Sowetan S Mag September 2020

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Magazine

INSPIRED BY SOUTH AFRICA, CELEBRITY MAKE-UP ARTIST, SIR JOHN’S NEW, EXCLUSIVE COLLECTION FOR WOOLWORTHS IS HERE. RICH COLOUR. STANDOUT SHINE. 100% VEGAN.

from the

EDITOR

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HARD AT WORK

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Let’s face it, living through a (seemingly neverending) historybook chapter has been rough. Back in March, when the president told us that we had to be holed up at home for 21 days in our fight against an exponentially growing pandemic curve, we sulked like petulant children, wondering how we could possibly make it through three weeks of self-isolation and what we rightfully deemed to be some kind of imposed imprisonment. One hundred and sixty or so days later, and look at us now! Humbled by one of the biggest tests of our generation. I don’t know about you, but during my time in lockdown I have gone through a fair amount of reflection, with one of the central themes being the idea of legacy.

If it all ended today, what would I have to show for it? What is the

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IMAGES SUPPLIED

impact I would have made to the world?

Someone who has, without a doubt, made a lasting impact is our cover star Ntate Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha. To have him gracing the cover of our Heritage edition is truly an honour.

With a decades-long career, Ntate Jerry has carved out a stellar life story, which has included several acting awards and lifetimeachievement awards. In his interview with us (page 30), he exclusively shares something about his journey which will have you re-evaluating your life and the ways in which you face your struggles. If those struggles seem overwhelming at the moment, you are not alone. In one of the most important Conversations features we have ever had, we look at death companioning and how to deal with some of the losses we have experienced over the course of this pandemic. With the uncertainty of the new normal, one thing that has brought much comfort is nostalgia, which is why our feature celebrating growing up with ogogo bethu (page 18) is definitely one of the highlights of the edition. As we continue to traverse these “unprecedented times” (a phrase I never want to see again in post-pandemic emails), remember the old African proverb: “The best way to eat an elephant standing in your path, is to cut it up into small pieces.”

Stay safe. xxx

SEPT

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF THEMBALETHU ZULU (SMAG@SOWETAN.CO.ZA) MANAGING EDITOR MATTHEW MCCLURE 011 280 5605 (MCCLUREM@ARENA.AFRICA) CREATIVE DIRECTOR ANNA LINEVELDT JUNIOR DESIGNERS CARIKE DE JAGER and MANELISI DABATA SUBEDITOR BENAZIR CASSIM FASHION DIRECTOR SHARON ARMSTRONG FASHION EDITOR SAHIL HARILAL BEAUTY EDITOR NOKUBONGA THUSI FASHION INTERN NOMBUSO KUMALO FINAL EYE ELIZABETH SLEITH SOWETAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NWABISA MAKUNGA PUBLISHER ASPASIA KARRAS HEAD: ADVERTISING SALES EBEN GEWERS CEO ANDREW GILL BUSINESS MANAGER Yvonne Shaff 082 903 5641 shaffy@arena.africa ACCOUNT MANAGER Johannesburg: Letitia Louw louwl@arena.africa. co.za083 454 1137 ACCOUNT MANAGER Cape Town: Samantha Pienaar pienaars@arena.africa 082 889 0366 ACCOUNT MANAGER Durban: Gina van de Wall 083 500 5325 vdwallg@arena.africa S Mag is available with all copies of Sowetan newspaper, on a quarterly basis. PRINTED by Paarl Media for Arena Holdings, Hill on Empire, 16 Empire Road (cnr Empire and Hillside roads), Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193

Dress, price on request, David Tlale; pearl earrings, part of set , R299, Woolworths; pink necklaces, R150 each, Foschini; crystal necklace, R209, Aldo Accessories

MAPULA MAFOLE IS COMING OF AGE

Interview

10 6 Beauty Show your melanin and your coils some love 14 Conversations How to grieve all we’ve lost through Covid-19 18 Family Celebrating oGogo who made us who we are S.MAN 28 Grooming We’ve got it down to a fine art 30 Interview Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha on health, happiness, and family 40 Ekhoneni Monde Zondeki’s working to make cricket accessible to all

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FRONT ROW

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500 Days of Summer 9

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DIOR

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Paying homage to feminist icon Catherine Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri’s SS20 collection paired romantic, billowy silhouettes with earthy accessories and gold hardware compiled by : SAHIL HARILAL 1. Dress, R1 499, Mango 2. Belt, R419, Zara 3. Cuff, R850, Athena A 4. Cross-body bag, R899, Country Road 5. Michael Kors sunglasses, R2 290, Sunglass Hut 6. Dress, R2 899, Zara 7. Naledi earrings, R120, Woolworths 8. Straw trilby hat, R950, Crystal Birch 9. Necklace, R160, Woolworths 10. Flat sandals, R1 099, Aldo 11. Bustier, R90, MRP 12. Dress, R600, Truworths 13. Rope heels, R1 999, Mango 14. True Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier watch, R 35 800, Rado Stockists Aldo aldoshoes.co.za, Athena A brandathenaa.co.za, Country Road woolworths.co.za, Crystal Birch therealcrystalbirch.com, Mango shop.mango.com/za, MRP mrp.com, Rado rado.com, Sunglass Hut za.sunglasshut.com, Truworths truworths.co.za, Woolworths woolworths.co.za, Zara zara.com/za 2 0 2 0 S E P T E M B E R S. MAG

IMAGES STEPHANE CARDINALE-CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES; 123RF AND SUPPLIED

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BEAUTY GUIDE

DELIGHT IN A LITTLE BLACK JOY WITH THESE BEAUTY PRODUCTS THAT CELEBRATE MELANATED SKIN AND HARDWORKING FORMULAS FOR PERFECT COILS

1. Black Up No Transfer Magic Double Effect Liquid Lip Color in 01, R400, blackupcosmetics.co.za 2. Chick Cosmetics Chick.Gloss in Durban Nights, R180, chickcosmetics.com 3. Mac Retro Matte Liquid Lip Colour in Caviar, R345, maccosmetics.co.za

text : NOKUBONGA THUSI

MAKEUP :

Dark Berry

1. Black and natural: If you

love the black lipstick vibe but don’t want to make it look too theatrical, give it a refined elegance by sporting it with a pared-back, fresh complexion. Keep eyes neutral with a generous helping of mascara to give your lips space to stand out.

CHRISTIAN COWAN

WE HAVE BEYONCÉ’S VISUAL ALBUM BLACK IS KING TO THANK FOR OUR NEWFOUND OBSESSION WITH BLACK LIPSTICK; IT’S THE DELICIOUS ACCOMPANIMENT THAT WE DIDN’T KNOW WE NEEDED. HERE’S HOW TO PULL OFF THIS MUST-HAVE LIPPIE

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So Melanated

2. Kaleidoscopic pairing: We know,

pairing a black lip with a bold eye sounds crazy, but not if you focus on blending the shades into a veil of sheer nothingness. Choose warm tones such as burgundy or copper and blend them well into a soft halo of colour around the eyes.

3. Vinyl layers:

Luxury translated into black-lipstick talk means gloss and shine. Adding a swipe of clear gloss or a glittery sparkle lacquer over an opaque matte-black shade adds an element of inexpensive drama.

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07 Picked by our beauty editor, these gems will complement your skin tone and make it really pop BEAUTY ROAD TEST: MELANIN LOVIN’ MUST-HAVES

1. The perfect nude Finally a nude, tonal lipstick that caters to you.

You no longer have to settle for nude lipstick shades that leave your lips looking pale and ashy. This opaque, brown shade is lightweight, long-lasting, non-drying, and glides on for a your-lips-butbetter finish. Try: Chick Cosmetics Chick Matte in Kalahari, R130

IMAGES: MAC COSMETICS, TRISTAN FEWINGS/GETTY IMAGES AND SUPPLIED

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2. The glow getter After trying this shimmer bronzer, we don’t think you’ll want to try another.

It’s no exaggeration that this glow-giving blushhighlight hybrid is perfect in every way. From its super-fine, pressed particles to the way that it sits on the skin like a translucent veil of tinted glow — prepare for your melanin to receive some unreal luminosity. Try: Sorbet Shimmer & Glow Shimmer Bronzer in Just Peachy, R200

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SKIN TRICKS:

3 ways to elevate your melanin OUR SKIN IS ALREADY BEAUTIFUL, WE KNOW THAT, BUT A LITTLE MELANIN AMPLIFICATION NEVER HURTS. FROM SKIN-PERFECTING BRONZERS TO UNREAL HIGHLIGHTERS, HERE ARE THE THREE EASY WAYS TO ENHANCE YOUR SKIN.

4. Blackened layer:

Scared to take the plunge? Try the darkest shade of your favourite lip colour, for example a dark purple or deep navy, and work your way up to black.

Alternatively, apply a bold lipstick you love and layer a bit of black lipstick over to deepen the otherwise bright colour.

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Never underestimate the power of a few drops of highlighter mixed into body cream or foundation. Go for illuminators with a gold or bronze undertone that will pick up on your natural, warm, yellow undertones and place on the highest contours such as the cheekbones, shoulders, or collar bones.

Bronzer can be very handy, even if you have dark skin. Yes, you’re not aiming to look tanned but applying a shimmery bronzing primer, powder, or cream can help to enhance the natural tone of your skin.

It’s a well-known fact that blushes are fantastic for giving that lit-from-within flush. Peach and pink shades are not off limits, but if you really want to make your melanin pop go for uncommon choices such as purple and brown.

Brown-toned blushes give the skin a natural, sculpted appearance and purple is a great alternative to pink.

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5. Sharp lines: Black

lipstick likes to be confined to superclean edges so make sure to line your lips before applying lipstick. If you don’t have a black lip liner, use a deep liner shade such as burgundy or purple.

3. The eyes have it When it comes to eyeshadow, we look for ones that pop against dark skin tones with saturated payoff and are fuss-free.

