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MANDOZA LIVE IN KLERKSDORP
Catch Mandoza live for one night at Rio. Show takes place on 10 April in
the Escapades Theatre at 20h00. Tickets are R80 per person.
YourProfile
Name: Laura Danielz
Birthday: 18 August
Star sign: Leo
Occupation: Self-employed
When I look into the mirror every morning I think: What’s for breakfast!
My favourite people in the world are:
Laid back and chilled out
My favourite quote is: You only live once
Freddy and John make me laugh.
The greatest lesson life has taught me so far is:
To pay attention when making online payments
I'll do almost anything for:
Pickles
When I get stressed I am most likely to throw a cell phone out a window.
I want my tombstone to read:
What a good time
I wouldn't mind being stuck in an elevator with:
Johnny Depp
In three words I am:
Happy, Excited and Caring
If I had a million rand to spare I would:
Put it in a money market account and live off the interest
I live in Klerksdorp because:
Joburg's traffic too bad.
The first thing I would save from a house fire is:
my handbag and Freddy.
My nickname is:
Flora
I love my job because: I love independence
LIFE AND TIMES WITH COLLIN
Wisdom
The problem with a concise dictionary is precisely that it's concise.
All of last week I was thinking about wisdom. And the dictionary wasn't
very helpful either. It explained wisdom as: the quality of being wise.
That's like telling me the earth is round because it's shaped like a
ball. Not very helpful but true nonetheless if you know what I mean.
Not being satisfied with the dictionary definition, I started scratching
a bit deeper applying my mind, that is. What I found is that wisdom is
not that easy a concept to get your mind around. For starters wisdom is
definitely not the opposite of stupidity. It's also not solely about
education. How many people haven't we all met, who are very well
educated but who have very little to show for it. The elements, to my
mind, that would go toward forming wisdom would certainly include any of
the following: knowledge, understanding, experience, discretion,
discernment and intuition. The trick is to be able to harness these
elements, in the right quantities, to achieve a desired result. You
don't want to go round swatting flies with a 10 pound hammer. Or by
winning minor battles, you end up losing the war. The desired result
would no doubt mean an outcome that is acceptable and fair to the
parties concerned. I use the word fair with a degree of circumspection
here. Often times you end up with a situation that is not fair to all
concerned. A autocratic manager tells staff to do something, without
telling them why they have to do it. Or allowing the staff an
opportunity to give an input. On the other hand you cant expect an
officer in the heat of battle to entertain an information session in
which every soldier is allowed his tuppence worth. It just wouldn't
work. Part of wisdom calls for the ability to discern between those
things that are important and not-so-important. It's this that so often
separates the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff. Experts in
the art of argument and negotiation talk about finding the common
ground. This is a little more difficult than it first appears. Next time
you find yourself in a heated debate, possibly at a school meeting, stop
and look around at the audience, absorb what is going on. There are
those who are gesticulating madly, trying to shout everyone down. The
temperature rises. Eventually you cannot make any sense of it. But you
will notice there is always someone who keeps his/her cool; who seems to
be able to make sense of it all. These are the people who know how to
keep their emotions in check. For its our emotions that make us smart or
stupid. What is road-rage other than the loss of control of our
emotions. A contributing factor to wisdom, to my mind, is how we control
our emotions.
Recently the American public was up in arms about the fact that managers
of the American International Group (A.I.G.) were paid bonuses. This
after public (taxpayers) money was used to bail out A.I.G. Now in terms
of the contracts of these managers, they were fully entitled to the
bonuses. However, given the current state of the American economy and
the fact that taxpayer money was used stem the rot at A.I.G., paying
bonuses was not a good idea. And President Obama was brutal in his
condemnation. Accepting those bonuses did not show good wisdom. Any
other time when the economy was more positive, those bonuses would have
been justified. Nobody would have complained. It was the inability to
correctly read the signs that smacks of insensitivity and poor judgment.
We can all learn from this before making quick and hasty buying
decisions on big ticket items, do your homework. Buying things we don't
really need now, usually ends up with us having to sell things that we
do need later.
