The South African 11 - 17 March 2014

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11 - 17 March 2014

Issue 556

No VEC10, no vote

| With mere days left to complete the vital last step of the voter registration process, thousands of expat South Africans have yet to complete the online procedure required to cast their vote on 30 April, creating an unprecedented shortfall

by sertan sanderson LESS than 15,000 expat South Africans have successfully finished registering for the upcoming elections using the prerequisite VEC10 online form. This number is alarming, as general voter registrations across South Africa have reached record numbers, implying that Saffas abroad might likely be confused about the steps involved.

The main difference compared to previous elections is that voters abroad have to fill out and submit an application form online ahead of the elections; this is the VEC10 form, which was adopted under new guidelines introduced last year. The VEC10 form is available on the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) website, and serves to inform the IEC of your intention to vote abroad.

However, many South Africans seem unaware about this requirement or apathetic towards the registration process, assuming that votes can be still be cast under the old system. This is not the case, and you will be turned away from the High Commission if you arrive to cast your vote but have not completed the VEC10 form online.

This is true whether you have ever voted in the past or not.

Several expatriates have also voiced confusion about the steps needed to be taken, assuming that once you’ve registered online filling out the VEC10 form would be redundant. This is not the case, and everyone voting from abroad will be required to fill out the online form, regardless of how or where you registered in the first place.

The deadline for completing the

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THREE SECOND MEMORY: South African electro-jazz duo Goldfish return to London on their Three Second Memory World Tour. They touch down at Electric Brixton on Sunday 20 April (Monday is a Bank Holiday). Ticket details on page 5. Photo by Ross Hillier

online application via the VEC10 form is midnight on 12 March 2014.

The process is reported to be easy to navigate and able to be completed within less than five minutes.

If you have registered to vote but do not fill out the VEC10 form online, you will not be able to cast your vote when you show up at the South African High Commission for the 30 April election date. Please note the election date for South Africans voting abroad is different from the general election date in South Africa. The valid date for South Africans voting abroad is 30

April 2014 only.

If you have not registered to vote this year but have previously registered for elections from South Africa, you may likely still be eligible to vote, as your original registration carries on to be valid.

Please check on your status on the ‘For voters’ section of the electorial commission website and, if you are able to vote under this premise, fill out the VEC10 form online by the 12 March 2014 deadline, as this is a prerequisite for all voters abroad.

The new voting procedures introduced for expat South Africans

under the Electoral Amendment Act 2013 seems to be too confusing for many to follow. Despite having registered to vote, tens of thousands are reported to not have taken the necessary steps required to finalise their voting abroad process by failing to complete the compulsory online form.

Please also be advised that when you arrive to vote at the High Commission, after successfully filling out your VEC10 form on the IEC website online, you will need to bring both your valid South African passport and your valid South African ID book with you.

INSIDE:

p3 | Cape Town police brutalise suspect during arrest p6 | The top 20 silly questions that foreigners ask South Africans p11 | Homecoming

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Mandela becomes first non-Brit honoured at Westminster Abbey

| Nelson Mandela joined a select group of non-Britons who have been honoured by a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey which includes Archbishop Luwum of Uganda, Sir Alexander Bustamente Prime Minister of Jamaica, Sir Robert Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia and Sir Seretse Khama, President of Botswana

By Marianne Gray As MP Peter Hain said at Nelson Mandela’s moving and dramatic memorial service in Westminster Abbey on Monday, an event shunned by President Jacob Zuma but attended by countless international leaders, “You have to think of your people, not yourself” – as Nelson Mandela, or as Hain put it, the ‘herdboy turned freedom fighter’ undeniably did.

And his people came to pay their respects; members of the Mandela family, Zuma’s deputy Kgalema Motlanthe, former Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu, HRH Prince Harry representing Her Majesty The Queen, British Prime Minister David Cameron, his deputy Nick Clegg and opposition leader Ed Miliband, to sit shoulder to shoulder with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Lord Mayor of London – everybody who’d meant anything in The Struggle and all those who revere the leadership Mandela gave it. harry tutu 4As the first sunshine of spring dappled through the huge stained glass windows of Britain’s most famous abbey church, the Soweto Gospel Choir, ‘bornfrees’ in their Madiba-bright outfits, sang songs from Mandela’s traditional background; ‘Asimbonganga’ by Johnny Clegg, even one by Bob Marley (‘One Love’), clapping, whistling and dancing to the beat of just one drum. Westminster Abbey never felt so joyful.

“Nelson Mandela never claimed glory even when he achieved great things,” Deputy President Motlanthe said in his address to the 2,000-strong congregation. “He was shaped by the struggle, which shunned confrontation but held values of compassion and solidarity that went beyond simple opposition to apartheid. Inheritors of his dream have the unenviable challenge to make the dream for which Mandela lived come to pass.” motlanthe abbeyHe stressed that Britain was among the nation’s best suited to lead the charge on

boldly addressing racial inequalities and transfiguring the Mandela consciousness.

“Posterity will look at the current generation in the light of the Mandela experience,” he said.

‘If we fail it will not make sense to future generations that while Mandela evolved into a rugged moral force that edged humanity higher on the plane of civilisation, those who followed him either failed to live up to his philosophy or simply destroyed his dream.” tutu abbeyHis Excellency Obed Mlaba, the new High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa, read Joshua 4: 1-7, 19-end and the Prime Minister then read St John 10: 10-16.

Desmond Tutu, who opened with a blessing in both English and Afrikaans, gave an emotive, often witty, address reminding the gathering that he came from a country that only 20 years ago had signs like : Drive Carefully, Natives Crossing.

“Nowadays they could put up signs: Natives Very Cross Here!” he joked.

“Nelson Mandela was appalled by a system that treated black people as if they were scum in a demeaning dehumanising system, people who treated their dogs better than they treated us. Mandela and his colleagues resisted this vicious system. What would we have now if Mandela had died in prison? Mercifully he didn’t die in prison thanks very largely to the amazing international movement led by (the late archbishop) Trevor Huddleston.”

He continued, “Nelson Mandela was basically saying not a single one of us is a hopeless case with a first class ticket to hell. All of us have the capacity to save and Mandela made us believe that each one of us was made for goodness and loving, peace and laughter.”

Possibly the most unexpected eulogy came from former NUSAS president Jonty Driver who read a passage from the Robben Island

‘Bible’, aka Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, in which prisoners had signed their favourite lines.

“In 1964, when I was detained in the Sea Point Police Cells, I could just see Robben Island if I clung on to the bars of my window and pulled myself up as high as I could,” he recalled. He read the lines that Mandela chose to sign, “Cowards die many times before their deaths: The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear, Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come.”

South Africa’s national anthem ‘Nkosi Sikilel’iAfrica’ was sung before Britain’s ‘God Save the Queen’ and the abbey bells rang out long and clear. programmeAfter the service, South African actress Dame Janet Suzman said she thought Motlanthe’s address “was an exquisite, really finely constructed speech about what South Africa could be in the light of what Nelson Mandela wanted it to be,” she said.

“And Tutu lived up to every gorgeous expectation. It is amazing to think how fast 20 years have gone when Tutu talked about putting his X on the voting form. I don’t know

where that 20 years has gone – such is history. The ceremony felt like a joyous book-end.”

Celebrated South African pianist Tessa Uys added, “For those of us who were privileged to be present for the Service,this was indeed a moment never to be forgotten.

I sat beside the grave of George Frideric Handel, listening in awe to the magnificent voices of the Soweto Gospel Choir delivering their own Hallelujah Choruses in praise of Madiba. In contrast, there were sublime performances by the choir of Westminster Abbey and superbly performed organ works. These, combined with all the accolades and a most beautiful service of loving thanks

by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, resulted in a deeply moving and inspirational memorial.”

Other notable figures who attended the service included Idris Elba, Boris Johnson, Richard E Grant, Gordon Brown, John Major and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

A memorial stone is to be laid in the Abbey dedicated to Mandela later this year. No foreign dignitaries have ever been honoured at Westminster Abbey before, setting a unique precedent for Mandela’s service.

