The South African 6 - 13 May 2014 by The South African

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06 - 13 May 2014

Issue 564

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Will the ANC lose ground?

| The ANC might just be the all-out winner, as well as the biggest loser, of the upcoming national election in South Africa on Wednesday. But to what extent are voting patterns likely to change or stay the same following what commentators have coined the most exciting election in twenty years? We’ve run the numbers by sertan sanderson Most predictions for this week’s national elections place the ruling ANC above the 60 per cent mark, as anyone would expect. The most-widely quoted poll (Ipsos) predicts as much as almost 64 per cent as likely, however, the same organisation had placed the ANC at merely 53 percent in January, proving that there is considerable leeway for variation. If the ANC were to fall to (or below) 60 per cent, the party would subsequently lose as many as 30 seats in parliament after getting almost 66 per cent of the votes in the last national election, which might account for a measurable change in parliamentary dynamics. What the ANC will inevitably lose out on is any majority that would enable it to change constitutional matters, staying well off the required 67 per cent mark. This may come as a relief to certain constitutional experts, who have been interpreting legislative changes taken by the ANC in recent years as alarming signs of what intentions the party may have with regard to constitutional matters in the future – in particular with the introduction of the “Secrecy Bill” in the past, limiting press freedom and other information services. The Democratic Alliance (DA), on the other other hand, is expected to continue a winning streak with a projected 23 per cent of the vote,

South Africans in the UK voted in London on Wednesday. See story and photos on page 2, 3 and 4. Photo by Katia Frank

effectively doubling the share of votes it had ten years ago. With an aggressive campaign aimed at young voters, the DA is trying to woo its future electorate while hoping to maintain the Western Cape as the only South African province not run by the ANC, which it is also predicted to succeed in. It may not be the 30 per cent share that the DA had initially hoped for, but in its own words, the DA is indeed the only South African party that has consistently grown in the

past 20 years of democracy. And then there are the little fish – EFF, COPE, Agang, Inkatha Freedom Party and other players, making our democracy more colourful and equally fragmented. Julius Malema’s newlyincorporated Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is predicted to carve out up to 5 per cent, expected to consist mainly of disgruntled ANC voters. This is bound to give the erstwhile ANC Youth League leader (and a select few of his

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nearest associates) a few dozen seats in parliament, which should make for guaranteed entertainment in the upcoming legislative period – if nothing else. However, with a bankruptcy case nipping at his ankles, Juju may yet be in for a rude awakening and may have to forfeit his highly coveted place at the National Assembly. Someone who is never short for money (except for while running campaigns) is Dr Mamphela Ramphele, who is also expected to

INSIDE:

p5 | Durbanite wins top environmental prize for opposing toxic dump in ‘Cancer Valley’ p8 | Painter, poet and pianist: Charles Sekano – South Africa’s ‘Picasso’ p10 | Planes, trains & a runaway dress: an expat bride’s tale clinch herself a job in parliament for the next five years, receiving a handful of seats for her newlyincorporated Agang SA. The new party is expected to garner between 1 and 2 per cent of the vote, following its unification blunder with the DA earlier this year, which may not have served the best interest of her public image. As for Cope, Inkatha, the United Democratic Movement and others, the predictions are forecast in the single digits for both seats and percentages to be achieved. In fact, they are all expected to widely lose out on the numbers of the previous election, on average halving the seats that they hitherto held. Some analysts say this confirms that South Africans are looking for a sense of unanimity by either voting for a congruous leadership (ANC) or a united opposition (DA), while others blame a notion of disillusionment directed at the lack of clout that small parties can contribute in parliament as the main reason for the growing failure of the smaller end of the parliamentary spectrum. But the most interesting news coming out of these predictions is perhaps that the ANC is losing some ground, and that Jacob Zuma’s leadership style – from fire pools to shower heads – may at least partly be to blame.

| 06 - 13 May 2014 | thesouthafrican.com

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Editor: Heather Walker Production & Design: Deva Lee 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

Thousands of South Africans

| On Wednesday a huge crowd of passionate South Africans queued in London from dawn until well after dark to have their say in the future of their country. However, a glitch in the overseas registration process meant disappointment for several expats who had followed the correct procedure yet their names mysteriously did not appear on the voters roll so were unable to vote

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Olivia Holtman, Heather Walker (editor) and Valesca Leven hand out newspapers to the voters. Photo by Katia Frank

Photo by Katia Frank

by heather walker Overseas voting wrapped up on Thursday with no major incidents reported, said the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), with the polling station in Los Angeles the last to close its doors. In London’s Trafalgar Square, thousands of South Africans queued for hours in the sun to vote at the busiest overseas voting station on Wednesday. A total of 6,726 votes were cast in London, according to the SA High Commission. There were approximately 26,000 registered overseas voters. A number of expats came from far and wide, including Edinburgh, Cardiff and Leeds, to take part in the election. John Versfeld was first in line to cast his vote, having travelled down from Manchester on Tuesday night. By 7.30am the queue stretched across the road in front of the National Gallery but the mood was festive as voters waited patiently. Free copies of The South African provided welcome reading matter, while the crowd was entertained and tortured in turns by various buskers in the

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 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 TheSouthAfrican.com as a reporter, photographer, writer or web content producer, please send your CV and some examples of your writing to editor@thesouthafrican.com

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famous public square. Some enterprising souls even set up a mobile stall selling boerie rolls, biltong and Creme Soda – until the police asked them to leave as it appeared they didn’t have the appropriate vending licence. Members of the ANC and DA took the opportunity to do some last minute campaigning. The ANC handed out t-shirts displaying Jacob Zuma’s face whereas the DA had chosen to spend its money on personal calls and reminder texts to expat voters the previous day. Many voters waited more than three hours to mark their ballots but most were upbeat to have been given the opportunity, reporting a mainly smooth operation inside the embassy.However, a glitch in the overseas voter registration process meant disappointment for several voters who had followed the correct procedure, including confirming their VEC10 form had been accepted, yet their names mysteriously did not appear on the voters roll so were unable to vote. Some of these problems were resolved with the assistance of IEC

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cast their votes in sunny London

