Table of contents for 2023-02-15 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, 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) You may find that you are asked to mentor someone or that your experience is needed, especially in the home environment. Keep integrity this week as you are given more responsibility at work. Lucky colour: orange. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) You may need to make an important decision this week. Don’t over-think it but be careful and take your time. Ask for a…

DECEMBER 29, 2002 “How do you remember an event that you were not part of … ? I am 75 years old and it is the first time I have tied this momentous event to this date! “Today, 99 years ago, my grandparents and their four children arrived in Durban from Madras in India in a ship named Umzinto XXXI. It was the first time that they had ventured out of their country. It was the first time they travelled on a boat. “They were deck passengers for six weeks with four children aged 8 – 2 years. How did they manage? How did they cook their meals on the deck? Did Paati cook or were meals supplied by the boat authorities? What toilets did they use? Did they bathe…

IN RESPONSE to the letter, “Council is facing the abyss”, by Visvin Reddy of African Democratic Change (POST, February 8-12). Based on your voting pattern, it’s clear that you are the biggest contributor to collapsing this city. You just managed to get a PR seat. Are you looking for the ANC to employ you, because the DA did the correct thing by not having you with them? I can’t understand why you want a job with the ANC, because you know you will never make it in the local government elections in 2026. NETHRAJ RAMPERSAD Chatsworth…

Emigration and the economy DID you notice just how many security personnel rushed to protect President Cyril Ramaphosa when members of the EFF decided to storm the stage during the State of the Nation Address? Within seconds members of the Special Task Force were on stage to form a wall against the red berets. The Special Task Force is an elite unit of the police and handles high-risk operations. Put simply, they are the best of the best in the police force. They were backed up by parliamentary protection staff wearing white shirts. These men and women physically pushed members of the EFF out of the venue. While all this was unfolding, Ramaphosa’s bodyguards, dressed in suits, formed a wall around him. All of this for a handful of MPs…

STALLONE Ramsamy, who worked as a hawker in the Durban Central Business District, was killed while walking along Dr AB Xuma (Commercial) Road when he was hit by a car. Ramsamy, 31, from Unit 7 in Chatsworth, sustained multiple injuries and died at the scene. The driver is in a critical condition in the hospital. Roshinee Ramsamy, his mother, said: “After matriculating from Witteklip Secondary School it was difficult for him to find a job. So about 12 years ago he decided to start this small business selling cigarettes and other items in the Durban CBD. He was dedicated to his job and took it seriously. “On the morning of the accident, he packed his items in a bag and told me he would see me later.” Roshinee said when…

A lie is a lie. This was the response of Judge Jacqueline Henriques when attorney Ravindra Maniklall tried to excuse his client’s dishonesty. The accused, Ashen Vishnudath, a 30-year-old Reservoir Hills mechanic, was found to have lied to probation officer, Nqobile Luthuli. Vishnudath was charged with the murder of Navendran Govender, 30, in March 2019. He was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, robbery with aggravating circumstances, fraud, and escaping from Westville Prison. At the start of the trial in the Durban High Court, the State alleged that Govender often kept large amounts of cash with him and because of this, Vishnudath planned to rob and kill him. It was alleged that Vishnudath fetched Govender from his home, shot him three times in the…

The Harvard Law Review has elected Apsara Iyer as its 137th president, making her the first Indian-American woman to head the publication in its 136-year history. The 29-year-old Harvard Law School student, who has been investigating art crime and repatriation since 2018, succeeds Priscila Coronado. “I am so grateful that we, ‘Volume 137’, inherit her (Priscila’s) legacy, and honoured to continue building on this important work over the next year,” Iyer said in a statement announcing her appointment. Iyer graduated from Yale in 2016 with a BA in economics and maths, and Spanish. Her dedication to archaeology and indigenous communities led her to pursue an MPhil at Oxford as a Clarendon Scholar and, in 2018, to join the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU). At the ATU, she investigated…

