The Afropolitan Edition 25

ALTERNATE MONTHLY Issue 25, 2011 www.afropolitan.co.za

KABELO MABALANE IMMORTAL No Continent For Old Men The Gaddafi

PLUS

I Knew

• Alternative Energy - Power To The People • Lulu Letlape‘s Life Lessons • Marrying Black Girls • Walking With Lions

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in this issue

C O N T E N T S

12

7

editor’s note Celebrating Africa

9 READERS

28 19

12

19

EXPERIENCE Main feature The Gaddafi I Knew

Corporate Responsibility When We Walked With Lions

FEATURE 24

No Continent For Old Men

28

Fashion

Style D'Vine

40 tsotsi in the boardroom 43 UNDERCOVER GEEK FINANCE

54

44 46

Marriage And Money Power To The People

RAGS TO RICHES 52

Shaun Battleman

travel

54 Mauritius

58

62

beauty & Grooming For The Glamour Girl & For The Metro Man

CULINARY 60

‘Tis The Season To Drink Cocktails

AFRO decor

62 Summertime

64

FULL ON LIFE

64 Kabelo Mabalane: Immortal

70

reviews

68 CD Reviews 69 DVD Reviews 70 Book Reviews 71 Movie Reviews 73 Gadgets 76 Afro Wheels 79 Restaurant Review

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80 SOCIALS 82 AfroPROFILES

76

4

86 kaburU

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140 BBDO_804966_APPLAUSE_AFPO

EDITOR'S NOTE

e d i to r ' s

note

A

s we work towards putting the holiday edition of The Afropolitan to bed, we marvel at how much has transpired in Africa over the past two months. We observe the many changes on the continent with as much excitement as trepidation.

Excitement that the masses have made themselves heard to the point of effecting change but trepidation because the long and hard-fought dreams of democracy may not be realised should countries find themselves in worse conditions than they were before the Arab Spring.

In this issue we look at the differing views on the Arab Spring. In particular, Yoweri Museveni’s in-depth personal opinion on Muammar Gaddafi and Western influence on African affairs on page 12.

Kabelo Mabalane proudly graces our cover, and on page 64 he shares with us the long road he has travelled in his career, the barriers he has overcome and the mountain peaks he intends to climb in his journey to being a true Afropolitan.

Be inspired by this issue’s tsotsi in the boardroom, corporate giant Lulu Letlape, as she shares some of her life lessons, and look out for “Power to the People”, a piece on climate change and Africa’s alternative energy options, which ties in with the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP-17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

As we end what has been a long and exciting year we would also like to take this opportunity to wish you well as you take a moment to rest and spend time with loved ones over the holidays. We thank you for all the support you have given the Afropolitan brand in 2011, and we look forward to 2012 and all it holds. We are confident the brand will only get bigger and better with your support.

the team editor Brendah Nyakudya

contributors Angus McEwan Charles Ash Damian Murphy Phillipa Yaa de Villiers Elka Schaimberg Jahn Beukes Ntebo Rajuili Sentletse Diakanyo Stacey Vee Tendai Maidza Vincent Verrydt

publishing house Contact Media & Communications Block F, The Palms Office Park 391 Main Avenue, Randburg Tel: +27(0) 11 789 6339 Fax: +27(0) 11 789 7097 email: pressman@contactmedia.co.za web: www.contactmedia.co.za

managing director and publisher Sean Press

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Donna Verrydt

finance and operations DIRECTOR Lesley Fox

sales manager Bokang Seritsane

sales Chioma Didi Okoro Damian Murphy Jaime Lee van Sittert Justin Green Lerato Matlakala Shane Williams

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subbing & proofing Joey Kok

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it and web manager Charles Ash

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Happy holidays!

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Copyright © 2010 Contact Media & Communications. The Afropolitan is published by Contact Media & Communications.

All material is strictly copyright with all rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in part or whole without the express written permission of the publisher. No responsibility will be accepted for unsolicited material. The publisher accepts no liability of whatsoever nature arising out of or in connection with the contents of this publication. Whilst every care has been taken in compiling this publication, the publisher does not give any warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of its contents.

The views and opinions expressed in The Afropolitan are not necessarily those of the Publisher, Kaya FM or contributors.

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E X P E RI E N C E

Marrying

Black Girls

for Guys Who

Aren’t Black

Under apartheid law it was a serious crime to cavort with anyone not in your same race band. Interracial relationships were deemed illegal and so serious a crime that it was punishable by jail time or in some instances a brutal death. That heavenly day when former President Nelson Mandela walked the long walk to freedom, races started walking towards each other. Hagen Engler gives us a lighter look at the goings-on when black meets white.

A

re you a guy? And you’re not black? And you dig black girls?

Not just to look at them from a distance, but actually to talk to them and ultimately try dating them?

And then actually date them and start going out in public together and stand in the queue at movies with them and all that? Go to braais and say, “This is my girlfriend, Letsego?” or Lonwabo, or Sibu, or Kate because she grew up with a white family. Or whatever.

If this sounds like you, and you follow things through to their natural conclusion, you may even end up marrying her, differently coloured as you might be.

It happened to me, so I have prepared a list of tips.

Prepare to not follow the conversation You’re not black, so don’t even try to be.

Maybe you know some Xhosa, maybe you’ve had black friends all your life, maybe you’ve been building RDP houses in Katlehong for the past 10 years. But you’re not black. When you hang with her mates, you’ll spend a lot of time staring blankly into the middle distance, smiling vaguely, while people bellow at each other in a language you don’t

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understand, laugh their heads off and generally have more fun than you. If you stick with it, you’ll get to meet her family, where the same scenario will play itself out, times 100.

Prepare for the speeches African culture is big on making speeches. Cultural ceremonies are basically extended talk shops where the guys – the men, mostly – get to showcase their thousand-year-old debating skills.

African culture is basically a massive, continent-wide toastmasters’ club. While everyone’s making speeches you don’t understand, nod politely, and only ask what was said afterwards. Sooner or later they’ll ask you to say something.

Keep it concise, because you’re about to make a total idiot of yourself.

Lobola: a minefield It’s supposed to be a patriarchy, but in reality most black kids are raised by women. Lobola negotiations are supposed to be handled between the uncles of your two clans. A quick check will confirm that you have only three uncles, two of whom now live in Australia. On her side, there will be roughly 27 uncles, brothers, halfbrothers, half-uncles, cousin-uncles and cousin-brothers. They will all insist they

Hagen Engler

are the right person to conduct lobola negotiations.

You are a racist - face it You can marry six black women in a row and you’ll still be a racist. We all are. Being a racist is part of being South African. Luckily, she’s one too. You okes are made for each other. Just admit it at every opportunity, and then wallow in your inbred racial prejudice and bigotry. Park in front of the TV talking in ethnic accents, ripping off every race group in turn. Every now and then you’ll wade into a political debate with an unthought-through clanger of such ignorant racism you’ll shock yourself.

Don’t stress about it. You can still marry her.

Embrace the R&B Choice of music remains one of the most powerful cultural signifiers. So unless you’re dating earth’s only black female fan of Facing The Gallows, you’re going to be listening to a lot of R&B. There will be Beyoncé, yes, but old-school stuff you didn’t know existed. Try Silk, Tamia, Johnny Gill, Shai and Tevin Campbell.

And you will never get to like it. It will be a living hell every time you hear it.

On one occasion you’ll drive the whole way from Sandton to Kempton listening

9

image courtesy of HAGEN ENGLER

BY HAGEN ENGLER

R E A D E R S

R E A D E R S

E X P E RI E N C E

to Forever My Lady by Jodeci. Oh, and your Bon Iver will not be tolerated?

Trivium? Forget about it.

Black woman = gold digger Ja, I know. Not necessarily. But to your folks that’s all she is. So they’ll insist on a pre-nup to stop her stealing your family’s dynastic fortune. Even if her dad’s a company director, and your old man’s a caretaker at the Boknes Caravan Park. Life will suck at this point. And you’ll have a moment in the lawyer’s office where you’ll want to rip your face off. But on some deep, twisted level, there’s a certain pride in being a target of gold-digging.

Misguided as that pride may be.

a new wife every month Because black women do hair like nobody else does hair. Your wife will pop off to get her hair done at 10 in the morning, and return, like, 11 hours later! When she left she’ll have looked like Keri Hilson, and she’ll come back looking like Diana Ross the time she dropped her toaster in the bath. It’s disturbing having your lady look completely different, and you’ll be shocked when she first walks in the door. But don’t give the game away. Try not to gasp – she’s invested 11 hours in this, after all. Practise saying, “Wow! You look amazing.”

imageS courtesy of Shutterstock

You’re going to have to defend your territory When you go out with a white woman, guys seem to at least grant you the basic respect of waiting till you’re not around before they try to woo her away from you. Not so much with black ladies. You can be standing right next to her at the gym, and some dude will grab her by the arm and ask her where she’s from. Policemen will wolf whistle her while you’re walking right next to each other.

Beggars at the robots will tell her she’s phakile. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to take someone by the throat and threaten to rip his eyes out. Think of it as a romantic gesture, defending your lady’s honour. You old smoothie you.

Cultures clash Have you ever bought something on layby? How do you rate the taste of umleqwa compared to normal chicken? Do you want some of this delicious tripe? Aren’t you dying for

10

some magwinya? Aren’t you broken that Oprah’s off air? Not? Well, maybe you’re a white oke going out with a black woman. Or, to be honest, maybe you’re me. Let’s stop pretending these things are universal – these are just some examples of what I’ve experienced in my relationship. And to generalise is to engage in racist stereotyping, and

we agreed we’re trying to cut down on racism. As if that’s possible.

I’m pretty happy indulging my personal case of jungle fever, and if you’re into something similar, I wish you the very best of polychromatic good luck. Maybe I’ll see you guys out some night. At a Kenny Lattimore concert or something like that…

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Reproduced with permission from Foreign Policy www.foreignpolicy.com ŠThe Washington Post

BY Yoweri Museveni

M A I N

12

sto r y

I Knew

The Gaddafi

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Backing Idi Amin: Idi Amin came to power in 1971 with the support of Britain and Israel because they thought he was uneducated enough to be used by them. Amin, however, turned against his sponsors when they refused to sell him guns to fight Tanzania. Unfortunately, Gaddafi, without first getting enough information about Uganda, jumped in to support Idi Amin. He did this because Amin was a “Muslim” and Uganda was a “Muslim country” where Muslims were being “oppressed” by Christians. Amin killed a lot of people extra-judicially, and Gaddafi was identified with these mistakes.

In 1972 and 1979, Gaddafi sent Libyan troops to defend Amin when we [the Uganda National Liberation Front] attacked him. I remember a Libyan Tupolev Tu-22 bomber trying to bomb us in Mbarara in 1979. The bomb ended up in Nyarubanga, Burundi, because the pilots were scared. They could not come close to bombing their intended target properly. Many Libyan militias were captured and repatriated to Libya

by Tanzania. This was a big mistake by Gaddafi and a direct aggression against the people of Uganda and East Africa.

Pushing for a United States of Africa: The second big mistake by Gaddafi was his position vis-à-vis the African Union (AU), where he called for a continental government “now.” Since 1999, he had been pushing this position. We tried to politely point out to Gaddafi that continental governance was difficult in the short and medium term. We should, instead, aim at the Economic Community of Africa and, where possible, also aim at regional federations. But Gaddafi would not relent. He would not respect the rules of

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the AU. Gaddafi would resurrect topics or discussions that had been covered by previous meetings and “overrule” a decision taken by all other African heads of state. Some of us were forced to come out and oppose his wrong position and, working with others, we repeatedly defeated his illogical position.

Proclaiming himself king of kings: The third mistake was Gaddafi’s tendency to interfere in the internal affairs of many African countries, using the little money Libya has compared to those countries. One blatant example was his involvement with cultural leaders of black Africa – kings, chiefs, etc. Since the political leaders of Africa had refused to back his project of an African government, Gaddafi, incredibly, thought that he could bypass them and work with these kings to implement his wishes. I warned Gaddafi in Addis Ababa that action would be taken against any Ugandan king who involved himself in politics, because it was against our constitution.

I moved a motion in Addis Ababa to expunge from the records of the AU all references to kings (cultural leaders) who had made speeches in our forum, because Colonel Gaddafi had invited them there illegally.

Ignoring the plight of Southern Sudan: The fourth big mistake was made by most of the Arab leaders, including Gaddafi to some extent. This was in connection with the long-suffering people of southern Sudan. Many of the Arab leaders either supported or ignored the suffering of the black people in that country. This unfairness always created tension and friction between the Arabs and us. However, I must salute Gaddafi and President Hosni Mubarak for travelling to Khartoum just before the referendum in Sudan, during which time they advised President Omar al-Bashir to respect the results of that exercise.

Terrorism: Sometimes Gaddafi (and other Middle Eastern radicals) did not

13

image courtesy of SHUTTERSTOCK

B

y the time Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi came to power in 1969, I was a third-year university student at Dares-Salaam in Tanzania.

We welcomed his rise because he was a leader in the tradition of Colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt who had a nationalist and pan-Arab position.

Soon, however, problems cropped up with Gaddafi as far as Uganda and black Africa were concerned:

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M A I N

sto r y

distance themselves sufficiently from terrorism, even when they were fighting for a just cause. Terrorism is the use of indiscriminate violence – not distinguishing between military and non-military targets. The Middle Eastern radicals, quite different from the revolutionaries of black Africa, seem to say that any means is acceptable as long as you are fighting the enemy.

That is why they hijack planes, use assassinations, plant bombs in bars, etc. We were together with the Arabs in the anti-colonial struggle. The black African liberation movements, however, developed differently from the Arab ones. Where we used arms, we fought soldiers or sabotaged infrastructure but never targeted non-combatants. These indiscriminate methods tend to isolate the struggles of the Middle East and the Arab world.

These are some of the negative points in connection to Gaddafi as far as Uganda’s patriots have been concerned over the years. Each of the positions taken by Gaddafi was unfortunate and unnecessary.

Nevertheless, Gaddafi also had had many positive points, objectively speaking. These positive points have been for the good of Africa, Libya, and the third world. Included in these is the fact that Gaddafi was a nationalist.

He conducted an independent foreign policy and, of course, also independent internal policies. I am not able to understand the position of Western countries, which appear to resent independent-minded leaders and seem to prefer puppets. Puppets are not good for any country. Most of the countries that have transitioned from third world to first world status since 1945 have had independent-minded leaders: South Korea (Park Chung-hee), Singapore (Lee Kuan Yew), People’s Republic of China (Mao Tse Tung, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Marshal Yang Shangkun, Li Peng, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao), Malaysia (D Mahthir Mohamad), Brazil (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva), Iran (the Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei), etc.

Between World War I and World War II the Soviet Union transitioned into an industrial country, propelled by the dictatorial but independentminded Joseph Stalin. In Africa, we have also benefited from a number of independent-minded leaders: Colonel Nasser of Egypt, Mwalimu Nyerere of Tanzania, Samora Machel of Mozambique, and others. That is how southern Africa was liberated and how we got rid of Idi Amin. The stopping of genocide in Rwanda and the overthrow of Mobutu Sese-Seko in the Democratic

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Republic of the Congo were as a result of efforts of independent-minded African leaders.

Gaddafi, whatever his faults, was a true nationalist. I prefer nationalists to puppets of foreign interests.

Where have the puppets caused the transformation of countries? By contrast, the independent-minded Gaddafi had some positive contributions to Libya, I believe, as well as Africa and the third world. Take just one example: at the time we were fighting the criminal dictatorships here in Uganda, we had a problem arising of a complication caused by our failure to capture enough guns at Kabamba on 6 Feb 1981. Gaddafi gave us a small consignment of 96 rifles, 100 anti-tank mines, etc., that was very useful. He did not consult Washington or Moscow before he did this. This was good for Libya, for Africa, and for the Middle East. We should also remember as part of that independent-mindedness the fact that he expelled British and American military bases from Libya.

Gaddafi also raised the price of oil.

Before he came to power in 1969, a barrel of oil was 40 American cents. He launched a campaign to withhold Arab oil unless the West paid more for it.

