Inner City Gazette

Former deputy president Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

South Africa has established itself as a front runner on the continent with respect to advancing the rights, roles and contributions of women to society.

Focus on gender equality

Johannesburg - Former undersecretary-general of UN Women and deputy president Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka believes that more accountability should be placed on the roles and responsibilities of men, and that they should be held more liable for realising gender equality in Africa.

During a keynote speech delivered at the recent Standard Bank Top Women’s Conference Dr MlamboNgcuka said gender inequality is a man’s problem, and women should not be held accountable for closing the gap.

“The divide in working environments can be attributed to policy makers who are largely men, and that is where the change should begin. We ought to be moving towards a situation where there are more men taking an extensive interest in gender equality,” she added.

She explained that South Africa has established itself as a front run-

ner on the continent with respect to advancing the rights, roles and contributions of women to society.

“Preceded by the fearlessness of the women who fought against apartheid, South Africa cemented its position globally after the 1995 Beijing Conference, where for the first time 105 countries met and deliberated on gender equality. It was here that world governments recognised women’s rights as human rights, and raised the need for women’s representation and participation in decision-making,” Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka said.

She recalled how the South African leadership at the time set targets and commitments to expand the involvement of women in decision-making bodies, and to prevent public institutions from making decisions about women without any women present. She noted that since then South Africa has made good, albeit not enough progress

towards closing the national gender parity gap, with Statistics SA recording higher levels of literacy among women, and improved earnings for women over the 25 year period since the Beijing Conference. She however admitted that men still dominate decision-making bodies, and that more needs to be done to increase women’s involvement in the upper echelons of the public and private sectors.

Research conducted by the World Economic Forum recently indicated that it may take 98 years to close the gender parity gap in subSaharan Africa, and more than 130 years globally.

Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka believes that international organisations such as UN Women play an important role in accelerating women’s empowerment and achieving gender equality in Africa. She noted that these bodies can speed development and adoption of novel legislation, tack-

le discriminatory laws and enshrine the rights of women at national level. She feels that international organisations should also partner with like-minded stakeholders with a vested interest in advancing women’s contributions, to pool resources and amplify the sharing of knowledge, networks and opportunities for women.

Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka said the partnership between UN Women, Standard Bank and Topco Media to host this year’s Top Women Conference is a great example of this.

“They have created a platform where vested players can align, share, recognise and celebrate contributions of leading women in Africa. Now we must extend this collaboration to organisations that include Girls Who Code, Bright Pink, Days for Girls and the Malala Fund, who are just a few other examples of stakeholders that prioritise gender equality,” she said.

“Preceded by the fearlessness of the women who fought against apartheid, South Africa cemented its position globally after the 1995 Beijing Conference, where for the first time 105 countries met and deliberated on gender equality. It was here that world governments recognised women’s rights as human rights, and raised the need for women’s representation and participation in decision-making.”

Cloud Computing

As we progress at a rapid pace into the fourth industrial revolution, it has become increasingly critical to understand how to make use of the vast computer resources available on the Cloud to adapt to changing business needs. The days of creating and servicing internal Information Technology infrastructures are rapidly fading in the wake of Virtual Computer infrastructures to make IT environments more flexible, scalable and affordable. What is Cloud Computing?

“The practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.”

This course on Virtual Computing will equip you with not only the knowledge to understand the most fundamental Cloud computing concepts, but also provide a physical practical exposure to configure a variety of Virtual Computing technologies such as Oracle VirtualBox, VMware Workstation, Microsoft Hyper-V and more. As a cloud computing consultant you can offer your services to a company, with the unique selling point that “a high-performing private cloud can help cut up to 60% of operational expenses”. Boston prepares people, whether new to the workplace or employed in an industry, to offer services in Cloud Computing and its configuration, set-up

and networking, to any large or small to medium enterprise.