Charlene Somduth asks Dr YT Singh for his views on health care Q: How has cardiology evolved over the years? A:Cardiology has evolved immensely, particularly from the ’70s. Our growth of understanding of the pathophysiology or underlying mechanism of heart attacks and angina has been immense. Because of this, we have better drugs and better interventions. The pharmacology of cardiac drugs has just gone through the roof and because of better cardiac drugs, patients have benefited from the progress in the evolution of the drugs. From the time that we were able to open blocked arteries with either blockbusting agents or with angioplasty (balloons) and stents, patients’ lives have been saved in their millions. Cardiac bypass surgery has also become more and more sophisticated. Interventional cardiology has just exploded. The…

Actor and producer Razeen Dada has scored a role in the television series, Binnelanders. Binnelanders is a South African Afrikaans soap opera set in and around the fictional private hospital Binneland Kliniek in Pretoria. The storyline follows the trials, trauma and tribulations of the staff and patients of the hospital. Dada made his break as an actor and producer at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) last year with the screening of his short film, Identity. The former Mr India South Africa (2016), who was born and raised in Durban, is a chartered accountant. “I was offered the role of Dr Michael Omar, a registrar, in mid-January. The character is being introduced and will evolve as the season progresses. I believe the turnaround time is quick at Binnelanders, so we…

FOR actor Kyle Clark, landing a role on the television series 7de Laan is the culmination of a childhood dream come true. Clark was born in Johannesburg and raised in Cape Town before moving back to the City of Gold. “I attended Edenglen High School in Johannesburg and only passed my matric. Everything I am is self-taught through experiences and throwing myself into uncomfortable situations,” said Clark. He started Clark Media seven years ago to support himself. He also runs a design and events company with his brother. He has worked in radio for three years and appeared in TV commercials. The social media influencer also hosts an Apple podcast called Switch on. “I knew I wanted to be an actor from a young age. I was mesmerised by…

THE Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the largest population of internally displaced people on the African continent: 5.9 million people, including 700 000 newly displaced people this year. The DRC is also hosting over 500 000 refugees and asylum-seekers (mainly from Burundi, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan). The factors driving internal displacement are often complex and interconnected, from conflicts, climate related shocks, disasters, to rising rates of violent crime. In the DRC, the protracted conflicts in the Eastern Provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, as well as renewed tensions in the central southern regions of Kasai and Tanganyika, have been the key source of displacement in the country, forcing millions of people to leave their homes, often on multiple different occasions. As the inter-communal conflicts…

ONCE again, abuse and violence against a child has made front-page headlines: “Boyfriend arrested, accused of swearing at 6-year-old” (POST, February 1-5). However, this scourge and pestilence of violence and abuse is an occurrence that happens every second. We can no longer turn a blind eye nor a deaf ear to child abuse. It must become the responsibility of every member of society to report any form of child abuse as soon as it is noticed. We, as a society, have not learnt any lessons. The death of Baby Jamie in 2014 exposed the blatant reality of how society failed her and failed to report her abuse. It had to take her death to expose this. Nearly a decade later, there is still no change. Are we going to allow…

UPPERMOST on everyone’s lips are the power outages, and central to the crisis is the state-owned entity called Eskom. When the ANC came to power, it introduced legislation and policies that would fast-track the inclusion of blacks in supply chain processes. Eskom depends largely on coal and diesel, both commodities which are monopolised by established white companies. Most coal mines and diesel suppliers are white-owned. The only way to introduce blacks into the supply chain is to create middlemen or agencies that would supply coal and diesel to Eskom. This process has been mired in controversy as those selected are elite black business people with close links to ANC politicians. Eskom is now effectively being held to ransom by these middlemen. Two years ago, Andre de Ruyter, the former…

THE term Siddi refers to Afro-Indians – Africans who mixed with Indians through marriage and relationships. Africans crossed the Indian Ocean and arrived in India during the 1200s, 1300s and 1400s. They were transported by Islamic invaders and Portuguese colonisers as enslaved people, palace guards, army chiefs, harem keepers, spiritual leaders, Sufi singers, dancers and treasurers. Today, the majority of Siddis are found in the west and south-west of India, in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana states. As they settled, they preserved and practised their African ancestral sociocultural traditions – and also adopted local Indian traditions. This interweaving of African and Indian cultural values gave birth to various creolised (mixed) food, music and spiritual practices. As a diversity studies scholar, I have been researching Siddi culture for some time. Working…

