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Est 2009 Tel : 011 023-7588 / 011 402 - 1977 Inner-City Gazette
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Issue 15 - 2019
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18 - 25 April 2019
Website : www.inner-city-gazette.com Inner City Gazette
Distributed free to households, churches, schools, clinics, government departments, police stations, libraries and businesses in Bellevue • Berea • Bertrams • Braamfontein • City and Suburban • City West • Crown Gardens • Doornfontein • Fairview • Fordsburg • Hillbrow • Jeppestown • Jules • Johannesburg Inner City • Kensington • Lorentzville • Malvern • Marshallstown • New Doornfontein • Newtown • North Doornfontein • Park Meadows • Rosettenville • Selby • Troyeville • Turffontein • Village Main and Yeoville .
Entrepreneur wins R1m for ‘Cash for Trash’ idea The Innovation Challenge looked for ideas relevant to the property industry, which could revolutionise retail, commercial, or industrial space by enhancing business opportunities and customer experiences. Johannesburg - A Joburg entrepreneur has won the Redefine Properties Innovation Challenge through her Cash4Trash sustainability business idea, together with the R1-million in prize money. That was the first-ever Redefine Properties Innovation Challenge, which was won by entrepreneur Mary-Ann Mandishona last Tuesday. The competition invited the general public to submit ideas on how the JSE-listed diversified real estate investment trust company can better engage with and meet stakeholders’ expectations and integrate communities. The Innovation Challenge looked for ideas relevant to the property industry, which could revolutionise retail, commercial, or industrial
space by enhancing business opportunities and customer experiences. The challenge attracted 1 250 entries from across the country, and Mandishona was picked from a group of five finalists. She said her idea was that communities bring recyclable products like cans and bottles to vending machines placed at shopping malls owned by Redefine, in exchange for shopping vouchers. “We accessed a lot of resources on this journey, from the proof of concept to the prize, and I am looking forward to working with Redefine and the mentors I met through the competition, to help further develop my idea,” Mandishona said. She will now negotiate start-up support with Redefine to the value
of R9-million in the form of monetary support, education, commercial space or concept acquisition. Redefine chief executive Andrew Konig said the competition lived up to its intent of being an informed, targeted initiative. “We aim to create a movement and understanding that innovation and entrepreneurship can be manufactured in our communities all over the country, with the right mentors and support,” Konig added. Mandishona, who was born in Westbury, Johannesburg, credited her inspiration and innovation to being raised in various countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, as well as her bioengineer father who worked for the United Nations.
Mary-Ann Mandishona and Andrew Konig display the winner’s cheque.
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Inner-city Gazette
News
For further information contact Boston on 011 551 2000 Email: info@boston.co.za Visit www.boston.co.za, or Facebook
Everyone
should undergo a career assessment test before choosing a career path According to research done by Accenture it was found that only 41% of South Africans are actually satisfied with their jobs. Yet, the same survey also shows that very few of those who are unsatisfied with their jobs take any steps toward a career change. There are numerous reasons for this, some include: job security, the years spent on a specific career path, the time spent studying for that career and the comfort of knowing one has already gained the experience and that there’s risk involved in opting for a new job which requires a new skill set. According to Natalie Rabson, Skills Development Facilitator at Boston City Campus & Business College “One of the main reasons why so many South Africans are unsatisfied with their careers and now find themselves stuck may be simply because they made the wrong career decision initially. We often were guided by our parents who wanted us to have lucrative careers that were in demand at the time. In addition – careers and skills demands have changed and not everyone has kept up to date!” “Career decisions are often based on unrealistic fantasies and idealistic views or influenced by friends, family, the media and misinformed perceptions of careers,” says Rabson. Another problem arises when students pick a qualification without understanding what jobs it will (and, importantly, won’t) qualify them for once they graduate. “We need to be realistic – while we may qualify in management –you can’t go out and manage a team in a business you don’t understand. You need to learn the business and understand the people you are managing first” says Rabson. In other words, Rabson advises to open yourself up to
Natalie Rabson starting in an entry level position. For Rabson the key to making the right career choice comes down to the kind of mentorship prospective students and job seekers are exposed to. “Young adults need to be steered in the right direction and preferably by means of a structured process that helps determine what they really want from life, what their dreams are and what makes them unique. There also needs to be a proper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, their thinking patterns, personality traits, work style preferences, values and interests. These are the essential determining factors when it comes to making successful career decisions,” says Rabson. Ideally one should already start thinking about which career path to take in those final school years. Thinking about it is one thing; more importantly, there needs to be some form of guided introspection.
