Table of contents for 2024-02-07 in Post

Urvashi trains with boxer Urvashi Rautela, who is gearing up for her project with Telugu star Nandamuri Balakrishna, has opted for the hard route. The actress has learnt action and stunts from Irish mixed martial artist and professional boxer, Conor McGregor. He said: “The only Bollywood film person I know after Shah Rukh Khan is Urvashi Rautela. She’s an excellent and outstanding actor, and an artiste. She is a shining example of beauty from India, and I’m sure you’ll be seeing her in more Hollywood projects soon. She has an amazing fitness report.” Rautela has projects like Welcome 3 with Akshay Kumar; Baap (the remake of the Hollywood blockbuster Expendables) with Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dutt; Inspector Avinash 2 with Randeep Hooda; and Black Rose. She will also…

RARE and vintage memorabilia from the films of legendary actor, the late Dev Anand, are to be auctioned online. The memorabilia includes film publicity art from the classics such as Baazi, Kala Bazaar, Guide, Tere Ghar Ke Samne and Hare Rama Hare Krishna. It also includes photographic stills, posters, showcards, lobby cards and booklets. The highlights include a rare set of 16 Kala Bazaar and Johnny Mera Naam lobby cards, eight publicity black-and-white photographic stills from Guide, 15 coloured photographic stills from Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and rare posters of Munimji, Milap and Sarhad. The auction, from February 8-10, is on www.derivaz-ives.com.…

Mallaya-Pandya is a UK-based award-winning intuitive life coach and best-selling author. Follow her on www.mysticsisters-uk.com and @mysticsisters. ARIES (March 21 – April 19) You are on fire this month. You will find yourself feeling driven to get things done. Finding your inner peace will take priority. Having a firm and frank conversation with someone you love is on the cards. Love is going to feel magical. Highs: Adventure. Lows: Questioning your future. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) Things feel like they are not moving. It’s time to refresh your thought patterns and not be as stubborn. Trust your intuition. An old lover is on your mind. It won’t work. Finances need your attention. Highs: Breaking free emotionally. Lows: Repeating toxic behaviour. GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) This is…

2 large eggs ½ cup butter 1 cup granulated white sugar 2 tsp vanilla essence 1/8 tsp salt ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1½ tsp red gel food colouring ¾ tsp white vinegar ¾ cup cake flour (levelled) In a small bowl, beat the eggs together and then set aside. Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl, 30 seconds at a time, until melted. Stir in the sugar, vanilla essence, cocoa powder, salt, food colouring and vinegar. Mix each of the ingredients into the batter in that order. Whisk in the eggs, then fold in the flour until completely incorporated. Do not over mix. Pour the brownie batter into prepared baking pan, leaving about 3 to 4 tablespoons for the top. cheesecake swirl: 224g cream cheese, room…

ALMOST 15 years ago, the life of a young and vibrant teacher, Kavisha Seevnarain, changed in a matter of minutes. She was hijacked, taken on a joyride and eventually thrown over a 67m-high bridge. Seevnarain, now 41, of Durban, said while she still remembered her ordeal like it was yesterday, self-determination and positive thoughts had enabled her to get back on her feet. Seevnarain, who was 26 at the time and lived in Pinetown, was on her way to visit a friend in Shallcross on the night of November 13, 2009. While stopped at an intersection in the area, she was ambushed by four armed men, who smashed the window of her Mercedes-Benz and gained entry into her vehicle. She was then driven around Durban until the early hours of…

SOUTH African-born musician Tyla Laura Seethal, known in the industry as Tyla, made history by becoming the first winner of the newly-created Grammy Awards Best African Music Performance category for her song, Water. She also became the youngest South African artist to win a Grammy award, at age 22. Tyla, who was born in Johannesburg and matriculated from Edenglen High School, beat other tough African acts: Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Asake, Olamide and Davido, featuring South African artist Musa Keys, to win the award. In her acceptance speech, she said: “If you don’t know me, my name is Tyla. I’m from South Africa and last year God decided to change my whole life, so thank you so much to God ... “Thank you to my team, my family. I know…

PSYCHOLOGIST Sherylene Ganesh, who specialises in working with children and parent-infant mental health, says children who are excluded from school suffer a long-lasting psychological impact. It affects their educational attainment, prospective careers and mental health. “These children can become more vulnerable as victims or perpetrators of crime and, in particular, are vulnerable to childhood criminal exploitation. “Exclusion from school settings is known to affect children’s self-esteem, self-worth, and sense of belonging in their community. “These are vital components that are needed for children to develop healthily and have a strong sense of self. “As a result, children can feel as if they are unwanted or not accepted in their communities, which can exacerbate feelings of loneliness, stress, and a poor sense of self-worth,” said Ganesh. She added that children who…