Photo by Katia Frank

staff and Vote Home volunteers but all the rest could do was fill in an appeal form, will the IEC promising to look into the matter. It was said that one woman had to be forcibly removed from SA House because she became violently angry at being unable to vote at the last moment. Another issue was that, although parents with young children were given preference in the queue, lots of them still had to wait an uncomfortably long time. Neil Humby, who travelled from Buckinghamshire to vote, commented, “I’m upset that many of the parents and babies had to queue in the sun for as long as voters without babies, some of them apparently got ill from it. It’s appalling.” Although the line shortened as the evening wore on, voters continued to queue long after dark. London’s voting station officially closed at 9pm but those still waiting to vote at that time were still given the opportunity to vote. The ballots are now being couriered in secure bags to Election House in Centurion where they will be checked against the names of those who registered to vote abroad. These ballot papers will then be set aside in ballot boxes and securely stored until local voting stations close and the counting of all ballot papers starts on Election Day on 7 May. The exact number of South Africans who voted at the 116 missions abroad will thus only be known after the 7 May election ballots are counted. See more pics on page 4

Hayley Short and Francine Higham of the DA . Photo by Ronel van Zyl

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And the winner isâ&#x20AC;Ś | Congratulations to the winner of return flights from London to Johannesburg

Last week we ran a competition exclusively for South African voters in London. You may have seen us moving down the queue with clipboards and entry forms and maybe you even entered. The prize is a pair of return

Continued from Page 3

London Votes

| More photos from the voting station in Trafalgar Square

flights from London to Johannesburg, sponsored by Ethiopian Airlines. The winner we have drawn at random out of hundreds of entries is Joe Askew. Congratulations Joe and thanks to everyone who tried their luck!

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Durbanite wins top environmental prize for opposing toxic dump in ‘Cancer Valley’ | Durban resident Desmond D’Sa has won the Goldman Environmental Prize – the world’s largest prize for grassroots environmentalists – for his campaigning work to protect local communities from toxic waste in one of South Africa’s most industrialised and most polluted areas

by staff reporter South African community activist Desmond D’Sa (57) has battled with government and multinationals for many years to finally end the dumping of toxic chemicals in his neighbourhood and close down the Bulbul Landfill site – a toxic waste dumping ground right in the heart of his community. On Monday D’Sa was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco for bringing together racially diverse groups and galvanising the local community, highlighting the environmental hazards and threats to human health. Born and raised in the outskirts of Durban, Desmond D’Sa was 15 when the apartheid government forcibly uprooted him and his family to move and live alongside polluting industrial plants. He took on jobs at chemical factories, where he witnessed the environmental harm the industries were wreaking on local communities. His experiences left a searing impression, driving D’Sa to become an advocate for environmental justice. In 1996, he co-founded the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), where he started as a volunteer. Desmond D’Sa rallied south Durban’s diverse and disenfranchised communities and successfully shut down a toxic waste dump that was exposing nearby residents to dangerous chemicals and robbing them of their constitutionally protected right to a safe and clean environment. Almost 70% of Durban’s industry is found in its south basin, home to more than 300 industrial-scale facilities such as oil and gas refineries (including multinational Shell and British Petroleum), paper mills, chemical tank farms and agrochemical plants. It is also home to 300,000 residents, mostly lowincome and working-class people

Desmond D’Sa and his family

who were forcibly relocated here by the apartheid regime to create a cheap labour pool for the emerging industrial economy. They bear the brunt of industry’s toxic chemicals, leading to the basin’s infamous label of “cancer valley” — a reference to the area’s high rates of cancer and unusually high rates of asthma and bronchitis. The poorest neighbourhoods of Durban experience alarmingly high cancer rates (with some cancer rates reported as 250 times the norm) and the highest asthma rate (52%) in the world. The extreme toxicity of south Durban’s environment has led to a spike in human health hazards, earning it the title “Cancer Valley.” In 1990, Wasteman, a large waste management company, opened a landfill—without consultation or input from local communities — to accommodate hazardous waste from nearby plants. Large trucks illegally hauled in toxic waste from shipyards, factory farms, oil and chemical factories and medical facilities. They drove through residential communities, spilling debris that leached into the soil and contaminated the groundwater. Fumes from paint thinner, solvents and pesticides poisoned the air. By 2009, the Bulbul Drive landfill was approaching maximum capacity and Wasteman submitted an application to expand the lease on the landfill to 2021. When Wasteman’s lease came up for renewal, local groups tapped D’Sa and SDCEA to reinvigorate a long-standing campaign to shut down the toxic waste dump for good. He began organizing the historically disenfranchised and incredibly diverse communities in south Durban to unite in opposition of the landfill. He developed a smell chart to help residents identify which toxic chemicals they were being exposed to, and trained them in “bucket brigade” techniques to scientifically measure air quality

in their communities without sophisticated equipment. D’Sa also empowered residents to analyse Wasteman’s expansion plans during the public comment period. He connected them with legal resources for support and advice on their constitutionally protected right to a safe and healthy environment. D’Sa and his colleagues kept the issue alive in the media, connecting reporters with south Durban residents whose lives would be impacted by the waste dump and organizing high-profile demonstrations on major highways to draw attention to the illegal trucking of waste material. Facing growing community opposition, Wasteman announced in August 2010 that it was withdrawing its application to expand the toxic waste dump. In November 2011, the landfill officially closed and ceased all operations. In what is widely regarded as an attempt to threaten him away from continuing his his campaigning work, D’Sa’s home was firebombed by unknown assailants, destroying much of his personal property and leaving him with burns and his family in deep trauma from fear. To protect his wife and children, D’Sa lives apart from his family. D’Sa is now fighting the largest displacement of residents (30,000) since apartheid as a result of a government project to expand Durban’s port which will begin in 2016. D’Sa has met with President Jacob Zuma to voice his opposition but, to date, the government hasn’t made clear any plans for housing the displaced people of Clairwood nor for compensating the additional 300,000 residents who will be affected by Africa’s second largest development project. In addition, the impact on wildlife in the Durban estuary hasn’t been assessed. Desmond D’Sa is one of six winners of the prestigious international Goldman Environmental Prize – a $1,000,000 prize shared equally between winners from six continental regions. Frequently referred to as the Nobel Prize for the environment, the Goldman Environmental Prize is often awarded to men and women who take great personal risks to safeguard the environment. Jonathan Deal – South African chairman of the Treasure the Karoo Action Group – was one of winners of last year’s Goldman Environmental Prize, in recognition of his work in the fight against shale gas mining (fracking).