A structured, scientific approach is what’s needed. Boston, offers a career compass assessment where a prospective student meets up with a counsellor who will take him/her through a computerised process which aims to match the participant’s interests, skills and personality through placing answers in suitable categories. This allows the counsellor to analyse the results and provide the prospective student with advice on possible course options and career opportunities in his/her recommended field. “Making use of such a method whereby one’s interests, skills and personality are aligned with a possible career path is a fundamentally important first step in the process of choosing the right career path. That is why we encourage all prospective students, whether they will eventually register at Boston or another tertiary institution, to come in for this career assessment. Too many students make a decision based on what friends are doing or what friends say or make impulsive career decisions and ultimately end up on the wrong career path,” adds Rabson. “What we do know for sure is that your success in your qualification, as well as in your job, will be markedly increased if you choose something you love!” says Rabson. “Seek professional guidance in making an informed career decision. Your future depends on it. Also remember that more than a third of your life will be spent working – don’t waste it by being unhappy in your career because you made an uninformed or impulsive decision in your younger years,” concludes Rabson. For more information on Boston’s Career Compass Assessment, please visit www.boston.co.za.
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“We also see that it is a syndicate operation in many instances. These are not your ordinary thieves, they are people who are sophisticated, who understand how vehicles operate and many of whom have inside information from some of the data sitting on tracking devices, and they also know how some of those devices operate.”
NAAMSA executive director Mike Mabasa
Car thieves become more sophisticated Own Correspondent
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ar thieves have become more sophisticated, and are going digital, according to experts. National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa) executive director Mike Mabasa said motorists have complained that car thieves are unlocking vehicles with dummy devices. Mabasa said vehicle theft and hijacking continue to be major challenges. “We have been engaging extensively, not only as manufacturers, but with other stakeholders, particularly the police, insurance companies and other key stakeholders, so that we can see how we keep up with innovation in our automotive space.” He added that digitisation is growing, and criminals have also become very sophisticated.
“There are a lot of scams in the market, and the one that callers are complaining about is one of many by criminals that we are aware of as the association. We are interacting with manufacturers to make sure that they continue to strengthen and update the current systems in the automotive space.” Mabasa added that it is difficult to discern which vehicles are in the thieves’ cross-hairs, as they sometimes targeted specific areas. “This also depends on different areas. We also see that it is a syndicate operation in many instances. These are not your ordinary thieves, they are people who are sophisticated, who understand how vehicles operate and many of whom have inside information from some of the data sitting on tracking devices, and they also know how some of those devices operate,” Mabasa said.
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Listeria victims sue food giant ‘We will also claim constitutional damages on behalf of them. The first stage of the case would be to establish liability on the part of Tiger Brands in terms of the Consumer Protection Act’ Johannesburg - On Monday lawyers representing hundreds of listeriosis victims filed court papers against Tiger Brands at the South Gauteng High Court, in a bid to get compensated. The papers were filed following the court grant of a certificate order in December last year, paving the way for listeria victims to institute the lawsuit. The listeria outbreak was traced to contaminated cold meat products of polony, viennas and Russians, and led to over 200 deaths; while there were 1 065 confirmed laboratory cases. The foods were produced by Enterprise Foods, a subsidiary of Tiger Brands. Most affected were pregnant women and infants, reports said. Many people suffered miscarriages, disabilities and death be-
Tiger Brands spokesperson Nevashnee Naicker
cause of the listeriosis outbreak, regarded as the biggest in South African history. Tons of cold meat products had to be removed from the shelves and destroyed. Cathrine Marcus of Richard Spoor Attorneys said they have a strong case against Tiger Brands. “We want our clients to be compensated as soon as possible. We will also claim constitutional damages on behalf of them. The first stage of the case would be to establish liability on the part of Tiger Brands in terms of the Consumer Protection Act,” she said. Tiger Brands spokesperson Nevashnee Naicker said they have received the summons. “Our lawyers are looking through it, and we shall release a proper statement once we have studied the court papers,” Naicker added.
Two men shot dead The Prospect and Fife streets intersection where the shooting incident occurred.
Berea - Police are investigating murder and attempted murder cases after two men were shot dead and two injured during a shooting incident in Berea last Wednesday. The incident happened between Berea’s Prospect and Fife streets at around 12.30pm when four men of Nigerian nationality were allegedly shot by two unknown gunmen, according to police. Police spokesperson Captain Richard Munyai said a group of men were on the corner of Prospect and Fife streets when they were approached by two armed men who opened fire on them with handguns.
