Table of contents for 2021-09-08 in Post

Duff is a psychic medium, soul coach, spiritual mentor, healer and animal communicator. She has been connecting with spirit for over 20 years and runs her business, Quantum Soul, from Waterfall in KwaZulu-Natal. Listen to her on Lotus FM, live at 1.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as she connects with loved ones in spirit, and on GlowTV on Sundays after 8pm. Contact her at 072 986 5514 or email sharron@quantsoul.com sharron duff ARIES (March 21 – April 19) There are opportunities all around you, but you need to look for them. You may feel that you don’t have any luck, but you are urged to put yourself out there. Be ready for a challenge in your personal space. Lucky colour: yellow. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) This week…

AT LEAST one in three people employed in urban cities in India are saving between Rs 3 000 to Rs 5 000 (about R600 to R1 000) on average a month, by working from home. The money saved was spent on commuting, clothing and food, according to a survey from Awfis, India’s largest home-grown flexi workspace provider. While 74% of the respondents in the online survey said they were willing to work remotely, 80% said their jobs could be performed from a remote environment. The survey was conducted over June and July, and across seven metros. It analysed the inputs from 1 000 employees across diverse industries. While 47% of employees reported a lack of comfortable desks and chairs, 71% said they would be successful in working from…

Nikita Chiniah nikita.chiniah@inl.co.za SOUTH Africans who have studied medicine abroad have scored a victory. Last week, the Pretoria High Court ordered the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) and the Medical and Dental Professional Board (MDPB) to allow students to write the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), a practical examination. If they pass, they will be allowed to join the Department of Health’s internship programme, where they will work in local hospitals. Until now, the HPCSA and the MDPB made it difficult for foreign-trained graduates to write exams and practise in South Africa. Earlier this year, Dr Nabiela Ragooloo, 27, of Delmas in Mpumalanga, and 108 other foreign-trained health professionals belonging to the South African Internationally Trained Health Professionals Association (SAITHPA), took their plight to the North Gauteng High Court.…

Janine Moodley janine.moodley@inl.co.za A FORMER girlfriend of Dr Hoosen Haffejee admitted during the reopened inquest into his killing that she had sold him out. Matheevathinee Benjamin said she informed the Security Branch (SB) about Haffejee’s anti-apartheid activism because she wanted him to suffer for not taking their relationship seriously. Haffejee, a 26-year-old dentist, died in August 1977, about 20 hours after he was arrested. In her evidence in chief in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday, Benjamin said she was an informant for the SB and became known as a snitch. She said she met Haffejee in early 1977, while working as a nurse at King George Hospital. She said he held meetings with younger hospital staff whom he hoped to recruit as freedom fighters during apartheid. “I would…

Steven Friedman TO UNDERSTAND South Africa today, we need to recognise that people can focus endlessly on a country’s problems but still live in a state of denial. Hand-wringing about problems, which are said to spell the doom of South Africa’s negotiated democracy, is a well-established custom. It began only months after the first election in which all adults could vote in 1994. It has become louder over the past decade and dominates the national debate, which is the preserve of the minority who enjoy access to media. Right now, violence in KwaZulu-Natal, attacks on the judiciary by former president Jacob Zuma and his supporters, and an unemployment rate of 34.4% are the immediate causes of dismay. But, while the issues change, claims that the country is in deep trouble…

A BRAVE woman was recently laid to rest because of her honesty in uncovering corruption. Babita Deokaran spoke truth to power. She was a force for good and clean governance. Deokaran was silenced after she was shot. This incident not only shook the conscience of a beleaguered nation, but it jolted it into action. It challenged those in power to rectify an escalating situation that is challenging the rule of law. If the government does not protect whistle-blowers and their identities, assaults like these will become common. Our march against corruption stumbles on flawed law execution. The National Prosecuting Authority needs to extend every possible protection to whistle-blowers as theirs is an altruistic act. In an attempt to expose rampant corruption, Deokaran sadly paid the ultimate price. A recent plea…

