Inner City Gazette by Inner City Gazette

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Est 2009 Tel : 011 023-7588 / 011 402 - 1977 Inner-City Gazette

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Issue 26 - 2019

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4 - 11 July 2019

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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

Wits hosts innovation festival The 2019 festival has cast its central theme as ‘Own Your Force’, which invites digital makers in Africa to stake their claim on their talent, industry and creative economy

Festival director Dr Tegan Bristow

Braamfontein - The 2019 Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival will be held at Wits University’s Tshimologong Innovation Precinct from 30 August to 8 September 2019. The 2019 festival has cast its central theme as ‘Own Your Force’, which invites digital makers in Africa to stake their claim on their talent, industry and creative economy. Now in its sixth successful year, Fak’ugesi returns in 2019 after programme directors took a break from annual programming, producing a smaller programme last year to focus on the festival’s vision and development. Festival director Dr Tegan Bristow says attendees can expect a fresh and energised lineup that explores screen-based digital creativity in gaming, virtual reality, mixed reality cinema and animation, with special focus on cross-sector collaboration in the Southern and East African region, addressing blockchain, artificial intelligence, protection of intellectual and creative property and much more. “Fak’ugesi acts as a platform that brings together diverse digital and technology sectors to collaborate and share skills in

digital media and technology innovation. This year’s theme ‘Own Your Force’ centres on an African vision of the future of digital creativity by asking; who owns our digital value chain? How do we protect our creative and cultural equity in the digital world? How do we value our contributions to digital culture in an African economy? Where are the threats and the opportunities for culture and technology in Africa in a world driven by market interests?” explains Bristow. Working with Pro Helvetia and the ANT Fund for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the residency serves to highlight and develop incredible young digital talent in Southern Africa and boost their careers as important digital creatives. Along with supporting young up-andcoming digital arts via the annual Residency, Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival will be hosting a large contingent of African Digital makers to both present and attend. In 2019 Fak’ugesi Festival will work with the British Council Southern African Arts to bring up to 15 digital artists and storytellers from across the continent in the ColabNowNow project, a shared en-

counter with Fak’ugesi Festival’s sister festival Maputo Fast Forward in Mozambique. Additionally, in partnership with the Tshimologong Precinct, Fak’ugesi Festival will also host the recent Digital Lab Africa competition winners who hail from Ghana, Mali, Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa to represent five creative digital startups in Gaming, Animation, VR, Web Creation and Digital Media. Among the array of exciting exhibitions at this year’s festival will be the Fak’ugesi Digital Africa Residency Exhibition, work by Swiss Artists Andrea Gysin and Sidi Vanetti, a VR exhibition, an animation screening in collaboration with AnimationSA, a games arcade and an online residency with Floating Reverie. “The Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival is the only one of its kind in Africa and the only digital arts-focused festival in sub-Saharan Africa. It has risen to prominence as a platform through which many young digital makers have launched their careers and developed skills in digital media and technology innovation,” adds Bristow. For more visit www.fakugesi.co.za.

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

Boston gears up to train the next generation of African leaders Our students of today are our leaders of tomorrow. If this statement is true then what kind of graduate does South Africa need? Boston City Campus and Business College (Boston) is a leading provider of Business Management training in South Africa. They have now taken up the challenge to further build South Africa with an exciting move into social science qualifications, starting with an innovative Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSci) that includes a range of Boston’s tried and tested business management subjects as electives. What can you do with a Degree in Social Science? The short answer is that you can do a lot. Your social science degree prepares you for many careers in many fields. Social science is a powerful academic foundation that provides you with the opportunity to develop skills employers value in employees. These include: oral and written communication, interpersonal, teamwork, technical, analytical, critical thinking, organizational, and problem solving skills. Remember that your social science major, in and of itself, does not determine your career path. No major subject does — not business, not psychology, not biology. According to Dr Linda Meyer, Dean: Institutional Advancement at Boston, “Your social science degree prepares you for many careers in many fields.” Social science is a powerful academic foundation that provides you with the opportunity to develop skills employers need. These include: oral and written communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork, technical, analytical and critical thinking, organizational and problem solving skills. Social sciences improve our everyday experience of life, by helping us to build or create better institutions and systems. This is why British employers, according to Prof James Wilsdon, “are queuing up to hire social science graduates.”