Desmond D’Sa giving his acceptance speech at the Goldman Prize ceremony

| 06 - 13 May 2014 | thesouthafrican.com

Community The Optimist

Karen de Villiers

Blood in our roots Arrived at Trafalgar Square to vote, knowing I was not going to be given the chance. Had done the right thing; registered, set the date, eager to cast my vote. And realised that I had left my identity book back in Cape Town for someone else to collect my new passport. Part of me was out there playing the human rights lawyer. My passport was enough identification I thought, why do South Africans at home only have to produce one form of identification and I must have two? Try as I might, no-one I

| Three hours in a line, one vote. That’s South Africa — even if you live abroad. We are given many choices in life. We worry, we doubt ourselves, try our best. But, when we are asked to make the call, the blood in our roots makes the decision for us spoke to was interested in my story, and in the end, all I could do was watch the crowd build, feel the enthusiasm grow and listen to the banter of fellow citizens uniting in a common bond of wanting to be counted. To be part of something bigger than themselves. Wanting to contribute to the dream of a country, that no matter where they are, means the world to them. Would my vote have made all that much difference, I thought? Little, humble me, who was I in the bigger scheme of things? So I just stood there, jealous of those who draped their shoulders with South African scarves, donned the hats of pride and connected. I was already at home. Despite the gods not wanting to let me cast my ballot, it did not matter. Others were doing it for me. Whether they voted for a party for or against my ideals, it did not matter. What mattered was that they were there. And taking part in my history.

We are given many choices in life. We worry, we doubt ourselves, try our best. But, when we are asked to make the call, like today, the blood in our roots makes the decision for us. For some, there was no question of where loyalties lie, how far to travel or sacrifices made. Which had me rationalising all over again. So we, by choice or otherwise, ended up in countries as our new adopted homes, and we are grateful for that. They allow us to grow, to thrive, to be something we think we want to be. London opened her heart to us, voting for South Africa. We must never forget and be equally open to her nuances, her place. She does not treat us as tourists , but citizens, with a heart big enough to realise that when we need to be South African, she lets us. For all the angst, the struggles and the commentary, I was privileged to be a South African

on the foreign shores of a country that lets me answer to the call in my blood when I need to. Thank you England. Thank you America, United Emirates, Australia and everywhere else. On the tube a Canadian couple I was chatting to were in awe of the fact that South Africa allowed

their expats to vote. ‘Yeah.’ I said. ‘ That is just how great South Africa is.’ Three hours in a line, one vote, awesome stuff. That is South Africa. A legend. The blood in our roots. I was on the sidelines, but my blood pumped with pride.

The Landscape Painter by Craig Higginson | Betrayal, remorse, obsession and torment, with the odd flash of wit and the power of circumstance, leap off the pages in this epic 274-page novel set in England and SA By Marianne Gray It is winter in post-war London in 1947 when Arthur Bailey, an elderly painter who lives alone, catches sight of a young

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woman about to move into the neighbouring bed-sit. Stirred to recall in haunting detail the longsuppressed narrative of his life 50 years ago, his personal landscape

emerges as does the surrounding landscape in London and during the second Anglo Boer War in Johannesburg and Durban. In both timelines Arthur is fascinated by and becomes obsessed with a beautiful young woman. The one moving in next door, Felicity, he tries to persuade is his non-existent but muchwanted niece except that he spies on her through a hole in the wall and steals her clothes while she is out, wearing them or simply fondling them in his pocket if small enough. The one in South Africa, Carwyn, is his so-called best-friend’s sister, a neurotic, selfish well-bred beauty, the woman who will haunt him for the rest of his life. Craig Higginson has a dense yet lyrical style of writing and you get a very full, illustrated story – rich, descriptive, emotional and sensual – on every page. His feeling for the gold-mad streets of early Johannesburg, the grim battlefields of the Boer War and the austerity of post-Second World War Britain moving towards a whole new kind of social behaviour, is extraordinary. He paints his landscapes in words with a vivid sense of time and place, his characters firmly living in them. The book has already won several awards for Craig Higginson, who lives in Johannesburg where he directs theatre and lectures at Wits University. I look forward to his next one. THE LANDSCAPE PAINTER is published in the UK by Picador Africa. Kindle version on Amazon.

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My Fair Lament: is Eliza Doolittle still relevant?

| With rumours of the remake of the popular film My Fair Lady, Dominique Valente wonders if Adam Sandler is to blame for all that is wrong with modern society. Have we entered a reverse-Pygmalion world? And what would need to change to set it in our ‘post-Sandler’ reality… By Dominique Valente I’m not sure how it started. Perhaps slowly and insidiously, like your brain attempting to recover after witnessing an episode of Keeping up with Kardashians, but either way, it did. We have entered the age of unelightenment. And after careful, scientific exploration, I have narrowed it down to one key event: the birth of Adam Sandler. You see, what probably happened was that his birth resulted in a cosmic hullabaloo where earth spun off its axis and reset the minds of many to CroMagnon. (That’s early modern human for those affected by the phenomenon.) I could bore you with the details of why I say Sandler, and not for instance, Ben Stiller (who has his enlightened moments, now and again) or that guy from Jackass – please don’t remind me of his name, I’m happy that I’ve blanked it out. But let’s just assume, that I mean Sandler as a collective noun for all of them. The thing is, pre-Sandler, oldmoney didn’t refer to dollar bills, bleach was for your loo, and no one wore tracksuits for anything except, well track. And 50-years-ago (just before his birth) the popular film My Fair Lady, starring Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle as a cockney flower-girl who is turned into a lady, and based on the George Bernard Shaw’s classic novel

Pygmalion had just been released and was an instant rags to riches to tale. Professor Higgins, a master of phonetics proposed that with the right elocutionary lessons he could transform a cockney commoner into a refined lady. The very idea – accept a commoner into the hallowed halls of high society? The scandal! From novel to hit play it captured everyone’s imagination. Rumours of the remake – to be penned by Emma Thompson no less (born pre-Sandler), have made me wonder just how much would have to change to set it in our postSandler world. Well. A lot. Today, Eliza Doolittle would be starring in her own reality show, peddling her violets on her blog Secrets of a London flower girl, which would include saucy pics of her snogging Prince Harry at the launch of her bestselling memoir of the same name. And Professor Higgins? Well, he’d probably really be poor professor Higgins, struggling to get by with a lowly academic grant, giving lectures to an empty lecture hall at Oxford, or more likely, retrained as a reporter for Hello magazine. He may even, god forbid, think that Africa is a country, just like Sandler in his latest oeuvre Blended, about two families who visit ‘Africa’, which as far as I could tell while being subjected to the trailer, looks pretty much like the valley of the waves in Sun City. It needs to be said: it is with

deep regret that we face the sad reality that we are encountering a ‘reverse-Pygmalion effect’. Which is my smug, obnoxious way of saying that we have made mediocrity king. Where mainstream cinema consists of a selection of animated birds/squirrels/invertebrates and Marvel/DC comic remakes,

popular music is sung by prepubescent boys with one-word lyrics and you have to go to a special movie house to watch a film that was nominated for an Oscar. Children’s school set works include ‘abridged novels’ so that they can devote themselves more thoroughly to the important things in life, like Clash of Clans. And

worse – Nora Roberts* is defined as a great read. Forget Apocalypse Now. Soilent Green was nothing. Stephen King should have written The Stand, about this. * Disclaimer Nora Roberts can be a good read, and has her moments, I am told, by my mother her avid supporter …

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Painter, poet and pianist: Charles Sekano – South Africa’s ‘Picasso’

| Charles Sekano has a unique, if hitherto largely unacknowledged, place in the story of South African artists in exile. Maestro Arts gallery in Wandsworth/ Putney is now exhibiting a large selection of his old and new works by staff reporter

Six readings of new plays offering an insight into South African life today and the urgent concerns of a younger generation two decades after the end of apartheid.