WITH reference to the story, “We will kill you like we killed Haffejee: witness” (the POST, September 1-5). The article on the brutality and sadism of members of the South African Security Police in the 1970s in torturing ANC/SACP supporters, can only provoke feelings of disgust and abhorrence that such activities occurred at a time of which most of us were ignorant. The quest of the relatives of those murdered victims for justice and closure is perfectly understandable and deserving of support. However, in condemning the suffering to which those victims were subjected, communist opposition to apartheid needs to be seen in perspective. A question that arises is: how was it possible to align with an ideology whose crimes against humanity had resulted in the deaths of tens of millions…

THE African Democratic Change (ADeC) submitted its candidates for the local government elections within the time specified by the IEC. As part of the process, each candidate is required to submit a form indicating acceptance of nomination. To our shock, the IEC informed us that one of our candidates, Sabeena Chetty, was listed as a candidate for the DA in eThekwini. After investigating, we ascertained that Chetty’s name was submitted to the IEC by the DA without her consent. She has since informed the IEC of this breach and is laying charges with the police. The DA, in its haste to make deadlines and to seem a step ahead of the ANC, submitted the name of a candidate who did not give them the authority to do so. It is…

Government and community leaders will be participating in a virtual discussion on social cohesion organised by the1860 Indentured Labourers Foundation Verulam. The organisation is hosting the Heritage Month nation-building virtual discourse on September 15 from 6.45pm. Following the recent unrest, the event, titled Towards breaking barriers and reaching out – The case of fragmented communities in KwaZulu-Natal, is aimed at creating harmony between communities. For information, call 032 533 2697.…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za KESHAV Maharaj was last week selected as stand-in Proteas limited overs captain following an injury to Temba Bavuma. Bavuma suffered a freak thumb injury in the first One-Dayer in Colombo, Sri Lanka, last week when a throw from a Sri Lankan fielder struck him. He had to retire hurt while batting, and on 38 not out. A captain for the upcoming T20 series against Sri Lanka is expected to be announced soon. While Maharaj has only recently become a regular in the Proteas limited overs teams, captaincy is nothing new to him. Domestically, he has captained the Dolphins to success in limited overs cricket, and previously helped the KwaZulu-Natal cricket franchise to win the Cricket South Africa T20 Challenge and One-Day Cup. “Keshav has proved on the…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za SPRINGBOK prop Ox Nche says knowing that the Boks will be playing in front of a crowd when they face Australia in the away leg of their Rugby Championship campaign has made him nervous, but also really excited. Since rugby resumed following the hard Covid-19 lockdown last year, all domestic and international games in South Africa have been played in empty stadiums. In Australia, on the other hand, the All Blacks completed a Bledisloe Cup clean sweep in front of 52 724 fans, a near-capacity crowd, at Perth Stadium at the weekend. And even if the Boks versus Wallabies game doesn’t pull the same crowd in terms of numbers, it will still take some getting used to for the visitors. Nche, who started at loosehead in the…

ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate says he is open-minded about Fifa’s proposals to hold the World Cup every two years, though he thought the tournament may lose some of its appeal if it moves away from the current four-year cycle. Fifa’s congress voted to carry out a feasibility study on holding the men’s and women’s World Cups every two years, a proposal which has been met with opposition, most notably from European governing body Uefa. Southgate said he met with Arsene Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global development, to discuss the proposals. “As a traditionalist, it feels you could lose some of the allure of the World Cup because the scarcity of it makes it more important,” he said. “But I also get that if you are a player who has an…

ACTOR Kartik Aaryan’s thriller Dhamaka will drop directly on to the over-the-top platform, bypassing theatrical release. Aaryan confirmed the news to fans with an Instagram post. But the date of release is yet to be officially declared. The story revolves around Aaryan’s character, a news anchor, who gets caught up in a frustrating situation on learning about a mysterious bomb blast. Events that follow lead him to a point where he has to choose between his career and humanity. Director Ram Madhvani said: “I have been wanting to collaborate with Kartik Aaryan for some years now and I’m thrilled that he wanted to do Dhamaka. “Every day Kartik gave his all to the 360-degree system with which I work. His full involvement, his passion and his precise calibration as an…