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Dr Linda Meyer Boston Career Advisors can help you with the process of identifying your preferred skills, interests, and values, and identifying potential careers to explore. Careers Reported by Social Science Majors The following list of job titles gives an idea of careers that you can investigate with this degree. It’s important to take note that a B.Soc.Sci is often a degree that will lead to a career path, but may require an additional specific course or additional education, internships, or career-related experience which serve as a prerequisite to some of the careers on this list. • Elementary and Middle School Teachers • Managers • Counsellors – Combine the B.SOc.Sci with HIV Aids counselling • Teachers -qualify with a postgraduate certificate in education • Social and Community Service Managers • Education Administrators

Human Resources Consultants and Managers • Recruitment, Selection and training consultants. • General and Operations Managers • Marketing and Sales Managers • Medical and Health Services Managers • Human Resources Managers In general, the workload for a BSocSci is quite intense as there are generally a lot of readings to do for Humanities courses, coupled with many essays, tutorial assignments and a few tests, depending on the subject. Humanities degrees, unlike professional degrees, do not give you a career title: Chartered Accountant, Engineer or Doctor. Rather, the B.Soc.Sci does equip one with essential skills that are essential in the working world. Humanities degrees give students the tools to learn how to think outside the box, to deal with problems and find solutions as well as being critical and questioning of the world around them. What makes the Boston BSocSci special? Boston has intentionally created opportunities within the degree for students focussing on psychology, sociology, anthropology and economics to also take business management related subjects. Graduates will not only understand people systems, they will also be able to transfer that directly into good business practice and ethical leadership. This makes them immediately beneficial in the marketplace and society. In order to train the change agents and influencers that Africa needs, Boston BSocSci develops graduates to think across disciplines to find and implement good solutions to complex problems, helping to build Africa’s businesses and institutions to be both financially and socially prosperous. Call Boston now to secure your place in this degree suited to the fourth industrial revolution. (011) 551 2000.

4 - 11 July 2019

WhatsApp is good for health - study The researchers also found that WhatsApp is positively related to quality of relationships and that the more time spent on it the less lonely they felt and the higher their self-esteem, resulting from online bonding with friends and family Own Correspondent Study participants reported using WhatsApp for around 55 minutes each day, with participants reporting that they largely use it because of its popularity and group chat function. New UK research has found that despite concerns about spending time on social media, using the textbased messaging application WhatsApp could actually be good for your well-being. Carried out by researchers at Edge Hill University, the new study looked at 200 male and female WhatsApp users with an average age of 24, and asked them to complete an online questionnaire measuring their WhatsApp use, reasons for using the app, online bonding, quality of relationships, and group identity. The findings, published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, showed that on average, participants used WhatsApp for around 55 minutes a day, reporting that they largely use it because of its popularity and group chat function. The researchers also found that the number of minutes spent using WhatsApp was positively related to quality of relationships and that the more time people spent on the WhatsApp device each day, the less lonely they felt and the higher their

Dr Linda Kaye

self-esteem, resulting from online bonding with friends and family. Co-author Dr Linda Kaye said: “There’s lots of debate about whether spending time on social media is bad for our well-being but we’ve found it might not be as bad as we think. “The more time people spent on WhatsApp, the more this related to them feeling close to their friends and family and they perceived these relationships to be good quality.” She added that as well as this, the more closely bonded these friendships were and the more people felt affiliated with their WhatsApp groups, the more this was related positively to their self-esteem and social competence. “Group affiliation also meant that WhatsApp users were less lonely. It seems that using WhatsApp to connect with our close friends is favourable for aspects of our well-being.” Kaye added that the research contributes to the ongoing debates in this area and provides specific evidence of the role of social factors, along with social support motivations for using communication technology. “It gives rise to the notion that social technology such as WhatsApp may stimulate existing relationships and opportunities for communication, thereby enhancing aspects of the users’ positive well-being,” she said. AFP

4 - 11 July 2019

Inner-city Gazette

Fund to provide serviced stands for the poor Johannesburg - The SA Housing and Infrastructure Fund (SAHIF), engineered by property experts in partnership with the Department of Human Settlements has been launched to accelerate delivery of serviced stands for the poor to build their own homes. Property specialist Kameel Keshav said the fund has land worth R1.7 billion, with the money coming from donors and shareholders. “The land already set aside for the fund is in Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, Free State and Limpopo. We buy land from anyone

and we sell to anyone. We buy land, service and sell it to the private sector, public sector and even individuals. The intention is to see this project through,” Keshav said. The founder of the fund, Rali Mampeule said the target of yielding 108 160 serviced stands for delivery over three years by SAHIF is intended to contribute to reducing the overall shortfall of houses committed for handover to South Africans by government. “We buy land near cities and towns so we can address the whole integrated development plan in the