One might be tempted to say that the A.I.G. executives should have
exercised common sense. Interesting phrase common sense. Has its roots
in the American Revolution. A Revolutionary writer, Thomas Paine,
published a pamphlet in January of 1776, styled: Common Sense. Paine
needed to present an argument for independence from British rule. Most
of the colonists were unsophisticated. Most of the literature of the day
was written in a philosophical or Latin style way beyond the reach of
the common person. So Paine wrote Common Sense in a style not too
dissimilar to a Biblical sermon. This was something the average person
understood. It was to prove very popular, selling 500,000 copies in the
first year. Paine did a wise thing, he donated his royalties from Common
Sense to George Washington's Continental Army, saying: 'As my wish was
to serve an oppressed people, and assist in a good and just cause, I
conceived that the honour of it would be promoted by the declining to
make even the usual profits of an author!' You don't have to go to
university to know that Thomas Paine exercised a fair degree of wisdom
in stirring up the people. Sure there was risk involved but it was a
calculated risk. And it paid off. A rabble of an army drove the
mightiest force of the day off American soil.
After reading quite a bit on the topic and not being able to come across
a decent formal definition for wisdom, it dawned on me that wisdom is
not about a written definition. Possibly trying to box it in might serve
to destroy it. For I believe it to be an experience, a feeling if you
will. Somehow I know I am in the company of a wise person. A person with
that rare gift which defies the normal bounds of our secular existence.
In closing I would like to mention the cameo I heard on the radio a few
days ago. It's about the very rich man who decides to holiday on one of
the Greek Islands. In his wonderings he meets up with a Greek fisherman
who has a simple boat. The rich man asks, 'what do you do?', obviously
looking for conversation. The fisherman replies, 'every day I take my
boat out, catch a few fish for my needs, go home relax and enjoy time
with my family. I do the same each day'. 'No', says the rich man, 'You
should get a few boats and let others do the fishing for you. In that
way you can come down here everyday and enjoy yourself with your
family.' Food for thought.
Chat again next week.
INGENIEURS
BROU BIER VIR PRAKTIESE OPLEIDING
Die Noordwes-Universiteit se Potchefstroomkampus fokus daarop om
praktiese en toepaslike opleiding aan studente te lewer.
Die Skool vir chemiese-en mineraal-ingenieurswese het hierdie visie met
oorgawe aangegryp deur ʼn bierbrouprojek van stapel te stuur waar
ingenieurstudente praktiese blootstelling kon kry met die
fermentasieproses.
Die praktiese toepassing het egter nie net by brouery geëindig nie. Die
studente moes saam met hul wetenskaplike verslag oor die
fermentasieproses, ook hul produk effektief bemark.
Die beoordeling van die verskillende groepe se konkoksies het daarna in
'n feestelike luim geskied.
“Hierdie bierbrouproses fokus op die biochemiese aspekte van die
chemiese ingenieurswese-kurrikulum en bykans twintig persent van alle
chemiese ingenieurs se loopbane is gefokus binne relevante biochemiese
industrieë” sê mev. Anka Oberholzer, dosent by chemiese ingenieurswese.
Volgens Oberholzer het die studente baie inisiatief aan die dag gelê en
het hulle ʼn akademiese projek met goeie gees aangepak.
Die dosente by die skool was al van vroegdag af oorval met pamflette en
brosjures in poging om hul produkte bekend te stel. Daar het selfs
lewensgrootte plakkate van sterre wat hul sogenaamde voortande sal gee
vir ʼn voorsmakie van die studente se wonderbier.
Bekende restaurantbestuuurders en dosente van die fakulteit het as
beoordelaars opgetree en almal was van mening dat die bierbrouers
hierdie jaar baie hoë standaarde gehandhaaf het.
Aan die einde van die dag het Akker Lager, vervaardig deur Corlia Jonker,
Lauran Groenewald, Lauran Airdien en Janco Bredenkamp, met die prys vir
“beste bierkwaliteit” weggestap. Die vervaardigers van Bitter Lekker
Bier, Diaan Roode, Bart Saaiman, Lindi Combrinck en Niel Bouwer, was
kort op hul hakke. Die span van Spring Bock, Marnie Meintjies, Urban
Vermeulen en Stephan Louw, het met hulle uitmuntende bemarkingstegnieke
met die louere weggestap in die kategorie vir “beste bemarkingsveldtog”.
“Ek was regtig beïndruk met die studente se insig en waardegedrewe
professionaliteit waarmee hulle die dag benader het. Dit laat my met
alle gerustheid besef dat ons ingenieurs oplei wat gereed is om ʼn
verskil in die werksplek te maak,” sê Oberholzer.
