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19 - 26 March 2020

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Corporates urged to participate in girls empowerment initiative Now in its 18th year, the Take a Girl Child to Work Day is one of South Africa’s largest collaborative acts of volunteerism, aimed at encouraging corporates to empower and provide guidance to girls on career development. Johannesburg - Cellular network provider Cell C has called on government departments and corporations to take part in its Take a Girl Child to Work Day empowerment initiative for 2020. Registration is now open and companies across the country can sign up

to host girl learners who are aged 13 to 18 at their workplaces over three days this year, starting on May 28. The company says last year’s theme of #MoreThanADay promoted the concept that one day is not enough to help motivate and inspire the schoolgoing girls. Due to its resounding success, Cell C says it has implemented it once more for this year, the statement adds. Now in its 18th year, the Take a Girl Child to Work Day initiative is one of South Africa’s largest collabora-

Cell C’s human capital development and transformation officer Juliet Mhango with some girls during the previous event.

tive acts of volunteerism, aimed at encouraging corporates to empower and provide guidance to girls on career development. Cell C’s human capital development and transformation officer Juliet Mhango says the company is calling on corporate entities across the country to take part in this year’s initiative. “Over its 18 year history, Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day has become a powerful agent for gender equality in the workplace, which is

critical in driving the country’s economic growth and transformation agenda. We’re calling on businesses and entrepreneurs to help in developing the country’s future female leaders in the corporate space,” she says. She adds that the 2020 programme focuses on personal development and includes skills training. “Cell C will provide corporates with a toolkit and themed presentations,” says Mhango. Those learners who are unable to take part in this year’s initiative can

make use of the CellCgirl online portal, which is open to both boy and girl learners. “Launched in 2018, the company’s digital and social media platform is a holistic information portal that provides responsive online support, focusing on educational, economic and employment resources. The platform also includes links to bursaries and internships, and also acts as a forum for advice, CV creation and career guidance. The portal is zero-rated for Cell C customers,” Mhango says.

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For further information contact Boston on 011 551 2000 Email: info@boston.co.za Visit www.boston.co.za, or Facebook

19 - 26 March 2020

Remote working during Covid-19

Looking for a new career? Here are the 3 most promising careers of 2020

“Remote working is probably one of the most effective ways for companies to keep their employees safe from infection”

Natalie Rabson on behalf of Boston City Campus.

We seem to be surrounded by doom and gloom – these are hard and confusing times for all South Africans. 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 nature of online learning, Boston has always used it in order to pass on the benefits which 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 cyber security, data science and project management. Computer and mathematical occupations are growing at a rate of 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

Natalie Rabson 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 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. Cyber security 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 bleed into analytics and research as they look to improve the way data is represented. Wikipedia describes Project Management as “...the practice of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at the specified time. The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals within the given constraints”. 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.

Tech Reporter he Covid-19 virus pandemic has made remote working a sudden imperative for many companies, but could have a negative effect on productivity if it’s not managed properly. To help organisations remain open while mitigating against the virus’s spread, local software developer Saucecode is making its remote monitoring and management tool Tistro available for free. As more than 100 countries now report new infections, the best defence against the virus seems to be isolating affected regions to prevent its spread. Countries with confirmed outbreaks are banning public gatherings; and those with few or no locally-transmitted cases are urged to limit opportunities for the virus to spread by doing the same. Saucecode MD Graham Fry believes that more organisations would be letting their employees work from home if they had a way to effectively monitor and manage workers’ productivity. In fact, letting employees work from home can actually improve productivity and efficiency if it’s done right, he points out. Tistro is an agent-based tool that lets managers measure the work that employees are doing at any time. Unlike many other tools on the market, Tistro goes further than simply monitoring when employees are logged into work systems, rather measuring the actual work being done, while still protecting individual privacy. Saucecode is making free use licences available for the next three months so that companies can let their employees work from home while the Covid-19 pandemic plays out.