SAA launches Airbus A330-200 London – Johannesburg

| From 28th March, South African Airways will be operating a newer aircraft, the Airbus A330-200 on scheduled flights between London Heathrow and Johannesburg a 74” seat pitch, 180° flat beds by staff reporter

The newer SAA aircrafts will replace the current A340-600 used on the LHR – JNB route, and will operate on flight number SA235, the first of SAA’s two daily departures from London Heathrow at 19.00 and also on selected SA237 flights, which depart at 21:00.

Gary Kershaw, General Manager

of South African Airways (UK) says, “We’ve listened to feedback from our corporate customers and Voyager members around the aspects of their journey that are important to them.”

“We’re delighted to announce these changes to our summer schedule to strengthen our growing reputation for quality.”

The newer A330-200 aircraft

will offer economy passengers even larger 10 inch widescreen technology, as well as one of the most spacious cabins to Southern Africa, with SAA’s 2-4-2 seat configuration.

South African Airways Business customers will enjoy smaller, more personal cabins and forward facing seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, as well as

and 12” on-demand widescreen technology.

SAA operates the first direct flight of the day from Heathrow to Johannesburg. The South African national carrier has built a reputation for flight punctuality, having won the Flight Stats Award for the “Most-on-Time Airline in the World” twice during 2013.

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Will Shrien Dewani’s trial be the next Oscar Pistorius moment?

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

| It looks like South Africa is bound to get its next courtroom drama as soon as the Oscar Pistorius trial comes to a close. But is the case against Shrien Dewani ‘juicy’ enough?

by sertan sanderson SHRIEN DEWANI, accused of being involved in the murder of his wife Anni on their honeymoon to Cape Town in 2010, will likely be extradited to South Africa in less than 28 days. The 33-yearold has lost his last appeal against the extradition procedure earlier this week, and now has only one avenue left to try outside the UK, which is the European Court of Human Rights.

However, with years of cases in backlog, the European Court of

Human Rights in Strasbourg may not yield to Dewani’s desired outcome, as he is running out of time to even apply. Dewani has been fighting his case for over three years now and maintains his innocence.

He claims that during his honeymoon in Cape Town, the couple were kidnapped in Gugulethu, a township in the Cape Flats, where Dewani alleges he was released but his wife Anni was later shot and killed by the kidnappers. The actual

perpetrator of the crime, Xolile Mngeni, was tried and imprisoned for the murder alongside two confederates in the crime, but has directly implicated Shrien Dewani in the case during his trial.

Businessman Dewani has been undergoing medical treatments for his mental health on grounds of post-traumatic stress since the crime happened, during which time he has been reported as being suicidal. He has been compulsorily been sectioned at a mental health institution in his hometown Bristol under the UK’s Mental Health Act 2007 .

Shrien Dewani’s case may not be as ‘sexy’ as the Pistorius trial but is still bound to make headlines both in South Africa as well as in the UK. The murder story of Anni Dewani plays into universal themes perpetuated in the South African news media, tying crime, tourism and femicide into one single narrative.

Furthermore, the trial will also shed light on the South African criminal justice system, which is already suffering to uphold its image in the light of several mishaps at the onset of the Pistorius trial. If these high-profile cases fail to fulfil the purpose of serving justice, they can hopefully still serve the purpose of at least highlighting the weaknesses of the judicial establishment of South Africa.

Cape Town police brutalise suspect during arrest | More footage of police brutality in South Africa surfaces on Facebook, after a man is stripped down and brutalised during arrest

By Sertan Sanderson A video has appeared on Facebook, showing a man being attacked, stripped and beaten during a police arrest. The origins of the video showing two policemen and a number of private security contractors ganging up on their suspect are somewhat unclear, however it appears that the footage was taken on a camera-phone in Cape Town on 6 March 2014 from what seems to be a work-place.

The two policemen are seen to repeatedly beat and kick the naked suspect in the groin area while private security contractors hold the victim restrained in place against a car during the assault.

The reasons for the arrest are unknown at the moment as is the motivation for the brutal attack.

But another arrest was made after the person filming the incidence, Nicole Speelman, drew attention to herself by accusing SAPS of police brutality and enquiring why the naked man was

being mistreated in this manner.

The second person taken into custody was later released, and was reportedly not Speelman, who had taken the footage.

The police quoted “police interference” as the justification for the second arrest, which is believed to not have involved any further aggression.

November Filander, the Western Cape Warrant Officer responsible for assessing the incident, said the footage would be duly reviewed: “we are currently investigating the matter which would be taken further.”

In a tweet, the South African Police Service (SAPS) also acknowledged the occurrence and announced that the Western Cape Provincial Commissioner’s Office “instituted steps to establish the facts and take the matter further”.

Instances of police brutality have been on the rise, particularly in Cape Town where crime figures, especially in the Cape Flats, feature at the top of statistics

across the country. A blind busker had also suffered a brutal police attack in Cape Town last year after refusing to limit his street performance to the allocated time window. Consequences appear to be short-lived and limited.

But the problem of police brutality is of a nationwide nature.

Last year, the brutal arrest and subsequent death of a taxi driver in Daveyton, Mpumalanga, sparked international outreach and global news coverage. South Africa is perceived as a major hotspot of police violence, particularly since the mass shooting of miners at the Lonmin Marikana platinum mines in 2012.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) receives complaints on a daily basis, but its independence has come under scrutiny recently after moves to appoint a controversial ex-police chief at its helm have been pushed forward.

As this is a developing story, we will provide further updates.

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SA Business Award winners share tips for post-recession success

by Ronel van zyl

The SA Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion with the winners of the South African Business Awards 2013 as part of its First Wednesday event last week.

Mark Jankovich (Delphis Eco), Karine Torr (Darling Magazine), Mark Warren (Pharside), Kurt Won (SalesPartners UK) and Sharon Constançon (Genius Methods) shared some interesting insights into their business success in a post-recession environment.

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Mantle made for Mandela to ‘fly’ from prison on auction at Bonhams SA sale

| Arthur Goldreich, who escaped from prison dressed as a priest, created the magical design for Madiba in 1983 by staff reporter A rare piece of ANC heritage that links Nelson Mandela to another leader of the armed fight to end apartheid, Arthur Goldreich, will be sold at Bonhams South African art sale on 19 March in London.

The item Bonhams is selling, titled ‘Mantle for Nelson’ was made in 1983 by artist and designer Arthur Goldreich (South African, 1929-2011). It is a painted collage and raffia hanging some 104cm by 102cm and is estimated to sell for £4,000 to £6,000.

Giles Peppiatt, Head of South African Art at Bonhams says: “The work was conceived as a mantle for Nelson Mandela to fly from jail. A sort of magic flying carpet idea.”

As opposition shifted from peaceful protest to violence in the 1960s Arthur Goldreich, an artist and designer, became a leading ANC planner who travelled widely overseas

seeking military aid and information on making weapons in East Germany, Russia and China. He wrote a detailed plan for the overthrow of South Africa based on blowing up key industrial targets. He and his family lived on Lilliesleaf Farm in Johannesburg. This became the centre of planning for the ANC’s military wing, Umkonto we Sizwe, Spear of the Nation. On July 11 1963 the police raided the farm and took Golreich and Walter Sisulu, the ANC’s Secretary General, plus 15 others captive. Nelson Mandela had been arrested the year before.

Unlike Mandela, Goldreich managed to escape prison with another colleague Harold Wolpe, a lawyer and ANC activist, by bribing a guard and dressing up as priests.

During one of the most tense periods of the anti-apartheid struggle, a single-winged Cessna aircraft carrying two

priests in dog collars took off from an airstrip in Swaziland and flew across South African territory to British Bechuanaland. The “clerics” stepped out to a rapturous welcome from the local African National Congress. The escape of the freedom fighter Arthur Goldreich had been accomplished.

Nelson Mandela valued Goldreich because of his experience fighting in Israel during and after the War of Independence in 1948.

Goldreich went on to head the design department of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. In 1994 he returned briefly to South Africa to attend a reunion at Lilliesleaf which has since been turned into a museum.

