Inner City Gazette

Partnership to curb online child abuse

Johannesburg - With the support of the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), MTN Group has joined the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Meta, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) and Child Helpline International in the Help Children be Children campaign and Child Safety Online Africa Portal to increase awareness of the impact of child sexual abuse and help prevent its spread.

From 2019 to 2020 the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) noted that the number of child sexual abuse images and videos uploaded from the African continent grew by 81% to almost 2,4 million.

Stakeholders said this campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the increase of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and how it can be reported by the public. It will also help train law enforcement and child helplines, and engage policymakers and stakeholders through roundtables, to join the global fight against CSAM, they said.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Global Programme on Cybercrime in Africa advisor, Carmen Corbin said building strong

capacities in the criminal justice sectors to investigate and prosecute online child exploitation is one of the programme’s priorities.

“We are also aware that public awareness and prevention campaigns are the first line of defence that will make communities, families, and children able to avoid and report child sexual abuse material. We want a safer Internet for all children, a place where they can learn, play and develop their talents without being threatened by predators,” Corbin said.

Chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer at MTN Nompilo Morafo said: “Protecting children online is a challenge that needs global approach. As we lead digital solutions for Africa’s progress, we have a critical role to ensure that every African child is kept safe online. With our African values we need to join forces to create a safe online village for our children; one where they are free from fear, humiliation and abuse, where they can have a normal childhood.”

MTN funded the development of the Child Safety Online Africa Portal and awareness campaign in partnership with the IWF. The portal is aimed at eradicating the spread

of child sexual abuse and provides internet users with a tool to report child sexual abuse material available online.

International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children CEO, Bob Cunningham said prevalence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a growing threat around the world.

“Every time abusive images are viewed or shared, children are victimised. It is essential that CSAM is reported and local authorities have the tools and capacities to protect child victims. This campaign is a crucial step to reach parents, caregivers and communities to help prevent abuse,” he said.

Communications director of IWF, Emma Hardy said 49 portals have been launched all around the world.

“That includes 23 in Africa, providing a tool to report illegal imagery to millions. Through the portals, the IWF and its partners are working with governments, law enforcement and other organisations to enable every person to report child sexual abuse material online,” she said.

Images and videos of child sexual abuse show real children who have been victims. By reporting the abuse through the portal, photos and videos will be assessed by IWF’s ana-

lysts and removed from the internet if confirmed to be child sexual abuse in nature.

Head of Safety at Meta for Europe, Middle East and Africa, David Miles said for more than a decade they have helped build the tools used to investigate this crime, rescue children and bring justice to victims.

“While we invest in industry-leading tools to prevent such abuse from happening, it is also important that we spread awareness through campaigns and partnerships like this, so that no child faces such abuse, offline or online,” he said.

Child Helpline International director Patrick Krens said: “To be more effective in combating online abuse of children we must invest more time, money and human resources in prevention, protection and prosecution. For all three areas, it is important to listen to what children say to us and each other. Every child has a voice and we believe that no child should be left unheard.”

While 23 African countries have already developed their portal or hotline, the Child Safety Online Africa Portal will be accessible where there is not yet a reporting mechanism.

Child abuse material can be reported through africachildsafety.com.

‘This campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the increase of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and how it can be reported by the public. It will also help train law enforcement and child helplines, and engage policymakers and stakeholders.’

Child Helpline director Patrick Krens

Corporate affairs officer Nompilo Morafo

Proven success – the comPlete solution For students

“With nearly 30 years’ experience in Education, we know what it takes to raise the bar for students and vastly improve success rates.”

So says Miguel De Bras of Boston Lynwood. “While in school the student may have been lucky enough to have teachers and supervisors that are involved on a daily basis in their academic activities, this is not the case when learners pass matric and move on to higher education.

Most ‘varsities adopt a ‘sink-orswim’ attitude,’ says Miguel. “The larger residential universities do not have the time, space or manpower to look at each student as an individual and give what we at Boston like to call ‘real and real time personalised attention’ he adds. “We believe that it makes the strongest difference to student’s success, to this end we have developed and make use of a specially designed pro-active monitoring and mentoring educational system, designed to support learning.”