A Few words from Miss
Matlosana……
To be crowned the first Miss Dermophuzion Matlosana is so astounding for
me that it is still taking some getting used to. I am extremely grateful
to have been chosen as the winner of such a well-organised and reputable
pageant.
This pageant involves much more than just a title. Miss Dermophuzion
Matlosana aims to provide a platform to young women to make a difference
in the community and enrich the lives of others. I hope to ensure the
sustainability of this pageant by involving myself in as many projects
as possible this year, and to leave a legacy to inspire future Miss
Matlosanas.
On the 28th of March, I attended the Golf-day at the Orkney Golf-club
which was held to raise funds for the 2009 Talent Africa finalists who
will be travelling to the United States of America in July for the
Talent America competition. On Friday the 10th of April, my plans are to
hold an Easter event for the children of the Rethabile Children's home,
and will thankfully be able to do this with the help of sponsorship from
the OK Grocer, Food Zone, Flimieda Spar, Overland and Go Big Media who
are all sponsoring Easter eggs.
Throughout the year, I plan to support and assist the Rethabile
children's home as well as the Tokologo Early Learning Centre. I also
plan to inspire the youth of this area to be more conscious of the
environment which is an issue which I feel is not touched enough upon.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the sponsors that were
and still are involved in this pageant. Without you, success would not
be achievable and your generous contribution helped to make this
pageant's vision a reality.
I am truly grateful for this opportunity that I was given, and will
treasure the experience and the memories.
TOBACCO
REMAINS MAJOR GLOBAL THREAT TO HEALTH
South Africa needs to step up its efforts to make the country 100%
tobacco free by 2010, says the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA)
in a statement on 16 March, after attending a world conference on
tobacco control.
Tobacco-free means no use of tobacco in any public place, including
sports stadiums.
“The tobacco epidemic is threatening world health, especially in
developing countries where the tobacco industry is aggressively
marketing its deadly products in order to find new customers,” says
CANSA Head of Communication Martha Molete, who attended the 14th World
Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai, India from 8-12 March 2009.
In India alone, one million people die every year from tobacco-related
diseases. Over 42 000 South Africans die from tobacco-related diseases
annually and many more are made sick from tobacco products and
second-hand smoke. Globally tobacco kills 5.2 million people per year.
“South Africa is a leader in tobacco control in Africa and has made
important strides with our new anti-tobacco legislation to come into
effect soon,” Molete said. “However, we have a lot more work to do in
order to make sports stadiums and other public areas 100% tobacco-free
and to help the over 5 million South African smokers quit this deadly
addiction.”
Almost 2 000 tobacco control advocates from around the world attended
the Mumbai conference which issued the following declarations at the
closing ceremony:
The 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health recognised that:
All tobacco products are harmful and create an economic burden
especially in low income countries. The global tobacco control community
needs to increase efforts to combat this epidemic. The tobacco industry
markets all forms of tobacco products and continues to develop new
tobacco products. The tobacco industry obstructs effective tobacco
control measures and continues to promote tobacco products through all
possible means, including the entertainment industry. The Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is an effective tool for tobacco
control adopted by 84% of countries in the world.
The conference made the following 11 recommendations:
1. The World Health Organisation maintains tobacco control as a first
level priority.
2. By 2012 at least 90% of eligible countries will have become parties
to the FCTC.
3. By 2012, the FCTC Protocol on illicit trade in tobacco products will
have been adopted, ratified and entered into force and at least one
other protocol in negotiation.
4. By 2012, the parties to the FCTC will have adopted two additional
guidelines on implementation of Article 12 (Education, communication,
training and public awareness) and Article 14 (Tobacco dependence and
cessation)
5. By 2012, at least 80% of the countries will have complied with the
minimum requirements under Article 8 (Protection from exposure to
tobacco smoke), Article 11 (Packaging and labelling of tobacco products)
and at least 50% should comply with the minimum requirements under
Article 13 (Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship).
6. All parties to the FCTC will have paid their voluntary assessed
contribution and at least 10% will provide extra budgetary contributions
to the FCTC.
7. Non Governmental, Development and Philanthropic organisations will
provide or maintain substantive contributions for tobacco control.
8. Governments, academia and civil society must not accept funding or
participate in the tobacco industry's youth, social responsibility,
voluntary marketing or other programmes.
9. By 2012, the majority of the parties to FCTC would have begun tobacco
cessation efforts as recommended under Article 14 of the FCTC.