Goldreich produced this fascinating work dedicated to Nelson Mandela in 1983, when Mandela was still incarcerated.

Goldfish Live In London: Three Second Memory Tour @ Electric Brixton | Globally

renowned South African DJ duo Goldfish return to London to perform at the Electric Brixton on Sunday 20 April

The Goldfish Three Second Memory World Tour touches down at the Electric Brixton Sunday 20 April (Bank Holiday Weekend) More special guests to be announced.

BY STAFF REPORTER Multi-instrumentalist electronic wunderkindes Goldfish return to London to perform their explosive live show at the Electric Brixton on Sunday 20 April (Monday is a Bank Holiday).

Their genre-defying mix of live saxophones, double bass, keyboards and pounding house beats has touched a nerve with audiences across the world, performing everywhere from Ultra Music Festival to Pacha Ibiza. Rather than bash out boring loops, this duo build their sounds from the

bottom up using a wide selection of live instruments to create a live show which leaves audiences gobsmacked around the world.

For this very special London show they will be joined by the Berlin based young talent Wankelmut known for his rolling Techno plus hits One Day Reckoning and My head is a Jungle ft. Emma Louise.

Wankelmut’s support will ensure the dance floor is nicely warmed all night long. Expect a massive night out with the very best in Music, Visuals, Lighting, Sound and SFX at one of London’s premiere venues.

Promoted by Electric Brixton and GoMad Events.

10pm – 6am £15 / £20 Tickets: http://www.seetickets. com/Tour/goldfish-live-veryspecial-guests Buy tickets from: Electric Brixton website Facebook / ElectricBrixton Twitter / @BrixtonElectric Instagram / electricbrixton Facebook / GoMad Events Twitter / @GoMadEvents Goldfish: https://soundcloud.com/ goldfishlive/goldfish-submergedsundays Wankelmut: https://soundcloud. com/wankelmut/wankelmut-meltfestival-2013 www.goldfishlive.com www.youtube.com/goldfishlive www.myspace.com/goldfishlive www.facebook.com/goldfishlive www.twitter.com/goldfishlive

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The top 20 silly questions that foreigners ask South Africans

| Myths and stereotypes about South Africa and its people continue to thrive in some countries. We count down the top 20 actual questions foreigners have asked our readers about our country 7. Did you have a slave in shops/ schools/ money in by heather walker

Although our country has been welcomed back to an increasingly globalised world after the end of apartheid, some foreigners continue to harbour romantic ideas about life in Africa.

Certainly, one would not expect anyone outside South Africa’s borders to have an in-depth knowledge of the country or its history, but it’s surprising how many crazy myths and stereotypes about our land and its people continue to thrive.

Not even the publicity surrounding Nelson Mandela’s death and his involvement in the anti-apartheid struggle have succeeded in enlightening some people about the multiracial nature of SA society.

As a result, South Africans living or travelling abroad often face some ridiculous questions.

We count down the top 20 actual questions our readers have been asked about their homeland: 20. Do you have the internet/ phones/ roads/ cars/ post/

The Optimist Karen de Villiers

Oscargate

| We watch like bloodthirsty spectators as ordinary people who were at the wrong place at the right time are subjected to gruelling legal examination while social media partakes in a feeding frenzy Reluctant to write about the drama of it all. Cannot ignore that this will be a significant trial, not for one person, families and society at large, but it will throw South Africa back in the spotlight for the next three weeks, for all the wrong reasons.

Everyone will become a detective, a lawyer, a judge.

Conversations peppered with debate about guilt and just how much guilt is involved. It is easy to stand on the sidelines and shout about the degree of

South Africa?

South Africa?

19. Do you own a gun?

6. But you don’t have a South African accent? (not understanding that there are a lot of different accents)

18. Do you have lions in your garden?

17. Do you ride around on elephants?

16. Why would you want to come here (UK, USA, etc)?

15. Can you see Kilimanjaro from your house?

14. Oh you’re from Johannesburg – do you know my friend Peter in Nairobi?

13. How many wives does your husband have?

5. I know that you lived in South Africa but where were you born? You must have been born somewhere else.

4. How did you learn to speak English?

3. Which country in South Africa are you from?

2. Are you black?

1. Why are you white?

8. Do you speak African?

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to poke fun at others’ ignorance but is simply a lighthearted take on something we’ve no doubt all experienced. What’s encouraging is that people are curious enough to ask. While it’s tempting to respond with sarcasm (or fiction), giving an honest answer will ultimately help to show what South Africa is really like. Just don’t be a whingeing expat, please!

premeditation and the violence that ensued when Oscar Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp. I can add nothing of deep insight, but I can say: Two people. One, famous Oscar, will never lead a normal life again. No matter the outcome or the sentence, his life is effectively over in every possible way. He is shunned by society and will be an outcast forever. And the beautiful Reeva, who has become famous in the worst possible way. Instead of praising her life, she is now the specimen of autopsy; gory details of her last moments define her.

We watch like bloodthirsty spectators as ordinary people who were at the wrong place at the right time are subjected to gruelling legal examination while social media partakes in a feeding frenzy like sharks who smell blood and cannot contain their appetites.

What does it say about us then, the common man, when we latch onto tragedy with such fervour?

Why do we want to know the intimate details of blood and gunshots, when humans fail and death plays such a public role in our society? Do we revel in the misfortune of others and why?

Why do we become voyeurs into the lives of those who, through circumstance or planning, committed the ultimate foul?

I do not know, human nature I

suppose, but this case plays close to the heart for many reasons.

Gifted and beautiful young people. A country struggling with negative perceptions and the notion that guns and fear are an integral part of our society.

Oscargate has put another nail in the coffin of trying to show the world that South Africa is not a lawless wasteland – this is not another ‘oh, we are a sleepless society waiting for attack’ but this case will have us defending our land once again. We are in the dock, but are we not also guilty of stoking the furnace when we fixate on tragedies such as this?

Guilty of following the trial.

Not sure of how I feel about it.

I want justice, but am acutely aware that any outcome will add to the loss involved. I wish it had never happened. I hope that some good will come of this, for the memory of Reeva who may, like Meredith Kercher become secondary to the sensationalism surrounding the trial.

We were not in the room that night. We will never truly know what happened. Justice must prevail. My heart breaks for everyone involved. All are victims in the end. I hope we have hearts big enough to realise this, and make an effort to use this sad situation, and make life better…

12. How does it feel to wear clothes?

11. Have you ever had Aids?

10. Which tribe do you belong to?

9. So you’re down next to Australia, right?

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‘Plot for Peace’: The untold story of the man behind apartheid’s fall | Directed by Spanish director Carlos Agulló and Johannesburg filmmaker Mandy Jacobson, ‘Plot for Peace’ is a whole new take

on the heritage of central and southern Africa

By Marianne Gray Plot for Peace is an evocative documentary that reveals an untold story of apartheid’s fall, and the mysterious French businessman, code name “Monsieur Jacques”, who was, among many other things, instrumental in Nelson Mandela’s release from jail.

It’s the true story of Algerian-born commodities trader “Monsieur Jacques”, real name Jean-Yves Ollivier, the man former Minister of Foreign Affairs “Pik” Botha referred to ‘daaie bliksem se fransman’ (that bloody Frenchman) and his behind the scenes activities in Africa.

It races along as a sometimes shocking, breath-takingly fast thriller about how dramatic and complex political matters can be in Africa.

Directed by Spanish director Carlos Agulló (The Sea Inside) and Johannesburg filmmaker Mandy Jacobson, the award-winning head of Indelible Media, a production company dedicated to taking African cinema and television to the international marketplace, Plot for Peace is a whole new take on the heritage of central and southern Africa.

‘The extraordinary thing about “Monsieur Jacques” is that although many people through the social network knew who he was and how to find him, nobody really knew him,’ Mandy Jacobson told me in London.

‘We found some footage on him in a South African newscast in the 80s when he was being awarded after coordinating an exchange involving 250 prisoners and nine countries.

‘He had first worked in South Africa as a business man in the early 1980s. He says in the film that when he arrived there it felt like another planet where whites did not understand that if they did not change and accept sharing the country they were headed for disaster. He wanted to react to the system. He opted for the individual’s ability to change things and showed that there is still room for individual action.