IT WAS a hollow victory for the ANC at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), thousands of miles away from South Africa with our own myriad of problems and crises, saddled on to us by this sad excuse of a government. Where is our water, electricity, sanitation, jobs, security, housing, land and low priced food and fuel? The ANC, which is unashamedly pro-Hamas, has never exposed them for their genocide on Israeli citizens on October 7 last year. Israel, like any other country, retaliated, as Hamas expected, and attempted to rescue their citizens and even agreed to a ceasefire. This war declared by Hamas and retaliated to by Israel, resulted in the unfortunate loss of innocent lives on both sides. The ICJ and the ANC failed to implement a ceasefire…

THE Bible records that the three wise men followed the star that led them to the Christ-child lying in the manger in the stable at Bethlehem. They offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. From early 2023 and to date, the three “unwise” men of the eThekwini Municipality followed the “disaster” that led to residents and businesses being without water for weeks at a time. They are mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, municipal manager Musa Mbhele and Ednick Msweli, the head of Water and Sanitation. In my suburb of Brindhaven, in Verulam, we have the water supply shut off daily from about 4pm to 4am the next day. In other areas, the water pressure is low and water flows in, in annoying slow drips. Then there is the other fiasco where…

INDEPENDENT Media has rejoined the Press Council of South Africa (PCSA), after a seven-year absence. The Press Council executive director, Latiefa Mobara, welcomed the move and said Independent Media had rejoined at a critical time, with the elections looming, and was an important addition to its 400-plus members. The Independent Media stable consists of 18 titles, six of which are in KwaZulu-Natal. The Press Code sets and enforces the “rules of the game” for factual, accountable, independent and responsible journalism. The PCSA believes in freedom of speech and expression, including freedom of the media, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Its role is to ensure that media freedom is maintained and furthered. It uses the Press Code to hold the press accountable. Mobara said they…

THERE is no need for a mad rush or desperate need to apply for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI). I am aware that many people are desirous of attaining OCI in the hope that it will help them make a hasty exit from South Africa in the event that “things get bad”. What is delaying matters for most of them is the difficulty in proving to the Government of India that their forebears arrived from India. For descendants of girmitiyas (indentured labourers), information from the ships’ register is required. With applicants for OCI having no idea of the proper names of settlers and the ships or dates of arrival of their forefathers from India, getting a permanent Indian visa becomes onerous. My advice to ordinary Indians from South Africa (for…

Velash Lombaard would speak to her father several times a day. When she could not contact him on any of his phones, she became worried and went to his farm to check on him. She found that her father, 74-year-old Sagadava “Manna” Naidoo, a former mayor and farmer, had been shot in the head and thrown on to the railway tracks metres from his home in Canelands, Verulam. This was on May 24, 2022. Lombaard was testifying at the start of trial of the three men, Sibongiseni Langa, 29, Clement Nkwanyana, 27, and Ignatius Chihoho, 46, all of Verulam, in the Durban High Court last week. The men, charged with murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and unlawful possession of a semi-automatic firearm and ammunition, pleaded not guilty. They were arrested…

PHOENIX community leaders and activists have challenged the findings of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) into the July 2021 unrest, that Indians were racist. Louis Pillay, a community leader, said he was on the commission’s committee but was never approached for input. “We were supposed to vet the report before it was released. During the unrest, everyone who lived in Phoenix stood together. My neighbours, who were African, white and coloured, stood side-by-side to guard their homes. So how are we labelled racists?” Seelan Achary, chairman of the Shri Mariammen Temple, said the findings created a false narrative about the Indian community and racism being rife in schools, at sporting events, and at the local…

THE death of Dr Zuleikha Mayat last week, at the ripe old age of 97, brought an era of grandness to a close. Her loss to the Muslim community in particular and the Indian community in general throughout the diaspora, from Australia to Canada, the UK and the US, wherever South African Indians have settled, will be felt for a long time. The name Zuleikha Mayat, that of a pioneer freelance journalist and author, is synonymous with the Women’s Cultural Group and the birth of its oldest and most successful project on South African Asian cuisine, Indian Delights. Published close to half a century ago, it has since become a cultural phenomenon in the country – and a notable export. I was fortunate to have spent some time with her…

