Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-05-30 i Weekend Argus Sunday

wesley.diphoko wesley.diphoko@inl.co.za The US has lost the war on Huawei. The Chinese tech giant will introduce its own operating system on Wednesday. When the US government, under former president Donald Trump, tried to destroy Huawei, the company responded by innovating. The US ban on Huawei almost wiped out its cellphone business. Part of the ban focused on parts developed in the US or by its partners as well as its operating system, Android, which is partly developed by Google. The operating system ban was probably the most lethal as it meant that Huawei could not confidently produce cellphones into the future as these would not be supported by Android. But the company was not shaken. Instead, it developed its own operating system, the HarmonyOS. HarmonyOS, known as Hongmeng in Chinese,…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za PLUMBERS in South Africa are at loggerheads, with two organisations facing off about the very legitimacy of the person you call in to fix your pipes or geyser. The Inclusive Plumbing Association (IPA), which claims to have some 900 members, has raised the alarm over the hijacking of the technical standards, certification and skills requirement of the trade that is controlled by the Plumbing Industry Registration Board (PIRB), a non-statutory association. IPA chairperson Geoff Snelling said the PIRB had somehow managed to get the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) to include membership of PIRB, including its requirement that its members earn Continuous Professional Development (CPD) points to meet the technical standards and certification requirements rewuired by all valid plumbers. Snelling said this amounted to plumbers being…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za It was Nompumelelo Mqwebu who reminded us in her book, Through the Eyes of an African Chef, that African cuisine has always been plant-based. She met a person who heard about the book and without having read it, commented: “Oh it’s an African cookbook, it must be full of meat, I am a vegetarian.” Mqwebu says she had the pleasure to educate her on our food history and our relationship with meat and how African cuisine is mostly plant-based. And now more chefs are realising that and are going back to the roots of African cuisine, like Chef Nicola Kagoro, aka Chef Cola, the founder of African Vegan on a Budget, who has been challenging the common misconception surrounding plant-based diets in Africa. The hospitality management…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za There are various factors one needs to take into consideration when it comes to conducting a celebrity interview. These are trust, honesty and vulnerability. A healthy dose of all three will make that interview a success. But there are times where the celebrity interview is so explosive and the revelations so jaw-dropping, that one can never forget about it. These interviews are beloved by the audience because it’s a method of getting inside a celebrity’s head, even for a few minutes, to try to understand their thought processes. Take the now infamous interview that Diana, Princess of Wales, had with Panorama’s Martin Bashir in November 1995. It is still one of the most shocking interviews ever, which saw Diana basically declare war on the British royal family,…

Makhosini Mgitywa DRIVING along the streets of Prieska in the Northern Cape province, one gets a strange sense of déjà vu. You feel like you’ve seen the poverty of the locals in a bygone era. You also get a feeling of a town trapped in the last century. Unlike many South African towns, Prieska does not have any of the franchised eateries that have become commonplace. Whatever small town or big city your car takes you to, you are bound to find a post office somewhere, a police station and a fried chicken franchise. But not in Prieska.The famous fried chicken outlet would be a non-starter in Prieska, says a Gauteng-based businessman with roots in Prieska. When you drive around the local township, one’s hope is raised by the paved…

Keshia Africa keshia.africa@inl.co.za YOUNG chefs from culinary schools in the province are participating in an intense programme that will culminate in a competition with the winner being sent to France for an internship. The One&Only Cape Town is hosting the 11th annual Reaching for Young Stars workshop, ahead of the cook-off, service presentation and awards dinner in July. The programme kicked off with a launch workshop this week where aspirant chefs attended a programme with several local food companies. They also received training on how to present themselves professionally. Seven culinary and hospitality academies in the Western Cape were selected for the competition, including Capsicum Culinary Studio, Chefs Training and Innovation Academy, Eziko cooking and Catering Training Centre, IHT Hotel School, the Cape Town Hotel School, the Hurst Campus…