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Wandsworth based gallery Maestro Arts is currently exhibiting artworks by South African poet, painter and pianist Charles Sekano. Charles Sekano has a unique place in the story of South African art and, following a 30-year exile in Nairobi, a major position in the history of Kenyan art. The exhibition running until 6 May comprises a large selection of old and new works on paper. Sekano lived in Kenya from 1967 to 1997 and now lives in Pretoria, South Africa. Born in Sophiatown, Johannesburg in 1945, his youth was cruelly overshadowed by the consequences of apartheid. Sophiatown was destroyed by the government and his family forced to move to Soweto. This process of dislocation lead to the early death of his father and to his decision to flee South Africa and exile himself from the harsh conditions he found himself in. It was in Nairobi in the 1960s, amid the very real isolation of exile that Sekano forged himself into both self taught artist and musician – and where he worked as a jazz pianist in the multiracial bars and nightclubs of this roughedged metropolis. Here he lived life in the tradition of a romantic bohemian artist and musician, developing his own version of the three Rs – “the three Ps” – Painting, Poetry and Piano. Like Degas and Toulouse Lautrec before him, living among his mostly female subjects. His artistic expression was informed by the sense of loss experienced after his family were uprooted and the resultant severing of family bonds. Women, for Sekano, – those that he immortalises in his works – became his world and his artistic language He said in an interview in the 1980s, “The whole idea is a symbolic relationship. Even the theme “Woman” seems to be remembering my mother, my sisters. I’m trying to live on a higher level with them because I have no communication to show that I am attached to them. They are inseparable from me. There is no border. This Woman theme is my landscape. The only piece of property I own. Woman is the only country I have.” During his years of exile in Nairobi Sekano waged his own passionate war against the apartheid regime with paintbrush and crayon. The fact that he chose to include Caucasian women in his work surprised some of his peers. But for him colour itself began to

Dressed To Visit Nearby, 2009 – 2010, Mixed media on paper

symbolise freedom. “I decided to destroy the apartheid in my thoughts by using colour, by breaking the colour bar. So I just fused everything. I made a red woman, I made a blue woman, a green woman.” While influences of Picasso and Braque’s Cubism , ToulouseLautrec’s and Henri Rousseau’s poster art are clear in his work, Sekano has always rooted himself in the realities of cosmopolitan urban Africa and drawn on Egyptian and San Rock art for inspiration. The nightclubs and bars of Kenya with their beautiful female clientele from diverse cultures across Africa were his subject matter and remain his inspiration. Each work – be it of a single figure, a couple or a group, contains a narrative – keenly and economically observed. The story of the lure of the bright lights and the promise of escape from poverty and pain underlies many of the tableaux. Sekano is never moralistic, always humanistic – his works celebrate and preserve moments. In 1997 Sekano returned to a

newly liberated South Africa with mixed feelings, leaving behind a country he had grown to love and re-entering a society that had largely forgotten him – the fate of many a returning exile. Sekano has exhibited widely in Kenya, Holland, Germany, Japan, USA and South Africa. His most recent show was at the University of Pretoria in 2008. His works are in private collections across the world and in various museums including Volkekunde Museum, Frankfurt, and the Peabody Essex Museum, Massachusetts. On Thursday 1 May at 7.30pm the gallery is hosting a performance in the gallery by World Heart Beat Music Academy of South African jazz, improvisation and song, with proceeds going to the Academy, a registered charity and provide access to musical instruments and music lessons for disadvantaged young people. Tickets are £12. Venue: Maestro Arts Gallery Eastfields Avenue, London http://www.maestroarts.com/ gallery/current-exhibitions.php

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I love the smell of muck-flinging in the morning

| In (ultra) layman’s terms, a tractor pulls a giant trailer of poo, which is then pushed through a couple of tubes, onto a thing that rotates, which then flings the poo in all directions, and hopefully onto the ground — at least that’s the idea by katie potatie There’s nothing that smells more like Dorset than a steaming hot, freshly produced, crispy edged, soft-centered Dorset Apple Cake. (You didn’t quite expect that, did you?) It’s at this time of year, in Dorset, that you wake up on the morning of a public holiday, or BANK holiday as they call it here, and instead of turning over to snooze, with the joy of realising that you don’t need to go to work, you bounce out of bed, put your tekkies on, grab the dog, and head out for a walk in the field. It’s also this time of year that the wind is just about chilly enough for you to not go sleeveless, but just about warm enough not to wear wool – and if the wind changes direction, you may actually be able to strip down and grab a few minutes of sunshine to colour your wintery-bleak, transparent-like, un-tanned skin. But spring is in the air. The birds know it. The bees know it – they’ve started doing their usual waltzing around the conservatory, flying into closed window desperate to escape. Even educated fleas know it – well, either that, or I’ve missed another month of antibugging the dog and cat again. It’s beautiful. But what really sets this time of year apart is a little phenomenon that I’d only learnt about from my

English Gentleman – and never quite heard of it before. Known politely as muck-flinging, or something less polite to the locals, this phenomenon is the wonderful art of using a muck spreader, also known as a honey wagon, of distributing horse or cow manure (or any other type of animal by-product…) as a fertiliser on farmlands. In (ultra) layman’s terms, a tractor pulls a giant trailer of poo, which is then pushed through a couple of tubes, onto a thing that rotates, which then flings the poo in all directions, and hopefully onto the ground – not too dissimilar from a stressed Italian person giving travel directions… (No offence to all of my Italian friends – and especially to my English Gentleman, who is partItalian too….). Makes for great crop harvests, apparently. (The poo, not the Italian). But you know when muck-flinging season is here. You bounce out of bed one morning, to take Pooch for her stroll, you open the back-door and you’re hit with it. The smell of manure wafting over the faint scent of bacon and eggs. Now, if like me, you spent a lot of your childhood on farms and the smell of cow manure is something you enjoy – then you’d absolutely love muck-flinging season. If not, however, then this may not be