Miguel goes on to describe the system, known as MaaS (Mentoring as a Service) that has increased not only student success rate but also the ability of the campus to monitor students individually and to effectively assist them.

“Keeping students in the system, keeping them active and engaged, and helping them to persevere is our ultimate goal. Getting qualified graduates into their industries is the mark of Boston’s success,” he continues.

So how does Boston achieve this?

The Boston Higher Education department has devised an intricate system that operates in conjunction with the MaaS AI (artificial intelligence system). What does this mean for a student? It means that you have access to assistance with your coursework. It means you can

get your queries answered by your assigned tutor, either in person, via email, telephonically or via skype. It means you only progress in your coursework as you master the work that has been completed. It means you can get topics explained and re-explained until you are satisfied.

“The MaaS system does not only rely on students to approach their tutors when they need them” says Miguel. “It is a proactive system, which will actively monitor every learner.” Tutors will get an alert if an assignment document has not been opened by a certain time pe-

Crooks use brute force to hack payment cards

Tech Reporter

riod before a deadline. The student will then receive an SMS alerting him/her that there is an assignment due and they need to review it. If it remains unopened further action is taken by this unique system to motivate the student to get the work done. This system is very distinctive in its ability to predict student performance and in its ability to raise student success.

“Using a system that is consistently monitoring students on an individual basis means that a student is getting individual attention whether they want it or not!” says Miguel.

“Not only does it keep students engaged, it keeps educators in touch as well. It’s a win-win for the whole campus”. Miguel explains that using the MaaS system enables the campus to build a culture of evidence. “Essentially we will have a reliable data file on each student,” he says. “We are then able to counsel the student appropriately as to how to continue with their studies, as well as to motivate them.” With built in communication and instant messaging tools to create a supportive mentoring environment, our student academic system actively increases success rates. In this current economic and educational environment, students and parents paying fees need to know that they will receive assistance, individual attention and support in their academic endeavours to ensure their success. “Boston values each and every student and therefore invested in MaaS to show their investment in their students!” concludes the student advisor.

Boston is an award-winning SA private higher education institution. Contact Boston on 011 551-2000, e-mail info@boston.co.za, visit www.boston.co.za, or Facebook.

A study recently released by NordVPN analysing four million payment cards from 140 countries finds that the most common method to hack the card is brute forcing. This type of attack is quick and can be executed in a few seconds.

Chief technology officer at NordVPN Marijus Briedis says the only way such a huge number of payment cards could appear on the dark web is through brute forcing.

“Criminals basically try to guess the card number and CVV. The first six to eight numbers are the card issuer’s ID number. That leaves hackers with seven to nine numbers to guess because the 16th digit is a checksum and is used only to determine whether any mistakes were made when entering the number. Using a computer this can take only six seconds,” Briedis says.

In a brute-force attack, a hacker uses a rapid trial-and-error approach to guess the correct password, PIN or payment card number. The attack requires time, computing power and a special type of software the criminals use.

Briedis says to guess the nine digits that are needed to have a full card number; a computer has to go through a billion combinations.

“It will only take one minute for a typical computer, which can try around 25 billion combinations per hour. However, depending on the card issuer, a criminal may need only seven digits to make a correct guess. In this case, six seconds would be enough,” he adds.

Most card issuers limit the number of guesses in a short space of time to prevent such attacks, but criminals

find ways to get around the limitations. Mastercard has a centralised authentication system, so a criminal can only try around 10 times with one number before the system detects it. With the Visa security system, a criminal can try 30 to 40 times, and if they pick the right time of day, when it is really busy, they can try many more times because it has a decentralised federated system. This correlates with that more than a half (2 524 142) of the discovered payment cards were Visa, followed by Mastercard (1 602 248) and American Express (215 971).

Briedis says most important is to stay vigilant. “Review your monthly statement for suspicious activity and respond quickly to any notifications from your bank that your card may have been used in an unauthorised manner. Another recommendation is to have a separate bank account for different purposes and only keep small amounts of money in the one your payment cards are connected to. Some banks also offer temporary virtual cards you can use while shopping online.” Briedis says

Miguel De Bras

Technology officer Marijus Briedis

Campaign promotes responsible alcohol consumption

This comes after SAB launched its own evidence-based responsible consumption platform. Through SAB Sharp, the brewer is able to tackle irresponsible behaviour associated with overconsumption of alcohol with responsible driving being chief among them.

