The South African, Issue 504, 5 March 2013

SEND MONEY

TO SOUTH AFRICA from

Show how much you care

£4.90

*

transfer fee

www.thesouthafrican.com 0800 833 833

5 - 11 March 2013

Issue 504

• Money Transfer • *Western Union also makes money from currency exchange.

Authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for the conduct of payment services business in the UK

Receive money at the authorized providers in South Africa:

41565

100,000 MONEY TRANSFERS EACH YEAR - BEST RATES!

UK_to_SA_154x254.indd 1

0808 141 2315

TAX, FINANCIAL AND MIGRATION EXPERTS: Money Transfers, Tax Refunds, Visas, Limited Companies & Accounting, UK Bank Accounts, CV & Job Assistance, Travel Clinic, Shipping, Legal and Umbrella Services

SA WOMEN TO BE HONOURED IN UK

www.1stcontact.com/mast1

INSIDE:

p2 | South African cops suspended after dragging suspect behind police van

p3 | SA father-of-two wins right to keep children in UK

Ahead of International Women’s Day on Friday, it’s fitting that several South Africans have been shortlisted for the UK-based Women4Africa Awards, to be held later this year

by HEATHER WALKER

FIVE South Africans have been nominated in the second annual Women4Africa™ Awards UK. Women4Africa is a UKregistered organisation focused on empowering Africa and its women by celebrating their role in their communities, supporting education and awarding honours on such women nominated by the public.

The South African nominees are: Fashion Designer of the Year: Sindiso Khumalo Dually based in London and Johannesburg, Sindiso studied architecture at the University of Cape Town and holds an MA Textiles at Central St Martins College of Art and Design. Known for her geometric prints, she describes her aesthetic as “Afro Bauhaus gone Pop”.

Career Woman of the Year: Mary Anne Anderson Mary Anne is the Director of Marketing & Business Development for EMEA at Reed Smith LLP and Chairperson of the SA Chamber of Commerce UK. Businesswoman of the Year: Neleen Strauss Neleen is the managing director of High Timber Restaurant in the City of London.

International Humanitarian of the Year: Rosie Motene Rosie is an actress, TV presenter and board member of People

UK Immigration • UK Visas • Permits • EEA visas • Residency • Citizenship • Appeals • Sponsorship Licences South African Immigration

SIZZLING PASSION: Bongile Mantsai and Hilda Cronje star in the explosive South African production Mies Julie, which opens at London’s Riverside Studios on Thursday 7 March, proudly supported by The South African. Read an interview with director Yael Farber on page 5.

Opposing Women Abuse, Childline, The Tomorrow Trust, The Johannesburg Children’s home and The infinite Family. She supports the 1-Global campaign for education and is also involved in campaigning against women and

child abuse in South Africa.

Recognition for Outstanding Achievements: Beka Ntsan’Wisi Beka is a social worker nicknamed the “Mother Theresa of Limpopo”.

Among other projects, she founded

26/10/2012 15:49:32

the Vakeghula Vakeghula football club to help elderly women overcome their diseases. She has received many awards for her services to others, including the SA government’s Order of the Baobab.

Women4Africa was birthed from a desire to see women honoured and celebrated. African women have often been portrayed as victims of poverty, violence, and conflict.

Beyond engaging them to fight against these negativities, it is equally important to highlight that African women are also ‘agents of positive change’ in their communities.

Women4Africa works to uplift African women and girls by supporting key charities and policy makers and engaging communities to address this crucial issue. Their three areas of focus are: ● Empowerment of women ● Campaigning against sexual exploitation of girls ● Working to end girl-child labour The Women4Africa Awards will be held on Saturday 18 May 2013 at The Great Hall, Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, W8 7NX. Doors open at 6pm, awards ceremony from 7-10pm.

Early bird tickets: £25 (Till 15 March 2013) Tickets: £35| At the door: £45 | VIP Tickets: £60 Buy at www.women4africa.com

p11 | SA Power 100: Pamela Nomvete of Coronation St

0845 074 0514 info@bic-immigration.com www.bic-immigration.com

The Leading Name in UK Immigration

Third Floor, Cutlers Court, 115 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7BR

Ref No. F201000144

2

| 5 - 11 March 2013 | thesouthafrican.com

News

Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

Editor: Heather Walker Production: Brett Petzer Registered office: Unit C7, Commodore House, Battersea Reach, London SW18 1TW. Tel: 0845 456 4910 Email: editor@thesouthafrican.com Website: www.thesouthafrican.com Directors: P Atherton, A Laird, J Durrant, N Durrant and R Phillips Printed by: Mortons of Horncastle Ltd

Blue Sky publishes the following titles:

© 2013 Zapiro (All rights reserved) Used with permission from www.zapiro.com

Daveyton cops suspended after dragging taxi driver behind police van

The paper used to print this publication has been sourced from sustainable forests (farmed trees). Please reduce waste by recycling your copy or passing it on to others.

The printed opinions of advertisers and writers are theirs and not necessarily shared by Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Unless otherwise stated, copyright of all original materials is held by Blue Sky Publishing Ltd.

Mozambican immigrant dragged for 400m behind vehicle before fatal beating in cells

Official media sponsors of the following organisations:

by STAFF REPORTER

NB INFO...

Rand Rate brought to you by Moneygram

“Taste our biltong and

Rand rate £1 = R 13.73

Write For Us TheSouthAfrican.com is compiled by a pool of freelance writers who help to research and write about South African topics in the UK. We write articles on issues pertinent to immigrants, and in particular South Africans in the UK, such as visas, employment and political events.

you’ll forget about getting it anywhere else! ”

Buy 200g beef biltong or drywors and get a 100g FREE

Beef Biltong Packs

We cover news, community, sport, entertainment (including South African-related restaurants, charities, gigs and events), travel and local business profiles. We also publish a number of weekly columns and opinion pieces.

Most of these events take place on evenings and weekends so don’t worry if you work full-time – this is something you can comfortably fit into your work schedule.

If you would like to contribute to The South African newspaper as a reporter, photographer, writer or web content producer, please send your CV and some examples of your writing to editor@thesouthafrican.com

Buy 2 get 1 FREE London East Top SA Shop, Inshops Stratford Mall, E15 1XQ

The Arches,Villiers Street, Embankment, WC2N 6NG

547 Garratt Lane, Earlsfield, London, SW18 4SR

1-6 Brocklane, Maidenhead, SL6 1LP

Tel: 0208 555 6606

Tel: 0207 839 6415

Tel: 0208 946 6951

Tel: 0162 878 2511

THE eight South African police officers alleged to be involved in the death of a Mozambican taxi driver this week have been suspended and disarmed, National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega said on Friday.

Speaking to the media in Pretoria, Phiyega said the Commander of Daveyton Police Station would be removed for the duration of an internal investigation.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate is also investigating the incident. In an amateur video that has since gone viral on YouTube, Mido Macia is seen tied to the back of a South African Police Service (SAPS) vehicle and dragged down the street a street in Daveyton, on the East Rand, for about 400m. He later died in police custody after being beaten to death in his cell.

Earlier in a statement, President Jacob Zuma condemned the incident and said he had directed the Minister of Police to investigate.

Zuma said members of the SAPS were required to operate within the confines of the law in executing their duties.

“The visuals of the incident are horrific, disturbing and unacceptable. No human being should be treated in that manner,”

said Zuma.

He extended his heartfelt condolences to the family of the man.

Phiyega said that the SA Police Service regretted and condemned the incident. “It was with extreme shock and we are equally outraged by what has happened that is why we’re taking the steps we are,” said Phiyega.

Acting Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) CEO Phumla Williams also sent government’s deepest condolences to the victim’s family, friends and community.

“No acts of abuse and crime will be tolerated in our country. We are confident that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate will conduct an independent and impartial investigation, and that the wheels of justice will turn in all abuse and criminal cases. We are aware that SAPS is also conducting an internal investigation,” Williams said. She said government assured South Africans that SAPS officials subscribe to a code of conduct and that their main objective is to achieve a safe and secure environment for all South Africans to live in. If SAPS officials are found to be in violation of the code of conduct, they will be dealt with accordingly. - SAnews.gov.za

thesouthafrican.com | 5 - 11 March 2013 |

3

News

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thesouthafrican

SA father-of-two wins right to keep children in UK

Tough new guidelines on sponsoring visas for relatives meant that an SA expat living in Lancashire has had to fight for the right to keep his children after their mother’s tragic death.

by SERTAN SANDERSON

DA Abroad’s first overseas Blue Blitz event in London a success ahead of 2014 election ON Saturday, 23 February the Democratic Alliance Abroad hosted a “Blue Blitz” event in London to engage with South Africans living abroad who wanted to get involved as members and activists in preparation for next year’s election.

This event follows on the success of many other “Blue Blitz” events held across South Africa by the Democratic Alliance over the weekend of the 16-17 February, which was spurred by an unprecedented rate of new activists and volunteers joining the party. The “Blue Blitz” event in London was well attended and the day’s agenda included a training manual on the DA’s history, values and message to South Africa together with details on the particular structure of the DA Abroad and how the organisation is working effectively to bring about positive change in South Africa through various campaigns, events and partnerships with charities.

The DA is embarking on the “Blue Blitz” campaign as part of a pre-election drive to increase the strength of its structures on the ground.

By election day 2014, the DA will have a larger and more energised group of campaigners than ever before.

The work of the DA Abroad is key to the success of the party in the 2014 elections and so the recently launched VOTE HOME campaign was an important topic of discussion for the day.

The objective of this campaign is to educate and mobilise South Africans living overseas to encourage them to vote in 2013.

