Inner City Gazette by Inner City Gazette

ee r F

p Co

Est 2009 Issue 36 - 2020

Tel : 011 402 - 1977 Inner-City Gazette

Cell: 087 510 2023

Email : info@inner-city-gazette.co.za

@ICG_Sales

17 - 24 September 2020

Website : www.inner-city-gazette.com

072 824 3014

Inner City Gazette

Initiative helps Covid-19 affected SMEs to recover

The tech company’s initiatives will address the need for funding, training and services across identified sectors, including support for 500 000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and 25 000 teachers

Google SA director Alistair Mokoena

Johannesburg - Tech company Google has announced plans to help businesses, jobseekers, educational institutions and vulnerable populations to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 crisis locally and across the continent. The company’s initiatives will address need for funding, training and services across identified sectors, including support for 500 000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and 25 000 teachers. Google has set up a digital hub providing free tools and resources to businesses and individuals. The hub will give 500 000 small businesses help to get online or improve their digital presence through Google My Business (GMB), which helps businesses connect with millions of users every month. Google South Africa director Alistair Mokoena says small busi-

nesses have been hardest hit during this period. “Many of them have had to figure out quickly how to pivot their operations to a digitalfirst approach. Yet, there remains a gap between those who can access these online opportunities and those who can’t. That’s the gap we want to bridge with this initiative,” he says. Google is also launching a new Marketing Kit tool to help people put together marketing kits for their businesses, while the free Market Finder tool, which includes updated insights for negotiating a Covid and post-Covid environment, is there to help with localisation, international payments and logistics for African businesses looking to reach new customers around the world. The tool helps businesses keep customers informed with their latest news, create custom posters and social posts.

Google is also providing underserved communities and job-seekers with R12 5-million in IT support scholarships through Google. org across Africa. Job-seekers can also access the Grow with Google training portal for help in growing their careers, or businesses at their own pace and through flexible and personalised training courses. Google is working with partners across Africa, through Google for Education, to help deploy its suite of education products in schools and help 500 000 students continue learning. To help teachers keep teaching, Google aims to give 25 000 educators access to free online training sessions and resources, such as Teach From Anywhere. To provide assistance to vulnerable populations, Google.org has set aside R50 million in grants to NPOs that support education,

entrepreneurship and women empowerment across Africa. Of that, R8,3 million is going towards a grant to the Praekelt Foundation, a software development non-profit that builds open-source, scalable mobile technologies and solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of underprivileged people, in order to help train micro and small businesses in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. An additional R8 3 million grant is going to Youth Employment Services in order to provide 12 month employment opportunities and digital skills to young black people in South Africa. “We will continue to help businesses recover and grow, help more people prepare for jobs, and support students, teachers and underserved communities. We hope to create real economic opportunity for everyone,” Mokoena says.

Inner-city Gazette

News

The

fastest growing careers to watch

Natalie Rabson on Behalf of Boston City Campus We seem to be surrounded by a heavy situation and confusing times for all South African’s. We need to remain positive and upbeat –and we have some practical ways for you. What are the downsides of what we are experiencing? Chaos, panic and stockpiling, loss of work and loss of studies. So how do we turn this around? Consider what will be in use 24 hours a day, despite ports being closed, ban on travel and closed schools. The internet! Tech! This is where we will not only spend our time, but we can create our futures. The temptation will be to spend all the time on Netflix, but imagine if you set some aside to gain new skills? Our present and our future is all about what happens on our laptops – so make yourself valuable and learn or upgrade your career. Due to the flexible nature of online learning, Boston has always used technology to maximize benefits to learners. These include greater knowledge retention as well as learning in your own time and your own space, and lastly of course, at your own pace. Now is the best time to take advantage of this with new 4th IR careers such as cybersecurity, data science and project management. Computer and mathematical occupations are growing at a rate of approximately 22% and they have one of the highest average salaries. Thanks to expanding mobile networks, and a growing energy sector, IT professionals have an extremely favorable outlook. As big data increasingly drives commerce, the skills needed to control our vast networks of information are more valuable than ever. The demand for data scientists continues to grow. Data Science has emerged as one