‘On the one hand he ignored

global sanctions yet on the other he was an advisor to Jacques Chirac (former prime minister of France) on African affairs. He was a thickskinned white African who cared about Africa, lived on a plane and had homes around the world. He set about a series of shrewd political manoeuvres including aiding in negotiation to shift South Africa troops out of Angola and helping in planning a 1987 prisoner swap on Mozambique.

‘Even though he managed to carry out some absolutely incredible bargaining, using African solutions to African problems, he seemed to disappear into the rugged landscape of the political and moral mazes.

We wanted to use his story as a siphon but we uncovered so much information in this African dilemma we simply couldn’t stop.’

The film took two years more than budgeted for as they trawled through unseen archives in Cuba, Russia, Mozambique and Angola, and interviewed people like Thabo Mbeki, Mozambique’s Joachim Chissano, Congo’s Denis Sassou Nguesso, America’s Chester Crocker, Winnie Mandela and many others. They ended up with a five hour film that they cut down to a sharp and sideways 84 minute revelation on the end of apartheid.

‘I found it fascinating to discover a story that had changed the course of a continent and that had been kept secret for almost 30 years,’ says Jacobson. ‘I believe that one of the keys to this film’s success is that it may be read on several levels. Newcomers to contemporary African History will discover how the end of apartheid and the release of Mandela were intrinsically linked to the end of the Cold War : without the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban and South African troop withdrawal from Angola, Nelson Mandela would have remained in prison.

‘On the other hand, political analysts will discover an untold story that will help them understand the connection between different events that remained unconnected until now.’

BRAND SOUTH AFRICA Brand SA aims to contribute to the objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP) by undertaking coordinated initiatives to build South Africa’s nation brand reputation and contribute to the country’s global competitiveness; and to inspire and instil pride and patriotism amongst the “rainbow” nation to drive active citizenship and nation brand advocacy.

COUNTRY MANAGER X2: United Kingdom and USA (Based in London and in New York) Three (3) years fixed term contract (Salary: Negotiable)

JOB PURPOSE • Manage South Africa’s reputation and influence relationships with key stakeholders.

• Promote South Africa as a competitive destination by managing and implementing the brand and communications programmes in partnership with stakeholders and with guidance from Head Office.

• Build and enhance the Global South Africans (GSA) programme and ensure alignment to the integrated GSA programme.

• Build and implement a media relations programme to drive awareness of SA as a competitive destination.

• Manage SA’s online reputation in-market and with support from Head Office.

• Develop and circulate content for stakeholder and media relations.

QUALIFICATIONS: • Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science / Economics / Business Management.

• Postgraduate degree in Political Science / Economics / Sales and Marketing / Business Management

EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE • 7+ years combined experience in strategic marketing and communications, PR and reputation management and stakeholder relations, at a senior level.

• Track record of successfully negotiating partnerships in a highly pressured environment.

• Comprehensive understanding of the political and legislative environment.

• Thorough knowledge of the workings of the business and macro-economic environment.

• Working knowledge of systems and processes and how they contribute to organisational performance.

• Customer Relationship Management Only South Africans who reside in the UK/USA and with legitimate working papers are eligible to apply.

Send an updated CV, qualifications and proof of legal status to: recruitment@brandsouthafrica.com For all other recruitment enquiries, please contact Ms Mirriam Moagi on + 27 -11 712 5025 or email her at mirriamm@brandsouthafrica.com For a detailed job profile, please visit www.brandsouthafrica.com

NB: These positions are subject to competency and psychometric testing.

8

| 11 - 17 March 2014 | thesouthafrican.com

Community

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Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me – UK premiere screening | Award-winning documentary ‘Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me’ will make its UK debut at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in London this month his latest film, which will be its UK

by staff reporter The 18th edition of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in London will be presented from 18 to 28 March, 2014 with a busy programme of 20 award-winning documentary and feature films from around the world.

Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me (winner of the Special Jury Award, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2013) is one of four titles in the Human Rights Defenders, Icons and Villains category, and offers some incredible insight into the South African psyche.

South African filmmaker Khalo Matabane grew up as an idealistic teenager with fanciful ideas about a post-apartheid era of freedom and justice in South Africa when the great icon of liberation Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison in 1990.

In Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me, Matabane embarks on a personal odyssey encompassing an imaginary letter written to Mandela and featuring many conversations with politicians, activists, intellectuals, and artists, to question the different meanings of ideals such as freedom, reconciliation and forgiveness — ultimately challenging Mandela’s legacy in today’s world of conflict and inequality.

The film juxtaposes Matabane’s inner quest for a sense of coherence with the opinions both of people who knew Mandela intimately and of those whose political perspectives were shaped by his journey. Matabane weighs equally the words of the subjects in his documentary, leading viewers to question the concepts they present as well. Khalo Matabane will be attending the festival screening of

premiere.

The film was awarded the Special Jury Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) last year, which is one of the most important festivals for creative documentaries.

A Letter to Nelson Mandela was produced by Carolyn Carew of Born Free Media, a South African film and TV production company with a string of award-winning productions behind it, previously winning 7 awards at SAFTAS in 2007, Best Drama at Fespaco in 2008 and at Reims Film Festival France 2008 for “When We Were Black”, which also was directed by Khalo Matabane.

The festival will take place at the Curzon Mayfair, Curzon Soho, Ritzy Brixton and for the first time at the Barbican.

For a full line-up of festival events and trailers see http:// ff.hrw.org/london

Ek Begin nou Verstaan | Die grootste bekommernis vir enige expat is om familie te verloor as ons so in die vêrte sit. Ons moet die gevoel van skuld en speit opsy sit. Die hoeveelheid tyd wat ons aan ons familie toestaan gaan nooit genoeg wees nie, ons sal altyd wens vir meer. Ons het my Moeder in Oktober oor gehandig aan die Here. Ek wil graag huldeblyk bring aan haar deur my gedig te deel; die gedig wat ek geskryf voor ek vir die eerste keer Europa toe gekom het. Mis Mamma, Lief vir Mamma Ek begin nou verstaan

deur bianca pienaar ‘n Moeder het geen einde in sig, geen rus, geen niks.

Net aanhou en uithou en verwag so min terug.

Maar tog bly daar ‘n glimlag wat natuurlik helder skyn, deur die swaar kry, seer kry, hartseer en pyn. ‘n Sïels glimlag, ‘n sons glimlag wat soet snare speel, of ‘n stil bly of ‘ek verstaan’ wat my hart sagies streel.

‘Ek is trots op jou, ‘kwaad vir jou’ of ‘jy gaan seer kry’ kyk, en die pyn wat Ma help dra as my toekoms bleek lyk.

Die hartseer agter ons, nou en wat daar voorlê, is die oomblikke in ons lewe wat bietjie traantjies af gee. ‘n Roos tel sy kop op keer op keer, al val sy, verlep sy, sal die roos terug keer.

Ma is dié roos; so kleur ruik en sterk!

Ma druk my nader onder Ma se vlerk.

Nou wil die kindjie haar nessie verlaat,

sy wil haar Mamma saam vat maar is nie in staat.

Ma hou net aan voort gaan sonder om terug te kyk.

Saggies huil ek, ek voel ewe skielik weer klein.

Ek kan aan so veel redes dink om agter te bly!

Maar ek voel braaf en my aanmoediging kry ek by Ma; Dit is daai uiterste hardkoppigheid wat my voorentoe dra.

Ek hoop om so ‘n goeie Moeder te wees vir my kind, soos in die liefde wat ek by Ma vind.

Ek glo tog daar was en is altyd twee pare spore in die sand; Jesus dra my en Mammie hou my hand.

Ek voel immers positief in wat ek nou doen; Ek gaan my lewe se skewe sirkel met een klap versoen!

Ek gaan terug keer triomflik en se ‘Ek was daar!’, En nooit speit wees in tyd, dat ek dit nie kon bewaar.

Ek haat die idee om in die vreemde sonder Mamma te wees!