Kirthana Pillay For Albino elephant, Khanyisa, life was difficult from the start. At just four months, she was caught in a poaching snare in South Africa’s Kruger National Park that cut through her mouth. Trapped for four days, dehydrated and unable to eat because of her wounds, she was rescued and taken to a sanctuary in Mpumalanga, north east of Johannesburg. She was later transferred to Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development (HERD), where she now lives with a herd of elephants led by patriarchal bull, Jabulani. Adine Roode, the founder of HERD, said snaring was on the rise due to human overpopulation and dwindling wildlife habitats. People set the snares to poach large game, or catch smaller prey for food or for sale. Many elephants in the herd were also…

Clinton Moodley Many travellers are trying their best to snag some bargains during the upcoming winter season. That said, travellers still require all the modern comforts and bespoke experiences without breaking the bank. Travel expert and owner of Camps Bay Apartments Elize Sewell said travellers should opt for a luxury staycation, especially with talk of a third wave. Sewell shared four ways to book a luxury winter accommodation in SA on a budget: Book midweek stays As tempting as a weekend retreat sounds, the high demand means that travellers pay exorbitant prices. Midweek accommodation is cheaper as establishments do not have many bookings. Taking a midweek trip also means fewer people. “A great way to recover from Zoom fatigue is to give your colleagues fomo. Show off your view, rim-flow…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za Curry, a mix of spices and chilli, can be prepared in many ways depending on the origin of the dish. What is curry? Our brains might immediately go to a dreamy mix of coconut milk, meat, and spices. But the term “curry” has swelled to include a number of dishes throughout the world that are simmered in or covered with herbs and spices. Yes, the curry category is that broad. History of curry Curry originated in the Indian subcontinent and the word comes from the Tamil word “Kari”, meaning a sauce or soup to be eaten with rice. It consists of a mix of spices of which coriander, turmeric, cumin, and red chillies are almost always a constant. In the…

Allison Stewart Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour is a world-beating break-up album on a jagged little path to greatness Just two short years ago, Rodrigo was second lead on the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark. She then cycled through a role on the Disney Plus show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on her way to a record deal, and a hit single, Drivers Licence, so big it may dwarf any song released this year. There’s nothing on Sour, the 18-year-old Rodrigo’s incredibly good debut, quite as singular as that mournful ballad, though there’s a lot like it: Sour is a break-up album that specialises in similarly affecting misery ballads, interspersed with Avril Lavigne manque-type pop-punk bangers which would have been in heavy rotation in any Hot Topic store in 2003.…

Bulelwa Payi bulelwa.payi@inl.co.za A multmillion-rand housing project in Gugulethu has turned into a nightmare for construction subcontractors, who claim they are being used as cheap labour. Construction work at the site along Govan Mbeki Road had stopped as there was not enough building material and equipment available, according to the subcontractors. The project, known as the Gugulethu infill housing project, stretches over two sites in Gugulethu and Mau Mau in Nyanga, and has been plagued by challenges since it started in 2016 with subcontractors now fearing even more delays. When the Weekend Argus visited the site this week, there was no construction taking place. Only a…

Keshia Africa keshia.africa@inl.co.za Artist David Oliver is presenting a collection of framed collages and 3D sculptures inspired by newspapers in his new exhibition, Thorough Cut. For this body of work, Oliver chose to reference the lifestyle section of the Cape Argus and completely disassemble it. “The collages that I’ve created are a sort of blueprint of the newspaper, it’s what’s left when you remove all the text, advertising and photographs,” he said. “What we see in the news often dictates the taste and interest of the people in that setting. It was interesting for me to witness the relationship that forms in society because of their news.” Using the newspaper blueprint as…

Abbey Makoe Angola, a prominent member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is the latest most adjacent country to Pretoria that seems set to benefit from a BRICS-manufactured Covid-19 vaccine ahead of SA. Zimbabwe was the first to acquire the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm from Beijing a long while ago. BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), was established in 2006 to bolster South-South cooperation. South Africa is the only African country that holds a BRICS membership, having joined the bloc of emerging economies only in 2010. Yet, quite bizarrely, South Africa is being overtaken by non-BRICS African neighbours in accessing the much-needed Covid-19 vaccines from the two BRICS member-states that produce such vaccines – Russia and China. To date, South Africa is all talk and no action when…