DA Abroad organising committee members will lead all activists and members in training sessions and subsequent outreach efforts to engage with as many South Africans living overseas as possible.

They will host regular ‘Blue Blitz’ events for the next year in London and around the world. Plans are already in the pipeline for similar events in San Francisco and Sydney.

To follow the ‘Blue Blitz’ activities on social media,

South Africans can follow @ DA_News or @DA_Abroad on Twitter, using the #BlueBlitz and #DAmachine hashtags – or go to the Democratic Alliance Abroad Facebook profile.

To get involved, please email contact@da-abroad.org.

For more info on the VOTE HOME campaign please visit the VOTE HOME Facebook page at facebook.com/votehomeSA

to send for any of their dependants.

Tutt, who holds dual British and South African citizenship, was not allowed under the guidelines to sponsor his children in the UK, who only hold South African citizenship.

According to the new guidelines introduced in July, residents in the UK must earn at least £22,400 per annum (plus £2,400 for each child) if they wish to sponsor visas for their foreign relatives in the UK. The Home Office would not allow Tutt to bring his children into UK under these new rules on his limited salary as a waiter. Tutt (29), however, managed to fly his children into the UK initially on a holiday visa, which was just about to expire last week when he got his eleventh hour reprieve to have the visa converted into a settlement

visa under the discretion of the Home Office on humanitarian grounds. After five years in the UK, they will be allowed to apply for British citizenship. Tutt has had to spend more than £6,000 in legal fees so far and has to raise at least another £2,000 still to pay for the outstanding paperwork required by the Home Office. He’s campaigning for donations on Facebook and is organising a fundraising raffle event in his hometown of Burnley in early March. Among prices to be won in the raffle, you can get your car washed, a free haircut, and even a free botox treatment or tattoo.

The news of Tutt’s discretionary right to keep his children in the UK follows recent plans to make travel from South Africa to the UK easier again.

1st Contact Visas

WE WILL TAKE YOU HOME/ONS DOEN DIE GROOT TREK HUIS TOE...

Contact us to discuss your eligibility and all your options!

Have all the visas changes left you confused? 1st Contact Visas have the skills, knowledge and experience to take all the hassle away. We have helped thousands of people move around the world, be it to immigrate, travel or work.

We offer a full suite of visa and immigration services: > Indefinite Leave to Remain > Tier 1 Extensions > Tier 2/Work Permits > Ancestry Visa and Extensions > Student/Tier 4 Visa Extensions > Spousal/Partner/Fiancé Visas > EU Registration and Residency > Naturalisation and Registrations > British Citizenship Status Traces

• Excess Baggage/Boxes/Cartons • Part Container/Groupage • Complete Households/Cars • Comprehensive Insurance • Customs Clearance • Vehicle Documentation • RO - RO (Roll on - Roll off shipping)

0808 141 1620

www.1stcontactvisas.com/sa tier1sa@1stcontact.com

tel 0844-8730078 or 01394-332020 UK BASED OFFICE WITH OUR HEADQUARTERS IN RSA

www.southafricanremovals.com

44052

by STAFF REPORTER

A South African national’s yearlong legal battle to sponsor his children to remain in the United Kingdom has reached a peaceful resolution five days before they were due to be deported.

Justin Tutt’s children were left to be raised by their elderly grandparents in South Africa after his estranged wife Deirdre committed suicide in Cape Town last year. His son Seth (8) and daughter Leigh (5) then faced the threat of being taken into foster care in South Africa. Tutt campaigned to bring them to the UK, but had his visa applications declined following new rules introduced by the UK Home Office last year, stating that foreign nationals have to meet a certain threshold of income in order

44052_Visas_South_African.indd 1

1st Contact Visas are regulated and authorised to provide immigration advice/services by the Immigration Services Commissioner number F200100004.

29/03/2012 14:14

4

Community

| 5 - 11 March 2013 | thesouthafrican.com Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

SA women connect in Wimbledon

by RONEL VAN ZYL

A South African women’s networking evening was held in Wimbledon Village on 28 February 2013 in conjunction with Darling magazine and editor Karine Torr.

Janet Broadhurst from FoodBank Foundation and Jessica Shelver were the guest speakers at this successful event.

Win a ÂŁ25 Spur meal voucher

Visit www.ukspur.co.uk to locate your nearest Spur

If you have been spotted in the circle on this page please email your address to editor@thesouthafrican.com and your voucher will be posted to you.

5

thesouthafrican.com | 5 - 11 March 2013 |

Entertainment

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thesouthafrican

Yael Farber: Mies Julie is steamy

South African born, internationally acclaimed theatre director and playwright Yael Farber has toured the world with her original theatrical works earning her a reputation for hard-hitting, controversial theatre. Sandi Thompson speaks to her about her latest play, ‘Mies Julie’, and about what it’s like to be an international Saffa.

Would you call yourself causedriven? If so, what cause is currently breaking your heart that you would write about?

I am definitely cause-driven. I am motivated by sociopolitical circumstances, but you cannot just rest on a cause and expect people to believe you. You’ve got to make cracking good theatre. Lots of things break my heart. Right now it’s the statistics of sexual violence against women in the world. I’m heading to India to work with an extraordinary actress, Poorna Jagannathan, on a project of precisely that nature provoked by the rape and death of that young woman in India.

Where do you call home?

South Africa will always be home.

I’ve been in Montreal for a couple of years, but since Mies Julie, things have become very intense. So, home is wherever the work takes me.

Bongile Mantsai and Hilda Cronje in the explosive SA production Mies Julie which comes to London from 7 March

by SANDI THOMPSON

ON a chilly winter’s evening in London I settled down at my Mac for a Skype interview with South African theatre director and playwright Yael Farber, now living in Montreal, Canada. Having done my research on this multi-award winning woman, I had by this stage developed a serious case of stage fright. At 18:30 Farber ‘sat’ opposite me through the wonders of modern technology. Her ready smile and her familiar Highveld accent put me immediately at ease.

Farber has built a body of critically acclaimed work and is currently enjoying much praise for Mies Juile, an adaptation of August Strindberg’s play Miss Julie, re-set in post-apartheid South Africa.

Wowing audiences and critics alike, it won the 2012 Best of Edinburgh Award and The Guardian proclaimed, ‘Strindberg’s play wasn’t just dusted down – it had a fire lit under it.’ NY Times Theatre Review declared ‘the temperature never stops rising in Yael Farber’s Mies Julie’. The Telegraph said, ‘it has set a benchmark of excellence.’

Can you talk about the process of adapting Strindberg’s play to the South African milieu?

I’ve always wanted to write about South Africa. I recognised the narrative in Strindberg’s play as a way to crack open and expose a sociopolitical context.

What I enjoy about adapting is that I know these texts once had an enormous potency. It becomes almost forensic… how do you rediscover what gave that text teeth? Then I begin the process of locating it within the South African situation and developing the specific characters and setting to fit South Africa which is a complex, intimate, violent, tender society.

can look at all the dynamics that have gone between John and Julie.

Not only do they have this kind of tender ambiguous hatred/love for each other, but there’s also the question of stolen mothers, stolen land, stolen memories, shared memories, shared mothers, shared land. It’s a volatile scenario and as a creator I just smelt the richness of possibility.

The message?

What’s really important in Mies Julie is the hope. I knew the deal we had to cut with the audience as they watch is that if John and Julie could let go of the narrative threads they’d inherited, then love would actually be possible. So its more about a man and a woman in a kitchen struggling to find each other beyond all that extraneous public discourse, into the private realm of love. They don’t manage to triumph over their histories, but maybe we can.

By all accounts, Mies Julie is steamy. Were you surprised at the international reaction?

We knew we had something hot because we had shown the piece in South Africa, but the response there was different. In South Africa, audiences responded the only way they could – personally.

None of us expected the response we got in Edinburgh. Suddenly everyone was commenting on the art involved and praising it and that was surprising and wonderful. Audiences know what truth is. They know when they are witnessing something authentically volatile and provocative and not just for the sake of it. The reviews started coming in and it was wonderful. There’s that old adage that says don’t take the positive too seriously because then you need to take the negative seriously.

I’ve learnt that when the golden moments come, let them shine on you. Praise for the work is wonderful for everyone involved.

How did you change characters and circumstances?

Changing John’s fiancé in Strindberg’s original to his mother in Mies Julie opens up the question of how most white children were nannied by a black mother in their homes. So Christine becomes the mother to both these children – John (Bongile Mantsai) and Julie (Hilda Cronjé). That’s a fact of South African society so it opens up this amazing way in which you

How does it feel being an international South African?

It’s a strange condition – you long for home, but you’ve changed. I’m a South African who has access to a wider outlook, a broader picture.

I am proud to have grown up in South Africa in an extraordinarily unjust time, which either contracts you as a human being or expands you. South Africa asks you to be bigger than your circumstances.

It is in my blood – the smell, the hadedas, the pink sky at dawn, the sounds of the garden and the rain – at a DNA level, that is home.

Proudly supported by The South African.

Riverside Studios (Hammersmith, London) from 7 March to 19 May 2013.

Tickets: £25 -£26 Box office: 020 8237 1111 Website: www.miesjulie.com

6

| 5 - 11 March 2013 | thesouthafrican.com

Entertainment Brandpunt CONRAD BRAND

Dit is Lent

DIT is Lent!

Wag nou, wag nou! Kyk mooi, dit is sonder die ‘e’. Was dit maar die begin van Lente sou daar seker baie meer vriendelike gesigte wees om die donkerte en die temperatuur te lig.

Dit is egter Lent (Vaste tyd/ Lydingstyd in Afrikaans) en het laasweek na ‘Pannekoek-Dinsdag’ vir 46 (ses en veertig) dae begin voor dit afsluit met Paasfees.

