Table of contents for 2023-06-07 in Post

The first lesson is the importance of layering the ingredients – and not stirring the pot until the very end. The point is to cook everything in one pot, thus the layering is crucial to achieving a thoroughly cooked meal. Use fresh vegetables, but if you must use frozen vegetables, thaw them completely to avoid having too much water in the pot. Chicken or beef: If you are more inclined towards a chicken potjie, use drumstick or thigh pieces as these hold flavour the best. Adding about 250ml of Chardonnay makes a world of difference when paired with braised onions and other vegetables like baby corn and baby potatoes, which help thicken the sauce without the use of thickening agents. The wine will deglaze the flavours, which essentially lifts any…

THREE-TIME silver medallist Shalendra Madhan Bhola is attempting the Comrades Marathon after 17 years. He is hoping to secure his fourth silver medal this year. Bhola, 56, is an accountant from Raisethorpe in Pietermaritzburg. He has three children and is also a member of the Protea Striders Athletics Club. His love for athletics started when he was a teenager while representing his school in track events. “After matriculating I stopped running, but when I was about 26, I decided to participate in the 27km Dawn Fresh Greytown to Muden Road Race. It was a popular race at the time. “After competing I was bitten by the road-racing bug again and began training to compete in my first Comrades, which I did in 1990.” Bhola completed the race; however, it was…

Jagadhasen “Juggie” Appalsamy Naidoo will run his 20th Comrades Marathon on Sunday. Born and raised in Sizela on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, he now lives on the Bluff, in the Durban South basin. Now retired, Naidoo, 62, worked at the Mondi Paper Mill as an inventory controller. He said he started running the Comrades Marathon to train for soccer. “My brother, Moonsamy ‘Gansen’ Naidoo, and I played soccer back in the day. Initially, we both played in Sezela. There were also leagues within the sugar mill where teams played against one another. “Within the community, we played for different soccer teams. I played for Celtics Club in Sezela and my brother played for The Eagles. We used to travel to Umzinto to play matches. “We decided, during that time, to…

Ashti Juggath, a wife, a mother, a pharmacist and an author, recently published her first book, Peaches and Smeets. Juggath attended Mountview Secondary in Verulam and completed her undergraduate degree in pharmacy at UKZN. She moved to Johannesburg and obtained her Master’s in pharmacy from Wits, which sparked her love for writing. She now lives in Parkwood, Johannesburg, with her husband and three children. “I grew up on the beautiful north coast of KZN and frequently visited my grandparents in the Transvaal, which is the predominant setting for my novel. I penned Peaches and Smeets believing that the stories of the past needed to be captured for posterity. “My love for books began at a young age with my parents taking me to the Verulam library. Writing on the other…

RESHMA Sookrajh has written her memoir, titled Running To Finish, to commemorate 10 years of running the Comrades Marathon. The 66-year-old mother of three and retired honorary professor in Education at the School of Educational Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is formerly from Kharwastan. She now lives with her husband and son in Westville. The memoir centres on Sookrajh’s experiences during the Comrades. While growing up in Cato Manor, Sookrajh discovered her love for running. “In the early 1960s, I used to watch the scattering of runners pass the Westridge Tennis Stadium. I don’t think they took advantage of my watering point, which consisted of a humble bucket of water. I guess this embellished itself in my mind in a way that I had to revisit it later…

YOU could say that from a sporting perspective, August 1998 was a good month for South Africa. The Springboks won their first Tri-Nations title, beating Australia in Johannesburg. It was the third year the tournament was held with New Zealand having won in the first two years. Some 62 000 rugby fans turned out that day to watch the game. Tries were scored by Adrian Garvey and Bob Skinstad while Percy Montgomery was on kicking duty. It also happened to be the month when the prime lending rate was at an all-time high of 25.5%. Let me say that again: in August 1998 the prime lending rate was at an all-time high of 25.5%. Yet, as tough as it was, people survived. Some of them even went to the rugby…