the best time to visit Dorset. Or Devon. Or Wiltshire. Or Cornwall. Or Somerset. Or Gloucestershire. Or any other countryside regions in the UK. It may be the time of year that you head to Le Big Smog to catch up on your CO and CO2, take in a few museums and galleries. Being the naturally inquisitive person that I am, some may call it nosey, I did a bit of research on the topic, for more information about muck-spreading. I didn’t find too much, other than great pictures of John Deeres and New Hollands. But what I did find was a fantastic little song, the lyrics you can read at the end of this piece – one that made me giggle – and written in beautiful quintessentially English prose. It may tickle you, and one day – when you do decide to visit Dorset, or any other beautiful countryside town, and you find yourself wondering what that awful smell is – may you think back on this little blog piece, or the little poem, and appreciate an age-old tradition, a part of English farming life, that hopefully leaves with you with more appreciation for your extra green brussel sprouts, and your bright orange carrots. The Muckspreader Fling it here, fling it there. If you’re standing by then you’ll all get your share. Now down on our farm we are

right up to date, And mechanisation’s the byword of late. For every task we’ve a gadget to match, But our new muckspreader’s the best of the batch. Fling it here, fling it there. If you’re standing by then you’ll all get your share. Now young Walter Hodgekins he brought back a load Of liquid manure from the farm down the road And he hummed to himself as he drove down the street And his load it went mmmmm in the afternoon heat. Fling it here, fling it there. If you’re standing by then you’ll all get your share. Now his muckspreader had a mechanical fault And a bump in the road set it off with a jolt. An odourous spray of manure it let fly Without fear or favour on all it passed by. Fling it here, fling it there. If you’re standing by then you’ll all get your share. The cats and the dogs stank to high kingdom come; The kiddies, browned off, ran home screaming to Mum. The trail of sheer havoc were terrible grim One open car were filled up to the brim.

Fling it here, fling it there. If you’re standing by then you’ll all get your share. The spinster, Miss Pringle, was quite scandalised. “Good Gracious”, she cried, “I’ve been fertilised”. And the Methodist minister’s tee-total wife Was plastered for the very first time in her life. Fling it here, fling it there. If you’re standing by then you’ll all get your share. The vicarage windows were all open wide When a generous helping descended inside. The vicar at table intoned “let us pray”. When this manure from heaven came flying his way. Fling it here, fling it there. If you’re standing by then you’ll all get your share. Now all of this time as he’d trundled along He was quite unaware there was anything wrong ‘Till a vision of woe flagged him down, what a sight, A policeman all covered in … you’ve got it right. Fling it here, fling it there. If you’re standing by then you’ll all get your share. Fling it here, fling it there. If you’re standing by then you’ll all get your share. (author unconfirmed)

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Planes, trains and a | Having her precious wedding gown confiscated by South African customs at the last minute was a bride’s worst nightmare. But here’s how she turned the tears into joy to make her wedding day a colourful, unforgettable celebration of love and laughter By heather walker Tamara Augustine-Gracias, a London-based South African, married her Portuguese sweetheart Rommel Gracias in her home town of Port Elizabeth last year. Planning a wedding longdistance had its challenges, including dress fittings with a designer living in Ireland and subsequent red tape of SA customs that led to buying a whole new wedding dress. Not being able to walk down the aisle in her dream dress can be heartbreaking for a bride – so Tamara’s friends and family sprang into action to help her make the best of a bad situation. And in the end she realised that marrying her best friend surrounded by their loved ones was the most important thing. We asked Tamara to share her whole crazy, frustrating and exhilarating experience: Firstly, how did you and your husband meet? We met on a night out at a Brazilian restro-club in London.

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Was his proposal romantic? Yes! I love everything Japanese and Rommel went to trouble of decorating his apartment to look like a Japanese tatami room. He had the help of his friend and best man Carlos, who between them covered the room in lights and flowers, complete with purple colour scheme – my favourite colour! Rommel ordered sushi platters from a little Japanese market which his friend brought home and set out for us and he made hot gyoza too. Yum! He focused on the details, buying Moet – what girl doesn’t love a bit of bubbly, he got a bottle of Meerlust Merlot – some South

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African flavour – all followed by some delicious mochi for dessert. He had asked me to meet him for dinner in Covent Garden one night in November but when we arrived, he told me the restaurant had made a mistake and did not book us in. Not wanting him to feel bad about it, I told him not to worry and we could go somewhere else instead. We decided to head to Angel. On the way he mentioned that he needed to drop his shoes at home – no idea why he had them, I never asked – so we went to his apartment and he gave me the keys to let myself in… and when I opened the door, I saw what he had done. He popped the question by placing my ring inside a chopstick box. Why did you decide to marry in SA? Let’s face it, London isn’t the cheapest place to have a wedding, but for tradition’s sake, we opted to get married in my hometown, Port Elizabeth. When and where was the wedding held? The wedding was on 10 August 2013 at Mater Dei Catholic Church and our reception was held at Ukuphupha. How did you choose your venue? This was a tricky one as I did not go back to SA during the wedding planning, my parents and siblings got involved and looked at several venues. We wanted somewhere peaceful and scenic – hence the choice. It’s not too far out and we got to enjoy a gorgeous sunset while listening to marimbas. Was it a large or intimate event? It was a very intimate affair – the best kind! We got to spend

time with everyone who came as this was important for us. What special touches did you add? We had family and friends from all over the world join us for our special day. We had guests from the Philippines, UK, India, Portugal, USA and Namibia. There were game drives and whale watching trips and so on to let those who had never been to SA get a taste of all it offers. We chose a peacock feather colour scheme – it’s a strong, vibrant palette that has ties to SA, Portugal and India where my husband was born. A cousin of ours gave us a nickname a while back, ‘Romara’, so we rolled with that and incorporated it into the theme – Rommel is a designer so he did the illustrations for all our wedding stationery – he drew what is now our little family brand which we lovingly call the Romara tree – a tree with peacock feathers as leaves. This is something we want to expand on throughout our life as a family project, a brand we can live by. We named our guest tables after love songs and challenged our guests to make sure they represented their table’s song by dancing when the DJ played it. We also gave the guests a little instant camera to take photos of themselves with and used those to make the guest book. My oldest nephew Tanith once sent a gift back for Rommel when I visited SA. It was a little blue bottle that he corked and sealed with wax with the help of his mum. It came with a note that said: ‘Do not open until after marriage’ – mind you we had only been dating for about a year so not something either of us were thinking about! Rommel

