12 minute read
RICHFIELD
from The Ridge 136
STUDY AT SA’S TOP
IT & Business College in 2023
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RICHFIELD IS THE LEADER IN IT AND BUSINESS QUALIFICATIONS, WITH CAMPUSES LOCATED IN PARK SQUARE UMHLANGA AND A BRAND NEW CAMPUS IN MUSGRAVE OPENING IN DECEMBER
As a leading Information Technology and Business institution for over 30 years, Richfield recognises the business sector is changing, with an increase in technological advancements and companies expanding globally, organisations seek out graduates who acquire critical thinking skills to assess and identify problems and formulate creative solutions. Proficiency in technology is key for the next level of 4IR thus the ability to use technology to improve efficiency and productivity makes candidates more desirable.
According to a 2021 critical skills survey by Xpatweb, 98% of organisations agreed that ICT skills were essential to their ongoing operational success, with a growing demand for Web Developers, Software Engineers, Data Analysts, Mobile App Developers and Digital Marketers.
Richfield offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Information Technology, Business and Public Management, and an extensive MBA programme to help executives, managers, and entrepreneurs take their careers to the next level. The Faculty of Information Technology is the perfect environment for individuals who wish to tackle the IT skills shortage in South Africa and make an impact in global organisations such as Microsoft, Meta, Google Africa, Amazon Africa and more.
Their modules are built to make
students more forward-thinking, with topics ranging from Robotics and Automation to Mobile App Development, Simulation and Modelling.
For those interested in the economics and finance sector, The Faculty of Business Management Sciences offers qualifications in Commerce, Business Administration, Leadership, Supply Chain and Marketing Management in order to make a real impact in the commercial space.
With a majority of unexpected industries moving more online, changing their business models, or re-evaluating their brand message to fit the new socio-cultural environment, this faculty is shaping the brilliant minds who will help them do just that. Bianca Sheriff,
a proud second year Bcom Marketing Management student from our Park Square, uMhlanga campus states:
“Being a part of a Richfield campus gives you an opportunity to show your true potential. To see the capacity you have TO DO ANYTHING you put your mind to. As a potential student at Richfield, you can look forward to incredible fun and knowledge because Richfield is more than just a degree.”
These business qualifications will become handy for those who may wish to participate in their growth initiative, The Entrepreneurship Hub – a platform that aims to decrease youth unemployment in South Africa by providing young entrepreneurs with the opportunity to create business ideas with the potential for investment. The future of business is exciting, and Richfield wants to put you at the forefront.
Scan the QR Code for the Richfield website Scan the QR Code for our uMhlanga campus
“You have to have a passion for something if you want to do it. You have to be prepared to work hard and make sacrifices to be the best. You can’t have everything, so you have to prioritise. You also have to have a positive mindset. Then, you will find opportunity in everything,” says 20-year-old dancer, model and now actress, TeKayha Sukuram.
In July, TeKayha auditioned for, and won, one of the leading roles in the film adaption of Rubendra Govender’s book, Sugar Cane Boy. This authentic account of Indian and African co-existence on the sugar plantations of KwaZulu-Natal during apartheid is already a popular English set work at several Durban secondary schools.
The movie will be shot in November and December and released in mid-2023, says an excited TeKayha who is looking forward to unpacking the complex character of Seyuri Murugappa, the adult love interest of the main character, Soya Sivaramen.
“She is very snooty because she is the princess of Groenberg, the sugar plantation. She comes from a very, very wealthy family and has this air about herself and thinks she is superior to others,” she explains.
The movie is currently in pre-production and TeKayha has just completed her first reading and rehearsal.
“We got our scripts for the first time. The director and producers told us more about the movie and the cast did some scenes and performed and got some direction,” she continues.
This is her first big role, although she is currently working on another short film.
TeKayha says she has always wanted to act. She began dancing – Bollywood and hip hop – when she was just five.
“My family would leave Bollywood movies playing in the lounge and I would stand in front of the screen and join in. My grandfather had a guitar, and when he came home late from work at about 10 o’clock, I would jump out of bed and run into the room. He’d start playing and I would start dancing,” she recalls.
By the time she was 10, she was taking dancing lessons, and today she is hired to dance at corporate events and weddings.
She also made her mark at school, matriculating from Mount Edgecombe Private
BEAUTY
& brains
FOR 20-YEAR-OLD TEKAYHA SUKURAM, LANDING ONE OF THE LEADING ROLES IN THE FILM ADAPTATION OF RUBENDRA GOVENDER’S BOOK, SUGAR CANE BOY, IS A DREAM COME TRUE, WRITES SHIRLEY LE GUERN
ABOVE: TeKayha with her family, her biggest fans and support. From left, her father Rohan, brother Sohan, TeKayha and her mother, Roslynn. LEFT: TeKayha Sukuram. Picture: iamuphotography
School in 2019 as both head girl and dux with five distinctions, the Principal’s Award and the Dux Award.
She was also a Miss Teenager South Africa 2022 finalist and, after signing up with a modelling agency at the end of 2019, began photographic modelling.
Right now, TeKayha is studying a BComm Accounting at UKZN as a safety net while she develops her career in the creative arts.
“I guess I’m what you would call a glass half full type of person. I take things very seriously and I’m a bit of a perfectionist,” explains this vivacious young woman who, despite loving the outdoors, fashion, watching movies and spending time with friends, spends a lot of time honing her acting skills online. She has already completed international workshops hosted by the New York Film Academy and several award-winning actors.
TeKayha sees her upcoming role as an important stepping stone. Never give up is her mantra and she says she is fortunate to have the full support of her family – including brother Sohan, a keen cricketer with the Dolphins Academy.