When the Arab-Israel war of 1973 broke out, the price of a barrel of oil went up to $40. I am, therefore, surprised to hear that many oil producers in the world, including the Gulf countries, do not appreciate the historical role played

by Gaddafi on this issue. The huge wealth many of these oil producers are enjoying was, at least in part, due to Gaddafi’s efforts. The Western countries have continued to develop in spite of paying more for oil. It therefore means that the pre-Gaddafi oil situation was characterised by super exploitation by the Western countries of oil-producing countries.

Coming to the present crisis, therefore, I need to point out some issues: First We must distinguish between demonstrations and insurrections.

Peaceful demonstrations should not be fired upon with live bullets. Of course, even peaceful demonstrations should be coordinated with the police to ensure that they do not interfere with the rights of other citizens.

However, when rioters are attacking

police stations and army barracks with the aim of taking power, then they are no longer demonstrators – they are insurrectionists. They will have to be treated as such. A responsible government would have to use reasonable force to neutralise them. Of course, the ideal responsible government should also be one that is elected by the people at periodic intervals. If there is a doubt about the legitimacy of a government, and the people decide to launch an insurrection, this should be the decision of the internal forces. It should not be for external forces to arrogate themselves that role; often, they do not have enough knowledge to decide rightly.

Excessive external involvement always brings terrible distortions. When external forces get involved, that is a vote of no confidence in the local people. A

Gaddafi also had had many positive points, objectively speaking. These positive points have been for the good of Africa, Libya, and the Third World. legitimate internal insurrection, if that is the strategy chosen by the leaders of that effort, can succeed. The Shah of Iran was defeated by an internal insurrection; the Russian Revolution in 1917 was an internal insurrection; the revolution in Zanzibar in 1964 was an internal insurrection. It should be for the leaders of the resistance in a given country to decide their strategy, not for foreigners to sponsor insurrection groups in sovereign countries.

I am totally allergic to foreign, political, and military involvement in sovereign countries, especially the African countries. If foreign intervention is good, then African countries should be the most prosperous countries in the world, because we have had the greatest dosages of that: the slave trade, colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism, etc. But all those foreign-

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M A I N

sto r y

imposed phenomena have been disastrous. Africa has only recently begun to come up, partly because we are rejecting external meddling. External meddling and the acquiescence by Africans into that meddling have been responsible for the stagnation on our continent. External groups in many cases impose the wrong definition of priorities in many African countries.

Failure to prioritise infrastructure, for instance, especially energy, is, in part, due to some of these pressures.

Instead, consumption is promoted. I have witnessed this wrong definition of priorities even here in Uganda.

size! What moral right do foreigners have to comment on the affairs of these countries?

Fourth

The by-now-entrenched habit of Western countries to overuse their technological superiority to impose war on less developed societies, without impeachable logic, will ignite an arms race in the world. The actions of the Western countries in Iraq and now Libya are emphasising that might is “right.” I am quite sure that many countries that are able to will scale up their military research, and in a few decades, we may have a more armed world. Weapons Second science is not magic. A small country like Israel is now a superpower in terms Western countries always use double of military technology. Yet 60 years ago, standards. In Libya, they are very eager Israel had to buy second-hand Fouga to impose a no-fly zone. In Bahrain and other areas where there are pro-Western Magister planes from France. There are regimes, they turn a blind eye to the very many countries that can become small same or even worse conditions. We have Israels if this trend of Western countries overusing military means continues. been appealing to the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone over Somalia FiftH – so as to impede the free movement of terrorists linked to al-Qaeda, which The AU mission was unable to enter killed Americans on 11 September 2001, Libya because the Western countries killed Ugandans in July 2010, and have started bombing the day before they caused so much damage to the Somalis were supposed to arrive.

– without success. Why? Are there no human beings in Somalia, as there are in Sixth Benghazi? Or is it because Somalia does not have oil that is not fully controlled Regarding the Libyan opposition, I by the Western oil companies, as was the would feel embarrassed to be backed case in Libya, on account of Gaddafi’s

by Western warplanes. Quislings of nationalist posture? foreign interests have never helped Africa. We have had a copious supply Third of them in the last 50 years: Mobutu Sese-Seko, Houphouet Boigny, Kamuzu The Western countries are always Banda, etc. The West has made a lot of very prompt in commenting on every mistakes in Africa and in the Middle problem in the third world – Egypt, East in the past. Apart from the slave Tunisia, Libya, etc. Yet, some of these trade and colonialism, they participated very countries were the ones impeding growth in those countries. There was a in the killing of Patrice Lumumba, military coup d’état that slowly became until recently the only elected leader a revolution in backward Egypt in 1952. of the Democratic Republic of the The new leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser Congo, the poisoning of Cameroonian Hussein, had ambitions to oversee the political leader Félix Moumié, and transformation of Egypt. He wanted the assassination of prime minister to build a dam not only to generate Bartholomew Boganda of the Central electricity but also to help with Egypt’s African Republic. The West supported ancient irrigation system. The West Unita in Angola, Idi Amin – at the denied him money because they did not beginning of his regime – in Uganda, believe that Egyptians needed electricity. and the counter-revolutionaries in Nasser decided to raise that money by Iran in 1953. Recently, there has been nationalising the Suez Canal. Israel, some improvement in the arrogant France, and Britain attacked him. To be attitudes of some of these Western fair to the United States, US President countries. Certainly with black Africa, Eisenhower opposed that aggression at and with Uganda in particular, the the time. Of course, there was also the relations are good following the fair firm stance of the Soviet Union at the stand the West has taken on the fate of time. How much electricity was this the black people of southern Sudan. dam supposed to produce? Just 2 000 With the democratisation of South megawatts – for a country of Egypt’s

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Africa and freedom of the black people in southern Sudan, the difference between the patriots of Uganda and the Western governments had disappeared.

Unfortunately, these rash actions on Libya raised new problems. They should be resolved quickly.

Seventh As to the international community, the African members of the Security Council voted for this resolution on Libya. This was contrary to what the Africa Peace and Security Council had decided in Addis Ababa recently. This is something that only the extraordinary AU summit can resolve. It was good that certain big countries in the Security Council – Russia, China, Brazil, and India – abstained on this resolution. This shows that there are balanced forces in the

If foreign intervention is good, then, African countries should be the most prosperous countries in the world, because we have had the greatest dosages of that world that will, with more consultations, adopt more correct positions.

Eighth, and finally Being members of the United Nations, we are bound by the resolution that was passed, however rushed the process.

Nevertheless, there is a mechanism for review. Western countries, which are most active in these rushed actions, should consider that route. It may be one way of extricating all of us from possible nasty complications. What if the Libyans loyal to Gaddafi decide to fight on? Using tanks and planes that are easily targeted

by French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s planes is not the only way of fighting.

Who will be responsible for such a protracted war? It is high time we did more careful thinking.

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SFA017/11

C O r P O r A T E

r E S P O N S i b i l i T y

when we wAlKed

“Lions are not animals alone; they are symbols and totems and legend; they have impressed themselves so deeply on the human mind if not in its blood; it is as though the psyche were emblazoned with their crest. When you look into the eyes of a lion and watch the grace of his long stride – all that unused energy flowing under the skin, when you see the noble looking calm of the mouth and nose, the proud authority of the bearded chin – the mysterious reminder of the faces of classic and mythological heroes – you recognize to your marrow that you were born with that image already in you.”

Evelyn ames in a Garden of Eden

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Handler from Lion encounters on a Lion walk

I

n August this year – courtesy of 1Time Airlines, Safari Par Excellence and Three Cities Group – we were part of an amazing experience in Livingstone, Zambia. We walked with lions.

This surreal occurrence was part of an initiative set up by Lion Encounter, an active conservation programme organised by passionate people wanting to secure the future of the African lions.

In centuries past, lions were the most widespread animals on land after human beings. In 1976 more than 200 000 of these magnificent creatures roamed the plains of the African continent. Sadly today figures show an alarming 80 to 90 percent population decline over the last 30 years, leaving fewer than 23 000 lions in existence in the wild. This has led to governments placing this creature on the list of vulnerable species, but the rapid rate of decline has conservationists requesting that the lion be on the list of endangered species.

TARGeTeD LION CONSeRVATION Reasons for the decline have been

attributed to various factors, including habitat loss due to the increase in human population and poaching.

Alarmed by this scenario, British travel-agent-turned-conservationist David Youldon set up Lion Encounter, which operates African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT), a non-profit organisation dedicated to the facilitation and promotion of sound conservation and management plans for the African lion. It was founded in 2005 to support the work of the four-stage rehabilitation and release into the wild programme initiated at Antelope Park in Gweru, Zimbabwe.

This breeding and rehabilitation project is a world first and is supported by leading ecologists in the field. It is one of the first programmes in Africa that ethically seeks to provide solutions to the problem of rapidly decreasing lion populations.

These solutions involve releasing wild-born offspring of rehabilitated captive-bred lion into appropriate national parks and reserves. The organisation buys lions and raises them at special resorts. These lions are then allowed to breed and their cubs become part of the African lions rehabilitation and release

19

images courtesy of LioN eNcouNter

By BreNdaH Nyakudya

with lions

C o r po r ate

programme.

In the first stage of the four-stage programme the lions born at the breeding centres are removed from their mothers at three weeks. This age allows the trainers to prepare them so that they can embark on walks in the African bush. When they’re six weeks old, experienced handlers take the cubs into their natural environment on walks. These handlers take on the role of dominant members of the pride and help the lions gain more experience in the bush. The lions are then introduced to the smaller game in the park. At 18 months they are quite capable of taking

Respons i b i l i t y

down the game and by the age of two they are seasoned hunters.

In the second stage the lions are given the opportunity to develop a natural social system in a closely monitored two square kilometre enclosure, which has game available for them to hunt. At this stage there is no more human contact.

Once the handlers are satisfied that the lion can fully sustain themselves and have a socially stable pride, they are radio collared and trans-located as a pride into a managed eco-system that is approximately 40 square kilometres with game to hunt. In this stage, which is the programme’s third, there are

"In August this year, six female members of a pride in Zambia were released into the wild, at a site just north of Livingstone. This was the second release under the African lion rehabilitation and release into the wild programme in a year." no other lions or humans, but there will be other competitive species such as hyena to teach them survival skills.

Here these lions will give birth to cubs that will be raised by the pride in the managed eco-system. These cubs will gain necessary skills that will enable their re-introduction into national parks across Africa.

In stage four, the lion are released into the wild, having gained the necessary skills to survive.

In addition, ALERT facilitates the integration of female-only prides with other wild prides. It also assists with the re-population of the African lion.

In August this year, for instance, six female members of a pride in Zambia were released into the wild, at a site just north of Livingstone. This was the second release under the African lion rehabilitation and release into the wild programme in a year.

Media Contingent on Lion Walk

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Lion Encounter offers a unique opportunity to the people of Africa and those visiting our continent to come into very close contact with lion.

Visitors are taken on so-called “lion walks” when the cubs are in the first stage of the programme, at the age of six weeks. Tourists and visitors are brought to the lion and, in the company of the handlers, go for a walk with the mammals in the bush.

These walks have been earmarked as a fundraising tool for community projects that are also run by Lion Encounter 21

imageS courtesy of LION ENCOUNTER

Getting up close to the king of the animals

Respons i b i l i t y

Monde Village Garden Scheme for people living with HIV and Aids

support and began by assisting teachers at the pre-school with English, math and educational interactive play sessions.

Lion Encounter’s plan is to increase the scope of lessons held at the school to include music and sports. In addition, special classes have been devised to assist the four 11-year-olds to ultimately skip ahead to Grade two. Though the school’s lease expires at the end of December this year and they have a new plot of land to move to, there are no funds to begin building work for classrooms, ablution or kitchen facilities. The Lion Encounter volunteers are hoping they can change this situation soon.

A few kilometers across the border, on the Zimbabwe side, is Monde Primary School, an orphanage with which the volunteers on the Victoria Falls side are involved. With the help of the orphans they painted two of the classroom blocks during the school holidays. They are also now involved in further renovating and expanding the school; they will help to source roofing materials for a brand-new classroom block, for instance.

The orphans are also taken on field trips to visit the lions and are educated on conservation.

But it doesn’t stop there. Lion Encounter volunteers have also taken on the responsibility to Orphans from Monde Primary School painting their class room assist with the supply

volunteers, who have shown heart not only for the wild but also for people living in the communities surrounding the lion projects.

One of the community projects targeted by Lion Encounter volunteers has been that of Muuke Pre-school, located not far from the programme’s base in the Zambian Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. The school, which is currently hosted in a church building, lies bare. There are no chairs, no tables, posters or food – only 70 children desperate for an education. When the volunteers at Lion Encounter heard of Muuke Pre-school, they found out it only has two teachers caring for 70 pre-school children. Of the 70 children all but four are between the ages of two and six years old. The other four are 11-years-old and have only just started pre-school. The volunteers saw the need for teaching

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“The African lions themselves have become a fund-raising ambassador for the African wild and its people – for in saving themselves, they are saving Africa and Africans.” of seeds, labour and knowledge for gardens designated for people in Victoria Falls Town and the Monde village who are living with HIV and AIDS. This agricultural project has been a huge success in that it not only offers an income-generating opportunity for the ailing villagers, but it also provides them with necessary nutritional sustenance.

While the produce in these gardens is used mainly for income generation, at times it is consumed by the gardeners themselves.

These are only some of the socially responsible community projects being run by the philanthropic volunteers working at Lion Encounter – an initiative that has taken steps to save the African wild and its inhabitants.

As David says, “The African lions themselves have become a fund-raising ambassador for the African wild and its people – for in saving themselves, they are saving Africa and Africans.”

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imageS courtesy of LION ENCOUNTER

C o r po r ate

BY SENTLETSE DIAKANYO & BRENDAH NYAKUDYA

F E A T U R E

NO Continent T he democratisation of Africa is a longed-for dream that promises to deliver the continent from an oldfashioned breed of leaders to a youthful new generation conscious of the imperatives of modern times.

Since the wave of independence from the clutches of colonialism in the 1960s, many of the states savouring the fruits of freedom have been led by grey-haired men. Most of these senior citizens saw themselves as an extension of the identity of their respective nations.

Their tenures are characterised by an inability and unwillingness to adapt to changing political circumstances and respond to the needs of their people.

Deeply rooted in the patriarchal system of governance within which despotic tendencies emerge, these men have

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entrenched themselves in the conscience and very fibre of their nation and every sphere of life. Their image exists in tandem with that of their own countries.

It is generally in the nature of these leaders, whose egos are intrinsically linked to their tenure of office and ability to rule over their people with an iron fist, to deny their people their democratic freedoms. It is often in these countries that you find periodic pretence of democracy – farcical elections that are held as ego-boosting exercises for the authoritarian leader.

THE WINDS OF CHANGE 2011 has been a year of change. There has been a shift from the old guard, as a new generation agitates for change. The Tunisian Revolution inspired the Arab people in Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Saudi

Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco and Libya to rise against their authoritarian regimes. But with all this upheaval around us in the name of democracy, interesting observations arise. A look at the history of these countries reveals considerable economic strength despite a lack of democratic rights. Could it be that democracy in a nation still struggling with development is not necessarily the gateway to sustainable economic opportunity?

VOTER APATHY IN EGYPT The fall of Egypt’s strongman Hosni Mubarak, after a brutal crackdown on peaceful and unarmed protesters, promised a brighter future for the land of the pharaohs. The people of Egypt entrusted military generals who were once loyal to Mubarak to safeguard their

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freedom and lead the country towards a multi-party democratic election.

But for the Egyptian people the Arab Spring has swiftly turned into a cold winter of discontent. The promise of democratic freedoms that were suppressed by the Mubarak regime quickly faded under the authoritarian rule of the generals. The people of Egypt appear to be in a much more precarious situation following the revolution than they were during Mubarak’s rule. As Afropolitan was going to print, reports from Egypt revealed arrests similar to crackdowns during Mubarak’s reign.

Thousands of Egyptians protested in Tahrir Square after the detention of Alaa El Fattah, a high-profile blogger, by military prosecutors. It would seem the military faction that was meant to be a transition measure is settling in for the

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long haul. This could spell chaos and dismay for the Egyptians, who fought hard for their dream of democracy but are now faced with the reality of a military version of an autocratic rule.

Under Mubarak Egypt was flourishing economically. Similar to his Tunisian counterpart, Mubarak modernised the economy by implementing a number of meaningful entrepreneurial reforms that made it easier to start a business.