Course Layout:

• Introduction to Virtual Computing

• Working with Oracle VM VirtualBox 5

• Working with VMware Workstation 12 Pro

• Data Centre Virtualization and Cloud Computing

• Working with Microsoft Hyper-V

• Working with Virtual Machine Manager

• Working with VMware vSphere

• Implementing a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

• Introduction to Cloud Computing

The online structure of this course provides guided access to live server environments for configuring Virtual Computing

Response to ransomware threats

Tech Reporter

Cyber security group Ricoh says it is helping businesses stop the costly effects of ransomware attacks. The group says its digital services portfolio helps organisations digitally transform their operations to align with their shifting strategic business objectives.

platforms from anywhere. No dedicated hardware or software required!

Use the knowledge and skills gained in this course to effectively function as a:

• Cloud Solutions Technician

• Cloud Technology Consultant

• Data Centre Support Technician

• Virtual Systems Administrator

Duration: The course can be completed in 70 Hours or less over a time period of one year flexible self-paced learning. Students can attend online as either full time or part time learners.

To find out more visit one of Boston’s 47 support centres situated countrywide, call 011 551 9000, email info@boston.co.za or visit www.boston.ac.za

Ricoh SA marketing executive Jolene Castelyn says ransomware is a huge global threat and is growing.

“There are hundreds of ransomware attacks in South Africa every day, as many as 12 000 across the country in the first half of 2021 alone. A significant element of digitalisation is the transformation of operational processes and the workflows that feed them. It is an ideal opportunity to bake in layered cybersecurity related to the target of every ransomware attack, the documents and the data,” Castelyn says.

Ricoh calls its solution RansomCare, released to markets abroad in March 2021 and available in South Africa from October this year. The solution monitors to detect known and unknown ransomware, responds to the threat by containing the malicious software, alerting administrators to take remedial action, and reporting to actively meet compliance requirements and continuous improvement.

“Rapid response is key, ransom-

ware typically infects up to 10 000 files per minute once it gets inside the firewall and an unwitting user activates it. Informed recoveries ensure you work with impacted files only, which simplifies backup and restoration. Detailed reporting gives you the data you need to report to key stakeholders and data authorities,” Castelyn says. Castelyn adds that RansomCare, powered by Bullwall, monitors in near real-time and uses multiple detection tactics. “It instantly detects tell-tale ransomware signs; quarantines compromised devices, identifies encrypted files, restores them from backup and automates policy-based incident reporting. It is easy to deploy because it operates remotely, without being installed on every device, yet it creates no discernible network overhead. It integrates seamlessly into existing security and works alongside them to complement traditional cybersecurity services and make them stronger; and also has built-in alerting.”

Ricoh SA’s Jolene Castelyn

Ransomware typically infects up to 10 000 files per minute once it gets inside the firewall and an unwitting user activates it

NPO seeks innovators to transform industry

Five winners will share €1 million (about R178 480 20) grant and get access to the GCA Impact Accelerator programme

Johannesburg - The H&M Foundation is inviting innovators and entrepreneurs to apply for its Global Change Award (GCA), a prominent early-stage innovation challenge designed to unearth ideas that can sustainably transform the fashion and textile industry.

City hosts exciting events

Another event is the Arts Alive International Arts Festival, which brings an exciting line-up of cultural content and events, with the event celebrating 30 years this year

Brümilda Swartbooi and Getrude Mamabolo

There is a lot of activity and excitement in the City of Joburg this month.

These include the recent Soweto Marathon, then the 947 Ride Joburg and the Joburg Open Golf. The City also honours heroes on Remembrance Sunday and provides top entertainment with the Arts Alive International Arts Festival.

The first big event was the Soweto Marathon, in which thousands of athletes took part in the 27th edition of the People’s Race.

On 13 November the City will pay tribute to South Africans who lost their lives in service of the country at the Remembrance Sunday, which will be hosted at Cenotaph in the CBD.

On 20 November cyclists will saddle up at FNB Stadium to compete in the Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg. According to the organisers, the ride is the world’s secondlargest timed cycling race.

From 24 to 27 November the City

will host the Joburg Open Golf Tournament at the Houghton Golf Club. The international golf tournament is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour.