From glossy to matte, these easy-to-use, velvety eyeshadow sticks give a high jewel-toned colour payoff in one swipe — it’s basically the makeup product we’ve all been waiting for. Try: Revlon ColorStay Velour Stick in Cordovan; Revlon ColorStay Glaze Stick in Rosé, R105 each

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4 1. Splurge on: Fenty Beauty Mini Body Lava Body Luminizer, R799, takealot.com 2. Mac Glow Play Blush in Rosy Does It, R360, maccosmetics.co.za 3. MSLondon Mineral Powder Bronzer, R350 misssalon.co.za 4. Catrice Luminice Highlight & Bronze Glow Palette in Feel Gold, R147, dischem.co.za

S. MAG S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

BEAUTY GUIDE EDITOR’S CHOICE: 5 BEST CURL-CARE HEROES

NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY SHOW

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HAIR :

What’s Your Type?

Most women of colour fall into the type 3 or 4 hair categories.

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IF YOU LOVE YOUR COILS, KINKS AND CURLS, RAISE YOUR HAND! WE TALK TO HAIR EXPERT MIMMI BIGGAR, HEAD OF THE DARK AND LOVELY ACADEMY IN JOHANNESBURG, ABOUT HOW TO KNOW YOUR CURLS AND CARE FOR THEM TOO

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5 1. Anim Naturals Jamaican Black Castor Oil, 118ml, R199, animnaturals.co.za 2. Eco Styler Olive Oil Professional Styling Gel, 473ml, R110, dischem.co.za 3. Dark and Lovely Au Naturale Plaiting Pudding Cream, 250ml, R80, clicks.co.za 4. Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream, R120, dischem.co.za 5. Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque, R270, clicks.co.za

BEAUTY SHO CASE :

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AWARD-WINNING MUSICIAN SHO MADJOZI SPILLS HER BEST BEAUTY SECRETS AND HOW TO COP HER SIGNATURE BRAIDS

3 beauty products you can’t live without? A peach blush for when my skin looks flat, my Nivea Perfect and Radiant 3-in-1 cleanser so that I can scrub, mask, and wash wherever I am, and my Girl Boss hair-growth oil for moisturising in-between the lines of my braids. Makeup trend you’ve been practising? I’ve been working on perfecting draping, which is contouring the temple right into the cheek with a colour. It’s so fresh, especially with a shimmery eyeshadow. Why is Black representation important in beauty products? It’s very important. As the face of Nivea Perfect and Radiant, I am glad that this product clearly understands Black women and the skin issues many of 1. Nivea Perfect & us have. Tips for keeping hair Radiant Even Tone 3-in-1 healthy under braids? Never pull too hard. Pulling is not the Cleanser, R45, nivea. guarantee that braids will last. And co.za 2. Clarins Joli even if it was, it’s more important Blush in Cheeky Peach, for your hair follicles to last than R495, clarins.co.za your current braids. Secondly, start 3. Hair Clips, R60, the line with your own hair then add woolworths.co.za synthetic hair as you go as this puts less pressure on your edges. Dos and don’ts for braid accessories?

Do use bobby pins, snap clips, and claw clips. Don’t use alligator clips.

Beauty icon? Tsonga women, especially from the ’90s and early 2000s because they were so pop.

Identify your curl: It’s important to know what your hair-curl type is before you consider the products it needs.

Curl type determines how curly or wavy your hair is, its density and porosity, and how it interacts with moisture. “There are four curl patterns; straight, wavy, curly, and coily. Your curl type is determined by the shape of your follicle. The more S bends the follicle has, the curlier your hair is,” says Biggar.

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Decode your type: Hair types are classified by how curly or straight the hair strand is when wet. There are four types: type 1 is straight, type 2 is wavy, type 3 is curly and type 4 is coily. Then, there are subcategories for how tight the curl is in terms of width, using letters from A to C. Type A has a wider or looser curl pattern, type B has a more medium-curl pattern, and type C has the smallest and tightest curl pattern.

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Treat your curl: Knowing how to treat and maintain your hair according to its specific texture is imperative. Type 3 curls are loose and shiny, shaped as bouncy loops, corkscrews, or ringlets. The main concern is curl definition and keeping frizz at bay. Focus on using curl-defining creams, apply hair milks to wet hair using an upward scrunching motion with the hands, and avoid touching the hair too much afterwards to prevent frizz. This curl type can also be prone to dryness, especially type 3B and 3C, so add hydrating styling gels and co-washes to your routine to prevent moisture stripping.

The type 4 curl group is the curliest hair of the lot and is also referred to as afro-textured hair.

It can range from being fine and soft to very coarse but the main concerns are dryness, knotting, and shrinkage. Apply rich, nourishing leave-in conditioners and curling creams by milking (a gentle dragging motion) into the hair with the fingers to define curls, especially if you are type 4A or 4B. Type 4C should incorporate liberal doses of rich curl creams or leave-in conditioners and oils to seal in moisture and prevent dryness.

Focus on milking and twisting in products to stretch out curls and prevent shrinkage.

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Multiple curl care: It’s possible to have more than one curl pattern on your head, so take care when applying products, with the main focus being to detangle and define.

“Some areas on your head may have either tighter or looser curls than others. Treat these areas in the ways described above but use your fingers, not a comb, as a styling tool. Twist or plait the curliest hair with some plaiting pudding to equalise the curl sizes,” says Biggar.

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O T S P E T 3S

A golden glow Get a dewy, sun-kissed look by focusing on these areas of your face.

Step 1: An even foundation A fresh-faced look needs a smooth, blemish-free surface – achieve this effortlessly with a foundation that glides on, and pick one that offers SPF (you need protection all year!) and a moisturising element such as a serum.

Try: 1/ Face First SPF 15 Anti-Ageing Foundation + Serum 30 ml, R220; 2/ Cover & Go SPF 6 Foundation + Concealer, R300

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• SPF 15 • Anti-ageing

• Vitamin enriched • Highly pigmented • SPF 6

3 • Silicone and mica for smooth & shimmer effect

Step 2: Highlight the strong points

Using a blending sponge or your finger, apply liquid highlighter to these points: your cheekbones, bridge of nose, brow bone and the inner corners of your eyes.

Try: 3/ Glow & Tell Liquid Highlighter in Golden Bronze, R150; 4/ Shimmer & Glow Shimmer Bronzer in Bronzed Beauty, R200

4 • Illuminating particles

Step 3: All about the eyes Keep your eyes light and natural with just a touch of shimmer – pick shades that complement your skin tone, eye colour and eyebrows.

Try: 5/ Underline It Kajal Eyeliner Pencil, R80

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•Includes vitamin E • Highly pigmented

Created by our skin experts for the women of South Africa.

Available at selected

stores and Sorbet salons.

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INTERVIEW

MAPULA MAFOLE:

COMING INTO HER OWN ACTRESS MAPULA text : AMANDA MTULI

MAFOLE HAS BEEN CARVING A SPACE FOR HERSELF ON THE SILVER SCREEN. NOW SHE IS USING FASHION TO MAKE HER PRESENCE KNOWN

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production : SAHIL HARILAL photography : STEVE TANCHEL

Page 10: Dress, R19 550; vintage swimming cap, archive piece, not for sale, both Viviers; Studio Lennie x Viviers hat; archive piece, not for sale, Studio Lennie; rings, pack of three, R139, Aldo Accessories Page 11: Corset; blouse; coat, all price on request, David Tlale; pearl necklace (worn in hair) R169, Aldo Accessories; spider brooches, R99 each; pearl earrings, R299, part of set, both Woolworths Page 12: Dress, R12 000; headpiece; R1 100, both Kat van Duinen; Beryl Dingemans necklace, R1 800, That’s It

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PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE TANCHEL/RED HOT OPS PRODUCTION SAHIL HARILAL MAKEUP KHUMO NGWENYA HAIR KHOMOTSO MOLOTO PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT THEKISO MOKHELE FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS KATJA KELLHOFER HABIB AND MPUMI NYANDENI/GLOSS CONCEPT FLORAL COUTURE

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INTERVIEW

T

he phrase “Dynamite comes in small packages” is the first thing that comes to mind when describing the immensely talented Mapula Mafole. A two-time South African Film and Television Awards (Safta) nominee, Mafole currently graces our screens as Mapula on popular e.tv soapie Rhythm City. Despite her age, the petite 30-year-old effortlessly portrays a teenager on the show — a role she has convincingly played for the past few years.

The actress has come a long way from her “simple” beginnings in Vaal Reefs, a mining town near Klerksdorp in the North West.

to be somewhat of a tragic one. Viewers have watched Mapula experience violent circumstances at the hands of abusive men, including rape. Reflecting on the hardships her character has faced — and the state of the country at the moment — she says, “I think we need to treat GBV [gender-based violence] as a pandemic and be a little bit more deliberate about addressing it. I don’t have all the answers and I might be wrong but the way I see it, GBV is primarily rooted in a fundamental flaw in men’s mindsets and they need to be challenged and addressed. The government can and should do more to address this issue but, in the meantime,

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York Fashion Week. While the petite model is definitely making her mark on the fashion world, this hasn’t taken her away from acting: she is working on a few new projects, although she remains coy about what they are for now.

All she’ll give away is that she’d like to return to learning music.

ON GROWING OLDER With her eye firmly set on achieving greatness, Mafole, who turned 30 in July, says the new decade has brought much reflection with it.

“When I was in high school I watched the movie 13 Going on 30. It made quite an impression on

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND OUR CULTURAL PRACTICES AND KNOW WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO” “I spent my early childhood years living a simple life. Everything was very family- and community-oriented, which was fulfilling,” says the last-born of four siblings. “I played a lot in the streets with friends but I also loved to get lost in my own world. I even had an imaginary friend called Mayonnaise.”

Despite what she describes as a strict upbringing by her hardworking parents, Mafole was able to persuade her parents to allow her to attend the renowned creative-arts school Afda, where she majored in live performance.

PACKING A PUNCH Landing the role that has seen her become one of the country’s silver-screen darlings was somewhat serendipitous: Mafole hadn’t even intended to audition for the character who shares her birth name. “I had initially been called to Rhythm City to audition for a different character. Instead of a callback I was called in to prepare for the part of Mapula. The audition was nerve wracking, as they always are, but I do remember enjoying myself,” she says.