Groot nuuskierigheid heers gewoonlik onder gelowiges en ander, veral op Aswoensdag oor wat se luuksheid of swakheid hul opgegee het vir Lent.

Ek kon vinnig en maklik antwoord, want soos die meeste mense in die Verenigde Koninkryk, gee ek PERD OP! Maar wat is Lent? Waar kom dit vandaan? En wat is die betekenis daarvan in vandag se samelewing?

Kom ek begin met Aswoensdag (Ash Wednesday), die eerste dag van die Lydingstyd in die Westerse-Christen kalender wat regdeur die Christendom gevier word, maar veral deur die Katolieke, Anglikane, Lutherane en Metodiste. Die naam kom van die eeue-oue praktyk om as op jou voorkop te smeer ter herinnering en viering van ons menslike

Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

sterflikheid en as teken van rou en bekering tot die Chritelike God. Die as wat tipies gebruik word is die as wat versamel is tydens die vorige jaar se palms wat op Palm Sondag verbrand is.

Voor dit, in antieke tye en met verkeie verwysings daarna in die Bybel, was dit ‘n teken van diepe rou, asook vir jou sondes en foute, deur jou met as te besmeer of daarin te rol.

Aswoensdag merk die begin van die 46 dae liturgiese tydperk van gebed en vas en wat volgens die Bybelse Evangelies, saamval en dui op die 40 dae wat Jesus alleen in die woestyn deurgebring het om te Vas en Bid en waartydens Hy die versoekings van die duiwel moes weerstaan.

Wat van die ses dae hoor ek jou? Wel, ses van die dae val op Sondae en as die Christelike Sabbat, is dit nie deel van die Vastende tydperk nie, maar eerder Feesdae gedurende Lent. Die tydperk of hoeveelheid dae van Lent verskil tussen denominasies, byvoorbeeld die Rooms-Katolieke wat die Lydingstyd eindig op die Donderdag voor Paas Sondag, dus slegs 44 dae lank.

Lent – Etimologie Quadragesima (Latyns) vertaal vanaf die oorspronklike Griekse Τεσσαρακοστή, Tessarakostē beteken die ‘40 ste’ dag voor Paasfees. Hierdie betekenis word bewaar in baie tale, maar in mees Slawiese tale gee die gemeenskaplike woord betekenis aan die frase “vas tyd” of “groot vinnig” en in ander lande “Geliefdes dae”. In die laat middeleeue het die Engelse woord Lent sy verskyning gemaak, geleen van Duits en Nederlands wat Lente beteken.

So daar het jy dit nou! Jy hoef dus glad nie sleg te voel oor die oorspronlike wip in jou hart wat die woord jou vroer gegee het nie.

Dit is Lent en die begin van Lente.

In vandag se lewe is dit bemoedigend om te sien dat soveel mense, wetend of onwetend, deel in dié Fees en mens kan net hoop dat die betekenis daarvan, ons menslike sterflikheid en dus die waarde van ‘n lewe, diep ingewortel word onder ons.

Vir dié wat moor en lewens verskeur, mag dié besef vinnig kom, en vir die slagoffer en sy familie?

Wel hulle weet wat dit werd was!

Jong Afrikaner: An exhibition and book launch in London

South African photographer Roelof Petrus van Wyk exhibits his Jong Afrikaner project from 5 to 16 March at the Jack Bell Gallery in London .Van Wyk’s large-scale colour portraits explore notions of ‘whiteness’ and ‘Afrikaner’ identities and their vexed relationship to being African.

BY STAFF REPORTER

JACK Bell Gallery in London presents ‘Jong Afrikaner’ – a solo show of photography by South Africa’s Roelof Petrus van Wyk from 5 to 16 March.

The exhibition continues on themes first seen in ‘Figures & Fictions’, a 2011 show at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

The exhibition coincides with the launch of a new hard cover artist’s print publication.

A new series of unseen photographic landscapes is also shown for the first time in dialogue with the portraits.

Van Wyk’s large-scale colour portraits of well-known and explore notions of ’whiteness’ and ‘Afrikaner’ identities and their vexed relationship to being African.

The Jong Afrikaner project documents a new generation of post-apartheid Afrikaners including well-known personalities such as Die Antwoord’s Yolandi Vi$$er.

Subverting not only traditional ethnographic photographic traditions, the portraits also reference portrait painting; Modigliani’s stretched necks, Bacon’s smeared mugs and especially Golden Age Dutch Master portraits, all of which demonstrates Van Wyk’s refusal to

adhere to the traditional pictorial conventions and technologies that produced taxonomic representations of race.

Alongside the Jong Afrikaner project, the landscape photographic project starts to sketch out a space wherein these processes of political and cultural transformation takes place. ‘Scenes from a Struggle’ maps out not only a history of colonial violence, but also documents current states of inequality, poverty and resistance in the mining and farming sectors, reflecting on the friction created by globalisation processes and nation state politics.

The town of Kimberley in the Northern Cape was

not only one of the key battlefields of the Anglo-Boer war, 1899, but also the place where the foundations of white capital ownership and black economic labour have been constructed during the discovery of diamonds and gold, and is reflected in the platinum mining industry upheavals on the Marikana mining landscape.

Born 1969, Van Wyk lives and works in Johannesburg. He has been shortlisted for a number of awards including the 2010 international Photo Awards, Lucie Foundation, and the 2010 Spier Contemporary award. Previous exhibitions include After A, a group show curated by Federica Angelucci at the 2010 Atri Documentary Festival, Italy, and the 2011 show Figures and Fictions at the V&A Museum.

Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa?

Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa?

Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? www.doreebonner.co.uk Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa?

Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa? Moving to South Africa?

The purr-fect move to South Africa

Whole house contents to cars or just single items, no one is more careful than Doree Bonner International. We’ve been moving our customers possessions around the world for over 90 years - providing the highest standards of service at sensible prices.

For a free moving survey and estimate, telephone our

Find out more at: www.doreebonner.co.uk or email: moving@dbonner.co.uk

freephone number and get your move off to the ‘Purr-fect’ start.

0800 091 3514

Our partner in South Africa is Elliott International www.elliott.co.za

7

thesouthafrican.com | 5 - 11 March 2013 |

Entertainment

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thesouthafrican

An interview with SA flutist and rising UK star Marlene Verwey Grant Mowatt talks to Marlene Verwey about her solo album and her upcoming concert at St John’s Waterloo in aid of Homes in Zimbabwe.

by GRANT MOWATT

NAMED by Sir James Galway as the 2012 Rising Star, South African-born flutist Marlene Verwey is a graduate from the Royal College of Music, where she obtained an Artist Diploma, the highest performance qualification awarded at the RCM. Previous studies include a Masters degree at the Carnegie Mellon University, USA under Jeanne Baxtresser, a performance diploma at the Accademia Internazionale della Musica in Milano, Italy under Raffaele Trevisani, and a B.Mus at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, under John Hinch.

Verwey has just recorded A Flute Affair, her first solo album with Salon Music South Africa.

Here she discusses the process of creating a solo album and her upcoming concert at St John’s Waterloo in aid of Homes in Zimbabwe.

How was creating an album different from working with composers, musicians and conductors?

In a project like this, I get to be the boss! But seriously though, an album is a project that requires careful planning,

lots of deliberation and hours of practising. This all takes place long before the recording starts, and is a culmination of a thought process stretching back years. It is wonderful to be able to apply my own musical direction to a project, use my own ideas and direct the other assisting musicians. When working with composers or conductors, one’s own creativity sometimes has to make space for their ideas with little possibility of flexibility.

You have worked with some terrific South African composers, some of which are included on the album. Which composer stands out for you?

Coenie de Villiers’ ‘Karoonag’ is definitely a piece that just evokes so many memories of beautiful South Africa. It has appeal to such a broad audience, and really lends itself to being placed on a recording of well composed pieces, working brilliantly in the classical idiom.

What has been your most memorable performance?

I played a recital at the Sir James Galway International Flute

alibi I cannot say, I was just the ‘moerbeie’ in. With the crime, not with the country. It’s like any relationship. My relationship with my country is one of the longest I’ve had – random – and like children and husband’s, there are times when you love them, but really don’t like them. Are we allowed to say that? I defy anyone who has not secretly thought of adoption once in a while when it comes to teenagers; or thought that Clooney and the Italian Lakes as a backdrop is so much more alluring than Darling in the same jersey, talking the same talk and walking the same walk until you want to scream ‘Have mercy Lord, I was too young, I was too naive, it was the Army step outs and the uniform thing...’ My better others probably look at me and wonder when the

witch of Wimbledon replaced their mother. ‘Are you in there mother... not mother?’

And so it goes with South Africa.

I just finished Karin Brynard’s new book ‘ Onse Vaders’ and find myself jabbering incessantly about it. I think the last Afrikaans book I read was ‘Stories van Rivierplaas’ by Alba Bouwer, but this is the new handbook every South African needs. Written in new Engli/kaans, Brynard creates a magic mix – dis ‘n lekker combination of English, Afrikaans and smatterings of our other languages. A whiplash, crocodiledragging-under-the-water journey, ‘Onse Vaders’ drops the veil on the pretty postcard scenes and shows us life in South Africa as it really is. Her characters are nuances of us all. Too scared to turn the page and cannot put it down - like relationships...Brilliant woman.

Did I tell you that as I write this I am munching dry wors and drinking Rooibos tea? One of my favourite lines in the book says ‘Vat nie kak van Kabouters nie.’ Saying I don’t take shit from pixies, ain’t quite the same. I think deep down, what really upsets me, is that we South Africans like to find fault with South Africa. We don’t like it when anyone or any other country does. If you bring me melktert I will love her even more. Or a mocha from Vida.

