Table of contents for 2022-08-10 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. Contact her at 072 986 5514 or sharron@quantsoul.com ARIES (March 21 – April 19) Try and stay calm through a challenging week ahead. Breathe and know that you are going to be fine. Use your intuition to guide you. Don’t make impulsive decisions in the personal space. The answers will be revealed in time. Lucky colour: turquoise. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) Pay attention to your dreams as this is how spirit speaks to you. Pay attention…

SAMUEL Thomas was searching for a life partner who was humble and hard-working. He saw these qualities in Gloria, now his wife of 50 years. Thomas, 75, and Gloria, 65, met in May 1972. He lived in Unit 2 in Bayview in Chatsworth. His aunt, who knew Gloria, introduced them. At the time, Gloria lived in nearby Unit 3, Westcliff. “When I saw Gloria, I was immediately attracted to her beautiful brown eyes. I then began visiting her home. She lived with her grandmother after her parents had died. “Gloria and I used to go to the movies. That same month I proposed and on July 22, 1972, we got married. We had a Christian wedding at the Ebenezer Temple Church in Chatsworth. I was 25 and she was 15.…

For the past two years, some low-income households in Phoenix have been waiting for their applications for the eThekwini Municipality’s Indigent Support Programme to be approved. The indigent policy was implemented in 2020 and allows for households with an income of less than R3 950 a month to be exempt from paying for water, electricity, refuse removal and rates. The value of one’s property also has to be R500 000 or less. Jonathan Annipen, an IFP councillor, has been assisting more than 150 families. “The residents have to apply for this programme every two years. Each application needs a motivation letter from a municipal councillor confirming the family’s circumstances. “There must also be accompanying documents like proof of income, bank statements, ID documents, and letters from schools stating that children…

KWAZULU-NATAL awoke on Women’s Day with Nomusa Dube-Ncube as the province’s first female premier-elect. On Monday she was announced as Sihle Zikalala’s successor. Dube-Ncube said she understood the responsibilities of the position and promised that she would not disappoint. “The promise is clear – we are here to uplift communities and unite the nation. Government needs to be capable and champions of the people, so I am grateful for the trust placed in me by the ANC. Going forward, we will be working with all of our colleagues from across the aisle to eradicate socio-economic plights,” she said. Dube-Ncube said she understood the gravity of her position and felt the province was progressive in choosing a female leader. “The fighters who have always raised their voice for women can now…

According to the South African Constitution, everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected. Yet this so-called right is violated daily by our own government, not because of any particular malice (although there’s also plenty of that); they are just unable to fulfil their promise. This right to dignity was premised on greater reliance on the state; the state would provide housing, water, electricity, etc to the poor. Now they are simply unable to meet these obligations, meanwhile the poor have become ever more dependent on the government to do what they promised. To give a practical example, if you live in one of the areas electrified and provided with water and sanitation after 1994, you eventually got used to the government providing something…

IN THE wild the lifespan of a male lion is not very long, with few surviving for more than a decade. Young lions generally kick out older males to take over the pride and, after a few years, they themselves get kicked out by a younger lion. Sihle Zikalala was once a young lion within the ANC in KwaZulu- Natal. In November 2015 he defeated Senzo Mchunu to become the provincial chairperson of the party. In other words, he became the leader of the pride in this province. Like all strong lions do, Zikalala kicked out Mchunu, who the ANC had made the premier of KZN. However, Zikalala decided not to become premier immediately. He gave the job to Willies Mchunu, who in turn appointed Zikalala as the provincial executive…

AFTER World War II, it took a decade for Japan to recover and develop into a world economic power. South Korea also suffered a massive economic blow during the Korean War but, just like its East Asian counterpart, it too was on the road to recovery within a decade. Rapid economic transformation has become an ANC buzzword, yet what we are witnessing in post-apartheid South Africa is a decline in every aspect of governance. Decaying infrastructure, lawlessness and corruption are endemic to our country. From all that we see, it’s clear that our government lacks the mentality of understanding the undertaking of economic transformation. The lack of emphasis on providing quality education to all is at the crux of the matter. This cannot happen if an environment has not been…