10. By 2012, 80% of the countries would have raised tobacco taxes to
over 60% of the retail price.
By 2012, the United Nations would have convened a General Session of
Discussion on human rights and tobacco control.
South African welterweight championship more fun than expected
On 27 March the South African welterweight championship went according
to the script, except that it was a little more fun than was expected.
Underdog, Welcome Ntshingila, turned out to be more lively than expected
and Chris van Heerden had the edge in hand speed and activity.
The rounds were easy to score - the judges were unanimous in giving Van
Heerden a deserved two 117-111 and a 118-110 margins.
That was his first defence of the national belt he won last December.
Van Heerden also retained his unblemished record of 13 wins and a draw
while Ntshingila, who landed the heavier but fewer blows, suffered his
eighth defeat against 16 wins and three draws.
This fight topped the four-bout card of Branco Sports Production at
Matlosana Civic Hall in Klerksdorp, North West. Van Heerden went
straight to work with his rocket-launcher right-hand jab which was
wicked throughout. He hurt Ntshingila with a torrent of shots in the
fifth and sixth rounds. The seventh was perhaps the best. Van Heerden
dropped his guard and the aggressive Ntshingila hurt him.
But Van Heerden dug in and fought back, showing a big heart as he
unloaded his best shots which lacked zip. It looked like only a matter
of time before a stoppage could be called.
Brutality continued and in the end Doctor M'Zwakhe Qobose handed
Ntshingila a 60-day ban. The big winners were boxing gyms in and around
Matlosana. They shared boxing equipment worth R30 000 donated by
promoter Branco Milenkovic. The big losers were fight fans from
thatprovince.
They missed an opportunity to see more of their own fighters in action
free of charge.
Vuyisile Rangxa (Klerksdorp) o tpointed Fanfikile Cabe (Ekurhuleni) over
eight rounds.
A bloody North West derby between Danile Botman and Amos Nhlapho ended
in the fourth round. They clashed heads and Botman was badly hurt. A
stoppage was called.
Meanwhile, Sandra Almedia outpointed Rita Mrwebi over four rounds in the
female junior middleweight fight.
NW TO STAGE BALOYI,
KLASSEN FIGHT
North West has done it again, winning the heated race to host the
historic world title fight between stablemates Cassius Baloyi and
Malcolm Klassen.
Baloyi holds the IBF junior flyweight belt. Baloyi and Klassen, the
mandatory challenger, are under one roof at the productive boxing stable
of Nick Durandt at Bree Street, downtown Jozi.
This match will be presented by multiple award winners - Branco
Milenkovic and Jacob Matlala, at Mafikeng University Great hall.
Durandt will be in Baloyi's corner while Gert Strydom will plot the
reigning champion's demise.
Strydom was successful in doing that in November 2006 when Klassen
dethroned Gary St Clair off the same belt at Emperors Palace. At the
time, Klassen was under the tutelage of trainer Manny Fernandez. The
latter opted to be in America with Isaac Hlatswayo, who was defeated by
Kendall Holt for the lesser recognised WBO NABO junior welterweight
title.
Klassen lost that belt five months later to Mzonke Fana, who was in turn
dethroned by Baloyi on April 12 last year. Fana had previously defended
against Julio Alvarez at James Motlatsi Hall in Klerksdorp in 2007.
The Baloyi-Fana fight took place at the North West University Sports
Complex in Mafikeng. It was broadcast live on Blow by Blow. The national
broadcaster will do the same on April 18.
North West is reclaiming its respect as the powerhouse for super fights.
Sun City Superbowl was the Mecca of super fights 20 years ago.
WILLOW PARK EMERGENCY HOUSING DELIVERED AGAINST ALL ODDS
The prioritization of rural development and infrastructure development
as central pillars of the struggle against unemployment, poverty and
inequality were given practical expression on Tuesday as residents of
Willow Park outside Zeerust in Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality
received a R3, 1 million package to improve their quality of life.
As part of the package, North West MEC for Developmental Local
Government and Housing,Howard Yawa handed over fifty four (54) houses to
beneficiaries to fulfill the undertaking he had made in January towards
the handover of R2,6 million emergency housing project by end march .
The six (6) outstanding houses are to be roofed on Wednesday and handed
over to beneficiaries on Thursday 2 April 2009.