Saucecode MD Graham Fry

Fry points out that remote working is probably one of the most effective ways for companies to keep their employees safe from infection. “Any organisation with 20 or more user licences can now sign up for the next three months, at zero license cost. This offer is valid until 30 June and there are absolutely no strings attached. On that day, companies can simply stop using the product with no other implications; or they can switch to our commercially-available subscription model if they find the value the product offers beneficial.” Business and operations manager Brian Little says a company could be up and running on the cloud-based Tistro system within about an hour. “Once we have created the company its own secure virtual server, they can download agents for their remote workers to install. This will take each user about three minutes, and managers will be able to start monitoring and managing their users immediately,” he explains. Reports and analytics are also included in the free offer, Little adds. Saucecode’s free offer can be viewed on the site https://saucecode. tech/campaign/. The World Health Organisation has published guidelines to help people mitigate the spread of the virus on https://www.who.int/emergencies/ diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019.

19 - 26 March 2020

Warning against Covid-19 crooks Johannesburg - Netcare has urged members of the public to watch out for criminals pretending to be health officials under the guise of conducting Covid-19 home screenings. In a statement on Monday Netcare911 said: “Please note that staff members from the Netcare Group, including from Netcare hospitals, Netcare 911 or Medicross medical and dental centres, are not doing door-to-door Covid-19 screenings.” This comes after the hospital group received reports that criminals claiming to be from Netcare or Netcare 911 are visiting homes in various areas, and saying they are assisting the Department of Health with door-to-door screening for Covid-19. There have been reports of well-dressed scam artists carrying swabs and official-looking paperwork doing the rounds. “Should someone claiming to be a representative from Netcare, Netcare 911 or Medicross arrive at your home or business premises claiming to do screening for the coronavirus, do not allow them into your property or your business premises for your own safety, but alert the police immediately,” the group warned.

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City launches development forum “The work of this platform is expected to contribute towards achieving the City’s vision to attract investment and grow the economy that will reduce unemployment” Johannesburg - The City of Joburg has launched its Development Planning Forum, which aims to explore collaborative approaches to development issues within the City. The project was launched by Development Planning MMC Lawrence Khoza last week at the Joburg Theatre, attended by planners and practitioners. They discussed development planning policies, strategies and scales of development, among others. MMC Khoza announced that the City of Johannesburg has entered into partnership with the South African Planning Institute. Planners in both private and public sector will gain new insights and share knowledge on policies and new strategies by participating in the forum. “The work of this platform is expected to contribute towards achieving the City’s vision to attract investment and grow the economy that will reduce unemployment in the City,” Khoza said. The inaugural meeting focused on

bulk development contributions in municipalities. Judy Nkosi from National Treasury presented the draft National Legislation - The Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Amendment Bill. Currently, the National Treasury is rolling out stakeholder engagements regarding the draft bill. The bill, among others, establishes an unambiguous, fair and consistent basis for municipalities to recover development charges for all new land development projects that require statutory approvals through the municipal land use planning system. The draft City of Johannesburg Development Contribution Policy was also presented to the forum. It will be used as a guide document to ensure that all new developments across the City of Johannesburg comply with the provisions and requirements of the draft Amendment Bill. The executive director for development planning in the City of Joburg,

Amolemo Mothoagae said the development forum will provide a shared understanding of development drivers and trends of the City. “It will also assist to share knowledge and experience to promote responsiveness and efficiency of City’s policy, planning and regulatory provision functions as they relate to development in the City.” The development forum comprises stakeholders such as professional planners; planDevelopment Planning MMC Lawrence Khoza ning schools; architects; Institute of Architects; South Afridevelopers, SA Association of Consulting Professional can Property Owners Association Planners (SAACPP); South African (SAPOA); Council for Built EnPlanning Institute (SAPI); South vironment; Johannesburg City ImAfrican Affordable Residential De- provement District Forum; Johanvelopers Association (SAARDA); nesburg Inner City Partnership FoSouth African Council for Archi- rum, and Johannesburg Owners and tectural Professionals (SACAP); Property Managers Association.