Another event is the Arts Alive International Arts Festival, which brings an exciting line-up of cultural content and events, with the event celebrating 30 years this year. The festival showcases visual arts, theatre, music, poetry, comedy, dance, masterclasses and workshops. The programme runs from October to December. For more information visit Arts Alive on social media platforms; Twitter @Arts_Alive and on Instagram @ joburg_artsalive.

Community Development MMC

Ronald Harris says the Arts Festival features something for everybody.

“It is a reminder that the arts form a big part of Joburg’s diversity in culture and heritage, and we celebrate this through this festival,” Harris says.

Public relations and communications manager for Joburg Tourism, Laura Vercueil says events contrib-

ute to the economy and help reignite the City’s tourism and creative industries.

“We are excited to see the events calendar coming back with some tried and tested signature favourites, as well as new experiences to look forward to. Be they business, leisure or lifestyle, this includes so many sectors, from accommodation establishments and tourist attractions to restaurants, entertainment, shopping and transport, to mention a few,” she says.

Vercueil adds that the sheer volume and variety of events contribute to the objective of positioning Johannesburg as a global, diverse and vibrant business, leisure and lifestyle destination.

“It is a prime opportunity to promote our city to festival goers and visitors, and remind them that there is much more to Joburg than business. With the international theme of rethinking tourism as we implement our recovery strategies, events play a pivotal role in promoting Joburg as a key destination to both locals and visitors,” Vercueil says.

Shock as radio presenter passes away

Johannesburg - MetroFM news presenter Pearl Shongwe has passed away.

The family said Shongwe, 35, died in her Johannesburg home. News of her passing began circulating on social media on Tuesday afternoon, with many expressing their shock. Her family confirmed her passing expressing great sadness on Tuesday.

In a statement family spokesper-

son Khehla Tshabalala said: “She passed away in her sleep.”

The family made a request to be afforded privacy to mourn during this difficult time.

“Our daughter was a celebrated radio broadcaster and TV presenter. Her presence will forever live on in our hearts,” the family said in a statement.

Shongwe’s broadcasting career began at YFM in 2010, and she

would move on to work at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), where she started as a sports presenter.

SABC has sent words of comfort to the Shongwe family.

“The SABC has learned through the family of Pearl Shongwe that she has sadly passed away. The SABC extends its heartfelt condolences to the Shongwe family,” the public broadcaster said.

This is an independent nonprofit global foundation for public good, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.

Now open for applications, the 2020 Global Change Award aims to turn the fashion industry ‘planet positive’.

This year’s GCA challenge has expanded in scope to cover more ground, raise the bar on innovation and help accelerate industry transformation. The winning innovations or solutions should fall into one of three categories.

A panel of experts will select five winners who will share a €1 million (about R178 480 20) grant and get access to the oneyear-long GCA Impact Accelerator programme, which includes coaching and support from H&M Foundation and partners Accenture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and The Mills Fabrica. The programme is tailored to support each team in developing and scaling their innovation for impact.

Neither H&M Foundation or H&M Group take any shareholder equity or intellectual property rights in the innovations. The winners can collaborate with whoever they want, and the aim is to find innovations that allow major change for the entire industry.

Strategy lead at the H&M Foun-

dation, Christiane Dolva says they are looking for solutions that enable a planet-positive fashion future, where both people and the planet thrive. “I am confident there are great ideas out there, ready to accelerate and scale and we are here to support them,” Dolva says.

The GCA 2023 application period runs up to 8 December and winners will be announced in June 2023.

Board member of H&M Foundation and chairman of H&M Group Karl-Johan Persson says the Global Change Award has become a force to support early innovation and accelerate transformation of the industry.

“It attracts some of the most disruptive and creative people, and following their development is really impressive. I am excited to see what game-changing innovations the seventh round generates,” Persson says.

For more information visit https://hmfoundation.com/gca.

Arts Alive action during a previous event

Strategy lead at the H&M Foundation, Christiane Dolva

News of her passing began circulating on social media on Tuesday afternoon, with many expressing their shock

Late former MetroFM news presenter Pearl Shongwe

Cancer awareness drive

The walk raised awareness on all types of cancer and encouraged regular screening as earlier detection is key

Abongile Guntu

City of Joburg and Gauteng health departments, together with the South Africa United Against Cancer (SAUAC) organisation recently staged a cancer awareness walk at Zoo Lake in Parkview.