THE killing of two schoolgirls in southern KwaZulu-Natal is a harsh reminder of the importance of protecting women and children and how far we have to go as a society when it comes to fighting the scourge of violence against them. The DA is saddened by the latest event, which comes as we enter Women’s Month. We hope that KZN’s law enforcement will do everything in its power to ensure the killer is brought to justice. We also urge Nonhlanhla Khoza, KZN Social Development MEC, to provide every possible support to the families of the deceased during this difficult time and to ensure that both they and the learners at the school the girls attended receive psychosocial support. Our women and girls live in constant fear of rape and murder.…

THE IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature notes with concern a motion from the DA presented by MPL Imran Keeka on August 4. The DA motion mentions their “recognition for the need for peace and lasting negotiated settlements for the people of Kashmir” as well as “To call upon the nation states in the region to end hostilities”. The IFP is in full support of peace, reconciliation and an end to hostilities, as well being in support of a negotiated settlement. However, a provincial legislature is not the platform for such discussions, which appear to be an attempt to meddle in international issues. In addition, these types of remarks run the risk of souring relations between SA and the nation states in question. Our focus should instead be on working for…

I WAS raped by my uncle when I was in Standard 3. I was 10 years old at the time. He lived with us, my two sisters, mum and dad. Every day he used to ask me to call him “my darling”, “sweetheart” and “love”. He said it was a game and if I won there would be a huge prize waiting for me. This went on for about two months. Then the July holidays arrived and he said our game was coming to an end. He wanted me to make time to be alone with him, so we could end this game of his. I couldn’t do it. Unfortunately, one day during the holidays my little sister fell sick and mum had to take her to the doctor. We…

A rape survivor, a 35-year-old mother of two, said it took her 10 years to report her case to the police. “I was raped in 2008 by a family member from my mom’s side. I was living in the same house as the perpetrator at the time. “I only reported the matter in 2018 because I was afraid of what my family would think. I didn’t think anyone would support me. And I was right because everyone turned against me. “People would laugh at me and whisper behind my back that I had contracted HIV.” She said the years leading up to reporting the matter were harrowing. “I contemplated killing myself many times and once made an unsuccessful attempt. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror without those memories…

DUANE Vermeulen slots straight back into the Springbok starting line-up for Saturday’s second Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks while in another note-worthy change, coach Jacques Nienaber has taken the conservative route and picked Jesse Kriel for the suspended Kurt-Lee Arendse at right wing. There is also a relative newcomer at loosehead prop where Ox Nche is back from a period on the sidelines to take over from Trevor Nyakane. There are five changes in all from the team that started last week in Mbombela — two of them injury-enforced — and the occasion will also mark Frans Malherbe’s 50th Test for South Africa. The three rotational switches made by Nienaber see the bruising Vermeulen return at No 8 after recovering from surgery to his knee where he takes…

FORMER heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has accused an unauthorised television drama of stealing his life story, comparing the streaming platform behind the upcoming series to a “slave master”. “Mike,” which premieres on US streamer Hulu on August 25, is a scripted drama that re-enacts moments from the controversial fighter’s life, from his early childhood and through his 1992 rape conviction. “Hulu is the streaming version of the slave master. They stole my story and didn’t pay me,” wrote Tyson on Instagram. He added: “I don’t support their story about my life. It’s not 1822. It’s 2022. They stole my life story and didn’t pay me. “To Hulu executives I’m just a n****r they can sell on the auction block,” he wrote, using asterisks in place of letters. Hulu,…

Despite Covid-19 being seemingly less prevalent in South Africa now and restrictions being eased, we should not let our guard down because the country is in its peak flu season. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the flu season started in April and it will end this month. NICD research indicates that influenza A, influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 and influenza B are seasonal influenza virus strains common in humans. It notes that influenza A (H1N1) pdm09, which is sometimes incorrectly referred to as “swine flu”, has been one of the circulating seasonal strains following its emergence in 2009. “The term swine flu should not be used as it causes unnecessary panic. The clinical course of infection with this influenza strain and clinical management is similar to that…