INTO the hottest month we go. February means hot days, and game fish. The summer heat is making air conditioning a necessity and the north-east wind is starting to blow more consistently. The North Coast is where you want to be at this time of year. Make sure you have all your traces made up. Service your reels and make sure they are spooled with the best quality braid or nylon you can afford. Preparation goes a long way when it comes to fishing and can be the difference between a good day fishing and a miserable day on the boat. The sea has been a bit bumpy with the more prevalent north-east wind but there are more and more summer fish being landed every day ... The North Coast…

The emerging future stars of Bollywood; the failure of violence despite box-office successes; and the continued reliance on foreign special effects technicians despite India’s IT prowess, are a few of the issues in this analysis by Fakir Hassen, of the recent 69th Filmfare Awards in Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat. I HAVE always maintained that the annual FilmFare Awards, the oldest in the Indian film industry, are the only ones that I trust as not having a commercial imperative like some others that have come up in the past decade or two. This held true again this year as real talent in both the emerging new faces and some of the inimitable art of the seniors were both acknowledged; showing what our expectations should be in the coming years.…

300g soft butter 150ml castor sugar 5ml vanilla or almond essence 475ml cake flour 250ml cornflour Cream the butter with a hand mixer until light. Gradually add the sugar. Continue beating until the mixture is pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the essence and beat for a minute. Sift the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Not everything at once. Work the mixture very lightly into a soft dough. Roll the dough and wrap in cling wrap. Refrigerate until slightly firm. Once ready to use, roll out the dough to 1cm thickness. Using biscuit cutters of your choice, cut out shapes. Bake at 160°C for 15 to 20 minutes. These biscuits should not be golden brown. Leave to cool for a few minutes…

Nadia Khan, a self-taught baker and cook from Retreat in Cape Town, started baking for people from age 12. She officially started her business – Nadia’s Delights – in 2016. Khan shares her preferences for the month of love. Q: Which meal and dessert would you eat on Valentine’s Day, and why? A: Call me old-fashioned, but my meal would be masala fish with boiled eggs breyani, and dessert would be brownies with ice cream. This meal brings out the love that was spread in my family for years. When I first tasted the dessert, it brought warmth to my heart. Q: What is your favourite love song and romantic movie, and why do these hold a special place? A: Back at One by Brian Mcknight. This was the song…

SAEEDAH Baderdien and her boyfriend, Dayalan Kenny Govender, had been separated since December last year. She had moved out with her two daughters – from a previous relationship – to an outbuilding in Pipeclay Place, Clayfield, Phoenix. It is alleged that Baderdien’s refusal to reconcile with Govender, 48, drove him to shoot her more than six times, before taking the life of their 3-year-old daughter, Zara, and then turning the gun on himself. Two police sources told the POST that Baderdien, a receptionist, had separated from Govender who had approached her on two occasions to try and reconcile, but she had refused. “She told him she was moving on and it seemed like he could not accept this,” the sources claimed. After the separation, Zara continued to live with Govender…

A DEMAND for certain makes of vehicles has left motorists at risk of being hijacked. In some instances, victims are taken with their vehicles, assaulted or even killed. Over the past few weeks, there have been several reports of hijackings across the province. Last month, a Chatsworth man was hijacked and taken in his VW Tiguan. He was later left in uMlazi. A few days later, the driver of a Toyota Hilux double-cab was hijacked by four men. The suspects fired shots as they fled. Recent CCTV footage captured two men assaulting a driver with a firearm, before fleeing in his Toyota. On Saturday, there were reports of five vehicles stolen in the Bluff and Chatsworth. Among the vehicles were a Toyota Etios, VW Polo and Nissan NP200. An e-hailing…

EXPERTS say children should not be turned away from schools for any reason whatsoever, and parents should seek legal help if this happens. Professor Vimolan Mudaly, an education expert at the University of Kwa- Zulu-Natal, said it was unfortunate that in a country with such a good Constitution, parents and children still experienced such challenges. “Every child should have an equal opportunity to attend a school that is closest to their home. If there are parents experiencing the challenge of not being able to place their child into a school, then there can be a few possible reasons. “First, and ranked highly, is the fact that the child may have a behavioural problem or is a poor achiever and the school has labelled him or her a pariah. “Secondly, the…

DESMOND D’Sa of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), says the health of residents living along the fence-line of the Engen Refinery was being impacted by the effects of gas emissions from the refinery’s Kerosene Hydrotreater Unit. The residents of Wentworth, Merebank and the Bluff were the worst affected by the emissions from the unit, which became operational over the December 2023 holiday period. “Residents were shocked to suddenly be faced by flaring and the emission of what has now been confirmed as benzene concentrations. “We are concerned that Engen has not acted in good faith, which has impacted on the health and well-being of the community. We acknowledge that work for our people is important. However, the health and well-being of our people must be put before profit…

