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Est 2009 Issue 50 - 2019

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19 - 26 December 2019

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Inner City Gazette

UJ clinches ‘Classroom

of the Year’ accolade ‘The collaboration is in the best interest for South Africa and Africa to continue working on enhancing relations with China, to enable economic and socially relevant gains’

Professor Saurabh Sinha

Johannesburg - The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has been announced the Classroom of the Year by the China-based Confucius Institute (CI) for embodying a holistic learning development. The institution was chosen out of 560 others globally. UJ spokesperson Luyanda Ndaba said the Classroom of the Year award embodies holistic learning development that is also culturally contextualised and appropriate. “UJ has attracted a number of strategic relations with China, including a visit of China’s Deputy Minis-

ter of Science and Technology. The partnership platform of the UJ and the Confucius Institute has developed an ecosystem for learning, inclusive of research and innovation,” Ndaba said. She added that last year UJ expanded activities through the Centre for Africa-China Studies (CACS). “CACS seeks to define a measure for a win-win cooperation between Africa and China,” she said. Professor for Research and Internationalisation at UJ, Saurabh Sinha said the award is a fitting recognition of the university’s quest

for developing strategic international collaborations and defining boundaries that enable mutual beneficial, long-term relationships. “This award is testament to the outstanding leadership of UJ and CI co-directors Dr David Monyae and Professor Peng Yi, who worked tirelessly and made a significant impact in fostering mutual understanding between China, Africa and other countries in the global south,” said Sinha. The awards ceremony was held in conjunction with the 2019 International Chinese Language Education

Conference. Monyae and Yi said the collaboration is in the best interest for South Africa and Africa to continue working on enhancing relations with China, to enable economic and socially relevant gains. Among other accomplishments made with Chinese-based NanjingTech, UJ has also launched a joint research centre in chemical engineering and the environment. Scientific cooperation between the two countries had been envisioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the recent South Africa-China scientists’ high-level dialogue.

News

Inner-city Gazette

19 - 26 December 2019

Network provider gears up for festive season Johannesburg - Cell network provider MTN says it is capacitating its network in high density areas and tourist hotspots in order to carry increased voice and data traffic over the festive season. The areas that have been identified for network optimisation are major routes including the N1 which connects Cape Town and the Limpopo, the N3 which links Gauteng and Durban, the N12 which connects Johannesburg and the Garden Route, the N2 which links Cape Town and Durban, the N4 which joins Pretoria and Mozambique and the N7 which is the artery between Cape Town and Namibia. Other areas that have been identified include coastal towns that are popular tourist destinations. The company’s chief technology and information officer Giovanni Chiarelli said they have embarked on a multi-pronged network optimisation drive to improve network capacity in key nodes in order to ensure that customers enjoy seamless network experience. “We will be working very closely with our vendor partners to monitor network performance around the clock in near real time, and senior management and regional staff will be on standby to attend to any technical issues that may arise,” Chiarelli said. MTN will also keep track of its network performance on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day when demand is expected to peak, Chiarelli said. “Where required, we will deploy

MTN corporate affairs executive Jacqui O’Sullivan

mobile base stations in cases where demand exceeds capacity.” MTN SA has embarked on a network modernisation programme, which includes upgrading of radio and transmission infrastructure to cater for current and future capacity requirements. As a result of these network upgrades, MTN’s LTE coverage has reached 95% of the population and its 4G network is also available on major routes across South Africa. MTN executive for corporate affairs Jacqui O’Sullivan said the network upgrade seeks to enrich the experience of customers who will be travelling. “MTN believes that its customers deserve world-class network performance wherever they may be, and these upgrades enable us to share that winning feeling with millions of South Africans,” she said. This holiday upgrade programme is based on analysis and trends from previous years at popular tourist sites such as Durban Beachfront, Ballito, Camps Bay, Knysna and Jeffrey’s Bay. The network upgrades are further informed by input from the regional teams as well as lessons learnt from the hosting of major events.

Department extends firearms amnesty ‘The firearms amnesty period is an opportunity for gun owners to surrender unwanted or unlawfully owned firearms’ Own Correspondent

he Department of Police has extended the illegal firearms amnesty period to May 2020. In a statement the department said the firearms amnesty period is an opportunity for gun owners to surrender unwanted or unlawfully owned firearms. Department of Police spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said people in possession of such weapons should apply for the amnesty at their local police stations and hand in the guns.

“The minister of police is sure this amnesty period will and must result in the reduction of firearms being in the wrong hands,” she said. She added that all weapons are sent for ballistic testing when they are handed in. However, there are 46 police stations that may not be able to process such applications. “If one of the 46 stations is near your home, those who wish to surrender unwanted or illegally possessed firearms can do so at neighbouring police stations,” Themba said.

On Monday the Gun Owners South Africa said more efficient ways needed to be implemented to rid communities of illegal firearms. The firearms rights and advocacy group’s response comes after the police ministry’s announcement that the firearms amnesty period, which started this month, is on track. Gun Owners South Africa’s Tim Flack said: “The gangsters in Cape Town are not going to hand those guns in. It’s ridiculous that the minister even thinks that.”