Johannesburg - The South African Breweries (SAB) has reiterated its commitment to driving a culture of responsible consumption with several initiatives planned across South Africa in partnership with government.

From the handing out of care packages to keep motorists energised, to road safety shows, to driver wellness centres, SAB believes that safe roads are filled with responsible drivers.

Brand director for SAB Corporate Sphe Vundla says: “We believe that when you drink, you should never drive, but there are other dangers present on our roads, especially during the holidays. Now that the state of disaster has been dismantled, we have to be extra vigilant to keep our roads safe.”

This comes after SAB launched its evidence-based responsible consumption platform. Through SAB Sharp, the brewer is able to tackle irresponsible behaviour associated with overconsumption of alcohol with responsible driving being chief among them.

“With the impetus of Sharp at our backs, responsible driving has always been a key metric for us. When we launched Sharp, we set ourselves a goal of reducing alcohol-related road incidents and fatalities by 10%,” Vundla says.

Anchoring SAB’s efforts to reach this target is the creation and utilisation of Alcohol Evidence Centres (AEC); with a 10th AEC set to be handed over to provincial authorities in Dube, Soweto, during the course of the year.

Over the years, these centres have become crucial in helping law enforcement test suspected drunk drivers and confirm their breath or blood alcohol limit us-

City moves to protect threatened infrastructure

Johannesburg - Following three recent attacks on City Power security personnel and infrastructure, Mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse has instructed Head of Group Forensic and Investigation Services (GFIS) commissioner Shadrack Sibiya to set up a team to work with law enforcement to deal with the issue.

“My office will also be coordinating and monitoring efforts of stakeholders and other spheres of government to ensure this process moves with precision, and exhaust all provisions of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act,” Phalatse said.

Brand

ing Evidentiary Breathalyser Alcohol Testing (EBAT) and registered medical practitioners. Following that, the AECs are all fully equipped to also ensure the evidence is properly collected and made admissible in court.

With SAB Sharp targets in mind, and in partnership with the National Department of Transport and relevant provincial authorities, SAB has initiated and facilitated several initiatives around the country.

In Gauteng, SAB, along with SAPS and JMPD will be hosting several road safety shows across the province as well as the Rand Easter Show.

In the Western and Eastern Cape, care packages filled with snacks, water and an energy bar will be handed out to long-distance taxi drivers and motorists to help them keep hydrated and energised. These will be distributed at specific roadblocks set up on the provincial border between Beaufort West and Aberdeen.

In KwaZulu-Natal, Driver Wellness Education points will be set up on 14 and 15 April at Caribbean Estate in Ugu District and Shel Midway in Escourt.

“The main aim of these is to create awareness and provide information on the devastating impact of alcohol abuse on our roads during the Easter period and beyond. The key to creating a national sense of responsibility lies in partnerships. As corporates, it is our duty to collaborate with government and civil society as we work towards a shared purpose of nurturing a more responsible and thriving society. For us, that means driving responsible drinking, especially on our roads during the holidays.” Vundla says.

She added that on March 30 an armed gang attacked security personnel at the Cydna substation. They were forced to lie on the floor as the gang stole several hundred kilogrammes of underground cables. On March 31 two City Power security guards were shot dead and robbed of their firearms in Carr Street, Newtown, after ferrying burned-out copper cables to a nearby depot from the scene of

an underground fire in the CBD.

On April 1 two City Power security personnel exchanged fire with assailants in Kyasands. One of the security guards was wounded in the head and rushed to hospital.

“In my interactions with local authorities across the country it is clear that these incidents are not only in Johannesburg, and a coordinated plan led by national government is needed to prevent these crimes and protect critical infrastructure. We require inputs and resources from all spheres of government. I have appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the National Prosecuting Authority and Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela to avail resources to investigate and prosecute what is becoming a trend aimed at sabotaging Johannesburg’s already fragile infrastructure,” Phalatse said.

She added that it is important that national and provincial role-players add their resources to protect the city’s economic infrastructure and prevent economic sabotage that is

Media group launches publication for education

Johannesburg - K and K Media trademark Inside Education has launched a print publication to be distributed to all schools, universities and TVET colleges across the country.