The walk raised awareness about all types of cancer and encouraged regular screening as earlier detec-

tion is key. The City’s health department deputy director Zanozuko Mbane said the aim was to educate the community about cancer.

“We also did screening which included TB, diabetes, HIV and blood pressure tests, while accommodating women and men to pap smear and prostate cancer testing,” Mbane said.

Participants were informed about

Wits leads quantum technologies initiative

Wits University will manage the project, administer and distribute the funding, while strengthening other research nodes with existing quantum projects

Johannesburg - Wits University is leading a consortium to co-ordinate a national quantum technologies initiative.

The consortium secured R54 million funding from the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).

the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Ralehoko and acting Health and Social Development MMC Roland Harris cut the ribbon to start the five kilometre Wellness Walk Against Cancer.

“The idea is to convey the message that cancer can be beaten if we talk about it and make people more aware of it,” Harris said.

SAUAC member Tshepang Luchaba said the event was also a fundraising exercise for the organisation.

“The purpose is to raise awareness around cancer, but most of all the aim is to raise funds so that cancer survivors have financial support for the things they need,” Luchaba said.

One of the participants, Olie Baca shared experiences on cancer effects.

“My sister is a cancer survivor; it was hard watching her lose so much of herself to this disease.

This walk was the best way to raise awareness and show people that they can survive and fight it together,” Baca said.

Following a proposal written by the consortium led by Professor Andrew Forbes of the Wits School of Physics, the DSI committed the first funding up to March 2025, to set up the South African Quantum Technologies Initiative (SA QuTI).

It involves establishing quantum nodes at Wits University, the University of Zululand, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Stellenbosch University and Cape Peninsula University of Technology; eventually increasing the number of centres across the country by finding and supporting new emerging quantum leaders.

Forbes says they managed to convince government that quantum research is too important to leave to a small research group, and that they should invest in a national programme. Forbes codrafted the national initiative document with inputs from all the national nodes, which was adopted by government last year.

“This means we can drive the technology and get many quantum nodes up to scratch. Emphasis is on quantum technology, rather than quantum science. The aim is to develop people who can do something with the science, so that we can be part of the quantum revolution and develop a quantum economy,” Forbes says.

Wits University will manage the

project, administer and distribute the funding, while strengthening other research nodes with existing quantum projects. The aim will also be to start and support new nodes at other research institutions.

“This is to eventually have a well-established critical mass in the national quantum community, and to work with government to draft new legislation, where it comes to quantum technologies,” Forbes says.

As an example, new legislation might be needed to govern the use of quantum computers to crack existing bank security codes. In a new quantum world, a bank would for instance not be able to say its systems are secure, if they are not quantum secure.

“The moment quantum computers can crack the code, current encryption systems are going to fail. You will need to have quantum security in place. To play a strategic role in the international quantum community, the national quantum project will not focus on building quantum computer hardware, but on writing software and building apps for quantum computers. It is important to see this not as a physics initiative. We want to involve people with different skill sets so that we can build a vibrant quantum community and a viable quantum industry,” Forbes says.

The funding will have a special focus on human capital development, development of emerging leaders, access to quantum computers, advocacy and support for quantum communications, sensing and metrology deployment through start-up entities.

Over 100 arrested in police operation

Johannesburg - Police from Johannesburg Central cluster stations arrested 112 suspects during crime combating operations with other law enforcement agencies between 4 and 6 November.

In a statement from the office of the district commander police stated that the suspects were arrested around Mondeor, Sophiatown, Brixton, Fairlands, Langlaagte, Booysens, Moffatview and Johannesburg Central area.

“Among the suspects two were

arrested for business robbery, two for house robbery, eight for domestic violence, three for armed robbery, five for common robbery, one for murder and 19 for drunken driving.

