Table of contents for 2023-07-19 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, KZN. She can be contacted at 072 986 5514 or sharron@quantsoul.com ARIES (March 21 – April 19) Family is important this week, as is spending time with your loved ones. Trust your intuition with new people coming into business. A good week to look at different ways to do business if you are self-employed. Lucky colour: pink. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) Share your feelings of frustration with someone you love. Change is here to stay, so embrace the changes as they come. Try not to attach to an outcome that has not happened yet. Be open…

Political parties are concerned about the impact that the torching of trucks will have on the economy. Sharon Hoosen, MPL for DA KZN on Transport and Community Safety, said: “It is deeply concerning that law-enforcement is nowhere to be found and hot spots are not prioritised. “There is no evidence of this intelligence and it is definitely not saving our economy on the ground. Since 2018, KZN has witnessed criminals wreaking havoc on our roads at the expense of trucking companies.” She said five years ago, Mxolisi Kaunda, the-MEC for Transport, promised to stop truck violence and stabilise the province. “The promises of 24-hour patrols are nothing more than political stunts. To date no arrests have been made, while criminals continue to have the upper hand in destroying our economy…

CARMEN Reddy is the new breakfast show co-host for East Coast Radio (ECR). Her journey at ECR began when she appeared as a Friday co-host guest last month, after Keri Miller resigned. Reddy has 15 years of media experience and has worked as a sports anchor for eNCA, a news presenter at 5FM, SABC News and Newzroom Afrika among others. She was born in KwaZulu-Natal and raised in Pretoria. Reddy matriculated from Sutherland High School in Centurion. From there, she studied towards a communication science degree, which she obtained in 2006. In 2009, she received a BA degree in journalism from the University of Pretoria and an Honours degree in cultural and media studies a year later. Reddy said she had always been interested in the media space. “From a…

This week marked the 105th year since the birth of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Rolihlahla in Xhosa means “pulling the branch of a tree”. As a young man, Mandela did not just nudge the apartheid state. He shook it – vigorously. And when democracy came in 1994, he worked hard to pull together the different branches of our society. Under his leadership, we stood tall as a nation. Strong. Upright. Respected. It is now 25 years since Mandela stepped down as our president and almost 10 years since he died. Since then, our country has been through much. On some days it feels as though the journey to the society Mandela envisioned is just too difficult – too long. It’s on those days we should reflect on the closing lines of…

IT HAPPENED at the French Open and now it is happening at Wimbledon: the bloody Ukraine war is spilling over on to the tennis courts. Tennis is a gentleman’s game. Besides the rules of the game, there are rules of conduct and dress. It is customary that when a game is over, the players walk over to the net and shake hands before shaking hands with the umpire. Some even hug each other in a warm embrace. Though there’s fierce rivalry on the court, tennis is not a war but a game of sport to entertain the crowds. Unfortunately, some tennis players don’t seem to realise this and let their national pride get the better of them, even though their country could be the aggressor in a bloody conflict. At…

Open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa LET me state from the outset that my disappointment in your leadership – or lack thereof – is unabating. Not only have you stated publicly that you put party before country, but it seems you are walking your talk on this aspect more than governing the country as per your oath of office. In your closing remarks at the ANC Youth League congress recently, you unequivocally called for the return to militancy of the ANCYL of the 1944 era and to go back to the militancy of the ANCYL of the ’80s and ’90s. You claim that you don’t want to see an ANCYL asleep during a revolution. What revolution are you talking about, Mr President? I am certain the oath of office you…

THE coverage of Azad Essa’s book, Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance between India and Israel refers (POST, July12-16). As of 2021, Israel’s diplomatic relations extends over 168 of the 193 countries that make up the list in the United Nations. By implication, many more Muslim majority countries have good relations with Israel. So trying to single out India only exposes Essa’s xenophobic tendency towards Hindus and makes a mockery of his subtle hatefulness of a country that has a Hindu majority population. Once again, attempts to try and corner and guilt trip Indians, especially Hindus, about Kashmir, Palestine and Israel is rearing its head in the media. For the record, India’s ties with Israel are no less public than the agreements that Muslim countries have with Israel. Instead of…