The quarterly print publication, edited by veteran journalist Phindile Xaba, will feature regular columns such as science and technology, classroom management, financial literacy, school sports, and revisions to assist learners to prepare for their exams.

K and K Media chairman Matuma Letsoalo, former Mail & Guardian politics editor, said the publication is a resource tool for educators and learners, aimed at improving the quality of education in South Africa.

“The new print publication will serve as a resource tool for educators and learners, and go a long way in improving the quality of education in South Africa. Our content is aimed at empowering teachers, learners and students. It is also a tool for encouraging good leadership, ethics and good governance within the education sector,” Letsoalo said.

He added that Inside Education will distribute 120 000 free copies to all schools, universities and TVET colleges across the country.

“The print publication was a long time coming because when I first initiated the online platform devoted to education and related matters throughout the continent a few years ago, I didn’t realise there was such an appetite. Its unique position to close the vacuum covering the entire education process from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to Lifelong Learning saw it become one of the continent’s leading resources for educators and students, a necessary tool to encourage good leadership, ethics and astute governance within the sector. Today our digital platform reaches over 3,1 million audiences. It is for this reason that we are expanding to print so we can reach schools in rural, peri-urban and other peripheral areas across the nine provinces,” Letsoalo said.

Editor-in-chief Xaba has a history of editing multiple education publications, including The Teacher, formerly owned by the Mail & Guardian newspaper.

“I look forward to being part of the solution. Together with the assembled team of highly professional media people, we aim to make this a support resource for teachers, learners, ECD facilitators, tertiary institutions and all artisan training facilities,” she said.

carried out by organised criminals.

“I will work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure these criminals are not left to run amok in the country’s economic capital. The destruction of economic infrastructure must be treated with the urgency it deserves,” she said.

She also urged anyone with information on the incidents to contact Sibiya on 081 462 2939 or call the 24-hour hotline 0800 002 587.

Mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse

“It is important that national and provincial role-players add their resources to protect the city’s economic infrastructure and prevent economic sabotage carried out by organised criminals.”

Matuma

director for SAB Corporate Sphe Vundla

Support initiative for start-ups

New fire station under construction

Johannesburg - The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and the Department of Public Safety, Emergency Management Services (EMS) are working on a new fire station in Marshalltown.

JDA said they started the Central Fire Station project in May 2021; a modern space intended to cater for current and envisaged demands for the inner-city community.

“It will provide speedy response to fire or rescue incidents that occur in the inner city’s high-rise buildings.

Construction is at 30% completion, and once completed the facility will have a contemporary design, incorporating soft and hard roofs, with durable clay face brick and minimal plastered feature walls.”

The crews for the Central Fire Station are currently housed at Fairview Fire Station to ensure that there is no disruption of service for inner city residents, JDA said.

“The building is one level, except for a few areas that extend to the first floor, and a six-storey train-

ing tower. The facility will be lowmaintenance and sustainable, and a landmark of modern design to the surrounding community.”

Other features include a basic emergency safety and fire education centre to be used in education on fire and general safety principles; an administration block and ablution facilities; wash bays for fire trucks; a lifting tank for training how to draft water; a swimming pool; recreational area for staff with braai facilities; car parking; a gymnasium and a sixstorey training tower located outside the main building, and will serve as a beacon for the fire station and training academy.

Development Planning MMC Belinda Echeozonjoku said: “Some of the milestones achieved since the start of construction include relocation of vehicle pound, township establishment approval, completion of the lifting tank and the attenuation pond.”

The new central fire station will provide access to employment opportunities for local emerging contractors, sourced from the local and adjacent communities in Johannesburg. Nine SMMEs are currently employed on the project.

Johannesburg - Microsoft has announced initiatives to accelerate the growth of 10 000 African startups and fast-track investment in start-up ecosystem over the next five years.

The company’s recently launched global Founders Hub will now be available to African start-ups through the Africa Transformation Office (ATO). The Founders Hub is a self-service hub that provides start-ups with a wide range of resources, including access to mentors, skilling content, tools like Microsoft Azure and GitHub and business support.