Man shot dead

Bosmont - A man was shot dead in a shooting incident in Bosmont on Saturday afternoon, paramedics said. ER24 paramedics say the man was found lying on a gravel road next to the train tracks in Bosmont, Johannesburg. ER24 spokeswoman Ineke van Huyssteen said when they arrived at the scene they found the SAPS already in attendance.

fallen from a train that he had been travelling in. Paramedics rushed to Tsamaiso Street, near the Merafe train stop to find the boy at the bottom of the embankment, next to a stream. “Rescue workers set up a rope and basket

“Upon further assessment, they found a man lying on a gravel road next to the train tracks. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the head. Unfortunately, the man showed no signs of life and was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.” The circumstances surrounding the incident were not known to paramedics, but police are investigating, Van Huyssteen said.

Property specialist Kameel Keshav

country. We then sell it to listed and non-listed companies,” said Mampeule. Mampeule added that over the past two years, the fund sold fully serviced land to the government. “We basically get basic services installed on the stand before selling it; the likes of water, electricity and other basic services,” he said.

Boy killed after falling from train Soweto - The body of a teenage boy was found in an embankment beneath a railway line in Naledi in Soweto on Sunday afternoon. Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said he had a head injury and it is believed that the boy, 13, had

News

system to retrieve his body. The train tracks in both directions were shut down,” said Herbst. At the end of May, a teenager was killed while standing on the roof of a train in Roodepoort. His body was found on top of one of the carriages.

Makro once again hosted a successful Top Rated Kids event at Makro Riversands following the launch of this prestigious event last year.

The event was held on 22 June 2019 and saw more than 200 children getting the luxury to play with neverbeen-seen before in South Africa toys. The more than 200 children were made up of 150 competition winners, 30 children from the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Hope Worldwide and the Tomorrow Trust as part of the com-

pany’s corporate social responsibility, plus 21 juniorlist (junior journalist). All the participating children were between the ages of four and 12. Last year the Kurio Connect by Lacey’s was named the number one toy in South Africa, we wait with bated breath as to which will be named the best toy in the land.

Inner-city Gazette

News

4 - 11 July 2019

City urges drug addicts to use free rehab centre ‘I would encourage everyone who uses drugs to seek help, it is possible. I can assure you that once you get help, you will never want to go back’ Thobile Mbhele

he City of Joburg has urged residents with drug problems to visit the Joubert Park communitybased substance abuse treatment centre for help. Last Thursday Health and Social Development MMC Dr Mpho Phalatse told about 50 homeless people who had gathered at the park, that the rehabilitation centre was there to help those with drug problems. Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba and Phalatse launched the rehabilitation centre in August last year. On Thursday Phalatse led a

march from Nugget Street to Joubert Park to commemorate International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, to raise awareness on the scourge of drug abuse and illicit trafficking, in partnership with various civil society organisations. Phalatse encouraged drug users and addicts to seek help. “If you want to change, you can because we are here to help you to change your life before it’s too late. We will develop more programmes to help all the drug addicts, because they have a lot of talents which are being wasted and are not being utilised. Today is all about raising

Some of the homeless who attended the event

awareness on substance abuse,” said Phalatse. Region F Manager Meshack Maluleke said due to a large number of people who need rehabilitation, the City has developed outpatient treatment centres in Joubert Park for people with drug problems. “After rehabilitation we bring them back to make sure they have skills and job opportunities, through the partnership and stakeholders we work with. It’s all about changing the lives of people and making sure that the City of Johannesburg does

indeed cater for those people,” Maluleke said. The City’s Health and Social Development department has partnered with law enforcement, NGOs such as the Voice It In Action, residents associations, and Citizen Relation and Management (CRAM) to help addiction victims. A man who lives at a shelter, Mveleli Dawethu said in 2015 he came to Joburg to look for better opportunities but it has been difficult. “I looked for a job everywhere and I did not get any. Life became

Pic: Thobile Mbhele

so difficult I could not afford to rent a place to stay. I then decided to stay on the street because there we were not paying anything,” said Dawethu. Another man who admitted to have been an addiction victim said he was very lucky to get a second chance, and is now attending sessions at the rehab centre and is getting much better. “I encourage everyone who uses drugs to seek help, it is possible to get help. I assure you that once you get help, you will never want to go back,” he said.

