Table of contents for 2023-05-24 in Post

Fast and Furious 10 released on the big screen this past Friday, marking the latest development in the final chapters of one of cinema’s most popular global franchises. The Fast and Furious franchise has had fans hooked on its high-octane plots and action for more than two decades. Over the years, the series has grown from its early street racing plot, to heists and espionage. The central theme of fast cars, thrilling action and family have held. According to the film’s production notes, the plot thickens in Fast and Furious 10. “Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced. “A terrifying threat emerging from…

1 cup sago soaked in 1 cup water for 1 hour 1 litre milk 1 cup sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 100g butter 2 tsp vanilla essence 1 cinnamon stick ½ tsp elachi powder 2 tsp custard powder mixed with ¼ cup water 4 large eggs Pinch of salt Soak sago for 1 hour In pot place milk and butter. Once heated, add sago, cinnamon, elachi and sugar, and stir. Add custard powder mixed with water and vanilla essence. Mix until thick. Set aside and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Beat eggs and add to sago, stirring continuously. Add to buttered ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and butter pieces. Bake at180°C for 40 minutes. Allow to cool and pour jam over. Serve warm…

Four years ago, in March 2019, Venezuela, a country in South America, experienced what is believed to be the worst blackout in modern day history. The entire country was plunged into darkness for at least a week, some cities going up to two weeks without power. Some 30 million people were affected with a significant impact on daily life including access to essential services such as water, food, communication and transport. According to Reuters, the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, blamed sabotage by the US and its opposition, saying it was an attack on its electrical system. Ricardo Vaz, a local resident and editor at Venezuelanalysis, an online news outlet, said he experienced the blackout first hand and told POST that the country had come to a virtual standstill. “The blackout…

The Isipingo Local Football Association (LFA) will kick off its season with the inaugural David’s Cup knock-out tournament. The event strives to bring the fragmented football community under one umbrella body, under the South African Football Association (Safa). Prian David, the chairperson of the competition commission for the Isipingo LFA, and the son of the late local football legend, Shun David, said: “My family started the idea of non-racial sport in the community and my dad, Shun and uncle, Logan David promoted and administered football, cricket, darts and netball. Isipingo was a thriving hub of non-racial soccer from 1918 when an association was formed with four teams. This grew to over 60 affiliates by the ’80s”. In 1992, with the advent of unificition and merging of sports bodies, the Isipingo…

There is a scene in the pilot episode of HBO’s American black comedy-drama series Succession where Kendall Roy locks himself in the bathroom, no longer able to hold in his rage and resentment towards his father. Billionaire media mogul Logan Roy is portrayed as a narcissistic, emotionally abusive, power- hungry father who has inflicted a lifetime of neglect and abuse on his children. After his mini-breakdown, Kendall composes himself, returns to the dining room, and puts on a brave face with the rest of the family to celebrate his father’s birthday. There is an uncomfortable sense that family life is an artificial performance. Not too far from the surface are the pain, resentment and anger of decades of dysfunctional family life. Trauma specialist Caroline Spring wrote that the “happy family”…

WARD 73 is one of five municipal wards that will hold by-elections on Wednesday. The Chatsworth ward will be contested by Devaraj “Ronnie” Pillay of the ANC, Daniel Mea of the DA, and Ravanasithan Pillay of the EFF. It includes the areas of Croftdene, Arena Park and Montford. According to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the ward that was previously represented by Devaraj Pillay (DA), became vacant as a result of the councillor’s resignation. Pillay has since joined the ANC. The IEC also said the voter turnout for this ward in the 2021 Municipal Elections was 49.10%. The ward has become heavily contested, with the ANC and DA sending national delegates to campaign in the area. The ANC in the province sent in a team to look at infrastructure in…

eThekwini Municipality is not ready to go back to the full load shedding rotation on Thursday. This is when the Metro will join the rest of the country on the power interruption schedule after more than a year of being exempt from stages 1 to 3. Since the floods in April last year, the municipality has been spared in order to give officials an opportunity to repair damaged electrical infrastructure. While the municipality has accepted Eskom’s decision, it said last week that it was still repairing the damaged electrical infrastructure. Political parties have slammed the City’s poor planning, fearing disruption to power and water supplies because of the damaged infrastructure. Thabani Mthethwa, the DA eThekwini caucus leader, said: “The lack of planning and foresight from the ANC in KZN and…

The Andhra Maha Sabha of South Africa (AMSSA) will host their biggest International Raam Bhajana Festival since 2017 on Saturday at the Durban Exhibition Centre. The event happens every four years but has been held off for six years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Charmaine Chetty, the public relations officer for AMSSA, said, “Bhajana is in the bloodline of every Andhra Family, it’s like our heritage so to finally celebrate after a long time is really getting us excited. “This prayer needs a lot of energy to perform and when we see the young children performing, it pulls at the heartstrings with pride because we know this will be carried on for generations to come.” She said that the Raam Bhajans are a dedication to Lord Venkataswara, patron deity of…