In just five years the government eased the stringent requirements for business start ups, and the number of ventures increased. This in turn increased employment with, according to the International Monetary Fund, 2.4 million jobs created between 2004 and 2007. Under Mubarak tariffs and taxes were reduced, with a call for more transparency in government dealings,

particularly in line with the national budget. Public enterprises were on track to become privatised, and the number of people living below the poverty line was significantly lower than countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately the Egyptian economy took a severe beating during the month-long protests; it contracted by 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011. Investors and tourists fled to safety, and local economic activity came to an abrupt halt. The economy at the moment is stuttering at growth levels of about 1.8 percent, much lower than projected growth of 3.5 percent for 2011/12.

Currently the people on the ground are fearful ahead of the elections and pessimistic about the economic woes not being addressed by anyone in particular.

Many Egyptians have said they will

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imageS courtesy of SHUTTERSTOCK

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F E A T U R E

LIBYA – A DIM PICTURE The picture in Libya, where a benevolent yet authoritarian leader was recently overthrown, is also dim. The people of Libya enjoyed relative prosperity under Muammar Gaddafi. According to the Human Development Index drawn from the United Nations Development Programme’s 2010 Human Development Report Libya ranked first in human development, compared to the rest of Africa. The Mo Ibrahim Index for 2011 ranked Libya fifth in terms of human development. Under Gaddafi, the Libyan people had free education, free healthcare, free energy and interestfree loans; they were living in a debtfree country. Libya’s infrastructural development is ranked second-best in Africa, and the quality of the country’s education is ranked fourth-best in Africa. Even public management is ranked second. Libya under Gaddafi afforded women their rights. Almost all people of Libya had access to housing, something that cannot be claimed by most countries.

Gaddafi’s overthrow enjoyed an inordinate amount of support from the West – primarily because of economic, not humanitarian, interests. The threat

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of protracted insurgency by people loyal to Gaddafi looms large, in the process threatening the political and economic stability of this North African country.

Libya’s national transitional council is faced with the daunting task of unifying different sectors with competing views.

A new war could hit, and the presence of al-Qaeda elements within the ranks of country’s new rulers could betray the blind optimism of those who saw the end of Gaddafi rule as the beginning of an even better Libya.

Africa ranks below Egypt and Tunisia in terms of sustainable economic opportunity. The reasonable expectation is that there should be a direct correlation between political freedom and economic freedom. However, the scourge of corruption, particularly in South Africa, appears to be the primary impediment to sustainable economic opportunity. Existing within an economic environment that demands political connection would ordinarily hamper the majority of the people to prosper. The structural faults in the PROSPERITY IN THE EAST economy that have been inherited from the apartheid past also play a significant Looking beyond the continent, China role in compromising the pace of is another example of authoritarian economic emancipation. leadership that has lead to a prosperous As shown by the Arab Spring, a economy. The rise of the middle class reasonable expectation of the people in China since the implementation of following the fall of a dictator is freedom economic reforms in 1978 has been – of speech, of the press, of association phenomenal. The centre of economic and all other democratic freedoms gravity is gradually shifting to the East. that all oppressed people of the world Economists forecast that within a few aspire to. Most importantly, there is an years, China will be the world’s biggest expectation of economic freedom. economy, ahead of the United States.

While it would seem the cry for Despite such economic successes, the democracy is the order of the day, each people of China live under a government nation should choose a favourable that respond with merciless brutality to political system according to the dictates those advocating for political reforms. of its economic imperatives. For it may Similar histories apply in Singapore, be a plausible argument that people in South Korea and Thailand. developing countries need economic freedom more than democratic ECONOMIC VS DEMOCRATIC freedoms. The freedom to speak your FREEDOM? mind has little significance when faced with the prospect of not being able to South Africa, which prides itself on the feed your children. protection of basic human rights, has The pursuit of democracy cannot be a surprisingly not translated freedoms one-size-fits-all approach when countries enshrined in the constitution into under “loving tyrannies” seem to fare meaningful economic benefits for the better, economically, than countries people. The 2011 Mo Ibrahim Index under democracy. on good governance shows that South

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imageS courtesy of MARK III PHOTONICS & SHUTTERSTOCK

boycott the upcoming elections and cite a lack of trust in the current rulers’ ability to conduct a free and fair election.

Most criticism is aimed at the Security Council of the Armed Forces, which has been in power since Mubarak’s fall. Of particular concern are the military trials civilians continue to face. The admirable sacrifices of the people of Egypt appear to have gone to waste, hopefully not permanently.

F A S H I O N

Sunglasses by Tom Ford Purple Silk Dress by Malcolm Kluk Gold Bangles by Topshop Gold Lion Ring from Portobello Market Shoes by H&M

Style D'vine Photographer Justin Polkey @ Shine Creatives Assistant Sam Bowker Stylist Chrisna de Bruyn @ Nina Klein Agency (Berlin) Assistant intern Jane Paterson Make-Up Artist Nandi Fourie @ One League Model Kajaan at Fusion Models Contactmedia Jamie and Brendah Location  Boschendal wine farm

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Gold drop Earrings by Topshop Green Vintage Silk Blouse by Raoul Beige High-Waisted shorts by American Apparel Gold Lion and Cheetah ring from Portobello Market Shoes by H&M

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F A S H I O N

Vintage Sunglasses Fur Coat by Malcolm Kluk Purple Bikini by Princess Tam Tam Shoes by Buffalo London

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Gold Earrings by Topshop Green vintage Silk Shirt by Pringle Orange cropped jacket by Malcolm Kluk Gold Lion Ring from Portobello Market Gold cheetah Ring from Portobello Market Purple high-waisted slit pants by Malcolm Kluk

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F A S H I O N

Sunglasses by Tom Ford Purple Silk Dress by Malcolm Kluk Gold Bangles by Topshop Gold Lion Ring from Portobello Market Shoes by H&M

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F A S H I O N

Orange ruffle dress by Democratic Shoes by Nine West Gold belt by Zara Gold bracelet by Accessorize Gold Clip-on earrings by Foschini

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Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.

BISQ/DIST004173/E

Time is what you make it.

Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.

in

the

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LETLAPE

LULU

BY PHILLIPPA YAA DE VILLIERS

tsots i

Not many women pack as impressive a punch as executive group head of corporate affairs at Sanlam, Lulu Letlape.

Time is what you make it.

Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.

WOMEN AND THEIR RIGHTS

she says. “My work is with people. I give energy to people and draw it from them too – I’m an energy junkie. If I’m not energising people, then I am a liability.

I’m always asking myself: ‘Are we both benefiting from this exchange? Is it positive for both of us?’”

This reciprocity is key to selfempowerment and leads to professionalism and a positive group dynamic, which is why she is where she is today.

People and their relationships make the business world work, so instead of seeing ‘the human factor’ as the weak, unpredictable link, Lulu celebrates what people bring to work.

AGE-OLD VALUES

“A human being is part of a social system, belonging in a community, before they come to work,” she says.

“Sometimes we think we have to lose our family values to enter our careers, but the corporate family is bound by the same values.”

She explains further: “Take respect, for example. In a family, children respect their parents, and that is a mirror for the relationship to authority that people need to take on in a working relationship. This is something that we all share, no matter our culture or upbringing.”

Respect for authority is half of the dynamic of leadership. The other half is responsible and responsive leadership.

She uses a story about her daughter to illustrate the point.

“I cut my hair, and my daughter said to RELATIONSHIPS me, ‘You look ugly, Mama.’” She laughs.

“It taught me that I cannot change what Citing Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf – the you think about me. It’s your right to president of Liberia, first woman have your own opinion. Hard as it might president on the African continent be, I can’t change your reality.” and Nobel Peace Prize winner – as This fearless honesty makes a person her inspiration, Lulu states that in more capable to deliver, as less energy is any formal environment prioritising spent on hype and defensiveness. people and relationships could be seen Another value she believes in is the as sentimental, but for many African universal ethic of reciprocity, known leaders in government and the corporate as the golden rule – “Do unto others as world, it’s the key to sustainability. you would be done by”, interpreted in This is the basis for a solid and wellAfrica as ubuntu. Does ubuntu belong in considered policy of engagement and the corporate world, where everyone is why her career is littered with accolades competing? marking how she works with others.

“Definitely. Even siblings squabble,” Lulu herself believes she can only she smiles. “We all want to be considered grow if she interacts with more and equal, but we are not equal – we are more people. not the same. Let’s be honest about our “I get more by giving than by getting,” capabilities. If I am confident of the

Instead of expecting legislation to tell us what positions we can hold in government and business, we should be proving that we are the ideal candidates for such positions.

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As a woman, she has had to overcome many obstacles to get to where she is today. She voiced her views on women’s rights in a 2011 Business Day article. Her fundamentally feminine pragmatism is grounded in the belief that women are different to men. Although she calls for women’s contributions to be celebrated and valued, she controversially opposes a quota system to redress inequality in the workplace and finds the legislation somewhat ‘clumsy’ and short-sighted.

“Instead of expecting legislation to tell us what positions we can hold in government and business, we should be proving that we are the ideal candidates for such positions, not because we can do the same job as men, but because we can do a better job, as women,” she told Business Day. “While millions of

women remain disadvantaged, creating legislation that forces the appointment of women at decision- making level is not going to change their disempowered status.”

She quietly reminds leaders that the pomp and ceremony of Women’s Month might be over and done with, but there is still a need to discuss equality.

Furthermore, the fight that we should be fighting is not only about the number of zeroes in a woman’s salary package, and how many bras are around the boardroom table. The article concludes with the sobering comment: “while so many [women] are unemployed, uneducated, suffering illness and victims of violence, it is these rights that need the urgent attention of every institution.”

image COURTESY OF Victor Dlamini imageS courtesy of SANLAM

N

o stranger to the boardroom, Lulu has an impressive list of accolades on her CV having most recently held the position of executive director of corporate affairs at Mercedes-Benz SA, where she provided strategic functional leadership at executive committee and board level and managed stakeholder relationships in addition to serving as the chair of the transformation forum. Prior to this, she was group executive of corporate communications at Telkom, director of Celebrity Services Africa, chief executive officer of World Vision South Africa, senior manager at the Telkom Foundation and public relations manager at the Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency. Lulu holds a bachelor in education from the University of Natal, a master’s degree in public and development management from The University of the Witwatersrand as well as global executive leadership certificates from the Aspen Institute in Colorado and IMD business school in Switzerland.

Lulu brings the weight of her experience to how she tackles her work every day at Sanlam, where she is responsible for sustainability reporting, establishing frameworks and compliance with regard to the JSE index, communications and public affairs.

She also represents Sanlam in various committees and forums. She took time to share with us some of the lessons she has learnt in her life’s journey up to now.

Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.

tsots i

in

the

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value I add to the group, project of discourse, I can see the value that others add to the work that we are all doing.”

LESSONS LEARNT Lulu’s daughter is one of her most important teachers, she says, as one of the many lessons she has learnt from parenthood is to pick your battles.

“You’re sitting with this person who knows what she wants, and she doesn’t want the peas. You could carry on having a loud fight, and have some unhappiness, or you can be flexible,” says the indulgent Lulu, who is not shy to draw the line when a colleague is not delivering.

Like her daughter, she’s brutally frank. “It’s okay to be wrong,” she says. “It’s okay to be defeated. I can ignore some things, but when it clashes with my value system, I can’t keep quiet.”

Another important lesson she cites as crucial to her development was that of balance.

“There’s more to life than work,” she explains, “and I was very surprised to hear those words from the mouth of a former mentor, who said that I was too focussed on my job. Although I didn’t see it at the time, he was giving me the gift of wisdom that would go much further than a career choice – it was something that resonated profoundly with my life and spoke to my core values.”

For her, accountability is another lesson learnt and is the most crucial issue currently facing the workplace, from government to corporate governance. The stakes are high enough – the natural and human resources of culture and indigenous ethics systems are eroded by consumerism, war and disease on a daily basis. To engage all aspects of society, she says, people need to know that their needs are being considered by those in power.

OPERATION HOPE Lulu’s passion for people and principles for giving led to the birth of Operation Hope, in September this year. A project initiated and driven by herself and colleague Adele Latchman, Operation Hope is the flagship project of the Sanlam Foundation. It serves communities’ educational needs primarily through supporting programmes 42

that put children from disadvantaged communities into an environment where they can build their skills and achievements to make a positive contribution to society and realise their career goals, “especially in the financial sector and in human resources departments”, says Lulu.

In an understated way Lulu is invoking ubuntu again – making us aware that the idea that what we do as individuals has an impact on the collective. And a central but often understated tenet of the African ethic is the value of the child, which is a metaphor for the future. In a country where many families have broken down, with parents absent due to various circumstances, children are left with the responsibility of internalising the vital skill of growing up independently as a socialised and productive adult.

“At Sanlam, the child is the centre of the universe, and the Foundation sees the needs of children – primarily education – as a priority,” she says.

The Operation Hope community programme aims to re-teach family values including respect, compassion, justice, perseverance and tolerance, among others.

“There’s more to life than work, I was very surprised to hear those words from the mouth of a former mentor, who said that I was too focussed on my job.

Quiet and self-assured, Lulu has years of service to her dream of equality and social justice. In whatever capacity she chooses to work she will be leaving the tangible legacy of changed lives and resilient and reachable hopes. www.afropolitan.co.za

G E E K

UNDERCOVER GEEK What the future holds We peer into our crystal ball to gain some insight into what awaits in terms of technology in the year 2012

O

rdinarily, I’d be like an illdisciplined kid on Red Bull at the thought of writing an article on my technology predictions for the year ahead.

Unfortunately, this year being 2011, I’m admittedly not as enthused as I should be. You see, according to some ancient Mayan texts, the world as we know it will come to an end in 2012.

So, in light of our allegedly imminent demise next year, you really can’t blame me for feeling as if predicting technology for the year ahead seems rather inconsequential...can you?

Of course there is always the remote possibility that the Mayan scribes responsible for documenting the Mayan apocalypse of 2012 slipped up and allowed a typo to creep into their ornate jungle font and the “0” in 2012 was actually meant to be an “8” or something. Phew... I’d be so relieved.

I’d have to equate a mistake of such game-changing magnitude to be in the same league as the colossal mistake made by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, the maverick ex-Microsoft honcho who decided that Nokia smartphones will henceforth exclusively support Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.

I predict that Android will only accelerate as the smartphone platform of choice in 2012 and by the time ex-masters-of-the-mobile-and-softwareuniverse Nokia and Microsoft come to their senses, they may be flirting with buyouts from other, more pragmatic and bet-hedging technology corporations such as Samsung, HTC or even Google. Of course I could be wrong, in which case, I’d have to chalk this prediction down to a paragraphlong typo.

By 2012, I predict that, given the exponential increase in their processing power, mobile phones will attain a sufficient level of sentience

for them to collectively refuse to suffer the indignity of having to be powered by antiquated and horrendously inadequate two-pin-plug chargers. The resultant “fallout” (have you ever used a two-pin cellphone charger on a wall socket and not have it, er, fall out?) will prompt the electrical plug cartels of this world to start producing the more logical threepin-plug cell phone chargers – and in this single deft action, humanity will immediately be promoted to a Type III civilisation. (Google “Kardashev scale” if you don’t know what this means.)

By 2012, I see broadband prices plummeting even further than they already have in 2011, and I even foresee the possibility of an uncapped 1 megabyte per second ADSL line crossing the pricing Rubicon and being billed at a realistic R250 per month all inclusive.

In addition, expect some exceptionally good-value broadband deals to become the mainstay of the mobile market as operators try to salvage plummeting SMS and voice revenues by making it up in the broadband space through value and volumes. Hordes of South Africans will then be able to afford an uncapped ADSL connection at home, and 2012 will become known as the year in which we comprehensively overcame the economically imposed “digital apartheid” that has so heavily yoked South African society.

During the course of 2012 it will become irrefutably clear that the once extraordinarily profitable print business of the Yellow Pages will be in irreversible and terminal decline. As with many primarily print operations (this one included), the unstoppable rise of digital, the alluring form factor of tablet PCs and the unparalleled proliferation of mobile devices will force an even more serious rethink of publishing strategies,

revenue models and target markets.