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19 - 26 March 2020

Baby girl found dumped in bush Fairland - On Friday a new-born baby girl was found in a bush in Fairland, Johannesburg. ER24 paramedics were alerted after a member of the public found the baby in a bush, wrapped in a towel, before taking her to the local police station. The circumstances surrounding the incident are not known to the paramedics, who found the infant. They accessed her for any injuries, before taking her to a hospital. Police Captain Mavela Masondo said the doctor had told them that the baby was unharmed. “We are currently arranging to have the child taken to a place of safety,” Masondo said. He added that no arrests had been made, and that a case of child abandonment had been opened. Panic shoppers at a Joburg supermarket.

Pic: Nontando Mshibe

Retailers urge shoppers to buy responsibly

Johannesburg - Major retailers Clicks, Pick’n Pay, and the Shoprite Group have urged South Africans not to panic buy. Items such as canned food, pasta, and toilet paper are suddenly in hot demand, and retailers all over the country have reported difficulty keeping up with a sudden surge as South Africans seek to stockpile. Hygiene products have been flying off the shelves since Covid-19 was first detected in South Africa. This week also saw a rush on canned

food, pasta, and toilet paper, after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the outbreak a national disaster. But the retailers say they have plenty of stock and fully functional logistics systems, with no reason to believe there will be shortages. “We would like to encourage customers to continue shopping responsibly,” said a spokesperson. The retailer says where stock is temporarily low due to heavy demand; it will limit the number of

products per customer. Any such limits will be announced online, and via signs in stores. Pick’n Pay also committed not to increase prices of key products just because they are in demand. The Shoprite Group appeals to customers to only buy what they need. Shoprite Group CEO Pieter Engelbrecht said: “The gaps which are now evident on our shelves and those of other supermarkets are because of the unprecedented demand as a result of fear over the effect of the coronavirus, but we have new stock arriving regularly and we are working around the clock to keep shelves stocked.” A special Shoprite Group executive level task committee is seeing increased demand for sanitary, hygiene and baby

products, dry pasta, UHT milk and some tinned vegetables, Engelbrecht said. The retailer said it has increased orders and sourcing new and additional suppliers to replenish depleted store shelves. “I appeal to our customers to please think before they buy, and only buy what their families need, so that others are not left without much-needed items. If we all shop as we normally do, our stores will soon return to normal and there will not be any empty shelves,” Engelbrecht said. Clicks says that it has seen an unprecedented and sustained customer demand across many health and hygiene categories. Clicks chief commercial officer Rachel Wrigglesworth said they have increased orders across all indemand categories, and are working with suppliers to ensure that stock gets to store as quickly as possible. “Clicks will continue to hold prices on all hygiene products as our way of supporting our customers during these extraordinary times,” she said. Business Insider

FORM JJJ LOST OR DESTROYED DEED Notice is hereby given in terms of regulation 68 of the Deeds Registries Act, 1937, of the intention to apply for the issue of a certified copy of ST48425/2015 passed by THE MOONSTONE TRUST in favour of THE MOONSTONE TRUST in respect of certain SECTION 49 VILLA D’ESTE, SS192/1985, SITUATE AT BEREA TOWNSHIP, LOCAL AUTHORITY CITY OF JOHANNESBURG which has been lost or destroyed. All interested persons having objection to the issue of such copy are hereby required to lodge the same in writing with the Registrar of Deeds at Johannesburg at Deeds Office Information Section, Mezzanine Floor, 208-212 Marble Towers Building, c/n von Weilligh & Pritchard Streets, Johannesburg within two weeks from the date of the publication of this notice. Dated at PRETORIA this 10TH day of March 2020. JULY GREY ON BEHALF OF THE MOONSTONE TRUST REG; IT4572/2007 APPLICANT Address: 4C Peffers Street, Claremont 7708 E -mail address: juli.g@icloud.com Contact number: +64 27 316 5597

WhatsApp chat to combat Covid-19 lies Johannesburg - With so much fake news and misinformation doing the rounds around the coronavirus pandemic, it is important to get your information from reliable sources. In order to combat the spread of fake news, government has set up an automated WhatsApp group to provide credible and factual details around Covid-19 in South Africa. You can add this WhatsApp number to your contacts - 060 012 3456 - and type “Hi” in the message block. There will then be an automated response. At the same time, the Department of Health has launched a website specifically on coronavirus information. It provides citizens with the latest number on the virus and all the necessary information to help curb the spread of Covid-19. Visit https://sacoronavirus.co.za/