Keshia Africa keshia.africa@inl.co.za Reptile poaching is on the increase in South Africa, home to more than 350 reptile species. Conservationists are lobbying for the creatures to have similar protection as other endangered species. Unisa Professor Friedo Herbig believes that reptiles and their conservation are prime indicators of environmental health and should be closely observed because of this. “If there are issues with reptiles, we know there are other environmental issues as well. If reptile numbers decline, the implications for farmers and crop damage can be severe. The role played by reptiles is larger than we think,” he said. Herbig believes that reptiles should be afforded the same sort of attention as any other animal, yet they are falling through the cracks of our system. “Nature and conservation agencies are understaffed…

Vuyolwethu Fundam Vuyolwethu.Fundam@africannewsagency.com Before you travel again, you may want to take a look at these travel tips offered by flight attendant Kat Kamalani. Never drink any liquid that is not in a can or a bottle Kamalani advised travellers to “never consume any liquid that is not in a can or a bottle.” She said the “water tanks are never cleaned… and they are disgusting”. She said any drinks made with that water, such as coffee and tea, should be avoided. “Talk to a flight attendant. We rarely drink coffee or tea. They come from the same water tank, and so when you’re drinking that coffee or tea... it’s absolutely disgusting,” she said in a Tik Tok video. She added that the coffee machines were never washed and were…

Clinton Moodley When a fifty-something South African suffered Legionnaires’ disease during a trip to the US, little did he know how fast the medical bills would stack up. Legionnaires’ is a severe form of pneumonia caused by a bacterium known as Legionella. With the swift help of his travel insurance provider, he spent two months receiving treatment at St Patrick’s Hospital in Louisiana. He then spent time at a long-term acute care unit and underwent a series of outpatient rehabilitation and physiotherapy sessions before returning home to South Africa. The total cost of his claim amounted to R7.3 million. He is among thousands of travellers who encounter unforeseen medical emergencies during their travels. Without comprehensive travel insurance, many spend decades paying towards the expenses incurred. Of course, choosing the…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za EOH was once a leading technology company in South Africa. It was small yet it managed to land a R210 million lucrative tender from the SAPS in April 2016. Five years later, that massive contract is the centre of testimony at the Zondo commission. Law firm ENSafrica’s head of forensics, Steven Powell, who was hired by EOH chief executive Stephen van Coller to investigate activities at EOH Mthombo between 2014 and 2017, testified that EOH executives allegedly tried to move R42.5m using two sub-contractors. EOH Mthombo is the subsidiary of EOH. Powell’s testimony revealed that EOH paid R1m to business lobbyist, George Sebulela. Sebulela is allegedly one of the people associated with extracting millions of rand from EOH after the company scored large public sector contracts. He…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za On this day, May 25, we celebrate Africa Day. The theme for this year’s Africa Day is “Arts, Culture And Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want”. To commemorate this day, we take a look at five prominent African designers you should know. Claude Kameni (Cameroon) At 27, Kameni is one of the best fashion designers. She was born in Cameroon and moved to the US with her family when she was 8 years old. She started sewing when she was 17, and years later, she has dressed the likes of former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi and multi-award winning actress Viola Davis. She is the designer behind the mermaid dress that Tunzi wore at the Miss Universe prelims. She also dressed Davis at the 2021 Golden…

Nathan Adams and Siyabonga Mkhwanazi SOME Cape Town primary school principals are fearful of pupils returning to school five days a week and say the health and lives of teachers will be put at risk. On Friday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga confirmed that the new guidelines have been outlined in the government gazette for the full-time return of Grade R to Grade 7 pupils to school from July 26. The regulations do leave allowances for changes to be made, especially if President Cyril Ramaphosa adjusts the lockdown levels. Regulations state that: “A risk-adjusted differentiated strategy means an approach to school attendance that is determined by the direction the pandemic is taking in the district municipality and country.” Fearful of identifying themselves because they need permission from the Western Cape…

Bulelwa Payi bulelwa.payi@inl.co.za THE South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has called for an end to racism, abuse of authority and victimisation of its members employed by the City of Cape Town. The call was made during a protest yesterday to highlight the alleged unfair disciplinary hearings targeting the union’s shop stewards. At least 10 Samwu shop stewards, including firefighters, were facing disciplinary charges ranging from gross misconduct to insubordination, the union’s regional chairperson Mzoxolo Miselo said. Miselo said the rate at which the City was resorting to disciplinary processes was “alarming” and shop stewards were mainly targeted to “silence” or sideline them from…