While South African media entities have so far enjoyed a reprieve from the ravages of real digital media that have hit other parts of the world, I’m afraid 2012 will definitely be the year of reckoning and could ultimately prove to be a print business apocalypse for oldschool business owners who are wilfully ignorant of the phrase “adapt or die”.

What’s the point of having mobile devices in our pockets that are so powerful they can almost calculate the square root of pi, when ultimately, we can’t do any meaningful commerce with them other than mobile banking? If anything, 2012 will see the rise of mobile commerce. The creation and spread of ingenious subversive crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin and the growth in mobile applications create the perfect storm for mobile commerce to take hold and challenge the increasingly dubious and troublesome malpractices of corporate high finance and the global banking cartels. Mobile technology allowed the youth to wrest control from tyrannical despots in what has become known as the Arab Spring; the same can happen on a global scale, is perhaps already doing so with the international Occupy movement. Populations of the world are realising that with such pervasive mobile technology, all the political, economic and social power they could ever wish for is indeed in their hands.

While 2012 will sadly not be the year of the science-fictional flying skateboard or levitating cars, teleportation devices and time travel, it will definitely be the year in which mobile technology moves centre stage. And although mobile devices are not time machines, they do give us enormous powers to make an impact on our present and significantly alter our collective futures.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Afropolitan

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image courtesy of SHUTTERSTOCK

BY CHARLES ASH

U N D E R C O V E R

BY

BY Tshepo Matseba

F I N A N C E

M O M E N T U M

MARRIAGE AND MONEY that has serious financial problems, you wouldn’t want to get into a marriage with someone who has significant financial obligations that they cannot afford to maintain. Talking about debt is a crucial conversation.

Tshepo Matseba highlights the key issues that couples should consider before tying the knot.

What aspects of your partner’s financial affairs should you evaluate before getting married?

Their earning potential, as this will give you some indication of whether or not you are likely to have financial peace of mind. The starting point is survival, which is about having the means to fund basic necessities and day-to-day financial obligations such as a home, vehicle, medical expenses, and education for your children.

What are the key questions that you should ask your partner to help you understand their financial circumstances?

Ask about their priorities. What are the most important priorities that this person has in life? Is it the accumulation of material gains such as an expensive vehicle or is it investing in a property?

If material wealth is more important, chances are they will loot their money for short-term gratification and compromise long-term gains such as investing in property.

The other critical question concerns life goals. What do they want to achieve in life? This will help you establish if they are driven and have meaningful goals in life. A third critical question concerns indebtedness. Just like you wouldn’t want to invest in a business

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What are the most common financial mistakes couples make?

Complacency – a lack of interest in their own and their partner’s finances.

A second common mistake is for one partner to try and do everything alone. It is important to collectively take responsibility for your financial affairs.

This helps in eliminating debt, agreeing on big financial decisions such as buying a house, a car or saving money.

Another mistake is lack of communication. Couples need to openly discuss their finances. Money is one of the most common causes of arguments in a relationship, yet it should never become a secret. Mistake number four is a lack of budgeting. Drafting a budget is a basic step in the money management process. Monthly expenses should be tracked, and there should be a plan to make provision for these. Through budgeting, a culture of saving and cutting down on costs is cultivated.

A final common mistake is having no emergency fund. It is crucial to have one for times of need – such as when one of you loses income, for instance. When one party loses a job, it can take a long time to get back on track, so it’s recommended that you have at least three months’ worth of income readily available to bail you out.

How do I make sure my assets are protected from financial pitfalls my partner may fall into?

In a marriage, an ante-nuptial contract without accrual gives you an opportunity to regulate your relationship with your partner regarding property and other assets. It outlines terms and conditions for the exclusion of community of property. It means you are married out of community of property, and you both agree to have separate

assets. In this case, whatever happens to your partner’s estate cannot affect your financial situation.

What are the most common problems that cause significant arguments between couples?

The most common one is keeping secrets about money or failing to disclose income. For example, if you receive a performance bonus or sign a major business deal that pays you a significant amount of money, you should disclose that to your partner pro-actively.

Another issue is over-spending. Whilst surprises are nice, you simply can’t arrive home with an expensive new car one day and expect your partner to be excited when you didn’t discuss the purchase beforehand. Honesty and the ability to plan things in advance through budgeting can minimise financial disputes in a marriage.

What are your top tips for retirement planning, risk planning, and other forms of saving?

You can’t retire comfortably when you have debt, but at the same time, you can’t retire without sufficient provision for retirement. The sooner you start saving for retirement, the better – and it’s never too late to start.

Here are some tips to consider when it comes to your financial plan: Set measurable goals.

Understand the effect that your financial decisions have on other financial issues.

Re-evaluate your financial plan periodically.

Start with what you have. Don’t assume that financial planning is only for the wealthy.

Look at the big picture. Financial planning involves more than just retirement or tax planning. It is a lifetime process and not a once-off event.

Don’t expect unrealistic returns on investments.

Take control – you are in charge of the financial planning process.

Tshepo Matseba is the head of marketing at Momentum’s financial planning division.

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BY CHARLES ASH

B U S I N E S S In the run-up to the COP-17 conference in Durban, we look at how climate change affects Africa – and how Africa can lead the pack when it comes to renewable-energy generation.

Power to the people

T

he South African public was recently subjected to a rather bland and officious media address by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

She dutifully informed us of the COP-17/CMP7 conference scheduled to take place in Durban from the end of November to the beginning of December. To most it all seemed to be a case of much ado about nothing. After all, most of us do our bit for energy conservation by diligently complying with the Eskom power alert warnings that flash on our screens every evening.

As tempting as blissful ignorance might be in environmental matters, we’ve long passed the point of no return – and wilful ignorance is no longer an option. Climate change is an inescapable reality and possibly our most stark and harrowing reminder that the modern world of ultraconnectivity and über-convenience that we so enjoy is not without its consequences. But how did we get here? Who is to blame? And more importantly, can we as a species fix our planet and restore it to its former, more rugged, natural and grandiose splendour?

To understand how we got to this dire situation, where climate change threatens the very continuation of human civilisation as we know it, let’s start at the beginning. Back in the murky shadows of time, a curious, hairless and unique primate emerged that had developed a unique ability to manipulate and change its environment. Once Homo sapiens arrived on the scene with our big problem-solving brains, opposable thumbs and our desire to explore,

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Mother Nature has not rested much.

From our discovery of fire and our early ability to harness it, to our invention of the wheel and everincreasing ability to escape the punitive vagaries of Darwinian evolution, the human species has been on a path of perpetual and accelerating advancement, which has invariably placed us at loggerheads with nature and the natural order of things.

Taken from an orbiting satellite, a photo of the earth at night comes to mind. It would have to rank as one of the most beautiful ugly things we have ever seen. There in glorious photogenic splendour lie the various continents and land masses. No borders, no politics, just a consistent brightness around the most populous cities, with each city radiating the brilliant luminescence of human progress.

On the one hand you feel pride in how we have conquered our natural environment and transcended our animalistic reliance on our physiology for our survival. For here, on a global scale, is evidence of how, instead of waiting for evolution to endow us with eyes that can see clearly in the dark, we invented the means with which to generate light on demand: the flip of a switch.

In contrast though, it’s also very easy to get the sense that there is something completely unnatural about the bright city lights piercing the darkness in this satellite image. The earth at night looks eerily like a biological host that is infected by harmful pathogens... human beings. While each bright spot when viewed from this distance represents millions of humans living seemingly innocuous lives in urban environments, it’s hard to shake the

impression that the human condition, with its technological progress, is akin to a biological infection. Instead of humans being the custodians and caretakers of this fragile biosphere, we have virulently and relentlessly pillaged its resources and shamefully turned ourselves into what can only be described as the most advanced parasites on earth.

Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, human civilisations the world over have been powered primarily by fossil fuels, which are carbon-based, energy-rich compounds such as coal and oil, which when lit, release large amounts of heat and energy. That energy is then used to turn wheels of industry, generate electricity, power vehicles and drive economies. Besides energy, fossil fuels release enormous amounts of carbondioxide (CO2) in the process. CO2 is the primary gas responsible for climate change.

As fate would have it, in spite of our increasing technological prowess and capability, we are still constrained by the cause-and-effect gravitas encapsulated in pithy, trite sayings such as “play with fire and you will get burnt”.

No matter how you spin it, there’s an insidious injustice ingrained in the climate-change issue, its origins and its impact. There’s no denying that it is the world’s most industrialised and developed nations that are directly responsible for poisoning the earth’s

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B U S I N E S S

Energy expert, Mr Silas Zimu from Suzlon, says that the shortterm cost discrepancy between coal and wind-power generation is inconsequential in the scheme of things. Our addiction to coal is irrational in light of the benefits of wind power and the speed with which wind power farms can be deployed.

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“Unfettered greed has trashed the global economy. And it is trashing the natural world as well... We all know, or at least sense, that the world is upside down; we act as if there is no end to what is actually finite –fossil fuels and the atmospheric space to absorb their emissions. cycles as they endeavour to keep up with technology’s relentless march. As parts of Africa begin to rebuild themselves, the opportunity now exists for shrewd future-minded, progressive governments to put themselves on the right side of history by opting for technologies that will be beneficial to their long-term sustainability, from energy supply to water purification to broadband.

The United Nations Human Development Report of 2001 emphasises that electricity is essential to the rebuilding of Africa.

Communication technologies, education, industrialisation, agricultural improvement and the expansion of municipal water systems all require access to abundant, reliable and costeffective energy. Reliable electricity supply is something that has eluded most African countries for generations.

Also, because fossil fuels are a finite and a rapidly depleting energy source,

countries the world over are encouraged to invest in energy generation facilities such as solar power that are not as damaging to the environment as coal, oil or gas.

In South Africa, because of our large reserves of coal and the low cost of producing energy using coal-power plants, our national electricity supplier, Eskom, still uses it. Eskom is currently facing strong opposition from the global environmental-activist organisation Greenpeace for its building of the mammoth coal power plants Kusile and Medupi. Greenpeace contends that government is choosing expediency over long-term prudence in its choice of coal over green-energy alternatives, and when one looks at the Greenpeace dossier and case for green energy in South Africa (available on the Greenpeace website), they certainly have a point.

As South Africa emerges from its most bleak energy-supply period – in 2008,

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imageS courtesy OF SHUTTERSTOCK

atmosphere through their ravenous consumption of earth’s resources and scant regard for the environmental implications of their actions. The result, however, is that these nations now boast modern infrastructure and facilities, allowing their citizens to enjoy a significantly superior quality of life, health care and education.

When climate change manifests itself in freakish weather such as floods and droughts, the poorest parts of the world are of course most heavily affected. Flooding, for example, destroys infrastructure and homes and deprives already poor people of their meagre possessions. The aftermath is less infrastructure, more disease, more disarray and more human misery piled on top of the already rampant poverty.

Perhaps it isn’t altogether a bad thing that Africa has remained so woefully under-developed for so long.

In 1997, a profoundly insightful paper entitled Information Technology in Africa: A Proactive Approach and the Prospects of Leapfrogging Decades in the Development Process posited a decidedly refreshing take on Africa’s under-development. Although the paper focused on internet and broadband technology, it certainly also holds true for technologies pertaining to energy generation. The paper argues that the rapid advancement of technologies in the past two decades have seen many first world countries embarking on extremely costly and frequent upgrade

B U S I N E S S when the national electricity supply was severely compromised by staggering mismanagement and poor planning, culminating in rolling blackouts and massive public dissatisfaction – Eskom has been at pains to plug the holes.

The company has commissioned the development of two massive coal power plants (Kusile and Medupi) while commissioning an even bigger wind and hydroelectric power facility in the Lesotho Highlands. In addition, government has been prudently rolling

us to squeeze more life out of our ailing national electricity grid.

A pan-African electricity-generation project has been on the cards for many years, and although a priority project of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, the project seems to be unable to graduate from the excessively protracted project-feasibility stage. The Grand Inga Dam project is a proposed hydroelectricity project that will see a large dam being built on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of

"The task of our time is to turn this around: to challenge this false scarcity… respect the real limits to what the earth can take. I am talking about changing the underlying values that govern our society.” out solar geysers to all new RDP houses in an effort to reduce the strain on the national grid. Solar geysers are zero maintenance and provide up to a 60 percent saving on a typical household’s electricity bill. There is also an incentive programme with large rebates for people to replace their geysers with solar geysers in an effort to further reduce strain on the national grid and allow

the Congo (DRC). Upon completion, it will be able to generate in excess of 40 000 megawatts of renewable electricity, enough power to thrust Africa to the forefront of global greenenergy generation and power even our most energy-hungry industrialisation plans. The project is unfortunately beset with challenges for a number of reasons, chiefly that the DRC is a

known hotbed of extreme political instability, corruption and violence.

The country’s historical antagonism and strained relations with some of its warring neighbours has seen the area languish at the very bottom of the human development pool, and despite successive elections and coups, the country seems to be caught up in an intractable internal conflict for which there is no easy end in sight.

The completion of this project, while vital to the wellbeing of the continent, hinges on far too many variables that threaten its completion and long-term viability. For the Grand Inga project to be a success, African nations will have to cooperate with each other on an unprecedented scale – and at best, with cognisance of our recent history, all we can muster is cautious optimism.

The unfortunate issue is that when it comes to electricity generation, there is no silver bullet or magic cure to the problem. Each one of the green-energy generation technologies in the world have various pros and cons that need to be carefully considered before a country begins to deploy it en masse. Outlined is a list of the three most popular and viable green-energy alternatives for Africa, with their associated pros and cons.

Three green energy technologies Photovoltaic Photovoltaic is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity.

Wind energy Generating electricity through wind power, usually harnessed through turbines.

Pros: Sustainable Well suited to providing power in home or singlebuilding applications Available all over the world Well-proven technology Non-polluting Tax incentives Low maintenance

Pros: Sustainable Non-polluting Energy source is perpetual Low maintenance cost Well-proven technology

Cons: Can take a large area to produce the energy needed Currently expensive Less energy on cloudy days, at higher latitudes No energy at night An energy storage device is required Negative aesthetics There is not a simple panacea for adopting green energy despite the fact that it is imperative that we do so. The clock is of course ticking, and humanity is operating on borrowed time. If we wish to mitigate the environmental disasters that escalating climate change is already unleashing on us, we need to create hybrid solutions. These will build on the benefits of the various green-energy options and provide solutions to the immediate problems.

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Cons: Unreliable, and strength depends on local weather patterns, temperature, time of year and location Equipment is expensive compared to other energy sources Initial expense is high Can have a negative impact on aesthetics Lack of highly specialised maintenance personnel

The upside of the world’s energy crisis – the impending disaster of climate change and the urgency with which we need to find workable solutions – is an unlikely boon for humanity.

It forces us to shed our notions of nationhood, statehood, sovereignty and citizenship to adopt a unifying and globally relevant perspective of the world. The climate crisis, like the threat of an intergalactic alien species invading our planet, is forcing humanity to see itself as a united front with a shared

Hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity is the term referring to the production of electric power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water.

It is the most widely used form of renewable energy.

Pros: Sustainable Non-polluting Flood control Damming creates reservoirs Recreational opportunities Low costs after initial start-up Cons: Changes to natural river flows Degraded water quality Negative impact on fisheries such as blocking seasonal migration Ecosystem damage Requires flooding of large areas of land biology and a common destiny. Our parochial notions of race, class and economic progress are set to be comprehensively challenged, debunked and the rules rewritten because our failure to do so would be nothing short of suicide. The really exciting part of this is that Africa stands to emerge from this climactic apocalypse as the world leader in sustainable development, the Cinderella continent that will beat the odds.

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R A G S

T O

RI C H E S

SHAUN BATTLEMAN

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he current discourse on the South African economy is focused on the need to develop a generation of black industrialists, based on the cornerstone of entrepreneurship, where power and wealth creation is not tied to political office. The shortcomings of black economic empowerment, complicated by the challenges of “tenderpreneurship” and a global recession have also contributed to the growing calls for a new wave of industrialists. This year the Black Management Forum celebrated South Africa’s entrepreneurs with the top prize being awarded to a relatively new player, African Access Holdings, a diversified company that has become entrenched in the South African landscape. The company was started by former teacher Shaun Battleman, Thabo Mpama and Mateli Mpuntsha in 2003.