LAZARUS Appalsamy is still in hospital. Appalsamy, 44, of Trenance Park in Verulam, was mauled by his neighbour’s pit bulls, Sam, 5, and Laeila, 3, while walking home on January 15. A day after the attack the dogs’ owner had them put to sleep at the SPCA. Appalsamy’s flesh was ripped off his arms, legs and body. The iris of his left eye was bitten off and the arteries and veins in his right arm were damaged. Stanley Subbiah, his neighbour and friend, tried to help him but was also bitten. He sustained a bite to his left arm and an injury to his right leg. Appalsamy was taken to Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital. Mary Naidoo, Appalsamy’s sister, said: “There has been no improvement to the injury…

FATIMA Badsha has seen and experienced a lot over the past century. Badsha, of Pietermaritzburg, celebrated her 100th birthday on Monday. Reflecting on her life, she said: “My father had a tailor shop and my mother was a housewife. I grew up with four brothers and one sister. We lived together in Douglas Lane in Greyville until I got married at 19 and moved to Danhauser. “I only had one son, Haroun Amod. Unfortunately, my husband passed away 40 years ago at the age of 66. I returned to my family home and thereafter I moved to Clare Estate. Three years ago, I moved in with Haroun and his wife, Zora, in Pietermaritzburg.” Badsha was an Islamic teacher at Saberia Madrasah in Denis Hurley (Queen) Street and at SM Javery…

IF music be the food of love, play on. This Valentine’s Day, classic love songs tugged at the heartstrings of South Africans and audiences worldwide. Data shared by the Spotify music- streaming platform showed South Africans are adding iconic love songs by artists like John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to their playlists to express their feelings. Their tastes don’t differ much from global favourites, with many of these artists featuring in the global top 10 love songs added to playlists on Valentine’s Day. In a media release, Spotify said: “Legend’s emotional All of Me is the most added love song both in South Africa and globally. British pop star Sheeran occupies two spots among South Africa’s favourite love songs with Perfect and Thinking Out Loud, which…

Just for Laughs, an ensemble comedy in Durban next week, is set to gather some of the finest local comedians onstage for one night only. Presented by Showtime Promotions, the show will see comedians Koobeshen Naidoo, Muthu Murugan, Bash with Tash, Mo Vawda, Sagie Murugan, Henry Ramkissoon and Conrad Koch and his alter ego Chester Missing perform at The Globe at Suncoast on February 25 at 8pm. Durban brothers Muthu, 64, and Sagie Murugan, 62, were born in uMzinto and raised in Chatsworth. Muthu said he recognised the power of comedy early in his career. “A defining moment was when I realised I could meddle with the minds of people, and how hungry people are to listen to the nonsense is actually true,” he joked. Credited as being the…

Caramel: 175g castor sugar 2 mangoes, chopped (out of season, use canned mango, drained) cake: 150g cake flour 2 tsp baking powder 175g butter, softened 175g castor sugar 4 tbs ground almonds 4 eggs, beaten 5ml vanilla essence garnish: 1 mango and passion fruit Grease and flour a bundt cake tin, and line the base with baking powder. To make the caramel, place the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan. Do not stir. Allow to caramelise over medium heat very gently until golden brown. Pour immediately into the tin. Arrange the diced mango over the caramel. The fruit must almost cover the base of the tin. Sift the flour and baking powder and place in a food processor. Add the butter, sugar, almonds, eggs and vanilla. Process briefly until smooth and…

I HAVE always been a strong believer in destiny, and I scoffed at those who made plans for the future. Que Sera que Sera. What will be, will be was my mantra. I grew up in the country town of Dundee, my birthplace. Dreams were aplenty, but being a fatalist, my belief did not sway. Dundee, in those days, had the best of everything. We grew up laid-back and free-spirited. We had friends galore. Neighbours were family, and the togetherness of the whole community, both black and white, was unique. But most inspiring of all were our schools. Dedicated teachers produced the most studious scholars. Teachers, doctors, accountants, lawyers, business owners and politicians; these scholars left a legacy for their future generations which I believe is incomparable in South…