Gunmen shoot City Power security guard City Deep - A City Power security guard at a City Deep substation was shot in the neck, and three other guards were assaulted, during a robbery last Wednesday night. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the guards were confronted by three individuals who had jumped over the substation’s perimeter fence during a period of load shedding. “They were held up at gunpoint and assaulted before being robbed of their cellphones and money. One of the security officers escaped, while the other three were assaulted. One of them was shot in the neck at close range, and is in a critical condition in hospital,” Mangena said. A case has been opened at the Cleveland police station. Mangena said following the incident the company is now reviewing security measures.

19 - 26 March 2020

Inner-city Gazette

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Economic forum gears up for Covid-19 in Africa Own Correspondent

he South African government declared a national disaster on Sunday, enabling it easier access to funding and special measures to combat the spread of Covid-19. Head of Africa at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Elsie Kanza says this action follows the lead of many other countries across Asia, Europe and North America partially closing land and sea borders, limiting public gatherings and closing schools; which could last for three months. “As we have seen with other countries, the faster the action to curb the spread of the virus, the better. Preparedness is key and limiting the spread of the virus will ensure hospital and healthcare systems do not come under further strain. Publicprivate cooperation has never been needed more,” Kanza says. She adds that an important fact to keep in mind is that across Sub-Saharan Africa, only 3% of the population is over 65. “This is dramatically lower than similar age brackets in China (11%) and Italy (23%). While young adults seem to suffer less with the virus, we could still see increased strain on healthcare systems. Limiting the

WEF Head of Africa Elsie Kanza

spread of the virus will be important. We are also seeing many countries deploying lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak,” Kanza says. She adds that the African Centre for Disease Control – the pan-African authority on public health created to respond to Ebola; has been supporting countries with the repurposing of screenings, surveillance systems and isolation wards for Covid-19. Forty three countries can currently test for the virus. “Economically, there are multiple concerns. With a global market slowdown, governments are likely to be looking at how to buffer the economic impact of the virus. We are likely to see a temporary hit due to the slowdown of European markets, a major trading partner for Africa, but the good news is that China’s factories are switching back on, which could mitigate lasting damage,” Kanza says.

Part of the crowd during a previous Human Rights Festival

Constitution Hill cancels rights festival

The event, which attracts hundreds of local and global guests every year, would have showcased the work of social justice organisations, and explored human rights issues through exhibitions, poetry, performing arts, film, music dialogues and debates. Johannesburg - Constitution Hill has cancelled the annual Human Rights Festival, which was set for March 27, owing to Covid-19 fears. In a statement Constitutional Hill said the rights festival, which was to carry the theme Highlighting the role of young people in social movements, their commitment to global human rights and their determination to bring change in the world has been postponed indefinitely. “It is with regret that we have de-

cided to postpone this year’s festival. After much consideration we felt that protecting our community is a priority. We must apply universal and aggressive public measures to slow the spread,” the Constitutional Hill statement said. The event, which attracts hundreds of local and global guests every year, would have showcased the work of social justice organisations, and explored human rights issues through exhibitions, poetry,

performing arts, film, music dialogues and debates. The statement added: “We must unite against the virus threat like we united after 1994. The next few months are going to be harder than anything we have faced in our lifetimes. This virus threatens to kill more people every day.” The organisers said they would find new ways to create public awareness and advocate for change that do not involve large crowds.

Inner-city Gazette

19 - 26 March 2020

Inner-city Gazette

The Arts

Choreographer Vincent Mantsoe in action

Festival to preserve African dance Thakgatso Setseta

T The Colour Purple musical won several awards in the previous event.