Kobus IT of the most popular fields of the 21st Century. Companies employ Data Scientists to help them gain insights about the market and to better their products. Data Scientists work as decision makers and are largely responsible for analysing and handling a large amount of unstructured and structured data. In order to do so, he requires various tools and programming languages for Data Science to mend the day in the way he wants. Cyber security secures your future as you need to always be one step ahead of where the next breach will be. Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks. These

cyberattacks are usually aimed at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information; extorting money from users; or interrupting normal business processes. Graphic designers’ job functions often require greater insights into the information that is presented in order to reproduce it in a visual way that the client and audience will understand. They look to improve the way information is represented, whether it be company projections or marketing a cold drink. Project Management as defined by the Association of Project Management as “the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. Project management has final deliverables that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.” Both Project and product managers work across disciplines, taking the output of team members and integrating it into the bigger picture. One of the most notable characteristics of opportunities for project managers is their truly global nature. If one of these fields speaks to you, there’s plenty of time to get prepped and make the switch, and use the time you have now to develop so that when we emerge from this recession you will be in the top position to offer employers up to date skills, or to open your own consultancy because you will be in such high demand! It’s never too early to get started enjoying the sense of well-being derived from promising and fulfilling work. Prepare to thrive! Visit www.boston.co.za, or call 011 551 2000.

17 - 24 September 2020

Crooks launch cyber warfare Tech Reporter

ince the Covid-19 pandemic forced a shift to dependency on the digital economy, workplaces have opened up unprecedented technological risks such as unsecured devices, shadow IT and unregulated internet access, and fraudsters have launched unprecedented cyber warfare. Businesses across the globe have typically taken an immature approach to cyber security, believing that a firewall is an adequate fortress to defend their intellectual property. CEO of Snode Technologies Nithen Naidoo says there is an urgent need for always-on surveillance and real-time risk analysis for potential breaches. “Cybercriminals are deploying a varied arsenal of insidious tactics to access your company’s information technology: coronavirus-specific phishing schemes, malware, memetics, deepfakes and mass cognitive influence operations. In this new normal, organisations must aggressively confront these potential risks. Fundamental to the success of security efforts is launching cyber defence solutions that are impactful, agile and quick to adopt. Failure to do so could be catastrophic,” he says. Business continuity is the key modus operandi in these precarious times. Cyber security efforts need to be upgraded to defend the digital infrastructure that is integral to a company’s success. As such, it is imperative that South Africa has access to locally-developed cyber defence technology that accounts for its unique requirements through a secure, trusted technology supply chain. “At Snode we focus on digital defence innovation with in-house developed technology and home-grown talent. Cyber security must be ap-

Snode Technologies CEO Nithen Naidoo

proached as far more than just a checkbox exercise; the newfound fragility of information technology systems means that organisations must go the extra mile to not only remain resilient and secure but to spring into the digital landscape of the future. Our central premise is built on the need to mature the cyber security posture of our businesses and solidify South Africa’s fierce reputation for world-class defence innovation. In a new era of cyber defence, it is important that business leaders and governments adopt a forward-thinking approach towards integrating cyber security into their business operating model,” Naidoo says. Central to this is to invest in robust cyber solutions to anticipate, combat and refine their approach to adverse business conditions, vulnerabilities and threats as a result of the world’s heightened online footprint. “Companies should be looking beyond the short-term implications of operating in cyberspace due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and gear themselves towards a defence strategy to ensure success during the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” Naidoo adds.

17 - 24 September 2020

Inner-city Gazette

City in flood awareness campaign

Wits resumes Covid-19 vaccine trial

During rainy seasons residents experience water pooling due to blockage of drainage pipes and water downflow paths

“Pausing vaccination to review safety is evidence of the application of sound clinical practice.”

Takalani Sioga

he City of Joburg’s Disaster Management Centre is embarking on a flood and thunderstorm awareness campaign at various hotspots until December 2020. The centre’s communication manager Niel Rooi says the locations are based on their historic annual incident assessment data, which identifies human-induced flooding and historic areas that are prone to flooding during rainy seasons. “Flood and thunderstorm awareness and its reduction and mitigation measures are informed by flooding occurrences during the previous two rainy seasons, and as identified by annual regional risk reduction assessments,” Rooi explains. During rainy seasons, most residents in informal settlements and some formalised housing areas experience water pooling due to blockage of drainage pipes and water downflow paths.

News

Professor Shabir Madhi

A woman tries to remove water from her shack during flooding

Rooi says residents will be given safety tips on how to react to different flood and thunderstorm cautions, alerts, and warnings. To comply with Covid-19 regulations, where there are large gatherings, the awareness team will communicate by means of loud-hailing or mobile PA system. “We have a close working relationship with the Johannesburg Roads Agency, the City’s entity responsible for rehabilitation and maintenance of the roads and stormwater infrastructure, to work together on areas of mutual interest during the campaign,” Rooi adds.