After a positive audition experience, the character she was entrusted to embody proved

lives are being lost and we on the ground have to do what we can. Men also have to come to the party and create spaces in which they have conversations about mindsets and beliefs that lead to this. Men need to hold themselves and each other more accountable.”

When it comes to her craft, the performer is grateful to be doing what she loves and hopes to one day fulfil her dream of playing either Storm from X-Men or a Bond girl. “I love superhero movies and I’d love to play one in my lifetime.

Also, we call my dad James Bond so I think it would be quite fitting,” she says.

TAKING OVER THE RUNWAY More recently, the young star has been taking centre stage while draped in the couture of clothing brand Quiteria Atelier, a role she describes as an organic fit. “I was meant to be dressed by the luxury brand at this year’s Saftas.

When that didn’t happen due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I stayed in contact with the founder and head designer. Then one day he gave me a call and the rest is history!”

As the brand’s muse, Mafole recently walked its virtual showcase as part of New

me and because of it, I always thought that 30 would signify the age I officially became a grown woman,” she says.

“I have always imagined that 30 would come with some great epiphany that would dramatically change my life forever. I don’t know if it has yet, but in the months leading up to it, I did start to develop confidence in myself that I never had before.”

Something she hopes to accomplish in this new season of her life is to live as her authentic self while growing into her full potential.

This includes culturally; what she feels is the importance of cultivating a legacy. “I’m very fascinated by my heritage and culture. I’m always asking questions about who I am and where I come from. I’m very blessed to still have both my parents who can answer some of these questions,” she says.

“I love being a Motswana and it’s great to live in a country and on a continent that is so rich in readily available culture and history. It’s important to understand our cultural practices and know why we do what we do because there is much to be celebrated about and within our various cultures.”

Stockists Aldo Accessories 011 884 4141, David Tlale davidtlale.com, Foschini foschini,co.za, Kat van Duinen katvanduinen.com, That’s It 011 268 6674 Studio Lennie lena@studiolennie.com, Viviers info@viviers.studio, Woolworths woolworths.co.za

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CONVERSATIONS

text : SARAH KOOPMAN

illustration : CARIKE DE JAGER

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round the world, Covid-19 has been tracked through numbers. In South Africa, we’ve seen its movement through the country from the first confirmed case on 5 March 2020 to 628 259 cases at 2 September. And we’ve been tracking its ripple effects too. According to Statistics SA, an estimated 1.5-million people have lost their jobs as a result of the five-month-long lockdown.

While these numbers are harrowing, the impact of the pandemic cannot always be measured, and there are countless losses that we can’t account for.

From loss of income to loss of community and connection with friends and family, the full impact of the pandemic has shaken us in ways we may never have expected. Unlike the 832 000+ deaths around the globe, we’re facing dispossessions that fall under the term “shadowlosses” and continue to impact millions more people.

Shadowlosses (coined by Cole Imperi, founder of the School of American Thanatology) are events that “impact a person’s social connections, status in the community, overall wellbeing, and family relationships”. Thanatology is the description or study of death and dying, and the psychological mechanisms of dealing with them. The shadowlosses that Imperi refers to include unemployment, not making enough money, loss or reduction in social support, and other changes in lifestyle. And we can grieve these experiences even if no death has occurred. This, according to Imperi, is because our brains grieve shadowlosses in the same way that we grieve the death of a loved one.

These losses are leaving us with grief that seems misplaced when considered against the backdrop of the “real” loss of life. According to Imperi, grief is a mix of cognitive, behavioural, emotional, physical, spiritual, and social symptoms that we need to learn to process. In an article in the Harvard Business Review, David Kessler, considered one of the world’s foremost experts on grief, says, “We feel the world has changed, and it has. We know this is temporary, but it doesn’t feel that way.” He goes on to explain that, “We’re also feeling anticipatory grief… that feeling we get about what the future holds when we’re uncertain. I don’t think we’ve [ever] collectively lost our sense of general safety like this… We are grieving on a micro and a macro level.”

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While fear for the loss of life has been foremost in our anxiety about Covid19, it might be distracting us from the many other losses that we may not be able to quantify in the same way.

Their impact — and the grief that comes with them — is something we need to face before it consumes us

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WORKING THROUGH THE GRIEF Dealing with that grief can

the joy and fun in my relationship with my wife because I have become this heavy energy in the house. She has had to fill in so many of the gaps that I be a complicated process, especially because it is such a foreign concept to usually fill in our daily lives, and I really feel grief-stricken about the wear and many of us. South African performer Lynelle Kenned says she discovered tear in her life as well.” death companioning while trying to make sense She describes Covid-19 as a lonely illness, a of this new reality, “as a tool to guide you through NAVIGATING sense to which even those who have not had it can this process”. “Not having knowledge of how to do attest.

We are collectively feeling further apart from that is what scares us,” Kenned says. Imperi, who THE LOSS each other than we might ever have felt before and, created the online pandemic-focused crash course ACCORDING TO THE according to Kenned, this experience is foreign to that Kenned took, outlines death companions as AMERICAN CENTERS FOR us because it is not what we are designed to do. “We having two roles: “to serve their communities as DISEASE CONTROL AND are geared to human touch,” Kenned says. “We educators, and to serve individuals, families, and PREVENTION, IT IS IMPORTANT also went into lockdown in winter, and our bodies other small groups who are navigating a significant TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE LOSS need sunlight and connection to nature to stimulate loss”. They are knowledgeable about the process of YOU ARE EXPERIENCING TO endorphins.

We are cooped up and stressed all the dying, death, grief, and bereavement — and serve BE ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH time, which has a negative effect on our wellbeing.” communities with that knowledge.

IT. HERE ARE SOME OF THEIR For Kenned, it became an introspective SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YOU FINDING DIFFERENT TOOLS FOR experience. The course taught her “to engage ADJUST TO THE NEW NORMAL: COPING Presented over three weeks, the Death with our own mortality and the mental-health 1. Find ways to express your grief.

Companioning crash course gave Kenned tools to challenges that come with navigating the Find comfort in things that bring help her manage her mental health through the pandemic”, she says. “It was about getting real and you joy: from gardening to art, pandemic. “I think the course has brought me not avoiding the grieving that needs to happen.” keeping a journal, and talking to face-to-face with difficult things to work through. friends. Creative practices can be There was a lightness that came with that,” she THE SCOPE OF OUR LOSSES “There a great release. says. It also gave her a sense of community in hasn’t been a night, since I realised that I might 2. Consider developing new daily difficult times. Kenned says the communal identity fall into this category, where I haven’t worried rituals to feel connected with your she was always able to rely on as an artist has been or wondered if my life will change in some way loved ones, whether you live with stripped away by the pandemic and lockdown. “If forever,” says 36-year-old writer Haji Mohamed them or are far away. you’re a performer, a big part of that experience Dawjee. The category she refers to is of people 3. Don’t be afraid to talk about comes from the audience and getting that sense of around the world living with the symptoms of the losses you have experienced. communion, which we have lost.” But she says she what is now termed “post-Covid syndrome” or They are not less important than found a new, virtual sense of community with her “long-haul Covid”. According to a July 2020 other losses. classmates. “There was a feeling of solidarity with report from the United States Centers for Disease 4. Try to get outside as often as people who had the same interest,” she says.

Control and Prevention, “Covid-19 can result in you can. Fresh air and sunshine For Dawjee, online forums with other longprolonged illness, even among young adults without can do a lot to help you feel better. haulers has compensated for some of the lost underlying chronic medical conditions.” Dawjee TALK IT OUT connection she has experienced in her offline life. started experiencing symptoms on 23 June. At the If you are struggling with your “I worry that people think I am making it up or time of writing, more than 60 days have passed, and mental health during this time, don’t believe me.

I keep a lot of the symptoms and she is still experiencing them. “It’s haunting,” she it is important to seek help. feelings to myself, but I know there are people out says, explaining that the threat of new symptoms The South African Depression there going through the same stuff,” she says. is “just constantly there”. “You never know when and Anxiety Group (Sadag) has the loss is going to take over your body and render a number of support options: GRIEF IS A TRANSITION While there is you useless. It feels like my bones are filled with • To contact a counsellor much to worry about — and much to grieve — cement, my skull is filled with mush. The best way between 8am and 8pm Kenned says that it is only by acknowledging and I can explain it is that I feel like a zombie,” she says.

Monday to Sunday, talking about the losses we are experiencing that She also experiences tinnitus and can’t get proper call 011 234 4837 we can navigate our way through this uncertain rest because she has lucid dreams and struggles to • For a suicidal emergency time.

“We need to be cultivating a society that is sleep. “I can’t afford not to work, because I am a contact, call 0800 567 567 not afraid of these subjects,” she says. “Talking is freelancer, so I have tried to meet every deadline, • To reach the Sadag the first step.

You cannot change anything if you but it takes me really long to get things done because 24-hour helpline, cannot acknowledge it in the first place.”

It gives us of the confusion, general tardiness, and fatigue,” call 0800 456 789 a chance to find empathy, resilience, and presence she says.

• For counselling queries in a way that we may not have had before.

Much The notion of long-haul Covid is adding a new e-mail zane@sadag.org like the long-haulers who are coming to grips with kind of shadowloss to the list brought on by the their new reality, the pandemic is giving us all a pandemic. “I think my greatest loss thus far has chance to reset.

“Long after the pandemic has been having no control over my body and brain,” passed, we will be left with all of these losses. The deeper the introspection Dawjee says. Because the symptoms are varied and random, the experience you put into this time, the greater the outcome. Life will never be the same, has been debilitating. Along with her loss of control of her own body, Dawjee and the process of grief is about coming through that,” Kenned says. describes the knock-on impact it has had on her relationships. “I am grieving

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FINANCE

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text : MATTHEW MCCLURE

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020 has been a year of curveballs. Many of us have seen our budget plans take a hit as the fallout from Covid-19 resulted in pay cuts and retrenchments across the country, and the world. In the face of increasing economic uncertainty, we’re having to do more with less of our money.