4 - 11 July 2019

Inner-city Gazette

News

Ex - drug mule to be human trafficking activist Own Correspondent

ormer drug mule, Nontando Pendu, who was jailed for nearly 10 years in Thailand after she was caught with 48 bags of heroin strapped to her chest, says she plans to be a human trafficking activist. Pendu was granted amnesty and released from Bangkok’s Klong Prem Central Prison, after she was in prison from October 2009. She told this to SABC 3 Special Assignment producer Hazel Friedman upon her arrival at OR Tambo International Airport on June 22. “What comes to my mind was, ‘you have to talk about this human trafficking. They are all taking advantage of young girls, especially

those from poor families, and the ones trying to get fast monies,” Pendu said. From May, after her release, she had remained in Bangkok’s International Detention Centre waiting for the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to confirm her citizenship to the Thai authorities. Pendu was 24 when she was offered a job allegedly through a recruiter called Thembi, where she was to become an ambulance driver. However, when things took a turn for Pendu, Thembi had claimed she knew nothing about the drugs. When she landed in Thailand, Pendu was informed that to pay

back the “loan” for her ticket; she would have to smuggle narcotics into China. She was arrested in the process by authorities who had been tipped off. Pendu says she will now be working on making a difference, through her experiences while detained in Thailand. She told Special Assignment that it had taken her six years to accept her situation before she decided to forgive herself for what happened to her. Pendu said she shared her cell with three other South Africans, including Nolubabalo Nobanda, who was infamously caught with cocaine tucked away in her dreadlocks. Thai airport officials arrested No-

banda in December 2011 after she was caught with 1.5kg of cocaine in her dreadlocks. “There were some days I used to ask God, ‘why God, why did you allow me to be here, why didn’t you crush me in the flight when I was coming here, instead of punishing me here,” said Pendu. When asked what she had to say to her alleged recruiter, Pendu said she had “forgiven” her but instead would thank her because of all the empowerment she got while in prison. “I have learnt what she can never get in life. The things I learn inside and the confidence I have in me now, I would never have, if I was not in there,” Pendu said.

Nontando Pendu wants to help people understand the issue of human trafficking from her own experiences.

Brothers killed in shack fire ‘The charred bodies of the two brothers, aged 31 and 22, were found under the debris’ Phola Park - On Sunday morning two brothers died when their backyard shack caught fire in Phola Park, Thokoza. The charred bodies of the two brothers, aged 31 and 22, were found under the debris. Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (Dems) spokesman William Ntladi said the incident occurred at around 5.30am on Sunday. “Fire and rescue personnel responded to the scene after receiving a call alerting them about the fire. On arrival at the scene, they found the shack engulfed in flames. The fire was then extinguished. Unfortunately during the subsequent search, the charred bodies of the two brothers, aged 31 and 22, were found under the debris. The cause of the fire was yet to be established and police are investigating the matter,” Ntladi said.

The sign that purports to prohibit waste pickers in the area.

A recycler pulls a trolley in the street.

City refutes ‘no waste pickers’ road sign Johannesburg - Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has said a sign purporting to be an official road sign barring waste pickers from using a public road is not an official Johannesburg Roads Agency or City of Joburg sign. The sign, which looks official and bears the same red, white and black colours as normal road signs, has been the subject of much debate on

Twitter since it was posted last Friday. The sign is said to have been posted on Wessels Road in Rivonia, but it had been unclear who erected it there. Waste pickers are often seen pulling their trolleys filled with refuse and recyclable materials on the city’s roads, as they make their way to and from dumping sites. The City of Johannesburg assured

upset users that it wasn’t an JRA sign, therefore not an official road sign. Mashaba called on anyone with information of the location of this sign and others to report these to the city. Last month, around 200 waste pickers marched to the offices of Pikitup and the City of Johannesburg demanding to be recognised. The image sparked debate about

waste pickers and whether they should be allowed to pull their trolleys on public roads. While some people defended the recyclers, arguing they were only trying to make a living and were in fact assisting the city, others said they were hazards on the road.