SOUTH Africa has a shortage of 27 137 medical professionals with dentists and nurses being high on the critical list. According to statistics from the Department of Health’s Persal system, KwaZulu-Natal faced the most acute shortage of healthcare professionals compared to other provinces. KZN had a shortfall of 7 608 healthcare professionals and was in need of 6 644 nurses, 51 paramedics, 859 medical practitioners and 54 pharmacists. This was followed by Gauteng with a shortfall of 5 514 healthcare professionals; the Eastern Cape with 3 892; the Free State with 2 875; and, Limpopo with 2 785. DA health spokesperson Michelle Clark said SA needed skilled medical practitioners specialising in paediatrics, anaesthesiology, cardiothoracic surgery and clinical pharmacology. She also said SA needed dentists, nurses and pharmacists. Clark said the…

WOMEN’s rights organisations have blamed bureaucractic incompetencies and lack of trained personnel over the impact of the backlog of DNA testing on victims. This, they said, was even though South Africa had some of the most sophisticated, scientific and forensic equipment to do the job. Bronwyn Pithey, an advocate at the Women’s Legal Centre, an African feminist legal centre that advances women’s rights and equality through litigation and advocacy, said: “DNA evidence is not always essential in cases, but for instance, where a suspect denies any sexual activity with a complainant then that evidence can link them to the offence. “It is also pivotal in matters involving children, who we find are being let down due to these delays. “Further to this, the delays can result in frustration. For example,…

WE ALL wondered where President Cyril Ramaphosa was when the nation faced an energy crisis. Rumours and speculation made their rounds, keeping many of us worrying in the dark. Were the problems at Eskom insurmountable and beyond the capabilities of all those entrusted with running the power utility? Had the government reached a dead end on how to resolve the crippling energy crisis? Was Ramaphosa too embarrassed to show his face in public after he was caught out hiding his dollars under the sofa at the Phala Phala farm? But now, at last, he has recently stepped forth and addressed the nation on the energy crisis that is frustrating the public and destroying the economy and business. In a lengthy address, he outlined a range of measures to revive the…

WITH reference to the article “Bodies rot on Phoenix mortuary floor” (POST, July 3-7). It was once said you can measure how civilised a country is by the way it treats its dead. Once again, the Phoenix mortuary has come under the spotlight, with bodies lying on the floor. I say: cry our bleeding, beloved country. I am ashamed of being South African. I am filled with disdain and disgust to see there is no value system and human dignity. We are in a crisis. Drastic and preventative action needs to be taken as this is unacceptable. There is no respect for the dead. To see the bodies that are on the floor is unnecessary and insensitive. There is something rotten in the running of the Phoenix mortuary. The health…

THE recent gang rape of eight South African women has the country shocked and reeling from such a dastardly deed. The alleged perpetrators are the illegal miners also known as zama zamas. The community in the Kagiso area are incensed and are on the warpath to eliminate this apparent scourge of illegal and undocumented foreigners. It seems that the unfortunate community members have been at the receiving end of crime being committed by these armed foreign nationals. The communities maintain these crimes have been ongoing for the past few years with law enforcement doing little to protect them from being robbed and raped. The question is, how were these zama zamas allowed to establish themselves in South Africa illegally without government intervention? The government has failed its citizens in…

A 41-year-old e-hailing driver has learnt that it does not pay to open bogus crime cases. Mahomed Khan, charged with perjury and defeating the ends of justice, appeared in the Phoenix Magistrate’s Court on Monday after he registered a bogus case of hijacking. Khan registered a case of hijacking on Sunday. The driver claimed that while transporting passengers from Hillhead Road in Phoenix last Friday night, he was robbed of his vehicle and held hostage at an unknown location. He said he managed to escape his captors and went directly to the Phoenix police station. The Phoenix crime team investigated the matter and found the alleged hijacked vehicle parked at the Isipingo police station. “On interviewing the complainant further, it was established that he parked the vehicle at Isipingo SAPS,…