If it feels like your salary disappears as soon as it lands in your bank account, you might need some help managing your hard-earned money. According to Investopedia, the 50/30/20 rule was popularised

by US senator Elizabeth Warren.

It goes like this: 50% of your aftertax income should go to servicing obligatory payments such as home loans, debts or school fees, 30% can be allocated to feel-good desires such as clothes or eating out, while the remaining 20%, says Warren, must be put straight into savings.

This advice, from the 2012 book

KEEP THE CHANGE The 50/30/20 moneymanagement rule is a good rule of thumb for handling your financial obligations

that Warren co-wrote, All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan, might be specific to the unique financial status of the average American, but the underlying principle of being more disciplined with how you spend your salary is good counsel.

The 50/30/20 rule encourages you to sit down and calculate your income-versus-spend ratio on payday. David Weliver, a personalfinance authority, writes that dividing your total income according to Warren’s rule will also allow you to objectively decide if you’re earning enough to allocate more than 20% to savings, or to gauge whether you’ve been a little fast and loose with the credit cards towards the end of the month — and that 30% is looking a bit inflated.

Kelly Anne Smith at Forbes points out that this rule doesn’t necessarily take into account the different monetary commitments

of families and individuals, which can make it difficult to stick to such a rigorous split. This is especially applicable to South Africa, where family structures and financial obligations are highly varied. Education, for example, is hugely expensive here at home.

BusinessTech expects educationrelated inflation to hit 9% for 2020, which means for a child who started Grade 1 this year, you’d be looking at spending in the region of R1.6-million for government schooling all the way up to matric, with the figure doubling to R3.7-million for private education.

Remember that servicing your debt and trying to save should always be your top priorities, even in this challenging economic climate. It might be tempting to splurge on that pair of heels you’ve been eyeing for weeks but, ultimately, the long-term stress of living in constant fear of debt is really not worth it.

Q: What motivation can you offer customers to keep their plans?

A: The pandemic has highlighted the need for quality healthcare and the importance of having private medical aid. Often seen as a “grudge” purchase, it is only when faced with unexpected and expensive medical costs that the true value of private medical care is understood.

The reality is that we all tend to take our health for granted, until we land up in an emergency situation.

Costs of admission to a private hospital are extremely high. Knowing you are covered by your medical-aid provider and are getting the best care possible will give you peace of mind and you will be able to focus on the most important thing: your health.

But medical aid is not just for emergencies; it covers all sorts of other treatment and procedures.

Remember that visits to doctors and buying of medication can add up, especially if you are on a chronic-

medication regime or require specialist treatment.

Q: What should people consider when reviewing their medical aid?

A: Compare all the available options and schemes to make sure you find a medical aid that works for you and your family’s health. If you have young children, ensure that the medical-aid option you select provides sufficient child-illness benefits. If you are older, check that the option you select covers chronic conditions and provides sufficient in-hospital cover in the event of hospitalisation.

Ask what supplementary benefits might be available that may save significantly on day-to-day expenses.

Look at virtual-care options on your medical aid and what value you get from them.

Take the time to read the information sent to you by the medical scheme and/or your broker to ensure you understand what is being offered so that you can make informed choices. bonitas.co.za

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eptember is when medical aids renew and amend existing plans or announce premium increases for the year ahead. After a financially crippling lockdown, people who are struggling to make ends meet might consider cancelling their medical-aid plans.

We spoke to Lee Callakoppen, principal officer of Bonitas Medical Fund, to find out what options are available to medical-aid members during this time.

Q: What can cash-strapped South Africans do for some relief during these difficult times without cancelling their plans completely?

A: We understand the challenges faced by South Africans and are fully aware of the financial implications the lockdown has placed on them.

However, this pandemic reiterates the need for quality healthcare.

Before making any important decisions, consider what options are available to you, what your priorities are, and where you cannot afford to fall short.

The wealth of health text : SANET OBERHOLZER

As we cut down on costs, should medical aid be one of them?

We asked an expert

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IMAGE SUPPLIED

PARTNERSHIP

CONSULT A GP FROM HOME WITH VIRTUAL CARE ON THE BONITAS APP Virtual Care is free* for all South Africans to consult a GP from home during the lockdown period.

DOWNLOAD NOW!

For more information on COVID-19, visit www.bonitas.co.za/home/covid. *Consultations are free for a limited time.

SMS SWITCH TO 33035 / bonitas.co.za SMSs CHARGED AT R1.50. FREE SMSs DO NOT APPLY. Ts & Cs APPLY.

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RELATIONSHIPS

The

Golden Girls text : THEMBALETHU ZULU

While we do not celebrate Grandparents Day like many other countries around the world, we honour our grandmothers who are the unsung heroes of our community

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n an episode of Family Feud SA, American host Steve Harvey is shocked that, when polled, South Africans replied that the top three things they would likely be offered when visiting their grandmother’s house would be: cookies, a hot meal, and sweets.

But anyone who has experienced the warm love of uGogo knows that that is far from surprising.

For many African families, grandmothers are not only the ultimate matriarchs, but also — in many instances — the heart and soul of the family unit. For several reasons, including employment and other socio-cultural issues, grandmothers often take on the role of primary caregiver. We asked some of our readers to share their stories, and why their Gogo is worth celebrating.

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1. NONTOKOZO & ANDY NGCOBO WITH MARGARET ZONDO Andy and Nonto’s parents were very young when they had them, and the two found a home in their grandmother “Marg”, who continued to raise them after their parents tragically passed away.

Describe your grandmother in three words. Andy: Strong, stern, and a realist.

What is the most valuable lesson you learnt from your grandmother?

Nonto: To put God in all your plans, and that nothing is impossible. She lived by this. While she ensured we were getting the best education and attempting every sport and cultural extramural, she took up night school, matriculated, and continued

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to shock me by getting her driver’s licence at an advanced age. She was my best friend, and I turned to her when my heart was broken.

What do you want the world to know about Marg? Andy: She was brutally honest, no matter what. She never sugar-coated or tried to over protect me from the lessons life had awaiting me. She taught me how to survive on my own in this world. She always said: “One day I’ll be gone, and you will need the tools and lessons I’ve taught you to carry on surviving and living.” Nonto: My gran was a mother and grandmother to everyone.

Growing up, that annoyed me, but I realise now that that was her God-given gift: to love and nurture those around her.

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2. SIPHESIHLE MTHEKU & LUCY “MANDUMO” NTULI After his parents had to migrate to Johannesburg for better work opportunities, Siphesihle moved in with the woman he still sees as his mother. She is “fearless, strong, and wise”, and the person who instilled good values in him.

What is the most valuable lesson you learnt from your grandmother? Always treat people with respect, no matter what their social status is. And never leave the house with your bed unmade.

What do you want the world to know about Ndumo?

Through adversity, she raised her kids and grandkids with love and great authority. She protected her family and would literally put her own life in danger. We grew up in violent times in KwaZulu-Natal. I remember when my uncle was being attacked by a mob during a political protest. Without fear for her life, she went straight through the mob to give my uncle his knife to fight his way out.

3. MARVIN MNCWABE & FLORA NGCOBO After his parents’ divorce in the early ’90s, Dran, as she is affectionately known, moved in with her daughter to help care for her two grandsons.

What is the most valuable lesson you learnt from your grandmother? I have learnt that, no matter how much life may challenge you, take pride in yourself and all that you do. I also learnt isiZulu by reading the family horoscopes with her. And she gave me a love for the culinary arts, which led to my being the passionate cook I am today.

What do you want the world to know about your grandmother?

Dran is a woman of resilience, whose love and support for all of her grandchildren is unique: the best kind of love anyone could ever ask for. Growing up was the perfect balance of discipline from Mom and life lessons from Dran.

4. NTANDOYENKOSI MKHIZE & ANNA MAKHOSAZANA RADEBE The Ngidi siblings (Ntando pictured in Gogo’s arms) were partly raised by their grandmother, who provided support for their young mom. Even after her grandchildren moved out, MaRadebe’s home continued to be their second home for many years.

Describe your grandmother in three words. Amazing, imbokodo, and strict.

What is the one hand-me-down

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you will keep for life? I know it sounds silly, but her favourite towel.

It’s something I’ve held onto for years.

It’s a yellow towel that she used to wrap me up in when I was small. A few days before she passed, she asked to see me and my cousin. That day lives with me forever. We just lay with her in bed like nothing mattered. So my memory of her is whole and not a picture of illness or suffering.

What do you want the world to know about your gran? You will never know warmer hands and an open heart like my MaRadebe. She had a beautiful smile and was tough as nails, but she loved genuinely.

She was an angel in my eyes and still is my guardian angel in her afterlife.

5. NOBATHEMBU DLAMINI & THANDAZILE DLAMINI For most of her life, Nobathembu thought her grandmother “Khizo” was actually her mother. Years later, her bond with the woman she describes as stubborn, funny, and very independent, continues to be unbreakable.

What is the most valuable lesson you learnt from Khizo?

I have learnt about hard work and determination, and that hard work is not gender-specific — girls can and must rule.

Is there one hand-me-down from her that you will keep for life?

Definitely her black beret. She also likes to give me ubuhlalo [beads] and amaphinifa akhe [her aprons].

What do you want the world to know about your grandmother?

How hardworking she was — and still is. I don’t know Black tax because my gran is still very independent. In fact, she is the one who gives me money! She is so giving. You don’t complain about anything to Khizo because she will go get it for you without you asking. She is also my first line of love. I know love because of her.

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The Branson Centre works to invest in the development of entrepreneurs in South Africa.

What does your role there entail? Our objective is to be the most collaborative accelerator in South Africa in order to fulfil our audacious goal of supporting entrepreneurs who will, in turn, create 10 000 jobs over 1 000 days in the country. Part of my job is to connect the centre to resources, individuals, and institutions. What sparked your interest in the world of business and entrepreneurship? At university I started coming to terms with a fiercely independent streak in me.