Ek sou liewer wens om dit saam met Ma te beleef.

Ma is my rots, my lig oor die donker see, my beste vriendin!

Sonder Ma se leiding is dit moeilik om te sien waar ek moet begin.

Ek begin nou verstaan waaroor ‘Ma wees’ als oor gaan; Dit is soos ‘n eindelose struikel om ‘n wedloop baan.

Maar tog het my Moeder nie ‘n oomblik van speit,

9

thesouthafrican.com | 11 - 17 March 2014 |

Travel

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Bubbly and Battlefields

| Champagne is synonymous with Gallic stylishness, as can be appreciated by visiting the cellars in either Rheims of Epernay. In fact, if you have time to spare in the autumn, you could even be part of this sparkling industry

By John Burke The making of still wine in north-eastern France began with the Romans, and continued in monasteries, but the fizz we know today stems largely from judicious blending and bottling.

It is related that Count Theobald IV brought back a vital shoot from the Holy Land in 1240, and Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine, improved quality with different grapes and immediate pressing four centuries later.

Yet there was unexpected effervescence, and as many as four bottles out of ten were still bursting or popping their corks after the boom began in 1820.

Eventually, finer fermenting, coal-fired glass and wire muzzles allowed the sparkling wine we know to be promoted worldwide.

Last year, besides 171 million bottles sold inside France, 32 million were shipped to Britain as part of 138 million exported to 190 countries, a total worth 4.4 billion euros. Bordeaux gets only the same turnover from four times the growing area – slightly larger than South Africa’s.

Champagne’s viticulture has expanded so far to 34,000 hectares around 321 villages, of which 17 are called grand and 44 premier. The district is so fragmented that even a major house has separated vineyards.

The grape-growing is done in 280,000 plots with an average size of two hectares by 15,000 wine-growers, and 136 cooperatives. An international army of 100,000 casual labourers descends on the triangle formed

by Rheims, Bar and Charly-surMarne for grape-gathering in September.

More than a hundred requirements and regulations are involved in Champagne, from pruning the vines to pressing the grapes and from corking the bottles to ageing the must, not to mention serving correctly. The industry remains at the mercy of nature – a bug destroyed the whole crop in 1890, one-tenth was ruined by hail in 2000 and three years later, frost killed half

the grapes.

It all starts with Pinot, Meunier and Chardonnay growing at the limit of favourable latitude on sloping ground, and the only simple thing is a single generic name confined by law in 1891 and 1927 to the namesake region: Champagne. The trade association, whose initials are CIVC, has lawyers in 70 countries to combat infringement and counterfeiting.

Unlike other areas of France with a myriad of châteaux and appelations, any bulbous bottle from Rheims or Epernay highlights the word CHAMPAGNE rather than the bottlers that include 5,000 of the growers and 46 of the co-operatives. Two-thirds of all sales and 90% of exports, however, come from 30 big names among 100 in the Union of Champagne Houses, yet only one-tenth of the growing area is their own.

Largest of all is Moet & Chandon (Dom Pérignon) at Epernay, while nine houses in Rheims also do guided visits that are best booked in advance due to varying opening times. The oldest is Ruinart (1729), but Cazenove and Mumm are nearest to Rheims station, while the most popular cellars, under what was once an abbey, have belonged since 1932 to Taittinger, half of whose production comes from its own vineyards.

It took two men one week to stack 72,212 bottles in one vault, some of the 1,200 million in the district that work out at four years’ reserve. The length

of Epernay’s cellars is 110 kilometres, and there are 200 kilometres of tunnelling under Rheims where the Romans once quarried chalk. Cellars were requisitioned as shelters, including a military hospital, during the First World War. The centenary of its outbreak is an added reason to visit this part of France for various commemorations. As the only city on the front line, Rheims saw not only the destruction of four out of every five buildings, but enormous damage to the cathedral once used for French coronations – that of 1429 being in the presence of Joan of Arc. On what was also the Western Front, 166 kilometres by road to the north-west, are the South African war-graves of Longueval complete with a magnificent memorial to the brigade that had been recruited at Potchestroom.

Besides suffering the Union’s biggest loss, it was also one of the heaviest for British Empire troops, but also among the most heroic. That was in July 1916 when only 775 men survived from the 3,153 who captured Delville Wood nearby. More than 12,000 of South African’s 229,000 servicemen died during World War I, but the site’s museum commemorates all fallen up to 1953.

Longueval is six kilometres from Albert, and the rail-trip from Rheims via Amiens takes two hours, but half that time from Lille. So if you want to do it all in a round trip from London, the best way is by Eurostar to Paris, then express (TGV) to Rheims in 45 minutes (Rail Europe’s return fare is £89), but make your way to Lille for Eurostar back to London.

Five minutes’ walk from Rheims station is Best Western, incorporating the city’s famous Café de la Paix. Clustered around are various hotels with rates less than half its £101 per night.

Tickets: raileurope.com Hotels: reims-tourisme.com Wine: champagne.com Memorial: delvillewood.com

10

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| 11 - 17 March 2014 | thesouthafrican.com Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

Excess Baggage Company’s top seven moving tips

| Packing your goods is an essential part of the process and following these tips can help you have a smooth relocation. by staff reporter Moving home is an exciting but nerve-wracking time for any individual. It’s important to have a smooth transition from your current home to your new home. Packing your goods is an essential part of the process and following these tips can help you have a smooth relocation.

Start planning early. It’s easy

to under-estimate the amount of time it takes to pack items in your house. It’s more useful to start early and pack slowly.

It’s in your best interest to use quality cardboard boxes. When your goods are shipped having good quality boxes will help protect your items as swell as decrease the chances of damage.

At Excess Baggage we can

provide you with boxes and packing materials FREE of cost within London M25 area and at a very nominal charge for outside London post codes.

Have a systematic approach when packing. This can be packing a certain amount of boxes a day or packing by room.

Having a system which works for you is beneficial.

Labelling your boxes is essential; it’s needed so that you pack specific items into specific boxes. This will prevent grouped items being separated.

Furthermore it allows an easier unpacking process.

Heavy items should be stored individually in smaller boxes.

This makes lifting the heavy item easier as the surface area is less,

which allows you to have a more controlled lift.

Fragile items should also be stored individually and you should use a sufficient amount of bubble wrap or newspaper to ensure that the items are not loose in the box.

Keep all important documents safe; do not keep your important documents in the same boxes as your packed household items.

Acoustic consulting engineer, Cape Town

| Sound Research Laboratories’ Cape Town office is hiring by staff reporter Our young Cape Town office is growing. We are looking for a keen and dynamic engineer who is ready to develop client relationships and help build our Sub-Saharan Africa market.

You should have at least two years’ experience in acoustic (or similar engineering) consultancy.

We realise that acoustics is a niche industry; we believe in hiring for character, and then teaching skills.

You will spend three months training at our UK head office in Suffolk and meeting the teams there, in London and in Manchester, before coming across to Cape Town. All our South African projects are currently run from our Cape Town office. We are looking to set up an office in Johannesburg in the near future, so there will also be exciting career opportunities in Gauteng soon.

SRL has been at the forefront of the acoustics, noise and vibration industry for nearly 50 years. We have written books, standards and design guides on these subjects, and are regarded as one of, if not the leading noise and acoustics consultancy in the UK and now South Africa. We have a worldrenowned acoustic test laboratory at our Suffolk head office, where much of the industry’s groundbreaking test and experimentation work was done. The lab now has key commercial value for many international acoustic manufacturers who use our facilities and expertise for their product development and certification.

We work on large, demanding and varied commercial projects throughout the UK and Southern Africa. We are extremely proud of our heritage and the quality of our

work. Our key professional value is making technical subjects easy for our client to understand. With this is mind, we pride ourselves in effective communication as well as exceptional expertise; all our consultants have excellent communication skills.

Our consultants are expected to run their own projects, dealing directly with their clients. You must therefore show effective project and time management skills, as well as the ability to look after your clients and develop these relationships.

Much of our work involves problem solving, so you must also show an ability to come up with creative solutions on-site and in the office.