“The four men who were shot were taken to different hospitals. Two of them, men aged 41 and 43, died on arrival, the other two were treated for injuries and are in a stable condition,” Captain Munyai said. ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said paramedics found one of the men on the pavement. “The man was treated for his injuries and provided with pain-relief medication before he was transported to a nearby hospital for further care,” Meiring said. He added that at around the same time, as ER24 paramedics were dropping another patient from an
unrelated incident off at another hospital near Hillbrow, a private vehicle rushed in with two victims from the same scene. “ER24 paramedics and hospital staff quickly assessed the patients and found that one man, believed to be in his 30s, had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Nothing could be done for him and he was declared dead. The second man was assessed and found to have sustained a gunshot wound to the arm. He was treated and handed over to the hospital staff for further treatment. The second deceased died en route to the hospital,” Meiring said.
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Inner-city Gazette
18 - 25 April 2019
Sassa beneficiaries urged to renew their cards
If social grants are not collected in three successive months, it can mean that the beneficiary had perhaps found a source of income and felt they no longer qualify for the grants Staff Reporter
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Sassa acting CEO Abraham Mahlangu
he SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) is rushing to register beneficiaries who may lose their grants and pensions if their cards are not renewed. In a statement Sassa said there is a large number of social grant beneficiaries who still have to change to the new gold cards. “About 100 000 beneficiaries have not yet migrated to the new cards may lose their benefits.” The agency completed switching over to new cards in December,
swapping over seven million old cards, while some beneficiaries opted to get their grants through their private bank accounts. Sassa acting CEO Abraham Mahlangu said this was worrying as this looked set to deny these recipients their right to social security. Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi urged beneficiaries to make the switch as soon as possible. Sassa, however, did not rule out the possibility of the non-activation of the new cards as a result of fraud, or beneficiaries not residing in the country or being deceased.
Letsatsi said the grants have to be collected every month and the law discouraged non-collection for three consecutive months. If social grants are not collected in three successive months, it can mean that the beneficiary had perhaps found a source of income and felt they no longer qualify for the grants, Sassa said. Hoodah Abrahams-Fayker of Black Sash human rights organisation said they were concerned that some beneficiaries have not migrated to the new Sassa/Sapo card. “This implies that there may be
beneficiaries who are not receiving grants, which begs the question as to how they are surviving, as they depend on grants as a lifeline to meet their daily needs,” she said. Abrahams-Fayker said beneficiaries may resort to opening commercial bank accounts to access their grants. “They then incur costs through bank charges and services, whereas the Sassa/Sapo card has a special disbursement account which provides basket-free services. Commercial bank accounts reduce the cash value of their grants.”
Dead man found hanging on wall
Captain Sifiso Mabizela
Yeoville - Last Sunday a man was found dead hanging from a high wall which has a fence with sharp spikes, according to police. Yeoville police spokesperson Captain Sifiso Mabizela said it appeared that the deceased young man was trying to gain access to his premises by climbing over the high wall. “It seems that his belt and Tshirt got caught on the spikes, leaving him dangling and he supposedly got strangled by the T-shirt.” Captain Mabizela added that an inquest docket has been opened at the police station. “We are also checking if there was any foul play, see-
ing that the deceased man was at a café on Raleigh Street prior to his death. We are checking the footage from the café to establish whether he left with anyone else, to check if he was not killed by someone.” Police are waiting for the postmortem report, which will disclose the cause of death, Captain Mabizela said. “If we find that there was foul play, the police will change the docket from inquest to murder. We appeal to anyone with information relating to the death of the man to contact the police station on telephone number 011 481 0300,” he added.
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The Arts
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Acclaimed productions for Joburg Theatre
The play is interspersed with its famous Kofifi-styled a’capella harmony and original songs from that period of Sophiatown; songs that made the area legendary as a Black cultural hub and epicenter of politics, jazz and blues. Bridget van Oerle
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he 2019 Joburg Theatre Schools Setworks Festival will feature two acclaimed productions at the Joburg Theatre from 23 April to 5 May. The first ever Joburg Theatre Schools Setworks Festival will take place at Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein with two productions, Sophiatown and Itsoseng. Joburg City Theatres artistic director Makhaola Ndebele said school learners stand to benefit as both stories are on the current high school setworks curriculum. “The shows are also open to the general public, with a special double-bill price for Saturdays at R200, as we believe that both Sophiatown and Itsoseng are important to South Africans’ experience as a whole.” Sophiatown is presented by Joburg City Theatres in partnership with the South African State Theatre. It has been revived with a fresh and young cast to resonate with today’s audiences and includes the timeless ‘Kofifi’ style of music, which made the original production so famous.