WE COMMEMORATED the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on January 30, 1948, at the hands of Nathuram Godse. I think we should remember the day in the spirit of Gandhi. He imagined death as a kind of victory. “Heroes”, he believed, “are made in the hour of defeat. Success is well described as a series of glorious defeats”. The framework of non-violence places emphasis on the mode of dying: “History is replete with instances of men, who, by dying with courage and compassion on their lips, converted the hearts of their violent opponents”. In the context of partition, and its long-range consequences, Gandhi predicted that “only my death will determine whether I am ‘Mahomed Gandhi’ (ie,a defector from Hinduism), Jinnah’s slave (ie, an accomplice of Pakistan), destroyer of the Hindu…

THANK you Nomia Machebe of Sasol for your response published in the POST (January 3- February 4). This saga, relating to the mismanagement of the bursary for Jaskaran Rajrathnam, has rightfully become a trending feature in the media and on social media. The incident raises awareness of the unequal society we are living in. Discrimination and racial bias are regrettably becoming visibly more evident and Sasol taking a neutral position on the matter inevitably sways towards supporting injustice. I am of the view that Sasol should stand up and do the right thing in its intervention efforts to remedy the situation, in bringing justice to Jaskaran and our anguished community. The ball is in your court, Sasol. It is now your opportunity to demonstrate to all South Africans the imperatives…

IT IS INDEED tragic that powerful nations laid the seeds of anarchy, chaos and massive bloodshed in war- afflicted areas of the world. It is only diplomacy that can bring about tranquillity in this arc of crisis. Sadly, there are outside forces who are manipulating events for their own selfish purposes, while the area descends into utter chaos. The current bloodbath in these conflict zones are escalating out of control. Scores of people of every religion are killed across the Middle East every day. About 30 000 innocent civilians were killed in Gaza, without prominence in the global media. The biased and controlled western media do not publish these deaths in banner headlines. When westerners are killed, the world goes into mourning. The circumstances in the Middle East are unique…

ALAS, the spectral figure I felt would continue forever in a physical yet immortal form even after the incredible age of 97, Zuleikha Mayat, passed on last week. She advised people of all denominations, genders, ages and races of the need for true love for all religions. Mayat encouraged young people to write books and articles in the media, especially around human rights. Her political activism began the day her husband, Dr MGH Mayat – himself an iconic, progressive medico – was denied urgent medical attention after a vehicle accident. He was fair in complexion. But not fair enough to be classified as “white”, so a “Europeans-only” hospital refused to treat him. Apartheid just nabbed one more victim. I was introduced accidentally to Mayat in 2019, when she became…

“I AM ABSOLUTELY sorry for what I have done. I loved her from the bottom of my heart,” Devika Rani Seeripat, 74, told the Durban High Court last week. She is accused of killing her daughter, Ashrika Seeripat, two years ago. Last week, Devika Rani Seeripat appeared in the Durban High Court with her co-accused and gardener, Patrick Mkula. The matter was set down for sentencing but was adjourned because Mkula fired his attorney, Phakamisani Mbambo. Taking the stand, Seeripat who appeared frail and barely able to walk, cried when she asked the court’s mercy in sentencing her. “I am guilty of murdering my child. I am absolutely sorry for what I have done. I loved her from the bottom of my heart.” She told the court she had sold…

URASHA Ramsunker is one of the victims of last week’s water protests, after being shot near the mouth by a rubber bullet, allegedly fired by police. Her neighbour, Michelle Chelliah-Singh, an asthmatic, was also shot in the leg and had to run for her life after police allegedly sprayed tear gas at the crowd. The protests, held at all entrance and exit points in Phoenix, came to a head when the police allegedly fired rubber bullets and sprayed tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protesters. Both the women and their families were protesting at the Trade Centre intersection. They were injured while walking past another protest point on the Phoenix Highway. “We were protesting peacefully with placards. We were using only our voices,” said Chelliah-Singh. She was with…