Microsoft is also creating partnerships with accelerators and incubators across Africa, including Grindstone, Greenhouse, FlapMax and Seedstars to provide industry-based start-ups with access to markets, technical skills and funding opportunities. These partnerships will provide start-ups with access to skilling programmes, markets, including opportunities to co-sell with Microsoft and access to technology.

Microsoft is establishing industry alliances and partnerships with venture capital investors that will facilitate access to $500 million in potential funding for African start-ups. This funding will come from a network of venture capital investors, who will dedicate a portion of their support to start-ups in the Microsoft network.

Microsoft has already established partnerships with several key venture capital investors, including Banque Misr, Global Venture Capital and Get Funded Africa, to grow this network in the next five years to increase funding and enable them to drive economic growth.

Microsoft Africa transformation

says investments into Africa’s start-up ecosystem are growing at an exciting pace.

“According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), there are more than 640 active tech hubs across Africa, accelerating innovation and creating employment, particularly among the youth. However, currently the African start-up market represents less than one percent of total investments worldwide, which needs to change,” Elkabbany says.

The Founders Hub includes opportunities for start-ups to sell to Microsoft’s corporate and enterprise customers.

Microsoft Africa Transformation Office start-ups lead Gerald Maithya says the Founders Hub allows engaging with accelerators, incubators and tech hubs across the continent.

“Our partnerships with key African accelerators provide support to accelerate growth-stage startups with their business development and market expansion plans. We understand that each start-up is unique and exists beyond the limitations of a one-size-fitsall model. This is why we tailor each partnership to the needs of individual start-ups, providing support and access, whether to technology, markets and co-sell opportunities, funding or digital skills, to enable them to grow and contribute to the wider economic growth of Africa,” Maithya says.

of them identified the killers.

The men, Melusi Shima and Ishmael Hlabathi had been in custody since their arrest in June 2020,

The

Johanco Fli-

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The NPA’s Lumka Mahanjana said: “The court ordered that the life sentence run concurrently. We want to assure the community that the NPA is committed to prosecuting all crimes without fear, favour, or prejudice.”

Part of the construction site of the new fire station

Killers get two life jail terms each

office director Wael Elkabbany

Microsoft Africa transformation office director Wael Elkabbany

This

funding

will come from a network of venture capital investors, who will dedicate part of their support to start-ups in the Microsoft network

Johannesburg - The Benoni Regional Court has sentenced two men found guilty of the 2020 murder of a couple to two life terms each.

victims,

eschman, 19, and Jessica Kuhn, 21, were shot dead by the two men who approached them when their car ran out of fuel near the Putfontein off-ramp on the N12 highway. The couple was travel

ling with two passengers and one

and pleaded not guilty to the crime.

Fifth Covid-19 wave expected

Fellowship programme opens for applications

Johannesburg - A fellowship programme administered by Harvard Centre for African Studies invites South Africa’s historically disadvantaged mid-career professionals to apply.

source allocations in South Africa. Fellowships are for up to one year of study in one of Harvard’s Professional and Graduate Schools, with tuition provided by the participating school.

Johannesburg - A fifth wave of Covid-19 may be expected in early May, dependent on emergence of a new variant, according to epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim.

Since the lifting of the national state of disaster, citizens have been warned to remain vigilant.

“We are still living in a pandemic and if past trends continue, it is likely that we can see a new wave of infections in winter,” Karim said.

He added that the Covid-19 surge in China may not raise immediate concern as it is driven by the Omicron variant, which has already peaked in South Africa.

“It depends on whether we have a new Covid-19 variant, with none detected as yet. There are some early indications, for example,

BA4 is now increasing in South Africa, Deltacron is increasing in some countries, but a clear-cut new variant has not been reported yet,” Karim said.

He added that it is unlikely that a new Covid-19 wave can be driven by a past variant, as many people have developed immunity from natural infection or vaccination.

Dump-site murder suspects held

Johannesburg - On Tuesday detectives in conjunction with JMPD officers arrested five suspects aged between 20 and 43 years in connection with a deadly shooting incident at a dumping site in Rosettenville.

Police spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said the suspects were arrested at the Matric Cables building at corner Albert and Berea streets, and some of them could be linked to murders and attempted murders that took place at the Rosettenville and Fennel dumping sites on 3 March.

