Table of contents for 2021-12-08 in Post

Duff is a psychic medium, soul coach, spiritual mentor, healer and animal communicator. She has been connecting with spirit for more than 20 years and runs her business, Quantum Soul, from Waterfall in KwaZulu-Natal. Watch her weekly predictions on GlowTV on Sundays after 8pm with Denver Naicker on the Get Real Show. She can be contacted on 072 986 5514 or email sharron@quantsoul.com SHARRON DUFF ARIES (March 21 – April 19) Be patient with those around you this week as you may feel short tempered because of a stressful situation. This will pass. Take time to complete a project that you are working on to avoid mistakes. Lucky colour: orange. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) Take your time over deciding about an issue. This feels to be around…

1 packet Tennis Biscuits 2 litres of vanilla ice cream 1 tin Caramel Treat 150g Peppermint Crisp chocolate Soften the ice cream to room temperature. Spread it roughly into a 20cm x 30cm tin. Leave a few gaps for the caramel Drop spoonfuls of caramel treat and swirl it into the ice cream giving it a marbled effect Smoothe the top and freeze overnight. Using the Tennis Biscuit as a guide, cut squares of the ice cream and sandwich with the Tennis Biscuits. Roll the sandwich into the chopped Peppermint Crisp chocolate, coating on all sides, and freeze in an airtight container until ready to serve…

The Cake 1 packet of vanilla biscuits eg Bakers Marie Biscuits 1 slab Nestle Aero Mint / 85g chunks 1 cup icing sugar 1 cup cocoa powder ½ cup water 1 cup butter, cubed Aero Ganache 2 slabs Nestle Aero dark, chunks 1 cup cream Line a springform tin with baking paper on the base and sides. Place the biscuits in a resealable plastic bag and break into smaller pieces by lightly bashing it with a rolling pin. Place the biscuit pieces into a bowl and add large pieces of Aero mint chunks. In a medium pot, mix the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Add the water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Add the butter, a few cubes at a time, and…

Nikita Chiniah nikita.chiniah@inl.co.za CHATSWORTH singers Darrien Luke and Tehilla Faith recently launched their first single, Over you. It is about toxic relationships. The single has been featured on East Coast Radio, Durban Youth Radio, Ekhurleni FM, KFM and Inanda FM as well as a community radio station in Australia. The singers met at a relative’s home four years ago and later went on to perform at church. Luke, 27, an accounts manager, said: “We wanted to write a breakup anthem, while also expressing the emotions one might feel in a toxic relationship. Due to the pandemic, we decided it was time to release music that people could enjoy to get through these difficult times.” He said he started singing at age seven. “My dad discovered that I have a talent.…

Truck driving jobs to disappear SOMEONE at the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy must have been sniffing something. How else do you explain them getting the December fuel price wrong? Initially, the department announced the price of petrol would go up by 81 cents a litre as of last Wednesday. Then, during the course of that day, the department said it had got it wrong and the price should have gone up by 75 cents, six cents less than the initial announcement. The department blamed the error on a salary adjustment for service station employees. It had been implemented in the September price but someone made a mistake and added it again. But that raises the question – why are motorists directly funding the salaries of those who work…

IT WAS with immense sadness that I heard of the passing of iconic Struggle stalwart, Swaminathan Gounden. He stood out as a giant among those whose contributions have served and continue to serve us in our struggle to build a nation out of scattered hopes and lofty aspirations. We will always celebrate the life and legacy of Swaminathan. He was eloquent with such political sagacity of a rare breed. Swaminathan was the epitome of political uprightness. His life was one of selfless sacrifices, bravery and visionary leadership. He fought for the greater good of humanity and the principle which must endure for all eternity, freedom. Our democracy is a testimony of a nation that the world has never known because it represents something that Africa has rarely seen – a…