Inner-city Gazette

4 - 11 July 2019

Inner-city Gazette

The Arts

Windybrow head joins leadership programme Lusanda Zokufa

ead of the Windybrow Arts Centre, Keitu Gwangwa joined the prestigious league of International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) this week as she took on a three-week cultural exchange programme sponsored by the US Embassy, to explore the arts sector in the United States. Keitu has been at the helm of the Windybrow Arts Centre for less than two years, but she has established several impressive programmes reaching out to the local community of Hillbrow. This year she sparked a dynamic partnership with

Theatre Rocket that will see the Kwasha! Theatre Company perform at the National Arts Festival in the immersive theatre production Deurnes/Uzwelo. Keitu will be touring through Ohio, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Seattle to explore their street arts and arts projects in communities. Keitu intends creating an African connection, with and through the arts merging with and collaborating with other international artists by learning and absorbing information through diverse arts and cultural connections. The purpose of the cultural programme is to get exposure, engage and form partnerships with organizations and project

managers in different cultural sectors areas in the United States that promote social development through the arts and to explore opportunities for collaboration. She will work closely with organizations to learn and get to see what challenges they have, what has worked and what has not worked. Also, most importantly, to see how she can move a community with one vision and understanding. “For me that’s a big issue I would like to tackle and see how other people overcome their challenges,” Gwangwa said. She added that she plans to bring back knowledge and ideas to move the Windybrow Arts Centre to greater heights.

Windybrow Arts Centre head Keitu Gwangwa

Comedy Jam comes to Joburg Jeanette Odgers

ward-winning comedian David Kau is the host for the show and will be joined by top South African comedians Barry Hilton, Mpho Popps, Chris Forrest, Nik Rabinowitz and Conrad Koch. “Hot 91.9FM managing director Lloyd Madurai said they are thrilled to be presenting partner of Comedy Jam with Real Concerts. This allows us to share and celebrate live comedy and with our audiences,” he said. The show is set for 3 August at Centre Court, Emperors Palace.

Barry Hilton is enormously funny and his global track record highlights a unique ability to cut through all boundaries and appeal to any nationality, race or age. He has performed sold-out venues across the globe, including Australia, New Zealand, UK and Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, America and across Africa. His comedy career has spanned three decades and seen him fill 4 000-seat auditoriums with his solo shows. Mpho Modikoane has reached dizzy heights after only 10 years in the entertainment industry. His hard work

saw him earn a nomination in the first Annual Comics’ Choice Awards as best newcomer in 2011. He went on to win the award for Best Breakthrough Act in 2012 & 2013. Conrad Koch is South Africa’s top comedy ventriloquist, and possibly the only one, and is a double International Emmy nominated comedian. His most famous puppet, Chester Missing, has won numerous awards, including being the first recipient of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s Anti-Racism Award. Stand-up comic Nik Rabinowitz sports a list of achievements the likes

of which many can only aspire to. Also, he represented South Africa at the Jewish Olympics, which is like the Special Olympics, with more accountants. Chris Forrest has been on the forefront of the SA comedy scene since the late nineties. His unique dry sense of humour, quick wit and intelligent comedy has made him one of the country’s most popular comedians. Kau needs no introduction; over the past 20 years of his career his outlook on everything South African has earned him a strong following. For more visit www.realsa.co.za

Comedian David Kau

112 Kerk Street & Mooi, 7th Floor Executive House, Jhb CBD, Close to MTN Rank)

Health Caregivers Course (Homebased Care) Child Minding Course HWSETA Accredited

Entry Level Requirements: Grade 9 - 12 or equivalent

Some members of the SA national netball team.

Netball team goes for World Cup medals Sports Reporter

he SA national netball team has left for England to play in the Netball World Cup between 12 and 21 July in Liverpool. The Netball Proteas will play against Jamaica‚ Fiji and Trinidad and Tobago in Group C. Team captain Bongiwe Msomi said unlike the other national teams‚ they would

challenge for a medal in Liverpool. “We are going for a medal. It is actually a nice thing to see that we are the hope of the country but that is not going to put any pressure on us. We are going to the World Cup to compete for the title compared to going and knowing that you are going to get thrashed,” she said. The team will have a training camp in Wales and also play two friendly

matches before the tournament. Coach Norma Plummer said they are not going to there to add numbers. “We go for a medal‚ in fact every time we go on court we go for something positive‚” she said. She added that in 2015 when she arrived in SA‚ she realised great talent. “The fact that Netball South Africa put the Proteas in a quad series‚ which was expensive‚ is paying div-

idends. The fact I have been able to field players that are playing in top competitions around the world like Australia‚ New Zealand and England‚ where they play against other big names‚ has been good for our preparation. “That is important for our preparations. They need to be playing in those high pressure games and that plays an important role for the build-up,” Plummer said.