Pic: Buziwe Nocuze

Some of the areas the team will visit include Diepsloot, Cosmo City, Kliptown, Klipspruit, Joubert Park, Denver and Setjwetla informal settlements. Rooi has asked residents in the spirit of KleenaJoburg to clean in and around water inflow and downflow paths in their immediate vicinity. A request has also been made to residents to open drainage holes in boundary walls to prevent waterpooling and flooding in their yards. For all disaster, fire, traffic and rescue related emergencies, residents can call the City’s 24-hour Emergency Centre on 011 375 5911.

Braamfontein - Wits University has resumed the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trial, after the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority and local ethics committees gave the go-ahead. Vaccine trial leader Professor Shabir Madhi said pausing vaccination to review safety is evidence of the application of sound clinical practice. “It demonstrates the rigour of the independent oversight process under which this trial is being conducted,” he said. The Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trial is also underway in the United States, United Kingdom and Brazil. The trial was paused in the

United Kingdom last week after a medical event concerning one trial participant. Professor Madhi confirmed that vaccination resumed on Tuesday. “The South African study is overseen by the same independent Data and Safety Monitoring Committee as in the United Kingdom, so all sites in South Africa paused vaccination. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority and Wits University ethics committees have now approved resuming vaccination. Assessing safety of the vaccine is the reason why studies such as these are essential in South Africa, before there is widespread use of the vaccine,” says Madhi.

Inner-city Gazette

News

17 - 24 September 2020

Social media feature prevents suicide Twitter users who search for terms associated with suicide or self-harm, will receive a large notification encouraging them to contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group Busi Nyandeni

SADAG director Cassey Chambers

ocial media network Twitter has rolled out a new feature in South Africa to help those with suicidal thoughts to reach out for assistance, directing users to expert help. Twitter users who search for terms associated with suicide or selfharm, will receive a large notification encouraging them to contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), which operates the country’s only suicide crisis helpline. SADAG operations director Cassey Chambers says many people turn to social media to share

their feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. “To be able to give those people a resource to access help in a time of crisis is helpful to SADAG, so we can help more people who feel like suicide is the only option,” Chambers says. Twitter’s public policy head for Sub-Saharan Africa Emmanuel Lubanzadio says the social media platform’s community can be an important source of real-time support for anyone struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Twitter also has a dedicated reporting form for people who may be threatening suicide or self-harm.

“A specialised team reviews these reports, and upon receiving them, they will be in direct contact to let the individual know someone who cares about them has identified that they might be at risk,” Lubanzadio says. The company launched a special emoji in the shape of an orange ribbon, the international symbol for World Suicide Prevention Day, which is on 10 September, which will appear when people tweet with the hashtags #WorldSuicidePreventionDay, #WSPD, #WSPD2020 and #SuicidePrevention this month. Twitter has also deployed a similar prompt in Kenya and Nigeria. Explore founder Shaun Dippnall

Free data science learnerships now open

Part of the accident scene where 28 people were injured

Vehicle overturns, 28 injured Eldorado Park - A vehicle overturned on the Golden Highway in Eldorado Park on Saturday afternoon, and 28 people were injured, six of them critically, according to ER24 paramedics. ER24 spokesperson Russel Mei-

ring said paramedics and several other services found the vehicle lying on its side in the right lane. “It is understood that a number of patients had been on the back of the vehicle when it overturned. Paramedics found six of them to be

in a critical condition, while 22 of them had sustained moderate to minor injuries. The medics treated the patients and provided the critically injured with advanced life support, and one was airlifted by a private medical helicopter to a nearby hos-

pital, while the others were transported by ambulance,” Meiring said. He added that details surrounding the accident were not yet known, but local authorities were on the scene for further investigations.

Rape suspect ‘threatened to send snakes’ to victim Johannesburg - On Tuesday police arrested a 37-year-old rape suspect, who is a sangoma, at corner Rahima Moosa and Simmonds streets in the CBD. Police spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said the incident took place in August, but the victim only reported the matter on September 5 because she was scared. It is alleged that the sangoma called the woman to collect some money she had invested in his business. “When she arrived at his place he told her to take a bath using some herbs. While she was bathing he came in, pulled her out of the water, gagged her with a cloth and raped her. After that he threatened her, saying if she told anyone about the incident he would set snakes on her, Mbele said. Johannesburg Central Commander Brigadier Perumal commended police and encouraged prioritising cases of abuse against women and children.