THE South African Communist Party (SACP) conveys heartfelt condolences to the family of Comrade Swaminathan “Swami” Karuppa Gounden, who passed away last Tuesday. He was a veteran of our struggle for liberation and social emancipation. The SACP also sends condolences to the entire South African liberation movement, the working class, and the people of South Africa for the loss of our revolutionary stalwart. Comrade Swami, as he was affectionately known among his comrades, was one of the few remaining stalwarts who took part in the Congress of the People in Kliptown, Soweto, in 1955, which laid down the vision of the South African people. The result of the Congress of the People was the promulgation of the celebrated Freedom Charter. Comrade Swami joined the SACP in 1944 and wholeheartedly fought…

THE headline in the POST, “Smaller parties reveal why they voted for the ANC” (December 1-5), is misleading and is not relative to how the Democratic Liberal Congress (DLC) voted. The DLC never expressed in our statement that we voted with the ANC. This is now creating lots of confusion within our community. However, it is rather unfortunate and unbecoming of the POST not to have asked the DA why they voted with the EFF during the eThekwini office-bearers elections, despite their revelations during the election campaign that they would not vote with the EFF. The DA have sold out the Indian voters by voting with the EFF in the eThekwini and other metros in South Africa for major positions. The DA did this in 2016 and now as well…

Charlene Somduth charlene.somduth@inl.co.za THE SA Human Rights Commission has wrapped up its KwaZulu-Natal hearings into the July unrest. Last Wednesday, Lindiwe Zulu, the Minister of Social Development, said certain socio-economic conditions played a role in the violence. “South Africa is a country of extremes, and we all know that. Extreme wealth in a sea of poverty, extreme inequality and poverty.” Zulu said there were indications that the drivers of the unrest in July could be related to unhappiness around unemployment and a lack of opportunities for small and medium enterprises and businesses. “It is very likely that social inequalities could have worsened the state of discontentment, high levels of inequality, and the realisation that it is getting worse, can fuel discontentment, which enables people to be easily mobilised for protest…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za THE final leg of group stage Champions League fixtures concludes tonight. To avoid the humiliation of group stage Champions League elimination, Barcelona needs to avoid defeat against or beat Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in Germany. With 15 points to their name, Bayern have already won Group E and will likely rest their key players for the game. The Blaugrana are in second spot with seven points and two clear of third-place Benfica. Should Bayern beat Barcelona and Benfica record a home win against Dynamo Kyiv as they will be expected to, the Spanish giants will suffer the humiliation of group stage Champions League elimination and may have to contest the Europa League. Manchester United need to avoid defeat at home against Swiss side Young Boys…

Smiso Msomi smiso.msomi@inl.co.za RONNEL Donnelly dominated the national Engen Knockout Challenge, notching up numerous individual awards. She points to her biggest challenge of playing with boys from the age of 10 as being the reason she excels now. “I played with boys and women’s senior teams from the age of 10 and that was very challenging for me. “But it helped me very much because I had to double my effort every time I played and that contributed to me developing as a player,” she said. The Wentworth-born star claimed the Top Goalscorer, Striker of the tournament and Player of the Tournament awards in this year’s event. She also attributed her performances to the support that she gets from her teammates. “Soccer has always been my biggest passion but it…

We are almost at the end of the 2021 year. It has been a rough one so let’s focus on some quality fishing to cap off the year. Let the festive season begin … Rock and surf: The summer heat is here and so is the open season for shad. There are plenty of fish around for both the fishermen after edibles and inedibles, so pick your target fish and go get them! The North Coast has been hot. This heat plus a flat sea and a few days of north-easterly wind will produce some back-breaking fish. Mackerel and redeye sardines are your best baits to use for 99% of the summer inedibles. Make sure your knots are right and that your tackle can handle the fish you are targeting.…