Latoya Newman latoya.newman@inl.co.za LOCAL audiences have been responding positively to Bollywood films that have begun screening at cinemas again. In an interview with the POST, AB Moosa, the chief executive of the Avalon Group, said the response by audiences to the release of Bollywood films was becoming more positive each week. “This coupled with the vaccine roll-out has proved beneficial to the return of audiences to the cinema. “We remain optimistic that as the weeks and months unfold – with a better understanding of how to manage Covid and the vaccine roll-out – audience numbers will continue to grow,” said Moosa. Earlier this year in the wake of the Covid-19 spike globally and related theatre closures, a few Indian production houses opted for over-the-top releases. But Moosa said the industry…

Latoya Newman latoya.newman@inl.co.za CASSIM Khan, a KwaZulu-Natal property professional, has become the first South African franchisee to sign up with international flex workplace solutions brand, Regus. The move comes in the wake of a growing shift in the industry for hybrid business solutions. Many people have been working from home since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, so companies no longer need large operational spaces. Khan said that instead of reinvesting capital into moving shop, there was a growth in the rent-a-flex-space market. He has partnered with Regus to provide a flexible workplace solution at the Victoria Country Club Estate in Pietermaritzburg. He said: “Regus started 30 years ago when it was launched in Europe for people who preferred the flexibility of working from the office and out of a…

Janine Moodley janine.moodley@inl.co.za SEVERAL councillors in the eThekwini Municipality have claimed they were evicted from their offices after the city allegedly failed to extend their lease agreements. Some of the councillors said they were now forced to tend to residents’ concerns at roadsides or have had to lease an office at their own expense. Tino Pillay, the councillor for ward 49 in Phoenix, said he had to hand over the keys and vacate his office at a mall on August 31 after the lease agreement was not extended. “I have been working from that office for six years. Now, I do not have work premises to engage with residents.” Pillay said previously the city liaised with the landlords, but last year they said the landlords were not compliant. “They began…

IN THE years to come, our children will learn that Jacob Zuma, a South African president, went to jail. Why he went to jail, the drama leading up to his imprisonment, how long he spent in jail and the controversy surrounding his release will make for interesting reading. But what will be remembered is that nobody, not even a former head of state, was above the law. It was a victory for the rule of law. Let us remember this amid the noise that has been created following the decision by Correctional Services to release Zuma on medical parole. It happened two months into a 15-month sentence for being in contempt of court. Let us also remember that while Zuma went to jail because he broke the law, he did…

WITH reference to the story, “Boucher not looking blooming good after issuing generic response to racism allegations” (the POST, September 1-5). It pertained to allegations of racism directed at current Cricket South Africa (CSA) coach Mark Boucher and his attempt to explain the circumstances under which he made those comments. It is common knowledge that racism in the South African cricket team was, and perhaps still is, rife, and little or nothing has been done to deal with this scourge. Once again, we see CSA’s new leadership being spineless. Notwithstanding the revelations made against Boucher, it is disturbing to read that he is still in his position and went to Sri Lanka as the coach. It is even more disturbing that some past cricket administrators, like Ali Bacher, have come…

EVERY so often humanity is tempted to bend the arc of history, only so that the mistakes of the past are meant never to be repeated. On November 16, 1860, a ship carrying 342 indentured Indians arrived in South Africa, and this arrival marked the beginning of a long and arduous but tortuous and painful journey in the history of the Indian diaspora. There were more indentured labourers to follow soon. That haven, or paradise which was promised, was a pretence of allure upon which dreams were built on by a group of people who knew no better. Immured into bondage by their white masters, the indentured Indians were relegated to the cane fields in and around Durban. They were browbeaten into submission only for want of a better life.…