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runaway dress: an expat bride’s tale went missing but to no avail – am hoping the person who found the shoes and underwear (gross) and jewellery really needed them. What was the best moment? The best moment was sharing the best day of our lives with people we love. It wasn’t an easy road but in the end, marrying my best friend surrounded by those who meant most to us was amazing. Were you on a tight budget? If so, how did you save money? Budget as always was hard. We set ourselves a monthly goal of saving a set amount and if after expenses and the monthly running costs we had any left, it went into the budget too. Our families were incredibly generous as well – way more than we could have asked for. If you could go back and change anything, what would it be?

brought it back and opened it at the reception with Tanith – much to his delight! Inside it was a note simply stating: Now that you are married, can I have 2 “cozens” – definitely a highlight for us! We also made a little ceremony of our dads exchanging South African and Portuguese flags – a sweet little touch I think – the uniting of countries. Did you have support from friends and family in planning the event? Family and friends were great! Our parents kept us so sane. My mum was a total rockstar! She made my bridesmaids’ dresses, the flower girls’ tutus and even the cake. No idea how she does it but she is amazing. Rommel’s parents we so supportive too, his mum made the buttonholes for us – all 40 of them. We arrived a week before the time and would have had no time to get anything done. From printing all the stationery to organising cars, my brothers were on the ball. They even took care of the decor and supported us so much more than we could have asked for. Our caterers were also amazing! My bridesmaids were crazy good – my sister Lisa and friends Jeanine and Nisché. They knew I needed things before I even knew I needed them. One of them had to make a garter for me on the day because of some delays. They had a bag of tricks that had tissues, a glue stick and a few other bits and bobs.

I had Lisa and Nisché shopping for glass bottles for the souvenirs and Jeanine trying to find hundreds of peacock feathers – no task was too big for these ladies. When we arrived in SA, we landed in PE to a welcoming committee – we were a group of 15 people from London and India who we picked up in Jo’burg. What we thought would be a lovely relaxing afternoon turned into mini hen and stag dos. Rommel and I were whisked away to meet friends and family for a day of fun and games! After almost 24 hours in transit, we were thoroughly knackered but it was a great start to an awesome wedding season. What was the toughest moment of the whole experience? The most difficult moment was finding out that my wedding dress was stuck in customs in Cape Town – this actually still makes me want to cry. I found out about two days before flying out to SA that my dress has been stopped in customs and they wanted me to pay pretty much the full price of the dress again to have it delivered to me. This was a shocker considering my friend had designed and made the dress and it was not of any commercial value. So many people got involved to try to get my dress back but to no avail. It was official on the Monday before the wedding that my dress, even if paid for, would not be with me for the big day. It had

been removed from its packaging so we didn’t know what state it would have turned up in either way. You must know how much this broke my heart: no dress – what do I do? Everyone rallied around us, people my parents knew were offering me dresses, trying to help me. My dad mentioned a boutique called Lady Marmalade which sounded great but I kept thinking, even if I find something how on earth will it be ready for Saturday? Mine had been in the making for almost a year! Anyway, my mum and I tried on a lot of dresses then went to Lady Marmalade. Aletheia and her daughter Janine were so supportive of what I was going through and did everything they could do to help me find what became my dream dress. They had it customised to be one shoulder and fitted for me, lace removed and restitched – in 24 hours! They gave me everything I needed including an underskirt to bring back to UK for our London reception. They were absolute angels who truly helped turn things around at the last minute. I also managed to lose my original wedding shoes, underwear and jewellery in the Luton area while on a trip to try on my dress! The shoes were my dream shoes and unlucky for me were on sale - it took two days for us to locate the last size 5 in London. Rommel spent his Saturday searching trains to find the originals on the day they

I would have insisted on carrying my original dress in my luggage! And probably would have preferred going back to South Africa two weeks ahead instead of just the one. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing. Do you have any tips for couples planning a wedding in SA from abroad? Make sure whoever you pick as bridesmaids or best men are up for the task of being your eyes and ears and legs. If you are able to, get a wedding planner as they will keep a check list for you – in my case, this was Rommel, my mum and my bridesmaids. I also used a wedding planner website. Most importantly, what will be, will be. Don’t dwell on anything that doesn’t go your way! It’s not the end of the world. Plus, a wise friend told me, if it doesn’t work out on the day, nobody knows what it supposed to look like but you – so don’t stress.

| 06 - 13 May 2014 | thesouthafrican.com

Zimbabwe Community

UK-based Zimbabwean gets a million hits on YouTube | If video killed the radio star then YouTube must be responsible for MTV’s gravestone. But as videos go viral every day, the proverbial 10 minutes of fame are becoming increasingly accessible to everyone, as a Zimbabwean-born teenager is finding out for himself by sertan sanderson KELVIN Jones didn’t expect much when he uploaded his homerecorded track “Call You Home” on YouTube in January. But the 19-year-old civil engineering student from Portsmouth has managed to attract over a million hits on the video-sharing platform, making him an online sensation.

The video made rounds via social media, as another track on his YouTube profile, Jones’s rendition of Aloe Blacc’s “I Need a Dollar”, started following hot on the heels of his initial success with about another 100,000 hits. However, despite his new-found success, Kelvin says that he left his songs available as free downloads

in order to reach a broad audience and build a fan base. The young rising star has been approached with various international media inquiries in the wake of his internet stardom, including a shout-out on “Good Morning America” on the US television network ABC, where host Sara Haines said, “Remember

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this name. He’s going to be huge.” Kelvin told Zimbabwe’s The Herald that he’s thrilled to hear his track being played on the radio around the world but hesitates to share what the next step for him might be: “I’m just beginning, so I still need to develop before I can see myself as a star. I started seriously making compositions last year, writing my own lyrics and performing them. I really want to get an album out but I’m not signed on to a label, so it’s pretty tough to get in a recording studio. I’m only learning how to record and mix music as I go, so if I did it myself I’d probably hate how it sounded upon looking back in a few months, which is why I’m hesitant to release an album by myself.” Kelvin adds, however, that he’s been fascinated with music since he was a child:

“It all started when I got a guitar at the age of four and have been playing it although I’m still perfecting my playing.” The young singer, who was born in Chitungwiza and moved to the UK at the age of nine, also mentioned that he would really enjoy collaborating with other Zimbabwean performers, adding that his dream is to perform back in the motherland: “Given a chance I would love to do a collab with any Zimbabwean artist, as here in the UK they are loved. It would broaden the fan base as well as helping me develop in the music industry. This will help me learn a thing or two from them and make me an even better musician.” With enough luck and ongoing support, he might just get to realise his dreams in no time.

