with warmth on Freedom Day as I begin working on this column. Twenty-nine years after the advent of democracy, I ask somebody who knows everything: “What is the future of Indians in South Africa?” Hardly taking time to ponder, this is the immediate response I got: “Indian South Africans are a diverse and vibrant community with a rich culture and history. “Despite facing discrimination and challenges in the past, Indian South Africans have made significant contributions to the country’s economy, politics and culture. “Many have achieved success in business, academia and the arts and continue to play a key role in South Africa’s development. “However, like many minority communities, Indian South Africans continue to face some challenges, including issues related to education, employment and representation…

The ELECTORAL Amendment Bill of 2022, which is supposed to make it easier for independent candidates to stand in provincial and national elections, was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa recently. But Narendh Ganesh, a community activist who has lobbied for electoral reform, does not believe the bill does this. Previously, those who wanted to serve in the national or provincial legislatures had to contest elections through a political party. The Electoral Amendment Act 1 of 2023 changes this to allow people to contest elections without being affiliated to a party. It also requires that the minister of home affairs establish an Electoral Reform Consultation Panel that would make recommendations on additional reforms after next year’s elections. In a statement, Ramaphosa said: “The Electoral Amendment Bill marks a significant…

Jurgen Klopp said his aggressive confrontation with match officials after Liverpool’s dramatic late winner against Tottenham was down to “emotion” and “anger in that moment”. The Football Association is investigating comments by the Reds boss that appeared to call into question the integrity of referee Paul Tierney after Sunday’s 4-3 victory at Anfield. After Diogo Jota’s late winner, Klopp ran down the touchline to celebrate in front of fourth official John Brooks, and received a yellow card from Tierney. “The whole situation shouldn’t have happened at all,” Klopp said at a press conference yesterday. “It was out of emotion, out of anger in that moment. That’s why I celebrated the way I celebrated. I didn’t say anything wrong. I couldn’t get close to the fourth official, and I didn’t want…

Former Australian cricketers Ian Healy and Michael Clarke have slammed the possibility of England bringing in shorter boundaries for the highly-anticipated five-match Ashes series, starting from June 16 in Edgbaston. A report in The Times said England, who have achieved tremendous success in Test cricket in the last 12 months since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have taken over, are discussing the plan to have short boundaries in the Ashes to maximise the impact of their ultra-attacking strategy with the bat and cause a disruption of Australia’s bowling plans. England’s cricket grounds are already smaller on average than their Australian counterparts. According to the ICC rules, boundaries must be at least 59 metres square and 64 metres straight for men’s Test matches. Speaking on SEN Radio, wicketkeeping great Healy feels…

Sergio Perez’s controlled win over teammate Max Verstappen in Baku the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the weekend was good news for Formula One fans. Red Bull nailed the downforce changes last year, ironically introduced to generate closer racing, but the outcome was in many ways the opposite with Verstappen sweeping to his second world championship. While the Austrian team are still streets ahead of their grid rivals, at last now there seems to be the prospect of a proper intra-team battle for the 2023 title. Perez followed up Saturday’s sprint win with what some consider the best of his six career successes. It pushed him to within six points of his teammate heading to Florida for next weekend’s race in Miami. As the Mexican left Baku he only had one…

WHEN the word giant is mentioned one thinks of the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale – Jack climbs the beanstalk into the clouds where he encounters a giant. Jack ultimately escapes from the giant by abseiling down the beanstalk and cutting it down which leads to the pursuing giant tumbling to his death. The WWE’s giant Omos will not die from a fall from Seventh Heaven, but his career appears to be tumbling after he failed to crack the lucrative sports entertainment company’s completed draft. The 2.2m, 183kg giant will operate as a free agent which will allow him to compete on SmackDown and Raw. This is a setback for the Nigerian-born Omos as his paydays are not secure. The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar, is also a free agent…

It’s quarter-Final week in the United Rugby Championship (URC), and despite the Stormers’ dominance over the Bulls, it is sure to be an exciting affair at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 3.30pm). These are the players will be going all out to impress Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber. Kurt-Lee Arendse v Damian Willemse Arendse has been a sensation for the Bulls and Boks. His electric pace can spark the attack and end in tries, while he is fearless in defence and under the high ball. Willemse is the ultimate player. Able to play in multiple positions across the backline, he is likely to feature at fullback instead of inside centre, where Dan du Plessis has been excellent for the Stormers. The key factor for Willemse will be to switch…