Born in Shallcross Durban, Shaun’s first foray into the business world came when he lent R2 000 to a teaching colleague who wanted to launch a cupboard manufacturing business to supplement his income. When his colleague struggled to return the initial funding, he stepped in to administer the business and discovered a passion for growing and managing enterprises.

South Africa’s transition to democracy inspired him to be part of a generation that would focus on economic freedom, chart a new course and alter the face of industry.

In early 2000, Shaun demonstrated a grasp of innovation when he launched the My Office concept within the CNA retail network. My Office provides an environment for small businesses to run their operations without the costly overheads of office infrastructure.

A further opportunity presented itself

From fighting the apartheid government of old to battling to get a petrol card for his fledgling business, the Black Management Forum’s top entrepreneur for 2011 knows what it means to struggle – but that hasn’t made him less of an optimistic South African. when he discovered that the South African government was struggling to deliver school books to historically marginalised communities. The delivery rate of school books to communities was six percent, with high distribution costs to rural areas. As a former activist, he formed a small team to tackle this challenge and implemented the cell system that was used during the liberation struggle. By mapping the country into blocks, they identified community members who were

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image courtesy of AFRICAN ACCESS

BY NTEBO RAJUILI

ACTIVIST, TEACHER, ENTREPRENEUR

experts in their terrain who would be the ideal candidates for door-to-door delivery of school books. Through a government grant community members were given laptops and provided with bundles of books for delivery to targeted schools. Books were even delivered by wheelbarrow in some of the most remote areas. Once the school or principal received the books they would record an online message that was then sent to a database as proof of delivery for payment. Thus the flagship project of African Access was born.

With the help of Azraa Audio Visual Software (AVS), an African Access subsidiary, the world’s first online audiovisual verification database was built. Today Azraa AVS, EduLogistics, EduProcurement and EduSolutions – all of them African Access subsidiaries – provide successful end-to-end learner and teacher support materials to schools in Gauteng, KwaZuluNatal and Limpopo.

At the moment the technology’s use is limited to the education sector, but the aim is to develop and implement similar processes to raise the level of South Africa’s service delivery in other sectors also.

African Access’ expansive warehouse

in the north of Johannesburg belies the company’s humble beginnings. Like many entrepreneurs, Shaun struggled to find partners to fund the operations and could not convince banks to process their application for a basic petrol card.

He chuckles at the irony that they are now a shareholder in one of South Africa’s biggest banks. The ability to raise their own capital through tough circumstances is one of their greatest achievements, he says. It has allowed them to navigate a difficult global economic climate where high levels of debt strangle businesses or close their operations.

The story of the appointment of African Access’ current chair, Seth Phalatse, is also testament to the company’s pioneering spirit. As a minnow in the industry, Shaun and his team identified the need to align themselves with power players. Having made a list of influential figures, they approached Seth and offered him a position in the business. Seth was at the zenith of his career, having spent 24 years as the executive director of BMW and the non-executive chairperson of Ericsson-Marconi South Africa. He was initially amused by the idea but did not bite. However, Shaun’s persistence paid off – and Seth finally agreed to join the organisation.

Shaun explains that at the heart of his leadership style is a strong trust in his instincts; he listens with his ears and “eyes” and relies on the basic principles of right and wrong that were instilled in him by his elders. Education, he says, is merely an aid to ratifying his decisions using sound business principles. He also emphasises that brotherhood and the ability to laugh as a team are key traits of the organisation’s culture.

His early career as a teacher still influences his passion for mentorship.

“Power gives us the ability to unleash freedom and create hope,” he says. One of African Access’ focus areas is investing in young black businesses that require mentorship to grow their organisations.

He likens these fledgling business to sponges and African Access as the water. The company is also involved in numerous community projects with

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the vision of uplifting societies through strategic interventions.

African Access currently has interests in a diverse range of sectors including education, property development, information technology, agriculture, earthworks, marketing and communications, events management, travel and tourism, security, financial services and office automation.

Shaun is optimistic about the growth of the company as well as the outlook for the South Africa economy. He argues, however, that one of the biggest obstacles to the development of the country is the lack of black-owned businesses. He says the solution would be to revamp government business processes and expand its beneficiary base to ultimately build an inclusive society.

As Western nations grapple with the challenges of slowing economies, high debt burdens, and job losses, Shaun is passionate about the fact that South Africa, like many other nations on the continent, is in a position to harness the opportunities that are unfolding across numerous regions in Africa.

African Access recently acquired the rights to launch the first Chief Executive Officers’ (CEO) Club chapter in South Africa. The CEO Club was founded in the United States by Joe Mancuso in 1977, and its objective is to allow captains of industry across the globe to network.

When pressed for his rationale for canvassing for a South African chapter, Shaun commented that South African businesses need to aggressively build networks with organisations across the globe by looking beyond local businesses organisations for strategic growth opportunities, new markets and ideas on innovation.

In his private time Shaun is an avid reader and a devoted father. His four daughters are a gift from God, he says, and what he teaches them will be his gift to South Africa. Given Shaun’s infectious optimism and passion for innovation, it will be interesting to track the now multi-billion rand African Access’ next chapter as the team pursues new horizons.

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BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA

MAURITIUS When Portuguese sailor Don Pedro Mascarenhas and his band of merry men happened upon uninhabited land that would later become known as Mauritius, it was with an amazing lack of foresight that they left soon after due to a lack of interest.

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hat to them looked like a vast amount of nothingness has since established its place as one of the world’s top holiday resorts, a dream destination sought after by holidaymakers worldwide.

For those who have never had the opportunity to experience the gem that is Mauritius, here is some background information. Officially discovered in 1507, Mauritius (named after Dutch Prince Maurits van Nassau) is off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres to the east of Madagascar.

Dutch occupation under Admiral Wybrand van Warwyck ended in 1710, when sugar-cane production and animal breeding on the island failed to turn a profit. A few years later France took control, with governor Mahé de La Bourdonnais and his troops arriving in Port Louis in 1715. It was under de La Bourdonnais that a government was established. And while they may have lost the island to the British during the Napoleonic wars, the French influence can still very much be experienced on the island.

Courtesy of World Leisure Holidays and Air Mauritius we were flown to this island paradise in 2011, and we visited the idyllic sister resorts of La Pirogue and Sugar Beach located in Flic en Flac on the west coast of the Island.

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LA PIROGUE Our first stop was La Pirogue, a charming venue that pays tribute to the island’s fishing heritage. Named after and inspired by traditional Mauritian fishing canoes (pirogues) made from hollowed oak trees, it is set on 1 000 square metres of lush gardens (tended to by a South African company) filled with more than 1 000 coconut trees.

After a 45-minute drive to the venue from the airport, we arrived late in the evening and were warmly welcomed by staff who had patiently awaited our flight and transfer to the resort.

Delicious cocktails were handed out and dinner was served. The friendliness of the staff was commendable with nothing but professional warmth being shown toward visitors.

All exhaustion was forgotten as the beautiful women of Mauritius came out and treated us to the traditional dance, the Sega! Dressed in colourful flowing skirts and matching tops, the lithe dancers twirled and fascinated us with their movements. The vibe was festive and entertaining and diners were even treated to a dancing lesson.

After dinner we were escorted to our rooms. As soon as we entered the rooms, we felt right at home. La Pirogue boasts luxurious yet comfortably simple rooms. These are bathed in warm light and filled with the scent of frangipani.

Carved out of volcanic rock (the island has a number of extinct volcanoes) and wood, the thatched rooms offer a gorgeous view of the ocean, with hammocks dotted here and there beckoning weary travellers to completely relax. There is much attention to detail – chocolates and a goody bag filled with treats in our rooms did not escape our attention or appreciation. Falling asleep was easy.

The break of dawn brings about light that shows off the venue at its best. We awoke up to gorgeous morning light beaming in through palm trees and hitting the water. As the manager gave us a tour around the resort, we spotted other content visitors lazing around swimming pools and playing areas – including a slightly nervous bride

"Carved out of volcanic rock and wood, the rooms offer a gorgeous view of the ocean, with hammocks dotted everywhere beckoning weary travellers to completely relax." www.afropolitan.co.za

World Leisure Holidays

offers a range of tailored packages for travel in Mauritius to Sugar Beach, Long Beach, Le Touessrok and La Pirogue For reservations contact: World Leisure Holidays Telephone: 0860 954 954 Website: www.wlh.co.za Email: res@wlh.co.za

Spa, Sugar Beach has a totally different feel to that of La Pirogue.

As the name suggests, the resort’s architecture is reminiscent of the island’s original sugar plantation homesteads and there’s even a manor house at Sugar Beach! With the buildings painted in fresh greens and indulgent creams, it’s plantation-elegance-cum-contemporarychic.

We arrived in the romantic light of the early afternoon, but it is in the evening SUGAR BEACH that the beauty of the resort can be fully appreciated as many, many warm golden After two days we moved on to La Pirogue’s sister hotel resort, Sugar Beach. lights artistically illuminate the trees and buildings to present the splendour of the Though the two resorts share grounds and several features, including the Aura venue. having her make-up professionally done on her patio in the Mauritian sun. La Pirogue is a popular venue for wedding parties and the venue has tailor-made packages to suit any bridal party.

In terms of food, the venue has something for everyone. From the main venue, Thatches, to the more intimate Paul & Virginie restaurant, La Pirogue has plenty dining options for visitors to choose from.

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On arrival we were greeted by manager Andrew Slome, who served us the most sensational flavoured teas we’ve ever tasted – think vanilla and ginger – and handed us similarly fragranced towels to freshen up. An exquisite touch! As at La Pirogue, the accommodation at Sugar Beach is luxurious, but it is more contemporary.

The resort was recently renovated and re-modelled, with costs estimated at an incredible R180 million. Guests can really expect a five-star experience.

The sprawling lawns are immaculately manicured and rooms are cool and spacious with cosy daybeds on the patio facing the pool. These daybeds are the

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images COURTESY OF WORLD LEISURE HOLIDAYS

"Daybeds at Sugar Beach are the perfect spot from which to watch the sunset, as you sip on rum-laced cocktails, after a swim."

t r ave l Sugar Beach) will certainly entertain the young ones while mom retreats to the Aura Spa and dad works his way around Tamarina, one of the exclusive golf estates just 15 minutes away!

Over and above that, there are a plethora of national sites of interest that will appeal to the whole family. Topping the list is the Pamplemousses Gardens, formally known as the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens. With amazing plant life and magnificent trees these botanical gardens are a treat. Of note is the bleeding tree, one of the most

perfect spot from which to watch the sunset as you sip on rum-laced cocktails after a swim on a balmy night. With his extensive experience in the hotel business, Andrew was able to add many a special touch including personalised labels on bottles of rum and gorgeous white sarongs.

The tennis court, gym and spa ensure guests staying at Sugar Beach get a proper sense of wellness. The beach is a stone’s throw away and the resort has no fewer than four large pools, so relaxing is easy.

Tides, a bar on the beachfront, caters for guests wanting to enjoy a night of music and fun. Our last evening on the

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island was made extra-special when we were invited to a special dinner at Tides hosted by Andrew. The menu and company at the dinner were awesome – a memory we will fondly treasure for some time to come.

HOLIDAY OPTIONS Most Africans are yet to fully appreciate and take full advantage of all that Africa offers. The concept of holidaying is foreign to the extent that the only options people feel are available and affordable to them are Durban and Cape Town or moseying down to the rural areas to visit the folks. Venues such as Mauritius are still shrouded in the misconception of being too pricey and not having the amenities that will ensure fun for the whole family. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The sister resorts of La Pirogue and Sugar Beach have been created with the family in mind, and there are some amazing options available. A fully equipped kids’ clubs (Fun Kids Club and Teen Club at La Pirogue and Sun Kids Club at

baffling yet gorgeous tree specimens.

This tree oozes red sap, which eerily looks like blood, through its bark. This sap then turns black when it dries. The gardens also have a lake filled with giant multi-coloured lilies. In-between the giant full-grown lilies are ones that are still growing but in the shape of hearts — nature at its most breathtaking!

History buffs can make a turn at the landmark Chateau de Labourdonnais, a historical property that ended up in the hands of Christian Wiehe in 1854. A prominent figure in Mauritian history, Wiehe was a member of the island’s legislative council and its chamber of agriculture. A tour through the house reveals exquisitely restored neo-classical architecture and tells the story of a family from days gone by. On the grounds are gorgeous gardens and orchards and the ever-popular rumtasting bar and restaurant.

Our time in Mauritius was packed with activities. We visited the markets and walked the streets and made sure to relax but also have fun and learn something in the process. For those who haven’t been, Mauritius is the one holiday destination to consider. It’s close enough to be affordable, even for large families, and far enough away to be considered a real exotic destination with gorgeous sun and sky. www.afropolitan.co.za

images COURTESY OF WORLD LEISURE HOLIDAYS

"For those who haven’t been, Mauritius is the one holiday destination to consider. It’s close enough to be affordable, YET far enough away to be considered a real exotic destination"

“All I wish for Christ mas... ...IS A PLACE AWAY FROM THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF THE CITY. A PLACE NOT TOO FAR

AWAY, WHERE I COULD PICK AND CHOOSE FROM A FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS THAT WILL LET ME UNWIND THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.”

This year sees the launch of the Mount Grace Advent Calendar which extends up to and beyond Christmas. Visit our website at www.mountgrace.co.za/events to see what we have planned or scan the QR Code below.

BY STACEY VEE

B E A U T Y

&

G R O O M I N G

FOR THE GLAMOUR GIRL Look and feel like a million bucks during the party season NOEL 25TH ANNIVERSARY CANDLE

R900

Every year Crabtree & Evelyn brings out the most luxurious Christmas treats, such as this hand-poured three-wick candle lavishly decorated with a glossy gold and silver paisley pattern traditionally reserved for royal regalia.

ANGEL SUNESSENCE SILVER OCEAN EDITION R790 for 50ml

One of the most decadent scents of the year, this limited-edition fragrance has hints of kumquat, sea salt blossom, patchouli and Angel’s trademark vanilla cupcake. Angel’s blue star-shaped bottle is a must-have for your cosmetics bag.

WOOLWORTHS FRUITS RANGE R19.95 to R49.95

The new Fruits bath and body range from Woolworths make the most delicious stocking fillers. New summery fragrance combos include Berry Crush, Peach Blush and Lime Tang. These products make shower time a real treat! The range includes hand and body washes, body butters and scrubs, shimmer lotions, lip balms and body sprays.

GHD SCARLET COLLECTION DELUXE R2 600

Ideal for girls on the go, the Scarlet Collection includes a limited-edition ghd Gold Classic styler, sectioning clips and protective plate guard as well as a compact ghd travel hairdryer, a stylish red satin styler clutch bag and a deep-red vanity case.

Jo Malone Christmas Cracker R375

All the fruity goodness that will tickle the senses over the festive season! Jo Malone makes for a luxurious stocking filler. This limited edition Christmas cracker contains Grapefruit Cologne (9ml), Lime Basil & Mandarin Body & Hand Wash (15ml) and Pomegranate Noir Body Crème (15ml).

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www.afropolitan.co.za

FOR THE METRO MAN Great Christmas gifts for guys GILLETTE FUSION PROGLIDE PERFECT SHAVE GIFT PACK R135

Gillette’s new range of shaving and skin care products is boxed in a limited-edition gift pack – perfect for under the tree. There’s a ProGlide razor (power version), ProGlide shave gel and ProGlide three-in-one hydration balm. Exclusively available at selected Clicks stores.

NOMAD TRAVELLER RANGE PRICE ON REQUEST

The 2011 Christmas Gift Collection is inspired by a treasure-seeking journey from East to West. Nomad is Crabtree & Evelyn’s signature men’s fragrance, and this travel kit contains a hair and body wash (50ml), a shaving cream (50g), aftershave balm (50ml) and Nomad eau de toilette (8ml). www.crabtree-evelyn.co.za

RAZORPIT

NIVEA FOR MEN GROOMING GIFT PACK R150

Put a hard year behind you with this special festive-season gift pack from Nivea. It contains Nivea for Men sensitive shower gel (250ml), sensitive shaving gel (200ml), sensitive post shave balm (100) and a free toiletry bag worth R50.