2½ cups frozen raspberries ½ cup sugar 3 tbs lemon juice 1 tbs gelatin 3 cups heavy whipping cream 6 tbs icing sugar 1 packet Bakers Boudoir biscuits syrup for dipping biscuits 1 cup warm water 1 tbs lemon juice 1 tbs sugar In a medium pot, cook the frozen raspberries and sugar until they form a jam-like consistency. Add the lemon juice and gelatin. Leave to cool. Strain through a sifter. Beat the heavy whipping cream with the icing sugar until they form stiff peaks. Divide the cream into two parts. To one half of the cream, add the strained raspberry mixture and combine. To assemble – cut each Boudoir Biscuit into 3 pieces, dip into the sugar syrup and place them in a cup. Top the…

SOME shoppers said they would not be able to afford the high price of meat, while others said they would have to adjust their grocery budget. Daphne Thaylan: Due to the increase in meat prices, many people, including myself, will not be able to afford meat in the near future. It is sad for us South Africans who love braais. Having a braai with these prices will become very costly. Braais during the festive season have become a trend, and we will have to empty our pockets in order to continue the season as normal. Apart from the increase in meat prices, fuel prices also went up, which is also hard-hitting. I used to pay R79.99kg for lamb. Now it’s about R119kg. I have also seen a slight increase in…

IT HAS been about two years since allegations of corruption involving the orange bag recycling programme was reported in the media. Ever since the contract of R90 million for the supply of orange bags was awarded to a company, which had no expertise in the manufacture of these bags, many Durban residents have been faced with a shortage of them and had to put up with an inconsistent and sporadic recycling programme. In some areas the recycling programme has come to a complete halt. Frustrated residents have no choice but put their recycling material into the ordinary, black bags. In Kloof, where I live, I have not received orange bags for several months and been forced to put the recycling waste into the black bags. City officials say that they…

THERE has been much written and said about the outcomes of the eThekwini council meeting where the leadership was elected. This was a two way race between the ANC and DA/EFF. The IFP pulled out of its alliance with the ANC at the last minute and switched its support to the DA/EFF coalition. Our mandate, as a party, was not to support the EFF because of its racist utterances and its part in fuelling racial tensions in Phoenix. We are also aware that the EFF is leading the DA into self destruction. The EFF gave the DA support in most metros, so the DA can secure municipal leadership positions. The DA celebration of these wins will be short-lived, especially when the EFF expects support, at national level, for its land…

WITH the successful local government elections, it is hoped that the new councils and councillors work in unison and make good on their many promises so that the new year will result in good governance, clean administration and service delivery. In this way, many people and families, primarily those previously disadvantaged, will now be able to enjoy the real benefits of democracy and have their lives uplifted. Despite the ongoing challenges, including the new Omicron variant, it is hoped that people will engender good and laudable values of community upliftment, and caring for others, especially the needy and less fortunate. Selfishness and wealth creation for self-enrichment alone must be shunned and the spirit of ubuntu must prevail. In all our fun and merriment, please be kind, patient and considerate and…

Nadia Khan nadia.khan@inl.co.za A CAR rental employee died after he was allegedly electrocuted by exposed cable wires on Saturday. Noelan Kistan, 23, of Belvedere, in Tongaat, was walking along a pathway in Saxon Street when he allegedly slipped and grabbed onto a wire fence to avoid falling. Prem Balram, the spokesperson for the private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), said officers and medics were dispatched to the scene after they were informed about the incident. He said Kistan had died. Balram said according to witnesses, exposed electricity cables that were allegedly used for illegal connections made contact with the wire fence that Kistan had grabbed onto. Saroj Govender, Kistan’s paternal aunt, with whom he lived, said her nephew spent his weekends either at home or with friends.…