Under the experienced eye of the State Theatre’s multi-awardwinning artistic director Aubrey Sekhabi, Sophiatown features on stage Phumlani Mdlalose (Jakes), Caitlin Clerk (Ruth), Terrence Ignacious Ngwila (Mingus), Kenneth Mlambo (Fahfee), Barileng Malebye (Princess), Madge Kola (Mamariti), Zama Ngubane (Lulu), and Bongani Masango/ Maurice Matyutyu (Charlie). Sophiatown tells the story of journalists who set up a house together and advertise for an additional housemate to live with them. Despite the apartheid legislation of those days, they get permission for a white Jewish woman to move in when she turns up with a suitcase on their doorstep. The play is interspersed with its famous Kofifi-styled a’capella harmony and original songs from that period of Sophiatown; songs that made the area legendary as a Black cultural hub and epicenter of politics, jazz and blues. It became known as the ‘Chicago of South Africa’. A place where shebeen queens, gangsters, politicians and Black and White ‘Bohemians’
A scene in the Sophiatown production.
rubbed shoulders and traded drinks in a heady buzz of music, style and rebellion. It symbolised a society that allowed a freedom of action, association and expression; where people lived together in harmony, undivided by race or colour in a time when the very existence of a ‘mixed’ suburb was in direct contradiction to the apartheid policy of geographically separating people according to their skin colour. Its heydays finally ended when the authorities deliberately tore the area apart and to this day Sophiatown is synonymous with South Africa’s most famous musicians, artists, writers, journalists and
politicians who were created there during the oppressive 1940s and 1950s. Another gripping story about a radical time in South Africa’s more recent past is Itsoseng, which will run concurrently with Sophiatown and is about a man whose hope of a new life is crushed with the realities of a corrupt system. This intense one-man play covers a period in South Africa spanning from the early 1990s to 2008. It looks at the township of Itsoseng which formed part of the Bophuthatswana homeland, set up by the apartheid government to segregate South Africans and
Actress opens up on life struggles Arts Reporter
Actress Candy Tsa Mandebele
Soon after actress Candy Tsa Mandebele bagged a role on Giyani: Land of Blood, she opened up about how hard it was to read her scripts. She revealed that leaving school after Grade nine was a disadvantage for her on set; but she managed to pull through, thanks to the supportive cast and crew. “When it’s time to read the
script and translate it from Tsonga into my Khelobedu home language, it is a struggle,” she said. Candy plays the role of a flamboyant shebeen queen, Diana. Fans have welcomed her character and she is one of the people that have stood out as authentic in a cast of stars. She has never been shy to share her life struggles in the name of motivating others and letting them know that they
can still live their dreams. She recently told fans that she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes shortly after the death of her son in 2011, who died in a car accident. She said the diagnosis shocked her, but meant she had to make major changes to her lifestyle. “I started with what I ate and drank. It was difficult at first but I got used to it, and changed my lifestyle. Just take medication on time and eat healthy.”
led by the tyrannical Lucas Mangope. The show gives audiences a first-hand account of life in a South African township, and the endless cycle of ‘going to funerals and taverns’ as the main character, Mawilla, describes. And how through protesting and riots Itsoseng’s shopping centre and economic hub was burnt to the ground leaving the people living there in a loop of poverty and survival, where ‘luck has run out and hopes have faded’. Tickets for the production are available at www.joburgtheatre. com or by calling the box office on 0861 670 670 for group bookings.
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Bafana in tough Afcon group Morocco should be the danger team in the group; coach Herve Renard has won two Afcon titles, with Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015; and also led Morocco to the Russia 2018 World Cup finals last year. Sports Reporter
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afana Bafana have been placed into a tough Group D for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Egypt. They face 1992 and 2015 champions Ivory Coast and 1976 winners Morocco. Namibia is the fourth team for Group D. Morocco are the highest-placed team in the group in the latest Fifa rankings at 45th in the world and fourth in Africa, Ivory Coast are 65th and 11th, South Africa 73rd and 14th, and Namibia rated 113th and 28th. The top two teams from the six groups and four best third-placed finishers reach the last-16. Morocco should be the danger team in the group. Coach Herve Renard has won two Afcon titles, with Zambia in 2012 and Ivory
Coast in 2015. He also led Morocco to the Russia 2018 World Cup finals last year. Host Egypt got a potentially tricky draw in which they are with DR Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe in Group A. The Afcon finals competition is set for June 21 to July 19. Bafana coach Stuart Baxter said they face a great challenge from their group rivals. “I think a lot of people think this is a group of death‚ which is good for us because that shows that they rate us as a dangerous opponent.” Baxter said Bafana have to prove that they have regained their confidence since failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. “We are in the process of developing a new team and this squad is doing well. I have great confidence in the players and I think
if they can go there and express themselves at the right time‚ then we can have a good tournament.” Bafana, the 1996 Afcon winners on home soil and 1998 losing finalists, have qualified for their second out of the past three Nations Cups. They went out in the first round in Equatorial-Guinea 2015 and did not qualify for Gabon 2017. 2019 Afcon Nations Draw Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
SA fans will pin their hopes on top striker Percy Tau to deliver the goals.