I realised that there was very little appetite within me to conform to rules, especially in the work environment where the expectation was that I’d spend a third of my day for the majority of the rest of my life. I knew that I needed to create my own job. Entrepreneurs are seekers of solutions and once they start being paid for the solutions they provide to society, they have a business. What are some of the highlights in your professional career so far? When, in the first business I co-founded, we were able to pay ourselves monthly salaries without too much worry about the next few months of salaries.

It took us five years to reach that point. Also, being nominated to attend three exchange programmes (two in the US and one in Austria) in recognition of my efforts as a social entrepreneur. Of course, joining the Virgin family is a redhot highlight! What was your earliest life experience that informed your worldview? It was watching an aunt of mine get on a plane in 1985 to the US. I was living in Mdantsane then and the drive to East London’s airport felt like the world’s greatest adventure.

We waved goodbye to her from the waving deck, and I cried and cried. However, she would return annually and, I swear, she looked like Diana Ross to me. At pre-school I drew a picture of this moment and it now hangs in my flat. This story

LEADERSHIP

BUILDING BRIDGES Nwabisa Mayema is the new strategic partnerships director at the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship.

An entrepreneur, connector, and all-round mover and shaker, she is proof that it’s not just about what you do and how you do it, but also about why

text : SANET OBERHOLZER

photography : KARL ROGERS

inspired a sense of adventure and travel. You boast a long list of accolades; from being selected as one of the 100 Brightest Young Minds in South Africa to being nominated as one of the Inspiring Fifty South Africans in 2017. To what do you attribute your success? Not taking myself too seriously. I know it sounds silly but I’ve found that the moment I take psychological distance from what I am doing, I am able to have fun with the process.

This means that “failure” takes on the shape of “learning”; people are then drawn to an easygoing attitude and are therefore only too ready to be of assistance. Maybe that’s what people call “flow” or “confidence”.

Either way, I learned to walk through the world with a wide-eyed wonder and a sense of playfulness and curiosity from my mother. Also, being a good storyteller definitely helps. Is enough being done to develop and empower female entrepreneurs in South Africa?

Not at all! The targets are there, the

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intentions are set, but we keep seeing the same women being given a seat at the table. Maybe we need to have a conversation about this table?

Who owns it and how do we shake this table? You have a bachelor of social sciences in public policy and administration and political sciences. Do you think we place enough value on the social sciences? What the humanities field shows us is that the key to all human endeavour is understanding human behaviour.

What moves us, what scares us, what are we curious about? Once we engage with those questions — through studies as defined by the humanities — then I think we will be able to solve some of the greatest challenges facing our world, while speaking truth to power and advancing humanity in a humane manner. How do you manage to strike a work-life balance, especially at a time when it feels our world has been turned upside down? I’m afraid I’m one of those who will tell you that there is no such thing as a work-life balance. Rather, I try to get through my days with honesty, grace, and compassion. So, if I am having an “ek kan nie meer nie” day, I do let the team know and I disengage from work so that I can go for a walk or a nap or wallow in a bath (Covid-19 has introduced me to the joy of the lunchtime bath.

What a vibe!)

GIFT REGISTRY Every day becomes a celebration when you have the right appliances, dinner ware, d ĂŠ c o r, b e d d i n g a n d m o r e from @home. Open your G i f t R e g i s t r y t o d a y.

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VINTAGE WEDDING

A TALE AS OLD AS TIME text : SIHLE KAPHILA ZULU

Dust off the old family albums and take a trip down memory lane as we celebrate love, old school

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hese are my parents, Nqobile and Phila Zulu. They met in 1973 when my mother was still a nurse in training at Edendale Hospital.

According to my father, he was accompanying his friend, Themba Mbili, who was on his way to see his girlfriend (now wife), Mamsie, who was also a nurse in training.

On seeing my mother, my father said he immediately knew that he had found the love of his life.

The two were from two different backgrounds: uMa, a girl from uMlazi township, where she lived with both parents, and my father, an orphan from rural Zululand.

He had been head-hunted from Ongoye (University of Zululand) by a private company and was then

living and working in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu-Natal.

Their fascination with each other’s worlds and the instant attraction resulted in their getting engaged in less than a year. Their engagement was in August, and in December 1974 they tied the knot.

The service was at St Mary’s Anglican church in Hammarsdale and the Mbilis were part of the entourage. My father wore a full tuxedo, while my mother wore a floor-length princess dress that she had hired from one of the nursing sisters, who remains her friend until today. They then had umabo later that day. Their reception

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was at one of the first malls in the township, Mcoyi Supermarket, where uMa says they danced the then-popular bump jive all night.

In their union they were blessed with four daughters.”

As we continue to celebrate Heritage month, share your memories with us by sending through some of your family’s vintage wedding memories! Scan your photo/s and e-mail them to smag@sowetan.co.za.

Send us the details of the event and include all names in full. If selected, we will publish your story on sowetanlive.co.za. Entries close on 9 October 2020.

DECOR

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CELEBRATING HERITAGE MONTH WITH NESTLÉ DESSERT & COOKING CREAM ICONS OF HERITAGE!

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he cultural diversity in South Africa is one worthy of global applause, and this Heritage Month Nestlé Dessert and Cooking Cream has identified two Icons of Heritage. These individuals have not only broken boundaries but have also unapologetically celebrated their heritage through food, music, and art. Introducing the Icons Of Heritage, Trevor Stuurman and Makhadzi — much like Nestlé Dessert and Cooking Cream, these two embody the true meaning of South African heritage and pride.

If there is one thing worth noting about the trajectory of 2020, it is definitely the meteoric rise of two of our biggest creatives in the land.

They are Limpopo’s finest export and traditional artist Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona, known as Makhadzi, and visual artist Trevor Stuurman, who made Africa proud as one of many creative directors who were part of Beyoncé’s Black Is King film.

With Heritage Day fast approaching, we caught up with these two Icons Of Heritage to chat about what Heritage Month means to them.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE NESTLÉ DESSERT AND COOKING CREAM DISHES FOR HERITAGE DAY THAT REMIND YOU OF HOME? Oh man, the one thing that reminds me of home has to be trifle laced with Nestlé’s Condensed Milk — you really can’t go wrong with that. Now I also enjoy Mala mogodu le bogobe.

TREVOR STUURMAN

MAKHADZI

NESTLÉ DESSERT AND COOKING CREAM HAS BEEN PART OF OUR COOKING EXPERIENCES FOR MANY YEARS, AND THIS YEAR THEY HAVE RECOGNISED YOU FOR YOUR UNAPOLOGETIC CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS. WHAT DOES BEING AN “ICON OF HERITAGE” MEAN TO YOU? It feels good to be recognised and valued — thank you Nestlé. I am someone who is doing what he loves, so to me, being an Icon of Heritage is such an honour because it means that my work is being recognised globally and on my own continent where my heritage begins in the first place.

WHAT DOES CELEBRATING YOUR HERITAGE MEAN TO YOU? Celebrating heritage is a way of life and an everyday exercise. We are nothing without culture.

NESTLÉ DESSERT AND COOKING CREAM HAS BEEN PART OF OUR COOKING EXPERIENCES FOR MANY YEARS, AND THIS YEAR THEY HAVE RECOGNISED YOU FOR YOUR UNAPOLOGETIC CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS. WHAT DOES BEING AN “ICON OF HERITAGE” MEAN TO YOU? Being celebrated as an icon of heritage clearly means that as an individual you have to remember where you come from; know your culture and origins. It is a way of being proud of yourself and embracing who you are. The love of dance and music will forever be my comfort, that’s Makhadzi for you. Thank you so much Nestlé Dessert and Cooking Cream for this honour.

I am proud of my Tshivenda name because it says a lot about me and my culture. I love the name, it

suits me, and this is how I represent my South African heritage.

WHAT DOES CELEBRATING YOUR HERITAGE MEAN TO YOU? As a young girl from Venda, my heritage is my pride. It defines who Makhadzi is and it is important to celebrate our heritage because it is the only way our culture will continue to grow. My heroes, my culture, my pride and my belonging — that is all part of my DNA! WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE NESTLÉ DESSERT AND COOKING CREAM DISHES FOR HERITAGE DAY THAT REMIND YOU OF HOME? I love sour pap (mutuku) with mukusule and mopane worms, but I must say, one of my fondest childhood memories is having potato salad prepared with Nestlé’s dessert cream. I still use it to this day when hosting a braai.

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ho would have thought that the once low-key craft of male grooming would become one of the fastestgrowing sectors in the beauty industry? As a practice that never stretched past the standard haircut and beard trim at home or courtesy of a curbside barber ngaphans’ kwesihlahla, grooming options were extremely limited. We’ve moved so far from having to choose a haircut from handdrawn pictures to now being able to walk into any barbershop and get kitted out with styles, from a skin fade with a textured quiff or afro-sponge curls to dreads or neon-pink hair colour. The art of grooming has definitely evolved as the perceptions of masculinity have changed.

We ask the experts for their best grooming tips that you can incorporate into your routine, right now.

GROOMING

Grooming is a craft and can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be text : NOKUBONGA THUSI

their beard-gang membership and full, grown-out beards have been thriving. While beard experimentation is great, the right grooming tips will ensure that your beard always looks and feels its best. Sorbet Man barber Fatima Sholanke shares her top beardmaintenance tips for a better beard game. Take notes, these are the real chats.

1. Keep your beard moisturised. Beard oils and beards balms can work wonders in protecting the overall look and feel of your facial hair.

2. Cultivate the habit of brushing your beard downwards as often as possible to prevent hairs from growing outwards and looking unkempt. Avoid letting your facial hair tangle as your beard will become difficult to brush.

3. The best way to wash your beard is by using beard soap, which helps treat your beard at the same time. Wash thoroughly so that the skin underneath your beard is clean. The best skincare tip, especially if fashioning a full beard, is to purchase a good exfoliator. This will prevent ingrown hairs and thoroughly cleanse the skin underneath.

THE ART OF A HEALTHY BEARD AND SHAVE Beards are more than just facial hair; they can be just as expressive as the hair on your head.