“We need to commend Mosegedi and Associates (Pty) Ltd for chasing the
end March target for completion of the project. Against all odds that
included among others, unavailability of skilled labourers and rainy
weather condition over a period of about a month, they strove for the
realization of our commitment. I am confident that in the next two days,
outstanding work on site would be 100% completed to the satisfaction of
all beneficiaries.” said MEC Yawa in appreciation.
On the 14 January 2009, a national daily newspaper had published an
article titled Poor and Forgotten and emphasized that: “Its election
time. The air is thick with promises from politicians who want your
vote. All of them talk about “service delivery” and a “better life for
all. But often that is not what happens in the real world…”
Celebrating the milestone, Yawa quoted the African writer and poet Ben
Okri's caution against pessimists as follows, "To poison a nation,
poison its stories. A demoralised nation tells demoralised stories to
itself. Beware of the storytellers who are not fully conscious of the
importance of their gifts, and who are irresponsible in the application
of their art: they could unwittingly help along the psychic destruction
of their people."
“Had I not been crippled by illness and many years of exploitation and
abuse as a farmworker, I would have jumped sky high. Government has
provided me with a house that is mine.E re nna wee (It is Mine)”said
Tinyiko Moagi, a seventy one year single mother of six children. Moagi
is one of the beneficiaries who received a 45 square meters four roomed
low cost house.
The Executive Mayor for Ngaka Modiri Molema, Councillor Temba Gwabeni
also handed 11 impregnated cattle, i.e. a bull and ten cows, 103
impregnated goats to the community. The livestock is part of
Seepaletoutou animal production programme package valued at about R500
000 to enhance the quality of life of the impoverished community.
Thirty cattle and over six hundred goats are expected to be produced
through artificial insemination of the animals over three years for the
benefit of the community .As part of the programme, unemployed graduates
were trained in Brazil to give support in livestock artificial
insemination for livestock production.
STERN WARNING TO BENEFICIARIES RENTING OUT LOW COST HOUSES
Government will confiscate low cost houses that beneficiaries of low
cost housing programme are renting out while they themselves continue to
stay in shacks and in informal settlements, North West MEC for
Developmental Local Government and Housing, Howard Yawa warned residents
of Marikana outside Rustenburg on Friday.
Yawa was addressing residents at the handover of the Marikana Emergency
Housing and Rectification project. The Provincial department spend over
R22, 7 million towards reconstruction of 650 low cost houses in the
mining settlement after a devastating storm left 150 families homeless
and 54 hospitalised in November last year.
Though the completion of the project has brought relief to most
residents, desperation among some is emerging though the main contractor
is still on site for the next few weeks for minor final finishing
touches.
Maki Mbekwa (53), a single mother of eight children and a grandchild
summed it as follows: “Government went the extra mile of extending the
reconstruction of houses affected by the disaster to rectification of
all houses in our area. Our houses are now reinforced and brighter.
Those who are not happy are ungrateful and have unrealistic
expectations. They are influenced by some of the sub-contractors for the
project to continue so that they should continue to be employed on the
project. Those with unrealistic expectations do not belong here among
us, the poorest of the poor .They should move to suburbs and leave us in
peace.”
According to Yawa, the emergency housing project provided 364 job
opportunities for locals and empowerment opportunity for 23 emerging
local contractors, 17 of whom were women contractors. He said that the
empowerment of emerging women contractors expands on R506 million that
his department had allocated for empowerment of women contractors for
the 2008/09 financial year.
“Though some of you endured harsh weather condition outside the comfort
of your homes during the reconstruction of your houses, you trusted and
believed in the ANC government to deliver on its business unusual: all
hands on deck to speed up change pledge. Your participation in the
reconstruction programme in the spirit of Vukusenzele accelerated the
pace of delivery.” Yawa told the residents.
He also expressed appreciation to the Provincial, District and
Rustenburg Disaster Management Centres for co-ordination of relief
efforts and synergistic partnership of government departments, the South
African Council of Churches and the Zinniaville Muslim Community during
the disaster.
The MEC commented Toro ya Africa Consultants and the professional teams
for delivering the emergency housing and rectification project within
the shortest time possible. He said that the urgency with which they
executed the project demonstrated that they have understood and embraced
government's pledge for business unusual: All hands on deck to speed up
change.
Yawa said that the pace of delivery of the project despite work
stoppages during the December builders break, festive season and heavy
rainfall that was experienced in the area in past two months has renewed
the Freedom Charter's pledge of houses, security and comfort for the
community.”
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