Charlene Somduth charlene.somduth@inl.co.za THE average cost of a food basket has increased in cities affected by the recent social unrest. The data by Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity group (PMBEJD) has shown a food basket in Durban increased by 3.9%, 3.2% in Pietermaritzburg, and 3.4% in Gauteng. Amy Moodley, 39, of Crossmoor, in Chatsworth, said she could no longer buy her monthly groceries in bulk. Moodley, who is single, lives with her parents, two unemployed siblings and two nephews. Her father was medically boarded. He has difficulty breathing and depends on an oxygen tank. “My dad worked for the eThekwini Municipality and he gets a portion of his wage every month. I used to work as a cashier at a sports bar but I lost my job in October during…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za FORMER Manning Rangers assistant coach Alan “Tagati” Chetty died this week after a battle with Covid-19. He was 59. As a player in the 1980s, Chetty played for Boys Town, the Young Rebels, Crossmoor Cosmos and Rangers. He also participated in the Garment League. When Rangers won the inaugural edition of the South African Premiership in 1996, Chetty served as the club’s head of development. A well-known personality in local football circles, he also served on the technical teams of Free State Stars, Carara Kicks, Golden Arrows and Fidentia Rangers. Chetty was roped in by new Manning Rangers chairman, Pastor Sanjay Balaram, to coach the reformed Rangers team which will play in the fourth tier of South African football this season. “I wanted to work with him because…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za Growing up in Johannesburg, Soke (Grand Master and ninth dan black belt) Solly Said embarked on a life-changing journey in 1973, at the age of 20, to study karate full-time in the US, training under Japanese karate master Nakamura. Said’s journey into the discipline began almost 60 years ago after he was introduced to it by the Central Islamic Youth Organisation (Ciyo) in 1965. The Ciyo was led by prominent personalities such as the late MS Laher, a philanthropist, and Islamic scholar Abdullah Deedat. One of its core aims was to keep youth involved in positive activities such as karate. Interestingly, Said’s involvement in karate also came at a time when it was banned for black South Africans as the oppressive regime regarded it as a threat. “It…

EVEN in the 19th century, workers were beginning to resent the grind of office life. “You don’t know how wearisome it is to breathe the air of four pent walls without relief, day after day,” British essayist Charles Lamb wrote in a letter to poet William Wordsworth in 1822, railing against his toil in the East India Company’s office in Leadenhall Street, London. For the past 17 months, however, Lamb’s modern successors have mostly worked from home, liberated from what he termed official confinement. Today’s white-collar staff are living through a radical transformation of professional life, one economists say is beginning to jump-start economic productivity and accelerate innovation. Pandemic The pandemic has weakened the gravitational pull of city centres, with new forces reshaping knowledge-based economies. Public transport journeys into cities…

Nadia Khan nadia.khan@inl.co.za A MACHINIST at a plastic manufacturing company was allegedly robbed and killed while trying to sell second-hand clothing to pay for an Uber ride to work. Romano Naidoo, 25, of Phoenix, went to the Bhambiya informal settlement on August 31. A few minutes later, he was stabbed in the upper chest, stomach, back and hand. He died at the scene. His mother, Debra Naidoo, said her son worked in Mount Edgecombe. “He was our breadwinner. Romano took care of me, my mother, and his two younger brothers. My son went the extra mile to ensure we never went hungry. He worked hard and put the needs of others ahead of his own," said Naidoo, a part-time domestic worker. Naidoo said Romano, who worked night shifts, travelled to…

Janine Moodley janine.moodley@inl.co.za A 34-YEAR-OLD Verulam man is in police custody after he allegedly raped a 5-year-old child in a toilet and gave her R10. It is alleged that on the afternoon of August 11, the child, who lives in an informal settlement, went to the toilet, which is situated outside her home in Oaklands. The man, who has a tuckshop nearby, allegedly entered the toilet, raped her and gave her R10. The child told her friends, who in turn told the girl’s mother. The mother, 37, who works at a fruit-and-vegetable stall, said when she arrived home that day a group of children surrounded her. “They asked me if my daughter told me who gave her R10. So I asked them what was going on. “None of them wanted…

THE Media Review Network is a partner of an international network of human rights organisations and advocacy groups who have launched a five-month campaign to commemorate 20 years since the launch of the global war on terrorism. The International Witness Campaign (IWC), initiated by UK-based Cage, involves more than 40 partners from 13 countries and marked its launch to coincide with America’s final exit from Afghanistan. The timing converges perfectly with the end of the longest war in US history. As historians and commentators reflect on the futility of America’s destructive wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere, the IWC will feature activities highlighting the impact and failures of the war on terrorism. Fuelled by neocons and right-wing extremists, the unforgivable hate speech characterising an Islamophobic narrative became synonymous with…