In lockdown, many men have been working on

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PHOTOGRAPHY ANENO BEAUTY BAR AND SUPPLIED

Nothing quite beats the feeling of a fresh haircut and razor-sharp lines, but most guys forget that good hair starts with a great scalp. Whether it’s to prevent dandruff putting a damper on your new haircut or if you wear a chiskop, it’s fundamental to know how to maintain a healthy scalp. “Don’t over-wash your hair. Your scalp contains a natural oil called sebum that lubricates the hair during hair growth and plays an essential part in having healthy moisturised hair. Don’t under-wash either as excess sebum can clog your pores, so wash your hair every second or third day to prevent this from happening,” says Natasja Pienaar, GHD South Africa educator.

Regardless of whether you have a full head of hair or not, make sure to use a scalp-clarifying shampoo to remove any product buildup and balance the scalp’s oils and moisture levels. Even when cutting your hair, scalp care comes first.

Ensure that you use a pre-shave wash if you’re going in for a close shave, to gently exfoliate dead skin cells and buildup. You may have noticed your barber ends a haircut by applying alcohol around the neck and back of the head area. This is not for their amusement as they watch it sting your scalp — it’s to keep the skin germ- and irritation-free.

Clippers and hair tools can carry and transfer a lot of bacteria so make sure to use methylated spirits on your clipper blades before use and spray some rubbing alcohol onto the scalp to kill any bacteria and stop hair-follicle irritations.

The Art Of Grooming

THE ART OF THE FRESH CUT

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Ah yes, the dreaded razor bumps and ingrown hairs — everyone gets them. The propensity for Black men to get ingrown hairs is high due to the coiledcurl pattern of the facial hair, so grooming routines need to include ways to reduce, treat, or avoid this altogether. Firstly, exfoliation before shaving needs to be a consistent practice in your shaving regimen.

Contrary to popular belief, Black men should exfoliate after shaving — not before — so that the shave is not too close. A close shave cuts the hair coil too cleanly, and it’s the subsequent irritation on the skin and the coil regrowing out of the follicle and curling back into the skin that causes ingrown hairs. Enver Yeshilbulut, affiliate barber of grooming brand The Bluebeards Revenge, shares this about after-shave care: “You should always finish a shave by applying a post-shave balm as this product is what separates

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those who suffer with razor rash from those who look forward to their next shave. Seek out products with ingredients such as witch hazel, aloe vera, chamomile, and others that help to cleanse and soothe the skin.”

Post-shave balm should be warmed slightly between the fingers and applied to the face in circular motions to evenly distribute the balm on the skin and allow it to penetrate the pores. After application, let the product absorb into your skin naturally and do not wipe or dry off with a towel.

TIP: Razors are notorious for causing more ingrown hairs and bumps than clippers do.

If you still prefer using a razor, make sure it is a single, straight blade, not a double- or triple-blade razor. Multiple blades can create a shave that is too close, resulting in razor bumps.

THE ART OF RESILIENT SKIN

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IMAGES JAMIE MCCARTHY/GETTY IMAGES AND SUPPLIED

AVOID RAZOR BUMPS

PRODUCTS 1. Jimmy Choo Urban Hero EDP, 100ml, R1 499 2. Heliocare 360° Color Gel Oil-Free SPF 50+ Bronze Intense, 50ml, R440 3. Fino Man Beard Grooming and Shaving Oil, 50ml, R120 4. Label.Men Scalp Purifying Shampoo, 250ml, R295 5. Nivea Men Deep 48H AntiPerspirant Roll-On, 50ml, R23 6. Optiphi Body Curve Cleanse + Shave, R350 7. Philips OneBlade Shaver, from R499

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Great skin starts with investing in a basic product arsenal to improve and maintain your skin health every day. If you can nail a steady exfoliation routine, half the job is already done. Jared Hines, founder of grooming lounge Hines and Harley, advises: “Every man should have an exfoliator; without proper exfoliation no product will be effective on the skin. My grooming essentials are an exfoliator and moisturiser, to keep skin looking its best for as long as possible.”

Another basic in the art of skincare is ensuring that you apply sunscreen every day and that you’re choosing the right one for your needs and lifestyle. Sunscreen not only protects your skin from the damaging effects of UV exposure but also slows down the visible signs of ageing and reduces signs of pigmentation. Dr Bradley Wagemaker, medical director of Lamelle, shares some factors to consider when looking for a good sunscreen. “For daily use you need to use a sunscreen with an SPF 30 at least. For outdoor use you would need a higher SPF and we suggest 50+ but if you are going to be active (sweating) or in water you will need a water-resistant product.”

It’s best to go for skincare products that combine steps, not take them away. With so many environmental aggressors such as pollution, stress, and sun damage, now’s the time to look for multi-tasking products.

How about a moisturiser that refines skin texture, sunscreens that even out skin tone, or cleansers that contain probiotics to improve your skin health and balance?

Sounds good, right?

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ACTING ICON, AUTHOR, AND SURVIVOR JERRY MOFOKENG WA MAKHETHA OPENS UP ABOUT HIS LIFETHREATENING BATTLE AND THE KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE

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ou are lucky that I’m sharing this with you because I haven’t spoken about this sensitive journey publicly before — and had no intention to do so until this very moment,” says Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha (64) as we sit in the winter sun, taking in the last of its rays.

“Last year October I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and I only shared the shocking and devasting news with my family, close friends, and colleagues.” After the diagnosis, his doctors ordered that he immediately undergo five weeks of radiation. “Even though everyone around me was very worried about my health, I was not, because I am spiritually and mentally strong.” During the weeks of treatment, he would start his day by undergoing radiation early in the morning, then rush off to work to do what he loves. “I was able to do this because when I’m on set, I feel no pain and looking forward to acting helped me cope with the gruelling radiation.”

This is not the first time that he has found healing through acting. He has also had surgery on his spine, which compromised some of his physical movements. “When I’m Jerry, my spine likes acting up but when I’m in character, I don’t feel pain and I can move freely.”

After five bouts of radiation and three weeks of recovery, Mofokeng wa Makhetha received the good news that he was in remission. Despite his upbeat demeanour, he says it was not an easy battle for him to overcome. He says it was acting,

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together with western and herbal medication, that helped him. “I’m sharing this because I want people to believe they can be healed, especially because of the high Covid-19 infection rate. I don’t want people to give up.”

So captivating is his storytelling that, during our conversation, I keep forgetting to take down notes. The veteran actor holds court with an ease that reflects his nearly 30 years of honing his craft. Luckily for me, every time he notices that I have stopped writing he softly says, “Hey, don’t forget to write this down.”

He strongly believes that acting saved his life and he is grateful to have been introduced to it when he was a teenager living in Orlando West, Soweto. He grew up next to Uncle Tom’s Hall, where he watched plays directed by the late legendary playwright Gibson Kente.

“Even though I was inspired by Kente to become an actor, it was only after I saw the late Mary Twala acting in a play called

“I’M GRATEFUL TO BE DOING WHAT I LOVE AND GETTING CELEBRATED WHILE I’M STILL ALIVE”

Lifa that I connected with the art of acting.” He explains that, back in the ’80s, he believed acting had to involve singing and dancing because he had only been exposed to Kente’s musicals.

Trying to convince his mother he wanted to be an actor was difficult because she thought all actors were drunkard womanisers — this was the stereotype back then.

However, he decided to start small by acting in communitytheatre productions from 1975 to 1982 to get experience and to understand the industry.

In 1983, when he was 27 and married with one child, he enrolled at Wits School of Dramatic Arts to follow his dream

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and study acting. After he graduated he was awarded a scholarship to study towards a master’s degree in theatre directing at New York’s Columbia University. A few months after his move to New York, his wife Claudine and children joined him. “My wife found a job as a nurse and she worked midnight shifts so that I could go to school during the day and look after the kids when she went to work.” These were hard times for them, but their love and support for each other kept them going strong.

“My wife and I are a strong team and I believe this is why we are celebrating our 40year marriage anniversary this year.” When he completed his studies, they all moved back to South Africa in 1991, a tense time for the country. When he landed his first TV acting role in 1994 as a killer in a movie called The Line, South Africans hated the scary villain he portrayed but fell in love with his talent.

After that role, many doors opened up, and continued to do so over the years. He has acted in local and international-awardwinning movies, soapies, and plays, as well as working behind the scenes as a director. “I’m grateful to be doing what I love and getting celebrated while I’m still alive.”

And the celebrations keep coming. The silver-screen legend has won four Golden Horns at the South African Film and Television Awards, including a lifetime achievement award in 2013. In 2018, the African Film Festival honoured him with its African Film Legend award and just last year, the University of the Free State awarded him an honorary doctorate in the humanities, making him Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha.

Two films he has featured in premiered at this year’s Durban International Film Festival (Diff). This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection has been picking up awards globally, including at the Sundance Film Festival. It is also one of the last films to star his acting inspiration, Mary Twala, before she passed away in July.

“I’m excited about my character in this film because I play a prophet who sees the worlds of spirits. My other movie that premiered at Diff is titled Shaft 6.”

As we continue chatting, I can’t help but be awed by his full, storied life. Just before I get lost in his storytelling again, he jokingly reminds me to take down notes again. I quickly snap out of it and ask him what, after almost three decades in the industry, he still wants to achieve. “I still want to direct a television series that will heal people, because my wife and I work as marriage and

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PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE TANCHEL/RED HOT OPS PRODUCTION SAHIL HARILAL GROOMING KHUMO NGWENYA HAIR KHOMOTSO MOLOTO PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT THEKISO MOKHELE

relationship counsellors. We have witnessed love stories that have not been told before and I would like to direct a series about these stories.” In 2015, he published a book titled In Love & Intimate, detailing how he and his wife make their marriage work and how others can do the same. Living a purposeful life is important to him and he wants to use his life experiences to inspire others.