“There was a fight between two groups over which would work at the Fennel dumping site. They collect items from the dumping site and sell them for a living. The

fight resulted in eight people being shot, four were killed at the scene and the other four sustained injuries,” Mbele said.

He added that police received a tip-off from the community about the whereabouts of the wanted suspects.

“Two unlicensed firearms and ammunition were recovered when they were arrested, and they will be sent for ballistic testing to check if they were used in committing other serious and violent crimes,” said Mbele.

Johannesburg Central station commander Brigadier Perumal commended the good work by the police, and urged the detectives to ensure the suspects face the full might of the law, Mbele said.

Knifemen arrested for murder

Jeppestown - On Sunday police received a report of murder at the George Goch informal settlement, according to police spokesperson Captain Richard Munyai

He said on arrival the officers found the body of a man with multiple stab wounds lying in a pool of blood.

“EMS members were called and they certified the man dead on the scene. A witness told police that the deceased was earlier seen drinking at a nearby shebeen and later left the place with two men. The witness said the men were accompanying the deceased to his

shack to fetch money to buy more alcohol, but all three of them never returned, and later they heard that someone had been killed on the street. When they went to check they found that it was the man who had left earlier with the two men. The witness pointed at the two men who were standing not far from the scene. The police searched them and found a knife with blood on the blade, and the suspect found with the knife had blood stains on his clothes. The two suspects aged 29 and 30 were arrested and charged with murder. Police investigations are continuing,” Munyai said.

The programme, established to address needs of citizens denied access to advanced education by the apartheid system will enable them to study at Harvard University.

Centre for African Studies Office director Nthatisi Quella says ideal candidates are those who seek to model ethical leadership, knowledge sharing and serve as resource to improve and transform their communities and South Africa.

“Alumni of the programme are expected to remain involved after the completion of their fellowship and serve as ambassadors for the fellowship,” she adds.

The programme was established and is still intended for mid-career professionals educationally disadvantaged by past laws and re-

General administrative funds for programme management, stipends and airfare for the fellows are provided by the Office of the President and administered by the Centre for African Studies.

Since the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Programme was established over 40 years ago, over 220 men and women are among the alumni of the programme, representing leadership positions in all aspects of South African society. Their careers span across education, law, public health, arts and humanities, business and other professions, including many professors and senior administrators at universities.

With its Africa office based in Johannesburg, the Harvard University Centre for African Studies is

a globally recognised, interdisciplinary body committed to broadening knowledge about Africa and engagement with African perspectives through scholarship, collaboration, and dialogue.

For more information, visit https://africa.harvard.edu/southafrica-fellowship-program.

UJ hosts first SAMRC extramural research unit

Johannesburg - The University of Johannesburg (UJ) will host the newly established South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Extramural Research Unit, known as Pan African Centre for Epidemics Research Unit (Pacer). This is all thanks to UJ’s Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Refilwe PhaswanaMafuya, who has been awarded a SAMRC Extramural Research Unit for her outstanding scientific stature as a researcher.

The SAMRC/UJ Pan African Centre for Epidemics Research will have its primary focus on conducting epidemiological and public health studies, with focus on disease risk, differential impacts of pandemics and addressing competing health risks and tailored interventions. It will also be an opportunity to carry out Pan African and global research on epidemics of HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 among marginalised populations in lowresource settings in South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and globally.

This is the first ever SAMRC Extramural Research Unit hosted by the University of Johannesburg; and Phaswana-Mafuya will serve as director.

SAMRC vice president - extramural research & internal, portfolio Liesl Zühlke said: “We trust she will continue to provide excellent leadership for the new unit to achieve exceptional research performance and output.”

Phaswana-Mafuya said it would fulfil her broader vision to transform and impact lives in these pandemic times, as shared in her recently published book, Vision Never Dies

“I am humbled to pioneer the establishment of the first ever SAMRC/UJ Extramural Unit. Specifically, my vision is to see more women scientists. I see more public health innovations, improved health outcomes, improved quality of life, and huge social development,” she said.

The current studies include launching an implementation trial of a package of HIV/PMTCT/SRH prevention and treatment interventions for mitigating the impacts of Covid-19, and sustaining health service utilisation among female sex workers in South Africa; harnessing big heterogeneous data to evaluate the potential impact of HIV responses among key popula-

-

tions in generalised epidemic set

tings in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Professor Phaswana-Mafuya is already working on the Pacer plans, grant applications and hosting international collaborators.