KAREN DE VILLIERS

I was really hacked off with crime in South Africa last week.

The infamous bail hearing in the news only highlighted the entire situation.

And then to have to explain to the gentle souls of the English soil that yes, most people do have weapons in their homes (even if Rottweiler Dan is the only one, trained to eat at ten paces) and no, I do not intend to have a tête-a-tête with the baddie who has scaled my electric fence, dodged the killer canines, the burglar bars, the security alarms and gate and ask him how he takes his coffee.

I will not ask his family history, I will instead...make sure he never comes to visit again. Think Trevor Noah would agree.

Whether the fear of crime really has become the latest form of

Are there any up-and-coming classical musicians from South Africa that South Africans living in the UK must look for?

I have been living in the UK for the past eight years, and am not really aware of who the up-and-coming musicians are, unfortunately. However, the following musicians are doing really well abroad: Jacques Imbrailo, Erica Eloff, Pretty Yende, Erik Dippenaar and Charl du Plessis.

Last year, you were named by Sir James Galway as the 2012 “Rising Star”. What does that mean to you as a musician?

This prize is probably the highlight of my musical career so far. I feel very honoured that

The OPTIMIST

Sjoe, Mense!

Phew, People!

Festival in Weggis, Switzerland, last year as the prize for winning the Sir James Galway Rising Star award in 2012.

When starting the flute back at school, I would have never dreamed of playing a concert to the best flutist in the world! I played ‘Karoonag’ as an encore piece, which didn’t leave a dry eye in the audience.

the world’s greatest flutist chose me for this amazing award, as a flautist there is no better compliment!

Your performance at St. John’s on 9 March is in aid of Homes in Zimbabwe. Can you tell us more about it?

Homes in Zimbabwe is a charity that looks after elderly people in Zimbabwe who lost everything and were left destitute after hyperinflation hit a few years ago.

Many people rely entirely on this charity for their livelihood, and I felt that it was a very deserving

cause. My husband Richard Cooper is from Zimbabwe, and has been supporting HIZ for a few years. The concert will feature all the music on my album, accompanied by string quintet and piano.

Tickets for the concert are on sale from www.marleneverwey.com.

We have 3 pairs of tickets up for grabs to the concert. Scan the QR code to enter and win!

Competition closes Wed 6 March.

TheSouthAfrican. com/entertainment

ASSEMBLY AND RIVERSIDE STUDIOS PRESENT THE BAXTER THEATRE CENTRE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN STATE THEATRE

‘A SOUTH AFRICAN SMASH HIT THAT HAS BEEN WOWING AUDIENCES’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

★★★★★ ★★★★★ THE GUARDIAN

EVENING STANDARD

★★★★★ ★★★★★ THE TIMES

DIE BURGER, SA

W RIT TEN AN D D IRECTED BY YA E L FA R B E R BASED O N August S t ri n d b e rg ’s MIS S JULIE

7 MARCH -19 MAY 2013

MIESJULIE.COM

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL SMASH HIT ARRIVES IN LONDON

8

| 5 - 11 March 2013 | thesouthafrican.com

Entertainment

Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

SA chef ’s award-winning African

Volcano peri-peri gets spicier

South African chef’s marinade and sauce get a British chilli injection

BY STAFF REPORTER

LONDON’S MOST POPULAR SOUTH AFRICAN BAR AND RESTAURANT Contemporary STYLE and safari chic serving delicious South African cuisine. All day DINING with a choice of inspired bistro menus, bar snacks, canapés, pre-theatre and a la carte. Great COCKTAILS, plus a superb wine list, many served by the glass.

For information or bookings: E: bbar@rchmail.com T: 020 7958 7000 www.bbarlondon.com 43 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 0PP Monday-Friday 11am-11pm

/bbarlondon

/bbartweet

and restaurant

UK-based South African chef Grant Hawthorne has just released the hot version of African Volcano, his Great Taste award-winning, premium peri peri sauce and marinade.

Grant explained, “Since launching the medium strength version in March last year, I’ve been refining the hot version, using Dorset Naga chillies from a small farm in Bedfordshire.

“As a chef-producer you look to support the small businesses that have a great product selection.

Developing the marinade and sauce to have the same base flavour profile as the award-winning medium strength has been a great fun,” he said.

Both the sauce and marinade contain four varieties of chillies: African birds eye; Scotch bonnet; Facing heaven and Dorset Naga.

The marinade is vegan-friendly, while the sauce is suitable for pescatarians.

“Peri Peri is not just for chicken.

It can be used to enhance and complement prawns, pork, beef and vegetables – just about anything. People are starting to get adventurous and play with the flavours in a variety of dishes: Poached eggs to lentil burgers.

Bloody Mary cocktails to oysters.”

“I’m hoping to publish more recipes that incorporate both the sauce and marinade so that people can experiment with them at home.”

The recipe Grant learned came from a Mozambique-born lady who fled the revolution in Mozambique and eventually made her way to Cape Town.

A donation of 30p from every bottle sold supports the initiatives of Habitat for Humanity’s Youth Build project in Cape Town.

Grant’s African Volcano stall at the Maltby Street food market in Bermondsey, London, every Saturday is a hit among foodies who can try a variety of peri periinfused dishes like chicken prego rolls on homemade Portuguese bread, slow-roasted pulled pork on

a peri peri bap and giant flamegrilled tiger prawns.

Grant says a milder and extra hot version of both the sauce and marinade is in the pipeline.

Win! In celebration of African Volcano’s 1st birthday we have a prize of a case of 12 (3 each of sauce and marinade; hot and medium strength) to give away to one lucky reader.

Scan the QR code or enter online now.

TheSouthAfrican. com/entertainment

African Volcano Peri-Peri Garlic Prawns

BY GRANT HAWTHORNE

This delicious and surprisingly easy recipe makes six.

Ingredients 2kg Tiger Prawns (count 16-20 or count 5-7) 200ml African Volcano Peri Peri sauce (medium strength)

50ml olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 50ml lemon juice 50ml clarified butter Fresh lemon wedges

Method Marinate whole/ shelled prawns in peri peri sauce for 12 hours. Drain

and reserve. Add seasoning. In pan heat oil till hot. Fry the drained prawns on both sides till crispy and pink/ red. Just prior to “a point”, add peri peri sauce. Simmer gently till cooked. Plate ‘tier’ style. Nappé the sauce over. Garnish with fresh lemon and serve with savoury rice.

9

thesouthafrican.com | 5 - 11 March 2013 |

Business: Gateway to Africa

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thesouthafrican

Page proudly sponsored by

Trade & Investment Lonrho is back in the luxury hotel business with new Gaborone address

Our man in Gaborone, Andrew Maramwidze, surveys the scene in the latest luxury hotel in the Botswanan capital

Dr Ramphele speaks out against Black Economic Empowerment Ramphele points out that the badly conceived and deeply flawed system of BEE only serves to empower a small elite.

by STAFF REPORTER

by ANDREW MARAMWIDZE

C

M

Y

CM

MY

SIX months after Lonrho Hotels opened its newest outpost in Gaborone, capital of Botswana, the Lansmore Masa Square Hotel is glowing - and winning a sizeable stake in the market.

As a group aspiring to redefine the hospitality experience in the landlocked, diamond-rich subSaharan nation, Lansmore Masa Square Hotel remains optimistic that its endeavours are on track and hitting financial targets.

Located in the heart of Gaborone’s new central business district, the business and leisure hospitality outfit guarantees an Nedbank Golf Challenge print international levels of service in a country where these have been in short supply of late.

“Our objective is to try and build up this industry to attract more people and business travellers, to improve the rest of the industry and to shine in the international market,” said Rupert Elliott, General Manager at Lansmore Masa Square.

Contrary to the views of certain analysts who have attributed declining service standards in the country to the skills gap, Elliott

said an attitude gap exists in the market.

He said the hotel has employed people with ‘a desire to work and be part of something’ to bridge the attitude gap and bring out the excellence that Botswana can offer.

“We are attracting a significant number of customers with higher expectations,” said Elliott.

Lonrho Hotels has splashed over five million pula as the initial capital injection into the project. Its lease as anchor tenant has secured it 15 years in what is currently the tallest building in the fast-developing CBD. ad(Page 9/7/12 12:38:51 The1hotel occupies one of the two iconic Masa Square towers, cascading into the piazza of Masa Centre. The Botswana Tourism Board is currently grading the Lansmore Masa Square, which is hoping for five-star status, although Elliot said that grading could take up to a year.

The hotel is uniquely positioned, both literally and figuratively, to raise the bar in terms of service, cuisine and a sense of luxury and convenience. Elliot said apart from its outstanding features, its

operations are in cohesion with other tenants at Masa Square to ensure guests become fully connected while in Gaborone, whilst being able to enjoy a little indulgence during their stay.

The hotel has 153 luxury rooms spread over seven floors.

Amenities include the gourmet La Touche de Provence restaurant, the Espretto Coffee Shop, a rooftop infinity swimming pool and events space, a fully equipped gym, seven flexibly designed meeting rooms with multimedia equipment, and conference facilities accommodating up to 200 people.

Lansmore Masa Square Hotel joins Lonhro’s other luxury brands such as Metropole and Princess hotels, and iconic luxury hotels within Africa such as the Norfolk and Nairobi Safari Club in Kenya and Labadi Beach in Ghana.

For some time, the Hotel Cardoso was the only remaining Lonrho Hotel before acquisition of the Leopard Rock Hotel & Championship Golf Course in Zimbabwe and the opening of Grand Karavia reignited Lonrho Hotel’s appetite for growth.