The rest were arrested for crimes ranging from assault common, assault GBH, theft, fraud, shoplifting, malicious damage to property, possession of drugs, dealing in drugs, selling liquor without a licence, house breaking and undocumented persons,” police said.

Some of the participants during the cancer awareness walk

Professor Andrew Forbes

Awards to celebrate SMME excellence

Johannesburg - The inaugural National Presidential SMME Awards, which identify and showcase innovative stakeholders that are driving economic development and job creation, are to be held in Bryanston on 13 November.

Partnership delivers health services to the needy

Johannesburg - Digital healthcare company Quro Medical has partnered with charity initiative Operation Healing Hands in an effort to give back to the community and be a helpful establishment for the local and African medical industry.

Operation Healing Hands was started by a group of doctors and other medical professionals in the private sector in 2016 as a Mandela Day project, with the aim of providing life-changing surgeries to patients while fulfilling the responsibility of closing the socio-economic gap of patients in need of surgery.

Chief executive officer of Operation Healing Hands, Helene Basson says they are excited about Quro Medical joining their initiative.

Chief executive officer of Quro Medical, Vuyane Mhlomi says: “Their hospital-at-home solution is a perfect accompaniment to the total service package we provide to patients. At Quro Medical we are connected by belief that the private healthcare sector should be doing more to shoulder the burden of healthcare provision in this country

and on the continent. We have developed a responsive solution to the needs of our people. Our partnership with Operation Healing Hands is evidence of our commitment to work with those who share our vision to solve Africa’s intractable healthcare challenges.”

Mhlomi adds that the partnership with Operation Healing Hands aligns with their vision to deliver accessible and affordable premium healthcare solutions for everyone.

“Our services help reduce the burden on the strained healthcare system. We believe that the private sector can do more to shoulder the burden of healthcare provision because the public sector, which services the vast majority of the population, continues to be severely underfunded, relative to the private sector, which services a minority of the population. Through sponsorships and contributions to causes like Operation Healing Hands, we share the responsibility and work together with the public and private sectors to solve Africa’s complex healthcare challenges,” she says.

Serial rapist case postponed

Johannesburg - The case against the man known as the ‘Ekurhuleni serial rapist’ has been postponed to 8 December.

On Tuesday the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court found the man, Nkosinathi Phakathi guilty of multiple counts of rape and kidnapping. He was arrested in March last year after nine years of terrorising women and children in Ekurhuleni.

Phakathi pleaded guilty to 148 charges, which included 89 rapes, 42 kidnappings, six of compelling a child to witness a sexual act, four of forcing a minor to rape, two of assault and two of sexual assault.

The matter has 96 dockets, which were placed on the roll and Phakathi was linked to the cases through DNA evidence. Most of his victims were teenagers who would be going or coming from school. He

lured the victims and raped them on church premises between 2012 and 2021.

His defence requested postponement to allow psychological and pre-sentencing reports to be made available to the courts. His legal team requested Judge Lesego Makolomakwe to postpone the matter to next month. His lawyers argued that it was in the interest of justice to consider the provision of his clinical psychological reports before sentencing him.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Lumka Mahanjana said although Phakathi’s case was postponed to next month, justice was close to being served. “We will ask the court to impose a sentence that will send a strong message that such crimes are not tolerated and will be prosecuted,” Mahanjana said.

On its first project with Operation Healing Hands, Quro Medical provided hospital-level care at home to a 71-year-old Mangaye Ramasela from Tshwane, who received a total knee replacement.

Ramasela had been on a long waiting list in the public sector. This is a medical procedure she would never have been able to afford to pay for herself, and she did not have medical aid or insurance to cover the operation.

Along with five other partners, which included the surgeon, medical facility and operating theatre, prosthesis and financial support, Quro Medical provided hospital-athome care for her, keeping a constant eye on her vitals, progress and recovery as well as providing physiotherapy at home.

Ramasela says the staff is professional, kind and caring.

“The remote monitoring is comforting, knowing that there are people checking up on me by means of virtual calls and home visits where nurses and clinicians come to examine me,” Ramasela adds.

The awards, to be hosted by the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), are in partnership with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA), the European Union and 22 On Sloane.