THE collective memory of the movement has wiped out the memory of these and other comrades. We are extremely proficient at burying our dead. Most of us attend funerals. It was a great meeting time, especially since gatherings of exile were taboo. The South African securities were in Maseru from time to time and vigilance was an important component of our lives. We buried our dead comrades. We shared a meal together and renewed old acquaintances. Death brought us together into one family. Time has obliterated 30 comrades and 12 Basothos from our collective memory. The exigencies of the present take up time, energy and resources – scarce commodities in the ANC. However, I wanted to bring these comrades to you, to stain them into our national memory. It will…

IF THERE is anyone you can lift your hands up to, it must Tsakani Maluleke, the auditor-general. Like her predecessor, she’s one of the few people in the government that you can admire. Time and time again, the auditor-general has produced scathing reports on the municipalities in our country. With a few exceptions they paint a grim picture of municipalities in a shambolic disarray. Like crime, corruption, rape and murder in the country, it has become a familiar story of graft, gross mismanagement, inefficiency and indifference. At the heart of the problem is cadre deployment. But the president of our country sees nothing wrong with cadre deployment. They are here to stay, he says. It’s good for the party. That’s all that matters. So what do you think the municipal…

THE 30-year-old man accused of using abusive language on a 6-year-old child has been released on R1 000 bail. He handed himself over to the police after a recording of him swearing at the child went viral on social media. The man appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court for the second time recently for a formal bail application. According to Natasha Ramkisson- Kara, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in KwaZulu-Natal, he was granted bail despite opposition from the State. The condition for his bail is that he must have no contact with the mother or child involved in the case. The case was adjourned to March 6. The 9.25-minute recording was posted on the Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) WhatsApp group. They got it from NP Knights Search and…

SARIKA Besesar, who wrote Hanuman and the Sun and Ram and Sita – The Story of Diwali, has published a new picture book, Lord Shiva and his Mighty Dance. The book’s recent launch coincides with the celebration of Maha Shivarathri, which gives reverence to the Hindu god Shiva. Besesar, 37, a mother of one from Johannesburg, is an actuary and a part-time author. She said: “The new book is a tribute to the love story between Lord Shiva and Goddess Sati. “The story details just how angry Lord Shiva got when his beloved wife Sati died. Overcome with grief, he began a dance powerful enough to destroy the universe. It goes on to explain how Shiva and Sati are eventually reunited and order is restored to the world.” Besesar said…

NEVER stop re-inventing, yourself. This has been the philosophy of Dr Yudisthir Trishunku Singh, a cardiologist, from uMhlanga. This week he reached two milestones. First, he received the Centre of Excellence award from the International Cardio-Oncology Society at the Umhlanga Medical Centre last week. The award recognised him for establishing the first cardio-oncology unit in Africa at the Netcare Umhlanga Hospital. Second, Singh celebrated his 70th birthday on Saturday. Despite his age, Singh has no plans to retire. He intends to continue to find ways to improve the field of cardiology in South Africa. He is currently the president of the Cardio-Oncology Society of South Africa. As a young boy, Singh was inspired by his aunt, the late Dr Ansuyah Singh, to go into the medical field. He lived in…

THE sea has been a bit bumpy with the more prevalent north-east wind but there are more summer fish being landed daily by the offshore anglers. The North Coast is seeing a lot of summer fish in the catch reports. Dorado have been the main target for the early summer game fish but most anglers have returned with tuna in the hatch. Trolling lipped lures has been the most productive method this past week. Lipped lures in purple or pink are the most successful for both tuna and dorado. The Durban coast has seen both game fish and bottom fish on the catch reports. The bottom fish have favoured a bigger live bait on the bottom. Something like a smaller slinger or tjor-tjor flapped or left whole is a deadly…

FORMER India cricketer Deep Dasgupta showered praise on star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his scintillating performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener after coming off a six-month injury lay-off. Jadeja was brilliant with both bat and ball, bagging five wickets and scoring a gritty half-century in Nagur which clearly showed his mental discipline. He made his return to competitive cricket with a brilliant seven-wicket haul against Tamil Nadu in a Ranji game. The 34-year-old all-rounder suffered a knee injury during India’s Asia Cup campaign last year and has been out of action since September 2022. He subsequently missed India’s T20 World Cup campaign in Australia. “Absolutely, and that too after a break of six months. He had some first-class cricket but this is Australia, they are international cricketers. And after six…