CY

CMY

K

This is the day to change lives Make things happen; register to play today. www.sagolfday.com Nedbank Limited is incorporated with limited liability in South Africa (no.1951/000009/06) and its London branch is registered in England and Wales (no.BR001334), and whose registered address is 1st floor Old Mutual Place, London, EC4V 4GG. Nedbank London is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority (FSA Register number 204684).

DR Mamphela Ramphele, who recently announced that she was setting up a new political party, Agang South Africa, has spoken out against the government policy of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). Dr Ramphele claims that BEE operates only for a limited class of politically connected individuals to the exclusion of the majority of the population.

Dr Ramphele who recently resigned her directorships at Anglo American, Gold Fields, Remgro and MediClinic International, told South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper: “The most disappointing thing for me is that employee share schemes in the mining industry are discouraged by the department of mineral resources

because they want so and so. This is the list you must empower, [they say], not the mineworkers who are actually … working in the mines.

“You would have assumed that a party that claims to be working for the people of South Africa would be very pleased to see a BEE deal that pays attention only to the workers.”

According to Ramphele only a colour blind system will work.

“We [Agang] are proposing the restructuring of the economy because BEE unfortunately takes us back to having to classify people in order for them to qualify to be BEE partners.

“South Africa has to start talking to the needs of all South Africans, whether they are white, in urban or rural areas. The only way to achieve that is to restructure the economy.

10

Business: News

| 5 - 11 March 2013 | thesouthafrican.com Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

Absa and Barclays Africa to join in franchise deal to cover continent

by STAFF REPORTER

Visit: TheSouthAfrican.com/move-to-australia In association with

WORLDWIDE TAX SOLUTIONS

Is your tax situation a mess?

Allow WWTS to clean up for you!

A World Wide Tax Solution Company is the answer to all your tax problems and needs.

SOUTH African bank Absa is to step up its African expansion following shareholder approval for an R18.3-billion deal to combine with Barclays Africa, enabling it to start serving 14.4-million customers across 10 countries on the continent.

The deal will see Absa Group Limited combine with Barclays Africa and change the name of the Johannesburg Stock Exchangelisted company to Barclays Africa Group Limited in order to illustrate the “enlarged nature of the business”, the firm said in a statement following the shareholders’ vote on Monday.

“This is an exciting and transformational deal that will create a high quality franchise in Africa with a leading network of more than 1 300 outlets and 10 400 [automated teller machines] across 10 countries,” said Absa Group chief executive Maria Ramos.

The deal also got the green light from South Africa’s biggest institutional investor, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).

The PIC is owned by the South African government, with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan as its shareholder representative; it was established in 1911 and has become one of the continent’s largest investment managers, investing funds on behalf of

public sector organisations and representing over R1.17-trillion in assets.

The PIC said the deal, worth R18.3-billion, afforded the bank the chance to diversify its income outside of the South African market.

“We support the deal primarily because this provides Absa with an immediate exposure to a higher growth trajectory market,” it said.

Rand remains stable after a busy domestic data week

by RUTH LAATZ-REINEKE

THERE were a deluge of local events during the week which could have pushed the Rand in either direction. The currency market was keenly awaiting the local fourthquarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures out on Tuesday. On Wednesday the 2013-14 budget was released and the January foreign trade balance came out on Thursday.

The Rand held near a one-week high against major currencies on Tuesday morning trade, and continued to strengthen in afternoon trade on the release of strong GDP figures. Domestic GDP statistics showed surprisingly strong economic growth of 2.1% for the fourth quarter of 2012 from

1.2%% in the third quarter, this primarily due to a boost from the manufacturing and farm sectors.

The Rand softened against the Dollar on Wednesday ahead of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s Budget Speech “Clearly the gap between revenues and expenditures needs to be closed and today’s budget will be about how quickly that might be done and by which means,” (Fin 24). The Rand was weaker against the Dollar on Thursday as investors worried about the government’s ability to finance a wide budget deficit in the face of poor economic growth. In the threeyear budget tabled to parliament on Wednesday, Pravin Gordhan said the 2013 budget deficit would be 4.6% of GDP, a shade wider than his last forecast in October. Friday saw the Rand break the key R9 level

against the Dollar as the currency traded near a one-month low. The Rand continued to trade near a 1-month low against the Dollar on Monday and looked set to test this year’s low of R9.16, although a quiet domestic data week may provide some breathing room.

GBP / ZAR: 13.66 EUR / ZAR: 11.81 USD / ZAR: 9.08 Correct at 8am, 4th March 2013.

Note: The above exchange rates are based on “interbank” rates. If you want to transfer money to South Africa then please register/login or call us for a live dealing rate. Make use of a Rate Notifier to send you alerts when the Rand exchange rate reaches levels you are looking for.

Brought to you by

Call 0808 168 2055

Legally Speaking: important new Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) rule changes

by JP BREYTENBACH

WWTS CAN OFFER:  Administer and enforce laws of taxation within the UK and Internationally  Advice and consult on all matters of taxation  Accountancy Services and Formation of companies  20 years South African tax experience

Contact: Teresa Tel: 07789952025 Email: teresa@worldwidetax.co.uk Website: www.worldwidetax.co.uk

On 31 January 2013 urgent changes to the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route took effect. The changes do not only apply to new applicants, and those still to be decided, but also to current Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa holders.

Current Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa holders should thus take note of the following; where a person already has leave as a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) holder, the UK Home Office may curtail the leave if the funds used to apply cease to be available to the applicant, unless the funds was spent in the establishment or running of the business.

This spending excludes any

spending on the applicant’s own remuneration.

If you are concerned about how these rules will affect your application or current status as Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) in the UK, please contact our offices for further advice. You may also follow this link to read more about the changes.

JP Breytenbach is the Director of Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants Ltd. For more information please visit www.bicimmigration.com or email him at jpb@bic-immigration.com

11

thesouthafrican.com | 5 - 11 March 2013 |

Business: SA Power 100

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thesouthafrican

Pamela Nomvete

Read interviews with other SA

on our website: TheSouthAfrican.com/Business/SAPower100 Jonny Steinberg Author and Lecturer in African Studies at Oxford University

Coronation Street actress and former Generations star Born: Ethiopia Education: International School, Addis Ababa Cheltenham Ladies College Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff Career trajectory: Currently starring in Coronation Street as Mandy Kamara Played Ntsiki Lukhele in Generations (1996 - 2001) Numerous TV and stage appearances Book: Autobiography - Dancing to the Beat of the Drum (2012)

by JEREMY KUPER

YOU were born to South African parents in Ethiopia, were they in exile?

Yes, my father was exiled. He got a scholarship to Manchester University, and he was invited to talk about his country, so obviously he spoke about the situation and the

South African government got wind of it and so that was it. They said: ‘you cannot come back.’ I mean he had every intention of going back home, but then they banned him.

And the horror of that, is that my eldest sister who was born in South Africa was living with my grandmother in the Eastern Cape.

And the government said ‘We know your kid is still here. You can stop what you’re doing and come back, because we’ve got your child.’

With the help of the Quakers, it took them five years, and they finally got my sister out of South Africa.

So when did you return to South Africa?

In 1994. I was an actress here, I had about 10 years of a stage career here in Britain. But you wonder don’t you, about your history, you wonder how much your personal history affects you.

I was a really angry young person, and obviously being a black actress in Britain and in those years, not that it’s brilliant now, but when I was coming out of drama school, it was limited, the prospects for a black actress, and an African as well. I was furious because of prejudice and all the rest of it… that’s probably the legacy I carried, being a South African.

But I was very successful. When I decided to leave, I had broken into the National [Theatre] and at that time very few black actresses were hitting the mainstream, so I was one of the few to get in there.

But I was too furious to see that success, because I was so dissatisfied.

My parents had gone back in ‘93 and were

in Cape Town, so I went to Johannesburg and literally started from scratch, and I thought, you’re an actress you can act anywhere, even if it means I have to do schools. That’s how that journey began, and I ended up in the soap Generations and that’s where things completely changed.

So what happened next?

I became a household name, I was hugely famous, it was surreal. My character Ntsiki was the bitch, so she was very popular, especially with young girls. It bothered me slightly, and I thought why?

And so I asked them, because this woman is evil and the more the writers wrote, she just got worse. And they said, it’s because we’ve never seen ourselves represented in that way, you come across as intelligent, you’re powerful, you stand up to people, and you’re very much an African – although I had a very English accent.

The success of that character was so huge. I had no idea how to handle it, because I wasn’t exactly stable in terms of my relationship with the country.

There were issues of identity.

You don’t speak our language, so being a foreigner, insider/ outsider, many of the same issues I was facing in Britain. It hadn’t gone away, but Ntsiki contributed to making me wholly accepted by the ordinary South African.

I was also trying to understand these dynamics, so I let it happen really.

My career was crazy, I couldn’t stand that anymore, so I basically didn’t work, which obviously led to there being no money coming in. For a period I would try to rent other houses, and because I ran out of money they threw me out.

So to get money I would sell clothes, my cellphone and the people I was selling to were these very fans, who still revered me.

And when you think of the

South African character you think of directness, but actually we’re excruciatingly polite.

Because they were so polite, they never said anything, but they would [think] why are you selling your phone? I could see it in their eyes, but they wouldn’t say anything. And I believe many of them thought, ‘this woman is in trouble, it’s our Ntsiki, let’s help her.’ And to be honest that short period of abject poverty is one of the best experiences of my life, because it woke me up to the nature of human beings…

GAIN A PROFESSIONAL EDGE FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS Sable offers an impressive portfolio of professional services. We have over 25 years of experience advising individuals, contractors and small businesses who have international interests and connections.

sable services Accounting Tax Advisory Wealth Mortgages

But you ended up homeless living in a car and selling your possessions for food and cigarettes?