MEDICAL doctor Thelma John David assumed her position as consul general of the Republic of India in Durban last month. In her role, there is consular jurisdiction over KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Eastern Cape. David is the second female consul general in Durban after ambassador Vijaya Latha Reddy in 1994. She is a career diplomat from the Indian Foreign Service with 13 years of experience in various missions. This includes India’s diplomatic missions in China, the US and at the Centre for Contemporary China Studies in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, India. David did her schooling in Holy Angels’ Convent in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and graduated in 2006 from the Christian Medical College Hospital in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. She is married to Sandeep Samuel David…

A RAPE survivor has found her voice and is using her platform to uplift and counsel women and children in her community who were sexually violated. The 44-year-old, of uMlazi, said her father had raped her for eight years – starting when she was 8 years old. “I grew up as an aggressive child. For my father to stop molesting me, I had to fight for myself because there was no one to protect me as a young girl. “At the age of 16, I took self-defence classes. “I lived a separate life as a teenager that my family was not aware of.” She said she first reported the rape to her high school principal. “But because my dad was a well-known and trusted priest in the community, the principal…

DIA Nana loved dogs and wanted to become a vet. But last Thursday, the 11-year-old died in hospital following a car accident on July 30. Dia, a Grade 5 pupil at Chelsea Preparatory School, was sitting in a two-seater Porsche when the car crashed into shops along Johannes Nkosi (Alice) Street on July 30. Her brother, Mihir, 8, in Grade 2 at the same school, suffered a broken leg and head injuries. Their father, Mishal Nana, a businessman, was driving the car. He sustained injuries to his shoulder and hand. Nana was discharged from hospital but re-admitted this week to undergo shoulder surgery. Garrith Jamieson, spokesperson for ALS Paramedics, said: “Paramedics arrived on the scene around 11pm to find carnage. A single luxurious sports vehicle had somehow lost control and…

Neville Naidoo hopes his readers will dare to dream a dream bigger than the one scripted by their circumstances with his debut novel, Trust Your Struggle. “One such life-change would be ample reward for the long hours of labour invested in manifesting this book,” said Naidoo. The author said the book described his upbringing in the Esperanza Barracks, a rural sugar estate on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, and traced his Indian roots of indenture. “The title aligns with the struggles I encountered living in the barracks. The tagline – How my Indian family’s migration, pain and sacrifices shaped my life story – is about how my grandparents endured pain and suffering during their journey to South Africa and the sacrifices they made so I could have a better life.…

The DA has blamed the police minister for the decline in the number of police reservists. Reservists fall under two categories: functional policing, and specialised operational support. According to the SAPS website, functional policing performs general policing functions under the supervision of a permanent member or reservist with at least three years of experience. The specialised operational support is someone with particular skills or expertise that can be operationally used by the SAPS. Andrew Whitfield, an MP and the DA’s spokesperson on police, said the SAPS reservist programme had decreased under the leadership of Minister Bheki Cele, with the SAPS losing 90% of its reservists from 2011. “These shocking figures, which the DA received from a reply to a parliamentary question, prove that Minister Cele has been central to the…

ESCALATING violence across South Africa, ranging from tavern shootings to alleged gang rapes, as well as apparent extortion and torture and illegal road blockades, have not gone unnoticed by the SANDF in the form of the officer commanding the Infantry Formation of the SA Army. In possible anticipation of a deployment order from the Union Buildings, Major-General Patrick Dube has put elements of the formation on 25 hour standby. This, according to a warning instruction dated Saturday, August 6, but not numbered, is “in anticipation of deploying in support or co-operation with the SAPS”. The instruction is clear it is a warning to the named Infantry Formation units and regiments to “prepare and provide combat-ready forces to support or co- operate with SAPS in quelling any form of unrest that…

AN OPEN letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa I am emailing you following what I recently saw on eNCA – a citizen was shot dead in Thembisa while protesting over poor service delivery and the increases levied for lights and water in that area. The truth of the matter is that the problem exists in every province in South Africa, where almost 80% of citizens live below the breadline. The recent increase in the fuel price has a ripple effect. It affects every sector of the economy that relies on transportation. The cost of food has also increased drastically. Everything increases, on average, by about 30%. How are poor citizens expected to budget and live their lives? This places a bigger burden on the 80% of citizens living below the breadline.…