“People look at me and think that my life is easy because I’m a veteran actor but it’s not. I’ve had to overcome challenges that brought me to tears.” One of these challenges was finding his biological father at the age of 58, after what he says were years spent feeling incomplete. “When the truth was finally revealed to me, I couldn’t stop crying. I was relieved and happy to finally know who I really am.” He beams with joy when he talks about adding Wa Makhetha to his name. “I urge families to tell children about their fathers, so they don’t have to go through what I went through.”

One of the guiding principles by which he lives his life is to do the right thing even when no one is watching. While I’m frantically writing down these wise words, he looks at me and laughs. “You can stop writing now, I have said everything that was in my heart.”

Page 25: Collar (part of blouse), price on request, David Tlale; hat, R690, Simon & Mary Page 30: Blazer, R1 199; shirt, R329; scarf, R179; braces, R179, all H&M; hat, R860, Crystal Birch Page 32: Coat, R10 999, Thebe Magugu; golf shirt, R449, Trenery; cap, R1, Brentwood Page 33: Tuxedo blazer, R1 400; tuxedo trousers, R599, both Markham; shirt, R1 199, Polo, Celine sunglasses, R4 950, Sunglass Hut; bow tie, R179, H&M; silk scarf; cummerbund; shoes, stylist’s own Stockists Brentwood 087 940 4600 Crystal Birch therealcrystalbirch.com David Tlale davidtlale.com H&M 086 069 0707 Markham markham.co.za Polo polo.co.za Simon & Mary simonandmary.co.za Sunglass Hut za.sunglasshut.com Thebe Magugu thebemagugu.com Trenery woolworths.co.za

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rowing up in Soweto, Sanza Sandile was exposed to different customs, cultures, languages — and tastes.

Later, as a film student, he itched to spend the little money he had on the streets of the vibrant, multicultural Joburg neighbourhood of Yeoville, where he would earn his title as its “prince”. In its heyday, Yeoville pumped with entertainment hotspots, art, and music — but over time, the area took a hit. Crime rates rose and patrons abandoned its stores, restaurants, and clubs.

Sandile learned many of the customs he’d been exposed to in Yeoville and picked up the recipes of the dishes he’d come to love, and began to fashion himself as a gastronomic inventor. Using his continental know-how, he created an experience-based restaurant, hoping to turn Yeoville into a cultural haven once more.

And so, Sandile’s Yeoville Dinner Club was established. With two large dinner tables, he welcomes strangers to dine with other strangers and delight in the eclectic mix of authentic and often hybridised meals that colour the kitchens of many African homes. Sanza calls his menu a “pan-Afrikan plate”, with food and drink pairings that hail from countries across the continent.

Cocktails are often served with curries on cassava leaves à la the DRC. An abundance of vegan choices includes Nigeria’s jollof rice and egusi (ground seeds of a specific kind of melon, which is made into a soup). Desserts include poached pears and roasted plums, transporting patrons as far afield as Cameroon.

“It’s the sensibilities of food, which is what the Yeoville dinner parties are all about,” Sandile says. “I’ve realised that the more esteemed restaurants disrespect us as the Black class, and the restaurants themselves don’t care for our money. You just won’t get good service at all unless you are someone who is overt and not afraid to fight, but some of us don’t want to fight. We just want to pay for a good meal and go.”

Sandile’s menu is constantly changing and is often inspired by what he can get from the community. Fresh produce is home-grown by locals, sourced from Yeoville’s markets, or courtesy of the permaculture projects he’s helped to build in the suburb’s schools.

“That has been my focus for the past ten years: Yeoville, the food, and its people,” he says.

The Yeoville Dinner Club is open and offers patrons a commuter service. It’s best to book ahead.

Find it on Facebook or call or message Sandile on 083 447 4235.

FOOD

SANZA SANDILE :

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Yeoville Dinner Club

Soul text : THANGO NTWASA

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We celebrate Africa with two foodies who tell stories of the continent, one meal at a time

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LUYANDA MADIBA :

Okwethu Traditional Delicacies

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oming from a sports-mad family, Luyanda Madiba started out pursuing a career as a gym and sporting-event manager. It was while travelling around the country for this active endeavour that he realised how hard it was to find well prepared traditional South African foods — especially in bustling cities like Johannesburg.

His family has always been passionate about traditional Xhosa food, and his pursuit of the good stuff away from home became a critical quest. He’d often walk the streets of Joburg searching for delicacies like sheep’s head. “I’ve always loved traditional food.

When I came to Joburg, I didn’t get that sense of home,” he explains.

To solve this problem, Madiba started Okwethu Traditional Delicacies, a fooddelivery service in Johannesburg that offers dishes such as intloko (sheep’s head), amanqina (chicken feet), and amagwinya (fat cakes). “I don’t know if this is really a Xhosa thing or not, but we all love meat at home. Whenever we are slaughtering, we make sure to use all the meat.”

The name of the business — okwethu means “ours” in isiXhosa — also reflects that it is a family business. Madiba first pitched his business idea to an aunt with a catering background. One of his brothers is in charge of branding and marketing, and his brother’s girlfriend manages the company’s social-media accounts.

“The one thing our family has instilled in us is love and respect. I think we have quite a lot of respect for each other,” Madiba says of the family affair. Though the foods they serve are delicacies, enjoyed occasionally rather than as staples, Madiba is actively working to break the stigma that traditional foods are all starchy, stodgy, and unhealthy.

“I’m meeting with nutritionists to understand the nutritional content of traditional foods and to show that it’s not actually bad. There is an assumption that traditional food is bad, but no one — even from my research — has actually found that it is,” Madiba says. He also cooks with healthy oils and tries to produce lean meals.

With Okwethu Traditional Delicacies being in demand, Madiba has plans to introduce a menu that incorporates dishes from other cultures. He also hopes to open a food market, and branch out to Cape Town and Pretoria.

Find Okwethu Traditional Delicacies on Facebook, or call or message Madiba on 082 779 9407.

TECH

Toy Story

it suits any beginner-level pilot, features great flight modes, and won’t burn a hole through the pocket.

Got more time on your hands? Yolisa Mkele recommends these four fun gadgets

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2 PRODUCTS 1. DJI Tello Quadcopter, R 1 899, takealot.com 2. Vivo X50 Pro, R19 999, vivo.com 3. Samsung Gear VR4, R 1 399, expertstores.co.za 4. Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+, R 5 499, mantality.co.za

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nce upon a time we were allowed to go outside and play with other kids. We would dance, frolic, and entertain ourselves with socially un-distanced amusements.

That time has come and gone. Going out just isn’t the same when you are not allowed to hug people. The good part about being grounded is that our drinks bills have shrunk drastically, leaving us with more money to spend on gadgets.

But what to buy? Here are some suggestions.

THE MULTI-TASKER: Being trapped at home has probably turned your phone into some combination of portable office and best friend. If you are not crafting presentations and sending emails then you’re curled up in bed with it, watching something fun.

To paraphrase Black Twitter, “Get you a phone that can do both.” The question becomes what kind of phone? Eve’s fruit of choice can be a touch pretentious, and that other one has been known to blow up — literally. If you are looking for something packed with features then the Vivo X50 Pro may be one of your best bets. It has a quad-camera setup, built on a gimbal system that gives you more stability while shooting in motion, so even your “athletic” Tinder profile pics will be flawless. If you are a real stickler for stats, there are plenty of impressive ones, including 256GB of internal storage. The gist of it is that your inner hipster will love this phone.

A PERSPECTIVE SHIFT: Ok, everyone who doesn’t live alone, feel free to skip this next paragraph. Are they gone?

Good. Trust me, you have not lived until you have watched porn using a pair of virtual-reality goggles. There are certain attachments (that we won’t mention because, at this point, we are already pushing the boundaries of what is printable) that you can purchase to supplement the experience. If you find yourself bereft of a warm body to keep you company as these last dregs of winter pass, then you are not going to find many better alternatives. Oh yes, and virtualreality headsets do have a whole host of perfectly innocent applications as well, like gaming.

Just make sure you get the good ones, like the Samsung Gear VR4.

SNEAKY FISHING: TAKE FLIGHT: Are you itching to explore but don’t really want to come into contact with people? Well, drones are the perfect solution to that problem. If you have spoken to a drone enthusiast, the idea of owning one may not initially appeal to you as they tend to, um, drone on about technical stuff that no one with regular access to people cares about. But if you’re looking for some flying and spying action, they can actually be fun. The DJI Tello Quadcopter is a nice one to start off with as

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We are now allowed to travel to lakes and rivers and you will be hard-pressed to find too many sports more socially distanced than fishing. The only problem is that fishing is hard, and those slimy little I&J candidates are pretty good at hide and seek. There is a way around this. The Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ is a useful little thingamajig that helps you find fishies. Essentially you lob it in the water and it uses technological witchcraft to snitch on the fish by floating on the water while transmitting information to your smartphone or tablet. Like magic.

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f you’re a man under 35, there are plenty of things you can say that will shock certain groups of people. Head out of your house and tell people that you are fundamentally opposed to the idea of wives earning more than their husbands and you will raise many eyebrows. Get on your soapbox and tell whomever will listen that you are an ardent supporter of feminism and it’s likely that a completely different group of people will look askance at you. Extol the virtues of atheism and yet another group will complain about how you are an example of the youth being led astray.

In each of those examples, you will find opposition and support without too much difficulty. If, however, you decide to pluck up the courage to tell people that you want a vasectomy, be prepared for a near-universal pushback.

Somehow, when it comes to the idea of shutting down one’s baby factory, everyone seems to be in agreement — don’t do it.

The idea that a man would want to render his precious baby batter useless is probably about as distasteful to most people as the idea of seeing our president featuring on Pornhub. My own anecdotal research suggests that people across the board react with shock, a dismissive “It’s just a phase,” or downright suspicion upon discovering your plans to start producing pulp-free man juice.