DERMALOGICA SHAVE SYSTEM

R630

It’s everything a metro man needs for his facial routine, in a box! This handy little kit contains Dermalogica daily clean scrub, preshave guard, soothing shaving cream, postshave balm and daily SPF15 defence block.

www.afropolitan.co.za

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Prices may vary. Images are courtesy of shutterstock, manufacturers and distributors.

R325

Make your razor blades last for up to 150 shaves! RazorPit uses friction technology to sharpen your razor blades while removing residue buildup that makes your razor feel dull.

Available from www.mantality.co.za (does not come with a razor).

BY VINCENT VERRYDT

C U LI N A RY

‘Tis The Season To Drink Cocktails

Here are four of our holiday cocktail favourites!

A Merry Berry Mojito

Bubbly Red Nose Raspberry

• • • • •

• 1 tbsp raspberry purée • A few drops crème de framboise (raspberry liqueur) • Chilled Champagne

2 shots Bacardi 3tsp castor sugar 3 halved strawberries 6 mint leaves 2 quartered limes

Step 1: In a glass, squeeze limes, add sugar, strawberries and mint leaves. Add crushed ice.

Step 2: Pour in shots of Bacardi and fill glass with a splash of soda.

Step 3: Garnish with sprig of mint, a stirrer and a straw.

Tip: To maintain the prettiness, don’t stir before serving. imageS courtesy of SHUTTERSTOCK

You’ve got to have respect for a drink that comes with it’s very own accessories, albeit fruit or a tacky paper umbrella.

All hail the designer cocktail — the impresser of friends and family and the inspirer of a real “relax” and “recline."

Beneath The Tree • • • • •

30ml Blue Curacao liqueur 30ml triple sec 30ml butterscotch 60ml orange juice Ice

Step 1: Easy! Mix all ingredients together well and serve.

Tip: Delicious with crushed ice too.

Step 1: Mix the purée and crème de framboise in the bottom of a Champagne flute.

Step 2: Top up glass with Champagne.

Step 3: Stir, pour and dangle candy cane from glass.

Tip: Just enjoy.

Candy Cane Martini • • • • •

30ml Vanilla Vodka 30ml cranberry flavoured vodka 30ml apple sours 30ml cranberry juice Ice

Step 1: Pour all ingredients into Martini shaker Step 2: Wet rim of glass and dip in sugar Step 3: When chilled through, pour into a martini glass, and accessorise.

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BY ELKA SCHAIMBERG

D E C O R

AFRO DECOR Paint with

Imagination

If the idea of experimenting with paint and colour feels a little scary, the exciting new Plascon Spaces Showroom in Johannesburg is the perfect place to start. Here, expert colour consultants will guide you through the planning and paint-choosing process, showing you exactly how your home or room will look before you even pick up a brush.

In the meantime, take a peek at some of Plascon’s colour trends to enhance and celebrate your space in 2012!

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Feature wall Creating a feature or accent wall is a simple way to give a room a dramatic focal point. It’s also a great way to inject some colour and personality into a room. Here, a minimalist kitchen is reignited by a feature wall in energising red.

As a basic rule, choose a wall that’s as plain as possible, without doors or windows that will break up the flow of colour. It may seem obvious, but adding high-impact colour will draw attention to your chosen wall – so make sure it’s a wall worth showing off. To help bring out the best in a room’s design features and furnishings, choose a paint colour that will bring it to life.

www.afropolitan.co.za

Dream bedroom

Fun with stripes If you like things a bit more on the playful side, and wallpaper is just way too much of a commitment, consider painting on some stripes! They create visual flair and are also perfect for creating a big impact on a not-so-big budget.

Wide horizontal stripes on a long wall can also give a small room the look and feel of a large area. Here, a small nursery has been modernised and made bigger with a cool grey-blue selection of stripes.

For more inspiration visit the Plascon Spaces Showroom: Shop 46c, Ground Floor, Design Quarter, Fourways

ELLERINES VALENTINO 9PCE CHROME & GLASS DINING ROOM SUITE This modern style dining room suite is a trendsetter for the innovative customer. It consists of glass-top table with stainless base and 8 high back chairs upholstered in black suede. Server optional.

Images courtesy of PLASCON SPACES

A long-lasting and luxurious matt finish inspires a look of sophistication. The sexy, slightly masculine-toned walls are given some oomph with rich plum tones, shimmery glass vases and unique crystal accents.

The purples of this colour scheme are complemented by the emerald greens of the cushions and bedside plants. Here, the magic of paint sets the tone for a dream bedroom.

O N

LI F E

BY BRENDAH NYAKUDYA

F U LL

Kabelo

Mabalane

KABELO DRESSED BY TIGER OF SWEDEN

IMMORTAL

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www.afropolitan.co.za

You recently released the album Immortal. What’s the inspiration behind the title?

I put a lot of effort into thinking about the title, as I wanted the album to define or rather capture what’s going on in my life at the moment. I’m feeling a tad invincible right now. Its good to know that I’ve been in the business for 16 years, and that I’m still relevant and have the opportunity to still do what I love! I’m so grateful. “Immortal” is obviously about somebody who lives forever. I’m also a born-again Christian and I believe the album gives me an opportunity to minister. I believe that if you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you will have eternal life – you are immortal in a spiritual sense. So it’s a double whammy!

Your career goes back to the beginning of TKZee. How has Kabelo the man changed over the years?

Wow… I was an arrogant, self-centred, angry young man who made lots of mistakes. I crashed cars, fixed them, sold them and bought more cars [laughs].

I took too many drugs and chased too many women… everything was about me. I even thought at one stage that the moon was following me around as I drove around at night! But I’ve come to realise it’s actually not all about me. The word of God says, “To whom much has been given, much will be required”. That realisation was my biggest breakthrough ever. I’m glad I have taken a step in the right direction.

How have fans received your new album?

People have been pleasantly surprised to find I still have my finger on the pulse.

From my past successes, my fans expect a lot from me and I expect a lot from myself. We made music history with TKZee, so the standards have been set and I’ve got to surpass those standards.

Anything less is a failure. Besides, since I released my last album a plethora of artists have arrived in the industry, so there are more people vying for attention. My reputation has given me a foot in the door – but I still need to deliver.

How was it collaborating with Danny K and Professor?

It’s been such a humbling experience having artists of Danny and Professor’s calibre on my new album. It was so

www.afropolitan.co.za

weird when they walked into the studio.

There I was working with them and I’m such a fan myself!

PAST ISSUES You’ve fought some demons with regards to substance abuse. How did you get mixed up with drugs?

My hands were idle and I was a mischievous young boy looking for trouble. It went from messing around with marijuana to booze and then, when I started making money, I started experimenting with more ‘boutique’ drugs such as cocaine, LSD and Mandrax. People often ask me what I took, but they should rather ask, ‘What didn’t I take?’ I did it hard, but I’ve no regrets because past experiences make us who we are today. I’ve been clean for nine years, two months and 19 days! To go back to drugs would be difficult, I’ve become a completely different person.

Those were dark and lonely times, but I managed to get myself out of there. I did it for me, but I also wanted to do it so other people could see that it can be done.

How did you get yourself out?

I was always in the media for the wrong reasons - always in fights, getting arrested. My life was just always under scrutiny – all the time! I really believe God created you as a specific kind of person and if you are being someone other than the person God intended you to be, you will get tired.

Did you get a lot of support?

My mom was amazing through the whole period; she always believed in me and never once turned her back on me. She always re-affirmed her love for me. Society and my family were also extremely supportive, unbelievably so. That’s the thing with drug addicts, you feel that no-one cares and no-one wants to listen but the moment you step out and say, ‘I need help’, you’ll be so surprised at how many people come out and say, ‘We will help!’

What was the hardest thing you had to deal with back then?

Hurting loved ones. And actually seeing the hurt in their eyes. I would do the same hurtful thing over and over again, and every time I did it, I realised it is wrong and I shouldn’t be doing it, but I did it anyway. I hurt so many I lost count of whom I need to make amends with.

I suppose I remember the immediate

people like my mom, brother and sister, but I don’t know how many people out there that I actually harmed in the process. In the end I had to forgive myself and everything else fell into place. Being public enemy number one was not cool at all – and that’s what I was.

"I really believe God created you as a specific kind of person and if you are being someone other than the person God intended you to be, you will get tired."

Do people treat you differently now that you’ve dropped the bad-boy image?

A good reputation is worth more than silver and gold. I’d like to think that I’ve managed to earn some respect or favour with people. I believe that life will always have its challenges but now I feel better equipped to deal with those challenges.

I don’t feel I need to turn to a bottle of whisky to cope.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING Instead of whiskey you’re now turning to mountains?

Yes I am! Many organisations approached me to do drug-awareness campaigns, but the one that resonated most with me was Mountain Heights.

To symbolise moving from the ‘gutter depths of drug addiction to the ‘mountain heights’ we will summit the Seven Summits the highest peaks on each continent! The Mountain Heights initiative also has an integrated studies programme to it that teaches kids about the importance of choice. What I like about it is that we’re not just telling kids, ‘Don’t do this!’; we’re actually standing side by side with them. The programme is aimed at kids, since they are still very impressionable. I’m also teaching from

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Image courtesy of GARETH JACOBS

THE MUSIC

F U LL

O N

LI F E

personal experience. The kids want to speak to people who have gone through what they are going through.

To be honest, the last climb – Mount Kosciuszko in Australia, which is 2 228 metres high – was not that hard. It is the smallest of the seven. The next one, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, is more of a challenge and I’m glad I’ll have my friend Lance with me. He’s just done six summits out of the seven. I also have a fantastic team including Alex Harris, who has done the seven summits before and has summited Mount Everest twice and Marco Broccardo, the brains behind it all. Marco is also a recovering addict, hence the outreach to me. We are documenting our journey, so I’ve started working on a book recording the flight, checking in, the mountains. Coming back and living to tell the tale. That’s what it’s about!

LOOKING FORWARD

that we thought it would achieve. We’ve been surprised by how civil society and corporate South Africa has embraced it.

In the past two years we’ve raised more than R2 million.

You’re also involved in the Shout Any words of wisdom for aspiring musicians? campaign, which raises funds Anyone who wants to get into the for anti-crime initiatives.

The first concert Danny K ever went to in his life was a Lucky Dube concert that his dad took him to. When Lucky Dube was murdered, it hit Danny hard and he spoke to me about his vision. Call it fate, but at the time I was recording the Shout song and Danny heard it and decided to use it for the campaign.

It was a three-year process to get it off the ground, and it finally launched in 2010. It has far surpassed any success

business – regardless of whether it’s in the music business, fashion industry, law, medicine, banking or anything else – needs to realise that it’s not about talent. It’s about hard work! It’s about the guy who is willing to go the extra mile, the guy who is willing to put in the extra hours.

And for those battling addiction?

I’d like to tell them there’s hope! If there is one thing you hang onto, it must be that there is hope. Once you lose hope, you are pretty much stuffed. It doesn’t matter how dark it is, you have got to hope ’cause that’s the first step in the right direction.

What do you think makes you an Afropolitan?

Being glamorous! And being a winner!

But I also carry a responsibility for other human beings and I don’t forget about social ills. I think that’s what makes me an Afropolitan. The name Afropolitan is of course derived from the name of our continent. We can show the world that we can do it bigger and better.

Images are courtesy of manufacturers and distributors.

So how have the climbs been so far?

r E V i E W S

bEAT bOX KAbElO MAbAlANE At the last Afropolitan Nights party of the year, which was held at Katzy’s in Rosebank on 9 November, we had the pleasure of watching Kabelo Mabalane perform singles from his new album. What a performance it was!

Well known from the days of TKZee, Kabelo has evolved from being “just a kwaito kid”.

With the launch of his latest album, Immortal Vol. 1, he has emerged as a seasoned music artist transcending his own boundaries and upping the ante on the music scene. Working with well-renowned artists such as Danny K, Professor, The Parlotones and RJ Benjamin on

IMMORTAL VOL. 1 [ FAITh ReCORDS ]

this album, Kabelo effortlessly moves through the different genres of kwaito, rock and R&B, producing hits that will surprise and delight his fans.

From Amapantsula Ajabulile featuring Professor to Novacaine with Danny K, Kabelo successfully manages to bring two different sides of the South African music industry together to produce magic. Sexy tracks on the album including Bouga Ngiyak’thanda and Like I Do featuring Lungi Naidoo will take listeners back to the much-loved “Bouga Luv” style without losing the edge of an artist who still has his finger on the pulse.

ZAHArA

LOLIWe [ eMI ]

A singing sensation. As clichéd as that phrase sounds, this is exactly what 24-year-old Bulelwa Mtukutana has turned out to be. Popularly known as Zahara, this young lady from Phumlani, East London has grabbed nationwide attention and touched the hearts of music-lovers across the nation. A vocalist, guitarist, composer and songwriter she has certainly made a mark, with her debut album going gold by selling 20 000 copies – in just two weeks!

Armed with her guitar and her hauntingly beautiful voice, Zahara serenades listeners with tracks such as Umthwalo and Loliwe, and one is left talent. Many have likened in no doubt at all of her talent her voice to the late great Brenda Fassie’s, and it’s easy to see why – just listen to Xa Bendingena Mama. The raw edge in her vocals is most Mama definitively reminiscent of the amazing talent of South African music legends of bygone days.

As with most singers, Zahara started her career in the church choir as a worship leader and at first only performed locally in East London, where for far too long she was a well-kept secret among clubgoers. A secret no more, Zahara received the great honour of performing her single Thekwana for former president Nelson Mandela in his hometown of Qunu. For us that’s reason enough to purchase her album!

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www.afropolitan.co.za

images are courtesy of maNufacturers aNd distriButors.

By BreNdaH Nyakudya

C d

R E V I E W S

couch potato Bridesmaids

Director: Paul Feig Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne

The title of this movie may dupe you into believing it’s a typical chick flick, but don’t be fooled. This is a highly enjoyable female-driven comedy with lots of heart and great laugh-out-loud moments.

Kristen Wiig is brilliant in her lead role as Annie, the maid of honour for her best friend from childhood, Lillian (Maya Rudolph). Annie is determined to serve as the best maid of honour, but her hilarious attempts are not received favourably as she takes Lillian and a group of colourful bridesmaids on a wild ride before the big day.

As Annie stumbles through the

expensive and bizarre bridal rituals, she is constantly upstaged by perfectly composed and mega-wealthy fellow bridesmaid Helen (Rose Byrne). In the meantime Annie’s personal life is rapidly unravelling. She loses her job, gets evicted from her apartment and is involved in an unfulfilling relationship with a selfabsorbed and uncommitted man.

Through the trials and tribulations of wedding planning friendships are made and broken. Ultimately, this movie does a very wonderful thing – it tells the truth, providing some great comedy while doing so.

Beautiful Boy

Director: Shawn Ku Starring: Maria Bello, Martin Sheen and Kyle Gallner

Shawn Ku directs this powerful drama about a misguided student, Sammy (Kyle Gallner), who goes on a shocking mission of mass murder. The attack takes place at his college. He kills 17 professors, 21 students and then himself. The tragic event is the catalyst for the rest of the storyline, which interestingly doesn’t try to delve into the life of this shy and secretive only child. Instead, Ku focuses almost entirely on his suburban parents, Kate (Maria Bello) and Bill (Martin Sheen), who must now cope with their shared nightmare.

Their emotionless 20-year marriage is on the brink of collapse when they receive the news. Now with their only child dead, they realise they only have each

A Better Life

Director: Chris Weitz Starring: Bobby Soto, Chelsea Rendon, Demian Bichir and José Julián

From the director of About a Boy comes an emotionally engaging fatherand-son tale set in downtown Los Angeles. Carlos Galindo (Demian Bichir) is a Mexican immigrant and single father who works hard to provide the best future for his American-born teenage son, Luis (José Julián).

They live in a violent gang-ridden environment where Luis battles through his volatile adolescent years and a fearful and protective Carlos tries to guard his son’s future. Their very different upbringings highlight their differences. www.afropolitan.co.za

other as they struggle numbly through the funeral, the media onslaught, and the awkward pity from relatives and friends.

The film’s greatest strength is the gripping performances by Bello and Sheen.

While the young Luis observes that violence can be the easy remedy, Carlos learnt about the consequences of “the easy way out” a long time ago.

Carlos buys into the American dream of running his own business, with a new truck, a client list and some gardening tools. But disaster strikes when the truck is hijacked. The massive blowback event exposes the strength of character required when dreams are destroyed.