DR ZULEIKHA Mayat, internationally-recognised for the culinary book Indian Delights, died on Friday, just a few months short of her 98th birthday. Mayat was born in 1926 in the Afrikaner-dominated town of Potchefstroom in the then-Transvaal. She completed her primary education at the local Indian school but dropped out as the town did not have a high school for Indians. She would subsequently complete matric through correspondence, but her dream of studying medicine remained unfulfilled. Mayat did short courses in journalism and wrote weekly columns for Indian Views (“Fahmida’s World”) and the Graphic newspapers, in which she dealt with the social and political issues of the day. She moved to Durban after her 1947 marriage to the Wits- educated medical doctor, Mohamed Mayat. The couple lived in Clare Estate, where…

Tamannaah Bhatia, who was recently seen in Jailer and Bhola Shankar, has come on board for an untitled tipsy dramedy. The series will be a streaming project and is currently in the pre-production stage. A source says the series will feature two actresses. The casting for the second actress is under way. Shooting is slated to begin in mid-March or early April. Fans will have to wait for the title of Bhatia’s project to be revealed. However, it has been rumoured that it is a light-hearted series and will have director Archit Kumar at the helm. This will mark Bhatia’s fourth project in the digital realm. She will also be seen in Vedaa with John Abraham, and in a Tamil project titled Arnamanai 4.…

½ cup butter, softened ½ cup castor sugar ¾ cup flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 eggs Preheat the oven to 190°C. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Pour the sticky batter on to a greased flan pan or Pyrex dish. Spread the dough evenly with a spatula. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a serving plate after 10 minutes. Cool the cake before adding the fruit and glaze. Peach Glaze: In a bowl, mash some canned peaches to fill one cup and set aside ½ cup water 1 cup sugar 1 tbs butter Combine the cup of mashed peaches with the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer the glaze until clear. Remove from the stove and…

2 cups flour, sifted 2 cups granulated white sugar ¾ cup cocoa powder, sifted 2 tsp baking powder 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp ground coffee 1 tsp table salt 1 cup milk 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla essence ½ cup sunflower oil 1 cup water, rapidly boiling 1 jar Nutella Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients Whisk the dry ingredients on low speed. Add the wet ingredients, excluding the boiling water, and mix on medium speed for a minute. While the mixer is on low speed, gradually pour in the boiling water. Mix on high speed for a minute. Grease two cake tins, then pour in the batter and bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or…

THE Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) has been accused of using racism as the “easy way out” and an “excuse” for what triggered the July 2021 unrest in Phoenix. The commission’s chairperson, Professor Luka Mosoma, released the findings of the report last Monday. He said, among others, that the unrest proved that adversarial relationships existed between African and Indian communities. Ashwin Trikamjee, the president of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha, said he found it unfortunate that the commission, after attempting to get so much evidence, not only failed in gathering all the evidence available to it, but chose the easy way out and used the excuse of racism. “The commission completely ignored the fact that at…

RECENT amendments to South Africa’s landmark Employment Equity Bill, designed to enhance workforce diversity and bridge the gap in economic disparities, have ignited much debate. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Thulas Nxesi, announced the changes to the employment equity targets to benefit South African Indians and coloureds. Last year’s targets had differentiated between Indian, coloured, and African employees, but the draft regulations released this week have done away with national and provincial targets, and refer only to designated groups. The new regulations will also benefit women and people living with disabilities. An example of the changes implemented by the new regulations is that the top management of a national company should now have 40% of employees from designated groups – this translates to include African, coloured, and Indian employees,…

IN TWO separate incidents, KwaZulu- Natal parents claim their kids lost out on class-time after being denied place at local schools because of “disruptive behaviour”, and not being able to pay the full school fees upfront, respectively. They have asked for intervention from the KZN Department of Education and are still waiting for answers. Nastasha Jumnaparsad, 35, of Verulam, has been unsuccessful in placing her son Tyral, 14, and daughter Tyra, 13, both Grade 8 pupils, into high school. “In 2022, my son was in his last year of primary school. At the time, I tried to place him in Verulam Secondary but was told the school was full. I then sought assistance from the Department of Education and he was placed in Mountview Secondary School for the 2023 academic…

IN THE aftermath of the tumultuous events that unfolded during the looting and racial tensions in July 2021, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the CRL Commission have issued a clarion call: the urgent need to foster social cohesion in KwaZulu-Natal and across South Africa. These reports serve as stark reminders of the challenges we confront as a nation, yet they also illuminate the path toward healing, understanding and unity. At the core of a flourishing democracy lies the fundamental principle of social cohesion – the notion that notwithstanding our diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences, we are bound together by a shared sense of humanity and citizenship. However, recent events have laid bare the fault lines within our society, exposing deep-seated divisions that imperil the very fabric of…