Eddie Howe hailed Newcastle’s “incredible” players as they qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years after a 0-0 draw against relegation-haunted Leicester on Monday. Fifth-placed Liverpool’s draw with Aston Villa on Saturday meant Newcastle needed just one point from their last two games to be assured of a Champions League place. Howe’s third-placed side achieved their target at the first attempt at a jubilant St James’ Park. Howe and his players embarked on a lengthy lap of honour after the final whistle as they soaked up the acclaim from the Toon Army. “It’s a big relief actually, an amazing night. You always hope and you have to dream. But we didn’t feel we were ready for the top four,” Howe said. “After last season’s relegation…

Former India coach Ravi Shastri has revealed his combined Test XI, selecting players from the two ICC World Test Championship finalists, India and Australia. As the build-up to next month’s WTC final between India and Australia at The Oval intensifies, Shastri faced the unenviable task of naming his best combined XI. Shastri admitted he found the task difficult due to the sheer number of world-class players on both sides. But he stuck his neck out and settled on a final XI, with four India stars and seven from Australia making the cut. The 60-year old is a long-standing supporter of Rohit Sharma and said the India captain gets the nod as skipper over Australian counterpart Pat Cummins, and wins a spot as one of the two openers as a result.…

The 2023 Royal Show opens on Friday and will run until June 4. This year the event – considered the country’s premier agricultural show – coincides with the Royal Agricultural Society’s 172nd anniversary. It also marks the last year that the show will be held in its current form, and at its historical Old Howick Road Home in Pietermaritzburg. Terry Strachan, CEO of the Royal show, said the 2023 event looks set to be a grand and memorable occasion. “In terms of exhibitors, the Royal Show is 100% full and online ticket sales are proceeding well. This is sadly the last Royal Show in its current mixed entertainment form. “Going forward, the Royal Agricultural Society will continue to host (at its new address in Hilton) a number of events annually,…

3 tbsp oil 1 tbsp salted butter 2 onions chopped 2 tsp garlic and ginger paste 2 bay leaves 1kg to 1.5kg beef Salt to taste 2 tsp black pepper 1 tsp paprika 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp tomato paste (1 sachet) 4 chopped carrots 1 punnet button mushrooms 2 cups water Few stems rosemary and thyme Chopped parsley for garnish Put oil in pot. Add chopped onions, butter and bay leaves. Fry onions until partially brown. Add garlic and ginger paste. Add beef and braise for 15 minutes (lid off).Add salt, pepper and paprika. Braise for 30 minutes (lid on) adding very little (dash) water at a time when needed. This is a very important step as the braising process will determine the deep rich colour and flavour…

AN ENERGY expert has said that, although frustrating, eThekwini going back on to the full load shedding schedule is necessary, according to a guiding code of practice for the power outages. While an insurance expert said that total grid collapse is now more plausible than ever, he’s advised people to prepare strategies to tackle this. Monique le Roux, a senior researcher at the Council for Scientific Industrial Research, said according to the NRS 048-09, the national code of practice for load shedding, all customers should be treated similarly. “All customers should be considered for load shedding, and load shedding should be implemented such that there is equitable participation by all customers. “Given this fact, it is understandable that Eskom would want to return eThekwini to the normal load shedding schedule…

PHOENIX-born cousins Vibesh Padayachee and Kimera Naidoo, both 19, have entered the food delivery market with their new App called Hariba. It went live on May 4. The duo, who recently matriculated from Grove End Secondary School, decided to opt out of studying this year, and instead design an app. Naidoo studied Computer Applications Technology at school and gained an interest in programming. This helped with the development of the app. The cousins said the name Hariba was derived from Urdu, and means fast. Padayachee said he got the idea for the app after ordering food one night. “What sparked my interest was that when I ordered online from one of the existing popular App delivery services, I noticed quite a dramatic difference in price compared with just ordering in…

The rousing notes of the British national anthem God Save the King rang loudly in London’s Westminster Abbey when King Charles III was crowned – and in official and informal celebrations in many other places, although not always to an enthusiastic reception. The song is still sung in many Commonwealth countries. But its place and the oppressive imperial legacy trailing it are increasingly questioned. That debate can be extended beyond one song. What baggage does any music acquire when it shifts from being – in South African literature scholar Zoë Wicomb’s phrase – “national culture to official culture”? As a researcher into South African music, I’m often struck by how dominant the past is in my interviews about the present, particularly in relation to the current anthem. South Africa’s national…