Key requirements: • at least two years’ experience in acoustic (or similar engineering) consultancy, • a relevant engineering/science degree, • SA passport or valid SA work permit.

Benefits include: • competitive salary package, depending on experience and ability • incentive and share option schemes • generous holiday allowance • opportunities where possible to work from home • a contribution to sports club membership To apply, please send your CV to awade@srlsa.co.za To find out more about this position, call Malcolm Every on +44 1787 247 595 or Andrew Wade on +27 21 680 5305.

Alternatively, visit our website for more details: www.srlsa.co.za or www.srltsl.com

11

thesouthafrican.com | 11 - 17 March 2014 |

Business

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The next generation of African leaders: A Homecoming Journey

| Over a two-day weekend of 15 and 16 March 2014 at the Olympia Conference Centre, the Homecoming Africa London Expo hopes to demonstrate the advantages of returning home, focusing on professionals from South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Kenya by staff reporter More than a decade ago, Nelson Mandela stood on the balcony of the South African embassy in London’s Trafalgar Square and looked over a sea of South African faces. “I love you all so much”, he said, “I want to put you in my pocket and take you home.” And so the idea for Homecoming Revolution was born.

Homecoming Revolution, established in South Africa in 2003, encourages the skilled African diaspora to return home by showcasing careers, property, schools, relocation services, diaspora products, investments & entrepreneurial opportunities back on the continent.

Angel Jones, CEO and Founder of Homecoming Revolution, who was inspired by Mandela to return home says, “Sub-Saharan Africa is taking off, requiring strong leadership, top skills and job creation. Returning Africans bring home not only a superb range of international expertise, global relationships and local knowledge, but a strong sense of purpose and willingness to give back too – it’s a very powerful combination.”

The Homecoming Revolution Africa London Expo over 15 and 16 March will feature: EXHIBITORS Barclays Africa, Standard Bank Group, KPMG Africa, Africa Health Placements, American Tower, Amsco, Aperture Group, Bain & Company, The Boston Consulting Group, Bridge International, Chicken Republic, CIMA, Diageo, Deloitte, Ecobank, Food Concepts, The Foschini Group, Globacom, Gordon Institute of Business Science, Group Five, Gumboots Foundation, Intergate Immigration, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Thoughtworks, White & Co, 88 Agents and many more.

GUEST SPEAKERS High-profile guest speakers who will share their own “homecoming journey” plus update, inform, educate and inspire the diaspora on various issues relating to African business, economics, politics, and future scenarios.

Hear the amazing homecoming stories of: Aly-Khan Satchu – “My escape from the gilded box”| Tunde Ogunrinde – “Lessons from my Nigerian homecoming”| Angel Jones – “Why it’s okay to love & hate Africa”| Enyo Kumahor – “I came home to live my digital dream”| Yusuf Abramjee – “Ordinary South Africans doing Extraordinary things”| Samuel Mensah – “The Homecomer’s Dilemma: Get a job or start a business”| Isaac Fokuo – “The next generation of African leaders”| Frances Mensah Williams – “I want to work in Africa” | Alieu Fofanah – “Seven brand new insights on the African Start up”| Nick Binedell – “Navigating Africa, the business perspective”| Steuart Pennington – “The facts vs the fiction”| Elvina Quaison – “Counting down to home” | Allon Raiz – “Nine characteristics of an Entrepreneur”| Akinwale Ojomo – “The diaspora dialogue” | Kenfield Griffith – “Surveying the scene from East Africa” | Douglas Oppong & Shnayer Shapiro – “What’s hot with Property” | Eric Guichard – “All aboard the Investment Safari” | Mabouba Diagne – “Barclays Africa” | Mizinga Melu – “A Closer look at a new Dawn” | Paul Malherbe – “3 Career Insights for Africa” WORKSHOPS Careers, Relocation, Investments, Property & Entrepreneurship CASE STUDIES Inspirational video content and story-telling of returnee case studies

Testimonials from previous exhibitors at London events: “Overall, this event was very successful and we are definitely keen to be involved again. We met several candidates of high caliber” – SABMiller “Homecoming Revolution has proved to be very cost-effective and quick. We’ve placed 11 candidates over 2 events.” – The Foschini Group “We’ve definitely pulled the crowds with the relevant experience to us. The advertising has been a thumb’s up for the Homecoming Revolution.” – Microsoft Testimonials from previous attendees: “What a great event! I thought that your speakers were excellent; the topics discussed were interesting and relevant. The information relayed was positive and has further cemented my plans for returning home” “We went to your event in London and my husband has accepted a job offer in Cape Town at one of the companies who were there. We know SA has its problems, but we are so looking forward to being with family and friends again.”

“Excellent idea! We collated so much useful info and now can’t wait to get our toes back on African soil”.

To book tickets please visit http:// homecomingrevolution.com/ attendees/ HOMECOMING AFRICA LONDON EXPO 2014 Weekend 15th & 16th March 2014, Olympia Conference Centre Careers | Property | Advice | Business Real Opportunities Back Home for African Diaspora Professionals SOUTH AFRICA | NIGERIA | GHANA | KENYA | UGANDA

Brand SA seek Country Managers in London and New York

| Brand South Africa has two vacancies available for a country manager, one based in United Kingdom (London) and the other in USA (New York) by staff reporter BRAND South Africa is an organisation that aims to contribute to the objectives of the National Development Plan by undertaking coordinated initiatives to build South Africa’s nation brand reputation and contribute to the country’s global competitiveness and to inspire and instil pride and patriotism among the “rainbow” nation to drive active citizenship and nation brand advocacy.

Purpose of the job: • Manage South Africa’s reputation and influence relationships with key stakeholders.

• Promote South Africa as

a competitive destination by managing and implementing SA brand and communications programmes in partnership with stakeholders and with guidance from Head Office.

• Build and implement a media relations programme to drive awareness of SA as a competitive destination.

• Build and enhance the Global South Africans (GSA) programme and ensure alignment to the integrated GSA programme.

• Manage SA’s online reputation in-market and with support from Head Office.

• Develop and circulate content

for stakeholder and media relations.

The positions will be in the form of a three year fixed term contract. For a detailed job profile, visit www.brandsouthafrica.com/ vacancies. NB: These positions are subject to competency and psychometric testing. Send an updated CV, qualifications and proof of legal status to: recruitment@ brandsouthafrica.com For any technical enquiries relating to this position, please contact Ms Wendy Tlou +27 -11 712 5006.

For all other recruitment enquiries, please contact Ms Mirriam Moagi on + 27 11 712 5025 or email her at mirriamm@brandsouthafrica.com

12

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LIFESTYLE

Design

B

Portrait, Lifestyle and Wedding Pho-

| 11 - 17 March 2014 | thesouthafrican.com

SA SHOP DIRECTORY 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’

Photography

tographer

Capture your moment and frame it to keep forever. I am a London-based mobile photographer who will come to a location of your choice, allowing you to enjoy your photo shoot in the comfort of your home.

Biltong Direct Biltong Direct, in the business of making superior South African meat products since 2004. Online or from our shop (directions on website – www.biltongdirect.co.uk). Retail and wholesale sales.

We manufacture Biltong, Droewors, Snap Sticks, Boerewors & Gluten and MSG free products, offer quick dispatch and a 100% Satisfaction guarantee. Call 01268-685728

Contact Leanne on 07522554093 or designbphotography@gmail.com www.designbphotography.co.uk

St Marcus One of the most amazing emporia the capital offers to the carnivorous gourmet. People have been flocking to St. Marcus for their amazing range of Biltong & Boerewors Visit us at: 1-3 Rockingham Close, Priory Lane, off Upper Richmond Road West, Roehampton, London SW15 5RW Call us at: 0208 878 1898 Online: www.biltongstmarcus.co.uk sales@biltongstmarcus.co.uk 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

SA SHOP DIRECTORY

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

The Springbok Café The Springbok Café offers traditional South African food, wine and beers served with a smile in a friendly atmosphere. All this plus the option to grab your favourite S.A. groceries before you leave after relaxing and kuierring with us for a while.