The SMME awards aim to cultivate an enabling environment for the development; and nurturing of innovative ideas and best practices across the whole spectrum of small business development in the country.

The awards recognise outstanding SMMEs, SMME financiers, entrepreneur support organisations and success stories from enterprise supplier development programmes. The DSBD also aims to award businesses that have shown resilience and have managed to sustain operations during and post the Covid-19 pandemic.

The awards will also serve as a platform to launch the annual Global Entrepreneurship Week 2022 (GEW); a global event celebrated in over 200 countries with over 10 000 partners and 40 000 activities. Furthermore GEW aims to inspire nations to empower entrepreneurs and encourage citizens to become self-starters by finding innovative ways

Telkom launches 5G network

Johannesburg - Telkom has announced the launch of a 5G network service.

In a statement it said additional spectrum has evolved its connectivity ecosystem and catapulted the journey into 5G connectivity.

The Telkom 5G network was recently launched in partnership with Huawei, Telkom said.

CEO of Telkom Consumer and Business Lunga Siyo said though the 5G network stands above 4G and LTE through faster and more reliable connection, it is critical to make sure that the existing 4G ecosystem remains strong.

“Telkom will primarily focus on providing 5G fixed wireless access solutions, as the demand for mobile 5G increases; we will supplement this with suitable mobile propositions. We are excited to offer our consumers even faster internet

speeds. 5G is the next frontier of technological innovation and we are excited to bring this technology to the fingertips of all South Africans to realise the potential of a fully connected world. Our purpose is to seamlessly connect our customers to a better life, and through our entry into 5G we believe that our customers will enjoy a better, connected world,” Siyo said.

Huawei SA director Fortune Wang said 5G, with its ultra-high-speed and low latency, will support new services for South African consumers.

of doing business. It is a call to action for societies to promote resilience and leverage the power of new ideas to impact societies globally.

Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams says: “We are proud to be hosting this celebration of entrepreneurial excellence to showcase entrepreneurial activities through identifying and showcasing innovative stakeholders that are driving economic development and job creation.”

The department will also host the Inaugural National Presidential SMMEs and Cooperatives Summit from 14-15 November. Its focus will be to solicit inputs on areas of potential collaboration from key role players in the small enterprise ecosystem, as guided by the National Integrated Small Enterprise Development Masterplan.

The award prizes consist of cash prizes worth R100 000 to winning SMMEs and access to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress Africa on 13 and 14 September 2023, in Cape Town.

“Those include online AR/VR gaming and UHD streaming; it will also enable businesses with cloud and AI technologies. Huawei, as Telkom’s strategic partner, will help to build 5G networks and is also committed to support Telkom to achieve business success in the 5G era,” he said. CEO of

Sister Vuyelwa of Quro with Mangaye Ramasela

Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams

Writer wins playwright contest

Johannesburg - The 2022 Distell National Playwright Competition has declared writer Sibongakonke Mama as the winner.

She was chosen from a group of five finalists for her isiXhosa and English work, Ibuhlungu le Ndawo

Born in Gcuwa in the Eastern Cape she is currently based in Johannesburg and working as an investigative journalist. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Rhodes University, and also studied journalism at Rhodes and the University of the Witwatersrand.

Her submission to the Distell National Playwright Competition was her first foray into the world of theatre.

The judges highlighted her moving script that weaves oral tradition, grief, cultural and family history through storytelling, children’s games and ritual.

Set in the fictional village of uMzimkhulu, where three sisters return home to play as a way of remembering and mending family fences after the loss of a parent, Mama’s script exposes the characters’ building, dismantling and reassembling the playhouse over and over again.

Mama presents a spectacular world where the trio recalls the spirit of their mother who has transitioned to the ancestral realm. She has called the play a poetic and movement meditation on ‘disease, disease and alienation’.

Apart from the initial prize of R5 000 awarded to all the finalists, Mama receives a further R20 000 as the overall winner of the competition. Part of her prize includes mentorship in fine-tuning her script.