South Africa has granted Turkey’s Karpowership access to the three ports of Ngqura, Durban and Saldanha Bay for 20 years, the transport ministry said, as it tries to find solutions to the country’s power crisis. Karpowership aims to generate power on its floating gas ships and distribute it through South Africa’s electricity grid. The plan received a boost from President Cyril Ramaphosa last week, after he told lawmakers the ships would help ease the prolonged power shortage countrywide. Karpowership has faced numerous challenges from environmental activists and small-scale fishermen since the South African government granted it the biggest share of a 2 000 megawatt emergency-power contract in 2021, to generate electricity. On Thursday, the transport ministry said it had granted the application which was approved by the minister on February…

Police have detained seven men over separate alleged racist incidents against the football player Vinicius Jr as Spain’s main soccer league urged changes to Spanish law that would enable it to take steps to curb racism in stadiums. A hate crime investigation was opened after an inflatable effigy dressed in the jersey of winger Vinicius was hung from a bridge in front of Real Madrid’s training ground, the player’s club. Alongside it was a 16 metre banner in the colours of rival team Atletico Madrid that read “Madrid hates Real”. Three men were arrested in Valencia for racist conduct in a match between Valencia and Real, police said on Twitter. Four men were also arrested in Madrid, police said, three of whom were members of “a radical group of fans…

Boeber is a traditional Cape Malay sweet and spicy milk drink made with vermicelli, sago and sugar, and flavoured with cardamom, stick cinnamon and rose water. In Durban it’s known as vermicelli but its consistency is slightly thicker – more of a pudding than a drinking consistency. Either way it’s basically the same with a few added extra ingredients of choice. 125g salted butter ¼ cup sago soaked in 200 ml water 250 ml (1 cup) vermicelli or lokshin 3 cinnamon sticks 3 cardamoms ½ to 1 tsp ground cardamom 2 litres milk (extra if too thick) 1 tin condensed milk or: Sugar to taste 100g almonds or pistachios (optional ) 5 ml ground cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla essence Rose water to taste (optional) Soak the sago in the water…

Opera singer Pretty Yende and Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor were not the only South African presence at the coronation of King Charles III. Also there were the stones cut from the Cullinan diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found. The Cullinan, named after Thomas Cullinan, the chairperson of the mining company that found it in South Africa, was mined in 1905 and bought by the Transvaal colony’s government for presentation to King Edward VII in 1907. It was cut into nine stones and another 97 fragments. The largest of these, Cullinan 1, known as the Star of Africa, was set at the top of the sceptre presented to Charles during the coronation ceremony. Cullinan 2 is set in the front of the crown he wore. Other stones are in…

A SOCIAL justice activist has called for minority parties to contest the 2024 elections under one banner. Sulieman Patel said this would be one way of crippling the governing ANC in a bid to save South Africa from further turmoil. Patel, who is also a Johannesburg-based management consultant in the information and communications technology industry, was a keynote speaker at a business forum hosted by the Minara Chamber of Commerce on Friday. The focused session was to facilitate options for addressing the current political climate for minority groups. Patel said the country faced a myriad grave issues. “The power cuts are forcing small businesses to shut down. It is crippling the economy and many livelihoods. In Durban, residents have an ocean they cannot swim in; infrastructure is collapsing due to…

The Consulate General of India, Durban organised a “G20 Beach Clean-up Drive” at the Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve last weekend. They partnered with eThekwini Municipality as a part of an initiative under India’s G20 presidency to make a co-ordinated effort to clean up beaches around the world. The objective is to address plastic pollution and other environmental concerns. Eric Apelgren, the head of International and Governance Relations at the eThekwini Municipality, opened the event. He said while residents of Durban were helping to clean the Beachwood Mangroves in the city, India and other G20 partners were simultaneously cleaning beaches in their respective countries. The event in Durban was attended by a number of diplomats, among them the Consul General of India, Dr Thelma John David, and her United States counterpart,…

Ilkay Gundogan has urged Manchester City to remain focused as the Premier League champions prepare for the climax to their treble bid. City were crowned English champions for the fifth time in six seasons on Saturday, when second-placed Arsenal lost at Nottingham Forest. Pep Guardiola’s side enjoyed their title party on Sunday with a 1-0 win against Chelsea before skipper Gundogan lifted the trophy. With their third successive title in the bag, City can focus on emulating the Manchester United team that won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in 1998-99. But before that, City must finish their league campaign with trips to Brighton and Brentford, on Wednesday and Sunday respectively. City, the winner of their past 12 league matches, are unbeaten in 24 games and German midfielder…

The first batch of Indian players, along with support staff, left for London on Tuesday for the World Test Championship final against Australia, set to be played from June 7-11 at The Oval. The London-bound Indian team is to leave in batches and the congregation of the full squad for the WTC final will happen only by May 30, after the final of the IPL 2023 on May 28. With their teams out of reckoning for the IPL play-offs, players like Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur are part of the first batch. Seniors Virat Kohli and R Ashwin, whose teams Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals are also out of the IPL, will be leaving later, most probably on May 24. Umesh Yadav, whose team Kolkata Knight Riders is also out…