I started to make really bad choices, I got involved in a very negative marriage, and eventually that literally meant that I became destitute.

How did your marriage affect you?

You get the family members who may be the earners and everybody completely siphons from those individuals but nobody thinks of creating their own wealth in order to support that community.

You choose this person, and it’s like, now you’re our cash cow, you have to feed us, you have to house us, you have to give us money. And I became that.

I think because of my confusion I was almost apologetic that I was a person of privilege, and

Vodafone - Regional Head of Organisation Effectiveness and Change

accounting tax advisory wealth mortgages forex offshore law nationality

Forex OFFSHORE Law Nationality

Sable Group

Castlewood House 77/91 New Oxford Street London WC1A 1DG t: +44 (0) 845 094 3990 info@sable-group.com www.sable-group.com

Sable is a group of professional service companies.

Sable Accounting Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with registered number 03517738.

Sable Private Wealth Management Limited is registered in England & Wales, number 04305265, Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

44057

BULLET BIOGRAPHY

Matimba Mbungela

www.sable-group.com

12

Business: Classifieds ACC & FINANCE

Use accountants that do more than ‘crunch’ the numbers... let us help grow your business Company formations and Secretarial Services Business planning & development • Management support • Team training & development • CFO/FD Services • pay only for time required by your business • Compliance Services • Accounting Services • Profit improvement programs • Taxation planning • Personal and Corporate • Contracting solutions

Call Exceed UK now for a no obligation discussion on +44 (0) 870 060 0996. www.exceeduk.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

ABANTU BUTCHERS Abantu Butchery boerewors specialist, supplying wholesale and catering and retail shops as we are fully EEC licensed, we can also supply vacuum packed steaks in any quantity you may require.

Probably the best boerewors you have tasted at a remarkable price. 19 City Arcade, City Centre, Coventry, CV1 3HX Tel: 02476555767

WHOLESALER OF SOUTH AFRICAN FOOD PRODUCTS Beers, wines, cold-drinks, biscuits, maize meal, chutney...

Phone us for your order: 01753684005/ 01753684014 Mobile: 07859 014 199 www.jumbowholesale.com

THE CHICHESTER BILTONG COMPANY www.biltongcompany.co.uk The best of British from a friendly bunch of South Africans who made Sussex our home. But there was one thing we couldnt live without from our native land..Biltong!

So we made our own using traditional recipes handed down through generations.

We only use the finest prime British beef!

Get our “readers 10% EXTRA FREE” offer by using the VOUCHER CODE ‘SA10’

FOODS4U LTD Visit the most comprehensive online South African range. A secure and user friendly website awaits. www.foods4u. co.uk or email: sales@foods4u.info Tel: 087 087 45009. Fax: 087 087 45002 KALAHARI MOON The Southern African Shop in Bristol.

Wide range of stock including excellent boerewors and biltong. Centrally situated, friendly service. Connecting South Africans.

Tel: 0117 929 9879 Address: 88 - 91 The Covered Market. st Nicholas Market, Corn Street, Bristol, BS1 1JQ Email: Info@kalaharimoon.co.uk Website: www.kalaharimoon.co.uk

CRUGA Home of CRUGA biltong. Cruga’s factory shop offers a full range of South African and Zimbabwean groceries plus boerewors, droewors and of course biltong. Tel: 01908 565 432 Email: biltong@cruga.com Web: www.cruga.com Address: Tilers Rd Kiln Farm, Milton Keynes, MK11 3LH

NO1 SOUTH AFRICAN SHOP Lots of lekker stuff for a taste of home.

Including fantastic biltong, droewors and boerewors. 5 Marlow Drive, St Catherines Hill, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 2RR. The shop is about 2 miles north-west of Christchurch town centre and 6 miles north-east of Bournemouth town centre.

There’s loads of free parking and the shop is easy to get to from the A338.

Tel: 01202 496041 10’ish to 6pm 7 days a week. www.no1southafricanshop.co.uk

CAMBRIDGE & VILLAGES Toft Shop – Village Shop & Post Office With a South African section selling all your favourite tastes from home! Pop in and pick up your treats – Biltong; Boerewors; Koeksisters; Rusks; Sweets; Chips; Groceries etc. Web: www.ToftShop.co.uk Tel: 01223 262 204. CB23 2RL

KALAHARI MOON WESTON The Southern African Shop in Weston (Opp Tesco car park entrance). Wide range of SA and Zim products. Relax in our licensed cafe while shopping. And try our South African homecooked food.

7 Lockling Road, Weston Super Mare, BS23 3BY. Tel: 01934 708089.

Email: Info@kalaharimoon.co.uk SUSMAN’S BEST BEEF BILTONG CO LTD If you’re missing home give us a call, supplying you with all your favourite South African products and more.

Phone: 01273 516160 Fax: 01273 51665 Web:www.biltong.co.uk

QUALITY SOUTH AFRICA Biltong £22 per KG Droewors £20 per KG Game Biltong £40 per KG Chilli Sticks £22 per KG Cheese Grillers £14 per KG Koeksisters £3 for 5 And many more For more great prices find us on www.qualitysouthafrica.co.uk or contact Christopher on 07543106591 THE SOUTH AFRICAN SHOP We stock most SA consumer goods in our large store in Maidenhead or order online and get next day delivery service throughout the UK. Your home away from home.

Mon – Friday: 9:30am – 5:30pm Saturday: 9:30am – 6pm Sunday: 11am – 4pm www.southafricanshop.co.uk.

Tel: 01628782511 ST MARCUS FINE FOODS Largest importers & producers of SA foodstuffs in UK. Retail & wholesale. 1 Rockingham Close, Roehampton, Putney SW15. Tel 020 8878 1898.

Biltong Factory is now open to the public.

8 types of Boerewors. All SA foodstuffs stocked. Free Parking.

Tel 020 8878 1898 / 21C Holmethorpe Avenue, Holmethorpe Industrial Estate, Redhill, RH1 2NB Email:sales@stmarcus.co.uk Web: www.biltongstmarcus.co.uk

Tel: 0208 878 1898 www.biltongstmarcus.co.uk Email sales@stmarcus.co.uk

Gold Medal Winners for Beef Biltong and Boerewors 1998.

Triple Crown Winners 2010 Ostrich * Kudu * Springbok * The South African 1-3 Rockingham Close Priory Lane, Roehampton London SW15 5RW

21c Holmethorpe Avenue Holmethorpe Industrial Estate, Redhill, Surrey RH1 2NB

ADVERTISE HERE To advertise with The South African, email advertise@thesouthafrican.com

Snoggy’s Food Shops

SNOGGY’S PutNeY ButcherY

367 Upper Richmond Rd, SW15 5QJ Tel: 02088762050

Voted the BEST tasting Biltong and Dry wors by thousands of SAFFAS living in South West London THE BUTCHERY - Everything made on site including our burgers and delicious Boerewors, plus our range of Beef, Pork, Chicken and Spicy Lamb sausages.

YOU HAVE NOT LIVED UNTIL YOU HAVE EATEN ONE OF OUR AGED SEASONED RUMP STEAKS... affordable and like butter in the mouth...

The SouTh AfricAn is available at all snoggy’s stores

www.snoggys.com

GOING HOME MONEYGRAM A leading global provider of money transfer services, MoneyGram International helps consumers to safely send money around the world with funds arriving at available agent locations in as little as 10 minutes.

Its global network is comprised of 190,000 agent locations. MoneyGram’s convenient and reliable network includes retailers, international post offices and financial institutions. Web: www.moneygram.com.

IMMIGRATION

NEED TO SEND MONEY TO SOUTH AFRICA? Do it with us, for free... > Great exchange rates > No hidden costs > Faster transactions > Debit & credit cards accepted online

44040

FOOD & DRINK

| 5 - 11 March 2013 | thesouthafrican.com

0808 141 2339 Money@1stcontact.com www.1stcontactforex.com/SA

1st TRANSFER FREE Receive your 1st transfer free when you use this voucher code online: 1stSAfree

BREYTENBACHS IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTS LTD: UK & SA Immigration Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants specialises in UK and SA Immigration.

We pride ourselves on our reputation for excellence, fast results and friendly personal service. Registered by the OISC to level 3, you can be assured that your case is in safe hands!

We can assist you with: • All Points-based Immigration matters • UK Visitor visas • Tier 1 / HSMP • Tier 2 / Work permits & Sponsorship • Tier 4 / Student Visas • Dependency, unmarried partner and civil partner visas • Ancestry Visas • Indefinite leave to Remain / Permanent residency • British Citizenship • Appeals • English Language Tests • South African Immigration Prices have been set competitively with you in mind, enabling you to receive expert advice at affordable prices.

We have a No Visa – No Fee policy on our Immigration services! Contact us today for best advice and peace of mind!

Visit www.bic-immigration.com, or Email us on info@bic-immigration.com

SERVICES

13

thesouthafrican.com | 5 - 11 March 2013 |

Zimbabwe Community

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thesouthafrican

Rise Kagona – The Bundhu Boys and After, Part II Our interview with the master guitarist, whose rags-to-riches-to-rags story is one of the greatest in world music, continued.

by A.A.V. AMASI

A lot of young people need to learn from this; obviously you were still in School. So how did you manage to balance playing at Bonanza while attending School?

Every school holiday, every weekend, we were at the nightclub.

He gave us opening slot from six to eight. We were very young and not allowed into nightclubs, but because it was his we could get in.