Facilitator and sponsorship and partnerships manager of the Na-

Theatre event to celebrate Afro-soul star

Bongani Maseko

Busa Music and Joburg Theatre will present a Decade Celebration event with Brenda Mtambo, celebrating her decade in the music industry on 7 and 8 December.

After runs she had at Joburg Theatre doing projects including the Jozi Food Saturdays music that kept the theatre alive during the lockdown, she is back to transport patrons through the power of music.

tional Arts Festival, Nobesuthu Rayi said: “She will be supported with extensive rehearsals in bringing her script to the stage. Ibuhlungu le Ndawo will debut at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda in July 2023. This is an important theatrical showcase that acts as a springboard for new talent and shines a spotlight on a new voice in South African scriptwriting. We hope her work will be picked up by producers with a view to staging it across the country so it can be shared widely with South African audiences.”

Marketing manager of the Distell corporate brand, Phumza Rengqe said: “We are a long-time supporter of the performing arts and understand the importance of nourishing new voices and providing an enabling environment for them to flourish. We believe that to advance playwriting talent is an important step towards enhancing our ability as South Africans to better relate to each other.”

Mama said she has found the initial mentorship offered by the award organisers to be an important way of becoming acquainted with the theatre way of storytelling, helping her to learn and think like a playwright and a theatre maker. It has also instilled the discipline of working to a deadline, she adds.

Monageng Motshabi who served as co-ordinator of the judges and matched the finalists with their mentors, is a theatrical and TV script writer and director. This year’s judges were scriptwriter, actor and festival director, Themba Mkhoma; Namatshego Khutsoane, an arts activist; and Kgafela oa Magogodi, a writer, musician, playwright and stage director. Creative Feel

Mtambo will be telling stories through her musical works. Diversity comes naturally to her, as she wants to speak not only to Africa but the world. A thread of African soul and jazz makes its way into the sounds, which allows variety in her writing.

Mtambo has one of the most powerful and soulful voices in the world. At the tender age of five years she began belting out notes and spent her teens singing choral music, and never looked back from there.

After initiating a music project called Sisters of Joy, she joined multi award winning gospel group Joyous Celebration, with whom she recorded and toured Africa. She then released her debut album titled Inspired in 2013, which gained great reviews.

She has performed in many festivals and events such as the annual Jazz on the Lake for Joburg Art Festival, the

Feather Awards, Basadi in Music Awards and the Durban Jazz Festival.

The remarkable track Ixesha Lami is Mtambo’s first single off her album So Much More. It reflects on an unhealthy relationship, which she dared to walk away from.

Not just an anthem for women, this is a song for everyone who just had enough of something that has been working against their joy.

The album includes songs such as Busezweni, Ungayeki and Themba Njalo. All of these are currently being played in high rotation on national radio stations. So Much More is a departure from Mtambo’s gospel roots, allowing her to express her distinctive Afro-soul voice.

Playwright competition winner Sibongakonke Mama

Afro-soul star Brenda Mtambo

Diversity comes naturally to her, as she wants to speak not only to Africa but the world

Premier declares support for World Cup ambassadors

Sports Reporter

During a farewell luncheon held at SAFA House on Monday in honour of South African Football Association (SAFA) officials, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi extended best wishes to three South Africans who will represent the country at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this month.

The event was in honour of South African Football Association (SAFA) chief medical officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya and match officials Victor Gomes and Zakhele Siwela.

He was joined by SAFA vice presidents Natasha Tsichlas and Linda Zwane, SAFA COO Lydia

Monyepao and technical director Walter Steenbok.

Lesufi said: “On behalf of government, ministry of sport and everyone, especially the provincial government, be assured of our support. I want to say this to you COO; where you have problems with other provinces and you need to take sporting talent, games or whatever, whether it is the SA Under-23, if you do not have a place to take them, bring them to Gauteng. I went to watch a cup final over the weekend in another province and I asked myself why the game was not in Gauteng. So we are entering that space as Gauteng and we want to bring everything here so that we can enjoy the benefits of this sport.”

Premier Panyaza Lesufi with SAFA officials during the event