TUNA, snoek, bottom fish and garrick have been on the menu for our offshore anglers, so there is something for everyone, you just need to get out there. North of Umhlanga the fishing skis have been doing some damage. Snoek, tuna and couta have been the main hatch-fillers. The snoek have been feeding very well after the recent rains. The flush of dirty water not only creates a brilliant hunting area for these predators, but it also flushes the smaller estuarine baitfish into the sea. The tuna have favoured a live bait over all the other methods. Drifting over the bait marks with a live bait slowly kicking along is a great way to target these speedsters. The shallower areas down south have produced a couple of couta and some…

PANKAJ UDHAS, an Indian ghazal and playback singer, will perform at two shows this month - at the Durban ICC on July 29 and at Centre Court at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg the following day. Udhas is renowned for his vocal artistry and emotive renditions. His career has spanned more than four decades and he has earned various accolades. This includes the Padma Shri Award, in recognition of his contributions to the music industry. At his Timeless Tour, he will perform songs including Aur Ahista, Chandi Jaisa and Chitthi Aayee Hai. Speaking about his tour, Udhas said: “I am excited to be coming back to South Africa to perform for my fans in your beautiful country. It has been too long and now, I’m looking forward to making some…

FATIMA Meer was an activist, writer and academic. Her activism started as a teenager during the 1940s and continued through the apartheid era into the 1990s and 2000s. Throughout her life she fought for the freedom and rights of all South Africans. She was a fiery, fearless speaker of truth to power, and her life and work have inspired many. Meer was born in Durban on August 12, 1928, and grew up in a large family with eight brothers and sisters, many aunts, uncles and cousins. Her father was born in Gujarat, India, and came to South Africa as a young boy with his family. He was the editor and owner of the newspaper Indian Views and her role model. Her dad loved books and made sure all…

THE ANC seems to be a divided ledger and walks a tightrope in a precarious balancing act when it comes to financial matters, or is it just pleading poverty at face value, with the awful silence of financial destitution? This was demonstrated recently when a small KwaZulu-Natal marketing agency sued the political party for R102 million for printing and supplying 30 000 PVC banners weeks before the 2019 elections. Roping in Bezuidenhout Valley law outfit, Smartie and Ismail Inc, Ezulweni Investments head honcho Renesh Ramdas made no mistake as their legal team hung the ANC high and dry and won the case for them. The ANC, it seems, adopts a willy-nilly attitude and fiscal amnesia to small-time debtors. Its actions have been pregnant with intentional ambiguity, perhaps as a…

WITH reference to the story and extract of Azad Essa’s book Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance between India and Israel (POST, July12-16). It has been repeated many times that India has a culture that goes back 5 000 years. The basis of India’s culture are investigations into religion that produced truths and teachers of the highest calibre. It would be deeply appreciated if any person in the world would explain precisely what religious truths were imported into India by foreign religions. Essa would do well to explain precisely what his difficulty is with India’s friendship with Israel. Complaints about this emanate only from specific quarters because of deep-rooted prejudices. He would do well to explain what justification there is for religions that never say what the sources…

the story, “Rates boycott … Momentum grows but questions remain over legality”, (POST, July 12-16) refers: Mahmood Kader was referred to as the chairperson of the Asherville Ratepayers Association. He is the chairperson of the Asherville Rate Payers, which is not linked to the association. The chairperson of the Asherville Ratepayers Association is Dr Annie Singh. The Asherville Ratepayers Association does not support the rates boycott against the eThekwini Municipality that is being led by the Westville Ratepayers Association. We apologise for any inconvenience that may have been caused. |…

TRANSFER season is in full swing as clubs battle it out for the top players for their upcoming campaigns in the various leagues around the world. Lionel Messi has finally been unveiled as an Inter Miami player, but there is plenty of action in the transfer window with teams wrapping up deals or putting in bids for players. Manchester United will start preparing a bid for Rasmus Holjund. The Red Devils are said to be discussing the deal internally, and his Serie A club, Atalanta, are looking for £70 million (about R1.6 billion) for the forward. This was reported by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. This news might also signal the end of the United’s pursuit for top target Harry Kane. However they don’t call this the silly season for nothing…

Golf’s biggest stars will be brought together at The Open this week as the foundations of an uneasy truce between the traditional tours and breakaway LIV series are still being built. In a shock announcement last month, the PGA and DP World Tours announced plans to merge with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which had bankrolled huge signing bonuses and prize money for players to jump ship to LIV. But details on how the deal will work remain unknown, even for the world’s leading players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour. “They keep saying it’s a player-run organisation (but) we don’t really have the information that we need,” said world No 1 Scottie Scheffler at last week’s Scottish Open. Without a concrete deal, the best of the LIV…