Indians all over the world are celebrating. The Ram Mandir temple has been officially opened by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fulfilling a long-held, cherished dream. But controversy surrounds the temple in Ayodhya. Built on a sprawling complex, the temple now stands on a site where a 16th century mosque, the Babri Masjid, once stood. The site has long been a contentious issue between the Hindu and Muslim communities. The Hindus claim that the site was the birthplace of Rama. In 1992, angry far-right Hindu nationalists tore down the Babri Masjid, triggering nationwide religious riots in which more than 2 000 people, mostly Muslims, lost their lives. The matter went to court and the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of the Hindus that the about 1ha site was…

THE ratepayers of Phoenix and surrounding areas are disappointed with the eThekwini Municipality for failing to provide one of the necessities of life – water. We have been reliably informed that for about two decades, no proper water infrastructure maintenance has been conducted by the municipality. Requests to the city for proof of maintenance have gone unheeded. In most areas the water is shut off for a number of hours each day while in other areas, there is no water for days on end. Also, knowing that we have had water shortage problems for years, the municipality continues to build low cost houses in almost every available recreational site, designated by the Town Planning Department. Currently low cost houses are being built at a sports ground in Westham. Does the…

NOVEMBER will mark the 164th anniversary of the arrival of the Indian indentured labourers to South Africa. This community’s struggles to become an integral part of our country has been described honestly and brilliantly by Professors Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed in their extremely well publicised book Inside Indian Indenture: A South African Story. The struggles continued during the second half of the 19th Century when Indians came to South Africa in two categories – the indentured workers in 1860, and later as “free or passenger” Indians. These “free Indians” came at their own expense from India, Mauritius and elsewhere. Hence, we had a fair mix of Indians from India. As time passed, the community became a socially absorbed group in a South African society that faced a wide variety…

SOUTH African Indians and coloureds have made significant contributions to the Struggle for freedom and democracy in South Africa. Their roles have often been marginalised or overlooked, despite being instrumental in mobilising and organising their communities. However, the announcement by the Minister of Employment and Labour to implement employment equity targets benefiting South African Indians and coloureds are a positive step towards breaking down the racial boundaries created by apartheid. The defiance campaign of the 1950s and the United Democratic Front (UDF) of the 1980s are significant examples of the pivotal roles played by South African Indians and coloureds in the anti-apartheid movement. However, post-apartheid, the Employment Equity Act has created tension and competition between previously oppressed groups, exacerbating divisions. The recent changes to employment equity targets are a move…

PROVINCIAL health departments are mobilising resources to fund vacant posts in a bid to address the employment crisis facing newly-qualified medical doctors across the country. At a press briefing on Monday, Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, said they were inundated with queries from the media and public about the fate of unemployed doctors. He said they had conducted several engagements with the National Treasury to find creative ways to shield the health-care service and front-line workforce. “The situation of need for employment for doctors is no different for other health professions like the nurses, physiotherapists, oral health hygienists, speech therapists, audiologists, and others,” he said. “The provincial health departments have been actively engaging with their respective treasury departments to find ways of addressing the unemployment of all health professionals,…

THE Department of Water and Sanitation is expected to meet residents in Phoenix on Friday over their ongoing water crisis. Last Monday, the Voice of Phoenix (VOP), an organisation focused on resolving service delivery issues in the community, handed a memorandum to the eThekwini Municipality calling on it to address the water crisis and other service delivery issues in the area. The municipality was given until yesterday (Tuesday) to respond. Vassie Govender, the chairperson of the Vop, said the water supply in Phoenix was intermittent. “We are still waiting for feedback from the municipality regarding our memorandum.” He said they had also asked for a separate meeting with the department. Kamogelo Mogotsi, the media liaison officer for the department, confirmed that a meeting was scheduled for Friday. “The time and…

Vijaysagren ‘Sagren’ Phillips, a Tamil spiritual leader based in Pietermaritzburg, passed away last Monday. He was 73. Shivaani Phillips, his daughter, writes … MY FATHER was the son of EC and Navamoney Phillips, who were stalwarts in the Tamil-speaking community in South Africa. My dad not only expanded on their remarkable legacy, but built an impressive legacy of his own. He was an early proponent of the pure Saivite path and was best loved for demystifying the Hindu scriptures into everyday sensible practices that Hindus of all ages could connect with. He also removed rituals and practices that created confusion. My dad was a multilinguist, proficient in Sudha Thamizh, Latin, Telugu, Sankrit and Malayalam. As an English teacher, he also commanded the language into poetic inspiration that was published globally.…