19 - 26 December 2019

Inner-city Gazette

News

19 - 26 December 2019

Boy drowns at excavation site

Police officers Hlangwane K, Gololo KS, Khambule TM, Zikalala L, Zwane MQ, Hlongwane HC, Swart J with Supervisor Warrant Officer Zikalala I (centre).

Additional cops for festive season Hillbrow - Police have added recently graduated police officers from the Tshwane SAPS Academy, says Hillbrow police spokes-

person Captain Musa Shihambe. Shihambe said the additional officers would be involved in crime prevention duties and visible po-

licing in the precinct. “They will patrol the malls within the Hillbrow SAPS vicinity and hotspot areas, with the aim to re-

duce crime during the festive season and beyond through visible policing, and ensure safety for the community,” Shihambe said.

Evander - On Sunday afternoon a 12-year-old boy drowned while swimming with friends at an excavation site outside Evander in the East Rand. The boys had been swimming at the site near Adullam Mission, outside Evander which had filled up with water following heavy rains last week. The boy’s friends sought help after realising he had drowned. After police were informed they alerted emergency services. ER24 spokesperson Ross Campbell said paramedics, Delta 1 divers and search and rescue arrived on scene at about 17:55. “The boy’s parents were at the scene as well. SAPS diver Sgt Nagel and Andries Lee from Delta 1 recovered the body and unfortunately ER24 declared the boy dead on the scene,” he said.

Power utility warns about

scammers City Power’s Isaac Mangena

Two incidents were reported where some individuals, pretending to be City Power technicians or contractors, asked customers to pay a sum of money to avoid their power supply being cut

Johannesburg - Residents of Joburg have been warned against scammers who are posing as City Power employees, allegedly trying to extort money from customers.

The city’s power utility said two incidents were reported where some individuals, pretending to be City Power technicians or contractors, asked customers to pay a sum of money to avoid their electricity supply being cut off. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the imposters could be working with some of the power utility’s employees to target residents. “We can’t rule out that our own employees or even contractors could be part of these people. We also can’t rule out that someone within City Power or the City of Johannesburg, who has a bill of some of our customers, could give that kind of information to fraudsters,” he said.

19 - 26 December 2019

Court’s strong message against gender violence ‘The ruling sends a message to those who did not do anything while knowing that people are being raped’ Johannesburg - Concerning the recent Constitutional Court landmark ruling on how the law should deal with gang rape, the Commission for Gender Equality says this has sent out a strong message of the judiciary’s commitment to implement the strongest laws against gender based violence. Last week the apex court ruled that under the common purpose doctrine, someone should be found guilty of rape if they were part of a group which committed the crime, whether they participated or not. The commission’s spokesperson Javu Baloyi said the ruling will have a significant impact on women’s rights. “We hope the ruling sends a very strong message to all those people who did not do anything while knowing that people are being raped in their presence and they did not shout. This would send a strong message to rapists and would be rapists that the South African government will not tolerate such,” Baloyi said.

Inner-city Gazette

Doctors in court over child’s death Hillbrow - Paediatric surgeon Professor Peter Beale and anaesthetist Dr Abdulhay Munshi, who are accused of culpable homicide, handed themselves over to Hillbrow police and appeared at the Johannesburg magistrate’s court on Tuesday morning. Warrants of arrest for them were issued a week ago; stating that they are charged with culpable homicide relating to the death of Zayyaan Sayed. The child died in October at Netcare’s Park Lane Clinic, hours after Beale performed what was meant to be a routine laparoscopic operation to stop reflux. Professor Beale and Dr Munshi were each granted bail of R10 000, and the matter was postponed to March 31 2020. Members of the child’s family and lawyers attended the session at the court. The SA Society of Anaesthesiologists (Sasa) has questioned the action against Munshi, one of its members. “As far as we are aware, there has never before been a warrant of arrest issued for a health care practitioner in a criminal matter involving medical negligence allegations or culpable homicide. In those instances where it was deemed necessary to insti-

News

NSFAS decisions to be availed early January

Sasa CEO Natalie Zimmelman

tute criminal proceedings against health care practitioners, their attendance at court was secured by warning or summons,” it said. Sasa CEO Natalie Zimmelman said any loss of life is tragic, and even more so when a child dies. “Everyone affected by this death has Sasa’s deep sympathy. The family, public and the professions want to determine exactly how this tragedy occurred. To do so demands transparent, exhaustive and fair investigation that will give us the facts and enable us to do everything possible to prevent anything similar happening again. This process is mandated to be undertaken and conducted by regulatory hearings by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). As far as Sasa is aware this process is well under way.”

Johannesburg - Applicants for the 2020 National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding will get to know on January 5 if their applications have succeeded. NSFAS spokesperson Kagisho Mamabolo said funding decisions will be communicated to applicants via the MyNSFAS portal. “All applicants are advised to check and track their application status updates online,” he said. Mamabolo added that the scheme would also notify applicants with missing supporting documents to upload the files online through the MyNSFAS portal. “Applicants must be vigilant and cautious during this period to avoid misinformation and potential scams. All status updates will be communicated online via the MyN-

Kagisho Mamabolo

SFAS portal,” said Mamabolo. The NSFAS contact centre will not be available from December 17 to January 3, Mamabolo said. “The shutting down of services during that period will allow NSFAS to process and conclude all funding decisions,” he added.