Professor Salim Abdool Karim

Centre for African Studies Office director Nthatisi Quella

The programme was established for mid-career professionals disadvantaged by past laws

“We are still living in a pandemic and if past trends continue, it is likely that we can see a new wave of Covid-19 infections in winter.”

Professor Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya

Action packed Silent Voice heist thriller premieres at cinemas

Audiences to experience Hlakanyana musical

Arts Correspondent

The action-packed heist thriller

Silent Voice, starring Academy Award (Oscar) winner Presley Chweneyagae and actors Boitumelo Shisana wa Sekgobela, Zenzo Ngqobe and Tumelo Mosenye, premiered at Ster-Kinekor Theatres (SKT) cinemas on 25 March and continues until 17 April.

The movie is the sixth production to be screened in collaboration of the South African State Theatre (SAST) and SKT to exhibit theatre content in cinemas since July last year. The film is

loaded with meaningful and realistic commentary about life in modern-day South Africa.

Written and directed by awardwinning writer and director Aubrey Sekhabi, Silent Voice is a gripping story of four men on the run after a botched robbery which turns into murder. As their plan unravels the audience is brought into the midst of the action as they become pawns in a fight for survival.

Devised in 1992, Silent Voice is one of Sekhabi’s early works as a playwright. It has enjoyed acclaim confirmed by five Naledi Theatre Awards nominations the

Theatre to present pantomime

Bongani Maseko

Joburg Theatre is set to present the show from 6 November to 24 December at the Nelson Man dela Theatre stage.

The presentation is five pantomimes in one, Beauty, Aladdin, Snow White, Jack Beanstalk and Peter Pan Joburg Theatre CEO Xoliswa NduneniNgema says the festive season pantomime production is a major staple of Joburg City Theatres’ programming.

“While planning Joburg Theatre’s 60th Anniversary celebrations for 2022, it was the perfect time for us to produce a Panto of all Pantos, constituting the finale of our anniversary season,” she says.

Writer and director Janice Honey man says: “We’ll take you on a dar ing and dangerous quest to retrieve the long-lost, sneakily-stolen Golden Goblet of Goodness. It’s goodies versus baddies, heroes versus villains, the happies versus the horrids, and you’ll be there with us to conquer greed and recapture the glow of goodness in Pantoland.”

The show’s producer Bernard Jay says: “We possibly have the finest and most diverse company of South African actors ever assembled for our annual pantomime.”

The cast will feature Dylan Du Plessis, David Arnold Johnson, Didintle Khunou, Ilse Klink, Hlengiwe Lushaba Madlala, Carmen Pretorius, Brenda Sakellarides, Justin Swartz, Grant Towers and Ben Voss.

Dancing, singing and playing every other role in the panto ensemble will be triple-threat performers Louise Duhain, Tarryn Heard, Elsje Lourens, Gareth Meijsen, Katlego Nche, René Setlhako, Thandaza Silwane, Jordan Soares, Logan Timbre, Kensiwe Tshabalala, Stephan Van Der Walt and Donovan Yaards.

Coming together again from Joburg Theatre’s 2021 pantomime Cinderella, the creative team for the show includes production designer Andrew Timm, choreographer Nicol Sheraton, musical director Dale-Ray Scheepers, costume co-ordinator Bronwen Lovegrove and lighting designer Johan Ferreira.

For more visit www.joburgtheatre.com.

last time it showcased in 2014.

The movie is at SKT cinema complexes including Newtown, Rosebank Nouveau in Joburg, Musgrave in Durban, Sterland at Brooklyn Nouveau in Pretoria, Baywest in Gqeberha, Broardwalk in Port Elizabeth and also at Tygervalley in Cape Town.

UJ Arts and Culture and co-producer Madevu Entertainment recently won the Best Public Performance award for their virtual concert The Sounds of Hlakanyana that took place in 2021.

Head of UJ Arts and Culture Pieter Jacobs said they look forward to invite audiences to full theatre experience in May.