The Springbok Café` Ltd, 1 East Reach, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 3EN, 01823 254966,thespringbokcafe.co.uk

FOODS4YOU Whether you like to create an incentive program for your employees or corporate gifts at special times or throughout the year.

Foods4U – Corporate Services Division is there to assist and help you maintain your critical internal and external business. sales@foods4u.co.uk Unit 22 / 24 Manford Ind. Estate, +44 (0) 87 00 33 2130, Manor Road, Erith, Kent, DA8 2AJ. 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

savanna Good friendly customer service is Savanna’s core principle. Our standards are high, and our rapidly-expanding network of shops are clean and bright and well-laid out, with friendly first-rate staff. Find us at: 20-22 Worple Road, Wimbledon London SW19 4DH Call us at: 0208 971 9177 Online: www.thesavanna.co.uk wimshop@thesavanna.co.uk

WORLDWIDE TAX SOLUTIONS The African Corner Three miles off Junction 26 of the M5 in the centre of Wellington, Somerset, TA21 8LS. Pull in if you’re in the West Country or find us online at www.theafricancorner.co.uk and we’ll come to you.

Email: theafricancorner@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 01823 619184

Is your tax situation a mess?

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CHICHESTER BILTONG COMPANY BILTONG doesn’t get any better than this !

Arguably the best and most authentic South African biltong in the UK. WE ONLY USE ORGANIC SPICES. Our FINEST range has no e’S , gluten, sugar or preservatives. Use promo code SAFFA10 for 10% EXTRA FREE. www.biltongcompany.co.uk / 01243 699 722

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

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 Email:sales@biltong.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 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 Limpopo Butchers We believe in small, well run family businesses, where quality is the number one priority. Come and try our delicious traditional recipe biltong, drywors, and boerewors, as well as aged beef steaks, chicken flatties, and succulent lamb.

9 Horn Lane, Acton, W3 9NJ Tel: 020 8993 8823 www.thesaffashop.com

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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 Australian tax experience

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

13

thesouthafrican.com | 11 - 17 March 2014 |

Business

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Things to keep in mind between receiving ILR and applying for British Citizenship – Travel Restrictions

| Most clients are well aware and informed about the restrictions on their visas, leading to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). There are however often confusion about the things one have to keep in mind once you have received ILR, in order to ‘prepare’ for the British Citizenship application. by staff reporter In order to ensure that you are eligible to apply for British Citizenship after spending one year on the status of ILR or permanent residence one has to comply with certain rules. If not, it would result in having to further extend one’s ILR before becoming eligible to apply for British Citizenship.

In order to ensure that you are eligible to apply for British Citizenship after having held ILR or Permanent Residence for a period of one year (or less, if you are married to a UK national), there are certain rules that one must comply with. If these rules are not met, it may result in one having to spend an extended period of time on ILR prior to becoming eligible to apply for British Citizenship.

BIC has compiled a short reference document in this regard for clients and in the first of this

series will be discussing the topic of travel restrictions.

Travel restrictions It is important to note that travel restrictions for the British Citizenship application differ from those in place for ILR applications.

Once you have obtained ILR you will need to complete 12 months in the UK before being eligible for citizenship (unless you are married to a UK national, in which case you simply need to hold ILR).

If the applicant is not married to a UK national, then in order to qualify for British citizenship they must not have been absent from the United Kingdom for more than 450 days in the five year period preceding the date that the application is lodged. If the applicant is married to a UK national, then they must not have been absent for more than 270 days in the three year period pre-ceding the date that the application is

lodged. In either case applicants also must not have been absent for more than 90 days in the 12 month period preceding the date of application.

If you use the 180 days per year for ILR, you may not qualify for citizenship as your travel days may be more than 450.

Next week we will be discussing the requirement of good character when applying for British Citizenship.

JP Breytenbach Director of BIC, Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants Limited. www.bic-immigration.com or info@ bic-immigration.com

Head home to do your MBA

| GIBS will have a stand at Homecoming Revolution this weekend with a view to attracting MBA returnees market thrust reminds students

by staff reporter FOUNDED in 2000, the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) is the University of Pretoria’s business school.

Given its unique context on the dynamic African continent, and its focus on general management, GIBS is distinctly positioned as the business school for business. As such, its purpose is to “significantly improve the competitive performance of individuals and organisations through business education”.

To deliver on this promise, GIBS focuses on two main areas: impact and effectiveness. The success of any management education

experience, be it a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree or a partnership for a customised in-company programme, ultimately seeks to change behaviour through the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Impact is core to how programmes are designed and assessed, to ensure maximum return on the time and effort spent at GIBS. The second pillar is centered on successfully leading a business or an organisation in the dynamic market context. GIBS focuses on general management, understanding how to lead an efficient team and make decisions and direct resources to lead a sustainable business. This dynamic

and delegates how changes in the external environment call for inclusive and agile strategies.

GIBS is very proud to have been consistently recognised by the UK Financial Times for the quality of their educational offering. Since 2003, GIBS has consistently been ranked among the Financial Times’ top 50 business schools for Executive Education, for both Open and Custom Programmes.

In October 2013, the GIBS modular and part-time MBA was again ranked among the top 100 business schools globally in the Financial Times Executive MBA Rankings 2013. Ranked in 70th position, GIBS is the only South African and African business school to appear in this ranking.

GIBS works with more than 6 000 executives, managers and scholars every year across multiple countries. From its world-class campus situated in the heart of Johannesburg, one of the greatest African cities, to internationallyrecognised faculty and associates, as well as unique learning methodologies, GIBS aims to offer students a transformative learning experience. GIBS guarantees that you will walk away a more educated, well-rounded and effective leader than when you first arrived.

Gordon Institute of Business Science - Come and see us at the Homecoming Revolution on the 15th of March. Main Tel: +27 11 771 4000. Web: www.gibs.co.za

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Zimbabwe Community

| 11 - 17 March 2014 | thesouthafrican.com Follow us on Twitter: @TheSAnews

Zimbabwe holds only $500,000 in gold reserves

| As Zimbabwe’s economy is fast aproaching ground zero, the treasury reveals that there is next to no backup plan for the struggling third world economy by sertan sanderson ZIMBABWE’S finance minister Patrick Chinamasa announced last week that the only financial reserves in the country were slightly more than $500,000 in gold coins. This back-up stash is merely enough to afford 1,400 tonnes of maize to feed the country’s 13 million-strong population – if a crisis should happen.

In comparison, the amount of gold reserves is not even enough to buy a single studio apartment in many central London neighbourhoods.

However, as a gold-producing country it is surprising that such little of the precious metal is held in reserves, after Zimbabwe sold 13 tonnes of gold from its mines last year (less than half the amount it produced 15 years ago).

Chinamasa said: “The (central) bank does not hold any gold reserves except for gold coins, which were valued at $501,390 as at the end of January 2014.”

Zimbabwe’s economy has been shrinking rapidly in the past few years and may be about to hit perilous levels. Much of the country is under threat of starvation following floods earlier in the year, as unemployment also continues to threaten stability.

The economic growth index

shows merely around 5% per cent of expansion in the last year, after four consecutive years of twice that growth rate previously. Many of the country’s public institutions, especially its education system, are suffering heavily under the cash-strapped situation, and may yet have to rely on getting funding from the government by depleting the meagre gold reserves -especially if foreign aid payments should fail to follow through.

The finance ministry added that it would spend almost threequarters of its $4.1 billion-strong 2014 budget on the paying salaries of its 235,000 state employees – most of whom are teachers. Election promises from

last year to raise government employee wages in April will now be difficult to uphold; however, the treasury only commented that “it isn’t April yet.”

Despite hardly being able to afford the shirt on his back, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe still spent $41 million on his 90th birthday celebrations in February, on top of spending an undisclosed amount for the upcoming wedding of his daughter. Since being re-elected in the disputed elections of last July, Mugabe has been struggling to get the beleaguered country’s economy back on track, with currency devaluation forcing the leader to commit himself to desperate measures.