Holidaymakers urged to obey traffic laws Johannesburg - Authorities have renewed calls for motorists to obey traffic laws in order to reduce the number of road fatalities. Large volumes of traffic were seen on the country’s highways this past long weekend, with man of the motorists heading for their holiday destinations.

Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said officers and several other authorities are stationed on busy routes. “JMPD officers will be placed in every 15 kilometres of the road on the N1, N3, N12, M1 and the M2, highways,” Minnaar said.

Inner-city Gazette

19 - 26 December 2019

Inner-city Gazette

The Arts

Some of the young artistes who attended the programme

Mentorship for young artistes Sinenhlanhla Mdiya

Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), recently launched the DAC Debut Programme to provide mentorship to young creatives from peri-urban areas across the country. The programme concluded its maiden programme on 28 November, with the DAC Debut Wrap Event at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg. Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa launched the DAC Debut Programme for emerging artists, which saw the creation of opportu-

nities for budding artistes. The programme offers training and funding opportunities for young artistes from all disciplines, making their debut in the creative industries. The Wrap Event, hosted at the National School of the Arts, was a celebration of the top nine DAC Debut provincial winners, as well as the impact of the mentorship they received from industry experts from the business and arts sectors. The winners, who hail from all nine provinces, participated in a series of development workshops, aimed at improving their skills, with the end goal of making their creative ventures a reality. Hosted and facilitated by TV personality, Rorisang Thandekiso, the event

included an inspiring performance from Siphokazi Jonas, the Western Cape Winner at the event. DAC’s senior manager for Arts & Youth Development Moleleki Ledimo explained the value of the programme to the packed venue, bringing particular attention to the alumni and various opportunities available to them. North-West winner Rehilwe Mooketsi said: “The programme has enabled me to articulate a creative and entrepreneurial direction. The obligation to account for the financial activities, accept responsibility for them, and disclose the results to the funder, has set me up for the future. I’ve developed a strong characteristic of accountability and discipline.”

Bankroll

takes the world by storm

Bankroll Inc is a musical group founded by two enthusiastic youngsters Kool Keed Dripp and Courage the Brave on 24 September. The group is new, but the drivers behind the name are not new in the game. Courage the Brave and Kool Keed Dripp have been doing music for the past eight years. Bankroll has already taken the world by storm with their new sound. At the beginning of September they recorded their first solid single, which led them to decide on working on a pioneer driver in the hip-hop industry. The group drops singles every Friday to keep the public entertained and tuned to great music, in a movement called Hit Fridays. On 11 October Bankroll released their first single called Burn Down. The song was a banger that was played on the Trap Show with Voltrex on Caxton Radio, followed by their second single called

Reload on 18 October. They also collaborated with a couple of local and international artists on their Ep project called The Blueprint Sketch on 10 November. This led the crew to get numerous radio plays and interviews on the Voltrex Show and Sounds of Azania just to mention a few. Social media Handles Facebook : BANKROLL Inc. Instagram :@Bankrollinc_music Twitter : @BankrollInc SoundCloud : BANKROLL Inc ITunes : BANKROLL Inc NB :ALL Bankroll Inc songs are available for streaming and purchase on ITunes and over 200 digital stores worldwide including Facebook, Instagram, SiRi, Shazam We also offer Distribution of music to all musical stores (ITunes and over 200 stores worldwide) (Artist keep 100 % of their royalty no hidden secrets).

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Bafana legend strives

to improve local soccer ‘As an ex-footballer I would like to represent in a bigger way and ensure that my ideas help football in this country improve. It surely is all about sitting down with top officials and see the way forward’ Sports Reporter

ormer Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe believes he can help improve local football, if given a chance. Radebe tried to contest in the last South African Football Association (Safa) presidency elections against current president Danny Jordaan last year‚ but he was disqualified on a participation technicality. He says Safa leadership needs young blood to be revived. “I have always said that I want to be involved, but I am not sure in which capacity. If given an opportunity to contribute‚ I would

certainly abide by that. That is my passion, I want to see our football progressing and I believe there is a lot we can do to ensure our football becomes successful. We need new ideas in the structure and administration, we need young people to come up and revive our association,” Radebe said. He added that the ‘old guard’ of Safa should not consider him a threat‚ as he would like to work with them. The ruling that made Radebe and some other candidates ineligible for the 2018 poll was that they needed to be serving Safa members to contest the election.

This would mean the Bafana legend starting out as a representative of a local football association (LFA), which Radebe said he is willing to do. “I am in touch with my local LFA, and I’m still ambitious to run at some point. As an ex-footballer I would like to represent in a bigger way and ensure that my ideas help football in this country improve. It surely is all about sitting down with top officials and see the way forward. It is not about cutting them off, they have played a massive role in getting our football to

Bafana legend Lucas Radebe

where it is right now. If those in the old guard can open the doors for us‚ the opportunities are there to come,” Radebe said.