Johannesburg - Registration is open for Explore Data Science Academy’s (EDSA) 2021 intake of its 12 month sponsored data science learnerships, starting on 11 January 2021. There are no restrictions to entry for the learnership, nor are formal qualifications required. Applicants should be between 17 and 35 years old and must pass an aptitude test on the academy’s website. The EDSA has several hundred learnerships available at its campuses in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town Explore group CEO Shaun Dippnall says the learnerships are distinguished by their focus on solving real world business problems. “We teach our learners to solve problems using the latest data science and machine learning technologies that prepare them for the world of work. Our results so far speak for themselves. Of the 211 students that started 2019, 93% completed the course successfully, while 77% have been placed in employment to date. We tracked 85 students who have secured permanent positions or contracts for 12 months or longer. Their current average annual salary is R408 000,” Dippnall says. When the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown hit South Africa Explore students were able to continue learning online. “Given our experiences in 2020 we offer flexible teaching systems for virtual full-time study in the event that future restrictions prevent students from resuming oncampus studies,” Dippnall says. To register to be considered get to the Explore website www.explore-datascience.net/register.

17 - 24 September 2020

Inner-city Gazette

News

Network provider zero-rates Covid-19 app The app is a free exposure notification tool that lets users know if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 Jenna Delport

he Department of Health and Discovery have partnered to launch a Covid-19 Alert app in an attempt to strengthen the existing contact tracing methods. The app is a free exposure notification tool that lets users know if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. It uses Bluetooth contact

tracing technology, which simply tracks close contact, proximity, between smartphones and not the actual locations of the smartphones. Once users have downloaded and installed the app, it runs in the background. Bluetooth and notifications must be enabled for the app to work, and users need to have access to a mobile or Wi-Fi network to send and receive exposure alerts. When close contact app users re-

ceive the exposure notification, they also receive information on what to do next to self-quarantine, and to optimise their health and wellbeing. Vodacom has announced that it will zero-rate the app; meaning that customers who download the app will do so for free via the ConnectU platform, which is aimed at the prepaid market, especially those customers who are not able to afford day-to-day internet access.

Gunmen held for CBD robbery Johannesburg - On Tuesday SAPS and JMPD officers arrested two suspects aged 24 and 26 for alleged business robbery, possession of stolen cellphones, an unlicensed firearm and ammunition at Jeppe Hostel in Jeppestown, according to police. In a statement Johannesburg central police said four suspects allegedly robbed the Sportscene shop at corner Kerk and Eloff streets in the Joburg CBD. “They entered the shop pretending to be customers and two of them pointed firearms at the staff and security guards. They pushed them to the back of the storeroom and forced them to lie down. They demanded keys to the cabinet and took 109 cellphones worth about R200 000 before they fled the scene,” police said. They added that after that the suspects jumped into a white minibus with no reg-

istration numbers and fled the scene. “Undercover security guards alerted the police and through the help of the community two suspects were apprehended at Jeppe hostel and several cellphones recovered. Two suspects are still at large with a firearm and some of the cellphones. The firearm will be sent for ballistic testing to ascertain if it was used in the commission of other crimes, and investigation is under way,” police said. Johannesburg Central Station Commander Brigadier Perumal commended the good working relationship between law enforcement agencies and the community. “We urge the community to always be our eyes and ears in the fight against crime. Working together we will subdue escalation of crime in our precinct,” he said.

Vodacom external affairs director Takalani Netshitenzhe says to prevent a human catastrophe big corporates ought to be responsive and use its resources and core capabilities to help the government combat the pandemic. “By zero-rating the site on our network, we are minimising barriers of access to communication for South Africans, while promoting health and safety,” Netshitenzhe says.

Vodacom director Takalani Netshitenzhe

Inner-city Gazette

17 - 24 September 2020

Inner-city Gazette

Artists explore new level of civilisation

Artist delivers exploration

of figurative paintings The markings are black as an expression of the culture shock and are used as a visual metaphor for the artist’s experience of cultural displacement