Labour laws also did not allow us to work. He wanted us to improve our playing by working in the club and promised us “I am going to hire big bands like Thomas (Mapfumo), Oliver Mtukudzi and Zexie Manatsa. “When they come to play, I want you to be there, observe them, and copy what they are doing. Once you are good at playing, I won’t hire anyone else.

You will take their place, and kids, you are going to be in the big money”. When you are promised something like that, you get strong in your convictions.

We worked at it; we didn’t even bother studying for school. We were in the mind frame that we are already working, we had a job, what should I go to school for?

But I had to finish because my dad didn’t know what I was doing, so after college we used to head straight to the club for our session.

I understand that they created the World Music category because of you; they did not know where to place the Bhundu Boys.

They call us World Music. I don’t understand that word. It is like things they call ethnic, an ethnic minority. World music, what is not world music? People like Michael Jackson sold millions all over the globe.

That is a world music artist, why are people like us world music just because we are put in a small box and we don’t qualify to be elsewhere in Europe? It’s just categorizing what they don’t understand.

I always think of Bollywood.

Asians saw that Hollywood does not rate them. Hollywood was not looking at them, even their music no one rated it. They decided that for the world to recognise their culture, it needed to be repackaged, so they formed Bollywood. If you look at their films and music now it only caters for Asians. If you go to festivals, you won’t see them appearing anyway.

They sensed it, a long time ago, that they are segregated, so why should we bother? I think the same thing should be happening to us black people.

Look at America; America is rich in music because of black people.

People like Eminem copy the style of black people.

In Zimbabwe, they are many categories of music. Thomas

The Bhundu Boys in happier days

Mapfumo’s Chimurenga Music, Barbed Wire and your own Jit Jive. Would it not be best if all Zimbabwean musicians conquered the world with one music style?

Everyone sees Africa as having one music style but we are not playing the same music everywhere. We have got Kanda Bongo Man; we have got musicians from Mali, North, West, East and South.

We have different cultures and we play music according to our cultures.

If we could find an indigenous word that could describe our music, we would be better off. We should have African journalists who push us, because they understand us.

Cameramen who understand us and know the boundaries of our culture.

When I played at the Africa Centre about two months ago, I saw black guys running the PA. I was very pleased. At least we have people that have something in common with us and if we want our music to sound a certain way we will get it from them. We suffered a lot during our tour. At that time Reggae was big. We would go to a gig, we would go on stage.

The engineer was white and he would automatically think these black guys are playing reggae.

He would put a on a heavy bass.

Sometimes you would be singing and you would hear echoes like dub.

Yet our music has no dub apart from our own way of playing dub, you know - museve. When we cut the bass and the rhythm is left playing, that is our dub, but they don’t know that.

They just kept putting these noises. One day I just said to the Manager “Go and tell that bastard to shut off that shit”. We were not a reggae band. They experimented with music they don’t know.

What would your advice be to African musicians that are looking to penetrate the overseas market like you guys did?

To musicians coming from Africa, back home people are used to noise.

If you listen to the music of Tuku (Oliver Mtukudzi) and compare it with musicians playing Kwasa Kwasa, listen to how mild it is, smooth flowing and exciting.

The ears of people here like this

kind of music; they don’t like noise.

They don’t like noise, they would rather listen to someone playing an acoustic guitar or mbira. They are happy when they listen to people like Chartwell Dutiro.

Kwasa Kwasa bands have not made an impact in this country because of noise. We happened to conquer the European market because our music had no noise. We used to flow; we didn’t have all that crazy noise. Everyone made sure that his instrument was in line with everybody else’s instrument. There was no need to compete on stage, we were not in competition, we were playing music to the audience.

In Zimbabwe they now have what they call urban grooves, with youngsters copying American music.

One thing I would advise them is not to come and play rap music or R’n’B in Europe. It does not make sense to the audience here, which is why I am saying that the person who plays mbira is in a better position. There are people that are

playing djembe here; it’s better than someone coming to imitate Oasis, the Beatles or Black Sabbath. This is not our culture, people want to hear what your country has, music from your country. If you can mesmerise people playing a traditional instrument that people don’t understand, everyone loves that. It’s unfortunate for a person like myself.

I was unable to learn the Mbira or the other African instruments. I played guitar, but I tried to make my guitar not sound like anyone else in Europe.

I have got my own way of playing, which no one else has.

Living in this country, I have met musicians who I want to gang up with and make a group.

We play the same chords but there are certain tricks that we do, which throw their heads in a spin and they will never understand that. I can do it because I grew up in Zimbabwe and it’s within us. If I play it to you, you will automatically switch on.

However if I play it to someone here they won’t understand it.

How long did you play without getting paid?

We did that for many months. In 1978 we were young. We watched the way Thomas (Mapfumo) would play his songs and then copy them later. We went on like that until they a Battle of the Bands at the Showground (in Harare), which consisted of mostly African bands.

Most of the African bands played mainly Western music, so we decided to compete. We wanted to get the attention of white people so we asked for guest spots on breaks.

We were given the chance; we were good at playing Pop and Ndebele songs – especially the ones from South Africa. My drummer Charles Viyazhi was good at Ndebele; songs like “Mama Sibongile” – he would sing those songs.

Read the full interview, parts I and II, online by scanning the QR code below.

TheSouthAfrican. com/entertainment

14

| 26 February - 5 March 2013 | thesouthafrican.com

Travel

Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

Yorkshire: a slice of heaven

For a spring getaway of an English sort, Yorkshire offers aweinspiring coastal scenery, old-fashioned charm and the atmospheric fishing village of Whitby, which features in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

by ANNA BOW

From left to right: Yorkshire Dales morning (Image: Flickr/Heretakis.com), Yorkshire coast (Image: Flickr/Thomas Tolkien)

CLASSIC TRAVEL www.goclassic.co.uk

PRICES INCLUDE ALL TAXES (gauranteed)

Cape Town Durban Gaborone Harare Jo’burg Mauritius Maputo Windhoek

539 630 750 579 479 738 665 699

Accra 460 Cairo 315 Dakar 495 Douala 435 Entebbe 499 Lagos 450 Lusaka 575 Nairobi 449

Bue.Aires Chicago LA/SFO Lima New York Rio Toronto Vancouver

MORE FLIGHTS/HOTELS Tel: INSURANCE & CAR HIRE

640 469 499 525 399 515 399 439

Auckland Bangkok Bejing Dubai India KUL/SING Pakistan Sydney

799 499 445 329 489 549 499 835

0207 586 1234

WITH a jaw-dropping coastline, rolling green countryside, charming pubs, and a splash of city glam, the county of Yorkshire in northern England has a lot to offer.

Get yourself on a train, prepare to rug up, and learn firsthand why the locals call this ‘God’s country’.

Coastal Glory Forget the white sand beaches and blue skies that come to any South African’s mind when thinking about a spring coastal getaway the Yorkshire coast has anything but. Instead, be prepared to gasp at both the majestic cliffs and the chilly bite of the east coast wind.

There is no better way to admire this stunning coastline and get some fresh country air than with a short hike. But don’t be alarmed by the suggestion.

As someone whose outdoorsy vocabulary is more ‘sun baking’ than ‘bouldering’, I can safely say this walk is a piece of cake, and well worth the effort. Start your adventure at Robin Hood’s Bay, a charming former fishing village which was once a hot spot for pirates smuggling their loot onto the mainland. After admiring the postcard-perfect fishing cottages on the coastline, head uphill from the town centre and through a pair of kissing gates to start the 12 km walk to the town of Whitby.

Muddy slips and fish ‘n’ chips I confess that due to a bit of rain the ‘easy’ coastal hike referred to

above was for me a bit more like the Tough Mudder than a garden stroll.

After sliding by old relics like Whitby lighthouse and the crumbling abbey perched on a clifftop (which was an inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula), I arrived in Whitby.

As well as being host to a biannual ‘Goth weekend’, this small town is one of the UK’s biggest fishing harbours and rightly famous for its traditional fish and chips.

Time to ditch the diet and feel that batter between your fingers.

I had no problems finding a B&B and, leaving a trail of mud behind me, traded the warmth of the local pubs for a night of board games and too much red wine.

A city break If your idea of a weekend getaway doesn’t involve a trip to Kathmandu for a new pair of hiking boots, never fear.

Simply trade getting down and dirty with nature for getting down and dirty with the York nightlife, where on Friday nights you’d be forgiven for wondering if you were caught in a scene from Geordie Shore. With a bouncer on the door of every bar and patrons showing a bit too much skin for this time of year, you can’t help but relax and let loose on your small-town-bignight-out.

You can even grab a kebab on the way home. For you foodies who aren’t seduced by the idea of cheap

cocktails and street meat, you will be pleasantly surprised by the culinary offerings of York. With a heavy emphasis on local produce, there is plenty of opportunity to pick up some delicious fare.

Check out The Hairy Fig on Fossgate for an apothecary of specialty oils and aged balsamics, and pick up some treats for your journey home.

I recommend the dark chocolate with violet.

The cherry on top of an already well rounded city is York’s rich sense of history and good oldfashioned English charm.

To experience both, grab a drink in one of the cozy local pubs before walking through the city’s winding, narrow back alleys (called ‘snickelways’) for a taste of its medieval past.

End your day with a walk atop the old Roman wall that surrounds the city, taking in the views of York’s majestic Gothic cathedral and the beautiful surrounding countryside.

Yorkshire. A slice of heaven in our own backyard.

The Yorkshire Bucket List ● The coastal walk from Robin Hood’s Bay to Whitby (or reverse). Regular buses run between the destinations for the return journey. ● Drive through the countryside and stop in at a roadside farm shop for some fresh local food and a few jars of homemade chutney. ● Admire York Minster, the soaring Gothic cathedral.