Allyson Chiu Facebook is touting its latest feature, which will allow Facebook and Instagram users to hide like counts on posts, as a move that aims to “depressurise” people’s experiences on its platforms. The change comes amid ongoing concern about the potentially harmful mental health effects of social media. But while the action may be a positive step, many experts say, it isn’t likely to have much impact on the lower levels of psychological well- being seen in some users. “This is not a panacea,” said Sophia Choukas-Bradley, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Delaware, who studies the effect of social media on adolescents. “It may be a step in the right direction for some people, but I do not believe this will…

Keshia Africa keshia.africa@inl.co.za Multidisciplinary artist Thania Petersen wants to use her residency at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Mocaa) to create work that will provoke conversations that interrogate Cape Malay stereotypes. The artist’s open studio exploration, titled Kassaram, is named after the short film she released this week. Petersen said the project was based on how people of Cape Town have been represented by others. “Cultural identities have been created and imposed on people through the arts, and a lot of the media in existence is a disservice to who we are as people of the Cape,” she said. “I want to create visual stories through my work that challenge the stereotypes of…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za While many South Africans, young and old, have lost their lives to the Covid-19 pandemic, Gogo Zodwa Ivy Dladla, 90, is one of the few lucky elderly people who beat the odds. Gogo’s battle with the disease began on December 26 after her 90th birthday party. A few days afterwards, she started feeling feverish and suffered chest pains and couldn’t breathe properly. Arrangements were made to get her to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital for treatment. “I thank God for getting me through this deadly virus.” Dladla from, Soweto says she, doesn’t display any long-term Covid symptoms such as fatigue. “The nurse in charge told me I had tested positive for Covid-19,” she says. “It was also…

Staff Reporter SOUTH African-born Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco dreads living in a world without rhinos and to have to explain to her children that the animal was hunted into extinction. In a bid to help save the deteriorating rhino population, the princess has, through her organisation, The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, partnered with The Thanda Foundation Trust which works to assist with the upliftment of impoverished communities in South Africa. In its capacity as one of the founder members of Project Rhino, the trust participated in the launch of Project Rhino on World Rhino Day back in 2011. “Project Rhino is an association of like-minded…

Annah Moyo-Kupeta Is the normalisation of violence in our society a factor that constitutes a faultline in South Africa’s democracy and peaceful transition – is it something communities resort to when all else fails? For residents of Plot 52 in the Zandspruit informal settlement and South Africa at large, the morning of May 19 2021 will not be soon forgotten. Right in front of children and community members, old and young, community members decided to take the law into their own hands, triggering a series of events and actions that cannot be reversed. Law-abiding citizens became criminals on that day. The innocence of children was taken away – what they saw was traumatic and will stay with them for a long time. The gruesome murder of five young men…

Debashine Thangevelo I’ve had one of those weeks where nothing seems to hold my attention long enough. My whining is quite laughable when you take into account that I have the option of pay-TV, free-to-air channels and streaming platforms. How can this conundrum be? I can’t seem to find any new shows or return seasons of my favourite shows to sustain my interest. Last week, I binged on season 2 of Who Killed Sara? in one afternoon. This week, I started binging on season 3 of Haunted after Superstition with Mario van Peeples. All I will say on the latter show is that it got off to a promising start and went horribly pearshaped. It probably explains why a second instalment wasn’t considered. With all this talk of Friends: The…

Clinton Moodley As many countries start to reopen and accept vaccinated tourists to their destinations, travel experts feel the slow vaccine roll-out in South Africa may be detrimental to the country’s tourism industry. South Africa is currently in phase two of the vaccination roll-out. Fedhasa national chairperson Rosemary Anderson said the news that EU countries would ease Covid-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers this month showed that vaccine passports would open up global travel. She said the passports would become the “new normal” for international travel. However, it may not bode well for South Africa. Anderson said that South Africa’s vaccine roll-out should exceed expectations. “As South Africa is rolling out the second phase of the government’s vaccine programme, it is imperative that our country not only adheres to…