Draw (from Jan 7-10): Boreham Wood or St Albans v AFC Wimbledon; Yeovil Town v Bournemouth; Stoke City v Leyton Orient; Swansea City v Southampton; Chelsea v Chesterfield Town; Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town; Cardiff City v Preston North End; Coventry v Derby; Burnley v Huddersfield Town; West Brom Albion v Brighton & Hove Albion; Kidderminster Harriers v Reading; Leicester v Watford; Mansfield Town v Middlesbrough; Hartlepool United v Blackpool; Hull City v Everton; Bristol City v Fulham; Tottenham Hotspur v Morecambe; Millwall v Crystal Palace; Port Vale v Brentford; Swindon Town v Manchester City; Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers; Luton Town v Harrogate Town; Birmingham City v Plymouth Argyle; Man United v Aston Villa; Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United; Newcastle v Cambridge United; Barnsley v Ipswich Town or Barrow;…

500g fruitcake mix 125g currants 300g butter 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 tsp bicarb 100g almonds, pecans each cherries (red/green) Boil the above ingredients for about 30 minutes and cool. Add: 2 ½ cups self-raising flour 3 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp caramel or chocolate essence little milk to smooth texture Bake at 180º for 30 minutes and then turn down to 160º for another +/-30 minutes until cooked. Remove from the oven and cover with a clean dish towel until completely cold. Glaze with warm superfine apricot jam and seal cake. Decorate and enjoy. This mixture can be baked as cupcakes with baking times altered.…

NOTE: All the ingredients must be at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Crust 1¼ cups almond flour 3 tbs unsalted butter ½ tsp cinnamon powder Melt the butter and add to the dry ingredients. Place the mixture into a springform tin and spread evenly, pressing with the back of a flat-bottom mug. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes and set aside. Cheesecake Filling 500g full fat cream cheese ¼ cup sour cream ½ cup powdered sweetener 2 large eggs 2 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp liquid sweetener Blend the cream cheese, sour cream and sweetener with a hand mixer. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, liquid sweetener and vanilla essence. On a low speed with a hand mixer, blend…

Anil Menon, a lieutenant-colonel of Indian origin who is with the US Air Force and SpaceX’s first flight surgeon, has been selected by Nasa among the 10 new astronauts who could fly to the moon someday. Menon was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According indiatoday.in, his parents were Ukrainian and Indian immigrants. The website said he was married to Anna Menon, who works at SpaceX, and they have two children. Menon helped launch the Elon Musk-run SpaceX's first human-to-space Demo-2 mission and built a medical organisation to support the human system during future missions. He also spent a year in India as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to study and support polio vaccination. Prior to that, he served Nasa as the crew flight surgeon for various expeditions taking astronauts to…

Nadia Khan nadia.khan@inl.co.za THE premier of KwaZulu-Natal called on citizens to be vaccinated as the province entered the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is being driven by the new variant, Omicron. On Sunday, Premier Sihle Zikalala said that over the past three weeks there had been a significant climb in the rate of daily infections. He said the number of daily cases registered over the past seven days was rising at an alarming rate. “In fact, it is twice the number received two weeks ago. Clearly, a new wave of infections is fast rising, and the Omicron variant is the driver behind this new wave of infections,” he said. Zikalala said the province had a positivity rate of 0.7% three weeks ago, but as of Sunday, the positivity…

Nadia Khan nadia.khan@inl.co.za A FORMER Durbanite now living in Belgium is making a mark in the information communication and technologies field. Talisha Ramnarain, 34, the sustainability and technology innovation lead at Accenture, a global consulting firm, was selected as one of the top 10 nominees for the Young ICT Lady of the Year 2022 award. Ramnarain, who left for Brussels last year, is responsible for bringing the power of sustainability and technology to some of the biggest companies in the world, which in turn helps them to have a direct and positive impact on climate change. “This involves inspiring our teams and clients on the ‘art of the possible’; helping them to think and act innovatively to meet the sustainable development goals that are good for business, the planet, and…

THE participation of Miss South Africa 2021, Lalela Mswane, in the Miss Universe competition in Israel on December 12 has created a furore. Some South Africans support her participation, while others have called for her withdrawal. The Boycott, Disinvest and Sanctions movement in South Africa views Miss South Africa’s participation as tacit support for Israel’s policies toward Palestine, which the movement views as a form of apartheid. The South African government has called on Mswane to boycott the pageant and has withdrawn its support for her participation in line with its foreign policy towards Israel. This is a policy of solidarity with the people of Palestine, and a rejection of Israel’s annexation of Palestinian land, and its negation of the two-state policy that would give Palestine independence. Regardless of the…