15

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Best way to beat the Heathrow injection

| Below we have a few testimonials of some of our very happy In2Touch players who’ve made some incredible connections and friends for life myself and didn’t know anyone. It April Shoot out league. It was a Monday 21st April a day of competitions, a night of by staff reporter

There is one thing that is feared most by any person who makes the flight across the pond to now live in London.

It’s not the weather.

It’s not the thought that you’re now living around the other side of the world.

It’s not even the daunting fact that they don’t put pineapple on a steak burger.

It’s the Heathrow injection. That’s right. A metaphor for the weight one inevitably gains when one migrates to London for an extended stay.

We here at In2Touch have a solution however! Come along and join one of our individual’s teams at one of our various locations across London. If you’ve moved here by yourself, or with a few mates – we cater for placing both individuals and teams into leagues.

Below are a few testimonials of some of our very happy In2Touch players who’ve made some incredible connections and friends for life.

“When I moved to London, I moved across from Australia by

wasn’t until I went out on Australia Day and got speaking to a few people that I discovered they even played touch in London. After emailing through, I got involved in Active Touch in Wandsworth and Sunday Winter League. From both of these In2Touch sports, I have met all of my friends and been given some incredible opportunities. I went on to play with the BareBack Riders (the team I met at Active Touch) in the NTS – a National Touch Series here in England. I also went on to play Touch Nationals for South East Sharks and now help manage the England Mixed Open team. I owe so much to the initial connections that In2Touch provided.

It’s been an amazing experience.”

Jessica Powell “I moved to London last year, only knowing my housemates.

Having played touch back in Perth, I did some googling and found the in2touch website. I decided to get in touch (pun intended) with the organisers to find me a team. After a few emails I was down at Clapham common filling in for The Gurus in their

Where to from here for the Proteas?

| After a disappointing series loss against Australia, the Proteas will reflect on where things went wrong and what lies ahead without Graeme Smith at the helm

By Jeremy Bortz As attention turns to the shortest version of the game and the T20 World cup in Bangladesh next month, the Proteas will reflect on a bitterly disappointing series loss to Australia. And of course the sudden but not completely surprising retirement of captain Graeme Smith after 109 Tests and 11 years at the helm.

Outside of the second Test at St George’s, the Proteas were outplayed in all departments. In my opinion, the Aussies were better prepared and battle hardened after a four-Test away series against India and back-to-back Ashes series against England. The Proteas, by comparison, played just four Tests in this same period and I’ll bemoan once more how little Test cricket the Proteas are playing.

So where did it go so wrong?

The Proteas’s average stand for the first two wickets (of 11.16 – 11 for the first and 11.33 for the second) was their second lowest ever in their Test history (with a cut-off of ten partnerships) and the lowest in more than 100 years. By contrast, Australian opener David Warner enjoyed a spectacular series scoring 543 runs, the third most ever by an Aussie in a threeTest series. Their first two wickets averaged 56 and 69 thereby ensuring momentum was always with the Aussies.

On the bowling front, our attack’s spear-head and the world’s #1 bowler Dale Steyn was unfit in

both the first and third Tests while Vernon Philander suffered his worst series in two years, taking just seven wickets at an average of 51.71.

Out in the field, the Proteas were uncharacteristically sloppy. Warner, for example, was dropped more than a handful of times in the series while Kallis was definitely missed at second slip.

With Smith gone, the Proteas will need to rebuild and regroup. None of the players have played under any other Test captain and it’s up to Domingo and the new captain to regain the momentum and continue improving. That captain is likely to be AB de Villiers but questions remain over whether he can captain, keep and bat five. While he may keep the gloves for the short-term, I don’t feel it’s viable long-term and Quinton de Kock will likely don the gloves sooner than would have been the case if Smith had kept playing.

It’s certainly not all doom and gloom though and the core of the team remains in place. De Villiers, Hashim Amla, Steyn and Philander are world-class and they will be ably supported by Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy and Morne Morkel. That leaves questions over the opening partnership, a fourth seamer and whether we play a specialist spinner.

At the top of the order, Elgar looks to have the temperament and resolve but Alviro Petersen’s time may be up as he continues to fail. Likewise for off-spinner Robin Peterson; he has failed to either take wickets and/ or tie down an end and it appears the part-timers will continue going forward.

bit different to the sunshiny 40 degree days I was used to. With snow falling and London showing its finest April weather, a brisk -1 degree, I was questioning if Touch really is a London sport??

But after year of meeting and playing with some amazing people who are now my closest friends, I think even if the weather isn’t so kind to us in Winter at least the pub is afterwards.

With different competitions on throughout the UK and Europe almost every weekend, there are so many opportunities to travel as well. This weekend it’s off to Valencia for a day of sightseeing,

shenanigans and probably a week to recover! ” Jenny Young.

From the initial point of contact, In2Touch aim to provide the best experience for all of our individual players. We provide beginner coaching sessions, which provide new players with the basic knowledge they need to know to start the game. The sessions cover the basic skills involved in touch (passing, catching, dumping), the basic rules (forward pass, over-stepping the mark) and we can even brush you up on the touch lingo!

Dates have now been confirmed, times are still TBC.

Venue: Regents Park For: Regents Park & Surrey Quays beginners Wednesday 23rd April Venue: Richmond For: Richmond beginners Thursday 24th April Venue: Clapham Common For: Clapham Common, Clapham/Wandsworth & Putney/ Wandsworth beginners For information regarding these sessions, and joining as an individual – just email London@in2touch.com

@TheSavannaShop /theSavanna

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11 - 17 March 2014

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Full Springbok rugby match schedule for this season announced

| It’s a busy 2014 as Springboks look to World Cup: the Springboks are scheduled to play 14

matches this year, 13 of which are tests by staff reporter The Springboks’ fixture list for 2014 was released by the South African Rugby Union (Saru) on Wednesday. It includes two tests against Wales in South Africa in June and a four-match European Tour in November.

In total, the Springboks are scheduled to play 14 matches this year, 13 of which are tests. The other game, a non-test Springbok match against a World XV in Cape Town on 7 June, is still to be confirmed.

Incoming Series The two tests against Wales, on 14 and 21 June, will be played at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban and the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, after which the Boks will host Scotland at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on 28 June.

The home tests in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship will take place at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria (against Argentina), DHL Newlands in Cape Town (against Australia) and Ellis Park in Johannesburg (against New Zealand), as was announced last year.

The traditional November tour to the northern hemisphere will include a third clash with Wales on 29 November in Cardiff.

‘Very excited’ “We’re very excited about the schedule for the year, which will

give Heyneke Meyer and the Springboks a proper opportunity to test themselves a little more than a year away from the 2015 Rugby World Cup,” Saru CEO Jurie Roux said in a statement.

“The four tests in November, which will see us take on Ireland, England, Italy and Wales, will provide very good preparation in typical conditions they can expect at the World Cup. “It will be a tough tour, but I know the Boks will be ready to take on the best from that part of the world.”

Camp time Roux said that the decision to play the additional test against Wales in November and the planned match against a World XV had been taken to source additional income for Rugby World Cup preparations, as well as to provide extra time in camp for the Springbok squad.

South Africa are currently ranked second in the world rankings behind New Zealand, with Australia, England and Ireland making up the rest of the top five.

2014 SPRINGBOK FIXTURES Castle Lager Incoming Series 7 June: SA v World XV (Venue TBC) 14 June: SA v Wales (Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban) 21 June: SA v Wales (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit) 28 June: SA v Scotland (Nelson

| Springbok rugby fans have 13 international matches to look forward to this year. Photo: MediaClubSouthAfrica

Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth) Castle Lager Rugby Championship 16 Aug: SA v Argentina (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria) 23 Aug: Argentina v SA (Venue TBC)

6 Sep: Australia v SA (Patersons Stadium, Perth) 13 Sep: New Zealand v SA (Westpac Stadium, Wellington) 27 Sep: SA v Australia (DHL Newlands, Cape Town) 4 Oct: SA v New Zealand (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

Castle Lager Outgoing Tour 8 Nov: Ireland v SA (AVIVA Stadium, Dublin) 15 Nov: England v SA (Twickenham, London) 22 Nov: Italy v SA (Venue TBC) 29 Nov: Wales v SA (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

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