THE recent repo rate hike implemented by the South African Reserve Bank will undoubtedly have a negative impact on hard-pressed South Africans. The move comes amid rising inflation, a weak economic outlook, and a struggling job market, making it difficult for the average citizen to make ends meet. The repo rate hike is the latest in a series of measures taken by the Reserve Bank to address the country’s economic challenges. While the central bank cites inflation as the primary reason for the hike, it is unlikely to alleviate the underlying economic issues. As the Reserve Bank has made it clear, inflation is partly driven by external factors such as global supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, analysts believe that poor governance, lack of fiscal discipline and…

RAJESH Morar, the branch chairperson of the ANC ward 70 in Chatsworth, died on Saturday from a heart attack. The 64-year-old was born and raised in Mayville and lived on Wiggins Road. His family lived there before moving to Chatsworth in the 1970s. He later married Sharmaine Morar, a former eThekwini Municipality councillor. They have two children, Rhea and Neel. Morar had previously served as a member of the Provincial Legislation (MPL) and was a former executive member at the municipality. At the time of his death, he was the administrator of the Chatsworth Parliamentary Constituency Office, a position he held for 23 years. Rhea Morar, his daughter and a lawyer, said: “His interest in politics began 40 years ago with a view of better serving his community and country.…

West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer has urged his team to make history by winning their first major trophy for 43 years when they face Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday. The Hammers haven’t lifted a significant piece of silverware since Trevor Brooking’s header clinched a shock win against Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final. In their first major European final since 1976, when they lost to Anderlecht in the Cup Winners’ Cup, West Ham are on the brink of finally ending their trophy drought. West Ham’s most recent final was a painful penalty shoot-out defeat against a Liverpool side in the 2006 FA Cup. But David Moyes’ men arrive in Prague as favourites to win the Europa Conference League against a Fiorentina team that finished eighth…

Star India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has called coach Rahul Dravid’s speech after the Bangladesh Test in Mirpur a key moment and believes it to be the turning point in India’s path to the ICC World Test Championship Final. Ahead of the WTC final against Australia, the 36-year-old spinner spoke to the ICC and revealed one particular behind-the-scenes moment that he holds as a personal highlight in the past two years of Test cricket. “We’ve had our moments in this last cycle, especially where we could have been knocked out quite a few times and have just held tight. I think the moment of the WTC, I don’t know, irrespective of what happens in this game, would be Rahul bhai’s (brother) speech after the Bangladesh Test that we had at Mirpur,”…

The mornings are colder and darker but there are still plenty of fish in the sea. The sea has been a bit grumpy along the KZN coast for ski anglers but seems to be settling down. The North Coast of KZN has not seen much of a change. The bottom fishing has been kind to both the charter and recreational guys. The main catches have been focussed on mixed reds and rockcod. The section along the Durban coast saw a lot of action last week, mainly due to the easier launch options available, but also for the fish species on the menu. There was a pile of tuna for those who ventured off the central coast. Most methods proved effective, but a live bait produced the bigger fish. Snoek, couta,…

ANGE Postecoglou has come from humble roots and arriving in Australia by boat as a little boy to take one of the Premier League’s biggest jobs. The 57-year-old Australian was named Tottenham Hotspur manager on Tuesday, having won five trophies in two seasons at Celtic, including the Scottish treble this year. Athens-born Postecoglou may represent a disappointment to Spurs fans demanding a “bigger name”, but he knows what success is, having lifted league titles in three different countries. Championship glory first came with South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar in Australia, then Japan’s Yokohama F Marinos, before defying sceptics to excel in Scotland. The no-nonsense Postecoglou also had a successful four years as Australia coach that included winning the 2015 Asian Cup. Former Everton star Tim Cahill played for the Socceroos…

ABDUL Mateen Khalid, a Raisethorpe Secondary School pupil who was kidnapped for 13 days, has returned home unharmed. The 17-year-old was taken at gunpoint on May 24 near Brixham Road in Orient Heights, Pietermaritzburg, by three men posing as police officers. SAPS and private security companies Magma Security and Investigations, and RZS Security launched the search. On Monday, Abdul was found and reunited with his family. Muhammad Safeen Khalid, Abdul’s older brother, said: “After school, my brother dropped off our driver, who works for us, at our family’s furniture factory when three policemen pulled him over and said they were arresting him for underaged driving. They were dressed in police reflector jackets. “They then took him. They left the van on Brixham Road. He was missing for about three to…