Featuring a mix of Spanish and English, this socially conscious film keeps it simple and understated. It’s

imageS courtesy of STER-KINEKOR & NUMETRO

BY ELKA SCHAIMBERG

D V D

ultimately about a father’s love, the meaning of family and the lengths a parent will go to to give his child the opportunities he never had.

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R E V I E W S

word on words MY FATHER MY MONSTER

With his unique name, distinct accent and confident manner, MacIntosh Polela, spokesperson for the Hawks, could easily be mistaken for a man whose background is one of privilege, luxury and ease. However, his riveting memoir, My Father My Monster, reveals that his childhood and youth were the exact opposite.

S

eemingly abandoned by their parents, five-year-old MacIntosh and his little sister, Zinhle, were left in the care of his mother’s extremely impoverished family in rural KwaZulu-Natal. From this point on their lives became a hellish nightmare of poverty, mistreatment and bullying by the older children and brutal physical punishment by the adults. MacIntosh’s only hope and encouragement for his sister was that their mother would return and take them home to the happy life he

70

remembered. When he learnt of his mother’s death at the hands of his father, he began to plot his revenge and set himself on a path of self-destruction.

The understandable anger and confusion of his youth was eventually channelled into academic excellence, which helped him break free from the destitution of his youth. But even with the decision to forgive his father and the achievement of his professional dreams, MacIntosh still had questions, and he realised that in order to find peace, he had to confront his father about his mother’s brutal death.

Though his father led him to the spot where his mother’s body was found, he continued to claim that it was not by his hand that MacIntosh’s mother passed away. His father is revealed to be a callous man who abused his family for many years, an arrogant and repulsive character with no redeeming qualities. So it comes as no surprise that MacIntosh decided to change his name again to symbolise the cutting of ties with his father.

The tales of abuse told by his halfsiblings make you understand that even though he and Zinhle had a tough time growing up, they were probably better off than they would have been

had they been raised by their father.

From childhood to adulthood, MacIntosh’s journey was riddled with difficulties, but he tells his story without self pity, and you are left with nothing but admiration for a man who has faced so many challenges and managed to overcome them to find professional success and personal peace.

RATING

3.5/5 Did you know that MacIntosh Polela: • was born Steven Shezi.

• has changed his name twice – from Steven Shezi to MacIntosh Nzimande and later, to symbolise his cutting the ties with his father, to MacIntosh Polela.

• his first name was inspired by legendary reggae musician Peter Tosh, whose real name was Winston Hubert MacIntosh.

• and his last name is the name of a river that flows through the village of Pevensey, where MacIntosh spent much of his childhood and teenage years. It is also the name of the river in which he wanted to drown himself to end his miserable life.

• was a weapons maker, drug dealer and high school drop-out long before becoming a national law-agency spin doctor.

• briefly worked as a radio presenter on Ukhozi FM as a student.

• holds a master’s degree from the prestigious London School of Economics.

• collects cowboy hats.

• is a Sharks fan.

www.afropolitan.co.za

imageS courtesy of JACANA MEDIA

BY TENDAI MAIDZA

B O O K

By eLka scHaimBerg

M O V i E

r E V i E W S

biOSCOPE the helP DIReCTOR: TATe TAYLOR STARRING: eMMA STONe, VIOLA DAVIS, OCTAVIA SPeNCeR

Based on a much-talked-about and bestselling novel of the same name, this movie is set in 1960s Mississippi and tells the story of an aspiring young white writer, Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), who convinces two black maids, Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer), to work secretly with her on a book to kick-start her writing career.

Skeeter conducts a series of probing, in-depth interviews with the women who cook, clean and raise the babies of the wealthy families in the neighbourhood. After so many years of

biting their tongues, Aibileen and her rebellious friend Minny grow excited by the opportunity of finally expressing themselves, as Skeeter encourages them to tell their life stories and unveil their secrets.

The interviews begin with Aibileen (Viola Davis), who has raised 17 white children over the years in the households of her various employers.

As the women work together on the book they build an alliance from which a remarkable sisterhood emerges. The wealthy locals now view them as a

direct challenge to their comfortably established social order, resulting in some interesting confrontations.

Powerful performances by all the leading ladies make this an emotionally charged, brilliantly told film about the courage it takes to transcend the lines that define you.

the first GrAder DIReCTOR: JuSTIN ChADWICK

officials and attract attention from the media. Maruge manages to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records as An interesting true-life drama about an the world’s oldest primary-school pupil.

84-year-old man who insists on his right The film moves between Maruge’s to an education. Maruge (Oliver Litondo), memories of the rebellion and his later a Kenyan native who once fought for days in a dusty classroom amongst a the liberation of his country, is now bunch of six-year-olds. In his adult-sized desperate to get the education he was uniform, big baggy shorts and walking so long denied. He approaches a small stick, Maruge remains motivated and remote mountain-top primary school in determined to learn to read and write. the Kenyan bush, and applies to join the It’s wonderful to see Kenyans hundreds of first-graders starting their embracing a story of their own, and, education. like many of the school kids in the Local parents of the already movie, Maruge is also played by a native overcrowded school don’t want to waste Kenyan. a seat on the old man, but head teacher The First Grader definitely falls short Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris) is moved in some areas, but overall it tells a heartby his passionate plea and courageously warming and inspiring tale, offering supports his struggle. Together, they viewers a lot to celebrate. face fierce opposition from parents and

images courtesy of ster-kiNekor & Numetro

STARRING: OLIVeR LITONDO, NAOMIe hARRIS

friends with benefits This racy romcom stars two “lovely-tolook-at” leads Mila Kunis (who plays Jamie) and Justin Timberlake (who plays Dylan) – both of them fare well in the acting department too, with loads of chemistry between them to boot.

The movie’s premise is by no means original: a gorgeous guy, a beautiful gal, two battered hearts and a bed that needs warming. But Friends with Benefits has the attitude to make this simple story work.

Jamie is a headhunter who lures Dylan, www.afropolitan.co.za

DIReCTOR: WILL GLuCK STARRING: JuSTIN TIMBeRLAKe, MILA KuNIS

an art director, to an interview for GQ magazine. She needs him to take the job to earn her bonus and so sweetens the deal by showing him around New York.

The super-sexy young professionals both decide that an occasional quickie between friends is the perfect pick-me-up.

Don’t allow your low expectations of the film to keep you away. In fact, you may be pleasantly surprised with a few good laughs. If romcom is your favourite genre, then Friends with Benefits can arguably be classified as a good one.

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For a full list of authorised installers, please contact Schneider Electric

GADGETS GORILLAMOBILE ORI FOR IPAD 2 R599 This is one of the most versatile iPad stands money can buy – oh, and it looks pretty classy and functions as a cover too. The Ori can display your tablet just the way you like it – a quick swivel lets you switch between portrait and landscape views, for instance. It’s like tech origami!

TOMTOM GO LIVE TOPGEAR EDITION

NIKON 1 J1

R1 999

Kits from R6 499

Get behind the wheel with Jeremy Clarkson guiding you through traffic, or set it to silent with “Stig mode”. This special edition satellite navigation has features such as special TopGear points of interest, TomTom high-definition traffic, mobile speed cameras, fixed speed camera locations, TomTom places/ local search with Google, Weather and QuickGPSfix.

It’s our pick of the cameras this year! Not only is this the world’s fastest camera, the lenses are interchangeable, and it comes packaged in a sleek minimalist body in five different colours: matt black, glossy white, silver, glossy red and hot pink. Take 10 megapixel professionallooking photos with one of the four 1 Nikkor lenses available as accessories.

GIVEAWAY Win one of three Acer Iconia W500 Tablets.

Visit www.afropolitan.co.za to enter.

ORDNING&REDA NORTON LAPTOP COVER

Prices may vary. Images are courtesy of manufacturers and distributors.

BY STACEY VEE

G A D G E T S

R1449

Exclusive Swedish lifestyle brand Ordning&Reda have recently launched in South Africa and will be stocking quality funky stationery and accessories to make maintaining order a pleasure both at home and at work. This fabulously vibrant laptop cover (Norton) is made out of pure leather and comes in orange, pink, aubergine, white and black.

Acer Iconia Tab W500

R6999

With its generous LED-backlit 10.1-inch display, the Iconia W500 (which runs on Windows 7) offers you the best of both worlds. It’s a multi-touchscreen Wi-Fi tablet that is great for interacting with your media on the go, but it also docks into a full-size (optional) keyboard. The W500’s keyboard transforms your tablet into a workhorse, as it has both an Ethernet port and a USB port so that you can plug in additional devices, most likely your external hard drive. It comes with Acer’s clear.fi media-sharing technology, which means you can share your movies, music and videos between your devices – like from your tablet to your TV. The W500 is also available with 3G. For more info: www.acer.co.za

www.afropolitan.co.za

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G A D G E T S

SONY WALKMAN NWZ-E460

APPLE IPHONE 4S

R999

PRICE ON REQUEST

It’s fun, colourful and not an iPod – but it works with iTunes.

One of Sony’s newest MP3 and video players, the E460 has amazing battery life: 50 hours of music or 10 hours of video. It comes with EX headphones that transform compressed audio files into high-end sound.

R1 600 Amazon has now joined the tablet market with its Android-based 7 inch/17.7 centimetre offering. It has no 3G, camera or GPS, but what it lacks in functionality, it certainly makes up for in affordability.

Amazon reckons you won’t need any of that stuff on your tablet anyway and gives you a Wi-Fi connection to download books, apps and music.

SAMSUNG SERIES 9 R13 999 to R14 999 Made from materials more commonly found on fighter jets, the Samsung Series 9 isn’t just a pretty face. Sporting Intel’s second-generation Core-i5 processor, 4 gigabytes of RAM and a 128 gigabyte hard drive, it definitely has the go to match the show. With backlit keys, a large multitouch pad and a beautifully bright screen, the Samsung Series 9 closes the gap between the PC and the Macbook Air.

PHILIPS FIDELIO DS8550 R2 500 Turn your iPad into a mini home theatre – just plug it into the Fidelio DS8550. This docking speaker has serious stereo sound quality (two full-range woofers each deliver 15 watts of output), and you can also stream media wirelessly to it via Bluetooth. The DS8550 is ultra-portable and can be carried from pool deck to lounge party easily.

www.afropolitan.co.za

LOGITECH G330 GAMING HEADSET R399 Get your game on with one of the most comfortable headsets ever to snuggle our ears.

Designed for PC gaming or chatting with your buddies over Skype, it loops around the back of your head, and the adjustable mic swivels neatly away when not in use. It also includes a handy USB-dongle adaptor.

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Prices may vary. Images are courtesy of manufacturers and distributors.

AMAZON KINDLE FIRE

Now with a dual-core A5 processor lifted from the iPad, the new iPhone 4S sports twice the processing power and seven times better graphics performance compared to its predecessor. An 8 megapixel camera with full high-definition video capabilities lets you capture that special moment in all its glory. With a better battery life, the aerial issue now sorted and iOS5 with over 200 new features, this is the must-have smartphone of 2011. www.apple.com/za

BY DAMIAN MURPHY

A F R O

W H E E L S

Honda Accord

Prices may vary. Images are courtesy of manufacturers and distributors.

a cut above

Lexus CT200h Blue with envy Everybody wants this car. Well at least everybody who has seen Afropolitan driving it wants this car, and who can blame them? The carmakers at Lexus really are the leaders in true hybrid technology, and it shows in the delivery of their offerings to this market. As they explained to me, their hybrid cars work on a similar premise as a tandem bicycle. The petrol engine drives the car, and when extra power is needed, the electric motor kicks in to boost the performance. When you’re cruising along, the two work together to give you a really efficient, smooth and quiet drive. There are even some instances where the electric motor controls all the power and the car can move along in nearly complete silence.

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The exterior of the CT200h instantly won us over.

It is sleek, aggressive and sexy, which draws the attention of fellow motorists as you silently zip past them on the bustling city streets. The interior of the Lexus is that of multi-million rand car and boasts the best gadgets, finishes and extras you could ever hope to have. The little touches make all the difference; these include a leather dash, flip up and down navigation and a rocking entertainment system.

is a nippy little number that can comfortably get to 120 kilometres per hour without any effort at all. It can supposedly get all the way up to 180 kilometres per hour at the top end.

It has cruise control, all-round electric windows, Bluetooth, a full leather interior, a reverse camera and dual zone climate control. As it is a hybrid automatic, you would expect the CT200h to be sluggish. Yet the zero to 100 kilometres per hour is a meagre 10 seconds. And with a 1.8 litre, petrol/ electric motor that can produce 100kW, the CT200h

The two CT200h S and F-Sport are priced at R343,300 and R398,500 respectively and the saving on petrol alone makes the CT200h worth every penny. We found the combined economy to be at approximately 5.2 litres on 100 kilometres. This luxury hatch kicks butt and should become a firm favourite in the years to come.

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H

onda Accord owners are geniuses, even though they might not be aware of it. This car blew our socks off. It’s quite literally one of the best cars money can buy – and We're not even talking big money. This is an elegant sedan that is both gorgeous inside and stylish outside. The exterior oozes sophistication and the interior redefines class. The Honda Accord should compete in a league above the one it's in, and I’d hasten to say that for 2011, this is the most complete package I’ve had the privilege of driving.

The Accord boasts a host of fine specifications that put it in a class of its own. These fine features include dual-zone climate control, eight-way electrically adjustable front seats with driver’s side memory function and heated front seats with leather trim. It also has Bluetooth phone connectivity, six airbags, vehicle stability assistance, ABS brakes with electronic brake force distribution and emergency brake assist. The model we had, the 2.4l iVtec Exclusive, also has a USB/iPod connector for the sound system, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, automatic bi-Xenon headlights with active cornering lighting and high-beam support system, front and rear parking sensors and a premium audio system with 10 speakers and a subwoofer.

The Accord is no small car, so it’s a little tricky getting into tight urban spaces, but the space doesn’t go to waste.

The boot can hold a massive 467 litres.

There’s ample space in the rear of the Accord – two Springbok locks can fit in

there with ease – but the room in the back doesn’t come at the expense of that in the front. The driver and front passenger are charioted along in the absolute lap of luxury.

For such a big car, the Accord doesn’t shy away from performance elements. The 2.4 litre engine delivers a respectable 148kW and a healthy 234Nm of torque, which means that the open road is nothing more than a playground for the adventurous that choose to push the Accord a little outside their comfort zone. The manual sixspeed gear box changes superbly well, offering a fluid shift between the gears and a direct responsive drive that instils a sense of confidence. The gearbox not only delivers great performance, it also

adds to the superb fuel economy of this massive sedan. Believe it or not, the fuel economy in the Accord was better than that of most ordinary hatchbacks we’ve reviewed this year. It does 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in a shade over eight seconds and can reach a top speed of 227 kilometres per hour.

Saying the Accord is our car of the year may seem like a very bold statement considering the number of cars we’ve had the privilege of testing in 2011. But in our opinion, this car is superb value for money. It over-delivered on all our expectations, and it made us feel happy whenever we were behind the wheel.

Entry-level models start from R303,000, and the range is priced all the way up to R401,200 depending on specs.

The Nissan Pathfinder As we are outspoken Nissan fans, people could think our reviews are biased. But in our defence we can admit that we’ve only become a fan of Nissan thanks to the review vehicles we’ve driven. None of us has never owned a Nissan, and after every Nissan review we do, we keep asking ourselves why. This is not some understated brand that hides in the background with a small following of loyal supporters. This is one of the world’s leading motor manufacturers – and we love what they do.

with the flip of a few seats and switches, we were able to convert some unneeded boot space into extra seats.

We recently drove the Nissan Pathfinder and had a whole week to put it through its paces.

This is a big 4x4, both inside and out, meaning that the Pathfinder can take you, six friends and some luggage around town and the bush with maximum amount of comfort and space. Normally the Pathfinder comfortably accommodates five passengers, but we needed to ferry seven of us around town for the day, and

The interior of the Nissan is amazing. The creature comforts and gadgets of a business sedan lend this brute of a car a somewhat softer side. There’s dual zone climate control for the front occupants and air-conditioning for the second and third rows. It also has heated leather front seats with two memory settings, a sunroof, drive computer, digital compass display, sunglass holder and a premium Bose six-CD front-loading audio system

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Even though we never got a chance to take the Pathfinder offroad, we know from experience that we could take it to the edge of the world and back without any hassle.

with steering-wheel controls and nine speakers.