The next step up will be representing Africa at an International Modelling and
Talent Association event in New York next year. The largest talent convention in the world, this will see her perform for 300 talent scouts and agents. Watch this space. *
find your FREEDOM
DIAGNOSED WITH ADULT ADHD, JESS BASSON RELATES HER PERSONAL THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
If you look up the definition of “undiagnosed adult ADHD”, you won’t find any scientific information. You’ll just see a photo of me.
Before being officially diagnosed with adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, I didn’t have an explanation for why I was the mom who dropped her kids off at school the day before the new term started. Twice.
I couldn’t explain why I was the woman who is on her third wedding ring. To be clear, I had the same husband – but was on my third wedding ring. I won’t go into details except to say that one involved getting the dog X-rayed, digging through poop for two weeks, and getting one of those metal detector guys to walk through the garden.
I didn’t know why I was like this, so I just made up the reasons. My forgetfulness, my scatter-brained diary, my inability to know where my sunglasses, keys and cellphone were at any given moment were annoying. Annoying but accumulating into labels that started to encircle me more fixedly. I lived inside these repetitive dynamics every day, unable to escape the frustrations they brought me, no matter how hard I tried.
My most insidious symptoms of undiagnosed ADHD – the ones most people never saw – were my shame, my sensitivity, and my wounded self-esteem. These beliefs that I was hazy, lazy and crazy had been galvanised over the years and started to close in on me from above, like bars. Not being able to explain my emotional intensity and anger was eroding my relationships. The niggling feeling that I was always failing made me defensive
and over-sensitive. The cruel, berating self-talk that no one except me heard was getting louder and louder, as the lack of explanation for my inefficiency left me with no other conclusions.
In the absence of truth, we inevitably believe lies. Lies are what lock us into the cages we feel trapped in. My cage had me believing I was a small person with a
RIGHT: Jess Basson is an author, speaker, pastor and life coach. small life. On a good day, I could explain all of this with the resignation that I’m just not a high-capacity person. At worst, the absence of an explanation made me feel irreparable. Without language for the problem, there is no hope for a solution.
But then, I found the real cause of my symptoms. It was not a character defect. It was a neurological disorder. Suddenly, a key was dropped into that cage.
Reflecting on my journey with ADHD, I have come to believe this:
Name your cage.
Find your freedom.
Maybe you feel like you’ve lost yourself somewhere to lies. Perhaps you don’t know what your next step is.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
You were made to be soaring, flourishing and free.
So reach out, ask for help and walk out that door. *
FOR MORE INFO You can buy Jess’ book, Empty Cages – Keys To Finding Freedom, at www.jessbasson.com
barefoot IS BEST
I HAVE SUCH TERRIFIC TOES; I TAKE THEM WITH ME WHEREVER I GOES; I HAVE SUCH FANTASTIC FEET; NO MATTER WHAT, THEY STILL SMELL SWEET. LITTLE FEET MIGHT BE CUTE AND CUDDLY, BUT, SAYS NELFRIE KEMP, BEING BAREFOOT IS AN IMPORTANT STEP OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT
Little feet and toes are just born cute. At birth our bones are cartilage, and through a maturing process called ossification, the transition to bone occurs at different ages for different bones in our feet (and bodies). Most toddler’s feet appear flat due to a fatty pad on top of the feet and on the inside of the foot. Through development and once walking, the arches should develop. It’s best for kids to be barefoot and exposed to all surfaces every day – grass, sand, climbing, running and jumping – which helps with their normal development and sensory awareness.
Babies
Socks, booties and babygrows should fit loosely around the feet and not cause the toes to curl in. With babygrows there should be space in the feet area even with their legs fully extended. Cut nails regularly to avoid them from cutting into the adjacent toes or causing discomfort in socks and babygrows. Crawling
Their feet seem to take a pounding while crawling, but this is a very important role in normal development. As much as possible avoid shoes while kids are crawling, and take care with socks which may cause them to slip. If their feet need to be covered, then an option is leather “shoes”/socks – manufactured by a well-known brand in SA, they are flexible, protective and lightweight, and come in very cute designs.
Walking
Milestones in kid’s development are important but if they are a few weeks behind in walking, it’s not the end of the world. If you are concerned, seek professional advice from someone who specialises in children. As mentioned, going barefoot is best, but when they do need to wear shoes, extreme care must be taken that the shoes do not interfere with or compensate their walking. Take care with shoes that are too soft and collapse under the foot, which can lead to altering the walking pattern.
Cracked skin
Although barefoot is best it can cause painful cracked skin especially around the toes and heels. Obviously there can be other skin conditions, but in general cracked skin is caused by dryness. Apply cream daily to their feet after bathing, and if you can, get them to wear socks for a while to keep the feet moisturised.
Shoe shopping
My advice is to buy a few pairs of shoes and try them on at home when your child’s feet are clean and they’re in the mood for trying on shoes. In the shop it’s possible they’ll fall in love with the incorrect shoe, while at home you can watch them walk and make sure it’s the correct fit.
When to seek medical advice
It’s difficult to give exact guidelines when to be concerned about a child’s feet and walking, but here are some guidelines: If you notice a deterioration in their mobility; if they trip and fall more than usual; if they avoid stepping over something, climbing or jumping; a change in behaviour – like wanting to be picked up or avoiding walking/ crawling; when other people are concerned about their crawl or walk – often grandparents notice these things. *
FOR MORE INFO Nelfrie Kemp: www.nelfriekemp.co.za; @nelfriekemp W@nelfriekemp
5 tips when buying children’s shoes
1. The shoe should be lightweight. 2. Flexible over the ball of the foot. 3. Accommodate the feet – width, length and instep. 4. Adjustable straps to allow for a comfortable secure fit. 5. The foot and shoe should function as a unit. There should be no need for the toes to grip and hold on to the shoe.