LOSING his wife and son in a car accident last year was one of the biggest battles for Comrades Marathon runner Krishna Naidoo. Naidoo lost two of his biggest supporters in an instant. Many would have given up, but instead the 62-year-old retired teacher from Dawncrest in Verulam runs in dedication to them. He will be competing in his 29th Comrades Marathon this year. Naidoo was a runner at a young age. He ran in track and cross-country events at school and later at the Springfield College. He joined the college’s athletics club, and was introduced to road running and eventually the Comrades. He took part in his first Comrades Marathon in 1983 at the age of 22. “I was inexperienced. I knew nothing about nutrition, diet or the training.…

THANK you to Mr T Markandan for his objective and positive feed- back with regard to my letter “We are writing our own tragedy” (POST, May 3-7). With regard to the unmarrying of widows, it is common to see most are done behind closed doors while some are done openly for mourners to see, which is, I believe, insensitive. On a few occasions, chickens are placed inside the coffin be- cause, according to the priest, the time of death of the deceased is not appropriate. This raises concerns: What principle is this unfounded act based on? This unethical practice by unscrupulous priests has gone unabated. It is time to take a stand. Our people are being misled and exploited in their most vulnerable times of bereavement. My appeal to the…

I MUST pay my compliments to the organisers of a recent event hosted by the 1860 Indentured Labourer’s Foundation (Verulam). The event was the unveiling of a monument and plaque at the entrance to Verulam, in commemoration of the indenture of the Indian settler. Under the stewardship of Anand Jayrajh and his formidable team, the event was marked with great planning. However, I learnt during the event that officials from the eThekwini Municipality, who were invited to attend, did not show up, nor hand in apologies. This was disturbing and, in my candid opinion, disrespectful. The Indian community, who migrated on to these shores in search of a better life than the penury and deprivation experienced in their motherland of India, despite despicable and draconian conditions foisted down upon them,…

Dashayin Gilbert, also known as Dash, is an aspiring Formula 1 aerodynamicist who has set his mind to achieving this dream. But he needs a bit of help. The 18-year-old placed third at the Regeneron Science and Engineering Fair in Atlanta in the US last year. The event is the largest pre-collegiate science fair in the world with more than 70 countries participating. Dashayin won a cash award in the physics and astronomy category for his motorsport-related project. He was the only South African to receive an award. In February this year, he was accepted to study for the MEng Aeronautics and Astronautics: Aerodynamics degree, with an industrial placement, at the University of Southampton, a research university in England. The university is also the leading F1 recruitment institution for aerodynamicists.…

WHEN Rajen Eswarlal lost his wife to Covid-19, his older brother Anesh encouraged him to join the Woodview Athletics Club in Phoenix to help him cope with his grief. Today, the brothers are preparing to participate in the Comrades Marathon together. Anesh, 53, is a logistics manager from Parkgate in Verulam. He is married with two children. Rajen, 52, is a librarian at the Durban University of Technology. He is from Sunningdale in uMhlanga and has a son, Darius. His wife, Lutchmee Eswarlal, contracted Covid-19 in 2021 and passed on. “It was not easy dealing with her death. Anesh had joined the club in 2019, and I remember him encouraging me to do the same. I joined in 2022, and since then the club has kept me focused and helped…

TWENTY-THREE years ago, Devandran Reddy’s 50-year-old father-in-law persuaded him to join him for an afternoon run. Now, at the age of 54, Reddy is celebrating a milestone. He will be running his 20th Comrades Marathon. Reddy, of High Street in Tongaat, is an IT specialist and a father to two daughters. He said he continued running to stay healthy. “It seemed like the ideal sport because at any time I can put on my takkies and go for a refreshing run. My father-in-law inspired me to run the Comrades. He was old and asked me to join him on a road run. I thought if he could do it at his age, I had no excuse and gave it a shot. The rest is history.” His first Comrades Marathon was…