RECENT rock-throwing and rock- laying incidents on the N2 have sparked panic. In Chesterville, on the N2 northbound before Spaghetti Junction, a few incidents were reported. On Sunday, rocks were placed on the road, causing a vehicle to crash into the barrier. When the driver left his car, he was robbed, stabbed in the chest and left in a critical condition. Also on Sunday, at least five cars had to be towed away after hitting rocks on the same stretch of road. In a separate incident, last year also on the same road, a motorist was hit by a vehicle while attempting to flee from robbers who had placed rocks on the N2 near the Chesterville informal settlement. The man’s vehicle struck the rocks on the road, and when he…

Three mothers from Durban have been selected to participate in the final of Mrs South Africa 2023. The top 30 were selected last week. The pageant, which will be held on November 17 at Emperors Palace, is a self-development platform for married women in South Africa. Its mission is to guide married women towards the best versions of themselves, through their brand pillars of self-development, community and networking. l Noeline Rajbally, a 47-year-old mother of three, is the director at African Sugar Logistics (ASL), a logistics and supply chain company, and a personal empowerment and mindfulness coach. “I was born and raised in Shallcross until I was 18. Although it was tough financially, as my dad was the only breadwinner, I was always a carefree child who grew into herself…

IT IS NO secret that South Africa’s crime statistics remain alarmingly high. But despite the government’s recent efforts to appoint more police officers, the situation is unlikely to change without the deep structural issues within the police service itself being addressed. Every member of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) plays an indispensable role in policing, but the allocation of 36 000 trained police officers to administrative tasks specifically represents a severe misallocation of resources. Yet upon promotion to senior ranks, seasoned officers are often ushered into office environments, redirecting them from their true purpose and calling – to protect and serve on the front lines of the fight against crime by policing our communities. Removing senior police officers from active crime-fighting duties and shackling them to…

THE Public Servants Association (PSA), representing thousands of public servants, is concerned that the government is using the introduction of the National Health Insurance as an election campaign strategy, with no improvements to the health care in South Africa. The single funding model for the NHI will plunge the citizenry into a deeper financial crisis as they will be burdened to fund the initiative. The idea that workers might be expected to pay for private medical insurance and the NHI simultaneously, induces anxiety among public sector employees. The chief priority of health reform in South Africa should be the rehabilitation of the public health sector. This can be best achieved by a competent, non-partisan public health service, free of corruption and political interference. The two-tier system of health care in…

IN RECENT years, the political landscape of South Africa has undergone significant changes. The ANC, once the dominant political force, is now losing ground in many provinces and is at risk of losing the national vote next year. This shift in political power has the potential to be disastrous for the country as it could lead to a coalition of convenience that lacks experience, expertise and any meaningful input in the government. The state of South Africa is far from ideal. The country has been embroiled in state capture scandals, corruption in the government and rising unemployment. Poverty and homelessness continue to be a pressing issue, with millions of South Africans reliant on state grants to survive. The ANC government has created a welfare state that has left many citizens…

IT DOES not surprise me that whenever the leader of the world’s largest democracy plans to visit South Africa, a small minority of Islamist-styled agitators will start to rake up the Palestine and Kashmir issue, and play the Muslim victim card. The visceral media attack together with the timeous release of Azad Essa’s book Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance between India and Israel, towards Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, is abominable. He is the most popular world leader according to a recent survey. Kashmir is and always was an integral part of Akhand Bharat (undivided India) and is as confirmed in various historical records. In 1990, the world was silent on the genocide and pogrom of Kashmir Hindus. The Hindu population in Pakistan has been decimated from 30% in…

Former Manchester United player Ryan Giggs will not face a retrial over domestic violence claims after prosecutors yesterday withdrew the charges due to the “unwillingness” of his ex-girlfriend to give evidence. Giggs, 49, was due to go on trial for a second time on July 31 after a month-long trial last year ended without the jury reaching a verdict. But prosecuting lawyer Peter Wright told Manchester Crown Court in north-west England that there was no realistic chance of conviction. Giggs’ ex-girlfriend Kate Greville had “indicated an unwillingness” to give evidence as the first trial had “taken its toll” on her and her sister Emma, he explained. “That being the case, we formally offer no evidence on counts one, two and three. This is not a decision taken lightly,” said Wright.…