Keith Parry Matthew Smith THE new football season has seen the return of fans and the return of big money transfers. Before the transfer window, that closed at the end of last month, the big names that joined the English Premier League from overseas included Raphael Varane (to Manchester United from Real Madrid for £42 million) and Romelu Lukaku (to Chelsea from Inter Milan for £97.5m). The clubs’ owners and fans will no doubt hope their expensive new players hit the ground running and provide immediate impact. Yet these moves do not always work out, with players…

SOCCER, the phenomenal life-altering game that unites families, is at the core of creating global ambassadors out of youth in Phoenix and surrounding areas. As the word racism reverberates around town, let us strive to create peace and unity through soccer. I am a Phoenix groomed coach and a student of the American Soccer Education Programme (ASEP). Our priority is to uplift youth development among black, Indian, coloured and white youngsters. Racism may exist, but you can rest assured that it never showed through football. It still astounds me when I see the enthusiasm and dedication of black youth walking to Phoenix from as far as Bhambayi, KwaMashu, Amaoti and Riet River, all for their love of this amazing game. Seeing black and Indian children in unison was an eye-opener.…

WHEN the news broke that someone who was a whistle-blower in the Department of Health had been martyred for exposing fraud and corruption implicating senior politicians and officials in the department, she did not have a name and for good reason. It was for her family’s safety and security. Eventually, I learnt of this courageous person – Babita Deokaran. I caught sight of the following stanza by Niyi Osundare, a Nigerian poet, in an article a few days ago: Silence is a serpent With a fatal fang Bring the wand, bring the word Let’s hit its head with a vocal bang. Silence is a psychological weapon with a reverse effect, wrote Basit Olatunji, of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. It is as devastating as it was during apartheid when…

LAND expropriation without compensation is a controversial issue and if implemented, it could be a disaster for the country. The various political parties are at loggerheads regarding their stance on this issue. The ANC government is being cautious knowing that any changes to the Constitution and forced expropriation of land could threaten food security and lead to anarchy like in Zimbabwe. The EFF is adamant that all the land in question must be taken over by the state, while the DA and other parties are against the implementation. What is interesting is that there is little mention of the assets owned within the land. For instance, on farmlands these could be in the form of the crops, livestock, poultry, farming implements, irrigation systems etc, that are worth billions. Many of…

POST REPORTER THE South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) and the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) have urged against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of Covid-19. Last Friday, Sahpra said that like the USFDA stance, ivermectin did not have proven antiviral properties against Sars-Cove-2. Sahpra said ivermectin was traditionally used to treat parasitic conditions in animals. “It is also used to treat certain conditions in humans such as very specific doses for some parasitic worms, and there are topical formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea,” it said. Sahpra said the USFDA was made aware of reports of individuals self-medicating with ivermectin and of some even using the animal formulation. “Sahpra reiterates that taking such a drug without it undergoing the requisite testing…

HINDUS will observe Pitru Paksha from September 21 to October 6. This is when families pray for the well-being of the souls of departed relatives. If you would like to pay tribute to a loved one who has made an impact in your life, email a 250 word story and a picture of the person. Also provide details about your relationship with that person, where they lived, when they died, and your contact details. A few tributes will be selected for possible publication. Email the tributes to post@inl.co.za by tomorrow (Thursday) at 10am.…

THE sea has been a bit grumpy but the fishing has been stable once you get your sea legs. The bottom fishing has kept the charters happy while the skis have done well with the snoek. The North Coast has seen a lot of fishing ski action. The guys have done well with the snoek in the early mornings. Trolling lipped lures on the backline has been the most effective way of catching these queens. Remember that these are great fun to target on the lighter tackle so consider using a 10kg set-up for these fish. The north has thrown a few couta and tuna for those going out deeper with bigger lipped lures or live baits. The Durban coast has mainly seen bottom fishing action although some decent tuna…