Lakin Morgan-Baatjies

University of Johannesburg (UJ) Arts and Culture digital exhibition featuring work by South African artists opened online on 14 September 2020. In this exhibition, called CURE, the artists explore passage to a new level of planetary civilization, essential to ensure human survival. Shortly after the national lockdown was announced to curb the Covid-19 spread, UJ Arts and Culture launched The Pandemic Project, an interdisciplinary project on the UJ online platform; which coincided with the release of the UJ Choir’s most recent album When the earth stands still. The online exhibition is curated by Annali Dempsey, curator of the UJ Gallery, and guest curator Johan Myburg. Myburg says: “Although the title of the exhibition might hint at finding a cure for the virus, the scope is broader, to include the curative qualities of art, bridging the gap between nature and technology as proposed in Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Terzo Paradiso (Third Paradise).” The aspect of art as cure, as restorative endeavour, serves as the main tenet of CURE, an exhibition focusing on our passage through the world, on reflection and reconciliation be-

The Arts

Artist Donna Kukama

tween the natural and the artificial. In this exhibition 17 artists explore this curative aspect of art in this exhibition. The artists are Eric Duplan, Paul Emmanuel, Kieron Jina, Donna Kukama, Songezile Madikida, Senzeni Marasela, Kagiso Pat Mautloa, Hannelie Coetzee, Blessing Ngobeni, Nhlanhla Nhlapo, Lwandiso Njara, Zolile Phetsane, Jan Tshikhuthula, Hentie van der Merwe, Jaco van Schalkwyk, Jake Singer and Minnette Vári. CURE, which also includes short video footage of the artists producing their work; is also linked to a virtual participative action research inquiry hosted by UJ the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management. CURE is available at https://arts. uj.ac.za/series/CURE2020/

Maboneng - Artist Sifiso Mkhabela will be showcasing his latest body of work, The Mirror Has Many Faces: Reimagining the Cognitive Power of Culture, at the Gallery Fanon in Maboneng, Joburg CBD, from 25 September to 25 October 2020. Gallery Fanon, situated at 281 Commissioner Street, is an accessible hub in the inner-city cultural neighborhood of Maboneng, located at the former Museum of African Design. The gallery exhibits and nurtures innovative art, promotes young contemporaries; established artists and innovative projects across Southern Africa. It also supports an Artist in Residency programme, which supports global cross-cultural collaborations. Mkhabela’s The Mirror Has Many Faces: Reimagining the Cognitive Power of Culture is an exploration of figurative paintings, mixed me-

dia works and drawings that imitate and document the process of ukugcajwa, a traditional ceremony of mark-making through incisions and initiation. The narrative lends itself as an expression of the culture shock Mkhabela experienced as a result of having to participate in the right of passage when he met his Mozambican family for the first time. The ceremonial process of ukugcajwa is normally performed by a healer or a sangoma, who makes two incisions on the skin with a razor blade laced with a black powdered mixture of medicine. Similarly, Mkhabela‘s drawings have a texture that is similar to the scars one receives as a result of the ceremonial practice. The markings are black as an expression of the culture shock and are used as a visual metaphor for the artist’s experience of cultural displacement. The female figures Mkhabela

uotable

uotes

By Prophet Philip Banda

Artist Sifiso Mkhabela

incorporated in the works represent the ‘unknown’ and ‘faceless’ female healer that performed his ceremony. Movement conveyed in the figures and their relation to one another symbolise his journey and cultural initiation as a Mozambican located within South Africa. For more information visit the Gallery Fanon on Facebook.

For all your Panel Beating and Spray Painting Contact: Charles on

060 738 8851

CAF confirms first women’s club championship tourney Sports Reporter

he Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the start of the first Club Women’s Champions League tournament, scheduled for 2021. SAFA president and CAF vicepresident Dr Danny Jordaan welcomed the announcement, saying Africa takes women’s football to new heights, according to SAFA. “The women’s club champions league will give further incentives for domestic winners,” Jordaan said. The first edition will comprise eight teams, qualifiers from CAF’s zonal winners, including the hosts. In a statement SAFA head of communications Dominic Chimhavi said SAFA has expressed interest in hosting the first CAF Women Champions League tournament. “The tournament will provide further incentive for the domestic

SAFA Women’s Premier Football League (SWPFL) participants. SWPFL was launched last year, with Mamelodi Sundowns women’s team winning the inaugural edition; and the second edition is expected to kick off early next year,” he said. FIFA will also soon launch the Women’s Club championship, which will further boost the local and continental game. CAF has endorsed increasing the number of African teams to participate in the next FIFA Women’s World Cup scheduled for Australia/ New Zealand in 2023; looking at an increase from the current three slots to five or six African teams. “With most Banyana Banyana players playing overseas, South Africa will be looking to qualify for their consecutive FIFA World Cup in 2023. These are exciting times for women’s football in South Africa and the continent,” Jordan said.

SAFA Women’s Premier Football League action