Send money to your loved ones in South Africa from £4.50** Zimbabwe’s international re-engagement by staff reporter After a decade of isolation, as Zimbabwe’s relations with the West begin to thaw, a new Chatham House report, Zimbabwe’s International Reengagement: The Long Haul to Recovery, assesses the country’s political and economic landscape. Limited domestic policy options have led the government to increasingly look for international investors to generate economic growth. Yet uncertainty surrounding indigenization, land, and the multi-currency system remain a challenge. At this event on Wednesday 14 May the authors of the report will discuss the difficulty faced by the ZANU-PF government following the 2013 elections, and will argue that the normalization of diplomatic relations is vital to the country’s economic recovery.

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Discussant: Dr Miles Tendi, Lecturer in African History and Politics, University of Oxford Chair: Alex Vines, Director, Area Studies and International Law; Head, Africa Programme, Chatham House For more information, please contact Chris Vandome

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Changes in the Immigration Landscape

| The Immigration Bill going through Parliament will severely restrict rights of appeal BY PASSPORTIA If you are living in the UK using a South African or other passport with a UK visa, you should be aware that a new legal regime will soon be in force. The Immigration Bill is now coming to the end of its passage through Parliament, and is expected to be brought into force this summer. Currently, if an in-time application for a new UK visa is refused, there is a right of appeal to an independent Immigration Judge. If the Judge decides in favour of the applicant, the Home Office must grant the new visa. Whilst the appeal is ongoing, the old visa is automatically extended, meaning that the applicant can continue to live or work under the same conditions until there is a decision. Under the new law, applicants who are refused an extension to their visa by the Home Office will only be able to appeal to

an independent Judge if the application engages issues of human rights or international protection. In practice this will be rare. If an appeal is not available, the applicant can only apply for an administrative review, in which the Home Office re-assesses the refusal internally. There are serious concerns amongst immigration practitioners that administrative reviews will not provide an effective level of scrutiny, and the quality of Home Office decision-making will deteriorate. Moreover, the visa may end automatically when the Home Office issue their initial refusal, even if the decision is later challenged, meaning that the visa-holder must stop work immediately. Against this background, it will become more important than ever that immigration applications are thoroughly prepared and checked

by an experienced practitioner to ensure they satisfy the relevant rules and the correct documents are included. Alexander Finch Legal Adviser, Passportia, London www.passportia.org info@passportia.org

Shares available in a luxury 2 bedroom Apartment in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront

Tier 1 General to close for extensions and settlement

| The UK Government closed the Tier 1 (General) category for new applicants in April 2011

by breytenbachs The category remained open for extension and settlement applications, for holders of permits in this category. However, the UK Government has now announced that it intends to close this category for extension applications on 6 April 2015, and for settlement applications on 6 April 2018. The UK Government said that this should give enough time for applicants who entered this category to apply for settlement, should they meet the qualifying criteria. The UK Government also announced other changes and extensions to Tier 1, which will come into effect during 2014, including; • The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) category will be expanded to include talent in the digital technology sector; • Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent)

Cape Town

Waterfront Apartment CO-OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY (NOT TIMESHARE) FANTASTIC VALUE FROM R250,000 (APPR £14,000) FOR 2 WEEKS

| Apartments in the V&A Waterfront are subject to exceptional demand for both purchase and rental and FD Express is pleased to have a few resale shares available in the Altmore Block, overlooking the canal

by fd express The location is wonderful, with museums, grocery stores and a wide variety of shopping choices, cafes and restaurants right on your doorstep. It is an easy walk to the City Centre. The 130m2 apartment has an open plan lounge and dining room, with a terrace overlooking the Waterfront canal. It is fully equipped with all you would expect for an upmarket apartment, complete with 2 undercover parking spaces as well as a separate storeroom. Broadband internet connectivity and satellite tv are freely available. There is a full passkey security system in place.

“This is co-ownership, not a timeshare. You are purchasing shares in the company that owns the apartment and have a real right of ownership as well as a say in how it is managed. All the hassles of property management are taken care of for you, including the collection of rental income on your behalf if you so wish. Occupancy rates in the V&A Waterfront are in excess of 70% and the apartment offers a gross rental yield of 9% assuming just 60% occupancy”. “The holiday allocations rotate through the year, so all owners can enjoy peak holiday times on an equitable basis. The allocations have a duration of 2 weeks and are published several years in advance so owners can plan.”

Richard Lowther, MD of FD Express, says that “ We have just a few shares available presently from R250,000 and one of our sellers is offering a 20% discount for purchasing both their shares. At present rates of exchange, this is hard to better in any property market!” FD Express is an experienced holiday property management company with properties in South Africa and Europe. We like to have an open and friendly relationship with all our owners, so we can ensure they get the best value from their investment. The FD Express website is at http://fdexpress.co.uk For further enquiries email sales@ fdexpress.co.uk

applicants who have spent time in other immigration categories, will be able to use this time as counting towards settlement; • In the Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) category, the ring-fencing of places for MBA graduates and the current restrictions on participants’ graduation dates will be removed; For more information on how the changes will affect your unique situation, please contact a BIC consultant. JP Breytenbach Director of BIC, Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants Limited. www.bic-immigration.com or info@ bic-immigration.com

• • • • • • • • •

2 en-suite bedrooms, with terrace 2 dedicated parking spaces Designer furnishings and equipment Choice of 3 pools and use of the gym 24/7 on site security Convenient for Waterfront shopping, restaurants Fully managed and hassle free Trip Advisor 5 star rated Gross rental yield 9%, assuming 60% occupancy

It makes so much sense!

Call FD Express on SA (011) 0838733 or UK 01252 724663 email sales@fdexpress.co.uk Visit www.fdexpress.co.uk for more details

Business: Classifieds SERVICES

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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’

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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

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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 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 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

