INSURANCE

SAVING ON INSURANCE

As interest rate increases and inflation continue to threaten household incomes for most South Africans, Gari Dombo, MD of Alexander Forbes Insurance says, “It’s advisable to evaluate your insurance policy and make sure that you are only paying for insurance cover that you actually need.”

Premiums are partially dependant on the assessment of a person’s risk factors so making simple changes now can give you immediate or long-term premium benefits, and sometimes both.

Car

You can keep your car insurance premium down by driving a lower powered, lower value or lower risk vehicle, limiting your mileage, adjusting the annual depreciation value of your car, upgrading the security level of your vehicle such as installing a tracking device, attending an advanced driving course to improve your chances of a low accident driving record, increasing your excess voluntarily and insuring your vehicle for named drivers only. Look at the cover extensions that are charged for and decide if you really need them. For example if you have more than one vehicle in the household, do you really need Car Hire cover? Do you need Car Hire cover on all of the vehicles?

Household

On your contents cover, you may decide that certain items would not be replaced, like that old grandfather clock or sentimental piece of jewellery. These you could negotiate with your insurer to have deleted (or excluded) from cover. Every year, it is important to re-evaluate insured items to decide if the possibility or severity of a risk makes the item worth insuring. Should you consider reducing your cover or self-insuring, then Dombo suggests that you put the premium saving away each month to provide for the extra risk that you are now taking on yourself. If the loss does not happen in time you will have built up a fund to use at your discretion.

Business

Review your business insurance regularly to identify those items less important to you and ensure that you have not duplicated cover or have unnecessary coverage. Talk to your insurance broker to determine what you can do to lower your business insurance cost. Examples would be installing a security system or fire prevention system or changing locations and getting an inspection done.

Dombo stresses the importance of obtaining the maximum value from your insurance cover by only paying for the cover that you need. This will match your cover to risk and help improve your risk profile.

CONSOL CELEBRATE THE ULTIMATE BOZZA – PULANE MOTA

News Café at Campus Square recently hosted an unforgettable party to celebrate the Consol #IveArrived Ultimate Bozza, Pulane Mota. Pulane, along with forty of her closest friends, joined local celebrities and YFM to celebrate the good life, signalling a festive climax to a campaign that has created a lot of talk around town and online. The Consol #IveArrived campaign invited regular South Africans to take advantage of the opportunity to be crowned Mzansi’s top Bozza. All entries were finally shortlisted down to a Top 10, who faced off against each other via social media for the opportunity to win the party of their lifetime as well as R5000 in Soviet clothing vouchers. Pulane came out tops against some tough competition, and definitely showed the world why she deserved the title by rolling up in a 10-seater stretch Hummer limousine on Saturday night. Glass Bottles were popping all over News Café on Saturday night, with MC Proverb guiding the proceedings, joined by likeminded aficionados of swagger, Nomuzi Mabena and Khutso Theledi. Jozi’s hottest young social movers and shakers were there to keep the vibe bouncing, with YFM DJs providing the soundtrack to a great night and early morning.

THE LOCAL GRILL – THE BEST STEAKHOUSE IN SA

After three months of exciting voting action, defending champion The Local Grill, located in Johannesburg’s Parktown North, retained the title of Best Steakhouse in SA in the Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships. Now in its second year, the competition selects South Africa’s favourite steakhouses by public vote – and then expert judges choose the winner. Around 140 steakhouses were nominated by the public during the first round held in March and April. On 7 May the top 20 steakhouses for 2014 were announced, followed by the final five in June.

This year’s finalists were: HQ in Cape Town; Fahrenheit in Edenvale; The Godfather in Centurion; The Local Grill in Parktown North and Theo’s in Mouille Point, Western Cape. All five were judged by professional chefs Pete GoffeWood, Reuben Riffel and Arnold Tanzer. The judges made unannounced visits to all of the five steakhouses, assessing them according to a strict set of criteria. Speaking to Spotong, celebrity and MasterChef South Africa judge, GoffeWood said the aim of the competition is to identify the best steakhouses in all parts of the country. “Now our plan is to take it to the townships and include everyone, including shisa nyamas; it has to be all about steak! Townships are the ultimate South African experience. When tourists come to South Africa they don’t want to go to Sandton City because Sandton is like anywhere in the world. That’s why they would like to go to Soweto. “I have met many tourists in Cape Town and first thing they tell you is that they want to go to Mzoli’s Place, and that is their South African experience [This is a popular butcher, grillhouse and nightlife hangout in Gugulethu]. Our aim is to make sure that you know where to go in South Africa when you need a steak. You must know where the top five steakhouses in your area are. When you’re in Tzaneen you must know which the top five steakhouses are there.”

TOP TIPS FOR INDOOR ENTERTAINING

Entertaining guests indoors can sometimes seems daunting but, it is a lot easier when you are prepared! Here are some top tips to make your indoor event painless, fun and stylish. Local event planners, Event Affairs, list their fail-proof indoor entertaining tips:

Know your event

Different preparation is required for a dinner party than for a cocktail party or brunch. Make sure that you know what would be suited to the occasion or guests and work around that. For an intimate atmosphere with a smaller group, a dinner party is best. Cocktails and buffet snacks are better for bigger groups.

Who to invite

Your guests should get along so, try to avoid inviting people who may clash. Nothing is as stifling as a tense atmosphere! If you have a dinner party, ensure that you can comfortably seat all guests. Nobody wants to eat dinner while squished up against someone or while standing up!

Catering

Be aware of all your guests’ dietary requirements. If in doubt, ask them about their preferences in advance and cater accordingly. Culinary dishes of certain countries usually work well with a theme.

Music

Select music suitable to the occasion and the guests. Use it as a backdrop and keep it audible, yet soft, so as to not to interrupt conversation.

Decoration

Decide on items to use that enhance the atmosphere and ambience. Flowers, candles, photographs, table settings, colours and textures can all be used with great effect. List what you need and get started on purchasing or borrowing what you need!

Timeline

Compile an outline of what should be served when, and prepare food and tableware accordingly to keep things flowing smoothly. Nobody wants to wait 90 minutes for a main course after their starter!

Things to remember on the day

Prepare as much as possible beforehand to minimise your time in the kitchen so that you can play host. Set up a drinks area with an array of drinks, water, glasses and ice buckets where people can help themselves while you are busy. Personally greet guests at the door and welcome them with a drink. Introduce guests to each other, especially newcomers.

Candles are always a nice touch, even during the day. Fragrant candles are great for lounge areas, but not on the dinner table as they can obscure the flavour and aroma of the food. Personalise the event by using fun photos of guests. This can be pinned on a board, or used as part of the table setting. These also make great props for conversation! These are just a few ideas to help you host the perfect indoor event.