We are celebrating women this month. Sadly, women in our rainbow nation are being assaulted, raped and killed every hour. Our society is contaminated with many atrocities and abnormalities. It is difficult to comprehend why we as a human species resort to grotesque acts of savagery. Gender based violence (GBV) is a widespread issue that presents a real, deadly threat to millions of people. The killing of a female partner by an intimate male partner is the most extreme outcome of GBV. A woman is killed every three hours in our country. About 943 children were killed in 2019/2020. During the same period, there were 42 289 rape cases, 7 749 sexual assault cases, and 2 076 attempted sexual offences. Child abuse is widespread,with 35% of children experiencing some form…

Mom, 72, arrested for killing of Broken Promise’s actress: Chhota Ivar: Feeling sorry for the mom. Don’t know what she went through. Shamala Govindasamy: This is so sad. How can a mother (allegedly) kill her own child? Shireen Hanief: Oh Lord. She is 72 and has the power to allegedly kill her own child? God blessed her with that age yet she shortened her own child’s life. Miriam Rungasamy: Even if the mother is mentally unstable, that does not give her the right to allegedly kill her daughter. Nicole Hartze: The other family members also need to take accountability for the deterioration of their mother’s mental health due to their sister’s abuse. There is no way they were involved in caring for their elderly mother without knowledge of what the…

FOUR accused charged with kidnapping businesswoman Sandra Munsamy attempted to prove they were assaulted by police and forced to plead guilty. In a trial within a trial in the Durban High Court this week, Lucas Ndlovu, Dumisani Radebe, Jose O’ Tember and Arthur Da Silva Mondlane claimed innocence of the kidnapping on May 30, 2019. Munsamy spent 162 days in captivity before she was rescued by law enforcement agencies on November 7, 2019, in a house in Gauteng. The accused claimed they were assaulted by police following their arrest in Gauteng. They said they only pleaded guilty because they were assaulted at the Douglasdale police station in Sandton. Constable Thando Mathabatha, one of the arresting officers, denied the claims during court proceedings. “We handcuffed the suspects and read them their…

RAPE in South Africa is systemic and endemic. The country’s annual police crime statistics confirm this. There were 42 289 rapes reported in 2019/2020, as well as 7 749 sexual assaults. This translates into about 115 rapes a day. South Africa has one of the highest rape statistics in the world, even higher than some countries at war. The picture has been more or less the same every year since the early 2000s, with the numbers going slightly up or down. But policies to deal with the urgency of these high levels of sexual violence tend to individualise rape in a way that creates the impression only some men rape. And that they are the rotten apples or the monsters. The response from the police – as well as the…

SURVIVOR’S ORDEAL Rape cases need to be reported to the police so the perpetrator is held accountable, says a rape survivor from northern KwaZulu-Natal. The 20-year-old was raped on July 30. “I told my room-mate what had happened and she started crying. She suggested I open a case with the police and go to the hospital. “I then reported the matter to the police after being discharged from the hospital that day.” She said she was initially afraid to report that she had been raped. “The boy threatened to kill me if I did so, so I was quite scared. But I’m happy I reported the matter because he was caught in town a few days later. I was scared but happy when I found this out. “While I’m glad…

HAVE you heard it yet? The KZN Angler News audio fishing report is South Africa's first fishing podcast series that focuses on the latest fishing reports for the East Coast, whether they’re hot or not. It delivers true and accurate content from the provinces most prominent anglers on a weekly basis on various facets of angling. This report is free and available on all major Podcast platforms including Apple Pods, Google Pods, Spotify and Deezer as well as South Africa’s most popular Facebook pages. This show is proudly sponsored by The Kingfisher to ensure you get into the right feeding zones with bending rods for the upcoming weekend. https://ansapodcast.buzzsprout.com Just like that, we are into August. The fishing has been consistent with some brilliant edibles being caught and a few…