15

thesouthafrican.com | 5 - 11 March 2013 |

Sport

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thesouthafrican

Proteas suffer embarassing T20 defeat by Pakistan Pakistan takes the series 1-0 thanks to a captain’s innings by Mohammad Hafeez and a five-wicket haul by Umar Gul

by JEREMY BORTZ

THE Proteas suffered their worst defeat in their T20 history, losing to Pakistan by 95 runs in the second of two T20 internationals played at Supersport Park in Centurion on Sunday.

After the first match was washed out in Durban on Friday, Pakistan took the series 1-0 thanks to a captain’s innings by Mohammad Hafeez and a five-wicket haul by Umar Gul. Hafeez, who was disappointing in the Test series, flayed the Proteas’s attack all over Centurion, scoring a belligerent 86 off just 51 balls. His knock included nine fours and four sixes. Pakistan started with intent from the outset and scored 99 off

the first 10 overs. Opener Ahmed Shehzad was the initial pace setter, scoring 46 off 25 balls, including two sixes and six fours, before being run out.

The arrival of Hafeez only quickened the tempo though with the captain in fine form. He reached his half-century off 30 balls and achieved his highest T20 score – his previous being 71 against Zimbabwe, in Harare. He also became the first Pakistan batsman to reach the milestone of 1 000 T20 runs.

Pakistan suffered a mini collapse with the fall of Hafeez’s wicket, an unusual hit-wicket from sliding onto his stumps after smashing Rory Kleinveldt over the covers, losing four wickets in 19 balls to end on 195 for seven. Kleinveldt ended with two wickets for 27 while Chris Morris picked up two for 35.

The Proteas started briskly with AB de Villiers, opening for the first time, playing some innovative shots and looking in good form.

In the space of just six deliveries, though, Umar Gul won Pakistan the match picking up four wickets, including that of de Villiers. Twice on a hat-trick, Gul ended with the remarkable figures of five for six.

Astonishingly, this only equalled his best bowling in a T20 international (he has previously picked up five for six against the Black Caps).

Gul’s five-for means he is now the world’s highest T20 wicket taker.

The Proteas were eventually all

What can we expect from the Southern Kings this season?

by EVAN BARTLETT

After a turbulent and controversial build-up to the Super Rugby season the Kings got off to an impressive start to their campaign with a 22-10 win over the Western Force.

With a weekend off, the Kings will be looking to build on their winning start with their rivals now knowing that the boys from the Eastern Cape will be no pushover. However, the next few weeks will prove a true test of their mettle, with games against the defending champions the Chiefs at home, as well as an away trip to the star-studded Crusaders in Christchurch. But first will be this Saturday’s derby against last year’s Super XV runners-up, the Sharks, at home in Port Elizabeth. The Sharks themselves have had an impressive start to the Super Rugby season with victories in their two matches so far.

If their 29-22 victory away to the Cheetahs showed their ruthlessness in attack then their stodgy 12-6 defeat of the Stormers this weekend demonstrates their solidity in defence. Where the Force game was a relatively easy opener for the Kings, the Sharks will prove to be an altogether different entity. The

men from Natal have experienced Springboks throughout their starting line-up and are true Super Rugby heavyweights. But one of the things that did impress with the Kings opener was their togetherness in defence. Notably so in the last 10 minutes of the game, camped in their own half under a heavy barrage of attack from the Force.

Something they will undoubtedly have to carry in to the game against the Sharks. The support in the opening fixture at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium was terrific and going forward this atmosphere will have a big part to play in the rest of the season. There is no doubt that the Kings will give 100% to their campaign and with a stadium full to capacity visiting teams may find it harder than they think coming to play at Port Elizabeth. The trouble for the Kings is that because they have shown their resilience so early on, their opponents will come prepared. By no means are they going to win the league this season but their backs-to-the-wall attitude could prove them to be tougher cookies than many of their doubters have predicted.

out for a dismal 100 in fewer than 13 overs – their lowest T20 score ever (in matches unaffected by rain). Their previous lowest was 114 against Australia in Brisbane back in 2006. Captain Faf du Plessis was not all negative after the embarrassing defeat however.

“The shorter the format, the bigger the chance that one person

can change the game and Hafeez changed the game today,” du Plessis said in his post match interview.

“We’re building towards the next T20 World Cup so if it means experimenting with inexperienced players, then so be it. When Pakistan are on fire like they were today, they can put the best in the world under pressure and it was a

learning curve for our young guys.”

While the Test team dominates all in sundry, the Proteas continue to struggle in the shorter versions of the game. They will be extremely disappointed with their performance and will be looking for a vast improvement when the first of five one day internationals is played in Bloemfontein this Sunday.

SPORT

5 - 11 March 2013

SOUTHERN KINGS FACE TOUGH SEASON P15

PROTEAS SUFFER EMBARASSING T20 DEFEAT BY PAKISTAN P15

NEWS FOR GLOBAL SOUTH AFRICANS

www.thesouthafrican.com

WHO’S THE NEXT BOK SCRUMHALF? Real key to our success in June is choice of man in number 9 jersey

by KEITH MOORE

PLENTY of press in recent times has revolved around who should be in the flyhalf jersey when the Boks kick off their June international campaign.

South Africa, traditionally not the richest country in terms of depth for the pivot postion, suddenly find themselves with three genuine contenders for the spot. What’s more, they’re all young. Elton Jantjies has had a shaky start to the season and now he’s playing for a team with more depth he’ll have less time to rid himself of the jitters before someone else is given a chance.

Pat Lambie is maturing into a genuinely classy player with experience well ahead of his short years in the professional setup.

Whereas his kicking was once under question, he seems to have grown into someone with plenty of nerves under pressure.

His only ‘weakness’ at this point seems to be his ability to play elsewhere on the park; something that has crippled the development of some of our more exciting players in the past.

Lastly, Johan Goosen seems to be the most complete flyhalf of the three. He has an enormous boot (what is it with the Free State boys?) with a calm yet bold attacking game.

With that said, and it is very important to have a world-class flyhalf, we need to shift our focus on to who will be delivering the ball to the person in the number 10 jersey in June.

For years Jake White and Peter de Villiers didn’t have to give

much thought to who would play scrumhalf when naming their teams; Fourie du Preez was head and shoulders above anyone else until Will Genia arrived on the scene.

I would still have placed Du Preez ahead of the Aussie, but he was the closest anyone came to competing with the former Bulls scrumhalf when he arrived.

For me it’s not blind luck that our period of dominance in world rugby came at a time when we had the best scrumhalf in the world.

For years the Springboks have employed a game of kick-andchase which meant that teams have been able to drop back in defence without much concern for what happens at the base of a ruck or in the first phase of play.

It worked for us for a while, but once teams had spotted the weaknesses, we were often found out.

Sides like Australia and New Zealand have always been particularly grateful for our onedimensional play, as they had the likes of James O’Connor, Corey Jane and Israel Dagg to counterattack in space.

Whether or not Heyneke Meyer changes the way he plays when we face Scotland and Italy this year remains to be seen, but if we are to change the way we play our rugby, the key won’t be in who wears the number 10 jersey, but who wears the number 9.

Granted the flyhalf is the ultimate driving force of the team, but before he gets the ball in hand a decision has already been made

by the player inside him.

The scrumhalf has all the options a flyhalf has, but with a better chance of catching the defence out of place. An intelligent kicking game is certainly an integral cog of scrumhalf play, but it is just that – a cog.

A variation of his game that, when used well, should be a very effective tool but not his only tool besides passing.

If our scrumhalf can break from the back of the ruck we will force their defenders to actually attend rucks and pay attention to what the ball is doing.

Far too often the Kiwis and Aussies are able to commit a woefully small number of defenders to the ruck, knowing that a high ball is coming from either of the halfbacks.

Some breaks down the middle, even if they don’t end in big returns of territory, will make them change the way they defend against us.

Add to that our big runners like Etsebeth and Alberts making runs in the first channel off quick ball, their defence will have no option but to commit defenders to the rucks and the areas around them – giving our outside backs the luxury of space with the ball when we do decide to spread it wide.

We have a few young stars in the Super 15 playing in the number 9 jersey such as Cobus Reinach and Nic Groom, who both offer speed and energy around the base of the ruck, as well as some older heads like Sarel Pretorius and Ruan Pienaar of Ulster who

RESOUNDING VICTORY: Marcell Coetzee of the Sharks during the Super Rugby match against DHL Stormers at Kings Park on 2/2/2013 in Durban. The Sharks beat the Stormers 12-6. (Photo by Steve Haag / Gallo Images/Getty Images)

boasts the experience that could ensure that the defence is forced to make decisions – and therefore potentially make mistakes – when we have the ball in hand.

On top of that we have another talented player in Francois Hougaard who is not being given a fair trial in his favoured position but also has a lot to prove to grab

that jersey for himself.

Ultimately, the Springboks do need a change of plan, but more importantly, we need a scrumhalf who will execute that gameplan well, giving our young team the chance to showcase their talent.

That, for me, is the key to the success of this generation of Springbok rugby.

Your essential contacts list All the services you need for living and working in London from the Financial, Migration and Tax Experts > Kickstart & UK Bank Accounts > Money Transfers > Tax Refunds > Accounting & Limited Companies > Visas, Migration & Immigration > Travel Clinic > Umbrella Payroll

0808 141 2305 0808 141 1688 0808 141 2325 0808 141 2271 0808 141 2252 0808 141 2322 0808 141 1698

41346

www.1stcontact.com/group 41346_Grp_SAfrican_BkBanner_2012.indd 1

29/03/2012 14:00