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SA-led Saracens brush aside Warriors to lead Premiership | Saracens secured the top spot in the Aviva Premiership after their convincing 44-20 win over the Worcester Warriors on Saturday By staff reporter Saracens, captained by South African lock forward Alistair Hargreaves, consigned Worcester Warriors to the Championship after another bonus point win at Allianz Park, and in the process breaking the Premiership record for points accumulated during one season with one round to go. Jackson Wray scored a hat-trick of tries, with Chris Ashton bagging a brace and David Strettle crossing for yet another try at Allianz Park. Saracens raced out of the blocks immediately looking to impose their authority onto proceedings, and as the Saracens fans bathed

in the resplendent May sunshine, the Sarries faithful didn’t have to wait too long to see that early dominance tell when David Strettle crossed in the opening minutes. The ball found its way the left hand wing with what for Worcester head honcho must have been alarming ease. Full-back Alex Goode showed good footwork and vision to find Strettle who crossed for his 11th try of the Premiership season. Goode converted. Strettle’s wing partner was next, as April Premiership Player of the Month nominee Chris Ashton collected the ever dangerous Goode’s pass to finish strongly in

the north east corner of the ground. Goode missed the extras. The England full-back again kicking instead of Owen Farrell due to the fly-half’s sore right foot, sent over a penalty to make the scores 15 -3. The Warriors hit back though after a ten minute period of reset scrums that eventually saw Rhys Gill (on for Mako Vunipola after seven minutes) yellow carded, talismanic full back Chris Pennell raced over to score. Lamb converted as the Warriors looked to close the gap on the Premiership leaders. As the seconds ticked down and Worcester looked good value for

keeping the winning margin to five points going into the break, Jackson Wray crossed for Saracens third of the day to go into half-time 22-10 up. Saracens looked better at the setpiece after the break and the front row of the Saracens pack forced Worcester into conceding a penalty. Goode struck the penalty kick over with ease. Then the floodgates opened. First, Chris Ashton crossed for his second try of the day in the right hand corner, the Jackson Wray completed his hat-trick with two powerful finishes first in the 62nd minute, then moments later in the

64th minute. Saracens were now 44-10 up with ten minutes to go, and after using all their substitutions during the second half, when Will Fraser was withdrawn Mark McCall’s men had to finish the remainder of the game down to 14-men. Worcester crossed for their second of the day when Semisi Taulava bulldozed his way to the try line. Pennell missed the conversion, but atoned for his wayward effort to score his second try as Saracens were down to 12 men with Neil de Kock and David Strettle in the sin-bin as Saracens won the game 44-20.

Spring is here… and so are O2 Touch Leagues with over 3,000 players | Well, what a week for O2Touch Leagues across England! by Jessica Powell This week saw over 3,000 O2Touch players dusting off their boots and breaking the touch skills out again for another spectacular spring season. With just under 300 teams, across 6 venues – 4 playing nights, it has been an amazing start to what will no doubt be a cracker of a season. But, if we thought this week was busy – we have another 5 venues starting next week as well! Looks like 2014 is set to be one ACTION PACKED YEAR! Regents Park has seen a record number of teams enter this year! Across 4 nights, more than 100 teams will fight it out to be crowned the Top Dog! Both Mixed and Men’s competitions will be taking place at not only Regents Park, but at all of our London venues that also started this week. Clapham Common has once again provied to be one of our most popular venues and filed up very quickly with many teams missing out, so is bursting at the seams with teams who are eager to up their touch knowledge and be even better than the game before. With many ‘oldies’ teams returning to maintain winners status, this week we have been witness to the fact that, they are going to have to work HARD, because the new teams have a thirst for first! Clapham/Wandsworth on Wandsworth Common has also set a new record! This season we have reached full capacity for the Women’s league competition!! This is amazing news for not only O2Touch, but for Touch as a Sport. The growing participation numbers by women in the sport is just awesome to see (and it shows the guys that girls don’t always need them in a team). With a lot of development going ahead, it was great to see that London based club, Galaxy – has entered TWO women’s teams into this league (a mini army of girls who can dive and throw long balls!). Clapham/Wandsworth isn’t

the only venue where Women are scoring though – as the SuperLeague division played at Putney/Wandsworth (King Georges Park) – has also set a record for the number of Women’s teams. Super League is the highest standard of Touch games available in London, and it is awesome to see over 80 women being involved in this! Super League at KGP has also maxed out its numbers for the spring season (amazing!). With 10 of the best London mixed teams fighting it out – this season it is a sure fire thing that some amazing touch action is going to take place! The first week at Super League saw many old rivals go head to head in the first round, to set the benchmark for the season. Not even the rain could keep the die-hards away! Perfect diving weather many of them said (that’s when you know you’re committed!). Get set – because the next few weeks are going to be absolutely ACTION-PACKED and with a summer and early Autumn seasons to follow in quick succession, there is certainly something for everyone this year! Touchdowns, long balls, dives, steps, flick pass, over the mark, touch and pass, forward pass, full length pitch runs, intercepts, yes no calls, half caught, changing direction, scooting, shutting, defending, attacking, Mexican standoff’s, drop balls, switching, rucking, wrapping – it’s all going to happen! Are you as excited as we are?! (Yes!!!) To get some more information go to www.in2touch.com/uk or contact either tracy@in2touch.com or jess@in2touch.com

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06 - 13 MAY 2014

Sarries slay Quins at Wembley P15

O2 Touch starts with over 3,000 players! P15

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Blitzbokke head to Twickenham

| The South African sevens rugby team will play the ninth and final tournament of the HSBC Sevens World Series in London this weekend. Be sure you don’t miss it, as tickets are fast selling out By staff reporter Rugby fans are in for a Monster weekend at Twickenham Stadium for the Marriott London Sevens on 10 and 11 May. The 2014 HSBC Sevens World Series is well underway and tournaments have already taken place in Australia, Dubai, USA, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong. The Marriott London Sevens is the ninth and final tournament and promises to be full of excitement, drama, great rugby and plenty of monster shenanigans. Although the London Sevens was not a great ending for South Africa, the Blitzbokke managed to finish second overall in the competition. They are once again sitting in second place behind New Zealand ahead of this year’s final stage, after a disappointing performance at the Glasgow Sevens over this last weekend. The hosts Scotland scored a surprise but deserved 12-7 win over the Springbok Sevens in their Cup quarterfinal clash to relegate the South Africans to the Plate competition, where they were knocked out of the contest after being beaten 14-7 by Kenya in their Plate semi-final clash on Sunday. South Africa has been drawn in Pool D together with Scotland, France and Portugal for this weekend. Each year the event has a fancy dress theme and in 2013 Safari proved the most successful thus

Kyle Brown (South Africa) and DJ Forbes (New Zealand) are the two captains leading the way in the HSBC Sevens World Series which heads to London this weekend. Photo: IRB / Martin Seras Lima

far -a record-breaking 113,000 supporters came through the gates to support their teams. The Marriott London Sevens is a rugby experience like no other, allowing friends and family to enjoy an action-packed weekend

and this year’s monster theme is guaranteed to bring a number of surprises. As well as the excitement on the pitch there will also be lots of activity off it with live music, entertainment and a big screen and

stage in the West Fan Village at Twickenham. Saturday is sold out but tickets are still available for Sunday, when the winners of both the Marriott London Sevens and the HSBC Sevens World Series will

be crowned. It is also the family day with face painters, balloon artists and a rugby activity zone for little monsters. Tickets on www.rfu.com/tickets

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