The shock is probably the easiest reaction to understand. After all, masculinity is basically just gender as designed by Russian architects: big, bold, strong, virile. Being able to create a pride of young lions with the mere wave of a meat wand is allegedly one of the foundational pillars of being a man — especially a young man. Many ask why you would make yourself voluntarily impotent, or (if they are less delicate) why you would chop off your penis. This obvious wilful misunderstanding of what a vasectomy actually is, is part of why the shocked reactions are so widespread. After all, who in their right mind would maim their masculine architecture like that? The waving-itoff-as-a-phase reaction tends to come from an older crowd but is reminiscent of that parent who knows their teenager is drinking but would rather not admit it because little Lunga is such a good boy.

The suspicion is perhaps the weirdest reaction.

I’ve encountered a number of people who seem to think that getting a vasectomy is just an excuse to have unprotected sex. I’m not sure how those people think sexually-transmitted diseases work but severing one’s vas deferens is not a scientifically proven method of preventing any of them.

This may be hard to hear but the reason for getting a vasectomy is pretty simple: the person doesn’t want any, or any more, children. It could

be because children cost a lot of time and money or because a career is more important to him than reproducing. Hell, it could be because he suspects his girlfriend of cheating and wants to catch her out when she says she’s pregnant. In my case it is as simple as not wanting any more children. One is enough. One is a great number. According to most people in the world there is only one God and they seem happy with that. Like that one God, there is no need to complicate things by adding more to the mix. That, and the idea of being a father to anything less than a fully grown adult is gross to me. Imagine being 50 years old and having to learn the names of famous people on whatever app has replaced TikTok, or going to children’s birthday parties and making excruciating small

talk with other parents. No thanks. At 50, my 30-year-old child will be scolding me about my decade-long mid-life crisis.

The point is, none of the reasons matter. It is not your reproductive system so you don’t need to get indignant about what some fictional future wife will say. It is not your decision to make. The fate of someone else’s manly milkshake is as relevant to you as the stock price in Djibouti. Come to think of it, stop pestering women who are voluntarily childless as well. There are people in the world who get worked up about things that are not their business.

They usually have a short bob hairstyle and enjoy calling the police when people have a braai at a park and don’t invite them. They’re called Karens. Don’t be a Karen; mind your own business.

The big snip typography : MANELISI DABATA

To cut, or not to cut? That is the question Yolisa Mkele says is not anyone’s business S. MAG S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

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THOMAS FALKINER

CHEAP It’s a new season, so why not take something different for a spin?

Inject some automotive adventure into your life with our lineup of new and secondhand cars that all offer a surprising amount of style, character, and performance — for not all that much money

THE POCKET ROCKET | 2020 SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT |R327 900 We have always been fans of the Suzuki Swift Sport and this latest iteration happens to be particularly tasty thanks to its punchy, turbocharged motor — the new 1.4-litre Boosterjet that churns out 103kW and 230Nm of torque.

Viewed in isolation these figures might not sound like much (especially in 2020) but thankfully the Swift Sport only weighs a scant 970kg. As such, this nimble little shopping trolley feels surprisingly

brisk when you get on the good foot and blast on down your favourite road.

What’s more, it offers the kind of performance that you can truly exploit all the time and in all conditions — something you can’t do in more powerful and significantly more expensive hatchbacks without risking massive fines and/or a grisly accident. Behind the leather-stitched steering wheel you’ll discover that its handling is taut and responsive while its ride is supple enough to shrug off most of our asphalt imperfections. Inside you’ll find creature comforts

such as a touchscreeninfotainment system that offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, and a reverse camera.

There’s also cruise control, automatic climate control, plus a TFT onboard computer between the speedometer and tachometer. An automatic gearbox is optional but we highly recommend the sixspeed manual as it suits the car’s playful demeanour.

At the end of the day the Suzuki Swift Sport is all about fun, accessible driving thrills and, to that end, it certainly delivers in spades.

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THE JACK OF ALL TRADES | 2010+ MAZDA MX-5 | R170 000 — R220 000 When it comes to affordable roadsters, nothing can really hold a candle to the legendary Mazda MX-5. This is because it marries low running costs and bulletproof mechanicals with delicate handling and spirited straight-line performance. This little Japanese sportster is equally at home hustling around our everyday mean streets as it is burning rubber at an impromptu track

day. While it’s the firstgeneration MX-5 that everybody wants to snap up at the moment, we recommend taking a closer look at the often maligned third-generation model, particularly the facelifted version that landed on our shores towards the end of 2009. Aside from wearing a more aggressive visage, this updated version also benefitted from a sharper chassis as well as a fettled 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that produced 118kW and could now rev right up to 7 500RPM. Mazda also polished the action of the six-speed

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THRILLS manual gearbox, making it one of the sweetest shifting transmissions you could ever hope to sample. What also impressed me was the car’s high level of standard specification. It came with heated leather seats, a seven-speaker Bose sound system with an aux-in jack, automatic climate control, and xenon headlamps. The electronic hardtop stowed behind the seats without encroaching on boot space.

Genius. It retails for around R337 500 when new but you can now pick up a tidy 2010+ model for between R170 000 and R220 000.

And that is a helluva lot of sports car for your money.

You’re welcome.

THE FIERY MEDITERRANEAN | 2012 ALFA ROMEO 159 3.2 | NO MORE THAN R160 000 If you require a little extra space for people and things, as well as some longer legs for regular cross-country jaunts, then take a look at the Alfa Romeo 159: a devilishly handsome BMW 3 Series rival that not only looks deceptively more expensive than it really is but also packs some enviable movie-car credentials. Dig out your old Quantum of Solace DVD and you will see James Bond in the opening

sequence, in his black Aston Martin DBS being chased by gun-wielding villains commandeering a pair of 159 sedans. Yeah, we also thought it was pretty darn cool. Hollywood heritage aside, the Alfa Romeo 159 also delivers easy performance thanks to its growly and highrevving 3.2-litre V6 engine that kicks out 191kW and 322Nm worth of torque — numbers that are hard to sniff at even in 2020.

You can expect 100km/h to come up in seven seconds and a top speed of 250km/h. Find a Ti model (“Turismo Internazionale” in case you’re wondering) and you’ll also benefit from a bespoke exhaust, lowered sports suspension, matteblack 18-inch alloy wheels, and red Brembo brake calipers. Climb inside and you’ll find heated leather/ Alcantara seats, Bluetooth connectivity, and a USB port. We’ve got to admit that we’re suckers for the three old-school analogue dials sunk into the centre console that monitor oil temperature, water temperature, and fuel level.

The elephant in the room here is, of course, reliability, so make sure the car you’re looking at has a full service history to minimise headaches further down the road. Other than that, you should be golden.

2020 Suzuki Swift Sport

Mazda MX-5

2012 Alfa Romeo 159 3.2

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and rugby culture. It’s a little more difficult with cricket because of the nature of the game — it’s a bit longer.

Monde Zondeki THE GAME Being a professional sportsman and representing my country was a dream come true.

It is an honour to say I was able to wear the green and gold.

Some of the challenges were the many months and weeks away from my loved ones, family, and friends. Personally, dealing with a lot of injuries was frustrating for me, and ended up cutting my career short.

HERITAGE My heritage comes from being umXhosa and the roots of where my ancestors and I are from. Heritage is about knowing who you are and never losing that identity and the traditions our ancestors practised in the past, and how we can carry them into the future.

Rugby and cricket are huge in the Eastern Cape and in the Western Cape. There are a lot of talented Black cricket players from way back who never got the opportunities, obviously, because of apartheid, to play the sport at a national level.

They are both very big sports in our culture.

Xhosa commentating has taken the country by storm. If you come to a gathering of Xhosa people you will understand why the commentating is exactly the way they do it in terms of our culture; it’s loud, it’s expressive, and it’s like everything we do as amaXhosa.

Unfortunately we recently lost one of the pioneers of it all, Kaunda Ntunja, who was a really good friend of mine. At the rugby games in Cape

Former Protea Monde Zondeki is not only a record holder but also an inspiration for aspirant players.

Now a respected cricket commentator, he is working to build long-lasting sporting opportunities in townships. He talks to us about the legacy he is leaving behind for South African cricket text : THANGO NTWASA photography : KARL ROGERS

Town — especially when South Africa is playing — we, along with Ubumbo (a foundation that upskills young Black rugby players in the Western Cape), get a list of games to go watch and we go to pretty much every game. The vibe we create with singing igwijo (Xhosa folk singing) is becoming an integral part of Springbok culture

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DIVERSITY IN CRICKET If we’re going to try to get more Black people involved in cricket, we need to be present where they are, and offer more opportunities for them to play. I think that the government and Cricket South Africa need to put more money in township schools, where kids are keen to play.

The club-cricket system isn’t good anymore, and our township schools don’t play sports, so where else can a young Black kid go and play?

There are no programmes in the townships where they can get good coaching and good facilities that will help them reach their goals. This would help us unearth a lot more talent, which is what we need right now.

THE MONDE ZONDEKI FOUNDATION I started this foundation this year because it was important for me to give back to the sport that gave me so much when I was playing. I’m trying to help grow cricket and bring it back in rural communities so that kids have something to do on the weekends and they get to play. We were also working with a number of companies to help those kids to get opportunities, but because of the pandemic it’s obviously been slowed down and altered. We are now working to try to get people jobs — not just in cricket but outside of it too.

Former athletes who live in those communities can also help us out. This also includes guys who were coaches in the past. There is still a lot of stuff that needs to be ironed out but it’s all about giving back, promoting cricket in the poorer communities, and getting kids to play.

ADVICE FOR YOUNG CRICKETERS 1. Hard work: 90% of your success is about the amount of work you put in and 10% is talent.

You’re born with a talent but if you don’t put in the hard work to go with it, it doesn’t really work.

2. Discipline is very important. I’ve seen people who were disciplined; they put in the work and they improved through time. I have also seen other players who didn’t take it seriously and they didn’t go anywhere. In a sport like cricket, you spend many hours on the field and it takes a lot of fitness and concentration. That means taking a lot of care with your body , like sticking to your diet and not partying the night before a big game.

3. Listen to your coaches. When we’re young we sometimes think we have all the answers.

You should be a sponge for knowledge, and once you have it, you can use it and also impart it to other people as you get older.

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I AM DARK AND LOVELY *INSTRUMENTAL TEST