RECENTLY, a friend emailed me copies of some old cuttings of certain articles published by the Daily News and the Mercury in early 1986. It dealt with the attacks and counter-attacks between Zulus and the Pondos. Several were killed, sometimes as many as 30 to 40 at a time. Yet not once was it called a “massacre”. The media did not use the word either. However, the word has been used to refer to those who died in the violent clashes in Phoenix when looters went on the rampage. Which begs the question, when is a massacre not a massacre? Similarly, when is racism not racism? English cricketer Michael Vaughan has been suspended by the BBC as a cricket commentator for the Ashes match against Australia because his name has…

THE lead story “Prayers for pastor’s resurrection” (the POST, December 1-5), highlighted the story of a pastor, who died three months ago and whose family were praying for his resurrection. My immediate problem is that the pastor with a Hindu name could have been brainwashed into his beliefs. All my life, I have lived with this problem of Hindus converting to other religions because of their fascination with the claims that other religions make. And it is some Hindus who so easily fall victim to their enticements. I feel hurt because I, as a Hindu scholar, know perfectly well that I have absolutely nothing to learn from other religions to subscribe to them. It is only gullible, uneducated Hindus who subscribe to the wheedling of pastors who become wealthy…

THE reasons given by the 15 single seat political parties in the eThekwini council for enabling the ANC to remain in power (the POST, December 1-5) amount to nothing more than a collection of pretences by a bunch of pretenders. Their claim that they will hold the ANC to account is a great sound byte (sic) but it remains to be seen once the ANC has mollycoddled them with favours and the odd chairmanship. After all, politics is the art of the possible. In basing her opposition to a coalition with the DA because it “wanted a white mayor”, MF leader Thakur- Rajbansi neatly exposes the fallacy of her professed non-racialism. For her, race takes precedence over merit. By aligning with the ANC, Patrick Pillay of the DLC has given…

Charlene Somduth charlene.somduth@inl.co.za UNDERTAKERS who are not registered on the eThekwini Municipality’s database will no longer be able to operate. The database is one of the ways the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture is trying to regulate the industry. Vusi Mazibuko, the acting head of the department, said they had received complaints about undertakers charging customers burial and cremation fees that were not in line with the city’s approved tariffs. “When we tried to trace these undertakers, they could not be located. They could not be held accountable for their actions. “This practice has a negative impact not only on the business sector but grieving families as well.” Mazibuko said the complaints prompted the city to create a database and a booking system. “Undertakers registered on the database will…

FORMER England captain Alastair Cook reckons all-rounder Ben Stokes will enjoy playing in Australia with both bat and ball during the upcoming Ashes as the speed and bounce of the pitch will suit him well. At the same time, Cook conceded that his match readiness, physically as well as mentally, is something which is not known. Stokes is making a comeback into cricket after taking an indefinite break from the game on July 30 to take care of his mental well-being as well as healing from a left index finger injury. He was a late addition to the Ashes touring party and is now in contention to play the first Test at The Gabba today. “He should enjoy batting and bowling in Australia because the speed and bounce of the…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za A big talking point from the recent round of Premier League games was West Ham’s win over Chelsea. The result was not surprising. David Moyes has built West Ham into a side that is capable of beating any side in the league. Chelsea have been heralded as potential title candidates but the game proved that they have to start omitting costly errors from their play if they want to achieve a first league title in over four years. It was mistakes from Jorginho and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy that gifted the Hammers the three points. Chelsea’s loss meant that they relinquished first place to Manchester City who comfortably beat Watford. Even though they don’t have an out-and-out number nine in their squad, City will now be the favourites…