“While The Sounds of Hlakanyana was intended to offer a taste of what is to come in 2022 when the full musical will be presented, and to test some of the material, the online concert was created as animated virtual experience in its own right and we are delighted that it has resonated with audiences,” he said.

Directed by Janice Honeyman and co-produced by Madevu Entertainment, the musical casts a spotlight on Hlakanyana, one of the bestknown characters in African folklore.

A cunning, unethical creature, depicted in animal or human form, Hlakanyana is the long-awaited son of the chief of a village, but instead of being a uniting force he leaves devastation in his wake.

The cast for the run at the UJ Arts Centre in May includes Sandisile Dlangalala, Dolly Louw, MoMo Matsunyane, Sibusiso Mxosana, Manakomba Ndimande, Siphiwe Nkabinde, Mphumzi Nontshinga and Kensiwe Mathebula Tshabalala.

Hlakanyana is produced as part of the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture’s award-winning interdisciplinary theatre programme that challenges second-year students from across the faculty to design selected aspects of a professional theatre production. The musical was commissioned by UJ Arts and Culture in 2020 and since then the development of the project attracted support of the Arts and Culture

Trust

The creation process included MoMo Matsunyane as head writer in collaboration with actors Khutjo Green, Yamikani Mahaka-Phiri and Lebo Borole, and dancer/choreographer Khaya Ndlovu.

As the workshopping, script development and musical score conception adapted to new digital mediums, the process took on different forms and allowed the artists to explore new avenues of creativity and unexpected synergies.

In September 2020, the creative team of Zolani Shangase and Michael Wallace of Madevu Entertainment, composer/musical director, Sne Dladla and lyricist Dionne Song were able to create and perform the music with singers Lebo Borole, Mthokozisi Khanyile, MoMo Matsunyane, Neo Motaung, Tshepo Ncokoane, Senzo Radebe, Yamikani Mahaka-Phiri, Zolani Shangase, award-winning playwright and poet Napo Masheane as the narrator, and the Viwe Mkizwana Ensemble, collaborated on voice and sound.

The music was recorded by recording engineer Clifford Machingaifa and final mix and master by industry stalwart Mark Cheyne.

Visit https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Zwi-zqOvijg to listen to five of the songs to feature in the musical. These and more will be in the Hlakanyana stage production from 25 May at the UJ Arts Centre’s Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre until 4 June.

For more visit https://arts.uj.ac.za.

Actress Didintle Khunou is also in the cast

Sneziwe Dube

(ACT) and the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC).

Playwright and poet Napo Masheane

Award winning actor Presley Chweneyagae

The film is loaded with meaningful and realistic commentary about life in modern-day South Africa

The cast will feature Dylan Du Plessis, David Arnold Johnson, Didintle Khunou, Ilse Klink, Hlengiwe Lushaba Madlala, Carmen Pretorius, Brenda Sakellarides, Justin Swartz, Grant Towers and Ben Voss.

Memories of Ellis Park disaster

when the waiting crowd rushed the gate.

Monday marked 21 years since 43 soccer fans were killed in a stampede at a match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at Ellis Park stadium.

As fans tried to get into the stadium that was already full, a stampede ensued and 29 people died inside the stadium and 14 outside; while 250 were injured. Several children, including 11-year-old Rosswinn Nation and Sphiwe Mpungose, 13, also died. Nine of the injured remained on the critical list.

The stadium has a capacity of 60 000 but witnesses said there were many thousands more inside the venue. A police spokesperson put the figure at 120 000. In addition, about 60 000 people were still outside the stadium as the match started. Most of the deaths occurred

The Premier Soccer League paid R15 000 to each family to cover funeral costs, followed by R7 500 towards a trust fund.

In 1991, 42 people were killed in Orkney during another match between Pirates and Chiefs. The tragedy occurred as the Soweto rivals clashed in front of what was meant to be a 60 000 capacity venue.

However, reports suggested that 30 000 more fans were trying to gain entry into the stadium.

Chiefs tweeted that the day remains in their hearts as they extend their deepest sympathies to the 43 bereaved families; while Pirates said those who lost their lives shall never be forgotten.

With the current return to stadiums hope is that a tragedy of this magnitude will never be repeated.

Part of the scene of the disaster

Pic: MPho MPhotho

Sports Reporter