Joburg Theatre hosts Naledi Awards nominations Johannesburg - The Naledi Theatre Awards Nominations Reveal for productions staged in 2019 will be held at the Joburg Theatre complex on 24 March. The Naledi Theatre Awards are in their 17th year and are considered to be the most sustainable and internationally respected national awards in South Africa for live theatre. Founder and CEO of the Naledi Theatre Awards, Dawn Lindberg said 2019 proved to be an interesting year in the theatre world, despite shrinking budgets and a difficult economy. “The Naledi judges went into overdrive watching excellent theatre. With an expanded panel of 50 judges in six panels and 30 categories, the

industry was under the microscope as never before,” she said. Renos Spanoudes, chairperson of the judging panels said in total the judges saw over 120 productions and were impressed by the standard and quality, as well as the diversity of artistic and creative expression, technical and performance skills. The chairperson of the Naledi Theatre Awards, Kgomotso Christopher, announced that the Nominations Reveal will take place on 24 March at 17:30 for 18:00 at the Lesedi Theatre at the Joburg Theatre Complex, and the Main Awards ceremony will be at The Mandela Theatre on 25 May. “We are supremely grateful to Xoliswa Ngema and her team at the

Joburg Theatre for this wonderful Sponsorship in Kind, which not only gives us the Lesedi Theatre for the Nominations Reveal, and the use of the magnificent Mandela Theatre for the Annual Awards Ceremony, but also provides venues for the judging and board meetings during the year,” said Christopher. She added that both events are by invitation only, with limited tickets for sale to the public for the awards event in May. “Should you wish to attend the Nominations Reveal ceremony please RSVP to Straight2media@gmail.com and we will put you on the waiting list for the show as we are already filling up fast,” Christopher said.

he South African State Theatre presents the 2020 edition of the Kucheza Afrika Festival, scheduled for 2 to 12 April. The festival debuted last year under the name Dance Umbrella Africa. Inspired by the Swahili meaning of the word dance, Kucheza aims to be a platform to preserve dance in the country and in Africa, and ensure that dancers always have a home at the State Theatre. The festival is SAST’s aspiration to continue serving domestic and continental dance communities, as well as a call to action for Africa to converge as one in its diversity. The theatre’s artistic director Aubrey Sekhabi said: “We have curated a platform to express uninhibited creative expression that Africa is known for. This festival also acknowledges our youth and their acute awareness of the challenges within society and their ability to narrate those stories, with their interpretation of contemporary African dance.” The festival has programmed

15 works to be showcased by the world’s most complete dancers and choreographers and promising ones. The Main Programme profiles experienced choreographers; and the Young Artists Programme is a platform for young dancers. Celebrated choreographer Vincent Mantsoe will take audiences through an abstract journey on loneliness in his new solo-piece called Soliidad. Lulu Mlangeni, the 2019 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for dance, will dispel gender stereotypes with a piece titled The Encounter. Another activism work is Slave by Levern Botha and Port of Expression Dance Company. Slave is a research-based work aimed at creating awareness on modern slavery. From Senegal hails Roger Sarr, who choreographs a self-introspective piece called Beyond an appearance. Sarr is in the Young Artists group with Serge Amoussou-Guenou from Benin; who will present a tribute called Originally; homage to ‘the most powerful king of West Africa in 19th century,’ King Behanzin of Dahomey, who resisted colonialism.

Semenya switches to 200m for the Olympics ‘This decision has not been an easy one, but I look forward to the challenge, and will work hard, doing all I can to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and compete to the best of my ability for South Africa’ Sports Reporter

outh African champion athlete Caster Semenya has said she hopes to compete in the 200 metre race at this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games. Semenya has been prohibited from defending her 800 metres Olympics title because she refuses to adhere to testosterone regulations set by the World Athletics governing body. Semenya, and other female

athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD), have been banned from competing in races between 400 metres and the mile unless they take testosterone-lowering medication. Semenya must clock a 22.80-second 200 metres to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Her best time, achieved last Friday in Pretoria when winning a provincial champion-

ships final, is 23.49 seconds. “My dream continues to be to compete at the highest level of sport; in order pursue my goals and dreams, I have decided to change events and compete in the 200 metres. This decision has not been an easy one, but I look forward to the challenge, and will work hard, doing all I can to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and compete to the best of my ability for South Africa,” she said.

SA athlete Caster Semenya