Nissan says that the Pathfinder is equipped with the “ultimate travel companion”, Nissan’s Connect Premium combined entertainment and satellite navigation system that has a 9.3 gigabyte music box large enough to hold 3 000 songs, as well as an iPod and USB connection.

The Pathfinder’s 3.0 litre diesel engine delivers 173kW and 550Nm. At R650,000, this five-star 4x4 is an investment in a life less ordinary.

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DARKSTAR 4223/9/11

F O O d

MAriON ON NiCOl COrNEr STirliNG ANd HAMilTON rOAdS, HUrliNGHAM, JOHANNESbUrG

I

f you like elegance, style and a bit of class, then you’ll enjoy dining at Marion on Nicol. Providing its patrons all these qualities in a thoroughly modern way, the Marion on Nicol represents a clever mix of the traditional and contemporary, allowing you to feel at home.

The restaurant forms part of the Marion on Nicol Boutique Hotel, which brands itself as “a boutique hotel of distinction”, and is situated just off William Nicol close to Sandton and Hyde Park. The restaurant provides a suitable option for business diners as well as a beautiful setting for a romantic, discrete dinner for two.

The kitchen is run by executive chef Michael Colling. The menu opens with a few words on its philosophy, “This menu can best be described as a combination of old classics with new innovations and techniques that are simple and honest.”

Highlights from the starter menu include oysters served with gazpacho and caviar, beef consommé served with oxtail ravioli and herbs, a mushroom cappuccino, a vegetable tower (a must for our next visit) and a tomato and bocconcini dish. But we opted for the salmon plate – a very tasty lemon-cured salmon remoulade, salmon mousse, and a salmon lasagne with pickled cucumber and lime jelly – and springbok carpaccio.

We came to the table quite hungry, and the salmon plate’s flavour, lightness and depth provided ample reward. The carpaccio was light and subtle in flavour.

Now we had time and space to consider a formidable selection of maincourse options. Chef Colling offers some traditional options for mains – including beef fillet, lamb, oxtail, salmon and duck

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– and interpreted in a creative way. The results are quite appetising, we’ll have you know. There’s springbok wrapped with spinach and mushroom in phyllo pastry, set on potato and turnip mash.

There’s also an ostrich skewer that is finished with a soya and berry glaze. The salmon is Scottish, marinated in lime, set on pea and dill risotto and served with seasonal vegetables with a lemon aioli and saffron beurre blanc. This was not our choice for the evening, but we’d love to try this next time.

We chose Asian duck breast, served with soya, ginger, stir-fried vegetables and potato fondant set on bok choy.

We especially enjoyed the richly flavoured, slightly fatty skin of duck as part of the mix and the stir-fried veggies were a fulfilling combination of texture and taste. We also picked the lamb plate, an appealing mix of smoked lamb loin set on potato fondant, lamb shank pie, pea purée, baby vegetables and port jus.

What appealed to us with the lamb plate was the variety on offer. The shank pie was slightly dry, but the overall dish delivered pleasingly, and we enjoyed its variety.

In the dessert department the crème brûlée deserves a mention, not only for its flavour but for the dish it’s served in – imagine the long open funnel of a flower supported by two stiletto-like legs, with the burnt cream treat acting as the flower’s nectar-like content!

The service was warm, professional and relaxed, making for a thoroughly elegant and enjoyable dining experience.

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images courtesy of marioN oN NicoL

By aNgus mcewaN

A F r O

S O C I A L S

SOCIALS In September The Afropolitan magazine held their inaugural Fashion Show brought to you by Absolut Vodka and showcasing the exclusive Tiger of Sweden clothing range. With DJ Mamba entertaining and thrilling the audience with his skills behind the decks, the event was a huge success with fashionistas in the media and celebrity world making their way to Turbine Hall in Newtown to get a peek at the amazing pieces on show.

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Images are courtesy of Gareth Jacobs & Gina ARAUJO

Prudence Mabele (Left), Lerato Matlakala & Friend

Bokang Seritsane (Afropolitan) & Nitsa Comninos - Rose (Tiger of Sweden

John & Diana Comninos

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A F R O P R O F IL E S Afropolitan Business Profiles.

This is an opportunity for your company to “own� a double page showcase within our highly regarded pages.

Inhaling success, celebrating business

Should you be interested in securing your spot, please contact our sales team at profiles@contactmedia.co.za.

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The City Of JoBurg

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along with us to greater heights.

We have a singular focus – to continue with our resolve on building a world class African city of the future.

However, striving towards a world class African city status does not absolve us from challenges; challenges which have got the residents talking. And as the City we have responded. We have responded by putting in place interventions to address these concerns.

In addition, a number of interventions are being rolled-out Citywide to address these challenges. A customer friendly model was officially launched by the leadership of the organisation in November. The key thrust of this model is customer centricity; whilst incorrect data, bills and errors are continually being addressed.

With this model, residents are encouraged to speak to the City as often as possible; be it good or bad times.

The focus is to share an experience of partnership daily. We are proactively speaking to our customers and are keeping our channels of communication open. All we are saying is: you have a problem with our service, let us know and we will resolve it.

At the end of the day, the City has to offer a level of service that meets the needs of its clients, the citizens and residents of Jozi and for which they are prepared to pay; any other approach is unsustainable. This is a commitment that the City of Joburg takes seriously as it endeavours to regain its credibility; to deliver on its mandate to the people and businesses of Johannesburg.

It is essential to rebuild lost trust. The City of Joburg has earnestly embarked on that road; to deliver services to our clients, and to provide solutions to current challenges. At the core of this journey, the City is currently establishing a project nerve centre which will coordinate the activities of the various departments and MOEs in delivering the best service to the people of Jozi.

Each day we our implementing interventions that are addressing these challenges; each day we are doing our bit to make Jozi remain what it has always been – the heartbeat of the economy.

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T

he City of Johannesburg (CoJ) is a leading metropolitan municipality in the country and regarded as the economic powerhouse of South Africa, and that of the African continent. Joburg contributes over 16% to SA’s gross value added, and also accounts for over 16 percent of the national employment. A leader and key player in the economy we strive towards becoming a world class African city!

The City continues to follow a policy of upgrading its facilities and as such requires funding the normal levels of replacement capital expenditure while ensuring a smooth flow of its normal service delivery operations. The Treasury division – the City’s central banker - is tasked with ensuring that our municipality is financially sound and committed to excellence and service delivery, and always strives to ensure that budgeted funds are made available in time to support the City’s mandate to residents, investors and South Africa.

The role of Treasury is to provide liquidity to CoJ and its municipal owned entities (MOEs) by sourcing the most efficient financial instruments at the best price and to administer and account for such instruments within the bounds of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), which guides and governs the financial operations of municipalities. Treasury personnel have the skills to support the City’s on-going financial risk management activities and to ensure that these are carried out in the best interests of the City.

The realisation of the City’s business strategy depends on Treasury being able to take calculated financial risks within the City’s risk tolerance. Sound management of financial risk enables the City to anticipate and respond to changes in the market environment, as well as make informed decisions under conditions of uncertainty.

As the City’s central banker, our vision is to ensure that at all times the various City departments have enough funds to undertake its activities, all which contribute in achieving the mandate of efficient service delivery to all the residents of Johannesburg. All we are saying is: we are taking our inhabitants

A F R O P R O F IL E S

An African Brand With

Global Vision

M

osa is an African word meaning grace. “Grace is to be kind. It displays a pleasing and attractive quality, and this is what defines us and our corporate founding principles,” says Mosa founder and group chief executive Rudzani Christopher Singo.

The launch of the Mosa group and its subsequent rise to global importance tells an important African story of humility, symbolised by Christopher’s own humble roots; he grew up the rural north-eastern part of South Africa formerly known as Venda.

The Mosa group of companies represents a diverse collection of businesses in the engineering, retail and minerals sectors. Mosa also has an established Ugandan operation and an international division.

Christopher is nothing if not pragmatic, yet his successes to date are founded on his ability to dream and a desire to empower himself and others. The group’s vision embraces the dream of a self-sustainable continent. For Christopher this is not a lofty ideal, and his own rise from a rural upbringing to an international business career is proof. Clear, concise strategic statements sustaining constant improvement at every level and strong social responsibility values – these are all practical drivers supporting his goals.

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Matriculating from Thohoyandou Technical High School in 1993 and completing his national diploma in mechanical engineering at Unisa in 1997, Christopher went on to complete a diploma in business management and a post-graduate diploma in management negotiation. He completed a master’s degree in business administration in 2004. He is a member of the Engineering Council of South Africa, the South African Institute of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Directors, the South African Mining Development Association, and the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors. Typical of successful leaders, he is currently involved in further study within the mechanical engineering field, through Unisa.

The work experience he gained before starting his own business laid a strong foundation for his future.

“From my early days, I’ve always wanted to be in business. I always wanted to have a holding company with subsidiaries,” he says. “I’ve been inspired by the Bill Lynches of this world, who in the seventies was running a bush mechanic operation in Alberton. A few years later he was based in Johannesburg when he started Imperial. Ten to 15 years later Imperial was a multi-millionrand turnover company. By the early 2000s it had become a multi-billion-rand company.”

Founding Mosa, and diversifying the company Christopher’s experience as a quality engineer at Volkswagen SA, a logistics engineer at DaimlerChrysler and a commercial projects manager at Imperial cargo – all blue chip corporate businesses – prepared Christopher to create his own network of companies.

He started Mosa Engineering Services in 2005. With expertise in mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering fields, Mosa Engineering Services has grown its operations by successfully managing government tender opportunities. Being called in to correct poorly completed work done by other contractors, Mosa Engineering’s workload – both in sub- and main contractor positions – increased, and the company established itself as the “go to” firm for projects with budgets ranging from R5 million to R10 million.

A R50 million Public Works project for the North-West province is amongst their success stories. The completion of a R10 million water-reticulation project with 12 kilometres of pipeline providing 80 000 litres of water is another. On behalf of the Gauteng Department of Education, Mosa Engineering has converted 14 further education and training workshops and is in the process of converting another 11. In projects where it has been the main contractor,

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Mosa Engineering has brought in the expertise of some of the world’s leading engineering firms, and there have been mutual benefits in terms of knowledge and capability improvement.

In keeping with Christopher’s original vision of creating a diversified set of subsidiaries, a retail division was created and some well-known and established franchised brands were acquired. The concept for Mosa Retail began in 2009.

Whilst the engineering arm boasted a healthy order book, it was largely reliant on government, which meant that cash flow was slow. Christopher and his board identified the retail sector, specifically the food and beverage division, as providing fast cash flow in a commercial sector buoyed by consumer trends – people always need to eat, drink and buy groceries. Mosa subsequently acquired a small number of consolidated franchise outlets and in May this year opened a Cappello restaurant in Roodepoort.

Shortly thereafter, Mosa acquired a Mike’s Kitchen, and most recently the group launched pub/restaurant the Brazen Head in Limpopo. In 2012 the group intends to expand into grocery outlets and encompass the petrol-station network as part of its distribution model.

A clear and critical aspect of Christopher’s vision has been to establish business interests up into the African continent. Registered in Kampala, Mosa’s Ugandan operations represents the group’s aggressive growth plan with a mandate to scout for business opportunities in the central African region – ranging from Southern Sudan through Burundi, Rwanda to the Democratic Republic of the Congo – be it in manufacturing, minerals or retail.

There are plans to create a similar base in West Africa, which will allow the group to focus on the length and breadth of that region.

The fourth subsidiary of the Group is Mosa Mineral Resources. Its focus is on the acquisition of mineral rights both inside South Africa’s borders and beyond, in territories such as Liberia and Uganda. Established nearly three years ago, this division is definitely a “work in progress”. Establishing one’s corporate credentials and getting a foothold in the

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network takes time, and in addition the investments required are significant and costly. Creating the required cash flow has required some patience. Christopher and the board know, however, that the opportunities exist, and the long-term benefits to the group make this division critical to its growth.

Mosa International, registered in London, was established to market the brand as an international operation.

Having identified opportunities to work with organisations such as the United Nations (UN), Mosa International is registered on the UN’s vendor database and has been active in the tender process for a number of contracts. Given its initiatives with other global businesses, the group’s vision is to be an intercontinental force to be reckoned with over the next five to 10 years.

In fewer than 10 years Christopher has seen his vision of a holding company with diverse yet strategically delineated subsidiaries grow into a multi-millionrand turnover business, and he’s not shy to say that their goal in the next three years is to hit the R100 million mark.

Far from taking exception at the idea that he started as a “village boy”, Christopher delights in being a role model for other people from humble backgrounds and hopes that the Mosa group’s successes inspire others. When asked how he defines success, he says,

“Being able to see your dream come to pass. And my dream has always been to do what Bill Lynch did, to do what [Bidvest founder] Brian Joffe did.”

The values of ubuntu play a strong motivating role for Christopher and his colleagues. When he speaks of the retail division he clearly identifies the opportunity this provides the company to support job creation. When talking about the engineering division he highlights the critical need to provide clean water reticulation, sanitation, and the electrification of villages for communities. Mosa group is building bridges in more ways than one.

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THE BADGE Give an oke a badge and he won’t let you.

Doesn’t matter what it is, he won’t let you.

Herewith a study of the trappings and effects of power – and the terrible results…

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now thankfully deceased political party who had an odd notion of what a free press was supposed to be decided that it was time to elevate the arts in Pretoria, which was still what the capital city of our land was called at the time. And so they built a monument to the arts – a vast, monolithic edifice that they named the State Theatre. Make no mistake, from a technical point of view the thing is a theatre practitioner’s wet dream, but its facade is hardly one to inspire any predilections towards creative ebullience. But, filled with national artistic fervour, the theatre’s board of directors commissioned for their very first high drama a play by the truly great writer PG du Plessis, who duly obliged, but delivered a play that was merciless in its scathing observation of what life was about in the lower classes.

Siener in die Suburbs was, before rehearsals even began, a massive hit.

With the censors.

“How,” they asked, “can you have a character who has only one line?”

“How,” they spluttered, “can this character’s only line be, ‘Ma, I’m preggers’?” Life is not like that! When it was explained that the whole narrative revolved around this line, the character and her line were allowed to remain in the play, and it is on the actress who would interpret this role that we now focus.

Rehearsals were intense. For months, our one-line actress approached the artist’s entrance and showed the man with the badge whose job it was to check such things, her State Theatre Performer Security Card.

He would open the door with a smile and wave her through, chuckling at her distinct nerves, caused by the trauma of being about to rehearse this one vitally important opening line.

They even got onto first name terms and would enquire on a regular basis

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about each other’s wellbeing and that of their respective families. And the rehearsals were going well. All was good.

After months of preparations, it was the grand gala opening, and the powerful would be in attendance. A convoy of huge cars disgorged their stuffed cargo, a glittering array that swept through the sumptuous lobby and haughtily took their seats in the brand-spanking new world-class theatre.

Amidst the murmur of conversation, exhibitionist coughing and the ruffling of programmes, they were quite unaware of the panic behind the red velvet curtain. The actress with the one line was nowhere to be found. With cell phones not yet invented, she also remained quite untraceable. And the curtain had to go up in 10 minutes. It had to!

Now to the crux of this true story: the badge. With all the security blocking the roads leading to the theatre, a massive traffic jam had built up. When our heroine finally reached the front of the jam, it took her half an hour to explain to the man with the badge – a new guy this time – that she absolutely had to get to the theatre. She was eventually let through, with the proviso that she be accompanied by another new badge, and she desperately sprinted up the stairs to the artist’s entrance. Three minutes to curtain up! She ran straight into and bounced off a shut door, which was accompanied by a stern rebuke: “Sorry.

Performers only. Card please?” Oh, God. She had left her card in her car. Two minutes! “But it’s me, for God’s sake! It’s me!” she gasped. “Sorry, lady, but rules is rules!” One minute!

When the stage manager was called to identify and sign in the same actress, the same badge he had greeted every morning for months, it was already five minutes after the curtain was supposed to go up. And the parting shot from the new badge was: “You know, if it wasn’t for you blêrrie actors, this place would run like clockwork!”

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BY KABURU

K A B U R U

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