A Father’s Daughter, authored by Swastika Juggernath, is aimed at helping daughters who are grieving the loss of a dad. The book was recently published by Europe Books. Juggernath, 38, of Shallcross, a sneakers manager at Bata South Africa, said she wanted to capture the gravity of losing her father through the book. Swastika is named after the ancient cultural symbol. She said: “A father-daughter relationship is a special bond that cannot be described accurately enough, although I have tried. A father is said to be a daughter’s first love because no other man loves her unconditionally as much as her father. “I am also aware of many fathers who have gone astray, shirking from their responsibilities, but mine is a true story of an amazing father who raised the…

MOGAMAD Salie lived most of his life not knowing he was autistic. He went on to matriculate from high school and graduate with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Cape Town. Salie then worked in Switzerland and Europe, married and started a family. However, he always felt different and disconnected from people. It was at the age of 45 that he was diagnosed with autism. He has now published a memoir, Chicken Leg: A Loner's Way, which is a coming-of-age story about his life dealing with autism in Cape Town during apartheid. The memoir details his childhood to teenage years. The 53-year-old said: “I drew inspiration for the name of my book from a memory that stands out for me in my childhood. I was severely burnt…

SOUTH African schoolchildren are in the midst of their mid-year exams, and children and parents experience the tensions and pressures of the exam period. Observations inform us that parents have become intrinsically involved in their children’s educational curriculum. New and young parents today speak of the different demands. The motivations vary, but a common reason is to ensure their children become successful adults as they develop their intellectual capacities, personalities and life skills. The term parentocracy, coined by Scholar Tan (2017), speaks of intensive parenting which entails material and labour-intensive parenting techniques to ensure that the child develops habits which ultimately lead to success. Hence, which school and how children are educated are significant choices for a specific upper-class sector of our society. I have been privy to debates and…

SOUTH Africa is not only the land of milk and honey for state capture operatives but it is becoming a fantasy destination for visiting dignitaries, emissaries, business people, celebrities and politicians. Even the king of Dubai recently took over parts of the Eastern Cape when he arrived with an entourage. They included cooks, medics and body guards. Not since the docking of the QE II or the invasion of a plane load of Gupta wedding guests at Waterkloof Air Base have we seen such a high falutin’ and pompous guest list. Now, the ANC-led eThekwini Municipality want to woo international guests, politicians and heads of state to an exclusive cigar and whiskey lounge, The Pencil, in uMhlanga that will cost taxpayers R16 000 a day as a meeting venue.…

IF WE, South Africans, believe that our country is a democracy, then by definition, a democracy is “a way of governing which depends on the will of the people”. To be politically correct, “government of the people, by the people and for the people”, as explained by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the US. Therefore, officials in the highest office of our country should believe that public servants, elected by the citizens of our country, ought to respect the principles of the ideology. However, since the dawn of our democracy and despite the state’s promises to improve the lives of our people, by advancing a transformative constitution, it has been merely a pipe dream because it remains elusive. The top five violations of human rights in South Africa are…

AN INTERNATIONAL conference to map a way forward for peaceful resolution of conflict in current turbulent times began in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday. The inaugural Gandhi, Mandela, King International Conference was launched to unpack the thought, values, practices and histories of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King jr, with the aim of finding non-violent solutions to problems today. These include wars and conflicts in Africa and across the globe. The event has been jointly organised by the Humanities Institute at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Pietermaritzburg Gandhi Foundation. This has been done in collaboration with the Gandhi Development Trust (Durban); the Centre on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University (US); the Nelson Mandela Foundation (South Africa); the Gandhi-King Foundation (India); and the…

In THE Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll finished sixth and Fernando Alonso completed the race in seventh position. Alonso was hoping to go above his teammate as he was driving the car faster but he halted his decision. He later said bringing the car home felt like the right choice. In the last moments of the race, Alonso was battling with his teammate Stroll for a higher finish but decided to back down. According to the official website of Formula 1, Alonso said, “For us, it was the same, sixth and seventh, seventh and sixth, same points, bringing the car home felt like the right choice.” He further added, “I think I was a little bit faster, like one or…